GB2061490A - Sorting Coloured Gambling Chips - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus for sorting gambling chips according to their colour comprises a hopper 24 feeding a conveyor belt 1 formed with holes for receiving individual chips. The upper run 3 of the belt moves over a chip- supporting surface 28 past stations A-J for receiving chips of respective colours. At each station a photoelectric detector ascertains whether a passing chip is of the colour appropriate to the station and, if so, unblocks an opening through the surface 28 so that a roller 8 may press the chip through the opening into a storage compartment. Each storage compartment is bounded at its bottom by another (transverse) conveyor belt 14 which, under the control of a counter, serves to deliver from the compartment a desired number of the chips. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Sorting Apparatus This invention relates to apparatus for sorting articles according to different characteristics of a particular common feature. More particularly though not exclusively the invention relates to the sorting according to colour of monetary tokens ("chips") which are used in gambling games to represent different players and/or possibly different monetary values depending upon the colour of the chips. As one possible alternative to colour as the particular common feature, the article could be sorted according to shape or configuration. For example, disc-like articles of identical external shape could be sorted according to the number and/or positioning of holes in each disc.

In gambling games, batches of chips are returned at regular intervals to the croupier either as lost bets or for encashment purposes.

Commonly, the chips are stored in magazines each having chips of a particular colour (denoting a player or monetary value) but the sorting of the returned chips into different colours before inserting them into the magazines is performed manually and this is time consuming. In many casinos, it is usual to employ assistants whose sole job is to perform the required sorting.

Moreover, chips are sold to the players in lots of a particular number (e.g. twenty) and again it is customary for each lot to be counted out manually by the assistant.

According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for sorting articles according to different characteristics of a particular common feature comprising means for presenting each article individually at successive inspection stations, a detector associated with each station responsive to a different particular characteristic of said common feature, and sorting means arranged, when any said detector responds to a particular characteristic in an article present at the associated station, to separate that article from the article presenting means.

Thus, this apparatus, as adapted to sorting chips according to colour, is capable of performing the functions which are normally carried out manually by an assistant.

The article presenting means may be in the form of a conveyor having an upper, article conveying section, the conveyor belt being formed with holes at intervals along the length of the belt so that, in the conveying section, articles positioned within the holes and resting on a stationary support surface just below the conveyor belt can be conveyed along said support surface through the inspection stations.

Preferably, the sorting means comprises, in respect of each station, support means movable to close at least partially an opening in the support surface, a downwardly sprung roller positioned above said opening to press an article, when at said station, against the support means when in the at least partially closed position, and control means, responsive to the detection of the particular characteristic associated with said station, so as to move the support means to open said opening thereby causing the roller to eject the article downwardly through said opening. A storage compartment may be positioned beneath each opening in said support surface to collect articles of the particular characteristic associated with that station.

There may be associated with each inspection station a conveyor having a substantially horizontal section extending through the lower region of the respective storage compartment so that articles in said compartment will rest on said horizontal section of the conveyor, there being a counter at a delivery end of the conveyor which can be programmed for delivery of a selected number of articles of the particular characteristics associated with that station, the counter being arranged to count the articles delivered and to terminate operation of the conveyor when the selected number of articles has been delivered.

Conveniently, the detector includes a photoelectric cell.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying, extremely diagrammatic, drawings, in which: Figures 1 and 2 are respectively side and plan view of one embodiment of the invention, Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line Ill-Ill of Figure 1, Figure 4 is a side view, on an enlarged scale of a sorting mechanism, and Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the line V-V of Figure 4.

As illustrated, the sorting apparatus comprises an elongate, essentially box-like, frame or structure in which is mounted a conveyor 1, driven by a drive motor 18, the conveyor comprising an upper conveying section 3 and a return section 4 in the lower part of the box-like frame. Chips to be sorted, which are in the form of circular discs, are introduced through a grid 23 into a hopper 24, the function of the grid being to prevent chips which are larger than a particular size from entering the apparatus. The hopper has downwardly sloping lower walls 25 which discharge the chips onto the conveying section 3.

Referring to Figure 2, the conveyor belt is punched with holes 27 which are arranged three abreast across the width at successive regular intervals along the whole length of the belt and which are slightly larger in diameter than the chips. A stationary support surface 28 with a smooth, low friction, upper surface extends just below the conveying section 3 over its whole length so that chips, when located in holes 27 in the conveyor belt, will be conveyed, sliding on the support surface 28 from the hopper and through successive inspection stations A to J in the apparatus. Of course, the conveyor can be modified so as to carry any other number of chips side-by-side in this way, or even convey the chips through the sorting apparatus one-by-one.

Vertical partitions 31 assist in guiding the chips, discharged from the hopper, into line with one of the three columns of holes 27 extending along the length of the conveyor belt. Moreover, in Figure 1 it can be seen that the height h1 between the bottom edge of the sloping hopper wall under which the chips are conveyed and the top of support surface 28 is twice the thickness of the chips and the spacing h2 beneath a partition 26 is equal to the chip thickness. Thus, the sloping hopper wall and partition serve to perform a progressive reduction in the conveying height so that only chips located in holes 27 in the belt can enter the inspection region where the stations A to J are situated. Referring to Figures 4 and 5 in particular there is shown the arrangement at stations A and B (the same arrangement being employed at all the other stations). Consider the arrangement at station A.A photo-electric cell 7 responsive to a particular colour different from that of the other photo-electric cells is positioned above the conveying section 3 just upstream of station A. A rectangular opening 34 is provided in the support surface 28 of sufficient size to allow a chip to pass therethrough but a pair of movable ledges 5, extending along the two longitudinal sides of the opening 34 and operated by a solenoid 6 controlled by the photoelectric cell 7, normally are so positioned as to close the rectangular opening partially, thereby preventing chips from passing through. A downwardly spring-loaded roller 8 is mounted above the opening 34.Then, assuming the colour of a chip approaching station A and arriving at the position of the photoelectric cell 7 associated with station A is different from that to which the photoelectric cell 7 responds, the solenoid 6 is inoperative and the conveyor belt causes the chip (30) to slide on the ledges 5 from the station A towards station b.

