Variable volume storage member for a coin dispensing apparatus
AssigneeAsahi Seiko Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorHiroshi Abe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved coin hopper that can be provided as original equipment or as a conversion member for a coin dispensing apparatus is provided. The coin hopper includes a housing member having a cavity for storing coins when mounted in a coin dispensing apparatus and a movable member operatively connected to the cavity of the housing member for increasing and decreasing the storage volume available for coins in the housing member. One or more movable members can exist about a storage bowl. An actuator unit can be activated by a detector unit responsive to the number of coins in the bowl to move the auxiliary movable members into a coin release position. Alternatively, a spring-biased actuator unit can be used for automatically moving the movable member for storing and releasing coins.
Claims19
A coin hopper comprised of:
- a storing bowl for storing coins in bulk includes a movable wall section;
- a rotating coin selection disk is operatively connected to the storing bowl;
- the moving wall section provides an operative coin storing position mode and a coin release position mode;
- the coins contacting the moving wall section do not slide towards the rotating coin selection disk in the coin storing position mode, however, coins slide towards the rotating coin selector disk in the coin release position mode.
A coin hopper comprised of:
- a storing bowl for storing coins in bulk and includes a wall section that slants downward to enable a gravity feed of coins;
- a rotating coin selector disk which is located adjacent a bottom of the storing bowl for selectively releasing coins;
- a moving wall section is connected to a wall section of the storing bowl to provide one of a coin storing position and a coin release position, the coins contacting the moving wall section do not slide towards the rotating coin selector disk in the coin storing position, however, they do slide towards the rotating coin selection disk in the coin release position;
- a coin amount detecting unit which detects a predetermined amount of coins above the rotating coin selector disk and outputs a refilling signal upon detecting the predetermined amount of coins;
- and
- an actuator unit which operates the moving wall section to move from the coin storing position to the coin release position based on the refilling signal.
In a coin dispensing apparatus having a storage member for providing stored coins to a coin selection unit for dispensing, the improvement comprising:
- a movable member selectively increasing the storage volume of the storage member when extended in a first direction to receive coins in an extended storage volume and releasing the stored coins when the extended storage volume is contracted in a second direction to enable coins to be released to the coin selector unit.
A storage member for a coin dispensing apparatus to store coins, comprising:
- a housing member having a cavity for storing coins when mounted in a coin dispensing apparatus;
- and
- a movable member operatively connected to the cavity of the housing member for increasing and decreasing the storage volume available for coins in the housing member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.