Coin handling device

A coin-handling device which can accommodate coins of a plurality of different denominations and which comprises a frame, a first wall which has a positioning surface thereon that interacts with a complementary surface on said frame to just partially restrain and position said first wall, a second wall which has a positioning surface thereon that interacts with a complementary surface on said first wall to just partially restrain and position said second wall, said second wall having a further surface thereof disposed in confronting, but spaced, relation with a further surface on said first wall to define a passageway for coins of one denomination whenever said positioning surface on said second wall and said complementary surface on said first wall interact to just partially restrain and position said second wall, a third wall which has a positioning surface thereon that interacts with a complementary surface on said second wall to just partially restrain and position said third wall, one of said walls having an additional surface thereon which defines, and constitutes, part of a reservoir for coins that receives coins passing through the passageway which said one wall helps define, another of said walls having an additional surface thereon which defines, and constitutes, another part of said reservoir for coins, said additional surface on said one wall and said additional surface on said other wall being in confronting relation and coacting effectively to define said reservoir for coins, said additional surface on said one wall and said additional surface on said other wall being aligned to define said reservoir for coins whenever said positioning surface on said first wall interacts with said complementary surface on said frame to just partially restrain and position said first wall and said positioning surface on said second wall interacts with said complementary surface on said first wall to just partially restrain and position said second wall and said positioning surface on said third wall interacts with said complementary surface on said second wall to just partially restrain and position said third wall, said additional surface on said one wall being displaced laterally relative to the further surface on said one wall and said additional surface on said other wall being displaced laterally relative to the further surface on said other wall, whereby coins moving through said passageway which said one wall helps to define will move laterally as they pass from the passageway into said reservoir for coins, said third wall having a further surface thereof disposed in confronting, but spaced, relation with a still further surface on said second wall to define a passageway for coins of a second denomination whenever said positioning surface on said third wall and said complementary surface on said second wall interact to partially restrain and position said third wall, and a single fastener which extends through all of said walls and engages said frame to coact with said positioning surfaces on said walls and said complementary surface on said frame to fixedly hold said walls in position relative to said frame, said fastener being readily securable to said frame to provide prompt securement of all of said walls to said frame and maintain alignment of said additional surfaces on said one and said other walls, a sub-assembly which serves as a bottom for said frame, said walls having further positioning surfaces that interact with complementary surfaces on said sub-assembly to just partially restrain and position the lower portions of said walls, said sub-assembly having openings therein which define the lower ends of coin reservoirs and which also constitute portions of said complementary surfaces on said sub-assembly, and said further positioning surfaces on said walls constituting portions of said coin reservoirs, said additional surface and the passageway-defining surface on said one wall being molded as a unit so any coin passing said reservoir for coins does not have to pass a joint between discrete parts of said coin-handling device, whereby coins can freely pass through said passageway toward said reservoir for coins with no risk of being intercepted and stopped by such a joint.

A coin handling device which can receive coins, temporarily hold said coins, and then, selectively, on a coin-by-coin basis return said coins to a patron or on a coin-by-coin basis direct said coins to a cash box and which comprises a coin passageway, a gate which receives coins moving in said coin passageway, said gate acting in one position thereof to hold a coin therein, said gate acting in a second position thereof to direct said coin to an outlet which can guide said coin to said patron, said gate acting in a third position thereof to direct said coin to a second outlet which can guide said coin to said cash box, said coin passageway being adapted to hold a further coin therein if said gate is in said one position and is holding a coin therein, said coin passageway and said gate being adapted to hold said further coin in said coin passageway while said gate is in said second or said third position, said gate automatically permitting said further coin to pass from said coin passageway into said gate whenever said gate moves from said second position to said one position or moves from said third position to said one position, means to selectively move said gate into said one, said second or said third position, and a wall that is disposed below said gate and that has an upper edge which intercepts and supports coins in said gate whenever said gate is in said one position, said gate directing any coin therein to one side of said wall whenever said gate is moved to said second position, and said gate directing any coin therein to the opposite side of said wall whenever said gate is moved to said third position.

A coin handling device which can receive coins, temporarily hold said coins, and then, selectively, on a coin-by-coin basis return said coins to a patron or on a coin-by-coin basis direct said coins to a cash box and which comprises a coin passageway, a gate which receives coins moving in said coin passageway, said gate acting in one position thereof to hold a coin therein, said gate acting in a second position thereof to direct said coin to an outlet which can guide said coin to said patron, said gate acting in a third position thereof to direct said coin to a second outlet which can guide said coin to said cash box, said coin passageway being adapted to hold a further coin therein if said gate is in said one position and is holding a coin therein, said coin passageway and said gate being adapted to hold said further coin in said coin passageway while said gate is in said second or said third position, said gate automatically permitting said further coin to pass from said coin passageway into said gate whenever said gate moves from said second position to said one position or moves from said third position to said one position, means to selectively move said gate into said one, said second or said third position, said gate having an entrance which is in register with said coin passageway whenever said gate is in said one position, said gate having a coin-supporting surface adjacent said entrance which is in register with said coin passageway whenever said gate is in said second position, and said gate having a further coin-supporting surface adjacent said entrance which is in register with said coin passageway whenever said gate is in said third position.

