AU636658B2

AU636658B2 - Coin dispensing apparatus

Info

Publication number: AU636658B2
Application number: AU63635/90A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Hiroshi Abe
Original assignee: Asahi Seiko Co Ltd
Current assignee: Asahi Seiko Co Ltd
Priority date: 1989-10-03
Filing date: 1990-10-01
Publication date: 1993-05-06
Anticipated expiration: 2010-10-01
Also published as: ES2026019A6; KR940000592Y1; AU6363590A

Description

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1952 Form COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE Short Title: Int. Cl: Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification-Lodged: Accepted: Lapsed: Published: Priority: Related Art: TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Name of Applicant: ASAHI SEIKO KABUSHIKI KAISHA Address of Applicant: NO 24-15, MINAMIAOYAMA 2-CHOME

MINATO-KU

TOKYO

JAPAN

Actual Inventor: Address for Service: GRIFFITH HACK CO., 601 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.

Complete Specification for the invention entitled: COIN DISPENSING APPARATUS.

The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to me:- COIN DISPENSING APPARATUS The present invention relates to a pin type coin dispensing apparatus used in a coin changer, game machine or the like for dispensing desired quantities of coins or tokens one at a time from a hopper storing them in bulk by means of a rotary disc having a plurality of coin feeding pins.

I Hitherto, tsuch a coin di spnsing apparatus is well known as disclosed in U.S. Patent No.

4589433 and comprises, as shown in Fig. 10, a hopper 1 for storing coins to be dispensed in bulk and a rotary disc 2 disposed in the hopper I and rotatably supported on an inclined support plate 3 by means of a hearing (not shown) to he rotated about a rotating shaft 4 at an angle to the horizontal within the hopper 1. The rotary disc has Sat its central portion a central shelf 5 of a diameter depending on a diameter of a coin to be dispensed and at its peripheral portion 2-1 a plurality of coin feeding projections or pins 6 spaced in the peripheral direction to define coin receiving spaces on an inclined surface of the L 2 rotary disc 2 between sequential feeding pins 6.

When the rotary disc 2 is rotated, each coin feeding pin 6 picks up a coin into the respective coin receiving space from a gutter (not shown) formed between lower portions la and 2a of the hopper 1 and the rotary disc 2 and delivers the coin to the upper delivery zone 2-2. At this upper delivery zone, each coin is pushed into a discharge chute along a delvery guide 7 by the respective coin fe(eding pin 6, the delivery guide 7 is extended in a direction tangential to the upper periphery of thec central shelf and traverses the I(ripheral portion 2-1 of the rotary disc 2.

Such a conventional coin dispensing apparatus has a problem that coins can not be discharged from the hopper in spite of a number of coins to be dispensed being stored in the hopper especially when large coins having a large diameter and thickness such as one dollacoins having a diameter of 38 mm or five dollar coins having a diameter of 45 mm are stored in the hopper, since at least three stacks of coins (A) are formed at the lower end on the surface of inclined bottom Ib of the hopper 1 in such a balanced or stable condition as shown in Fig. so that each coin A in the stacks contacts at its peripheral edge with the surface of the rotary disc 2 and slips on the surface or rotates about a vertical axis of the stack when the rotary disc is rotated and consequently coins in the hopper can not slip down into the gutter.

The object of the present invention is to prove the aforementioned problem by preventing the stacks of coins from forming at the lower end on the bottom surface of the hopper to thereby improve dispensing efficiency of the pin type coin dispensing apparatus.

According to the present invention there is provided a coin dispensing apparatus comprising: a supporting plate inclined to the horizontal; a hopper mounted on said supporting plate for holding a supply of coins; a rotary disc rotatably supported on said supporting plate within said hopper, said rotary disc having a surface which is divided into an inside portion and an outside portion surrounding said inside portion, said hopper having an inclined bottom surface extending towards the lower peripheral portion of said outside portion of said rotary disc for receiving coins; a central shelf disposed on said inside portion of said rotary disc; a plurality of coin feeding pins located at spaced apart locations on said outside portion of said rotary disc, each of said coin feeding pins for carrying one coin at the periphery of said central shelf; and a plurality of grooves provided on the face of said outside portion for stirring coins, wherein each of said plurality of grooves is inclined and extends substantially in a direction tangential to the periphery of the central shelf between one of said feeding pins and another of the feeding pins disposed beside the one feeding pin.

It is advantageous to embed friction material such as rubber in at least one of the grooves.

It is preferable to provide the groove in the shape of an angle extending over a coin feeding pin.

