AU595670B2

AU595670B2 - Coin sorting mechanism

Info

Publication number: AU595670B2
Application number: AU82611/87A
Authority: AU
Inventors: John E. Jones; James M. Rasmussen
Original assignee: Cummins Allison Corp
Current assignee: Cummins Allison Corp
Priority date: 1987-04-01
Filing date: 1987-12-16
Publication date: 1990-04-05
Anticipated expiration: 2007-12-16
Also published as: JP2532530B2; EP0285240B1; MX169459B; EP0285240A2; JPS63250793A; AU8261187A; CA1315737C; EP0285240A3; DE3866912D1

Description

N~i~ 595670 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA FORM

COMPLETI

PATENTS ACT 1952 E SPECIFICAT ON FOR OFFICE USE: Class Int.Class r~~Bt~ Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: ,Priority: Related Art: This doxumtnat ccnt« 'ins the amendmelts made under Section 49 amd is currect for printing, Name of Applicant: CUMMINS-ALLISON CORP.

.Address of Applicant: 891 Feehanville Drive, Mount Prospect, Illinois, 60056, United States of America Actual Inventor: John F. Jones and James 14. Rasmussen 4 Address for Service: SHELSTON IATERS, 55 Clarence Street, Sydney Complete Specification for the Invention entitled: "COIN SORTING MECHANISM" The follow 4 ng statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 1- 1A FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to coin sorting devices and, more particularly, to coin sorters of the type which use a resilient disc rotating beneath a stationary sorting head for sorting coins of mixed denominations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENT0IN It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved coin sorter of the foregoing type.

In accordance with one broad form the present invention consists in a coin sorter, comprising: Sa rotatably mounted coin-carrying disc having a a resilient top surface onto which coins may be fed; means for rotating said disc; a guide plate having a surface positioned over and 1 closely adjacent said disc, wherein said surface includes an inner recess within which coins are able to move radially in response to rotation of said disc; 20 means for allowing coiia to enter between said disc i and said plate; .a referencing means configured in said surface for engaging at least one edge of the coins as the coins are moved circumferentially between said disc and said plate to position at least one edge of coins of a first denomination at a common radial location; sorting means including an ejection recess formed in said guide plate with the radially inner edge of said ejection recess located at a radial location for receiving oc" 1A FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to coin sorting devices and, more particularly, to coin sorters of the type which use a resilient disc rotating beneath a stationary sorting head for sorting coins of t ixed denominations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved coin sorter of the foregoing type.

In accordance with one broad form the present invention consists in a coin sorter, comprising: a rotatably mounted coin-carrying disc having a resilient top surface onto which coins may be fed; means for rotating said disc; S. a guide plate having a surface positioned over and closely adjacent said disc, wherein said surface includes an inner recess within which coins are able to move radially in response to rotation of said disc; :.Q0 means for allowing coins to enter between said disc and said plate; referencing means configured in said surface for e engaging at least one edge of the coins as the coins are Smoved circumferentially between said disc and said plate to position at least one edge of coins of a first I« denomination at a common radial location; sorting means including an ejection recess formed in said guide plate with the radially inner edge of said ejection recess located at a radial location for receiving i i i the radially inner portion of coins of said first denomination; the width of each ejection recess being smaller than the diameter of the coin to be received by that recess and the surface of the guide plate adjacent the radially outer edge of each ejection recess pressing the o r portions of the coins of all denominations into said i silient top surface of said disc so that the inner edges of the respective coins received by each ejection recess are titled upwardly into that recess, said ejection recesses exteding outwardly to the periphery of said guide plate so that the inner edges of the recesses guide the tilted coins outwardly and eject those coins from between said disc and said guide plate.

