GB2161007A - Coin-released machines - Google Patents

Abstract

In order to ensure that the coin stack tubes of a coin-released machine, such as a fruit machine, are always left with the same numbers of coins in them after a collector visits the machine to remove coins from the cash box, it is arranged that an authorisation signal is produced only when a certain coin level adjustment sequence has been performed. A photo-electric coin sensor is positioned below the top of each stack tube, and when a tube is found to have too many coins in it when the machine is attended by the collector, the coin dispenser associated with that tube pays out coins from the tube until the level has fallen such that no coin is sensed, and then if desired it may be arranged that one coin must be placed in the stack tube to complete the operation, and initiate an authorisation signal to confirm that the coin level in that tube has been correctly adjusted.

Description

SPECIFICATION Coin-released machines This invention relates to coin-released machines, such as amusement machines, gaming machines, and vending machines with change giving facilities, of the kind in which the payout mechanism comprises a stack tube for containing a stack of coins and dispensing means for paying out a coin from the base of the stack tube, coins inserted into the machine for release of the mechanism, or at least a proportion thereof, are fed to the stack tube, and in which coins overflow from the stack tube to a cash box. Such a machine will hereinafter be referred to as a 'machine of the kind set forth'.

The term 'coin' is intended to include a token.

The invention relates particularly, but not exclusively, to so-called 'fruit machines'. It will be appreciated that the machine symbols of fruit machines are not always fruit symbols.

Fruit machines are most commonly found in public houses and clubs, and although the landlord or club secretary is usually responsible for the day to day operation of the machine, so far as ensuring that the machine is switched on, that there is sufficient money in the payout mechanism to meet winnings, and in dealing with any customer who complains of an incorrect payout by the machine, etc., it is usual for a central organisation to be responsible for supplying the machine, collecting money from the machine and maintaining the machine in proper working order.

The payout mechanisms of fruit machines are generally of two types. There is the hopper type in which an inclined rotating disc dips into a hopper containing a jumble of coins and picks out the coins one by one.

There is then the stack tube type in which one or more upright, not necessarily vertical, tubes contains a stack of coins, and means is provided at the lower end of each tube for dispensing a coin from the bottom of the stack to the machine player.

The invention is concerned with a problem which arises with fruit machines incorporating a stack tube type payout mechanism. It is important to the central organisation responsible for collecting money from a fruit machine that money is not stolen by a machine collector or by the landlord or club secretary, and that if money should be stolen this fact can be ascertained. With existing stack tube machines the collectors are under instructions to fill up the stack tubes with coins from the machine cash box before they empty the cash box. The purpose of this topping-up procedure is to try to ensure that the stack tubes are always left with the same amount of money in them when the cash box is emptied, so that the amount of money removed from the cash box by the collector represents the actual earnings of the machine.

Unfortunately, it is the practice of some dishonest collectors not to top up tubes which are low but instead to steal the corresponding number of coins. It will be appreciated that the money which they collect from the cash box can still be the same on that occasion as it would otherwise have been, the immediate effect being that the coin tubes are deficient in coins. Of course, the net effect in the long run is that the central organisation receives less money from the machine.

With machines that incorporate a stabiliser mechanism in accordance with U.K. Patent No. 1 454 046 this reduction in machine takings will be detected in due course, but it is not always easy with existing machines to identify the cause for the change in machine earnings.

The present invention is therefore aimed at making it more difficult for a machine collector not to top up each stack tube when the collector collects money from the machine cash box.

According to the invention a machine of the kind set forth comprises a sensor for determining whether or not the stack tube is full of coins to a predetermined level, and authorisation means responsive to the sensor for providing an authorisation signal only when the stack tube is full, or has been filled, to that level, and indication means responsive to the authorisation means to indicate the presence or absence of the authorisation signal at the time that money is removed or made available for removal from the cash box.

The indication means may take various forms. For example, the indication means may comprise a switch which automatically switches off at least parts of the machine, and the fact that a collector has not topped up a tube or tubes will then be indicated by the fact that the machine has been rendered inoperative.

With that arrangement it is preferred also to provide a display panel on the machine cabinet to display the reason for the condition of the machine such as with the words 'Refill Tubes to Complete Collection'.

if the machine is arranged to be rendered inoperative in response to an incorrect topping-up of the tube/s by a collector, it is preferred to provide the machine with means for activating the indication means only in response to a visit by a collector, to prevent the machine switching itself off in response to a visit by a service engineer for example. The indication means may be activated by, for example, a key or other identification device which the collector uses to gain access to the cash box, or by an identification means, such as a refill key, which the collector has to use to carry out the topping-up procedure.

