US3845849A

US3845849A - Coin testing device

Info

Publication number: US3845849A
Application number: US00324435A
Authority: US
Inventors: P Andersson
Original assignee: INT CYBERNETICS MACHINES Ltd
Current assignee: INT CYBERNETICS MACHINES Ltd
Priority date: 1972-01-17
Filing date: 1973-01-17
Publication date: 1974-11-05
Anticipated expiration: 1991-11-05
Also published as: CA962547A; DE2301995A1; GB1399422A

Abstract

This invention relates to a coin testing or separating device often referred to as a coin acceptor/rejector device. The coin acceptor/rejector device is of the cradle type which is pivotally mounted in the coin entry chute and has two spaced part coin receiving surfaces which extend into the coin entry chute to intercept coins exceeding a desired diameter and to pivot under the weight of such coins towards a coin accept chute. The present invention provides means for moving the cradle relative to the coin entry chute to withdraw the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle out of the coin entry chute a preset time interval after a coin has entered the coin entry chute.

Description

United States Patent 1191 Andersson [4 Nov. 5, 1974 [5 COIN TESTING DEVICE 2,903,117 9/1959 Kowaleski 194/97 R [75] Inventor: geeliazzlge Andersson, Palmerstown, Primary Examiner stanley H- Touberg Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Kurt Kelman [73] Assignee: International Cybernetics Machines Limited, Dublin, Ireland 57 ABSTRACT [22] Filed: Jan. 17, 1973 This invention relates to a coin testing or separating 1 device often referred to as a coin acceptor/rejector [211 App! 324435 device. The coin acceptor/rejector device is of the 1 cradle type which is pivotally mounted in the coin [30] Foreign Application Priority Data entry chute and has two spaced part coin receiving Jan. 17, 1972 Ireland 63/72 surfaces which extend into the coin entry Chute to tercept coins exceeding a desired diameter and to 52 us. (:1. 194/97 R pivot under the weight of Such coins towards a coin 51 Int. Cl. G07f 3/02 accept ehute- The Present invention Provides means 58 Field of Search 194/102, 103, 97 for moving the cradle relative to the coin entry Chute to withdraw the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle 5 Ref f i d out of the coin entry chute a preset time interval after UNITED STATES PATENTS a coin has entered the coin entry chute.

1/1952 Donohue 194/97 R 19 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures EH 0F 6.

' PATENTED NOV 5 197% COIN TESTING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coin or token testing or separating device for use with machines that use a coin release mechanism such as vending, change giving or gaming machines such as testing or separating devices are hereinafter referred to as a coin acceptor/rejector devices.

2. Description of the Prior Art Since the majority of vending machines are unattended the problem of persons inserting spurious coins into the machine is a very serious one. In this Specification the term spurious coin is used to denote any coin whichis not of the desired denomination for operating the coin released mechanism or any washer, metal stamping or the like circular slug. Tokens are used extensively in gaming machines in place of coins, accordingly, any reference to a coin includes a reference token. Needless to say, the use of spurious coins has increased as the number of vending machines has increased and thevalue of goods being vended has increased. Considerably ingenuity is often used by dishonest persons to produce a slug which will reproduce the characteristics of an authentic coin to operate a gaming or vending machine. This has resulted in the development of coin sorting or rejecting devices which will detect such spurious coins.

In many coin acceptor/rejector devices there is provided a coin receiving cradle to sense the diameter of inserted coins and thereby separate authentic coins of the desired denomination from spurious coins. These cradles intercept the authentic coin and then respond to the weight of the authentic coin to rotate and deliver the authentic coin to runways or chutes which guide the authentic coins to the coin released mechanism to operate it. Undersized spurious coins are not supposed to be intercepted by the cradles and instead are supposed to pass downwardly between the coin receiving surfaces of the cradles and thus be guided away from the chute for authentic coins. Unfortunately, in operation, undersized spurious coins can often engage the cradles, rotate the cradles and ride over the cradles into the chute for the authentic coins thus causing the coin released mechanism of the vending machine or gaming machine to operate.