-2- BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is perspective view of a coin sorter embodying the present invention, with portions thereof broken away to show the internal structure; p FIG. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section taken generally 99 along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1 to show the configuration of the a* 0* underside of the sorting head or guide plate, with hatching added to the lowermost surface of the guide plate to more 9.

clearly i~entify the recessed areas, and with various coins 0'i superimposed thereon to illustrate the functions of the guide I t plate; FIG. 3 is an enlarged section taken generally along line 3-3 in FIG. 2, showing the coins in full elevation; FIG. 4 is an enlarged section taken generally along line 4-4 in FIG. 2, showing the coins in full elevation; FIG. 5 is an enlarged section taken generally along line in FIG. 2, showing two pennies in full elevation at different positions along the section; FIG. 6 is an enlarged section taken generally along line 6-6 in FIG. 2, showing two half dollars in full elevation at different positions along the section; -3- -c FIG. 7 is an enlarged section taken generally along line 7-7 in FIG. 2, showing two half dollars and a dime in full elevation at different positions along the section; FIG. 8 is an enlarged section taken generally along line 8-8 in FIG. 2, showing a nickel registered with the ejection recess; FIG. 9 is a portion of the same section shown in FIG. 8 but •9 with a quarter rather than a nickel registered with the ejection recess; 0 FIG. 10 is the righthand half of FIG. 2 with certain coins superimposed thereon to illustrate the recycling of stacked t coins; FIG. 11 is an enlarged section taken generally along line 11-11 in FIG. FIG. 12 is the righthand portion of FIG. 2 with certain coins superimposed thereon to illustrate the de-stacking of j stacked coins and their subsequent travel paths around that portion of the guide plate; and FIG. 13 is an enlarged section taken generally along line 2Q 13-13 in FIG. 12.

-3aga DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, a specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should ba understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the invention to the particular form S described, but, on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the 0 A spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Turning now to the drawings and referring first to FIG. 1, S.s a hopper 10 receives coins of mixed denominations and feeds them through central openings in a housing 11 and an annular sorting head or guide plate 12 inside the housing. As the coins pass 0 through these openings, they are deposited on the top surface of S a rotatable disc 13. This disc 13 is mounted for rotation on a stub shaft (,jot shown) and driven by an electric motor 14 via drive belt 15. The disc 13 comprises a resilient pad 16 bonded to the top surface of a solid metal disc 17. The top surface of the resilient pad 16 is ptGeferably covered with a durable fabric bonded to the pad itself, which is preferably made of a resilient zubber or polymeric material.

As the disc 13 is rotated, the coins deposited on the top surface thereof tend to slide outwardly over the surface of the pad due to centrifugal force. As the coins move outwardly, -4r those coins which are lying flat on the pad enter the gap between the pad surface and the guide plate 12 because the underside of the ihner periphery of this plate is spaced ab~ove the pad 16 by a distance which is slightly greater than the thicki~ess of the thickest coin.

As can be seen most clearly in FIGt. 2, the outwardly moving coins initially enter an annular recess 20 formed in the **~underside of the guide plate 12 and extending around a z~ajor 4 0 portion of the inner periphery of the annular guide plate.

SCoins Cl, C2 and C3 superimposed on the bottom plan vi ,W of the guide plate in FIG. 2 are examples of coins which have entered the peripheral recess 20.1 The outer wall 21 of the recess I extends downwardly to the lowermost surface 22 of the guide plate, which is spaced from the top surface of the pad 16 by a Sdistance which is slightly less, e.g. 4 0.010 inch, than the thickness of the thinnest coins. Conisequently, free radial movement of the coins is terminated whcen they engage the wall 21.

of the recess 20, though the coins continue to move circumferentially al.ong the wall 21 by the rotational movement of the pad 16, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 2.

The only portion of the central opening of the guide plate 12 which does not open directly int the recess 20 is that sector of the periphery which is ()ccupied by a raised land 23, the purpose of Which will be described in more detail below. As coins ,within the recess 20 approach the leading edge 24 of the r, Sland 23, those coins move outwardly a:round the land 23 through a recess 25 which is merely an outward extension of the inner peripheral recess '20. In FIG. 2, coins C4, C5, C6 and C7 are examples of coins moving in succession through the recess which is wide enough to accomodate coins of all denominations.

The recess 25 extends entirely around the outer wall of the land 23 and rejoins the peripheral recess 20 at the downstream a 4a end 26 of the land 23. Just as the recess 25 is an extension of 0 0 the peripheral recess 20, the outer wall 27 of the recess 25 is an extension of the outer wall 21 of the recess 20. Thus, coins which approach the recess 25 with their outer edges riding on the wall 21 move into the recess 25 with their outer edges riding on the outer wall 27, as illustrated by coins C4-C7 in S" FIG. 2. As can be seen in the sectional view in FIG. 4, the wall 27 is preferably tapered to zinimize abrasion by minimizing the area of contact between the coins and the recess wall.