A coin handling device which can receive coins, temporarily hold said coins, and then, selectively, on a coin-by-coin basis return said coins to a patron or on a coin-by-coin basis direct said coins to a cash box and which comprises a coin passageway, a gate which receives coins moving in said coin passageway, said gate acting in one position thereof to hold a coin therein, said gate acting in a second position thereof to direct said coin to an outlet which can guide said coin to said patron, said gate acting in a third position thereof to direct said coin to a second outlet which can guide said coin to said cash box, said coin passageway being adapted to hold a further coin therein if said gate is in said one position and is holding a coin therein, said coin passageway and said gate being adapted to hold said further coin in said coin passageway while said gate is in said second or said third position, said gate automatically permitting said further coin to pass from said coin passageway into said gate whenever said gate moves from said second position to said one position or moves from said third position to said one position, means to selectively move said gate into said one, said second or said third position, said gate having an entrance, and said gate being dimensioned so the entrance thereof is disposed below the level of the upper edge of said coin whenever said gate is in said one position.

A coin handling device which can receive coins, temporarily hold said coins, and then on a coin-by-coin basis direct said coins to a desired outlet and which comprises a coin passageway, a gate which receives coins moving in said coin passageway and which is rotatable relative to said coin passageway to bodily move the bottoms of said coins sideways toward said outlet, said gate acting in one position thereof to hold a coin therein, said gate acting in a second position thereof to direct the bottom of said coin toward said outlet, said coin passageway being adapted to hold a further coin therein if said gate is in said one position and is holding a coin therein, said coin passageway and said gate being adapted to hold said further coin in said coin passageway while said gate is in said second position, said gate automatically permitting said further coin to pass from said coin passageway into said gate whenever said gate moves from said second position to said one position, means to selectively rotate said gate into said one or said second position, said coin passageway being part of a stationary structure of said coin handling device, said means being secured to a second stationary structure of said coin handling device that is separate from and displaced from the first said stationary structure of said coin handling device, a crank arm that is used to move said gate from a given one of said positions to another of said positions, and said position of said gate being adjustable relative to said first said stationary structure of said coin handling device to enable said crank arm to dispose said gate in register with said coin passageway.

A coin handling device which can accommodate coins of a plurality of different denominations and which comprises a coin-dispensing member that is disposable in a given position to receive and hold coins of one denomination and that is movable to a second position to release any coins of said one denomination which are held by it, a second coin-dispensing member which is movable to dispense coins of a second denomination, a driving member which is movable into and out of a predetermined position wherein it can be operated to move said second coin-dispensing member and thereby cause said second coin-dispensing member to dispense a coin of said second denomination, a shifting means which can selectively permit the first said coin-dispensing member to be in said given position and to permit said driving member to be out of said predetermined position or can cause said first said coin-dispensing member to be in said second position and can cause said driving member to be in said predetermined position, and a source of power which can operate said driving member, said source of power being selectively actuatable to operate said driving member when said driving member is in said predetermined position, said second coin-dispensing member acting to dispense coins of said second denomination only when said source of power is actuated and said shifting means causes said driving member to be in said predetermined position, whereby said shifting means can effect the dispensing of coins of said one denomination by causing said first said coin-dispensing member to be in said second position and by causing said driving member to be in said predetermined position while said source of power is inactive, and whereby said shifting means can effect the dispensing of coins of said second denomination by causing said first said coin-dispensing member to be in said second position and by causing said driving member to be in said predetermined position while said source of power is actuated.

