Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F7/00—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
  • G07F7/04—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus by paper currency
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F9/00—Details other than those peculiar to special kinds or types of apparatus
  • G07F9/06—Coin boxes

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the field of dispensing machines for products and / or services against payment by notes, and more specifically concerns the problem of secure collection of notes contained in these machines.
• banknotes generally associated with other possible means of payment such as payment by coins and / or credit cards. credits and / or prepaid cards.
• the collection of tickets must meet the following two main requirements: - on the one hand, the collection must be easy and fast for the collection agents, in particular to reduce the duration during which a flight by an outsider could be done at the time of the transfer of funds; on the other hand, it is necessary to avoid any fraudulent attempt by the same collection agent.
• payment machines are generally equipped with a removable receptacle for storing the notes previously introduced by users and processed in a banknote reader. The collection operation in this case is to recover in the machine the removable receptacle storing notes, and replace it with an empty receptacle.
• the bill receptacle is kept locked inside the machine, attached to the back of the banknote reader while being independent of the reader. After processing by the reader, the notes are stored by gravity in the receptacle.
• a collection agent may collect the receptacle without passing through the so-called maintenance compartment comprising the various components such as the reader.
• a maintenance agent may very well remove the drive and access in this case the contents of the receptacle.
• the collection agent must perform various successive operations (identification by mechanical or electronic key, then opening an access door, unlocking the means for holding the receptacle, replacing the full receptacle with a empty receptacle with new operation of locking the empty receptacle in the machine, and finally, closing the access door).
• the bill receptacle is kept locked inside the machine directly on the back of the bill machine. After processing by the reader, the notes are stored by compression in the receptacle. As in the previous structure, the operations necessary for the collection are too numerous. In addition, in this second structure, it is necessary to access the reader to unlock the receptacle. Thus, undesirable access to the receptacle is also given to maintenance agents.
• a machine for dispensing products and / or services against payment by notes of the type comprising, within a first compartment, a bill reader for the treatment of bills introduced by a user, said first compartment being able to accommodate, in normal operation of the machine, a removable receptacle intended, in use position, to be held by locking means in said first compartment in correspondence with an output the reader for receiving and storing the processed notes, characterized in that it further comprises:
• a second collection compartment distinct from the first compartment and accessible from the outside of the machine by opening an access hatch secured to the second compartment and movable between a closed position of the second compartment and an open position , and control means for cooperating with means for actuating unlocking means during the movement of said access door from its closed position to its open position to automatically control the unlocking of the receptacle, followed by the transfer the receptacle since the first compartment to the second compartment by a linkage channel internal to the machine.
• the first compartment is superimposed on the second compartment, and the connecting channel has an opening between the first and the second compartments, dimensioned to allow said transfer of the removable receptacle by simple gravitation.
• FIG. 1 illustrates, by way of example, a time stamp equipped with both a coin payment system and a bill payment system illustrating the invention
• FIGS. 2a to 2e illustrate the different steps of a collection operation of a bill receptacle and then of replacement by an empty receptacle for a machine of the type of the parking meter of FIG. 1, provided only with a system of payment by banknotes.
• FIG. 1 shows a machine for dispensing products and / or services, here a time stamp issuing a parking permit, against payment either by coins or by tickets, it being understood that the present invention only concerns the aspect of payment by banknotes.
• the time-stamp M of FIG. 1 is in the form of a column presenting at least two compartments: an upper maintenance compartment C1, containing the components necessary for the operation of the parking meter, including an L ticket reader enabling to process the notes introduced by a user, and a compartment C2 placed, in the preferred example, below the compartment C1, and intended for the actual collection of notes.
• an upper maintenance compartment C1 containing the components necessary for the operation of the parking meter, including an L ticket reader enabling to process the notes introduced by a user
• a compartment C2 placed, in the preferred example, below the compartment C1, and intended for the actual collection of notes.
• a third compartment C3 is also shown, this compartment C3 used for the collection of coins.
• the first compartment C1 is able to accommodate, as part of the normal operation of the machine, a removable receptacle R intended to be maintained in the first compartment C1 in a position in correspondence with a output (not shown) of the reader L.
• a removable receptacle R intended to be maintained in the first compartment C1 in a position in correspondence with a output (not shown) of the reader L.
• the receptacle is held in this so-called use position by means of locking means.
• the locking means are not shown as such, but Figure 2a shows unlocking means V included in the receptacle R, and whose actuation allows to unlock the receptacle.
• the locking means are located on the receptacle itself, and allow the retention of the locked receptacle directly on the reader L. Other possibilities are nevertheless conceivable, such as providing for the maintenance of the receptacle on other parts of the compartment C1.