Various ingenuous devices have been used to improve such coin acceptor/rejector devices having this type of coin receiving cradle. However, they are not only costly to produce but unfortunately are not completely satisfactory in use.

Further one of the problems with all coin released mechanism devices such as vending, change giving or gaming machines is the necessity to stack the coins on acceptance from the acceptor/rejector device and fur- SUMMARY According to the present invention there is provided a coin acceptor/rejector for separating spurious coins from authentic coins of pre-selected denomination comprising:

spaced apart walls defining a coin entry chute for edgewise travel of coins therethrough;

spaced apart walls defining a coin accept chute for edgewise travel of coins therethrough from the coin entry chute;

spaced apart walls defining a coin reject chute for edgewise travel of spurious coins therethrough from the coin entry chute;

a cradle, pivotally mounted relative to the coin entry chute, the said cradle having two spaced apart coin receiving surfaces which extend into the coin entry chute to intercept coins exceeding a preselected diameter and to pivot under the weight of such coins towards the coin accept chute;

means for moving the cradle relative to the coin entry chute to withdraw to coin receiving surfaces of the cradle out of the coin entry chute; and a coin entry sensing device mounted in the coin entry chute and operatively connected to the means for moving the cradle, whereby the said means for moving causes the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle to be withdrawn a preset time interval after the coin entry sensing device has been activated.

In one embodiment of the invention the means for moving the cradle is a solenoid the cradle being pivotally mounted on an extension of the core of the solenoid.

The'main advantages of the present invention are firstly that the acceptor/rejector device is of relatively simple construction and will therefore be relatively inexpensive to produce. The coin acceptor/rejector device of the present invention will be extremely efficient in use. Further the invention provides a desirable construction of stacking device for ensuring that the accepted coins do not jam within the machine to which the acceptor/rejector device is fitted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE-DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded front perspective view of the coin acceptor/rejector device,

FIG. 2 is a partial rear perspective view of the device,

FIG. 3 is a front view of the mechanism with the cover removed showing an authentic coin passing through the device,

FIG. 4 is a front view similar to FIG. 3 showing an oversized spurious coin passing through the device,

FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view along the line V V of FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is a front view similar to FIGS. 3 and 4 showing an undersized spurious coin being rejected,

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a cradle used in the coin acceptor/rejector device,

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the blank dle is manufactured and FIG. 9 is a front view similar to FIGS. 3, 4 and 6 of an extension chute and stacking device according to the invention.

Referring to the drawings and initially to FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof there is provided a base plate or wall 1 on which is mounted a pair of walls 2 and a cover wall 3. The cover wall 3 is secured to the wall 1 and wall members 2 by means of spring loaded screws 4 a which engage threaded holes 4 in the cover wall 3 and holes 5 in the

walls

1 and 2. The cover wall 3 is rigidly mounted on the casing of the machine to which the acceptor/rejector device is fitted. The spaced apart base wall 1,

from which the crawalls 2 and cover wall 3 form a coin entry chute 6, a coin reject chute 7 and a coin accept chute 8. The coin entry chute 6, the coin reject chute 7 and the coin accept chute 8 are of such dimensions as to only permit edgewise travel of a coin. A cradle 9 is mounted on the rear of the base plate 1 by means of a push solenoid 10.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8 the cradle 9 comprises a channel shaped member having a pair of holes 11 and a pair of outwardly projecting coin support

arms

12 and 13. The cradle 9 is preferably manufactured from a blank of mild steel or bronze plate by stamping and bending. Referring to FIG. 8 there is illustrated a blank from which the cradle 9 is formed. Initially, the blank is folded by bending the plate about the

fold lines

14 and 15 upwards through 90 and then bending the plate downwardly about the fold line 16 through 90 and then again downwardly about the fold line 17 through 90.

The push solenoid 10 which is mounted on the base plate 1 by a bracket 18 supports the cradle 9 by means of an extension rod 19 of its core 20, (shown by interrupted lines in FIG. 5) and nuts 21.

