Coin dispensing apparatus and checkout machine with the same

A checkout machine comprising:

• a coin dispenser configured to dispense coins to a receiving tray;
• a sensor configured to detect one or more coins in the receiving tray;
• a receipt printer;
• an output device;
• and
• a processor configured to control the receipt printer to print a receipt that indicates an amount of change that is to be dispensed, and upon determining that a group of coins is to be dispensed as change, to control the output device to output a warning when the sensor detects no coins in the receiving tray after the processor instructs the coin dispenser to dispense the group of coins and the coin dispenser has dispensed at least one of the coins in the group but before the coin dispenser has dispensed all of the coins in the group.

In a transaction where coins are dispensed as change, a method of issuing a warning upon detecting that not all coins to be dispensed as the change may be removed from a coin receiving tray, said method comprising:

• determining an amount of change in the transaction;
• dispensing a group of coins as the change to the coin receiving tray;
• detecting presence or absence of one or more coins in the coin receiving tray;
• and
• outputting a warning when no coins are detected in the receiving tray after at least one coin in the group has been dispensed but before all of the coins in the group has been dispensed.