In the event, however, that the photoelectric cell 7 associated with station A does detect the associated colour, it operates the solenoid 6 to move the ledges 5 away from one another whereupon the roller 8 ejects the chip downwardly through the opening 34 into a storage compartment 9. Thus, each chip is inspected at each successive station until its colour has been recognised by the associated photoelectric cell whereupon the chip is ejected into the relevant storage compartment. In the case of the illustrated sorting apparatus a single storage compartment is associated with station A, the compartment extending beneath the entire width of the conveyor.

Figure 3 illustrates a particularly simple arrangement for enabling the operator to separate a selected number of chips of a particular colour from the appropriate storage compartment. The same arrangement is employed in respect of each storage compartment but, as previously, the following description will be confined to the case of the storage compartment associated with the inspection station A. As shown, a conveyor 14 is mounted with a substantially horizontal section 1 4a extending through the lower region of the storage compartment 9 at station A so that the chips in this compartment rest on the section 14a, and an upwardly rising section 14b leading up to a discharge position where a photoelectric counter 12 provided with an input keyboard is disposed, the counter being connected to operate the drive motor (not shown) of the conveyor 14.

When a certain number of chips is required of the colour associated with station A, that number is selected on the counter by means of the leyboard and the conveyor drive motor is started. Chips are carried by the section 1 4a from the storage compartment 9 and are carried upwardly on the section 1 4b past a guide edge 1 3 positioned just above the section 1 4b so as to allow only one chip at a time to pass under the edge. The chips are counted as they arrive one-by-one at the photoelectric counter and when the required number has been counted, the counter switches off the conveyor drive motor.

Claims (23)

Claims

1. Apparatus for sorting articles according to different characteristics of a particular common feature comprising means for presenting each article invidually at successive inspection stations, a detector associated with each station responsive to a different particular characteristic of said common feature, and sorting means arranged, when any said detector responds to a particular characteristic in an article present at the associated station, to separate that article from the article presenting means.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said presenting means comprises a conveyor arranged to convey said articles through said stations.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said presenting means further comprises means arranged to ensure that said conveyor conveys said articles through said stations with the articles discreetly distributed.

4. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said stations comprise respective storing means arranged to store temporarily the articles separated-out at the respective stations.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said stations comprise respective displacing means arranged to displace the article from said storing means.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said displacing means are arranged to deliver automatically a desired number of the articles from the respective storing means.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 or 3, or any one of claims 4 to 6 as appended to claim 2, wherein said conveyor comprises a conveyor belt including an upper, article-conveying run, a stationary supporting surface extending along said run below said run, and holes formed through said belt at intervals therealong, so that, in said run, articles in said holes rest on said surface and, during conveying by said conveyor, slide along said supporting surface through said stations.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein said sorting means comprises, in respect of each station, supporting means arranged to close at least partially an opening through said supporting surface, and control means, responsive to detection that a particular article has the particular characteristic associated with the station, to move said supporting means to allow said particular article to pass down through said opening.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said sorting means further comprises, in respect of each station, pressing means arranged to bear downwardly on said particular article to press it down through said opening.

1 0. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein, in respect of each station, said pressing means comprises a roller arranged to roll on said particular article.

11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 or 6, or any one of claims 7 to 8 as appended to claim 5 wherein, in respect of each station, the displacing means comprises a conveying member having a substantially horizontal section extending through a lower region of the storing means so that articles in said storing means rest on said section.

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11 as appended to claim 6, wherein, in respect of each station, the displacing means further comprises a counter at a location along said conveying member, the counter being arranged to count the articles being delivered by said conveying member and to terminate operation of said conveying member when the desired number of articles has been delivered.

1 3. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, and further comprising a hopper arranged to feed articles to said presenting means.

14. Apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the entrance to said hopper is covered by a grid arranged to prevent articles of greater than a particular size from entering the hopper.

1 5. A method of sorting articles according to different characteristics of a particular common feature, comprising presenting each article individually at successive inspection stations, inspecting each article to ascertain whether it has a particular characteristic associated with a particular station, and separating-out at that particular station any article having that particular characteristic.

1 6. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said presenting comprises conveying said articles through said stations.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein said presenting further comprises ensuring that said articles are conveyed through said stations in a discreetly distributed arrangement.

18. A method as claimed in claim 15, 16, or 17, and further comprising temporarily storing at the respective stations the separated-out articles.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18, and further comprising, at a selected station, delivering a desired number of the temporarily stored articles.

20. A method as claimed in any one of clain,s 1 5 to 19, wherein said articles are garmbling chips.

21. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 5 to 20, wherein said common feature is colour.

22. Apparatus for sorting articles, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

23. A method of sorting articles, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.