A pair of

arcuate slots

22 and 23 are provided in the base wall 1. Corresponding arcuate slots 24 and 25 are provided in the cover wall 3. The support arm 12 projects through the slots 22 and 24 while the support arm 13 projects through the slots 23 and 25. It will be noted that the support arm 12 and the corner 29 between the coin entry chute 6 and the coin accepted chute 8 form a restricted passageway for a coin. An electro-magnet 26 is mounted in the coin entry chute 6. Similarly, a coin entry sensing device 27 and a coin exit sensing device 28 are mounted in the coin entry chute 6 and the coin acceptance chute 8, respectively. For clarity, details of the electro-magnet 26 and the

sensing devices

27 and 28 are not shown. The sensing device can be any form of photo-electric, capacitive or metal detector/inductive sensor or some form of mechanical sensor such as a micro-switch. The entry sensing device 27 is merely required to give an electronic coin entered" signal and similarly the exit sensing device 28 given an electronic coin exited signal. That there are many constructions of such devices will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

The entry sensing device 27 and the exit sensing device 28 are both electrically connected to an alarm system (not shown) which may be sited adjacent the machine of which the coin acceptor/rejector mechanism is mounted or alternatively, may be sited remote from the machine. The entry sensing device 27 is also electrically connected to the push solenoid l and the electro-magnet 26.

A coin hold 40 is mounted in the coin reject chute 7 and is supported on the extension rod' 19 of the push solenoid 10.

The coin hold 40 comprises a pair of arms having coin receiving surfaces which prevent the passage of a spurious coin through the coin reject chute 7.

Prior to use of the coin acceptor/rejector device the push solenoid I0 is activated causing the

support arms

12 and 13 to project into the coin entry chute 6.

In operation a number of events can occur when a coin is inserted into the coin acceptor/rejector mechanism. The following types of coin may be inserted into the coin testing device:

I. An authentic coin,

2. A spurious ferrous coin,

3. A spurious too large coin,

4. A spurious too small coin,

5. A spurious too light coin and 6. A spurious too heavy coin 1. Referring to FIG. 3 an authentic coin 30 is inserted edgewise into the coin entry chute 6. For clarity and to appreciate the operation of the coin acceptor/rejector device the various positions of the coin are identified by letter subscripts. Where corresponding positions of the cradle 9 are shown, these are identified by the same letter subscript. When the authentic coin 30 has passed into the position 30 a it has already passed the entry sensing device 27 which has delivered a coin entered" signal to the push solenoid l0 and the alarm system. The coin 30 then passes the 'electro-magnet 26 and comes to rest in the position 30b on the

support arms

12 and 13 which are in the

position

12b and 13b respectively. The weight of the coin 30 on the

support arms

12 and 13 causes the cradle 9 to pivot about the extension rod 19, thus tilting the coin 30 downwards, firstly into the position 306 and then into the position 30d where it is discharged into coin accept chute 8. The coin 30 then passes into the position 30e in the coin accept chute 8 and from thence passes the exit sensing device 28. The exit sensing device 28 then transmits a coin exited signal to the alarm system preventing the alarm system from being activated. 2. Still referring to FIG. 3 when a spurious ferrous coin is inserted into the coin entry chute 6 it passes the entry sensing device 27 which transmits a coin entered" signal to the push solenoid 10 and to the alarm system. However, when the spurious ferrous coin reaches the electro-magnet 26 it is held by the electro-magnet 26. After a preset time has elapsed the alarm system operates. The push solenoid 10 is de-activated, and withdraws the rod 19 and hence the

support arms

12 and 13 out of the slots 22 and 24; and 23 and 25; respectively. The electro-magnet 26 is then de-magnetised sometime after the alarm system has been activated and the spurious ferrous coin is allowed to fall past the

