EP0143972B1 - Coin holder for a coin operated apparatus or coin changer - Google Patents

Abstract

The compartments (3) of a compartment ring (1) rotatable stepwise about its horizontal axis (2) are bounded at the ring end faces by circular-ring walls (6, 7), at the outer ring circumference by a cylindrical annular wall (19) exhibiting at the top an inlet opening (23) leading into respectively one compartment (3a), and at the inner ring circumference by a conical annular wall (20) exhibiting at the top an outlet opening (24) offset with respect to the inlet opening (23) in a direction of rotation (17) of the ring, this outlet opening leading into a coin return channel (26) and into a coin overflow channel (27). Upon rotation of the ring in this direction (17), the last-received coins drop into the coin return channel (26). Upon rotation in the opposite direction (18), respectively one coin is received while another coin, exceeding the capacity of the compartment ring (1), drops into the coin overflow channel (27). The conical shape of the inner annular wall (21) prevents that a coin, dropping through the inlet opening (23) into a compartment (3a) and rebounding, projects temporarily into the inlet opening (23) where it could block the coin collection box during the immediately subsequent rotation of the compartment ring. Ribs (34) on the compartment walls (4) prevent sticking of a coin to the walls. By means of ribs (35) at the outlet opening (24), the coins are lifted before they reach this opening, and are thereby detached from the compartment walls (4), if necessary.

Description

The invention relates to a coin collecting container for cashiers and coin changers. Such a coin collecting container is intended to hold a sufficient number of coins in a limited space. If it is not only to serve as a buffer for one or a few checkout processes, it must be able to be carried out with an overflow in order to remain operational even when filled. And it should also be used to return coins, e.g. after actuation of a correction key, are suitable, with the coins that were last taken in each case being to be returned in order to prevent improperly coin-like bodies or low-value coins from being inserted and then coins with the actual value being issued by actuation of the correction key. Coin stores of the type specified in the preamble of claim 1 have these properties, and they are also simple in construction and mode of operation because they do not require any means of transport, such as, for receiving and dispensing coins. B. ram, need. The coins simply fall into and out of the compartments due to their weight.

In a known coin collecting container of this type, the fan ring is upright, that is, its axis is arranged horizontally. The first and the second, fixed ring wall are coaxial cylindrical ring walls, the first of which has the inlet opening at the top and the second of which has the outlet opening leading into a coin return channel and next to an coin overflow channel. A coin falling into a compartment through the entrance opening falls onto a practically horizontal lateral surface part of the second cylinder ring wall (CH-PS 600 453). The fan ring of another coin collecting container of this type is lying, that is, arranged with a vertical axis. The first and the second, fixed ring wall are coaxial, parallel circular ring walls, the upper of which has the inlet opening and the lower of which has the outlet opening leading into a coin return channel. A coin falling into a compartment through the entrance opening falls onto the horizontal surface of the second fixed circular ring wall (CH-PS 635 950).

In these known coin collecting containers, a coin falling through the entrance opening falls on a surface perpendicular to the direction of fall, it bounces back on this surface and can therefore temporarily return to the entrance opening, depending on the material of the second fixed ring wall, the weight and the alloy of the coin as well as the compartment size compared to the coin diameter and depending on the accidental contact between the coin and the compartment walls. In order to prevent the rebounded coin from being partially jammed in the entrance opening and partially in the compartment into which it fell during the subsequent rotation of the fan wreath and thereby blocking the drive of the fan wreath and thus the entire coin collecting container, the fan wreath was allowed only be turned one step if a period of time has passed since the coin was fed in, after which the coin had assumed a rest position in the relevant subject even under unfavorable circumstances. There was a particular risk of rebounding with clean coins that do not tend to adhere to the compartment walls and therefore hit the second ring wall almost in free fall. With dirty or z. For example, if the coins are wet when it is raining or snowing, the risk of bouncing back is smaller because such coins tend to stick to the compartment walls. As a result, the operation of the coin collecting container could also be disturbed, in particular just as blocked; for such a coin could stick in a position protruding into the entrance or exit opening while the fan ring was rotating. A coin could also get stuck in the compartment. If the compartment came under the entrance opening, the next coin fell on the stuck one and blocked the compartment wreath including the rotary drive. If a stuck coin that should have fallen into the coin overflow channel came loose too late, it fell into the coin return channel, it was returned undesirably, which was not recorded by a coin counter, which is usually provided for control purposes, in particular for billing purposes, so the number of coins actually collected did not match the counted number. The main causes of coins getting stuck in the compartments are as follows: as the fan wreath rotates gradually, the coins that necessarily have play in the compartments are shaken each time, i.e. accelerated and decelerated. The coins could come into positions in which they lay flat on a compartment wall. In the case of a standing fan-shaped ring, this was even inevitable because the compartment walls turn into horizontal and slightly inclined positions when they rotate about the horizontal axis. A e.g. in the event of rain or snowfall, a coin that is moist or soiled and which is separated from a flat, in particular almost horizontal, surface only by a thin film of water or dirt tends to adhere to it. This led to the disturbances mentioned. If the fan ring and its rotary drive were blocked by it or by a rebounded coin, the self-cashier or money changer could no longer be used until the fault was remedied by personnel trained for its maintenance. Coin collecting containers of the type mentioned at the outset were prone to such faults precisely because the coins were not transported by means of transport, e.g. B. tappets (such as in the coin collecting container with fan ring according to CH-PS 444 548) are inevitably moved, but much easier simply by their weight in and out of the compartments. Thus, the advantage of the elimination of such means of transport was offset by the disadvantage of this susceptibility to failure.

