GB2103281A - Slot-machine coin safe - Google Patents

Abstract

A safe for coins fed from a slot- machine has a chute extending downwardly from an intake port. The chute carries a support plate having an opening fixed to its lower end and to which are fixed two horizontally spaced parallel guides located between a door and the rear wall of the safe. A thief-proof box is inserted in the lateral guides with a drop-in opening 34 which is automatically lockable by a shutter 36 released by a pin 16 upon removal of the box from the guides. A lock on the box is operated by means 46 to engage a bolt in recesses 24, 44. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Coin-operated slot machine safe The invention relates to a coin-operated slot machine safe for receiving coins from coinoperated slot machines, particularly for installation in amusement arcades, using an intake port for the coins in the upper cover plate of the safe and a collecting container removably arranged below the intake port in the inner area of the safe.

Particularly in amusement arcades, public houses and other premises in which are installed a large number of coin-operated machines, particularly gaming or slot machines, such safes are used for the theft-proof storage of coins which are to be collected at certain intervals by an authorized person.

The safes are installed below the slot machines behind a preferably provided partition and are anchored either to the wall or to the bottom. The charging chutes or collecting containers for the coins from a large number of slot machines are then connected to a coin intake port of the safe preferably by means of downwardly directed guide connecting chutes preferably positioned behind the partition and projecting from the rear wall of the slot machines. As a result, the coins fed into the connected machines pass automatically into the safe in an optionally guided falling movement.

Such arrangements are known. Coin collecting bags are arranged in the safes below the drop-in openings and can be emptied and changed every so often by a collector. It is an advantage of such arrangements that they provide protection against theft by persons present in the amusement arcade or public house in which the safes are installed. However, it is a disadvantage of the use of such bags that, due to the lack of any possibilities of checking and control, even a reliable collector may be attracted to remove at least some of the coins from the bags, which also provide no protection against thefts or robbery during the transportation of the money.

No obviate this disadvantage, theft-proof transportable cash or strong-boxes have been developed, which have hitherto been interchangeably insertable in the individual slot or gaming machines. These transportable cashboxes have a coin drop-in opening which can be closed by a check valve with an associated adjusting mechanism which is brought into an unlocked starting position prior to the insertion of the cash-box and when the latter is inserted in a guide fixed to the machine cooperates with a stop pin fixed to the machine and counter to the tension of a spring is moved back into a position which frees the coin drop-in opening before the cash-box is locked in the machine. On removing the cashbox from the machine, the drop-in opening is closed by the check valve moved back by the spring and the valve is reliably locked by a locking device on the adjusting mechanism.

However, it is only possible to use such cashboxes in relatively large machines due to their large size as a result of the large capacity given to them in view of the desire to replace them as infrequently as possible and the space taken up for installing the adjusting and locking mechanism. In addition, additional components are required for equipping the safes with such cash-boxes and as a result manufacturing costs and the overall costs of the machines are increased.

The problem of the present invention is to provide an improved coin safe for amusement arcades and the like which, whilst maintaining the security against theft of the coins automatically passed from the individual slot machines to the safe, also ensures increased security against theft and other dangers during the collection and transportation of the coins removed from the safe at certain intervals of time.

In order to solve this problem, the invention provides a safe for receiving coins from coinoperated slot machines, particularly for installation in amusement arcades, wherein the following combination of features is provided: a) in the upper part of the inner area of the safe is provided a filling chute for the coin supply which passes downwards from the intake port, b) the filling chute carries a support plate with an opening fixed to its lower end and to which are fixed two horizontally spaced parallel lateral guides, c) the two lateral guides are positioned between the door opening and the rear wall of the safe, d) the collecting container is constructed as a theft-proof transportable cash-box which can be inserted in said lateral guides with a dropin opening for the coins automatically lockable by a check valve on removing the cash-box from the lateral guides and which corresponds with the opening in the support plate of the filling chute.

Compared with the known safe with replaceable bags for receiving the coins, the invention provides the advantages of improved theft protection on collecting and transporting the money which is reliably protected in theftproof transportable cash-boxes, Thus, theft is not possible without breaking them open and in particular it is not possible for money to be removed unnoticed by the collector. In view of the large sums of money which changes hands in such amusement arcades, it is an important advantage of the invention that the present safe can be subsequently installed therein at reasonable cost. Thus, compared with known arrangements, the invention ensures a much better protection against theft, because illegal opening of the cash-box is only possible through breaking it open or destroying it.Furthermore, the construction of the safe with the safe theft-proof transportable cash-box according to the invention also makes it possible to integrate the safe into coin-operated slot machines.

Further advantageous developments of the invention can be gathered from the subclaim.

The drawing shows an embodiment of the safe according to the invention with an inserted transportable cash-box in a perspective view.

The safe constructed according to the invention for e.g. an interchangeable, theftproof transportable cash-box 1 2 is designated by the reference numeral 10. Safe 10 is in per se known manner provided with a safety lock (not shown in the drawing) for locking the safe door 11.

In its upper cover plate 13, safe 10 has an intake port 1 5 for the coins with a connection piece 14 directed upwards from the upper cover plate 1 3 of safe 1 0 for connecting a coin feed pipe to a not shown slot machine positioned above the safe.