support arms

12 and 13 into the coin reject chute 7 where it is returned to the person who inserted it. 3. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 when a spurious too large coin is inserted into the coin entry chute 6 it passes the entry sensing device 27 which sends a coin entered signal to the solenoid l0 and the alarm system. It will be appreciated that the construction of the coin entry chute 6 will be such as to prevent coins, which are considerably larger than that required, being inserted by the mere fact that they will be too large to be inserted into the coin entry chute 6 itself. This spurious too large coin 31 will also pass by the electro-magnet 26 into the position 31a. When the coin 31 reaches the position 31!) it will merely rest on the support arm 12 and against or adjacent to the corner 29 and will not pivot the cradle 9. After a preset elapsed time the push solenoid 10 will de-activate causing the rod 19 to retract and the spurious too large coin 31 drop into the position 310 in the coin reject chute 7 and is delivered to the person who inserted it. With the retraction of the cradle 9 the alarm system is activated. 4. Referring to FIG. 6 when a spurious too small coin 32 is inserted into the coin entry chute 6 it passes the entry sensing device 27 which delivers the necessary coin entered signal to the alarm system and the push solenoid 10. The spurious too small coin 32 reaches the position 32a from where it passes by the electromagnet 26. The spurious too small coin 32 then reaches the cradle 9 in the position 32b where it passes through the

support arms

12 and 13, into the position 320 in'the coin reject chute 7. The spurious too small coin 32 is then held in the coin reject chute 7 by the coin hold 40. After a preset time has elapsed since there has been no coin exited signal at the exit sensing device 28 the alarm system activates. After a further time the solenoid retracts the coin hold 40 and the coin hold 40 releases the spurious too small coin 32.

5. If a spurious too light coin of correct external dimensions is inserted into the coin entry chute 6 it will pass the entry sensing device 27 and the magnet 26 as will an authentic coin. The necessary coin entered signal will be given. The spurious too light coin will rest on the

support arms

12 and 13 of the cradle 9. However, the weight of the spurious too light will be such that the

support arms

12 and 13 will tilt more slowly in the direction of the coin accept chute 8 than they will with s an authentic coin. Accordingly, before the cradle 9 has tilted sufficiently to discharge the spurious too light coin into the coin accept chute 8 the push solenoid 10 will de-activate causing the cradle 9 and hence the

support arms

12 and 13 to be retracted into the arcuate slots 22 and, 24; and 23 and 25; respectively. Thus the spurious too light coin will be delivered into the coin reject chute 7. The rejection process will be the same as for a spurious too small coin. If by any chance the spurious too light coin should in fact pass into the coin accept chute 8 it will not reach the exit sensing device 28 in sufficient time to allow the exit sensing device 28 to send a coin exited signal to the alarm system to shut it off. Accordingly, the alarm system will operate. Activation of the alarm system will ensure that the vending or gaming apparatus will not operate.

6. if a spurious too heavy coin of correct dimensions is inserted into the coin entry chute 6 it will pass into the coin accept chute 8 as will an authentic coin. In practice the incidence of such spurious too heavy coins, is low. However, the present invention envisages that the rejection of such spurious too heavy coins may be achieved by placing a second coin acceptor/rejector device in the coin accept chute 8 substantially similar to the coin acceptor/rejector device described above. Authentic coins would be accepted in the same manner as the rejection of spurious too light coins (see paragraph (5)) while spurious too heavy coins would be rejected in the same manner as authentic coins are accepted (see paragraph (1)).

it will be appreciated that if by any chance a spurious too small coin were not to pass ,directly through the

support arms

12 and 13 but were toimpinge against the support arm 13 that the cradle 9 could tilt. The spurious too small coin would however be rejected in similar manner to the way in which a spurious too light coin of correct external dimensions.

If a coin is inserted into the coin accept chute 6 when the coin acceptor/rejector device is notoperative i.e., when the push solenoid 10 is not operative the coin will simply pass through unimpeded into the coin reject chute 7.

It will be appreciated that if a coin jams in either the coin entry chute 6, the coin reject chute 7, or the coin accept chute 8, between the cover wall 3 and the wall 1, the push solenoid 10 and its bracket 18 may be withdrawn away from the cover wall 3 thus withdrawing the wall 1 away from the cover wall 3 against the spring loaded screws 4. it will be appreciated that many other devices may be used for separating the cover wall 3 from the wall 1.

