Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2~37~9
FI~ OF ~8~ I~Y~TIO~
The pr~sent invention r~lates gen0rally to lmprovement~
in apparatus for sortlng coin curr~ncy by denomlnatlon. More
particularly, this invention relates to ~n improved sy~tem
for switching bags ~ d with ~ortad coln~ ln such coin
sorting apparatu~ with only a minimal lnterruption o~ th~
normal operational s~quenc~ o~ the sorting apparatus.
1o BA~G~OU~ Q~ ~ N~
The rapidly incr~asing u~ of coln-operated machlne~ in
today'~ economy has spawned a variety 0~ commercial apparatus
capable of automatically ~orking mixed group~ o~ coin~ by
1~ denomination. S~ch machine~ typically 80rt coln~
denominationally by using centrifugal ~orce ~or separating
incoming coin~ and provide ~ count o~ lndividual coin
denominations by u~ing ~ome form of magnetic or optical
s~nsing. The machine~ u~ually arQ capable o~ ~toring and
displaying inform~tion about coin Gount~ during th~ ~orting
process. In addi~ion, such machines nece~arily provide
means for s~orage and removal of coins that have been sorted
and counted by denomination.
Mo~t of today'3 commercial coin-~orting machine~ provide
highly accurate denominational BOrting and counting o~ coins ~;
at high speeds by u~ing microprocessor-bas~d ~y~tems ~or
sensing, ~toring, regulating, and displaying various critical
parameter~ associated with th~ ~ortlng!counting operation.
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~1 37~9
The JetSort series of coin ~or~er~ marketed by Cummin~-
Alli~on corp. of ~ount Pro3pect, Illinoi~, 20r in~tance,
provide accurata ~orting/counting at apeed~ up ~o 6,000 mixed
coin~ per minute ui~ing a microproce~or-controlled ~y~tem for
sensing and counting denominationally ~orted coin3 as well as
for providing a u~r-rrlendly in~ar~ac~ ~or di~pl~ying and
controlling various count parameters ~uch a~ batch totals,
day totals, etc.
The incre~singly highor counti~g ~pQeds r~allzed by ~uch
machines have al~o generi~ted an accomp~ying ho3t of
concerns, one of the ~ost prominent of which i~ the disparity
between the accelerated ~illing timG for coin bag~ at hlgh -
speeds and th~ relatively pro~racted operator time involved
in replacing coin bags a~ th~y becomH ~illsd with ~orted and
counted coin~. Typlcally, when a pArticular coin bag becomes
full, th0 counting process has to be halted ~o th~t the
operator may relQase the bag from the chute to which it i8
connected, fasten the bag ~or ~ecurity or other purpo~es, and
replace the full bag with an ~mpty one. The time involved ln
thi~ operation severely restrict~ the operational speed o~
the sorting machine and al80 limits the number of machlne~
which can be manned by one operator, particularly at high
~orting speed~
The problem i8 ~igni~icantly compounded when the coins
to b~ counted include a high concentration o~ one partlcular
denomination ralativ~ to th~ oth~r denomlna~lons whlch the
machine i5 capable of sorting. Such a dlsproportionate coin
denomination ratio i8, ~or in~tance, common in coin~
.: : - ~
2,~
collected from commerclal vending machln~ ln the Un~ted
states, which typically inolude a large number o~ quarter~ a~
compared ~o nickel~, dimes or psnnie~. When ~uah coin groups
are processed by a sorter, the coin bag connected to tha coin
axit chute corre~ponding to the "quarters" Blot geta filled
much more rapidly than the other bag~, thereby requiring the
bag to be replace~ ~uch more ~requently than the bag~ ~or th~
other coin denomination~. Consequantly, th~ sortlng proce~s
has to be halted frequQntly and addQd op~rator att~ntion i~
reguired, particularly at high spe~d~.
Attempt~ have been made to approach this proble~ ~y
provision o~ ~ean~ to de~lect a stre m o~ ooin3 ~rom a ~illsd
coin bag into an empty one. Such arrangements have been
disadvantage~us ae they ~rQ rel~tively co~plex meahanically,
can frequently lead to coin spill-ov~r during the proces~ o~
deflection, and, more importantly, provide inadsquate
continuity in adiusting th~ count data to account ~or thQ
switching of bags.
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,,
It is a primary ob~ect o~ this inventlon to provide
mean~ for adapting the coin bag ~rrang~ent ~or A coin
' 5 sorting ma~hine to permit more ~f~lcient ~illlng and handling
of coin bag~.
With rQg~rd to tha above ob~ect, it 1~ a rel~ted object
of this invention to provida modular m~ana that can be
conveniently incorporated inSo a sort~r machine, with minimal
modification ther~to, the modular means being adapted to ~:
provide ~electively switchable exit channel3 ~or counted
coins to be directed to desirQd coin bags.
A further ob~ect i8 to provide modular mean~ of the
above type which i~ adapted to ~aintaining a continuity
between count data b~fore ~nd a~ter coin channela have been
switched.
