Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F1/00—Coin inlet arrangements; Coins specially adapted to operate coin-freed mechanisms
  • G07F1/04—Coin chutes
  • G07F1/047—Coin chutes with means for temporarily storing coins

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a device for selectively storing, for programmed collection or return, coins and tokens for enabling generic apparatuses for public use.
• Telephone sets for public use operated with coins of different values and with tokens, provided with a single insertion opening which can receive and select a plurality of coins and tokens though they are different in value and geometric characteristics and can optimize their collection on the basis of a criterion of minimum rounding between the available credit, which is the result of the total of the inserted coins and tokens, and the debit become due during the telephone call, are already known.
• Static or dynamic devices for the storage or accumulation of the coins and tokens are used for this purpose.
• a known device of the first type is described in the prior Italian patent No. 1,179,554 and consists of a single channel in which the coins and tokens, in short the coinage, arrange themselves edge-on tangent to one another.
• Electronic means classify, in terms of storable information, the value of each inserted coin and the spatial address assigned thereto inside the channel, and actuation means, activated by a collection optimization program, provide discriminated collection and return pulses for each coin identified by the related spatial address and selected by said program on the basis of its value.
• the second type includes known devices in which each coin is stored individually in the corresponding compartment of a movable accumulation means which has a rotary or reciprocating motion.
• the spatial address of the coin corresponds to the angular or respectively rectilinear movement of the accumulation means with respect to a generic reference, and collection or return occur by aligning each individual compartment with respective collection or return channels.
• static devices of the first type are advantageous due to their structural simplicity, they have two considerable disadvantages, namely a limited accumulation capability with acceptable dimensions and the limitation of the range of coin thicknesses which can be processed simultaneously.
• the transverse size of the channel must in fact be greater than, or equal to, the corresponding dimension of the thickest coin which the system can process, and this excludes the use of coins one of which is twice as thick as the other, since such coins could jam and overlap.
• the aim of the present invention is essentially to eliminate the disadvantages of both of the above described known types of storage device while combining their advantages.
• an important, object of the present invention is to provide a selective storage device with separate compartments for the individual coins which however has no movable accumulation means and is therefore such as to not require the above mentioned high energy for the movement of said means, said device being particularly advantageous in telephone applications by virtue of the possibility of being powered directly with current fed by the exchange .
• Another important object of the present invention is to ⁇ provide a storage device with individual compartments for the coins, in which the scanning order for said compartments can be fully generic both during the step of reception and accumulation of the coins and during the step of emptying for collection and/or return. This gives the device great flexibility, since it is for example possible to exclude a compartment which is temporarily put out of service without requiring additional movements and/or variations of the program for the handling of the collection and return means.
• a further important object of the present invention is to provide a structurally simple device with high accumulation capabilities and modest dimensions which is highly reliable in operation and is substantially free from jammings due to fraudulent attempts.
• the present invention relates to a device for selectively storing, for programmed collection and return, coins and tokens, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of static compartments for respective individual coins, said compartments extending from a channel which defines, on a planar support, a falling path for coins, said compartments being arranged side by side along at least one row, each compartment comprising an entry opening which is controlled by first actuated means for deflecting the coins and closing said opening, and an exit opening which is controlled by second actuated means exclusively for closure; a plurality of bistable relays which are associated with said first and second means of the compartments to move, upon a programmed actuation, each said means to a closure position or respectively to a passage position, both positions being stable; the exit opening of the compartments leading into a common gathering channel which ends with a collection branch and a return branch for the coins, said 5 branches being selectively closed by program-controlled deflection means.
• said first deflection and closure means comprise a deflection flap and a shutter for closing the entry opening of the respective compartment; 0 said flap and said shutter are rigidly coupled and arranged in such a mutual relationship that when the flap is in the active deflection position the shutter frees the opening and vice versa.
• the movements of the flap and of the shutter occur perpendicularly to the plane of arrangement of the 5 compartments, and the extent of the movement is such that in the idle position each deflection flap is spaced from the delimiting wall of the respective coin channel by an amount which is at least equal to the maximum thickness of the coins which can be processed by the device.
• figure 1 is a perspective view of the device • disassembled into its structural elements, illustrating the essential components of said device;
• figure 2 is a similar perspective view, from another side, of a structural element of the device;
• figure 3 is an enlarged-scale view of a detail of figure 1;
• figure 4 is a perspective detail view of the first deflection and closure elements;
• figure 5 is a perspective view of the second closure elements;
• figure 6 is an enlarged-scale schematic sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of figure 1;
• figure 7 is a schematic plan view of the possible paths of the coins.
• the device according to the invention is substantially constituted by a box-like structure, advantageously made of polymeric material, which comprises a base plate 10 and a cover 11 which is juxtaposed with respect to the plate and is connected thereto in a preferably removable manner.
• a channel 13 which defines a main falling path for the coins and the tokens, generally indicated by M, is delimited by means of raised ridges 12 on the inner face of the base plate 10.
• Said path has an entry section 13a which receives the coins from a corresponding known selection and validation device (not illustrated) which is preferably accommodated in a seat 14 of the plate 10, a section for the collection exit 13b and two or more intermediate channel branches as indicated by 13c-13d-13e.
• a return channel 13f is also formed on the same internal face as the plate 10 and extends from the entry section 13a; all or part of the intermediate channel branches merge into said return channel.
