SPECIFICATIONImprovements in or relating to coin handling apparatusTHE PRESENT INVENTION relates to coin handling apparatus and more particularly to apparatus for use in "coin-in-the-slot" machines.
"Coin-in-the-slot" machines have been used for many years and apparatus has been developed which can satisfactorily identify a coin placed in a slot and accept coins of the correct denomination and reject coins which are not of the correct denomination. Such devices have also been adapted to reject coins of any denomination when the "coin-in-the-slot" machine cannot operate.
Thus, for example, if the "coin-in-the-slot" machine is a vending machine, the machine will reject any coin inserted into the machine when there are no products left within the machine for sale.
The number of "coin-in-the-slot" machines is growing and it is envisaged that there will be a need for a coin handling apparatus that can satisfactorily deal with the problems that will arise when there is no way of determining whether the machine can or cannot perform satisfactorily when a customer inserts a coin. Consider for example, a recently proposed machine which comprises a computer output terminal. It is envisaged that a customer may insert a coin into an appropriate slot and the machine will then automatically dial the central GPO "View Data" computer and the customer will then have direct access to the computer, via the computer terminal, for a predetermined period of time or the customer will have access to a number of "pages" of information stored in the computer.A difficulty that it is envisaged may be encountered with such a machine is that if a customer has inserted his money into the machine and the telephone lines to the central GPO "View Data" computer are all engaged the machine will not be able to establish communication with the computer, and thus the customer will not obtain any of the desired information, and thus the customer will wish to have his coin returned to him.
The present invention seeks to provide a coin handling apparatus that can be used in such a machine, but it is to be appreciated that a coin handling apparatus in accordance with the present invention may be used in many alternate machines and the above description is provided merely to give an indication of one particular use of a coin handling apparatus in accordance with the present invention.
According to this invention there is provided a coin handling apparatus comprising means for guiding a coin to a predetermined position, means for guiding a coin from said position to two separate destinations and means for retaining the coin in said predetermined position, said means being selectively movable in response to predetermined signals to permit the coin either to move to one destination or to move to the other destination.
Preferably said means are movable by electric motive means in response to electric control signals.
Said means may be movable by electromagnet means.
Preferably said apparatus comprises guidemeans adapted to guide a coin from said predetermined position and adapted to guide the coin from said predetermined position to two separate destinations, there being movablemembers protruding across said guide means to retain the coin in the predetermined positions, themembers protruding across the guide means being selectively movable to permit the coin to fall from the predetermined position to either one destination or the other destination.
Conveniently the movable means are pinmembers extending across the guide means, andthe pin members may be movable by means ofelectromagnetic means.
Each pin may be mounted on an arm which ispivotally movable about a pivot point under theinfluence of an electromagnet, spring means beingprovided to bias the arm into a position in whichthe pin member protrudes across the channelmeans, but alternatively each pin member may beconnected to a core movable within a coil of asolenoid, spring means being provided to bias thepin member into a position in which it protrudesacross the channel means. Said channel meansmay comprise tubes and in one embodiment saidtubes are of inverted "Y" configuration, said pinsextending across the bases of the divering arms ofthe "Y".
This invention also relates to coin operateddevice provided with a coin handling apparatusaccording to any one of the preceding claims.
In order that the invention may be more readilyunderstood and so that further features thereofmay be appreciated, the invention will now bedescribed by way of example with reference to theaccompanying drawings in which:Figure 1 is a front perspective view a part of acoin handling apparatus in accordance with theinvention;Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 1111 of Figure 1;Figure 3 is a front view partly broken away of asecond embodiment of the coin handlingapparatus in accordance with the invention; andFigure 4 is a side elevational view of the part of the apparatus shown in Figure 3 taken in thedirection of arrow IV.
A "coin-in-the-slot" machine having a coinhandling apparatus in accordance with the presentinvention is provided with a conventional slot into which a coin may be placed and a conventionalapparatus for identifying a coin placed in the slotand for rejecting coins of the wrong or incorrect denomination. This part of the apparatus isconventional and it is not described in detail in thisSpecification. Coins that are not rejected by this part of the apparatus fall, under the influence of gravity, through a vertical guide 1 which, in this embodiment of the invention, comprises an oval sectioned tube. Thus the coins fall in the direction of arrow 2. The tube 1 is joined to two separate tubes 3, 4, each of oval cross section, the combination of the tubes 1, 3 and 4 thus being of inverted "Y" shape. The tube 3 leads to a refund slot, and the tube 4 ieads to a cash box.