Briefly, in accordance with thls inv~ntion, th~s~ and
other objects are realized by providing coin sorting
apparatus with means for raleasably supporting at leact two
coin bags each for at lea~t ona selected coin denomlnation,
mean~ for Qstablishing a channel b~tw~en the exit tube for
the ~elected coin denomination and-a ~elected one o~ the
releasably ~upported coin bags, maans ~or temporarlly
6uspending the sorting operation when the selectQd bag 1
full or when a predefined coin count has been reached9 means
reapon6ive thereto for displacing th~ previou31y established
coin channel and establi~hing a channel between the exit tube
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2013V;~19
r~
and a second selected coin bag, ~nd mean~ ~or re~u~lng the
sorting OpQrati~n after the n~w ch~nnel ha~ be~n ~stablished.
According to ~ pr~rred ~bodiment o~ th~ lnv~ntlon,
the a~tabliahment of channel~ betw~en a coin ex1t tub~ o~ a
given denomination ~nd a ~ cted one o~ ampty bag~
corre~ponding to that tube i~ accompli~hed by me~ns o~ ~ coin
switching module adapted to be conveniently connected to a
coin ~orting machine with little modl~ication, i~ any, to the
existing coin bag arrang~m~nt ~or th~ machine. The module
includes a coin recQiving ~ction having a generally circular
coin input ~lot which corresponds to thQ exit slot on the
coin tube to which the module i~ to be linked. At least two
generally circular coin exlt ~lot~ are provided on the module
and correspond to coin slot~ provided on output chute~ to
which coin bag~ may be att~ched by m~an~ o~ a conv~ntional
clamping-ring arrangement. The chut~s are ~ttached to the
external surface of the module in such a way that the coin
~lot~ on the chut~ and the coin exi~ slot~ on the module are
substantially in al1gnment.
To divert ~orted coins exiting th~ coin exit tube 810t
to the output chute ~orre~ponding to a select~d coin bag, an
integrally formed channel member i~ displaceably a~ix~d to
the coin input ~lot inside the switching modul~. ~he channel
member includes a generally cylindrical ooin inlet ~ection
having a coln inlet correspondlng in circular dim~n~ion to
the coin input 810t of tho ~witch~ng module nnd a g~nerally
cylindrical coin outlet ~ction having a coin outlat which
corre~ponds in circular dimension to the coin exit slot~.
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2~3719
PrQferably, the inlet and outlet sQctlons of the channol
member are ~ub~tantially non-coaxial to each other ~nd are
integrally llnkad by an angularly di~po~ed cyllndrlcal
section so that the coin outlet may b~ po~ltioned over
plurality of circumf~rentially dl~pl~c~d ¢oin ~xit slot~
whlle maintaining the coln lnlat rogi~tQr~d with the coin
input ~lot.
At it~ coin inl~t end, th~ chnnn~ mber i8 plvotally
mounted to th~ switch~ng ~odul~ cabinet in ~uch a way thht
when the mamber ~s circularly di~pl~c~d about tho coin inlet,
the coin outlet swing~ about an arc which run~ across the
coin exit slot~. Pre~erably, the extremo limit~ o~ circular
displacement of the channel member at ite inlat end cau~ the
coin outlet o~ thQ membar to be align~ with re~pectivo on~
of the coin exit slot~. 8uch dl~placQm-nt i8 affected by
mean~ of a lovar attnched to th~ chann~ b~r and
pro~ecting outwardly o~ th~ owitching ~odule.
According to a preferr~d embodim~nt, limit ~wltGhes are
provided about each of th~ coln exit ~lots nnd ~re positioned
to be activated when the coin outl~t on the channel memb~r
regi~ters with the corr~sponding coln exit 6~lot upon being
activated by the displacem~nt l~ver. Electrical ~lgnal~ from
the limit switches are link~d to the microprocossor typically
used to control conventlon~l ~orting ma¢hinQEa. Tho~e signals
are used, in con~unction with ~i~ilar algnal~ ~rom limit
switche3 corresponding to th~ clamping-ring arr~ngo~ent for
the attach~ent of co~n bags to corro~ponding chutes on th~
switching module, as a ba~i~ for ~oni~oring and counting the
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7 ~a~7~
coins being ~ed to a s~lect~d coin bag onco th~ re~uir~d
channel i8 eE~tab~ hed betweon the appropriate coln tubo and
the coin bag by manipulating th~ ¢hannel memb~r Appropr~ately
through the d~aplAcement lever.
