AU2003204801A1 - Coin returning device for public telephones and the like - Google Patents

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Invention Title: SIEMENS, S.A.

Citores Porqueras, Vital CALLINAN LAWRIE, 711 High Street, Kew, Victoria 3101, Australia COIN RETURNING DEVICE FOR PUBLIC TELEPHONES AND THE LIKE The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- 19/06/03,eh13428.cov, 1 COIN RETURNING DEVICE FOR PUBLIC TELEPHONES AND THE LIKE

DESCRIPTION

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device from among those used in pubic telephones and the like to return coins to users, for both unused coins and coins rejected as defective.

The object of the invention is to provide a device with optimum performance from a security standpoint that prevents fraudulent manipulations of the telephone through the device itself Such manipulations mean to block coin return to prevent users from recovering their coins, these being collected later by the defrauder.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the preferred field of practical application of the invention, the field of public telephones, devices are used to return coins based on the typical and conventional gate system. The disadvantage of this system is that the surface of contact between the moving part and the fixed part that houses it is very large, so that it is necessary to use small drawers, which result in inconveniences for users who occasionally get their fingers caught in the drawer, since using larger drawers implies a greater likelihood of fraudulent manipulations of the telephone through said drawer.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The coin returning device disclosed by the invention solves the above-described problems in a fully satisfactory manner, so that although it continues to use a gate, as is conventional, this gate is made inaccessible to the user by disposing, between the gate and the cover attached on the telephone case, a roller that places itself in front of the gate and 19/0603,ehl 3428.spc,2 -3closes and protects it when the cover front opening is left open to access the coins.

More specifically, said roller is hollow and has a large opening, and is provided with a tab that actuates it and also acts as a stop to limit the swivelling motion of the roller. In the lower end position of said tab, the roller will close the opening of the front cover of the device making the latter inaccessible, while releasing the gate allowing it to open so that coins may access the inside of the device, while when the tab is made to swivel upwards to open the opening of the central cover and allow the user to recover the coins, the roller acts on the gate, closing it and placing itself in front of the gate, specifically at an end position in which the gate stops against side flaps to determine an optimum closure.

In addition, the roller incorporates a side lug that emerges to the outside through an arched slot made in one of the sides of the device casing, so that with each swivelling motion of the roller, this is with each manoeuvre for accessing the inside of the device, said lug collides against an external control microswitch that from a management system allows controlling anomalous situations in the drawer, such as the gate being blocked closed by the roller. It would even be possible to act on the device, specifically on the aforementioned roller, by simply adding a motor to control its motion.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS To complement the description being made and in order to aid a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, in accordance with a preferred example of embodiment, the present description is accompanied by a set of drawings where for purposes of illustration and in a non-limiting sense the following is shown: Figure 1 shows a front-lateral elevation view of a coin returning device for public telephones or the like, constructed according to the object of the present invention, shown in a situation closed to the outside and with the inner gate open.

Figure 2 shows a rear-lateral perspective view of the case of the previous figure, in the same situation.

19/06&03,ehl 3428.spc,3 Figures 3 and 4 shows similar representations to figures 1 and 2 in an opposite position, this is with the front opening open and the gate closed.

Figure 5 shows finally a representation similar to figure 2 in which a ramp for the coins to fall into the device has been coupled to said device.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-described figures, it can be seen that the coin returning device of the invention comprises a casing rigidly joined to a front cover or panel in which a central opening is provided to access the inside of the casing said opening being normally closed by a roller provided with a manually-actuated tab mounted so that it can turn about the casing with a transverse shaft This roller is open on its bottom to allow free access to the base of the casing and on its rear face it is opposite an also rear gate that can close or leave open a rear opening of the casing provided with side flaps against which said gate stops when it is closed, preventing fraudulent access through the space between the roller and the casing as seen particularly in figure 4.

According to this structure and as shown in figures 1 and 2, when the tab that actuates the roller is in its lower end position, and said roller is closing the front opening the rear edge of the roller is distanced from the gate and the latter, hinged to the casing by an upper pivoting shaft swivels under the action of gravity to the open position shown in figure 2, so that the coins can access the inside of the casing through the rear opening When the user tries to access said coins by lifting the tab the roller turns to firstly act on the gate that reaches the closed position as shown in figure 4, in which it rests on the side flaps and in which the gate is protected and stabilised by the roller definitively preventing access to the interior of the telephone.

19/06/03.ehl 3428,spc.4 Additionally the roller incorporates a side lug (11) that emerges out of the casing (1) through an arched slot (12) with a centre of curvature located in the rotation axis of the roller interposed in the path of said lug (11) is a microswitch (13) activated by he lug (11) in the closed position of the gate this is in the situation shown in figure 4. This situation must be temporary, lasting only the time required to extract the coins from the inside of the drawer, so that if this situation is extended improperly, such as if the roller (4) is jammed, this can be detected by an external control system to carry out a suitable action, such as blocking the telephone until a maintenance operator releases the roller As shown in figure 5, it is possible in the rear of the casing at the opening for accessing the coins to couple a ramp (14) for the coins to fall that facilitates access to the coins by its opening when the gate is open and that can be adapted to different models of telephone simply by adding or changing the element (14) without changing the rest of the assembly.

Lastly, the clearance between the cover and the roller is minimal, barely 0.4 mm in a preferred embodiment. However, the clearance between the roller and the casing (1) is large, approximately 2 mm. In this way, the moving part cannot be blocked, as any tool used to block it must be under 0.4 mm thick, and when it progresses inside the device it will meet a clearance of 2 mm, so that it is not possible to block this surface of contact.

Where the terms "comprise", "comprises", "comprised" or "comprising" are used in this specification, they are to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components referred to, but not to preclude the presence or addition of one or more other feature, integer, step, component or group thereof 19/06/03,ehl 3428.spc.5

Claims (7)

1. A coin returning device for public telephones or the like, comprising: a front cover or panel for support; a roller mounted so that it can revolve about a transverse shaft that is actuated by a front tab that emerges through an opening of the support cover or panel; a casing to which is attached the transverse rotation shaft of the roller; a gate blocking passage of coins that can swivel on the casing by the action of the roller, these elements being joined to each other such that the clearance between the roller and the casing is greater than the clearance between the roller and the front cover or panel.

2. The coin returning device according to claim 1, wherein the front tab acts as a stop limiting the swivelling motion of the roller, between the upper and lower ends of the corresponding opening for accessing the inside of the drawer.

3. The coin returning device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the rear gate is mounted so that it can swivel about a shaft located in correspondence with its upper edge, and in a closed position it meets a couple of side flaps that frame the opening through which the coins fall into the drawer.

4. The coin returning device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the roller incorporates a side lug that emerges out of the casing through an arched slot concentrically to the swivelling shaft of the roller, wherein said lug in its closed position for the rear gate acts on a microswitch that allows remote detection of the closed situation of said gate and possibly a blocking of the roller when such a situation is improperly lengthened.

The coin returning device according to any one of the preceding claims, including a motor for the external control of the returning device.

6. The coin returning device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the casing can receive, in correspondence with the rear opening allowing coins to access the inside of the drawer, a ramp to collect the coins as they fall. 19/06/03,ehi 3428.spc.6

7. A coin returning device for public telephones or the like, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this 19 th day of June, 2003 SIEMENS, S.A. By Their Patent Attorneys CALLINAN LAWRIE 19/06/03,ehl 3428.spc,7