The invention seeks to remedy this. The invention, as characterized in claim 1, achieves the object of providing a coin collecting container in which disruptions caused by a coin rebounding or by an unclean coin or wet coin being avoided are avoided, the means by which this being achieved being extremely are simple and correspondingly inexpensive.

The advantages achieved by the invention are essentially to be seen in the fact that the compartment wreath can be rotated one step immediately after receiving a coin, and that even when a coin is handed over to the coin return or coin overflow channel, it is ensured that the coin is immediately in this channel falls, so that coin return is guaranteed and malfunctions caused by a fan wreath overfilled due to the lack of an overflow function and unwanted coin returns are avoided. In particular, malfunctions caused by blocking the fan ring and its rotary drive are avoided, in which the self-cashier or coin changer could no longer be used, and the repair of which would require the intervention of trained maintenance personnel. Additional advantageous developments and embodiments of the invention characterized in claim 1 emerge from claims 2 to 10.

• Fig. 1 eine teilweise Stirnansicht eines Münzsammelbehälters und
• Fig. 2 einen Schnitt nach der Linie 11-11 in Fig. 1.

In the following, the invention is explained in more detail with the aid of a drawing illustrating only one embodiment using the example of a coin collecting container with a standing fan ring. Show it:

• Fig. 1 is a partial front view of a coin collecting container and
• 2 shows a section along the line 11-11 in Fig. 1st

In the figures, a coin collecting container for self-cashers and coin changers is shown, which has as its essential component a fan ring 1, the radial axes 3 of which are formed between two compartment walls 4, which project axially on a circular ring wall 6. The compartment walls 4 are formed in one piece with the circular ring wall 6 and fastened opposite this to a circular ring wall 7 coaxial with it, of which only two fragments are shown in FIG. 1. For this purpose, pin-shaped lugs 8 of the compartment walls 4 are inserted in holes in the circular ring wall 7, and at least a number of these lugs 8, which are formed in one piece with the compartment walls 4, are welded in the holes in the circular ring wall 7, for which purpose the annular wall 6 with the compartment walls 4 and pins 8 and the circular wall 7 consist of suitable plastic or plastics. The inner edge 9 and the outer edge 11 of the circular ring wall 6 project beyond the compartment walls 4. At the inner edge 9, the fan ring 1 is rotatably supported about its axis 2 by means of four grooved profile rollers 12 (only two of which are shown). The outer edge 11 is provided with an external toothing 13 which meshes with a gear 14, which is operated by a switching mechanism, not shown, e.g. a Maltese cross gear is driven, whereby the fan ring 1 can be rotated in opposite directions 17 and 18 in steps, each corresponding to a compartment division a. As can be seen, the compartments 3 are delimited by the circular ring walls 6 and 7 on the end faces of the ring. On the outer circumference of the ring, the compartments 3 are delimited by a first fixed ring wall 19, which is cylindrical. The compartments 4 are delimited on the inner circumference of the ring by a second fixed ring wall 20 which is essentially conical, that is to say forms a conical zone surface and has a cylindrical extension 21 (FIG. 2). The inner edge of the compartment walls 4 on the fan ring 1 runs corresponding to this wall 20, 21.

The first, fixed, cylindrical, outer ring wall 19 is connected to the housing wall 22 and has at the top a slot-shaped inlet opening 23 which is adapted to the compartment width and which in each position of the compartment ring 1 corresponding to a latching position of the switching mechanism in one of the compartments 3 in the drawing into compartment 3a.

The second, fixed, substantially conical, inner ring wall 21, 22 has a slot-shaped, but further exit opening 24, the slot width of which extends in each locking position of the fan ring 1 over the three compartments 3b, 3c and 3d, which in the direction 17 follow subject 3a. The outlet opening 24 leads from the compartment 3b into a coin return channel 26 and from the compartment 3d into a coin overflow channel 27. These channels 26 and 27 are delimited by two walls 28 and 29 and separated from one another by an intermediate wall 30. The cylindrical extension 21 of the ring wall 20, 21 has a cylinder base 31 which is provided with a recess for the channels 26 and 27 and is connected to the housing wall 22 by bolts 32 (FIG. 2). The housing wall 22 has an opening 33 coaxial with the fan ring 1. The coin channels 26 and 27 can be led out of the space enclosed by the inner ring wall 20, 21 either to the right in FIG. 2 or through the opening 33 to the left. The corresponding channels of neighboring compartment wreaths can also lead through this room.