B~IEF ~ÇRIPTION O~ ~NB D~
Other ob~ecto and advantage~ of th~ inventlon will
become appar~nt upon reading the ~ollowlng detailed
deGcription and upon reference to the drawing~ ln whloh:
FIG. 1 i~ a per~pective vi~w, in parti~l ~ut-out, o~ a
switching module, adapted to b~ lncorpcr~ted into ¢oin
sorting apparatus, according to a pre~err~d e~bodiment o~ the
bag switching ~yBtam o~ this invention;
FIG. 2 i~ a front vi~w o~ th~ ~wl~ch~ng module Or FIG. 1
illustrating the rol~tlve d~po~ltlon o~ th6 ¢hannel member
and the coin input and exit ~lots defined on the ~odul~;
F~G. 3 is a partial exploded viaw illu~tr~ting the
arrangement ~or rotatably mountlng the channel member in~ide
the switching modulQ of FIGS. 1 and 2
FIG. 4 is a partial ~xplod0d view illuatr~ting ~ections
of the channel member in detail;
FIG. 5 is a block diaqram~atic illu3tration o~ a
microprocessor-baaed control syatem wlth which ~he aw~tch ~ -
~ignale ~rom the ewltching module o~ FIGS. 1-4 m~y b~
inter~aced for implementing thi~ invention;
2~ 3719
FIG. ~ is a sch~matic block diagram illu~tratlng the
arrangement of limit switehe~ according to a preferred
embodlment of thi~ inventions ~ .
FIG. 7 is a ~low char~ illu~trating thQ pra~rred
seguence o~ operation~ lnvolvod in utlllzlng the ~witchlng
mechanlsm o~ FIG. C in con~unctlon with tho ~witahlng module
ot FIGS. 1-4, in ~ccordance with the sy~tem Or thl~
inventlon.
Whlle the inven~ion i6 6u~ceptlble to various
modl~lcatlon~ and alternative ~orm~, sp~cific embodiments
theraof have been shown by way o~ example in the drawlng3 and
will be de~cribed in detail her~ln. It ~hould be understood,
howevex, that it i3 not intended to limit the invention to
the particular ~orm3 di~closed, but on th~ contrary, the
intention i~ to cover all ~odi~oation~, guivalent~, ~nd
alternative~ ~alling within th- 8pirit and ~cope of the
invention a~ de~ined by the appended clalm~.
9 ~-137~ 9
DE~CRI P~LQN 0~ T~la PR15~ EMBODIMEN~
Referrlng now to FIGS. 1 and 2, they are shown,
re~pectivaly, per~psctiv~ ~ront view8 og ~ ~wltchlng module
adapted to be conveniently incorporated into coin ~orting
apparatus, according to a pra~rr~d ~mbodiment o~ thl~
invention. A8 shown ~hQr~in, the ~witching ~odul~ lo i~
hou~ed within a ~ubstantlally trapezoidal cabinet 12 the
upper sur~ace of which i8 provided with a c~ntrally dispo~ed
coin 810t 14 ~or accepting coins that have been procee~sd by
the coin sort~ng apparatu~ with whlch th~ lllu~trative bag
switching system i~ to be usad. More speci~ically, the coin
~lot 14 correspond~ sub~tantially in diameter to the coin
output 810t 15 provlded on the coin exit tube 16 of
conventional coin sorting apparatu~ ~or ~ca~pting and
directing processed coin~ o~ a p~rticular denomlnatlon to
corre~ponding coin bag~.
The structural detAil~ o~ the coin exit tube and the
manner in which it is linked to the sorting channel, ae well
2~ as the structural and operational detail~ of the coin.sorting
arrangement itselr are not o~ i~portance to the operation of
the pre~ent invention and, accordingly, will not be di~cussed ::
herein. The present lnvention may b~ advantageously
incorporated into any o~ a variety of co~mercially available
coin sorting apparatus, ae long a~ th~ coin bag arrangement
provided with the apparatu~ include~ su~ficient room to house
the support cabinet which define3 the switching ~odule. The
attention of the reader i8 directed to the abov~-mentioned
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: ~ . -- . , - ~ . .... : : . . -
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', ~, '- :~-; '' ' . ' '
7 ~ ~
~ t)
JetSor~ seri~s o~ coin ~orter~ marketed by Cummin~-Allison
corp. the cons~ruction of which 1~ particularly ~uited ~or
use wlth the switching syotem de~oribed herein. ~or purpo~es
of this application, it su~ice~ to ~tate that the coln input
slot 14 is dispo~ed in such a way a~ to be capable Or
alignment with the coin slot 15 o~ the coin ~xlt tube 16
corrQspondinq to th~ select~d coin denomlnation wlth which
the presQnt bag ~witching sy~te~ i~ to b~ used.
Returning now to FIGS. 1-2, the cabinet 12 o~ tha
6witching module 10 is provided on i ~ bottom ~urface with at
least two spaced apart coin exit slot~ 17 ~nd 18 through
which ~electively ch~nneled coin~ may b~ direated to
corre6ponding coin bags A and B, rospectively, which are each
relea~ably attachad to the ~lot~ through a conv~ntlonal
clamping-ring arrangement, a~ will be di wu~d b~low in
detail. T~e ~xit 810t8 17, 18 and the corre~ponding
clamping-ring arrangement connectlng a coin bag to each exit
slot provide, in combination, dual storage means which may be
used to speed up the proce~9 Or storing counted coin~ and
replacing ~illsd bags with e~pty one~. For a ~elacted coin
denomination, this Xunction i~ acco.mpli~hed ~y ~el~ctively
establishing a channel betwe~n th~ coin exit nlot ~or that
coin denomination ~nd a s~l~cted onQ o~ the raleasably
~upported coin bags.