Referring to FIG. 9 there is illustrated a front view similar to FIGS. 3, 4 and 6 of an extension device indicated generally by the reference numeral 50 suitable for mounting below the coin accept chute 8. The extension device 50 is formed from a base wall 51, side walls 52 and a removable cover wall not shown. The base wall 51, the side walls 52 and the removable cover wall together form a coin extension accept chute 53, a coin delivery chute S4 and a coin overflow chute 55. A gate means formed from a flap 56 is pivotally mounted at 57 between the entry to the coin delivery chute 54 and the entry to the coin overflow chute 55. The gate 56 may be pivoted from the position shown by the full lines to the position shown by the interrupted lines. Suitable means for pivoting the flap 56, such as a solenoid, (not shown) is provided. The coin delivery chute 54 is connected to a flat coin stacking device of conventional construction indicated generally by the reference numeral 58. The coin overflow chute 55 is connected to an overflow storage hopper 59, again of conventional construction. A coin level sensing device which maybe any suitable form of sensing device for example, photo-electric, capacitive or inductive or in fact some form of mechanical sensor such asa micro-switch is mounted in the coin delivery tube 54 and operatively connected to the means (not shown) for pivoting the flap 56.

in operation, authentic coins are delivered out of the coin accept chute 8 into the coin extension accept chute 53 into the position 30f. When the flap 56 is in the position indicated by the full lines a coin 30 passes from the position 30f into the position 30g, the position 3011 and then into the position 30j in the flat coin stacking device 58. Further delivery of coins through the coin delivery chute 54 causes a coin to come to rest in the position Silk and then in theposition 30j, when the coin level sensing device 60 is activated. This causes the flap 56 to pivot into the position 56a shown by the interrupted lines. A coin 30 is then passed through the position 30f, 301 and into the position 30m in the overflow storage hopper 59.

What i claim is:

it. A coin acceptor/rejector for separating spurious coins from authentic coins of pre-selected denomination comprising:

l. spaced apart walls defining a coin entry chute for edgewise travel of coins therethrough;

2. spaced apart walls defining a coin accept chute for edgewise travel of coins therethrough from the coin entry chute;

3. a coin exit sensing cept chute;

4. spaced apart walls defining a coin reject chute for edgewise travel of spurious coins therethrough from the coin entry chute; a

5. a cradle pivotally mounted relative to the coin entry chute, the cradle having two spaced apart coin receiving surfaces which extend into the coin entry chute to intercept coins exceeding a preselected diameter and to pivot under the weight of such coins towards the coin accept chute;

6. solenoid means for moving the cradle relative to the coin entry chute to withdraw the coin receiving device mounted in the coin acsurfaces of the cradle out of the coin entry chute the solenoid means having a core with an extension and the cradle being pivotally mounted on the extension;

7. a coin entry sensing device mounted in the coin entry chute and operatively connected to the solenoid means for moving the cradle, whereby the solenoid means causes the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle to be withdrawn a preset time interval after the coin entry sensing device has been activated; and

8. an alarm system operatively connected to the coin entry sensing device for activation and operation after a preset time and to the coin exit sensing device for de-activation, the preset time being greater than the time taken for an authentic coin to pass the coin exit sensing device and hence de-activate the alarm.

2. A coin acceptor/rejector for separating spurious coins from authentic coins of pre-selected denomination comprising:

1. spaced apart walls defining a coin entry chute for edgewise travel of coins therethrough;

3. a coin exit sensing device mounted in the coin accept chute;

4. spaced apart walls defining a coin reject chute for edgewise travel of spurious coins therethrough from the coin entry chute;

5. a cradle pivotally mounted relative to, and external of one of the walls defining, the coin entry chute, the cradle having a pair of spaced apart arms defining coin receiving surfaces which project through arcuate slots in the one wall into the coin entry chute to intercept coins exceeding a preselected diameter and a pivot under the weight of such coins towards the coin accept chute;

6. means for moving the cradle relative to the coin entry chute to withdraw the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle out of the coin entry chute; and

7. an alarm system operatively connected to the coin entry sensing device for activation and operation after a preset time and to the coin exit sensing device for de-activation, the preset time being greater than the time taken for an authentic coin to pass the coin exit sensing device and hence de-activate the alarm.