Below intake port 1 5 in the inner area 1 9 of safe 10, a through, funnel-shaped filling chute 1 6 is fixed to the inner wall safes of upper cover plate 1 3.

A support plate 1 8 is located in the outlet area of filling chute 1 6. Support plate 1 8 carries two lateral guide rails 20, 22 for the transportable cash-box 1 2 to be inserted, the two rails 20, 22 being combined in pairs. In the embodiment shown in the drawing, the lateral guide rails 20, 22 comprise U-shaped bends of support plate 1 8.

In each case, a cutout 24 is provided in one guide rail of the pairwise-combined guide rails 20, 22 for transportable cash-box 12, e.g. on rail 22. Further details will be given hereinafter on the effect of cutout 24 in guide rail 22.

Between the two guide rails 20, 22 is also provided an e.g. downwardly bent flap of support plate 1 8 of a pin-like stop member 26 arranged on the rear wall of the safe and further details will be given on the function thereof hereinafter.

The transportable cash-box 1 2 comprises a casing 30 with an upper closure plate 32 and an opening 34 formed therein as a drop-in opening for the coins. This coin drop-in opening 34 can be closed by a check valve 36 of a per se known control and locking mechanism fitted to the bottom of the upper cover plate 32.

Lateral channel-like guides 40, 42 are formed by a step on the upper longitudinal edges of the casing and on the lateral edges of the cover plate positioned above it, said guides cooperating with the guide rails 20, 22 of the guides fixed in safe 10. An edge recess 44 in the vicinity of guide 42 is aligned with the recess 24 of the particular guide rail 22 when the transportable cash-box is inserted. Recesses 24 and 44, which are superimposed when a cash-box 1 2 is inserted, serve to lock the inserted cash-box by means of a not shown bolt which is pivotally fitted to cash-box 12, which can be pivoted by a lock 46 and engages in recesses 24, 44. Another lock is used for opening the cash-box and its cover 32 can be removed for emptying purposes.A handle 50 on the front of the cashbox facilitates the insertion and removal with respect to guides 20, 22.

The per se known control and locking mechanism is in a preparatory position in which valve 36 closes opening 34, but is not locked when the cash-box is empty.

On inserting the transportable cash-box 1 2 into guides 20, 22 valve 36 is moved into a position freeing the opening 34 of box 1 2 counter to the tension of a spring belonging to the control mechanism. This is brought about by means of a stop pin 26 fixed in the safe and which passes through a rear opening into the inserted cash-box and which cooperates with an opposing stop of the cash-box control mechanism. In the inserted position, the cash-box is secured in the safe by means of lock 46 and the bolt pivoted into recesses 24 and 44 of the guide.

The coins coming from a slot machine, indicated at 100 in the drawing, pass through intake port 14 into the following chute 1 6 and then through the cash-box opening 34 freed by valve 36 and directly following onto the lower chute opening into the transportable cash-box 12.

For removing the transportable cash-box, the bolt is swung back out of the locking recesses 24, 44 of guide rail 22 and then the cash-box is removed. Valve 36 returns to its closed position and is locked against opening again by means of a locking device which exerts no action in the preparatory position. In this locking position, it is not possible to open valve 36, e.g. by means of a tooi whose action corresponds to stop pin 26.

Further opening is only possible if beforehand the control and locking mechanism is again brought into its unlocked preparatory position.

The above-described embodiment of a safe with an interchangeable transportation cashbox 1 2 is particularly advantageous, because such a safe size is particularly favourable for the subsequent equipping of an amusement arcade or the like. Thus, accompanied by limited space requirements, it permits the con; nection of slot machines which can be hung e.g. on a partition wall, behind which the safe 10 is anchored in the ground and the coin feed pipes from the individual slot machines to the filling connection 14 of safe 10 can be installed, so that they cannot be seen by the public. It is also possible to instal the safe for the insertion of the transportable cash-boxes 1 2 into the inner area of a coin-operated slot machine, so that the coins fed into the machines pass directly via the safe into the cashbox 1 2. This also offers the possibility of connecting further slot machines to a machine equipped with such a safe, whereby from said further machines guide or feed chutes or connections pass into the safe of the firstmentioned machine.

Claims (3)

1. A coin-operated slot machine safe for receiving coin from coin-operated slot machines, particularly for installation in amusement arcades, using an intake port for the coins in the upper cover plate of the safe and a collecting container removably arranged below the intake port in the inner area of the safe, wherein the following combination of features is provided: a) in the upper part of the inner area of the safe is provided a filling chute for the coin supply which passes downwards from the intake port, b) the filling chute carries a support plate with an opening fixed to its lower end and to which are fixed two horizontally spaced parallel lateral guides, c) the two lateral guides are positioned between the door opening and the rear wall of the safe, d) the collecting container is constructed as a theft-proof transportable cash-box which can be inserted in said lateral guides with a dropin opening for the coins automatically lockable by a check valve on removing the cash-box from the -lateral guides and which corresponds with the opening in the support plate of the filling chute.

2. A coin-operated slot machine safe according to claim 1, wherein in the upper part of the inner area of the safe and spaced from the upper cover plate thereof is provided a support plate with an opening into which issues the filling chute and which carries the two lateral guides for the transportable cashbox.

3. A Coin-operated slot machine safe receiving coins from a coin-operated slot machine substantially as herebefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.