The compartment walls 4 are with z. B. 0.2 to 0.3 mm projecting ribs 34. The ribs 34 prevent a coin from lying flat against a compartment wall 4, which could adhere to it and lead to a fault if it is wet or soiled or the compartment wall is wetted or soiled by a previously wet, soiled coin. The ribs 34 run at intervals that are larger than the coin diameter from one compartment wall edge to the opposite in directions parallel to the compartment rim axis 2. The latter makes it possible to manufacture the fan collar 1 together with the compartment walls 4 and the ribs 34 formed on them, which would not be possible with ribs running differently or interrupted or other elevations such as humps. On the two, on a cone surface line and on A cylinder jacket line running, radially outer edges of the outlet opening 24 of the inner ring wall 20, 21 is formed in each case a rib 35, which lift a coin pushed to the outlet opening 24 during a rotation step (a) of the fan ring 1 and thereby detach it from the compartment wall 4, if necessary before it passes through the exit opening 24. If only one of these two channels 26, 27 is present, one of these ribs 35 is omitted. The ribs 34 are chamfered in order to prevent a coin from sticking to one of the ribs 34 when it falls into a compartment 3, or, when raised by one of the ribs 35 abuts a rib 34. The ribs 35 are chamfered on the side facing away from the outlet opening 24.

Ribs 38 (FIG. 1) or other elevations can also be provided as a precaution on the walls of a coin feed channel 37, the coin return channel 26 and the coin overflow channel 27. However, there is less fear of coins sticking to these walls because the coins fall through these channels either in free fall or on a fairly steep, inclined plane.

The end face of smaller diameter of the substantially conical ring wall 20, 21 faces the circular ring wall 6 of the fan ring 1 formed in one piece with the compartment walls 4. Because in this arrangement the conical surface lines of the ring wall 20 run at an acute angle to the circular ring wall 6, it is achieved that the compartment walls 4 are formed on the circular ring wall 6 with the longer of their two radial sides which are radial to the fan ring 1. This is advantageous for the stability of the compartment ring 1 and enables the radially inner ends of the compartment walls 4 to be made relatively thin, i.e. to accommodate a large number of compartments for given wreath dimensions.

With the coin collecting container shown, the coins are collected by rotating the fan ring 1 by one step (compartment division a) each time in the direction of arrow 18 after a coin has fallen through the coin feed channel 37 into the compartment 3 into which it leads in Fig. 1 the compartment 3a. After this rotation, the input channel leads into the compartment following in the direction of arrow 18, in FIG. 1 into compartment 3b. This compartment is empty in any case; because it has passed the exit opening 24, whereby - if it contained a coin - this coin fell into the coin overflow channel 27. If, after collecting one or more coins, a correction key (not shown) is pressed, the fan ring 1 is rotated one step in the direction of the arrow 17 for each coin inserted last, these coins or coins falling into the coin return channel 26.

A coin that is fed from the coin feed channel 37 into a compartment, e.g. the compartment 3a, falls, meets a conical surface line of the essentially conical inner ring wall 20 which is inclined with respect to the direction of fall, and when the coin bounces back, it hits the vertical circular wall wall 6. During this double impact, the coin has lost so much kinetic energy that it does not more can temporarily protrude into the input opening 23 by further rebounding operations, which could then block the subsequent rotation of the fan ring 1. It should be borne in mind that the coin does not usually move freely in the compartment during the rebound, but grazes one or both compartment walls 4 and thereby also loses energy.

On the compartment walls 4, the ribs 34 have the effect that the coins can only touch the walls 4 on relatively small areas, the adhesive force of a water film in the case of wet coins or a layer of dirt in the case of contaminated coins not being sufficient to hold such coins in the channel or compartment, which would interfere with the operation of the coin collecting container. In addition, the ribs 35 on the edges of the exit opening 24 cause a coin to be lifted slightly before it can enter the exit opening 24 and thereby released if it adheres to one of the compartment walls 4.

In the example shown, the storage capacity is equal to the number of compartments minus three, it could be increased by one, for which purpose the outlet opening 24 extends over two compartments (3b and 3c) instead of three (3b, 3c, 3d) and the partition wall 30 is to be made correspondingly thinner.

The circular ring wall 6 can have a ring gear for a drive gear instead of the outer edge and can be rotatably supported on the outer edge or in some other way by means of grooved profile rollers.