3. A coin acceptor/rejector device as recited in claim 2 in which the means for moving the cradle is a solenoid the cradle being pivotally mounted on an extension of the core of the solenoid.

4. A coin acceptor/rejector device as recited in claim 1 in which the cradle is mounted external of one of the walls defining the coin entry chute and has a pair of arms defining the coin receiving surfaces which project through arcuate slots in the wall.

5. A coin acceptor/rejector device as recited in claim 4 in which a coin exit sensing device is mounted in the coin accept chute and an alarm system is provided and operatively connected to the coin entry sensing device for activation and operation after a preset time and to the coin exit sensing device for de-activation, the said preset time being greater than the time taken for an authentic coin to pass the coin exit sensing device and hence deactivate the alarm.

LII

6. A coin acceptor/rejector device as recited in claim 5 in which there is provided a coin hold having at least one coin receiving surface extending into the coin reject chute to intercept the coin which has passed through the spaced apart coin receiving surfaces of the cradle, the said coin hold being operatively connected to the means for moving the cradle whereby its coin receiving surface is withdrwan from the coin reject chute as the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle are withdrawn out of the coin entry chute.

7. A coin acceptor/rejector device as recited in claim 1 in which an electromagnet is mounted in the coin entry chute between the coin entry chute and the cradle, and is operatively connected to the means for moving the cradle whereby a preset time after the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle have been withdrawn out of the coin entry chute the electromagnet is deactivated.

8. An acceptor/rejector device as recited in claim 7 in which there is provided a coin hold having at least one coin receiving surface extending into the coin reject chute to intercept the coin which has passed through the spaced apart coin receiving surfaces of the cradle, the said coin hold being operatively connected to the means for moving the cradle whereby its coin receiving surface is withdrawn from the coin reject chute as the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle are withdrawn out of the coin entry chute.

9. A coin acceptor/rejector device as recited in claim 1 in which there is provided a coin hold having at least one coin receiving surface extending into the coin reject chute to intercept the coin which has passed through the spaced apart coin receiving surfaces of the cradle, the said coin hold being operatively connected to the means for moving the cradle whereby its coin receiving surface is withdrawn from the coin reject chute as the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle are withdrawn out of the coin entry chute.

10. A coin acceptor/rejector device as recited in claim 2 in which an electromagnet is mounted in the coin entry chute between the coin entry chute and the cradle, and is operatively connected to the means for moving the cradle whereby a preset time after the coin receiving surface of the cradle have been withdrawn out of the coin entry chute the electromagnet is deactivated.

ll. A coin acceptor/rejector device as recited in claim 10 in which there is provided a coin hold having at least one coin receiving surface extending into the coin reject chute to intercept the coin which has passed through the spaced apart coin receiving surfaces of the cradle, the said coin hold being operatively connected to the means for moving the cradle whereby its coin receiving surface is withdrawn from the coin reject chute as the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle are withdrawn out of the coin entry chute.

12. A coin acceptor/rejector device as recited in claim 2 in which there is provided a coin hold having at least one coin receiving surface extending into the coin reject chute to intercept the coin which has passed through the spaced apart coin receiving surfaces of the cradle, the said coin hold being operatively connected to the means for moving the cradle whereby its coin receiving surface is withdrawn from the coin reject chute as the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle are withdrawn out of the coin entry chute.

13. A coin acceptor/rejector for separating spurious coins from authentic coins of pre-selected denomination comprising:

2. spaced apart walls defining a coin accept chute for edgewise travel of coins therethrough from the coinentry chute;

3. spaced apart walls defining a coin reject chute for edgewise travel of spurious coins therethrough from the coin entry chute;

4. a cradle pivotally mounted relative to, and external of one of the walls defining, the coin entry chute, the cradle having a pair of spaced apart-arms defining coin receiving surfaces which project through arcuate slots in the one wall into the coin entry chute to intercept coins exceeding a preselected diameter and to pivot under the weight of such coins towards the coin accept chute;

5. means for moving the cradle relative to the coin entry chute to withdraw the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle out of the coin entry chute; and

6. an electromagnet mounted in the coin entry chute between the coin entry chute and the cradle, the electromagnet being operatively connected to the means for moving the cradle whereby a preset time after the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle have been withdrawn out of thecoin entry chute the electromagnet is de-activated.

