Coin delivery system with temporary holding stack device
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsDavid R. Ascroft, Simon J. Gray, John K. Mangan, Peter D. Fraser
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A coin delivery system adapted for use in coin-operated vending machines. The coin delivery system utilizes a temporary holding stack device designed to temporarily hold one or more coins during a transaction, thereby decoupling the coin sorting from the user transaction, whereby the pace of the sorting is avoided for completing verification of the user transaction.
Claims20
A system for delivering coins during a vending machine transaction, said coins inserted by way of payment, and said vending machine designed to dispense a good or service, the coin delivery system comprising:
- a coin identification device capable of identifying and verifying an inserted coin type;
- a coin temporary holding device disposed downstream of the coin identification device and capable of temporarily holding an identified coin received from the coin identification device;
- and,
- a coin sorting device disposed downstream of the coin temporary holding device and capable of sorting the identified coin held by the coin temporary holding device,
- whereby a pace of sorting an identified coin has no effect on the identifying and verifying of inserted coins.
A system for delivering coins during a vending machine transaction, said coins inserted by way of payment, and said vending machine designed to dispense a good or service, the coin delivery system comprising:
- a coin inlet having a coin input slot into which coins are inserted, said coin inlet also having a coin output slot;
- a coin verifier having a coin input slot connected to the coin output slot of the coin input and adapted to verify the inserted coins, said coin verifier having a coin output slot;
- a temporary holding stack device having a coin input slot connected to the coin output slot of the coin verifier and an internal cavity adapted to temporarily hold the inserted coins during the transaction, said temporary holding stack having a coin output slot;
- a coin transport having a coin input slot connected to the coin output slot of the temporary holding stack and adapted to facilitate the transport of coins from the temporary holding stack, said coin transport having at least one coin output slot;
- and,
- a coin drum having at least one coin input slot connected to the at least one coin output slot of the coin transport and adapted to receive and store coins from the coin transport,
- wherein said temporary holding stack device further comprises one or more coin holding units spaced apart and positionable within the internal cavity of the temporary holding stack device and adapted to hold the coins inserted during the transaction after verification by the coin verifier and prior to reception in the coin drum.
A temporary holding stack device adapted for use in a coin-operated vending machine, the device comprising:
- a coin input slot capable of facilitating the insertion of coins inserted by way of payment during a vending machine transaction into the temporary holding stack device;
- an internal cavity adapted to temporarily hold the inserted coins during the transaction;
- a plurality of coin holding units positionable within said internal cavity of the temporary holding stack device and adapted to hold the coins inserted during the transaction;
- and,
- a coin output slot capable of facilitating the removal of the coins temporarily held by the temporary holding stack device,
- wherein the coin holding units are spaced apart such that the held coins are not in contact with other coins inserted during the same transaction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.