JPS60200389A - Coin storage apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Technical Field) The present invention relates to improvements in coin storage devices for public telephones and the like.

[Prior art]

As shown in FIG. 1, the coin storage device in a conventional public telephone includes a coin mechanism section lO, storage funnels 21 and 22, a safe 30, a safe chamber 40, and a sensor 5 including a light emitter and a light receiver.
1 to 56, which were installed at predetermined positions within the telephone main body 60.

In the above configuration, the fcloo yen coin (or 10 yen coin) inserted from the coin slot 61 of the telephone main body 60 is
The coins are sorted in the sorting passage (orbit) 11 of the coin mechanism section 10,
It enters the 100 yen accumulation path (orbit) 12 (or 10 yen accumulation path 13), is initially locked and accumulated by the protruding pins 14 [or 15], and then is replayed according to the response of the called party. -16 (or 17) is prominent and above -14
(or 15) exits, the sheets are stored one by one into the safe 30 through the storage funnel 21 (or 22).

Here, the detection that the safe 30 is full with a large amount of coins is detected even though (1) the above-mentioned/-16 (or 17) has protruded and the reno-14 [or 15] has exited. Accumulation confirmation sensor 51 in accumulation passage 12 (or 13)
(or 52) does not turn off, (2) the sensor 5
Even though the signal 1 ("! or 52) is turned off, the storage confirmation sensor 53 (or 54) does not turn on.
(3) When the user went off-hook and tried to use the public telephone, the sensor 53 (or 54) was already turned on, and the user was lost. In addition, there is also a storage funnel 21 (t7r) when off-hook.

sensor 55 (or 56) for detecting fullness of the safe in [22]
If it is on, the safe is full and measures such as disabling the phone will be taken.

However, in both of the above methods, it is possible to detect that the safe is full only when the safe 30 is full of coins and the storage funnel 21 (or 22) or passage 12 (or 13) is clogged with coins. The safe 30 could not be withdrawn from the safe 40 due to interference, or measures such as issuing a warning before the safe became full could not be taken.

Furthermore, the lid 31 of the safe 30 was provided with a locking mechanism (not shown) to prevent the safe 30 from being reattached once it has been pulled out from the safe 40. When the new safe (including the case where coins are collected and reused) 30 is attached to the safe 40, the locking mechanism is pressed by a protrusion 41 provided on the safe 40, so that the lid is closed. The coin entrance (not shown) provided directly below the storage funnels 21 and 22 of 31 is opened, but after the safe 30 is pulled out from the safe 40 and the protrusion 41 is removed, the seal [not shown] is opened. ] The protrusion 41 is not allowed to enter unless the cover 31 is opened by destroying the cover 31, and the safe 30 is prevented from being reinstalled in the safe 40.Such a locking mechanism prevents coins from being removed during safe collection. This is necessary to prevent the loss of coins and ensure that all coins stored in public telephones are recovered. There were drawbacks such as increased prices.

(Objective of the Invention) The present invention eliminates these drawbacks and realizes a coin storage device that can detect coins in the safe before it becomes full, and in addition, eliminates the need for a locking mechanism for the lid of the safe. It is intended to.

(Structure of the Invention) In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a first aspect of the present invention provides a coin having a mechanism section for storing coins, a sensor for detecting storage of coins, and a safe that can be attached and removed to store stored coins. The storage device further comprises: a storage means for storing the number of coins in the safe in an attached state; and a control section for adding the number of stored coins detected by the sensor to the storage means; The invention includes a first storage means for storing the number of coins in the safe, the amount of money stored, etc. in the installed safe;
A second storage means for storing the amount of money stored in the safe that was collected immediately before, a safe sensor for detecting whether the safe is attached, and the number of stored coins detected by the sensor.

A control unit that adds the amount of money stored in the first storage means to the first storage means and writes the amount of money stored in the first storage means to the second storage means when the safe sensor detects removal of the safe. shall be.

(Embodiment) FIGS. 2 and 3 (aHb) show an embodiment of the coin storage device of the present invention, and in the figures, the same components as those of the conventional example are denoted by the same reference numerals. That is, 10 is the coin mechanism section, 2
0 is a storage funnel, 51-54 are sensors, 70 is a safe, 8
0 is a safe, 90 is a safe sensor, 101 is a drive/detection circuit, 102 is a control unit, 103 is a transmission/reception circuit (MODEM)
), 104, 105, 106 are the first. Second. The third storage means 1 is, for example, a memo IJ, 107 is a secondary battery, 108 is a power supply circuit, 109 is a display, and 110 is an operation button.