14. A coin acceptor/rejector device as recited in claim 13 in which there is provided a coin hold having at least one coin receiving surface extending into the coin reject chute to interceptthe coin which has passed through the spaced apart coin receiving surfaces of the cradle, the said coin hold being operatively connected to the means for moving the cradle whereby its coin receiving surface is withdrawn from the coinreject chute as the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle are withdrawn out of .the coin entry chute.

15. A coin acceptor/rejector device as recited in claim 13 in which there is provided a coin hold having at least one coin receiving surface extending into the coin reject chute to intercept the coin which has passed through the spaced apart coin receiving surfaces of the cradle, the said coin hold being operatively connected to the means formoving the cradle whereby it-s coin receiving surface is withdrawn from the coin reject chute as the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle are withdrawn out of the coin entry chute.

16. A coin acceptor/rejector for separating spurious coins from authentic coins of pre-selected denomination comprising:

3. a coin exit sensing device mounted in the coin accept chute;

6. means for moving the cradle relative to the coin entry chute to withdraw the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle out of the coin entry chute;

7. a coin entry sensing device mounted in the coin entry chute and operatively connected to the solenoid means for moving the cradle, whereby the solenoid means causes the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle to be withdrawn a preset time interval after the coin entrysensing device has been activated; and j 8. an alarmsystem operatively connected to, the coin entry sensing device for activation and operation after a preset time and to the coin exit sensing device for de-activation, the preset time being greater than the time taken for an authentic coin to pass the coin exit sensing device and hence de-activate the alarm.

17. A coin acceptor/rejector device as recited in claim 16 in which an electromagnet is mounted in the coin entry chute between the coin entry chute and the cradle, and is operativelyconnected to the means for moving the cradle whereby a preset time after the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle have been withdrawn out of the coin entry chute the electromagnet is deactivated.

18. A coin acceptor/rejector device as recited in claim 17 in which there is provided a coin hold having at least one coin receiving surface extending into the coin reject chute to intercept the coin which has passed through the spaced apart coin receiving surfaces of the cradle, the saidcoin hold being operatively connected to the means for moving the cradle whereby its coin receiving surface is withdrawn from the coin reject chute as the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle are withdrawn out of the coin entry chute.

19. A coin acceptor/rejector device as recited in claim 16 in which there is provided a coin hold having at least one coin receiving surface extending into the coin reject chute to intercept the coin which has passed through the spaced apart coin receiving surfaces of the cradle, the said coin hold being operatively connected .to the means for moving the cradle whereby its coin receiving surface is withdrawn from the coin reject chute as the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle are withdrawn out of the coin entry chute.

Claims

1. A coin acceptor/rejector for separating spurious coins from authentic coins of pre-selected denomination comprising: 1. spaced apart walls defining a coin entry chute for edgewise travel of coins therethrough; 2. spaced apart walls defining a coin accept chute for edgewise travel of coins therethrough from the coin entry chute; 3. a coin exit sensing device mounted in the coin accept chute; 4. spaced apart walls defining a coin reject chute for edgewise travel of spurious coins therethrough from the coin entry chute; 5. a cradle pivotally mounted relative to the coin entry chute, the cradle having two spaced apart coin receiving surfaces which extend into the coin entry chute to intercept coins exceeding a preselected diameter and to pivot under the weight of such coins towards the coin accept chute; 6. solenoid means for moving the cradle relative to the coin entry chute to withdraw the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle out of the coin entry chute the solenoid means having a core with an extension and the cradle being pivotally mounted on the extension; 7. a coin entry sensing device mounted in the coin entry chute and operatively connected to the solenoid means for moving the cradle, whereby the solenoid means causes the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle to be withdrawn a preset time interval after the coin entry sensing device has been activated; and 8. an alarm system operatively connected to the coin entry sensing device for activation and operation after a preset time and to the coin exit sensing device for de-activation, the preset time being greater than the time taken for an authentic coin to pass the coin exit sensing device and hence de-activate the alarm.