Alternatively, the indication means may be arranged to prevent the machine collector from completing his duties until he has properly carried out the topping-up procedure.

The indication means may comprise a recording means arranged to record in some way the fact that the topping-up procedure has or has not been properly performed.

Preferably the recording means comprises a printer for providing a printed record of the amount of money in the cash box.

This amount may be computed by the machine from readings of the coins inserted into the machine and of the coins dispensed by the payout mechanism.

The printer is preferably located in the machine, but it may be incorporated in a portable unit which the machine collector links to the machine in some way, such as by an electrical connection or electromagnetic wave link. The arrangement would then be that a valid printer output would not be produced unless the coin tube has been topped up by the collector to the predetermined level. Thus it may, for example, be arranged that the printer will not operate until the coin tube has been topped up, and it would then be a requirement of the central organisation that the collector provides it with a printed receipt for each machine, and this would ensure that the collector does top up the tube if the tube is deficient in coins.

It is not always easy, particularly with a photo-electric coin level detector to obtain satisfactory operation of the detector when the detector is positioned at the extreme upper end of the tube, and it is therefore preferred that the detector is arranged below the level of the upper end of the tube. In order to avoid the problem that the coin tube of such an arrangement might be in an 'over-full' condition, and consequently produce a distorted amount in the cash box, it is preferred to incorporate a coin level adjustment circuit which is arranged when operative to respond to a condition in which a coin is sensed by the level detector to operate the dispensing means to dispense coins until no coin is sensed by the detector, at which point no further coins are dispensed and the authorisation signal is issued for that tube.

The operation of a preferred machine in accordance with the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a schematic block diagram of the circuit controlling the top-up procedure.

(1) When the collector first attends the machine she uses a key to gain access to the cash box of the machine.

From the cash box key switch 1 a computer 2 inside the fruit machine receives an encoded signal and recognises: a) An authorised key holder b) The category-a collector c) The persons name.

A solenoid locking device inside the fruit machine is released enabling the collector to open the cash door of the fruit machine and remove the cash box.

2) A printer inside the fruit machine logs the collector into the machine printing the time and date, the collector's name, machine name etc and the Token surplus or shortage in p.

3) While this is happening the collector connects a small hand-held computer to the computer inside the fruit machine. When this hand-held computer is connected and the print out from the machine has been produced, the machine then commences its Payout Tube Top Up Procedure.

4) The purpose of the Pay-out Tube Top Up Procedure is to ensure that the collector tops up the payout tubes in the machine (1 Op, 20p, 50p, Token, etc) to an exact level every time a collection is carried out. There is a light sensor located near the top, say one inch from the top, of each pay-out tube. The procedure is for the fruit machine to deal with each coin tube in turn, say lOp, then 20p, then 50p, then the Token. To enable the collector to load coins into the coin tubes she uses her refill key to operate a refill key switch 6. Each coin acceptor mechanism has a coin "lockout" 7 which is arranged to cause coins inserted into the machine to be rejected when the lock out is operating.If the machine has separate acceptor mechanisms for different coin denominations then it is arranged that the lock out is operating on all of the mechanisms apart from the 1 Op mechanism, to force the collector to deal first with the 1 Op tube. If, on the other hand, the acceptor mechanism is of the single slot, multi-denomination type then the mechanism is set to reject all coins other than 1 Op coins.

Cash If the level of 1 Op coins is high, the machine pays out sufficient 1 Op's to reduce the coin level to that needed for a collection.

The collector must put these "paid out" coins from the payout cup into the cash box.

If the level of 1 Op's is low the machine illuminates a light 3 on the coin acceptor mechanism 4 the denomination of coins required (1 Op's) and the collector is required to remove a sufficient quantity of these coins from the cash box in order to top up the tube to its correct level. When the required level of coins has been reached, the machine will indicate this by flashing the lOp light and operate a payout unit 5 to pay out the last lOp inserted. This last coin must be put back into the cash box.

This same procedure is then carried out for the other cash coins 20p, 50p, etc., the lock outs permitting only one denomination of coin to be inserted at a time.

An L.E.D. display 8 may be provided to tell the collector how many coins she needs to load into the tube which she is about to top up. The figure shown on the display can be computed by the computer 2 from counts made of the coins of that denomination inserted into the machine by players and of such coins paid out. The computer 2 in making this calculation takes into account the fact that a tube may have overflowed at some stage and the number of coins which must have overflowed into the cash box.