Rotation of the pad 16 continues to move the coins along the wall 27 until the outer portions of those coins engage a capturing ramp 28 sloping downwardly from the top surface of the recess 25 to a region 22a of the lowermost surface 22 of the guide plate 12. (For clarity, hatching has been added to the entire surface 22 in FIG. coin C7 in FIG. 2 is an exmple of a coin which has just engaged the ramp 28. Because lhe 46M surface 22 is spaced from the pad 16 by a distance that is less than the thickness of the thinnest coin, the eff'ct of the ramp 6- I.K- w*

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1

O

4

I

r 28 is to depress the outer edge of any coin that engages the ramp downwardly into the resilient pad 16 as the coins are advanced along the ramp by the rotating disc. As can be clearly seen from the sectional view in FIG. 6, this causes the coins to be firmly gripped between the guide plate surface region 22a and rto Qr the resilient pad 16, thereby holding the coins in a fixed 9 o S radial position as they continue to be rotated along the o, underside of the guide plate by the rotating disc.

Even though only a small portion of the surface area of any given coin is gripped between the guide plate surface region 22a S and the resilient pad 16, the compressive gripping force is sufficient to hold the coins in a fixed radial position. In fact, gripping the coins along a segment which is only one millimeter wide is sufficient to hold the coins against radial movement, even while they are being rotated along the underside of the guide plate by the rotating disc.

As the coins continue to be rotated along region 22a of the guide plAte surface, they enter a referencing recess 30 whose top surface is spaced away from the top of the pad 16 by a distance that is less than the thickness of the thinnest coin but slightly greater than the distance between the surface 22 and the top of the pad 16. For example, When the surface 22 is spaced 0..010 inch from the pad surface, the surface of the recess 30 is spaced 0.050 inch from the pad surface (the thickness of a dime is 0.053 inch). Consequently, c p -7- 4*A. f 0- UL 2 0 a 0 44 4.

*4* 4 ~t 4 4 I 4* a 44 1 444* *04444 4 1 the coins continue to be gripped between the guide plate 12 and the resilient pad 16 as they are r'ota*ted through the referencing recess 30. The purpose of the referencing recess 30 is to form an outer wall 31 for engaging and nn--,i-tioning the outer edges of the coins as they pass through the recess At the upstream of the recess 30, Where the coins first enter the recess, the outer wall 31 is located at the same radial distance from the center of the guide pl~ate as the outer edge of the ramp 28 (which Is also the oui1oermost, portion of the outer wall 27 of the recess 25). Thus, the radial position of the coins is not changed when, they '1rst eiter the referoncing, recess 30. As the coins mave circumferentially through the referencing recess 30, howvsver, the wal. 31 cams the outer edges of the coins progressivel~y inwo.rdlyj thereby re-referencIng the outer edges, of the coins to a 014fererit cadial poaition that is slightly closer to the center of the gulde disoo this oiaming action is -illustrated- by the progressive phang@. in the radial locations of the outer edges of the coins C59, C2JQ and, C11. in FIG. 2.

The reason for the re-referencing recess -30 is that coins May be captured by the ramp 28 even though they are it actually engaging the, outer wall 27 of thq raoogs 25. That iP, the outer edge of a coin may be slightly spaced fromt the outor' wall 27 as the coin engage$ the ramp 280, and yet that~ ao~n ~Iight: still overlap a sufficient pottioh Of the ramp 28 to bae(oMa gripped between the guide plate surface 22 and the resilient pad 1b. Inward movement of all the coins by the wall 31 ensures that the outer edges of all the coins are located at a common radial position, regardless of where the outer edges of those Soins were located when they were initially captured by the ramp 28.