In order to divert soxted coins ex1ting the coin ex~t
slot 15 to a ~elected coin bag, the switching ~odule 10 i~
provided with an integrally form~d channel member 20 which is
displaceably af~ixed to ths coin input slot 15 on the
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I 1 2~ ~719
switching module. Tho ch~nnel member 20 lnclude~ a generally
cylindrical coin inlet s~ction 22 correspGnding ln circular
dimension to the coin input ~lot 14 o~ the ~witching module,
and a generally cylindrical coin outlet ~ection 24 whlch
corre~ponds ln circular d~men~ion to the coin exit 810t~ on
the switching module. ~h~ inlet ~ection ~2 lnclude~ a
circular opening 23 corre~ponding ln di~met~r to the coin
input slot 14 and the ~xit 810t 15 on the tu~e 16.
Similarly, the outlet section 24 i8 provided with an open~ng
25 which corresponds in diameter to the coin exit ~lot~ 17
and 18.
In order to maX~ th~ channel me~ber 20 capable o~
establlshing a channel b~tween the coin input elot 14 a~d
each of th~ coin exit slots 17 and 18, th~ ~nlet ~ection 22
and outlet ~ectlon 24 are d~igned to b~ ~ub~tantially non- :
coaxial with each other. Th~so s-ctlon~ are llnked togetber
by means of an angularly dispo~ed, sub~tantlally cylindrical :~
Bection 26 having a circular dimen3ion corresponding to that
of the two sections. The angular section 26 i~ connected, ~ :
through an elbow-like connection, on one o~ it3 ends to the :
inlet section 22 in ~uch a way that th~ axe3 of th~ ~oined
6ection~ are disposed at a predetermined angle relatlve to
each other. The other end of the angular seation 26 in
similarly connected to the outlet section 24 with the axes of
the sections being dispo~ed at the ~ame ~elected angle to
each other.
The angular disposition of tho cylindrical ~ection 26
relative to the inlet section 22 and the outlet section 24,
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1? 2013719
as best illustrated in FIG. ~ elect~d to be euch that
th~ s~ctlon can b~ plac~d lnto rR~1stration with e~ch o~ ths
coin exit 810t8 17, 18 by pivoting ths channQl memb~r 20
sufficiently about the axis of the coln inl~t ~ection 22.
When the coin inlet ~ection 22 i~ coaxially aligned with the
coin exlt tube 16, any circular di~placament o~ the inlet
about it~ axi~ cau~es the outlQt ~ection 2~ to travers~ an
arcuate path about the bottom ~urface of the switching module
cabinet. Accordingly, the output ~lot 25 on the outl~t
10 section 24 can be made to regi~ter with any of a plurality of
coin ~lots disposed about ~uch an arcuate path by prov~ding
an appropriate circular displacement to the channel member 20
while anchoring the inlet ~action 22 about its axi~. Thu~,
~he chann~l member is particularly adap~ed to the ~elsctive
15 establi~hment o~ channele betw~an the coin input ~lot and one
of a plurality o~ coin output slots, each l~nked to a
corre~ponding coin bag ~or ~toring counted coins o~ the
~elected denomination.
In order to e~fectuat3 the circular dieplacement o~ the
20 channel me~ber required to establish sslec~ed coin channel~,
the switching module is provided with a collar/bracket
arrangement which i5 bQst illu~trated ln FIGS. 3-4 and
includes the provi~ion o~ a circular collar section 28
dispo~ed about the coin inlet on the outer sur~aae Or the
25 coin inlet section 22.
The collar 28 is adapted to fit in A rotatable manner
within a generally U-shaped support bracket 30. Th~ bracket
30 includes an integrally formed, substantially circular
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~V~3719
l3
platform 32 adapted to accopt and ~upport the collar ~ction
28 of the channel member 20 in an ~xially ~ixQd m~nner
relatlve to the coin inlet ~ectlon 22. The plat~orm 32 i8
definad by a clrcularly extending wall 34 and a cooperatlng
circularly extending ledge 36 having circum~erential
dimension~ corre~ponding to that of the collar a8. The
platform 32 opens outwardly of the U-shaped support bracket -
30 through a throat section 33 and, accordingly, the channel
member 20 can b~ slld into po~ition through the throat Or thQ
support bracket 30 80 that the circular bottom ~urrace o~ the
collar 28 on the coin inlet ~ection iB ~eated upon the ;~
circular ledge 36 in abutment with th~ ad~oining circular ~ :
wall 34. In this position, ~he collar 28 is held ~ecurely by ::
the platform 32.