A coin-handling device which comprises walls that define a passageway which has a plurality of branches, a coin-directing element that is selectively disposable in a plurality of mechanically and positively fixed positions within said passageway, positioning means on said coin-directing element which has two spaced-apart positioning surfaces, two sets of positioning means adjacent said passageway, each of said two sets of positioning means having two spaced-apart positioning surfaces which are complementary to said two spaced-apart positioning surfaces of said coin-directing element, said two spaced-apart positioning surfaces of said coin-directing element coacting with the two spaced-apart positioning surfaces of one of said two sets of positioning means to mechanically and positively lock said coin-directing element in one of said plurality of mechanically and positively fixed positions within said passageway, said two spaced-apart positioning surfaces of said coin-directing element coacting with the two spaced-apart positioning surfaces of the other of said two sets of positioning means to mechanically and positively lock said coin-directing element in another of said plurality of mechanically and positively fixed positions within said passageway, said coin-directing element causing coins to pass through a selected branch of said passageway whenever said coin-directing element is in said one of said plurality of mechanically and positively fixed positions, said coin-directing element causing coins to pass through another selected branch of said passageway whenever said coin-directing element is in said other of said plurality of mechanically and positively fixed positions, and a coin-sensing element which is disposed out of, but closely adjacent to, said passageway at a point which is ahead of said coin-directing element irrespective of the mechanically and positively fixed position in which said coin-directing element is disposed, whereby each coin which passes to said coin-directing element will have to pass close to said coin-sensing element regardless of which of said plurality of mechanically and positively fixed positions is occupied by said coin-directing element.

A coin-handling device which is disposable within a machine that will dispense coins, which can store inserted coins, which can dispense stored coins, which can be fixed in position within said coin-dispensing machine, and which comprises a first wall that has a generally-planar surface plus an elongated surface which is concave in cross section, a second wall that has an elongated surface which is concave in cross section and which is disposable in registry with said elongated surface of said first wall to cause said elongated surfaces on said first and second walls to coact to define a reservoir for coins, said second wall having a further surface which is in registry with at least a part of said concave elongated surface on said second wall but which faces away from said coin reservoir, said second wall having a still further surface which is disposable in confronting, but spaced, relation with said generally-planar surface on said first wall to define an area through which coins can pass to said coin reservoir, said further surface constituting a part of a passageway for rejected coins and slugs, said further surface having an upper portion which extends toward said first wall to substantially overlie the top of said coin reservoir to guide rejected coins and slugs past said top of said coin reservoir and thereby keep rejected coins and slugs from entering said top of said coin reservoir, said further surface having a lower portion which helps guide rejected coins and slugs toward a rejected coin outlet, whereby said further surface can guide rejected coins and slugs away from said top of said coin reservoir and thereafter guide said rejected coins and slugs toward said rejected coin outlet, a base which has a socket therein, said elongated surface on said first wall having the lower end thereof disposable within one part of said socket, said elongated surface on said second wall having the lower end thereof disposable within one part of said socket, said lower ends of said elongated surfaces on said first and second walls coacting with said socket to substantially prevent lateral movement of said lower ends of said elongated surfaces on said first and second walls relative to each other or relative to said base after said lower ends of said elongated surfaces on said first and second walls have been disposed within said one part of said socket, a fastener which engages said first and second walls at locations which are displaced vertically from said base, said fastener substantially preventing lateral relative movement of those portions of said first and second walls which it engages and thereby helping prevent lateral relative movement of upper portions of said first and second walls and of upper portions of said elongated surfaces on said first and second walls, whereby said socket and said fastener coact to help prevent lateral relative movement of said upper portions and of lower portions of said first and second walls and thereby help prevent lateral relative movement of said upper portions and of said lower portions of said elongated surfaces on said first and second walls, said elongated surfaces on said first and second walls being separable in the vicinity of a plane which intersects the interior of said coin reservoir and which also intersects the interior of said socket in said base, said elongated surface on said second wall being in registry with said elongated surface on said first wall whenever said lower ends of said elongated surfaces on said first and second walls are disposed within said one part of said socket and said fastener is assembled with said first and second walls, said fastener being a rotatable element which is rotatable relative to said first wall and also is rotatable relative to said second wall to help prevent lateral relative movement of said upper portions of said first and second walls and thereby help prevent lateral relative movement of said upper portions of said elongated surfaces on said first and second walls, a coin-dispensing slide that is mounted for movement relative to said base and to said socket in said base to dispense coins which have been stored in said coin reservoir, said elongated surface on said first wall having edges that are disposable immediately adjacent edges on said elongated surface on said second wall to keep coins that enter said coin reservoir from escaping from said coin reservoir by passing between said confronting edges of said elongated surfaces on said first and second walls, the coin reservoir automatically receiving and storing coins which move through said area toward said coin reservoir, said coin reservoir automatically permitting stored coins to move downwardly toward said socket in said base so the lowermost of said stored coins can be dispensed by movement of said coin-dispensing slide relative to said base and relative to said socket in said base, said generally-planar surface and said elongated surface on said first wall being molded as a unit so any coin passing through said area toward said coin reservoir does not have to pass a joint between discrete parts of said coin-handling device, whereby coins can freely pass through said area toward said coin reservoir with no risk of being intercepted and stopped by such a joint.