At the downstream end of the referencing recess 30, a o* gentle ramp 32 slopes downwardly from the top surface of the referencing recess 30 to region 22b of the lowermost surface 22 of the guide plate. Thus, the coins are gripped between the PP guide plate 12 and the resilient pad 16 with the maximum compressive force, as clearly illustrated in the sectional view in FXG. 7. This ensures that the coins are held securely in the new radial position determined by the wall 31 of the referencing recess 4*44 In accordance with an important feature of the present •invention, the guide plate 12 forms sorting means comprising a series of ejection recesses spaced circumaerentially around the outer periphery of the plate, with the innermosit edge, of successive slots located progressively farther away from the common radial location of the outer edges of all the coins for Sreceiving and ejecting coins in order of increasing diameter; the width of each ejection Iecess is smaller than the diameter of the coin to be received and ejected by that particular recess, and the surface of the guide plate adjacent the radially -9- V- out~er edge of each ejection recess presses the outer portions of the coins received by that recess into the resilient pad so that the inner edges zcT those coins are tilted upwardly into the recess. The ejection recesses extend outwardly to the periphery of the guide plate so that the inner edges of these recesses Sguide the tilted coins outwardly and eventually eject those coins from between the guide plate 12 and the resilient pad 16.

016eq This featuire of the invention stems in part from the discovery that coins can be reliably sorted and ejected at high d" throughput rate:s, while being pressed into the resilient pad, without the use of auxiliary coin-tilting devices such as dcpressors or plows. It has been found that with proper location and dimensioning of ejection recesses which are more narrow than the diameters of the respective coins to be ejected, the inner edges of the coins can be urged into the ejection recesses by the guide plate itself. Coins~ of different denominations are thus reliably ejected at designated circumkerential locations around the periphery of the guide plate without the need for any auxiliary devices for ejecting the coins. It has been demonstrated that this arrangement permiits corting at rates in excess of 2500 coins per minute with less than 0.005% mais-oorted coins, without the use of any auxiliary devices for ejecting the coins.

Xn the ill.ustrative embodiment of this invention, a series of six arcuate ejection recesses 40, 41, 42, 43f 44 and,45 are -10*0' spaced circumferentially around the outer periphery of the guide plate 12. These six recesses 40-45 are positioned and dimensioned to eject dimes, pennies, nickels, quarters, dollars and half dollars, respectively. More specifically, the innermost edges of the ejection recesses are positioned so that

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1 o? the inner edge of a coin of only one particular denomination can 0 S enter each recess; the coins of all other remaining

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t denominations extend inwardly beyond the innermost edge of that S particular recess so that the inner edges of those coins cannot enter the recess. Thus, all the coins except the dimes bypass the recess U C For example, the first ejection recess 40 is intended to 4 discharge only dimes, and thus the innermost edge 40a of this S recess is located at a radius that is spaced inwardly from the eO radius of the referencing wall 31 by a distance that is only S" slightly greater than the diameter of a dime. Consequently, 5 only dimes can enter the recess 40. Because the outer edges of all denominations of coins are located at the same radial position when they leave the referencing recess 30, the inner edges of the pennies, nickels, quarters, dollars and half dollars all extend inwardly beyond the innermost edge of the recess 40, thereby preventing these coins from entering that particular recess. This is illustrated in FIG. 2 which shows dimes C12 and C13 captured in the recess 40, while a penney C14 and half dollar C15 are bypassing the recess 40 because their -11spaced circumferentially around the outer periphery of the guide plate 12. These six recesses 40-45 are positioned and dimensioned to eject dimes, pannies, nickels, quarters, dollars and half dollars, respectively. More specifically, the innermost edges of the ejection recesses are positioned so that the inner edge of a coin of only one particular denomination can enter each recess; the coins of all other remaining denominations extend inwardly beyond the innermost edge of that particular recess so that the inner edges of those coins cannot enter the recess. Thus, all the coins except the dimes bypass the recess SFor example, the first ejection recess 40 is intended to discharge only dimes, and thus the innermost edge 40a of this recess is located at a radius that is spaced inwardly from the radius of the referencing wall 31 by a distance that is only i l slightly greater than the diameter of a dime. Consequently, 't only dimes can enter the recess 40. Because the outer edges of all denominations of coins are located at the same radial position when they leave the referencing recess 30, the inner edges of the pennies, nickels, quarters, dollars and half dollars all extend inwardly beyond the innermost edge of the recess 40, thereby preventing these coins from entering that particular recess. This is illustrated in FIG. 2 which shows dimes C12 and 0.13 captured in the recess 40, while a penney C14 and half dollar C15 are bypassing the recess 40 because their 1 inner edges extend inwardly beyond the innermost edge 40a of the recess.