The safe 70 is similar to the safe 30 except that it does not have the locking mechanism described above, and the safe 80 is also similar to the safe 40 except that it does not have the protrusion described above. The storage funnel 20 is a coin entrance (not shown) provided in the lid 71 of the safe 70 for storing both 100 yen coins and 10 yen coins.
lead to. The safe sensor 90 consists of a light emitter (e.g., a light emitting diode) and a light receiver (e.g., a phototransistor), and is installed at a position sandwiching the safe 70 therebetween, and detects whether the safe 70 is installed in the safe 80 or not. do.

The drive detection circuit 101 includes sensors 51 to 54. A driving current is sent to the safe sensor 90, and its signal is detected and sent to the control section 102.

The transmitting/receiving circuit 103 sends a safe full warning, which will be described later, to the office via a communication circuit (not shown) of the telephone, and sends a command from the office to the control unit 102.

The memory 104 stores the number of coins currently installed in the safe 70 (indicates the respective numbers of 100 yen coins and 10 yen coins and the total number of coins. The same applies hereinafter) and the total amount thereof. The memory 105 also stores the total amount of coins in the safe 70 that were collected immediately before. Furthermore, the memory 106 is adapted to store the cumulative amount of money stored in the safe 70 since it was last read. The secondary battery 107 and the power supply circuit 108 are used to maintain the contents of the memories 104 to 106 at all times, and are normally connected to the power supply circuit 10 from a commercial power source.
Power is supplied through the secondary battery 107 during a power outage, and a stain source is supplied through the secondary battery 107. Note that the power for circuits other than the memories 104 to 106 is supplied from the telephone power supply on the communication line. Further, the display device 109 is for displaying arbitrary contents of the memories 104 to 106, and the display contents are
10Vc.

Next, the operation of the apparatus will be explained according to the flowcharts of the control section 102 shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b). Here, M is a variable for not rewriting the contents of the memory 105 except in specific cases, and is initially set to "1" (S+in).

First, when the user takes the handset off the hook and inserts a coin, the coin is detected by the sensor 51 (t or 52), and the control unit 102 determines that a call is in progress (S2). The control unit 102 sends the coin storage command (S3) to the mechanism unit 1.
0, from passage 12 (i! or 13) / -16
Make (i or 17) stand out / -14 (or 15)
The drive/detection circuit 102 reads that the sensor 53 (or 54) is turned on and off while the coin is falling into the safe 70, and the memory 1
Add the number of stored coins, for example "1", to the cumulative number of 100 yen coins stored in 04 (or the cumulative number of 10 yen coins stored) and the total cumulative number, and then add the stored amount to the total amount (S4). . Further, the stored amount is added to the amount in the memory 106 (S5).

Next, the control unit 102 compares the total cumulative number of coins in the memory 104 and the full number of coins in the safe 70 (a number with a sufficient margin compared to the number of coins that would fill the safe 70 under normal conditions) (S6) L, for example, the total number of coins. When the cumulative number of coins reaches 90% of the full number, the user goes on-hook, keeps the power on, and, for example, automatically calls and dials "111" on the test stand at the telephone office, and sends the safe from the transmitting circuit 103. Sends a full warning (a ``9th safe deposit report'' based on a predetermined code and a ``subscriber number, etc.'' that allows identification of the installation location, etc. of the public telephone) (S7
)do.

On the other hand, upon receiving the alert, the test stand determines whether to collect the safe 7o immediately, or whether to collect it several days later depending on the frequency of use of the public telephone.

If there is an inquiry about the number of coins in the safe from the station's test stand during a call (S8), the control unit 102 sends the contents of the memory 104 at that time via the transmitting/receiving circuit 103 (89). On the test bench side, an appropriate safe collection route can be set based on data on the total cumulative number of coins from other public telephones, allowing systematic safe collection work.

In addition, if the bureau further inquires about the amount stored in the safe (S+
o) The control unit 102 sends the contents of the memory 106 (Sn
)do. Here, as mentioned above, the memory 106 stores the deposit amount since the last time it was read, and from this, the bureau periodically (for example, monthly) sends an invoice to the trustee entrusted with the management of the safe. In addition, it is possible to omit the collected amount information that was conventionally sent from public telephones for each call. After the contents of the memory 106 are read, they are returned to "0" (812).

