GB2487102A

GB2487102A - Mechanical money evaluating apparatus particularly for a vending machine

Info

Publication number: GB2487102A
Application number: GB1116508.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Rhys Thomas James
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-09-23
Filing date: 2011-09-23
Publication date: 2012-07-11
Anticipated expiration: 2031-09-23
Also published as: GB2487102B; GB201116508D0

Abstract

A mechanical money evaluating apparatus for a vending machine, the apparatus comprising a coin sorting apparatus 2, a counter dispensing apparatus 3, 6 and a source of counters 7, and a counter counting apparatus (11, Figs 4 & 5). The coin sorting apparatus 2 is arranged in use to receive one or more coins, the counter dispensing apparatus 3, 6 is arranged to dispense a number of counters 9 dependent on the value of the or each coin as identified by the coin sorting apparatus 2, and the counter counting apparatus is arranged to generate an output dependent on the number of counters received from the counter dispensing apparatus. The output generated by the counter counting apparatus is arranged to allow the vending of an item up to the value represented by the number of counters received by the counter counting apparatus. The mechanical money evaluating apparatus requires no complex or expensive electrical components and can be used in vending machines to vend differently priced items.

Description

Mechanical money evaluating apparatus for a vending machine

Background of the Invention

The present invention concerns a mechanical money evaluating apparatus and a method of mechanically evaluating money.

More particularly, but not exclusively, this invention concerns a mechanical money evaluating apparatus for a * vending machine, a vending machine, and a method of -mechanically evaluating money.

There are plenty of electronicallycontrolled vending machines on the market which include means for evaluating money. ,Such machines are complicated and expensive. . There are also very simple machines that vend one of many same-priced items in dependence on insertion of a single coin of *the correct value. A gumball machine is an example of such.

a machine and is purely mechanical. There are however ho vending machines known to me that offer a simple, primarily. H mechanically powered and driven,. means to vend different valued items and/or receive different valued coins. -The present invention seeks to mitigate the above-mentioned problems. Alternativelyor additionally, the present ?S invention seeks to provide an improved mechanical money evaluating apparatus or method. -

Summary of the Invention

The present invention provides, according to a first aspect, a mechanical money evaluating apparatus for a vending machine, the money evaluating apparatus comprising: a coin sorting apparatus arranged to distinguish between coins of different values; a counter dispensing apparatus and a source of counters, the counters being in the form of solid * objects; and a counter counting apparatus; wherein the coin sorting apparatus may be arranged in use to receive one or more coins, the counter dispensing apparatus is arranged to * dispense a number of counters dependent on. the value of the or each coin as identified by the coin sorting ap5aratus, and the counter counting apparatus is arranged to generate an output dependent on the number of counters received from the counter dispensing apparatus, whereby the output generated by the counter counting apparatus may in use be afranged to allow the vending of an item up to the value represented by the number of counters received by the counter counting apparatus. . + * Preferably the coin sorting apparatus distinguishes between coins of different values by the size of the coins.

Preferably the coin sorting apparatus distinguishes between coins of different values by having the coins rolling down a * ramp with gaps, for example holes, of different sizes.

* Preferably the counters are solid balls Preferably the counter dispensing apparatus is a rotatable wheel with slots for holding the counters. -3.-.

Preferably the counter counting apparatus comprises a plurality of levers operated by the counters,. the levers thus providing an output able to cause vending the items corresponding to the summation value of the coins.

Other preferable and/or optional features are described in the dependent claims.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is also provided the use of a mechanical money evaluating, apparatus of the invention in a vending thachine. The invention also provides a vending machine including a money evaluating apparatus as claimed or described herein. Preferably the vended items are cylindrical objects.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is also provided a method for mechanical money evaluating in a vending machine. The method may comprise steps of receiving a plurality of different value coins, and/or identifying mechanically the value of the or each coin, and/or releasing a number of counters in dependence on the.value of the or each coin so identified, and/or mechanically counting the counters so released, and/or generating an output dependent on the number of counters sd counted, whereby the output so generated changes in dependence on the number of counters released. -4-.

Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accdmpanying schematic drawings *of which: Figure 1 shows the side view of the coin sorting apparatus, Figure 2 shows the front view of the coin sorting apparatus, Figure 3 shows the layout of the counter dispensing apparatus, Figure 4 shows the side view of the counter counting apparatus, *Figure 5 shows the side view of the lever design for the counter counting apparatus, Figure 6 shows the front view of the goods dispensing apparatus, and Figure 7 shows the cam guides for the goods dispensing apparatus.