The circumferential dimen3ion o~ the ledge 36 i~
selected to be slightly largQr than th~ outer circumference
of the collar 28 and, accordingly, the collar 28, and hence
the coin inlet sectiGn to which it iB attached, remain~
rotatably anchored within the support bracket 30.
For realizing the circular displacement of the coll~r :
z8, a radially projecting lever 48 i8 di~posed about the coin
inlet section 22 and include~ a substantially triangular
section 52 tapering inwardly from around the outer sur~ace o~ . -
the inlet ~ection 22 to an elongated ~egment 54 havlng a
downwardly pro~ecting handle 56 disposed at lt~ end. The
lever 48 is linked to the inlet ~ection 22 in such a manner
that it pro~ects outwardly through the front o~ the switching
module 10 from a longitudinally extending slot 50 defined in
.
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14 ~1371~ .
the upper section of the front surface o~ the cabinet 12 (See
FIG. 2).
The bracket 30 i8 a~fixed to the inn~r ~ide o~ the top
surface of the cabinet 12 (where the coin input olot 14 i8
defined) by means of an appropriate screw arrangement or the
like (not shown). When the collar 28 of the channel member
20 is disposed within the circular plat~orm 32 with the lever
48 projecting outwardly of the cabinet 12 through the
longitudinal slot 50, any lateral displacement o~ the l~vsr
48 produces a corre~ponding circular displacement o~ the
sollar 28. The arrangement allows an operator to manually
displace the lever 48 through lateral di~tances ~uf~icient ts
generate the rotational displacement o~ the channel member 20
required to align the output section 24 with a ~elected coin
output 810t ( 17 or 18 in FIGS. 1-2). Thu~, ~elective
establishment of coin channals between the output slot 15 of
the coin tube 16 of a particular coin denomination and a
selected one of a pluxality of coi~ bags (A or ~) i8
conveniently realized.
In order to ensure optimum registration of the coin
outlets on the channel member with corresponding coin exit
810ts and to provide a positive mechanical feedback
indicative of such alignment, the circularly extending side
wall 34 in the support bracket 30 i5 provided with at least
one cylindrical cavity 38 extending transversely through the
bracket to the outside (See FIG. 4). The cavity is adapted
to hold a steel ball 40, which is biased inwardly through a
spring 42 by a set screw 44. When the c~annel member is
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~r~ L3719
suspended from the bracket 30 with the collar 28 resting
within the support platform 32, the ~et screw 44 i~ ad~usted
to bias the ~pring 42 against the ball 40, ~hereby pro~scting
the ball through the inner opening of the cavity 38 into
frictional contact with the ~urface of the collar 28.
A plurality of grooves 46 are defined on the
circumference of the collar 28 and are adapted to support the
~teel ball 40 therein when the collar 28 i~ rotatably
displaced to a point where a groove 46 i~ pocitioned
immediately across the cylindrical cavity 38. In the
preferred embodiment, a second cylindr~cal cavity (not shown3
is provided on the support bracket 30 in a diametrically
opposite position to that of cavity 38. An identical spring
biased, set screw activated steel ball (not shown) is
disposed within that cylindrical cavity.
The relative positions o~ tha groove~ 46 provided on the
collar 28 are selected to be such that at least one groove
registers with one of ~che cylindrical cavities, and the ~teel
ball carried therein, when the channel msmber ie displaced to
a position that places the coin outlet section 24 in
alignment with either of the coin output ~lot~ 17 sr 18. In
the preferred embodiment of FIG. 3, for instance, two pairs
of grooves 46 are provided on the collar 28. One pair of
diametrically opposed grooves 46A are so positioned as to
become aligned with respective ones o~ the diametrically
opposed cylindrical cavities 38 when the channel member is
displaced to establish a coin channel between the coin input
slot 14 and the coin output slot 17 for bag A. The other
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l h
diametrically oppo~ite pair of groove~ 46B on the collar 28
are arranged to be aligned with the respective cav~ties 38
when a channel iB establlshad betwaen ~he coin input slot 14
and the coin output slot 18 for bag B.
The above-descrlbed arrangement i6 a~vantageous in that
audlble as well as tactile feed~ack ie provided each time a
pair of grooves becomes aligned with thQ corrQsponding
cylindrical cavities, and the ~teel ball~ di~posed therein
are clicked into pos$tion within the corre~ponding gxooves
under tha urging of the springs. Thu~, an operator can rely
on ~uch ~eedback for ensuring, in a guick and aimple manner/
optimum align~ent of the outlet section of the channel member
with the output 610t corre~pondin~ to a selected coin bag~
It should be notsd that more than two palrs of grooves,
as well as more than two cylindrical ball-loaded cavities,
may be provided on the collar 28 in order to extend the
positive feedback arrangement described above, if more than
two coin output slots are provided along th~ arcuate path
traversed by the outlet section of tha channel member as it
is rotated about it~ inlet ~ection.