Two wires 5 protrude through apertures in the region of the junction between the tubes 1, 3 and 4, each wire being substantially centrally located at the mouth of a tube 3 or 4 respectively. Each wire 5 is connected by means of an arm 6 to a support bracket 7 which is pivotally mounted at pivot point 8 on a supporting framework 9. The bracket 7 is either made of soft iron or is provided with a soft iron member 1 0. A spring 11 is provided which engages the end of the bracket 7 and a lug provided on the framework 9, the spring 11 serving to bias the arm 6 into a position in which the wire 5 extends across the respective tube 3 or 4.An electromagnet 12 is provided which can be selectively energised, the electromagnet being positioned to attract the bracket 7 towards the electromagnet thus moving the arm 6 to the position 6' shown in chain lines, thus withdrawing the wire 5 from the respective tube 3 or 4.
In utilising the apparatus described above initially a coin, such as a 50p piece 13, is inserted into the slot, the coin is accepted by the coin identifying mechanism and is permitted to fall in the direction of arrow 2, through the tube 1. The coin 13 then engages the wire 5 and is retained in the position illustrated in Figure 1, since there is not sufficient space for the coins to pass the wires.
If the machine is, for example, a coin operated terminal as generally described above, the passage of the coin in the direction of the arrow 2 is sensed and this initiates a dialling procedure so that the computer terminal may be placed in communication with the computer. If the dialling process is completed satisfactorily and the terminal is placed in communication with the computer an appropriate control signal is generated within the apparatus and the electromagnet 12 associated with the pin 5 protruding through the tube 4 is energised, and thus the corresponding arm 6 is moved and the pin 5 is withdrawn from the tube, and consequently the coin 13 will fall, under the influence of gravity, through the tube 4 into the cash box.If, on the other hand, the dialling procedure was not completed satisfactorily, for example, if all the telephone lines to the GPO computer were engaged, again an appropriate control signal will be generated and the electromagnet 12 associated with the arm 6 associated with the pin 5 passing through the tube 3 would be energised, thus withdrawing the pin 5 from the tube 3 and permitting the coin 1 3 to fall, under the influence of gravity, through the tube 3 to the refund slot. If this situation occurs then the customer would be invited to reinsert his coin into the apparatus so that the dialling procedure could be repeated since, by that time one or more lines to the computer may no longer be engaged.
It is to be appreciated that one of two alternatecontrol signals, which can be termed an "acceptthe coin" signal and a "refund the coin" signal,and in response to which signal is generated thecoin is accepted or refunded. The specific example of a coin operated "View Data" terminal is given to facilitate an understanding of a fully functionaldevice incorporating the present invention.
Figures 3 and 4 illustrate a second embodiment of the invention in which tubes 1, 3 and 4 corresponding to the tubes 1, 3 and 4 of the embodiment shown in Figures 1 are provided, andpins 5 are also provided which protrude through the tubes 3 and 4, but in this embodiment of the invention each pin 5 is integrally mounted on a soft iron core 1 4 which is associated with a solenoid coil 1 5. A spring is provided within the core 1 5 to bias the pin 5 into the position illustrated in Figure 4, but when the coil 1 5 associated with the core 14 is energised the core 1 4 is drawn into the coil, thus retracting the pin 5 from the associated slot.
This device will operate in a manner similar to that of the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 say that the cores will merely be withdrawn into the coil 1 5 thus withdrawing the pin 5 from the respective tube.
Whilst the invention has been described with reference to pins that protrude across a tube of a coin handling mechanism and which can be withdrawn to permit a coin to follow one of two predetermined paths it is to be appreciated that members other than pins could be utilised and devices other than electromagnets or solenoids could be utilised to actuate the device. For example, members could be moved by electric motors to cause a coin to follow one of two or more predetermined paths or solenoids may be used to move members other than pins to define the guide means. Thus, in one conceivable embodiment of the invention, a slide member may be provided, the slide member having two separate channels formed therein, one guiding a coin towards the refund slot and one guiding a coin towards a cash box, the slide being located under the tube 1 initially so that a coin falling through the tube 1 rests on the top surface of the slide, the slide member then being movable either to the left or to the right in response to actuation of appropriate electric motor means to bring either the guide leading to the cash box or the guide leading to the refund slot into alignment with the base of the tube thus permitting the coin to fall through the appropriate guide. Many other alternative arrangements within the scope ofthe following claims will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art.