When the bureau inquires about the total amount collected in the safe,
13), the control unit 102 sends the contents of the memory 105 (S
I4) Do it. As described above, the memory 105 stores the amount of money stored in the safe 70 that was collected immediately before, and is collected at any time after the safe collection operation (for example, when the safe 70 is actually delivered to you). The planned amount can be known, and it is possible to check for lost coins during collection work, thus eliminating the need for the locking mechanism of conventional safes.After the contents of the memory 105 are read out, they are set to "0". ” (SS
S) to be done. Also, after that, M is set to (M-1) (Se
a) To be done.

When the safe 70 is pulled out during the safe recovery operation, the control unit 102 receives a signal from the sensor 90 and detects this (
SIT) If L, M≦1 (Sil+), write the amount stored in the memo ') 104 at that time, that is, the amount stored in the safe 70 that was withdrawn, in the memory 105 (
819). After that, set M to (M+1)5zo)
Furthermore, an empty safe 7° is attached to the safe 80, and when this is detected by the sensor 9o, all the contents of the memory 104 are
0" (Sit).

The processes S+a, S+s, and S20 are for not performing the process 819 until the public telephone is accessed from the central office and the contents of the memory 105 have been read once. room 8
0, pull it out, take out the coin inside, insert it again, pull it out again, repeat the insertion, and store 10 coins in the memory.
Even if an attempt is made to set the contents of 5 to "0", the process 81g determines that this is an abnormality (error) process (8zx) and becomes impossible.

The explanation so far has been about the case where the public telephone is accessed from the central office and the telephone automatically makes a call to the central office.
The maintenance person goes to the location where the phone is installed and operates Zetan 110.
The contents of the memories 104 to 106 can also be displayed and confirmed on the display 109 by operating the .

It goes without saying that one hardware memory can be used as the three memories 104 to 106 by dividing its addresses as described above.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the present invention, a coin storage device includes a mechanism section for storing coins, a sensor for detecting storage of coins, and a safe that can be attached and removed to store stored coins. In this method, the storage means for storing the number of coins in the safe in the installed state, and the control section for adding the number of stored coins detected by the sensor to the storage means, so that the number of coins in the safe can be adjusted. The number of sheets can be read out when necessary, the storage status can be grasped, and clogging in the safe can therefore be prevented, and collection work can be carried out systematically and efficiently.

``Also, the number of coins in the safe in the installed state.

a first storage means for storing the stored amount, etc.; a second storage means for storing the stored amount in the safe that was collected immediately before; a safe sensor for detecting whether the safe is attached; and the sensor. control to add the number of stored coins, the stored amount, etc. detected in the first storage means, and write the stored amount of the first storage means into the second storage means when the safe sensor detects removal of the safe; In addition to the above-mentioned effects, the amount stored in the collected safe can be read out after collection, preventing loss of coins during the collection operation, and therefore, the locking mechanism of the conventional safe can be avoided. It has the advantage that it can be made unnecessary.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings serve to explain the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a coin storage device in a conventional public telephone, and FIG.
The figure is a configuration explanatory diagram showing one embodiment of the coin storage device of the present invention, and FIG. 3 (b) is a flowchart of the operation of the control section. 10... Coin mechanism section, 51, 52, 53. 54...
Sensor, 70... Safe, 90... Safe sensor, 10
2... Control unit, 103... Transmission/reception circuit, 104.1
05,106...1st. Second. Third memory. Patent applicant Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation agent Patent attorney Yoshi 1) Sei Takashi Figure 1 0 Figure 3 (b)

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a coin storage device that has a mechanical unit that stores coins, a sensor that detects storage of coins, and a safe that can be attached and removed to store stored coins, the number of coins in the safe that is in an installed state. What is claimed is: 1. A coin storage device comprising: a storage means for storing the number of stored coins; and a control section for adding the number of stored coins detected by the sensor to the storage means. (2) In a coin storage device that has a mechanical unit that stores coins, a sensor that detects storage of coins, and a safe that can be attached and removed to store the stored coins, the number of coins in the safe that is in the installed state. , a first storage means for storing the stored amount, etc.; a second storage means for storing the stored amount in the safe that was collected immediately before; a safe sensor for detecting whether or not the safe is installed; The number of coins stored, the amount stored, etc. detected by the sensor are added to the first storage means, and when the safe sensor detects removal of the safe, the amount stored in the first storage means is written into the second storage means. A coin storage device characterized by comprising a control unit that allows