For releasably supporting the coin bags A and B to the
corrasponding coin output slots 17 and 18, respectively,
identical clamping-ring arrangements 58 are provided. As
shown in FIG. 2, each arrangement 58 includes a ~upport
bracket 60 through which a coin output chute 62 is fixed
externally to the bottom surface of the switching module
cabinet 12 in such a way that the input opening 63 of the
chut~ is aligned with the corresponding coin output slot 17.
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2~7:~9
l7
The chute 62 is subst~ntlally cylindrical at it~ input
~ection 62A where it is ~upported by the bracket 60 and
lncludes a lower portion 62B which ~aper~ outw~rdly.
A clamping ring 64 having a diameter which i ~llghtly
larger than th~ diameter o~ the cylindrical ~ection 62A o~
the chute 62 ~ 8 slidably di~posed on the chute. Accordingly,
a coin bag can be releasably fastened to the chute 62 by
po~itioning the bag over the chute ~nd ~liding the clamping
ring down until it fits tightly over th~ outwardly tapered
s2ction of the chut~ 62. Relea~ing the co~n bag merely
reguires the cla~pl~g ring to be pushed up and away ~rom the
taperin~ section into th~ cylindrical ~ection o~ the chute
62. The clamping-ring i~ preferably made o~ steel and a
plurality of magnat 65 are dispo~ed on the underside of
~upport bracke~ 60. Aa th~ ring i~ slld onto he cylindrical
~ction 6~A, it i6 pulled upwardly ~nd become~ attached to
the magnets. As a result, the releasing operation i~
racilitated and the ring is ~ecurely retained during the time
needed to replace the coin bag.
According to a feature of this invention, ~witching
means are provided within the switching module 10 for
monitoring the arcuate di3placement o~ the channel member 20
and providing an indication as to whether or not the coin
outlet section of the channel member i~ regi~ter~d with the
desired coin output slots. A~ 6hown in FIG. 2, li~it
switches 66, 68 are disposed about the coin output slot~ 17
and 18, respectively, and ar~ each adapted to be activated on
contact with the coin outlet section of the channel member
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when the section is aligned with ~he corre~ponding coin
outlet ~lot. ~he switche~ are pr~ferably of the ~'nor~ally-
closed~ type and become "open" when the outer periphary o~
the coin outlet abut~ contact member~ 67 provided on ~he
switches, The relative po~ltioning o~ each switch about the
corresponding coin outlet slot ~s ~uch that thQ contact
members 67 comQ into abutment wlth the ~witching msmber only
when there i8 exact alignmsnt between the outlet s~ction o~
the channel member and the coin output 810t with which the
switch iB a~BoCiated .
The clamping-ring arrangement3 58 aro al80 provided with
a similar switching By8tem ~or aach coin bag. For instance,
limit switches 70 and 72, also o~ the ~normally-closed" type,
are disposed underneath the bracket 60 corresponding to each
of the coin output ~lota 17 and 18, re~pactively. The limit
switch 70 i~ adapted to ba activatad when the corr~sponding
clamp-ring 64 i~ ~lid into contact with the magnQt~ provided
on the support bracket 60; this normally occurs when a
previously clamped full coin bag i8 released or when an empty
coin bag i~ load~d onto the coin exit chute. A similar
mechani6m i8 provided for coin bag B. Th~ limit 8W~ tche~ 70,
72 may be replaced with magnetic reed switches which are
activated when the clamping-ring~ 64 af ~ect the magnetic
~ield generated by the magnets 65.
Referring now to FIG. 5, there iB shown an upper level
block diagram o~ an illustrative microproce~sor-based control
system for controlling the operation of a coin sorter
apparatus particularly 6uited to incorporating therein the
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bag swi~ching ~ystem of thl~ ~nvention. The control ~y~tem
80 include~ a central proce~or unit ~CPU) board ~or houslng
at least one CPU for monitoring and regulating the variou~
parameters involved in the coin ~orting/counting operation.
The CPU accepts signal~ ~rom variou~ interlock ~witches
corrsspondlng to the coin bags a~sociated with the differQnt
coin denominations which the coin sorter apparatu~ i8 capable
of recognizing. These switches typically provide an
indication of the position o~ the clampin~-ring or like
mechani~m which is used to ~ecure coln bag~ to corr~sponding
coin exit chutes and provid~ a signal to the CPU indicating
whether or not the a~60ciatQd coin bag i~ in a secured or
relea ed ~tate. The CPU i3 programmed to halt tha coin~
sorting operation wh~n the ~ignal ~rom any o~ the interlock
switch~s indicates that the corre~ponding bag i~ in a
released po~it~on in order to ~void coin ~pillago.
The CPU is linked to an input/output (I/0) unit 84 and a
serial interface unit 86 through a data bus 88, an addres~
bu~ 90, and a control bu~ 92. The I/0 unit 84, the CPU 82,
and the serial interface unit 86 are all supplied with power
through power line 94 ~ed by a power supply unit 96. ~he
power supply unit 96 al~o ssrveq, through appropriate
transformer means 98, as the source of power for a mother
board 99 which houses additional con~rol compon~nts nece~sary
for regulating the operation o~ the coin sorter ~pparatus.