• Such removable receptacles R comprising locking means are already known and will not be described in more detail in the present description.
• Locking means constituting a so-called "one-off" system are preferably chosen, whereby the removable receptacle can not be put in place and locked in its position of use in the machine until it has been emptied of its contents by a device. authorized person.
• the second compartment C2 called collection is accessible from the outside of the machine by opening an access door D2 integral with the second compartment C2 and movable between a closed position of the second compartment C2 and an open position.
• the time stamp further comprises locking means (not shown) of the access door D2, and identification means (mechanical or electronic) to allow the unlocking of the access door D2 to the second compartment C2.
• the opening movement of the access flap D2 is associated with the automatic unlocking of the receptacle followed by its transfer, also automatic, from the maintenance compartment C1 to the collection compartment C2.
• control means which will cooperate with means for actuating the means V for unlocking the receptacle during the movement of said access door D2 from its closed position towards its open position to automatically control the unlocking of the receptacle R, followed by the transfer of the receptacle from the first compartment C1 to the second compartment C2 by a connecting channel internal to the machine.
• the access door D2 and the second compartment C2 are pivotally movable about an axis X-X '(see Figure 2b) substantially horizontal.
• the second compartment C2 is delimited by the access hatch D2 and by two lateral walls 1, 2 extending perpendicularly to the pivot axis X-X '.
• the aforementioned control means comprise a pin 3 on one of the side walls (here the wall 1), the pin 3 being outwardly projecting from the second compartment C2.
• the aforementioned actuating means intended to cooperate with the pin 3 comprise, in turn, a rod 4 movable in vertical translation, extending parallel to the side wall 1 carrying the pin 3.
• the upper end of the rod 4 is opening into the first compartment C1.
• the upper end of the rod 4 further comprises a cam profile 5, better visible in Figure 2c.
• the actuating means also comprise a finger 6 for actuating the unlocking means V, which is movable in translation according to a substantially horizontal direction in the first compartment, a free end of the finger cooperating with the cam profile (see Figure 2a).
• the receptacle R being unlocked, it can be transferred from the first compartment C1 to the second compartment C2.
• the first compartment C1 is superimposed on the second compartment C2, the two compartments being separated by a horizontal wall P.
• the connecting channel further comprises an inclined ramp 8 placed between the opening 7 and the second compartment C2. The main purpose of this ramp is to slow down the fall of the receptacle R, and thus avoid damaging it.
• the receptacle R is in the position shown in Figure 2d or Figure 1.
• the collection agent only has to recover the receptacle R and replace it with a new empty receptacle R .
• This Repositioning operation is also facilitated by the descent ramp 8 which is advantageously sized to accept manual guidance of the empty removable receptacle R 'from the second collection compartment C2 to its locked use position within the first compartment C1 (see Figure 2e representing the new receptacle R 'in the locked position).
• the operation of collecting and replacing the ticket receptacle only requires three operations on the part of the collection agent: opening of the access hatch D2, after prior identification;
• the machine M further comprises a door D1 secure access to the first compartment C1, separate from the access door D2.
• the level of security is reinforced by the dissociation of the collection operation of the maintenance operation. Specifically, a maintenance agent will have access to compartment C1, without being able to access the receptacle R since it is locked at the rear.
• the security can be further enhanced by providing a cover C protection (see Figure 2a) containing the receptacle R and preventing access to the receptacle by a maintenance agent.
• a collection agent will only have access to the collection compartment.
• the fixed access door of the compartment C2 has been described as movable by pivoting about a horizontal axis X-X '.
• a horizontal translation could be envisaged, adapting of course the control means and the actuating means so that the opening by translation of the flap automatically controls the unlocking of the receptacle.
• the transfer by gravitation (or fall) of the receptacle is in itself a preferred embodiment because simple and inexpensive to implement. Nevertheless, one could consider having compartments C1 and C2 not superimposed, in which case specific transfer means, possibly motorized, should be proposed to ensure the transfer of the receptacle R once unlocked to the collection compartment C2.

Landscapes

• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Control Of Vending Devices And Auxiliary Devices For Vending Devices (AREA)
• Pile Receivers (AREA)
• Financial Or Insurance-Related Operations Such As Payment And Settlement (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=35276562

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Families Citing this family (2)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 2005
  • 2005-06-27 FR FR0551781A patent/FR2887668B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2006
  • 2006-06-26 CA CA002611553A patent/CA2611553A1/fr not_active Abandoned
  • 2006-06-26 US US11/993,970 patent/US20090127064A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2006-06-26 MX MX2007015784A patent/MX2007015784A/es not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2006-06-26 BR BRPI0613384-3A patent/BRPI0613384A2/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2006-06-26 EP EP06778668A patent/EP1902428A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2006-06-26 AU AU2006263787A patent/AU2006263787A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2006-06-26 WO PCT/FR2006/001471 patent/WO2007000511A1/fr active Application Filing

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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