Tokens: The same procedure as for cash above. If there is a surplus of tokens, in other words after the collector had "levelled off" the tube with tokens from the token overflow box in the machine she has some left over, the amount will already have been printed out by the machine in (2) above-Token Surplus p. These surplus tokens must be returned to the office.

On the other hand, if there is a shortage of tokens (the tube level is low and remains low even after the collector has loaded it with all the tokens from the token overflow box), it will be necessary for the collector to load extra tokens into the machine from her brief case.

Here again, the amount required by the machine will already have been printed out in advance for her in item (2) above-Token Shortage p.

Only when the levelling procedure has been completed is the printer operated to print the contents of cash box figure. This is the amount of money in the cash box of the machine after these coin tubes have been levelled. The total cash figure is broken down in the printout into the various denominations-1, 50p, 20p, lOp. The landlords's Token refill is also printed and subtracted from this contents of cash box figure leaving the nett earnings of the machine.

5) Only when all the coin tubes have been levelled will the machine print the contents of cash box figure and transfer the necessary information into the hand held computer. A collection report is then prepared by the hand held computer.

It will be appreciated that with this machine the situation may arise that when the collector attends the machine the level of coins in a tube may be precisely correct, that is one coin below the level at which a coin is detected by the light sensor. However it will still be necessary for the collector to insert one coin into the tube in order to operate the sensor, a coin then being paid out automatically by that tube.

During the time that the tubes are being topped up and levelled the machine is rendered totally inoperative to the player.

A modified machine with improved security will now be described. In the machine described above the final condition of the tubes after the topping up procedure is with the top coin in each tube just below the coin level sensor. There could be the possibility with that machine that a collector may then steal some coins from the tubes. In the modified machine it is arranged that the final, correct condition of the machine after topping up is with the top coin operating the sensor. In order to deal with the situation that a tube may be overfull prior to the topping-up procedure, it is again arranged that the machine automatically pays out coins from the relevant tube until the top coin is below the level of the sensor, but then the top-up procedure is not cleared as being completed until the collector has inserted one coin into that tube to operate the sensor again.

The manner in which it is indicated that the top-up procedure for a tube has been completed may be as before. It is preferred that the indication means for an incomplete top-up procedure is kept operative until the occurence of the first win on the machine after the top-up procedure has been completed, in order to prevent a collector removing money from the machine after she has completed the top-up procedure.

Claims (14)

1. A machine of the kind set forth comprising a sensor for determining whether or not the stack tube is full of coins to a predetermined level, and authorisation means responsive to the sensor for providing an authorisation signal only when the stack tube is full, or has been filled, to that level, and indication means responsive to the authorisation means to indicate the presence or absence of the authorisation signal at the time that money is removed or made available for removal from the cash box.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1 in which the indication means comprises a switch which automatically switches off at least parts of the machine to render the machine inoperative by a machine player in response to the absence of an authorisation signal.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 2 in which the indication means further comprises a display panel on the cabinet of the machine arranged to display the reason for the inoperative condition of the machine.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 comprising activation means so arranged as to activate the indication means in response to an identification device for identifying a collector.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 4 in which the identification device is a device which is so arranged as to permit a collector to gain access to the cash box.

6. A machine as claimed in claim 4 in which the identification device is a device which when operated enables a collector to load coins into the stack tube through a coin acceptor mechanism of the machine.

7. A machine as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5 in which the identification device is a key-operated mechanism.

8. A machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims comprising a recording means so arranged to record occasions on which a machine collector has attended to the machine and an authorisation signal has not been produced by the authorisation means.

9. A machine as claimed in claim 8 in which the recording means comprises a printer which is arranged also to provide a printed record of the amount of money in the cash box.

10. A machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the predetermined level is spaced downwards from the upper end of the coin tube, the sensor is arranged to detect the presence of a coin at that level, and the machine comprises a coin level adjustment circuit which is arranged when operative to respond to a condition in which a coin is sensed by the sensor to operate a coin dispensing means to dispense a coin or coins from the bottom of the stack tube until no coin is sensed by the sensor, at which point the dispensing means is deactivated, prior to the authorisation signal being issued.

11. A machine as claimed in claim 10 in which the adjustment circuit is so arranged as to require a further coin to be inserted into the stack tube and be detected, following adjustment of the coin stack to the point at which no coin is detected by the sensor, before the authorisation signal is issued.

1 2. A machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims which incorporates a plurality of stack tubes for respective coin denominations, and which is arranged to produce an overall authorisation signal when all of the stack tubes have been filled with coins to the respective predetermined levels.

1 3. A machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the sensor is a photo-electric detector.

14. A machine substantially described with reference to the accompanying drawing.