In principle, the input opening can also be arranged at the lowest point of an inner cylindrical ring instead of at the highest point of the outer cylindrical ring and the output opening can be arranged correspondingly at the lowest point of an outer, conical ring.

Furthermore, the coin collecting container can be designed with a vertical and also with a horizontal fan ring instead of as described, for this purpose the compartments are to be formed integrally with a cylindrical ring radially on this and to be connected at their projecting ends to a second cylindrical ring or to be formed integrally with the two cylindrical rings . The entrance opening is to be formed on an upper circular ring wall, and the compartments are to be bounded at the bottom by a conical ring wall which is provided with the exit opening.

Claims (10)

1. A coin holder for coin operated apparatus and coin changers, with a partitioned ring (1) which has compartments (3, 3a-3d) which are formed radially to the ring axis (2) between compartment walls (4) and which each receive one coin is rotatable in steps each corresponding to one compartment spacing by means of a rotary drive (13,14) in opposite directions (17, 18) about the ring axis (2), and the compartments (3, 3a-3d) are bounded at their periphery by annular walls (6, 7, 19, 20) which are coaxial to the partitioned ring (1) and of which a first stationary annular wall (19) has an entry aperture (23) which leads from above into a respective one (3a) of the compartments (3), and a second stationary annular wall (20, 21) has an exit aperture (24) which at the bottom leads out of one or more compartments (3b, 3d) which are offset with respect to this compartment (3a) in one direction of ring rotation (17), characterised in that that part (20, 21) of the annular walls onto which a coin dropping through the entry aperture (23) falls is at least partially inclined to the entry direction in such a way that this coin does not rebound into the entry aperture (23), and in that the compartment walls (4) have prominences (34) which restrict their contact with a coin to such a small surface area that the coin cannot adhere to the compartment walls (4), and in that at least one of the edges of the exit aperture (24) which extend transversely to the direction of rotation (17, 18) of the partitioned ring has a rib (35) which raises the coins, upon rotation (17, 18) of the partitioned ring (1), prior to the exit aperture (24) being reached.

2. A coin holder according to claim 1, characterised in that the second, stationary annular wall (20, 21) has substantially the shape of a cone zone.

3. A coin holder according to claim 1 or 2, in which the exit aperture (24) leads into a coin return channel (26) and into a coin overflow channel (27) which succeed one another in the said direction of rotation (17) of the ring characterised in that both edges of the exit aperture (24), which extend transversely to the direction of rotation (17, 18) the partitioned ring each have one rib (35).

4. A coin holder according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the prominences (34) of the compartment walls (4) which protrude on an annular wall (6) and which are preferably formed in one piece with this (6) are ribs (34) which are integrally formed thereon and which are parallel to the partitioned ring axis (2) and extend between mutually opposite compartment wall edges, and the mutual spacing thereof is smaller than the coin diameter.

5. A coin holder according to claim 4, characterised in that the compartment walls (4) are connected by pins (8), preferably formed in one piece with them, to the annular wall (7) which lies opposite to the annular wall (6) which is formed in one piece with the compartment walls (4).

6. A coin holder according to claim 5, characterised in that at least a number of the pins (8) are formed from plastics material in one piece with the compartment walls (4) and are welded into associated holes of the annular wall (7) also consisting of plastics material which lies opposite to the annular wall (6) which is formed in one piece with the compartment walls (4).

7. A coin holder according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the compartment walls (4) are wedge-shaped in such a way that the mutually opposite surfaces of neighbouring compartment walls (4), forming one compartment (3) each, are parallel.

8. A coin holder according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the walls of coin channels (37, 26, 27) leading into the entry aperture (23) and out of the exit aperture (24) have prominences (38) which restrict contact with the coins to a surface area which is insufficient for frictional adhesion.

9. A coin holder according to one of claims 2 to 8, in which the compartment walls (4) of the partitioned ring (1) which is rotatable about a horizontal axis (2) are formed in one piece with a first, circular end wall (6) on which they protrude axially, are bounded at the opposite ring end face by a second, circular end wall (7), at the outer or inner ring periphery by the first, stationary, cylindrical annular wall (19) and at the inner or respectively outer ring periphery by the second, stationary annular wall (20, 21) characterised in that the cone jacket lines of the second, stationary annular wall (20), which has substantially the shape of a cone zone, form an acute angle with the first ring end wall (6).

10. A coin holder according to one of claims 2 to 8, in which the compartment walls of the partitioned ring which is rotatable about a vertical axis are formed in one piece with a first, cylindrical annular wall on which they protrude radially, and opposite this are bounded by a second, cylindrical annular wall, at the top by the first stationary, ring-shaped annular wall and at the bottom by the second stationary annular wall, characterised in that the cone jacket lines of the second, stationary annular wall, which has substantially the shape of a cone zone, form an acute angle with the jacket lines of the first, cylindrical annular wall.

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