At recess 41; the inner edges of only the pennies are located close enough to the periphery of the guide plate 12 to enter ,he recess. The inner edges of all the larger coins extend inwardly beyond the innermost edge of the recess 41 so 1 *that they remain gripped between the guide plate and the 0 resilient pad. Consequently, all the coins except the pennies continue to be rotated past the recess 41. This is illustrated in FIG. 2 which shows pennies C16, C17 and C18 captured in the recess 41, while a nickel C19 is bypassing the recess 41 because *t the inner edge of the nickel overlaps the innermost edge 41a of the recess.

Similarly, only the nickels C20, C21 and C22) enter the ejection recess 42, only the quarters C23, C24 and enter the recess 43, only the dollars C26, C27 and C28) enter the recess 44, and only the half dollars C29, and C31) enter the recess 45. FIG. 2 also shows a quarter C32 bypassing the nickel recess 42, a dollar C33 bypassing the quarter recess 43, and a half dollar C34 bypassing the dollar recess 44.

The cross-sectional profile of the ejection recesses 40-45 is shown most clearly in FIG. 8, which is a section through the nickel recess 42. Of course, the cross-sectional configurations of all the recesses are similar; they vary only in their widths -12-

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J and their circumferential and radial positions. As can be clearly seen in FIG. 8, the recess slot 42 has a width which is greater than the iadius, but less than the diameter, of the nickel C20. Consequently, the outer portion of the nickel is pressed downwardly into the resilient pad 16 by region 22c of the guide plate surface 22 at the outer edge of the recess 42, thereby causing the inner edge of the nickel to be tilted upwardly into the recess 42 with the inner edge of the nickel o* riding along the inner wall 42a of the recess. Then, as the I nickel is moved circumferentially along the surface of the guide plate, the wall 42a of the recess 42 cams the nickel outwardly S until it reaches the periphery of the guide plate 1,2 and is eventually released entirely from the gripping pressure of the Sguide plate and the resilient pad. At this point centrifugal S force causes the coin to move radially away from the sorting mechanism into a suitable receptacle, such as a coin bag or box.

Because each coin is gripped between the guide plate 12 and the resilient pad 16 throughout its movement through the ejection recess, the coins are under control at all times.

Thus, any coin can be stopped at any point along the length of its ejection recess, even when the coin is already partially projecting beyond the outer periphery of the guide plate.

Consequently, no matter when the rotating disc is stopped in response to the counting of a preselected number of coins of t particular denomination), those coins which are already within -13-

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0 06 00 0 4 8 2 a a 98 o 00 9 Q 9 0 9.

9 9* 4nC 0P the various ejection recesses can be retained within the sorting head until the disc is re-started for the next counting operation.

FIG. 9 is a portion of the same section shown in FIG. 8 with a quarter C32 rather than the nickel C20 positioned over the ejection recess 42. It can be sleen that the inner edge of the quarter extends inwardly beyond the inner edge 42a of the recess 42, which prevents the quarter from entering the recess.

Consequently, the quarter C32 continues to be advanced in the circumferential direction by the rotating disc until the quarter comes into register with the next ejection recess 43.

Returning now to the function of the land 23, the primary function of this portion of the guide plate 12 is to prevent two or more coins stacked on top of each other from reaching the ramp 28. When two or more coins are stacked on top of each other, they may be pressed into the resilient pad 16 even within the deep peripheral recess 20. Consequently, stacked coins can be located at different radial positions within the recess 20 as they approach the land 23. Coins C35 and C36 represent one example of such a pair of stacked coins.

FIG. 10 illustrates a pair of stacked coins which have only partially entered the recess 20 and, therefore, engage the inner wall 23a of the land 23. As can be seen most clearly in the cross-sectional view in FIG. 11, the inner wall 23a is beveled so that stacked coins which have only partially entered the -14recess 20, such as the exemplary pair of coins C35 and C36, are allowed to bypass the land 23 by passing beneath the beveled wall 23a. It can be seen that the beveled wall 23a tilts the stacked coins C35 and C36 as they pass thereunder, thereby retaining the stacked coins in their original radial positions partially within the recess 20. Consequently, when the stacked coins emerge from the downstream end of the island 23, they are in position to engage a notch 50 formed in the inner periphery of the guide plate (see FIG. When the stacked coins engage 10 the notch 50, the upper coin C35 engages the wall 51 of the 6 notch, which retards the upper coin C35 while the lower coin C36 continues to be advanced by the rotating disc. Thus, the stacked coins are stripped apart so that they can once again enter the recess 20, this time in a single layer. The stripping Se action of the notch 50 is clearly illustrated in the sectional view of FIG. 3.