Furthermore it is preferable to provide at least two ridges spaced parallel to each other with a distance smaller than a diameter of a coin to be dispensed and extending on the bottom surface of the hopper towards the lower peripheral portion of the rotary disc.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following -e 5 description of an illustrative embodiment proceeds with reference to the drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of the coin dispensing apparatus according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a front view of the rotary disc shown in Fig. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along a lino 1I -I in Fig. 3; I) Fig. 4 is a Iperspect ive view similar to Fig. showing a functon of grooves and ridges; Fig. 5 is a schematic pIerspecti ve view illustrating an advantageous oembod(imenl t of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a partial sel(t i(nal view of the S1 rotary disc shown in Fig. Fig. 7 is a schematic p-rspeOcti ve view illustrating another embod iment of the present invention Fig. 8 is a front view of the rotary disc shown in Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a partial sectional view taken along a line IX-IX of the rotary disc shown in Fig. 8; and Fig. 10 is a schematic perspective view of a conventional pin type coin dispensing apparatus.

6 Referring to Figs. 1 4 showing an embodiment of the present invention, a hopper 1 for storing a number of coins to be dispensed in bulk is mounted on a supporting plate 3 inclined to the horizontal.A rocary disc 2 is rotatably supported on the supporting plate 3 by means of a thrust bearing (not shown) to position at a side within the hopper 1 and is drivingly connected to a driving shaft 4 to rotate in an inclined position within the hopper 1.

The rotary disc 2 has a central shelf 5 of a diameter depending on a diameter of a coin to be dispensed at tle central portion of the rotary disc and a )plurality of coin feeding pins 6 in the peripheral portion 2-1 around the central shelf The coin feeding pins 6 are spaced in the peripheral direction with a distance larger than a diameter of ,[ie coin to be dispensed.

Thus, when the rotary disc 2 is rotated, 2" each coin feeding pin 6 picks up a coin from a gutter (not shown) formed between lower portions la and 2a of the hopper 1 and the rotary disc 2 and delivers the coin to an upper delivery zone 2-2. Each coin is discharged through a discharge 7 chute (not shown) along a delivery guide 7 which is extended in a direction tangential to the upper periphery of the central shelf 5 and traverses the peripheral portion 2-1 of the rotary disc. The central shelf 5 is provided with a plurality of agitator pin. 9.

Referring to Fig. 1, the peripheral portion of the rotary disc 2 is provided with a plurality of inclined grooves 10 between the sequential

I

0 feeding pins. Each of grooves extends substantially in a direction tangential to the periphery of the central she l 5. The hopper 1 is provided with two ridges 11 spaced parallel to each other with a distance smaller than a diameter of a coin to he dispensed at the lower end of the bottom lb of the hopper 1. The ridges 11 are extended on the bottom surface of the hopper towards the lower peripheral portion 2-3 of the rotary disc 2.

In accordance with the aforementioned arrangement, when the rotary disc 2 in rotated, a coin which a peripheral edge contacts with the lower peripheral portion of the rotary disc 2 is engaged with the groove 10 and rotated about its center as shown by an arrow to change a S posture so as to direct in a direction parallel 8 to the surface of the rotary disc 2. Consequently, the coin drops into the gutter so that the coin can be picked up by the coin feeding pin 6 and transferred to the upper delivery zone 2-2.

The ridges 11 on the bottom surface of the hopper 1 effects to prevent the coins forming a stable set of at least three stacks of coins at the bottom of the hopper 1.

Referring to Fig. 5, a Friction material 12 10 such as rubber may be embedded in at least one of the grooves 10 to effect a frictional engagement with the coin.

Figs. 7 9 shown another embodiment of the present invention. in this embodiment, grooves 10 are provided at the peripheral portion 2-1 of the rotary disc 1 in the shape of an angle.

The groove 10 may be extended over the coin feeding pin 6 and embedded with the friction material 12.

2(C)

Claims

2. An apparatus claimed in claim i, further including friction material embedded in at least one of said grooves.
3. An apparatus claimed in claim 2 wherein the friction ma'erial is rubber.
4. An apparatus claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the groove is in the shape of anr angle extending over a coin feeding pin.
5. An apparatus claimed in claim 4, further including friction material embedded in at least one of the grooves.
6. An apparatus claimed in claim 5 in which the friction material is rubber.
7. An apparatus claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, further including at least two ridges spaced parallel to each other by a distance smaller than the diameter of a coin to be dispensed and extending on the bottom of the hopper towards the lower peripheral portion of said rotary disc.
8. A coin dispensing apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings. Dated this 2nd day of March 1993 ASAHI SEIKO KABUSHIKI KAISHA By its Patent Attorneys: GRIFFITH HACK CO. Fellows Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia.