EP0875043B1

EP0875043B1 - Coin dispensing apparatus

Info

Publication number: EP0875043B1
Application number: EP97941122A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Stuart Mcewen Jenkins; Ralph Edward Huckle
Original assignee: DSD Systems Inc
Current assignee: DSD Systems Inc
Priority date: 1996-09-25
Filing date: 1997-09-24
Publication date: 2003-11-19
Anticipated expiration: 2017-09-24
Also published as: ES2212813T3; DE69726258D1; GB2314062A; DE69726258T2; GB9619971D0; WO1998013792A1; GB2314062B; EP0875043A1

Description

This invention relates to a coin dispensing apparatus and more particularly to an apparatus for the storage and dispensing of wrapped rolls of coin.

Current coin dispensing machines are normally of the hopper storage type which require the coin to be stored in bulk which creates problems for the operator loading the hopper because of the considerable weight of the coin involved and the physical effort required to load the hopper.

Existing hopper delivery systems require the coin or coin rolls to be loaded at the top of the hopper and the coin rolls are delivered at the bottom of the hopper. This has a disadvantage in that the coin rolls are not delivered at a convenient height to the operator because it is impractical to mount the coin dispensing apparatus at a high level due to the considerable weight of coin involved and the need to lift the coin up to a high level when loading the hopper.

US Patent 5,005,339 discloses a coin roll dispensing apparatus wherein coin rolls from a hopper are delivered via a rotary orienting feeder to a conveyor system. The conveyor system carries the coin rolls for delivery to a manifold for dispensing.

US Patent 4,469,245 describes a coin roll dispensing apparatus which carries the coin rolls in a single bulk loaded magazine. The coin rolls are orderly arranged in aligned rows and columns. The rolls are shipped from the magazine a row at a time and carried by transport conveyor and an elevator to a dispensing outlet.

DE 3630191 discloses a coin roll dispensing apparatus where rolls are carried in a plurality of magazines. Coin rolls are released from individual magazines by a withdrawal mechanism comprising a cam disc which, on rotation causes the release of a single coin roll from an adjacent magazine into a collecting container. The withdrawal mechanism and cam disc are moveable to be positioned alongside different magazines.

An aim of the present invention is to overcome the above described problem and disadvantages.

According to the present invention there is provided a coin roll dispensing apparatus comprising the features of claim 1. Preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent claims.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with references to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a coin dispensing apparatus according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary cross-section showing a detailed view of a second embodiment of the coin roll transporting hod;

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-section taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-section taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is an enlarged cross-section taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is an enlarged cross-section taken along the line 6-6 of Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a plan view of a wrapped coin roll magazine.

Figure 8 is a longitudinal cross-section of the magazine shown in Figure 7;

Figure 9 is an underneath plan view of the magazine shown in Figures 7 and 8;

Figure 10 is an enlarged end view of the magazine shown in Figures 7 to 9;

Figure 11 is an enlarged fragmentary detail of the coin roll chock and its operating mechanism;

Figure 12 is a perspective view of a change dispensing cabinet incorporating the coin dispensing apparatus of the present invention; and

Figure 13 is a front elevation of the cabinet shown in Figure 12.

The storage and dispensing apparatus for dispensing wrapped rolls of coin 1 comprises a lifting conveyor generally indicated at 2 with a plurality of hods 3 driven by an endless chain 4 driving two

chain wheels

5 and 6. The chain wheel 5 is driven from an electric motor 7 via a chain drive 8. The hods 3 comprise a U-shaped member 9 the underside of which is linked to the endless chain 4 by brackets 10 see the enlarged detail views in Figures 3 and 4. The hods 3 are guided by side rails 11 and slide on supporting rails 12 which have a low friction coating to accommodate the weight of the coin rolls 1 carried by the hods 3.

A second embodiment of the hods 3 is shown in Figure 2 where the sides of the U-shaped member 9 are located at an angle sloping upwards in the direction of travel arrow "A" of the lifting conveyor 2.

Located at an angle to the conveyor 2 is a transporting conveyor, generally indicated at 13. This conveyor is of similar construction to the lifting conveyor 2 comprising a plurality of hod carriers 14 driven by an endless chain 15 driving chain wheels 16 and 17.

The chain wheel 16 is driven by an electric motor 18 via chain drive 19

encircling chain wheels

20 and 21.

The hod carriers 14 are chair-shaped each carrier being connected by a link 22 to the conveyor chain 15, see Figure 5. The hod carriers 14 are guided by side rails 23 and slide on supporting rails 24 provided with a low friction coating to accommodate the weight.

The electric motors 7 and 18 are connected with sensing devices 7¹ and 18¹ which control the drive of the lifting and transporting conveyors respectively, to sense whether the rolls of coin 1 are present within their respective hods to prime the conveyor systems to ensure that the correct dispense is made.

Mounted below the conveyor 13 are a series of removable magazines 25, four of which are shown, which securely carry a supply of coin rolls. The magazines 25 slope at an angle downwardly towards the hods 3 of conveyor 2.

Figure 6 illustrates an enlarged fragment section through two magazines in a tier comprising support blocks 26 and containing side plates 27 for each tier with adjacent magazines 28 for a coinage of different, i.e. smaller dimensions.

The magazines having pivotable chock devices 29 at their leading end or outlet, a detail of which is shown in Figure 11.

These chocks can be automatically opened when inserted in the apparatus and automatically closed before removal from the apparatus. Maintaining security of the coin rolls in the magazines.

The magazine has a main body fabricated from an aluminum alloy extrusion although it could instead be manufactured from steel. Each magazine comprises side walls 30 the upper edges of which are bent inwards at 31, a base plate 32 with a packing plate 33 at its rear end tensioned by a tensator spring 34 to urge the plate against the rolls of coin. The base plate 32 slides in a dovetail 35, see Figure 10; while the tensator spring 34 drives the packing plate 33 to apply pressure to the rolls of coin 1 ensuring their delivery to the lifting conveyor 2. These rolls are prevented from falling out of the forward end of the magazine by the chocks device 29

Until it is inserted in the apparatus, the chock device 29 is operated by a release mechanism as shown in the underneath plan in Figure 9 and in side view in Figure 11. A lever 36 has a spring-loaded pivot 37 which permits one end 38 of lever 36 to move in a gate 39. The other end 40 of lever 36 is connected to the chock device by a link 41 to operate the chock 29 from a closed to an open position. Movement of the lever 36 pulls on the link 41 the other end of which moves in a cam-track 42 which when moved in the direction of arrow "B" pushes the cross-rod 43 pivoting the chock 29 lowering the end of the chock and allowing the free passage for the next roll of coin to enter an aligned hod 3 of conveyor 2.

When a fully loaded magazine is placed in the dispenser, the lever 36 cannot be moved to the open position until an interlocking link 44 attached to lever 36 is located opposite and can engage in a slot 45 in the supporting block 26, See Figure 9.

The magazine cannot be withdrawn until the lever 36 has been moved back with the chock 29 into the closed position, this prevents the inadvertent escape of coin rolls into the dispenser mechanism.

In operation the coins are pre-loaded into the magazine, each magazine holding e.g. in the case of USA quarters (SO.25) 14 or 16 rolls each roll containing 40 coins. The weight of each loaded magazine should be less than 5 KG (11 lbs).

The magazines containing the same denomination of coinage are mounted in tiers, 13 or 14 magazines to each tier, the number of magazines is variable to suit the particular application.

The separate tiers of magazines can be placed side by side thus allowing for a variety of coinage to be dispensed. For example, for the USA four tiers with quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies. When the magazines are loaded into the dispenser, the coin rolls are then released from the controlling chock in the magazine and the hods 3 of the lifting conveyor 2 are filled. When dispensing, the hods 3 move upwards in steps of one magazine pitch increment. The rolls 1 are transferred to the transporting conveyor 13 which also moves in steps of one increment until the delivery to a change dispensing cabinet, as will be hereinafter described, will be complete. The sensor 7¹ checks the presence or absence of a roll of coin in the uppermost hod 3 and the electric motor 7 is allowed to operate the chain wheel 5.

Similarly, the sensor 18¹ checks that the transporting conveyor 13 is fully primed with rolls of coin before any dispense is made along a dispensing path as indicated by arrow 'B' to the coin change dispenser. An alternative dispensing path is provided at the top left hand side of Figure 1 as indicated by the arrow "C". In this embodiment the coin rolls 1 are carried by the hods 3 over the chain wheel 5 to the dispensing path, arrow "C".

Once the hods of the lifting conveyor and those of the transporting conveyor are primed the dispensing cycle is speedily completed.

The essence of the secure and reliable operation of the coin dispensing apparatus is the smooth incremental interface of the magazine outlets with the hods 3 of the lifting conveyor 2. The arrangement of the magazines is such that the lower magazine empties first and then progresses upwards to empty the next magazine immediately above.

Sensors, not shown, can be placed in appropriate positions in the transport to give indication of the low condition of coin rolls in each magazine to facilitate the replenishment of empty magazines.

The rolls of coin, although released by the chock will be held back by the bent edges 31 of the hods 3 until an empty hod is aligned with a coin roll 1 which, under pressure of the tensator spring 34 pushes a coin roll into the empty hod. This provides an automatic and secure handling of the coin within the reinforced safe area of the dispenser.

If a magazine is withdrawn before it is completely empty an interlock mechanism on the chock device prevents the remaining rolls in the magazine from falling out of the magazine into the dispenser. By pulling the packing plate 33 back against the stop 46 see Figure 7, a loading gap 47 is formed to enable further coin rolls to be fed into the magazine, the open top 48 of the magazine, see Figure 10, allows complete access to the magazine to permit an ordered and neat loading ofthe magazine.

Each magazine may be provided with a carrying handle 49 one of which is shown in chain dotted line in Figure 8.

An embodiment of a change dispensing cabinet for housing the coin dispensing apparatus according to the present invention is shown in Figures 12 and 13.

The cabinet 50 has two main parts, a lower secure part 51 for housing the coin dispensing apparatus. This housing is made from armour plate material, as used in bank safes. The upper parts 52 is made from sheet steel or other rigid material and houses computer controlled receipt and delivery mechanisms for receiving bank notes to be changed and delivering bank notes to the customer to compliment the coin changing apparatus.

The upper housing part 52 may include one of the available bank note handling apparatuses with e.g. a touch sensitive video screen 53 to display messages and to receive information concerning the money changing transaction. A PIN-type card reader slot 54, a receipt delivery slot 55 and a bank note acceptor slot 56 are monitored by a conventional printed circuit (not shown). The front of the lower housing part 51 has a coin delivery slot 57 through which the coin rolls are dispensed into a tray 58. Adjacent the coin dispensing slot is a bank note delivery slot 59 below which is a tray 60 into which the dispensed notes fall. Located above the delivery slot 59 is a receptacle 61 for receiving notes fed into the bank note acceptor slot 56.

To operate the change dispenser, the customer places his bankers card bearing his PIN number into the slot 54 to identify himself A large denomination bank note for which small change is required is fed into the bank note acceptor slot 56. The screen 53 with the touch sensitive areas is programmed with the denomination of change required and the transaction is carried out dispensing the requested number of rolls of coin and if appropriate the balance in smaller denomination bank notes from a bank note dispenser located within the lower secure housing part 51. The transaction is recorded on a receipt, if requested, which is dispensed from slot 55.

As the cabinet is divided into two parts, the lower secure housing 51 and an upper less secure housing, servicing of the computer control circuit can be carried out without emptying the money from the secure housing 51.

Another advantage is that all the heavy coin rolls are stored in magazines at a low level so that the operator can replenish the coin dispensing apparatus without having to lift the magazines loaded with coin rolls to a great height as is the case with hopper fed dispensing apparatus.

Claims

A coin roll dispensing apparatus comprising a plurality of magazines (25) arranged one above the other for storing rolls of coin (1), a lifting conveyor (2) having a plurality of hods (3) which are driven by the lifting conveyor and which interface with the outlets of the plurality of magazines to receive coin rolls therefrom, a transporting conveyor (13) having a plurality ofhod carriers (14) which are driven by the transporting conveyor (13) and which interface with the hods (3) of the lifting conveyor for transfer of rolls of coin from the lifting conveyor (2) to the transporting conveyor (13) and a dispensing outlet cooperating with the hod carriers (14) of the transporting conveyor to receive rolls of coin (1) transported thereby, wherein in use, the coin rolls (1) carried by full hods (3) block release of the coin rolls from adjacent magazine (25) outlets such that vacant hods are fed by coin rolls from the first magazine (25) they pass and the magazines are thereby emptied sequentially.
A coin roll dispensing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the conveyors are driven by a single motor (7).
A coin roll dispensing apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the apparatus is provided with sensors (7') for detecting a low supply quantity of the rolls.
A coin roll dispensing apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the hods of the lifting conveyor are "U"- shaped.
A coin roll dispensing apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein the sides of the "U"-shaped hods are at an angle parallel to each other and slope in the direction of travel of the conveyor.
A coin roll dispensing apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the magazines have an automatically operated chock (29) at their outlet end to release the flow of rolls of coins from the magazine when placed in the apparatus and is automatically closed before the magazine is removed from the apparatus.
A coin roll dispensing apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein a tensator spring (34) is connected with a slidable packing plate at the rear of the magazine to apply pressure to the rolls of coin in the magazine to urge them towards the magazine outlet.
A coin roll dispensing apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the hods of the lifting conveyor run between side guide rails (23) and the coin rolls are slidably supported on rails having a low friction coating.
A coin change dispenser housing a coin roll dispensing apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim.
A coin change dispenser as claimed in claim 9 wherein the dispenser housing is divided into two parts, a lower armour plated secure safe (51) for the coin dispensing apparatus and an upper part (52) for housing a computer controlled means for accepting and delivering bank notes and delivering the coin rolls.
A coin change dispenser as claimed in claim 9 or 10 wherein the lower part may also house a bank note dispensing machine.