• a first row SI and a second row S2 of static compartments or pockets 15 are arranged as ramifications of the intermediate channel branches, are suitable for containing respective individual coins, are laterally delimited by raised parallel ridges 16 of the plate 10 and are arranged side by side on a common plane of arrangement.
• the number of rows of compartments 15 can naturally be greater or smaller than two; the choice depends exclusively on the overall dimensions of the device.
• An upper entry opening 15a for the coins and a lower exit opening 15b are defined in each compartment 15.
• the upper and lower openings are connected to respective intermediate branches of the path of the coins.
• Each entry opening 15a is controlled by a respective first actuated element 20 for deflecting the coins and closing said opening.
• the element 20 is substantially composed of a curved deflection flap 21 and a blade-like shutter 22 for closing the upper opening.15a which is movable so as to retract into a respective slot 23 defined on the base plate 10.
• the flap 21 extends toward the respective intermediate coin path branch and can assume an active position, in which it is in contact with the plate 10 so as to catch and deflect the coin in transit within the coin path, and an idle position in which it is spaced from the plate 10 by an amount which is equal to the maximum thickness of the coins which can be processed by the device so as to allow the free passage of said coins.
• a plurality of slots 24 shaped complementarily with respect to the flaps is defined on the cover 11 to allow the free movement of said flaps and their passage from the active position to the idle position.
• Each flap 21 is rigidly connected to the respective shutter 22 in such a mutual relationship that when the flap moves to the active position the shutter retracts into the respective slot 23 and opens the entry opening of the related compartment 15, and vice versa; in the closure position, the shutter is suitable for restoring the continuity of the raised ridges 12.
• Each exit opening 15b is in turn controlled by a second closure element 25 constituted by a blade-like shutter which is also movable so as to retract into a corresponding slot 26 of the plate 10 and can assume an active closure position, in which it protrudes from the respective slot, and an open position in which it retracts into said slot.
• a second closure element 25 constituted by a blade-like shutter which is also movable so as to retract into a corresponding slot 26 of the plate 10 and can assume an active closure position, in which it protrudes from the respective slot, and an open position in which it retracts into said slot.
• both positions of the flaps 21 and of the shutters 22-25 are stable, and for this purpose the first and second " deflection and closure elements are moved by respective bistable relays 27.
• a plurality of retention and containment seats 28 delimited by ridges 29 is provided on the rear face of the base plate 10 for the snap-together accommodation and retention of the relays 27.
• Each relay comprises a polarized armature 30 which can oscillate
• the device is completed by an entry deflector 35 which, following a signal emitted by the coin validator, sorts said coins to the region of the compartments 15 or directly to the return channel 13f, by a first additional deflection element 20a which is suitable for selectively deflecting the coins into the collection channel 13b or into the return channel 13f, and by a second additional deflector 20b which is suitable for sorting the coins to the branches 13c and 13d.
• the movements of the coins are furthermore preferably monitored by appropriate sensors 36, for example constituted by photodiode-transistor optical pairs, distributed in strategic points of the path and in particular in each compartment 15 and at each secondary and main path branch.
• the operation of the device is as follows: the individual coins inserted in the slot of the validator are sent by said validator, by means of a command imparted to the deflector 35, to the main channel 13 or, if they have been rejected or if the device is already filled with coins, to the return channel 13f.
• the coins sent to the main channel 13 undergo, according " to the position of the auxiliary flap 20b, a further deflection to be selectively sorted along the intermediate channel branches 13c or 13d and from said branches are stored in the individual compartments or pockets 15 by virtue of the actuation of the individual corresponding deflector flaps 21.
• the filling order of the compartments 15 can be completely generic and from right to left, or vice versa, for each row S1-S2.
• the filling and/or emptying order of the rows of compartments can be equally generic, and the partial filling of one or both rows is possible.
• the emptying of the individual compartments occurs by virtue of the opening of the respective exit shutter 25 under the actuation of the respective relay, which must be switched closed again in order to reset the retention function of said compartment.
• the handling of the relays of the device is preferably assigned to a microprocessor, for which the polarized inputs of each individual relay represent an equal number of mutually identical peripheral units.
• the microprocessor is advantageously programmed as described in said prior patent No. 1,179,554 and is associated with a RAM memory which is composed, in a per se known manner, of a plurality of cells, each of which contains one byte (word) which corresponds to the face value of the coin; the address of each cell corresponds to the address of each individual compartment 15 of the device.
• An operating circuit (not illustrated) produces the collection, return and reset pulses for which, however, no differentiation in terms of duration is necessary.
• the pulses for the collection or return of the generic coin K do not depend on the address of said coin, since each compartment is handled and can be handled fully independently of the others.
• the optimization program chooses to collect the k-th coin, even during the call, this can be done without the prior return or collection of other coins, as occurs in previous known static devices, and without the need to move the accumulation means, as occurs in prior dynamic devices.
• Figure 7 illustrates, with respective arrows, the different paths which the coins can follow inside the device; said paths are chosen mainly in relation to the collection and return programming requirements and/or to other requirements such as minimum consumption and/or minimum wear of the components.
• de tails of execution and the embodiments may naturally be varied extensively with respect to what is described and illustrated by way of non-limitative example without altering the concept of the invention and without thereby abandoning the scope of said invention.

Landscapes

• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Control Of Vending Devices And Auxiliary Devices For Vending Devices (AREA)
• Prepayment Telephone Systems (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=11307333

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Families Citing this family (3)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 1989
  • 1989-11-22 IT IT6803289A patent/IT1242285B/it active
• 1990
  • 1990-11-15 EP EP90916288A patent/EP0454810A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1990-11-15 BR BR909007043A patent/BR9007043A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1990-11-15 AU AU70406/91A patent/AU7040691A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1990-11-15 WO PCT/EP1990/001952 patent/WO1991007735A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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