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US 4,911,280 AGranted
Method and apparatus for deflecting coins while maintaining an on-edge orientation
OwnerPhilemon L. Brunerinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A coin separator/rejector system includes a plurality of coin races which are disposed in a compact coin receiver body. The races have at least one protrusion along their length so as to deflect downwardly traveling coins and force these coins to alter both their attitude and direction of travel to encounter apertures formed in the receiver body between successive coin races. Coins of a selected diameter travel downwardly along any given coin race for ultimate deposit or credit. Coins of less than the selected diameter are directed into an alternate direction and path of travel along an alternate or secondary race where they are either credited or rejected.
Claims30
A coin separator and rejector comprising:
- a rejector body having an inlet coin portal in an upper portion thereof;
- a downwardly inclined primary coin race positioned in the body in a generally vertical disposition below the inlet portal and adapted to receive coins from the portal;
- a secondary coin race formed in the rejector body, said secondary race being connected to the primary coin race by an aperture formed in the rejector body between the two races, said aperture generally having a top and a bottom;
- a coin deflecting protrusion situated along the primary coin race and positioned downstream from the inlet portal and proximate the aperture, said protrusion adapted to deflect coins traveling down the primary coin race toward and through the aperture while in a vertically disposed, on edge orientation;
- said protrusion defining a launching surface having a linear contact edge at a leading upstream face, the bottom of which edge is displaced downstream, such that the upper portion of said edge is inclined upstream;
- a first retaining flange formed between the primary and secondary coin races and along a bottommost portion of the primary coin race, said flange in combination with the primary race defining a lip partially drawn across the aperture;
- and
- a second retaining flange formed between the primary and secondary coin races along an uppermost portion of the primary coin race, said second retaining flange defining an arcuate contact surface, said flange defining a lip drawn across the aperture so as to retain coins of a selected minimum diameter from passing through the aperture.
5 more elements
A coin receiver for a coin-operated device which comprises:
- a body member having a coin slot opening in an upper portion sized to receive coins of more than one diameter, said body member having a substantially vertical axis;
- a first coin race extending downward into the body from the slot opening and configured to transmit a coin in a vertically disposed orientation, said race including a pair of walls laterally spaced sufficiently to enable a bent said coin to be so transmitted;
- a first wall being inclined relative to the vertical axis so as to deflect a coin transmitted down the race against a second wall, said second wall defining a contact surface at an upstream edge, the bottom of which surface is displaced downstream such that an upper portion of the contact surface is inclined upstream;
- the first wall defining a first aperture bounded by upper and lower boundaries vertically spaced to engage and guide the largest diameter coin capable of entering the slot opening down the first coin race past said aperture and to engage only the lower portion of coins of smaller diameter than the largest diameter coin so as to pass such coins of smaller diameter through said aperture in a vertically disposed, on edge orientation;
- and
- a second coin race spaced beyond said first aperture to receive each said smaller coin passing through the first aperture, said second coin race being downwardly inclined and including a second pair of walls laterally spaced to transmit said smaller diameter coins in a vertically disposed orientation.
3 more elements
A coin separator and rejector comprising:
- a rejector body;
- a downwardly extending primary coin race disposed in said body, said race having a coin inlet portal at its upper extent and having walls depending downstream from said coin inlet portal and arranged substantially in a plane parallel with a plane defined by said coin inlet portal, the combination adapted to transmit coins received from the inlet portal in a vertically disposed orientation;
- a coin deflecting protrusion formed in the primary race and adapted to cause coins to alter their path of travel in at least one plane as they move downward in the receiver body, said protrusion defining a linear launching surface, the bottom of said surface being displaced downstream from the top such that the entire surface is inclined from a line normal to the primary race;
- and
- a downwardly inclined secondary coin race in said body defining at its upper end an aperture communicating with the primary race and of a size so as to selectively receive coins smaller than a selected diameter traveling along the altered path, said aperture including means for passing coins into said second coin race in a vertically disposed, on edge orientation.
2 more elements
A method for separating and rejecting coins, comprising:
- passing a coin along a downwardly inclined, primary coin race in a generally vertical attitude;
- mechanically subjecting the coin within the race to an uneven lateral force such that the coin is deflected in both its direction and attitude of travel, said lateral force carrying the coin to contact an upper and lower gauge, said upper gauge defining an arcuate contact surface;
- physically gauging the diameter of the deflected coin;
- moving each deflected coin of a minimum diameter down the primary race;
- and
- moving each deflected coin of less than the minimum diameter down a secondary coin race while maintaining each coin in an on edge orientation.