FIG. 12 illustrates a stacked pair of coins C37 and C38 S which have moved farther out, in the radial direction, within the recess 20 before reaching the land 23. This pair of stacked 6"i coins engages the outer wall 23b of the land 23; as clearly illustrated in FIG. 13, the lower portion of this wall 23b forms a short bevel while the upper portion is vertical. Thus, the Supper coin C37 engages the vertical upper portion of the wall 23b and is thereby cammed outwardly into the recess 25. The lower coin C38 engages the beveled lower portion of the 23b wall 6 1z- JL:C which presses the coin C38 into the resilient pad 16 so that it can pass beneath the land 23. Pressure between the land 23 and the resilient pad'16 maintains the lower coin C38 in a fixed radial position as it passes beneath the land 23 so that this coin is recycled into the recess 20 as the pad continues to rotate, as shown most clearly in the sectional view of FIG. With the upper coin C37 being cammed outwardly into the recess while the lower coin C38 is maintained in a fixed radial position, the two C37 and C38 coins are stripped apart. The upper coin C37 is then free to move outwardly by centrifugal force to the guide wall 27 and onto the ramp 28 while the lower coin is recycled.

t i it t i -16

Claims

1. A coin sorter, comprising: a rotatably mounted coin-carrying disc having a resilient top surface onto which coins may be fed; means for rotating said disc; a guide plate having a surface positioned over and closely adjacent said disc, wherein said surface includes an inner recess within which coins are able to move radially in response to rotation of said disc; means for allowing coins to enter between said disc and said plate; referencing means configured in said surface for engaging at least one edge of the coins as the coins are moved circumferentially between said disc and said plate to position at least one edge of coins of a first denomination at a common radial location; sorting means including an ejection recess formed in said guide plate with the radially inner edge of said ejection recess located at a radial location for receiving the radially inner portion of coins of said first denomination; the width of each ejection recess being smaller than the diameter of the coin to be received by that recess and the surface of the guide plate adjacent the radially outer edge of each ejection recess pressing the outer portions of the coins of all denominations into said resilient top surface of said disc so that the inner edges of the respective coins received by each ejection recess are 17 I ;l u titled upwardly into that recess, said ejection recesses extending outwardly to the periphery of said guide plate so that the inner edges of the recesses guide the tilted coins outwardly and eject those coins from between said disc and said guide plate.

2. The coin sorter as set forth in claim 1, wherein said referencing means engages the radially outer edges of coins as the coins are moved circumferentially between said disc and said plate to position the radially outer edges of the coins at a common radial location, whereby the radially inner edges of said coins are positioned at different radial locations determined by the diameters of O, the respective coins. r

3. The coin sorter as set forth in claim 2, wherein said sorting means further includes; a series of circumferentially spaced ejection 0 9, recesses formed in said guide plate with the radially inner edges of successive ejection recesses located at different radial positions for receiving the inner portion of coins of progressively increasing diameter,

4. A coin sorter as set forth in claim 3 wherein at I least one of said ejection recesses is curved outwardly toward the periphery of said guide plate and away from the S circumferential path of movement of coins approaching the ejection recess. 9** A coin sorter as set forth in claim 1, wherein said allowing means includes a central opening in said guide plate. 18

6. A coin sorter as set forth in claim 1, wherein said guide plate includes means for arranging coins in said inner recess in a single file of single-layer coins.

7. A coin sorter as set forth in claim 6, wherein said referencing means includes a recess in said surface having a radially outer edge being positioned and shaped to engage the radially outer edges of the coins of all denominations and moving said coins radially inwardly as the coins are advanced circumferentially through said recess.

8. A coin sorter as set forth in claim 3, wherein the space between said resilient top surface and said guide Oaaaos plate surface adjacent the radially outer edge of each 'a ejection recess is less than the thickness of the thinnest ,osh coins to be sorted.

9. A coin sorter substantially as herein described with 4 t reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 19th day of January, 1990 CUMMINS-ALLISON CORP. *e e a6 Attomrney: PETER HEATHCOTE a Fellow Institute of Patent Attorneys of AuStral&B •Ms O of SHELSTON WATERS S 19 cv1