Such component~ may, for example, include relays lO0, 102,
respectively, for controlling the operation of the motor 104
~or imparting rotary motion to the sorting channel, and the -
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associated fan 106 for regulating the internal temperature of
the machine.
The mother boar~ 1~ also linked to th~ solenoids 107
used ~or various machine operations and a circuit breaker 108
for providing surge protection. The I/0 unlt provide~ the
interface between the CPU 82 and the external world and may
be linked to a ramote di~play unit 110. The I/0 unit iB
usually linked to a di~play unit 112 ~or provlding a visual
~ndication o~ variou~ machine parameter~, an as~ociated
lo keyboard 114 for acc~pting u~er command~, and a speaker unit
116 for providing audible alarms. The I/0 unit 84 i~ al80
linked to the plurality of coin sensors 117 associated with
the sensing mschanisms for each o~ the coin denominat~on~
recognized by the ~orting apparatus. These sen~ors typically
correspond to ~ensing mechanism~ for dimes (D), penni~s (P),
nickels (N), quarters (Q), half-dollars (H), and dollars ($~.
~he interlock ~witch signal~ Ped to the CPU typically
also include signals from bag switches corrs~ponding to coin
bag~ for pennies (P), nickele ~N), dlmes (D), quartQrs (Q),
half-dollars (H), dollar~ (~). During operation, the CPU i8
programmed in ~uch a way that the sorting/counting process is
activated only when all the interlock Qwitch signals indicate
that the corresponding clamping-rings are in the "secured"
position. Sorting and counting are initiated concurrsntly
and each sorted coin is directed to the coin exit chute ~or
the corresponding denomination, where it is sensed and
counted. The CPU is also programmed to display the
individual cou~t for each coin denomination and possibly for
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providing count totals ~or a batch of coins, ~or aoin ~ub-
batches, date-wise coin total~, etc.
The bag swltching ~ystem, according to the present
invention, can conveniently be lncorporat~d into a CPU-ba~ed
control ~y tem of the above type. Thi3 i9 accomplished by
connecting the output signals from the limit switche~ -
provided within the swi~ching modu~e 10 for the s~lected coln
denomination and also providing aignals from the
corresponding clamping-ring limit switchee to the C~U. The
CPU 82 can then use the~e signal~ to regulate the
sorting/counting operation in accordance with the ~elective
establishment of coin channel~ to direct counted coins to
desired ones of the plurality of coin bag~ a~sociated with
the switching module.
FIG. 6 illustrate~ ~ ~ehematle representation o~ how the
lim1t switche~ in the prererred two-bag ombodiment Or the
switching module (described abovo with respect to FIGS. 1-4)
are affected by the po~ition o~ the ehannel member lever 48.
AB shown in FIG. 6 the limit ~witchee corresponding to coln
bag A, i.e., limit ~witeh 66 for eoin output slot 17 and the
limit switeh 70 for the clamping-ring for bag A are shown as
corresponding to position A of the lever. The limit ~witches
eorresponding to bag B, i.e., the limit ~witch 68 for the
coin output ~lot 18 and the limit switch 72 for the clamping- ~:` .~.
ring of bag B are repra3ented a~ corr~ponding to po~ition B
of the lever.
The output signal from each of the four limit ~witehas
66, 68, 70 and 72 is eonnected to the CPU board 82 aecording
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to the illustr~tiva arrangement ~hown in FI~. ~. S~nce the
switches are of the ~normally-clos~d~ typ~, limit switch 66
i5 activatsd or ope~ed wh~n the channel memb~r lever 1~ at
its first extrems po~ition, i.~., po~ition A. When the lever
iS switched to its other ex~re~e position, i.e., position B,
the limit swltch 68 i~ activatQd or opened. ~mit ~witche~ -
70 and 72 re~ain closed when the clamping-ring is ln it~
secured position and are opened when th~ ring i~ moved up
into the relea~e position. The ~ignals gznerated by the
lo limit switches of FIG. 6 are processed by the CPU board and
used as a basis ~or regulating the counting operatlon,
particularly the display of count data, on the basi~ of
preprogrammed in6truction6.
According to a prePerred arrangemen~, thQ coin count for
bag A i8 displayed when the channel mQm~sr lever 48 1~ ~ound
to be in position A, i.e., limit ~witch 66 ror bag A i~ ~ound
to be open and limlt ~witch 68 ~or bag B i8 found to be
closed. If the lever i~ found to be at po~ition B, i.e., if
limit switch 68 for bag B i6 round to be open and llmit
switch 66 for bag A i8 found to b~ clo~ed, the coin count ~or
bag B i5 displayed. However, i~ the lever i8 not found to be
at either position A or B, i.e., both the limit 6witches 66
and 68 are found to be closed, the sum o~ the coln count5 ~or ~ -
bag A and bag B i8 displayQd. Of cour~e, the C~U is
programmed to halt the ~orting apparatus i~ the limit ~wltch
corresponding to a selected coin bag i5 found to be open.