Detailed Description

Figure 1 shows an end on view of the coin sorting apparatus.

Coins are inserted vertically, and gravity causes them to roll down the ramp. They lean on the right side of the ramp due to the angle, and fall out of holes on the side 1.

Figure 2 shows the side view of the *coin sorting apparatus.

The coins fall out of the six holes 1. They can only fall out when the hole is big enough. For example, one penny and five pence coins may fall out the first hole, twenty penoe -5-.

coins may fail out the next hole, one pound coins may fall out the next, ten pence coins may fall out the fourth hole, two pence coins may fall *out the fifth hole, and fifty pence coins may fall out the last hole. In this way the coins are S sorted by value.

Figure 3 shows layout of the counter dispensing apparatus.

This counter dispensing process is repeated.four times, once.

for the ten pence, twenty pence, fifty pence, and one pound coins each. Coins fallen outfrorn the coin sorting apparatus hit a lever 3 which rotates. around an axle 4. This causes a holding pin S to be released so that a wheel 6 can freely rotate. .The wheel is fed by a ball hopper 7, which feeds into slots 8. *The balls 9 contained in one side of the wheel 6 cause an imbalance so the wheel 6 rotates and deposits the ball out the bottom 10. By. the time the wheelhas rotated a single increment the coin will have fallen off the lever 3, holding the wheel 6 until another coin has been inserted.

The four wheels h.ave different sized slots 8. The sizes of the. slots 8 are the depth of a single ball for ten. pence, the depth of two balls for twenty pence, the depth of five balls for fifty pence, and the depth of six balls for one pound. This allows each coin to be represented by a quantity of balls so that the money inserted may be calculated. 25.

Figure 4 the side view of the counter counting apparatus.

The balls released from the counter dispensing system enter a chute 11 from the left. The first ball causes a first lever 12 to rotate around its axle 13.. The next ball rolls over the top of the first lever 12, then causes the second lever 14 to rotate. The same principle applies to the next lever 15. The fourth ball down the chute 11 causes a fourth lever 16 to rotate, bringing up its other end 17 which will unlock the button to dispense any goods for sale at forty pence. The next two levers 18, 19 follow the same mechanism to unlock products worth fifty pence and sixty pence respebtively. The hole at the end 20 forms an overflow function for excess balls. When the lever 16 drops down, the ball rests in the chute 11 at an angle that would cause it to immediately roll off to the right. However there is a plate in its path preventing this from happening, This plate can slide back and forth parallel to the direction of the * chute (11) and is spring loaded to remain.close to the front of the machine. It has a square wave pattern so that in use all balls will have the plate to rest against: When the plate is slid backwards each ball encounters a gap and falls off the levers into a collection tray, so that levers 12-19 return to horizontal by gravity. The plate is pushed backwards by rods protruding out of the.selection buttons 24 which. can each individually push the plate back to reset the 20' balls, but are not attached to the plate so that when one button is pushed, the others do not attempt to push themselves. As long as there are more balls in the hopper of the machine than expected value of coins inputted before all* the products' are sold, out, then the balls can be moved from the collection tray back to the hopper whilst restocking * Figu±e 5 shows the side view of the lever design for the, counter counting apparatus. Ttie balls travel down the'chute and come into contact with a original path 21 and hit a backstop 22. The mass of the ball causes the lever 16 to * rotate around the axle 13. This raises the opposite end 17 to unlock the product dispensing buttons. Subsequent balls over the new path of the lever 23 and continue onto further levers. All of the levers have the samemechanisrn.

The counter counting process is repeated for as many times as there are available goods to be dispensed. Figure 6 shows the front view of the goods dispensing apparatus. A selection button 24 cannot be pressed until the lever 25 behind it is rotated by the counter counting apparatus. Once it is unlocked it causes two dispensing levers 26, 27 to * rise and fall to dispense the goods 28. A front lever 26 is shaped so it enters the product chamber from below, and A second lever 27 enters from above. Once released the button 24 will return to its original position due to the function of a spring 29. The next product 30 will move forwardsinto the place of the first. product 28 which has been dispensed out of the front 31.

Figure 7 shows the cam guides for the goods dispensing apparatus. The top lever follows a path 32, and the bottom lever follQws a path 33. The levers both rest at *the left of their individual guides when the button is not pressed.