3. a coin exit sensing device mounted in the coin accept chute;

4. a cradle pivotally mounted relative to, and external of one of the walls defining, the coin entry chute, the cradle having a pair of spaced apart arms defining coin receiving surfaces which project through arcuate slots in the one wall into the coin entry chute to intercept coins exceeding a preselected diameter and to pivot under the weight of such coins towards the coin accept chute;

5. A coin acceptor/rejector device as recited in claim 4 in which a coin exit sensing device is mounted in the coin accept chute and an alarm system is provided and operatively connected to the coin entry sensing device for activation and operation after a preset time and to the coin exit sensing device for de-activation, the said preset time being greater than the time taken for an authentic coin to pass the coin exit sensing device and hence de-activate the alarm.

6. solenoid means for moving the cradle relative to the coin entry chute to withdraw the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle out of the coin entry chute the solenoid means having a core with an extension and the cradle being pivotally mounted on the extension;

6. an electromagnet mounted in the coin entry chute between the coin entry chute and the cradle, the electromagnet being operatively connected to the means for moving the cradle whereby a preset time after the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle have been withdrawn out of the coin entry chute the electromagnet is de-activated.

7. A coin acceptor/rejector device as recited in claim 1 in which an electromagnet is mounted in the coin entry chute between the coin entry chute and the cradle, and is operatively connected to the means for moving the cradle whereby a preset time after the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle have been withdrawn out of the coin entry chute the electromagnet is de-activated.

10. A coin acceptor/rejector device as recited in claim 2 in which an electromagnet is mounted in the coin entry chute between the coin entry chute and the cradle, and is operatively connected to the means for moving the cradle whereby a preset time after the coin receiving surface of the cradle have been withdrawn out of the coin entry chute the electromagnet is de-activated.

11. A coin acceptor/rejector device as recited in claim 10 in which there is provided a coin hold having at least one coin receiving surface extending into the coin reject chute to intercept the coin which has passed through the spaced apart coin receiving surfaces of the cradle, the said coin hold being operatively connected to the means for moving the cradle whereby its coin receiving surface is withdrawn from the coin reject chute as the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle are withdrawn out of the coin entry chute.

14. A coin acceptor/rejector device as recited in claim 13 in which there is provided a coin hold having at least one coin receiving surface extending into the coin reject chute to intercept the coin which has passed through the spaced apart coin receiving surfaces of the cradle, the said coin hold being operatively connected to the means for moving the cradle whereby its coin receiving surface is withdrawn from the coin reject chute as the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle are withdrawn out of the coin entry chute.

15. A coin acceptor/rejector device as recited in claim 13 in which there is provided a coin hold having at least one coin receiving surface extending into the coin reject chute to intercept the coin which has passed through the spaced apart coin receiving surfaces of the cradle, the said coin hold being operatively connected to the means for moving the cradle whereby its coin receiving surface is withdrawn from the coin reject chute as the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle are withdrawn out of the coin entry chute.

17. A coin acceptor/rejector device as recited in claim 16 in which an electromagnet is mounted in the coin entry chute between the coin entry chute and the cradle, and is operatively connected to the means for moving the cradle whereby a preset time after the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle have been withdrawn out of the coin entry chute the electromagnet is de-activated.

18. A coin acceptor/rejector device as recited in claim 17 in which there is provided a coin hold having at least one coin receiving surface extending into the coin reject chute to intercept the coin which has passed through the spaced apart coin receiving surfaces of the cradle, the said coin hold being operatively connected to the means for moving the cradle whereby its coin receiving surface is withdrawn from the coin reject chute as the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle are withdrawn out of the coin entry chute.

19. A coin acceptor/rejector device as recited in claim 16 in which there is provided a coin hold having at least one coin receiving surface extending into the coin reject chute to intercept the coin which has passed through the spaced apart coin receiving surfaces of the cradle, the said coin hold being operatively connected to the means for moving the cradle whereby its coin receiving surface is withdrawn from the coin reject chute as the coin receiving surfaces of the cradle are withdrawn out of the coin entry chute.