Referring now to FIG. 7, ~here i8 shown a flow chart 120
illustrating the seguence of operation~ involved in utilizing
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2~ ~31371~
the bag ~witching system o~ this inv~n~ion ~n conjunction
with sorting apparatu~ Or the type controlled by the
microproces~or-ba6ed sy~tem dl~cussed above with r~spact to
FIG. 5. The sequsnce of operation8 i~ initiated at 3tep 122
when the operator ~Qlects a part~ular bag, ~ay bag A, ~or
thQ 6torage of counted coins o~ th~ particular denomination
for which the bag switching mech~nis~ i8 being u~d. In
effect, the machine operator mov~s the channel me~ber lever
to the position corresponding to the desired coin bag, i.e.,
po6ition A. At th~ next 6tep, i.~., ~tep 124, the operator
use~ t~e keyboard as~ociated with the di~play unit (~ee FIG.
5) to set the coin coun~ limit rOr the selected bag.
Sub3equently, at step 126, the oporator initiate~ the
counting o~ aoin~, again through the keyboard.
The machine continue~ ~ortiny and counting coins and
keeps track Or every coin exiting th~ ~orting chann~l which
has been identified immediately thereafter as being a coin of
the selected denomination. When the predefined count limit
has been reached (ctep 128) ~ha CPU causes the machine to
su6pend its operation, and stores the coin count gener~ted up
to that point. It should be noted that ~uspension Or eorting
stops further in-feeding o~ coins into the sorting channel.
However, there are, almost always, at least a few coin~ which
are already inside the sorting channel at the time the ~ignal
to suspend ~orting is generated. Conventionally, ~uch coins
proceed through the sorting operation and are directed to the
corre~ponding coin bag. Accordingly, each time the sorting
operation is ~uspended, there i5 a distinct po~sibility that
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24
the coin bag ror whlch tho count limit has b~en r~achs~ m~y
contain mor~ coln~ th~n th~ op~rator-d~fin~d ll~lt.
According to a re~tur~ oP thi3 lnv~ntion, the counting
operation is controlled by t~ CPU in uch ~ way that any
colns t~t arQ proc~ed by the ~orting ch~n~ r ~hQ
signal to su~pend ~orting op~ratlon 1~ gon~rate~ ~r~ counted
and addad to the total ~or the corr~ponding coln bag.
~owever, tho CPU i~ program~Qd ~o di~ y th- xaat numbar of
coin~ th~ have axceeded tho pr~d~in~d count llmit, th~reby
providing the op-rator with ~n lndicatlon o~ how m~ny coln~
ne~d to bo oxtracted ~ro~ ~h- filled bag in ord-r to achlev~
the exact prQde~insd count.
R~turning now to th~ ~low ¢h~rt o~ FIG. 7, at ~t~p 130,
the operator ~21ect~ th~ other b~g, i.e., b~g B, ~or ~toraga
o~ coin~ by approprlatoly ~hl~lng th~ po~itlon Or th~
channel memb~r lov~r. At ~top 132, th~ o~o~ator ~oa~tiv~t~
the sorting/counting oper~tion and th~ ~toraga o~ coin~ i~
directed to coin bag ~.
Subssquently, after ~tep 134, tha oporator proce~d~ wlth
removing th~ ~illQd coin bag A and r~placing it with an empty
one. The op~rator al~Q ha~ an opportunlty to r~mov~ the
exce~ number Or coin~, a~ lndicated by the count di~play ~or
bag A, ~rom bag A and ~ransrQrrlng th~ OXCQ~O coin~ lnto bag
B. This maintainB the in~agrity of coin oount in both the -
bag~ ~ince the count for bag B hag, at thi~ point, alr~ady
been credited with the exoe~e number o~ coln~. Th~ nbove-
described sequenç0 o~ operatlons i8 relterated e~¢h tlme a
coin bag i5 found to be full.
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It will b~ app~r~nt ~rom tho ~oregolnq that tha pre~ent
invention provid~s a ~l~pl~ bag ~witchlng ~y~to~ which i4
easily incorporat~d into convontional coln ~ortlng apparatu~.
The ~witching ~odul~ provld~ an~ ~or ~iclontly snd
s~lQctlvqly divortlng ¢oina ~rom ~ d coln ~g to an
empty one whlle con~umlng vory littl4 tlmo and le~va~ the
operator wlth ~ur~ioient tlme to r~plac- ~illod coin bag~.
It will, o~ courss, b~ obvlou~ that th~ rotatlonal
dl~plAcement o~ th- ahann-l m-mbær ~or 6-l~ctlvo
sstabliahment o~ coin channol~ may also ~ handl~d
~utomatlcally through dlroct ~l-ctrlcal moana or und~r tha
control of tha microproces~or ~y~tem.
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