Initially the front lever is closed to hold back the product and the back lever is open. When the button is pressed the first section 34 of the top guide 32 causes the back lever to close whilst the front lever remains closed. Then after this the next section 35 of the bottom guide 33 causes the bottom lever to open so that the product is dispensed. When the button is depressed.the process. reverses causing the front lever to close before opening the back lever so that * . -8-the next product rolls forward to take the place of the original product.

Whilst the present invention has been described and illustrated with reference to particular embodiments, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in. the art that the invention lends itself to many different variations not specifically illustrated herein.

Where in the foregoing description, integers or elements are mentioned which have.known, obvious or foreseeable equivalents, then such equivalents are herein incorporated as if individually set forth. Reference should be made to the claims for determining the true scope of the present invention, whidh should be construed so as to encompass any.

such equivalents. Itwill also be appreciated by the reader that integers or features of the invention that are described as preferable, advantageous, * convenient or the like are optional and do not limit the scope of the independent claims. Moreover, it is to be understood that such optional integers or features, whilst of possible * benefit in some embodiments of the invention, may not be * desirable, and may therefore be absent, in other * embodiments. . . * *25

Claims

Claims 1. A mechanical money evaluating apparatus for a vending machine, the money evaluating apparatus comprising: a coin sorting apparatus arranged to distinguish between coins of different values; a counter dispensing apparatus and a source of counters, the counters being in the form of solid objects; and a counter counting apparatus; wherein the coin sorting apparatus may be arranged in use to receive one or more coins, the counter dispensing apparatus is arranged tc * dispense a number of counters dependent on the value of the oreach coin as identified by the coin sorting apparatus, and the counter counting apparatus is arranged to generate an output dependent on the number of counters received from the counter dispensing apparatus, whereby the output generated by the counter counting apparatus * may in use be arranged to allow the vending of an item up to the value represented by the number of counters received by the counter counting apparatus.
2. A mechanical money evaluating apparatus for a vending * machine according to claim 1, wherein the coin sorting * apparatus is arranged to distinguish between coins of * different values by the size of the coins.
3. A mechanical money evaluating apparatus for a vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the coin sorting apparatus includes a ramp including a series of increasingly wider gaps, each such gap corresponding to one of a plurality of different-sized coins, arranged such that in use a coin of a given value moving down the ramp moves past the gaps if any that are smaller than the width of the coin and falls through the first gap, if any, wide enough to permit passage of the coin, whereby, in use, the coin sorting apparatus is able to distinguish between coins of different values by means of the gaps through which the coins pass.
4. A mechanical money evauatingàpparatus for a vending machine acOording to any preceding claim, wherein the * * counters are solid balls.
5. A mechanical money evaluating apparatus for a vending machine according to any preceding claim, wherein the counter dispensing apparatus comprises one or rotatable wheels containing a plurality of counters, the wheel or wheels being arranged to dispense a number of counters dependent on the value of the oreach coin as identified by * the coin sorting apparatus by rotating and dispensing under the influence of gravity the counters.. * *
6. A mechanical money evaluating apparatus for a vending machine according to any preceding claim, wherein the * counter dispensing apparatus includes a plurality of counter dispensing devices, each counter dispensing device being associated with a different value of coin and being arranged -:ii -to be activated in dependence on the value of coin as identified by the coin sorting apparatus.
7. A mechanical money evaluating'apparatus for a vending machine according to any preceding claim, wherein the counter counting apparatus comprises a plurality of levers arranged to generate the output of the counter counting.* apparatus, the levers being arranged such that the levers are activated independence on the number of counters * 10 receivedby the counter counting apparatus.
8. A mechanical money evaluating apparatus for a vending machine according to claim 7, wherein the levers are arranged in series and arranged such that a lever is activated by oneor more counters only if all preceding levers, if any, have been similarly activated.
9. A vending. machine comprising a mechanical money evaluating apparatus according to any ptèceding claim, and a vending mechanism arranged to vend a product in depending on the output generated by the counter counting apparatus.
10. A method of mechanically evaluating money, the method * comprising the steps of: receiving a plurality of different value coins, * * identifyingmechanically thevalue of the or each coin, releasing a number of counters in dependence on the value of the or each coin so identified, * * * * mechanically counting the counters so released, and -12 -generating an output dependent on the number of counters so counted, whereby the output so generated changes in dependence on,the number of counters released.
11. A vending machine or part thereof substantially as herein described with reference to any of Figs. 1-7 of the accompanying drawings.
12. A method of mechanically evaluating a sum of money and 10, vending a product, the method being substantially as herein described with reference to any of Figs. 1-7 of. the accompanying drawings. . 15. , . 20. 30. ,