GB2198118A

GB2198118A - A money box

Info

Publication number: GB2198118A
Application number: GB08626657A
Authority: GB
Inventors: William Peter Shelley; Ki Moon Leung; Peter Adolphs
Original assignee: LIEBERMANN OVERSEAS TRADING LT
Current assignee: LIEBERMANN OVERSEAS TRADING LT
Priority date: 1986-11-07
Filing date: 1986-11-07
Publication date: 1988-06-08
Also published as: GB8626657D0

Abstract

A money box comprises a receptacle (10) for coins, an electronics module (11) and a coin insertion module (12). The coin insertion module has at least one and preferably a plurality of coin slots (20) and sensors (21) for sensing coins inserted through the coin slots. The electronics module (11) includes a microprocessor responsive to the sensors (21) to provide a count of the aggregate value of coins inserted through the slots and a digital display (13) connected to the microprocessor. <IMAGE>

Description

A MONEY 30X This invention relates to a money box, particularly but not exclusively for the use of children.

It is known to provide a money box having a plurality of compartments, one for each denomination of coin in use in a particular country, and a window in or a transparent cover to each compartment whereby the number of coins in each compartment can be counted.

This enables a user to calculate the total value of money in the money box, but the calculation is onerous and prone to error.

The present invention seeks to provide a money box in an improved form.

According to the present invention there is provided a money box comprising a receptacle for coins, at least one coin slot through which coins can be inserted into the receptacle, means for sensing coins inserted through said at least one coin slot, electronic counting means responsive to said coin sensing means to provide a count representative of the aggregate value of- coins inserted through said at least one coin slot into the receptacle, and display means connected to said counting means.

Preferred and/or optional features of the invention are set forth in claims 2 to 10 appended hereto.

The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a money box according to the invention, Figure 2 is a sectional view of the money box shown in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a circuit diagram of the electrical circuit of the money box of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, the money box shown therein comprises a coin receptacle 10, an electronics module 11 and a coin insertion module 12 stacked one on top of the other with the receptacle 10 at the bottom and the module 12 at the top. The receptacle 10 is snap-fittably connected to the module 11 by clips 9 so as to be removable is in order to empty coins therefrom.

The electronics module 11 is provided with a liquid crystal display 13 and four mode control buttons 14 and houses at its front end batteries 8 and a printed circuit board 7. Mounted on the board 7 is a single chip microprocessor 15 (see Figure 3), a 32.768 KHz crystal 16 which is used as a time base for the microprocessor 15, a piezoelectric transducer 17 for generating an audio signal in response to the microprocessor in a manner to be described hereinafter, and a lamp 18 driven by transistor 19 for illuminating the display 13 when the appropriate button 14 is depressed.

The coin insertion module 12 has five slots 20 arranged one above the other and dimensioned to accept coins of different denominations. As shown the slots 20 are arranged in order of size with the largest slot uppermost. The order of the slots 20 could, however, be inverted or the slots could be arranged in order of coin value according to the particular monetary system for which the module 12 is designed.

Coin sensing means in the form of resilient electrical contact leaves 21 are provided along two opposite sides of each slot 20. The leaves 21 of each pair thereof are arranged so as to be electrically connected one to the other by a coin of appropriate dimensions inserted through a respective slot 20. The leaves are connected to a multi-pin electrical plug or socket which connects with a complementary socket or plug in the electronics module 11 when the modules 11 and 12 are connected together so as to make the appropriate connections between the contact leaves 21 and the microprocessor 15.

The microprocessor 15 shown in Figure 3 is available from NEC under their catalogue No. UPD6611. The KB-1 to K3-4 inputs and the KS-1 to KS-4 outputs give a matrix 22 of sixteen possible switch contacts. Five are used as coin sensors (S1 to Sg) and five are used to control the mode of operation. The remaining six switch contacts are unused in this particular embodiment. The S1 to S4 pins of the microprocessor 15 are used to sense a country code as set by four wire links 23 in the coin insertion module 12. The four links will enable the electronics module 11 to be used with anyone of sixteen different coin insertion modules 12 each designed to accept coins of different monetary systems.The LCD 13 normally displays a digital clock, but will display the aggregate value of coins inserted into the receptacle 10 via the slots 20 for a limited period after one or more coins have been inserted. The piezoelectric transducer 17 will produce an audible beep or short musical tune each time a coin is inserted or a button 14 is depressed.

The money box is provided with an internal switch (not shown) to reset the count in the microprocessor 15 to zero each time the coin receptacle 10 is removed.

By using a combination of the four buttons 14 the microprocessor will carry out the following functions: 1. Check the contents of the money box without adding any coins. After a predetermined delay, the LCD will again display a digital clock.

2. Set a savings target such that when a coin is inserted and the aggregate value of the coins exceeds the target, the money box will give a repetitive audible beep or short musical tune while the display shows the total value of the coins. After a predetermined time, the LCD once again displays the digital clock and the audible beep or short musical tune ceases.

3. Set the clock and select a twelve or twenty four hour format.

4. Operate the lamp 18.

Other functions could, however, be added. For example, one could provide for the moneybox to display the difference between the current aggregate value of coins in the coin receptacle 10 and a savings target, and/or display the average savings per unit time, say a week, and/or display a count of each coin value in the coin receptacle 10. Moreover, the audible beep or short musical tune generator could be replaced by a voice synthesiser to give the value of an inserted coin and the new aggregrate value of coins in the receptacle 10.

The above embodiment is given by way of example only and many modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the electronics module 11 could be a separate unit placed to the side of the coin receptacle 10 and coin insertion module 12. Moreover, the money box could have only a single coin insertion slot provided with means, e.g. optical sensors, for sensing the size of the coin inserted.

Claims

1. A money box comprising a receptacle for coins of a plurality of different denominations, at least one coin slot through which the coins can be inserted into the receptacle, means for sensing coins inserted through said at least one coin slot, electronic counting means responsive to said coin sensing means to provide a count representative of the aggregate value of coins inserted through said at least one coin slot into the receptacle, and display means connected to said counting means.

2. The money box of claim 1, wherein there is a plurality of coin slots dimensioned to accept coins of different denominations.

3,. The money box of claim 2, wherein the sensing means comprises a pair of electrical contacts associated with each coin slot, each pair of contacts being arranged such that a coin of appropriate dimensions will electrically connect the two contacts together when inserted through the respective coin slot.

4. The money box of claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the coin slots are arranged one above the other.

5. The money box of anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the counting means and display means are provided in a first part of the money box and the sensing means and coin slot or slots are provided in a second part of the money box, the first part being operable with anyone of a plurality of different second parts designed to accept coins of different monetary systems.

6. The money box of claim 5, wherein the electronic counting means is provided by a microprocessor programmed to give a count representative of the aggregate value of coins inserted through the coin slot or slots of a particular monetary system in accordance with electrical connections made between the first part and a chosen second part.

7. The money box of claim 5 or claim 6, further comprising a third part defining the coin receptacle, the first, second and third parts being stacked one above the other with the third part below the second part.

8. The money box of anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the display means is a digital display arranged to display time as well as said aggregate value of coins.

9. The money box of anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the display means is a liquid crystal display.

10. The money box of anyone of the preceding claims, further comprising an audio signal generator for generating an audio signal each time a coin is inserted through a coin slot and sensed by the sensing means.

11. A money box substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.