3 more elements
A coin rejector comprising:
- a rejector body having a coin inlet portal in an upper portion thereof capable of receiving coins of a first selected diameter and smaller diameters;
- a first downwardly extending primary coin race adapted at its upper end to receive said coins from said inlet portal, said primary race being of sufficiently narrow width to transmit said coins downward in a first vertically disposed attitude;
- a first coin deflecting surface formed along a first side of the first race and configured to mechanically deflect coins traveling along the first race toward the opposite side of the first race in a vertically disposed attitude, said coin deflecting surface culminating in a launch surface defining a contact edge at an upstream face, the bottom of said contact edge displaced from its top such that the edge is inclined upstream from a line drawn normal to the primary race;
- a first aperture in the opposite side of the first race along the path of the deflected coins, said first aperture being vertically and laterally dimensioned to selectively pass some of the deflected coins through the first aperture, said first aperture having at its upper extent an arcuate contact surface;
- and
- a downwardly extending second coin race beyond said aperture from said first coin race;
- said second coin race arranged to receive coins passing through the first aperture and to transmit the coins down the second race in a vertically disposed attitude.
4 more elements
A coin separator and rejector comprising:
- a rejector body having an inlet coin portal in an upper portion thereof;
- a downwardly inclined primary coin race positioned in the body in a generally vertical disposition below the inlet portal and adapted to receive coins in a generally on-edge orientation from the portal;
- a secondary coin race formed in the rejector body, said secondary race being connected to the primary coin race by an aperture formed in the rejector body between the two races;
- a coin deflecting protrusion situated along the primary coin race and positioned downstream from the inlet portal and proximate the aperture, said protrusion having a contact edge laterally protruding toward said aperture so as to deflect coins traveling down the primary coin race toward the aperture;
- means to maintain the coins passing through the aperture in a generally vertically disposed, on-edge orientation;
- and
- a first retaining flange formed between the primary and secondary coin races and along the topmost portion of the primary coin race, said flange in combination with the primary race forming a lip sufficient to retain coins of a selected minimum diameter from passing through the aperture.
4 more elements
A coin receiver for a coin-operated device which comprises:
- a body member having a coin slot opening in an upper portion sized to receive coins of more than one diameter;
- a first coin race extending downward into the body from the slot opening and configured to transmit a coin in a vertically disposed orientation, said race including a pair of walls laterally spaced sufficiently to enable a bent said coin to be so transmitted;
- one said wall being provided with a coin deflecting surface formed along one wall so as to deflect a coin transmitted down the race against the other said wall;
- the opposite said wall defining a first aperture bounded by upper and lower boundaries vertically spaced to engage and guide the largest diameter coin capable of entering the slot opening down the first coin race past said aperture and to engage only the lower portion of coins of smaller diameter than the largest diameter coin so as to pass said coins of smaller diameter through said aperture, said aperture including means for maintaining said coins in an on-edge orientation as they pass through said aperture;
- a second coin race spaced beyond said first aperture to receive each said smaller coins passing through the first aperture, said second coin race being downwardly inclined and including a second pair of walls laterally spaced;
- and
- means to transmit said smaller diameter coins in a vertically disposed, on-edge orientation.
4 more elements
A coin separator and rejector comprising:
- a rejector body;
- a downwardly extending primary coin race disposed in said body, said race having a coin inlet portal at its upper extent and having walls inclined to transmit coins received from the inlet portal in a vertically disposed orientation;
- a coin deflecting protrusion formed in the primary race and adapted to cause coins to alter their path of travel in at least one plane as they move downward in the receiver body;
- and
- a downwardly inclined secondary coin race in said body defining at its upper end an aperture communicating with the primary race and sized to receive coins smaller than a selected diameter traveling along the altered path, said aperture including means for maintaining said smaller coins in a generally one-edge orientation as they move through the aperture into the secondary coin race.
2 more elements
A method for separating and rejecting coins comprising:
- passing a coin along a downwardly inclined, primary coin race in a generally vertical attitude;
- mechanically subjecting the coin within the race to an uneven lateral force such that the coin is deflected in both its direction and attitude of travel while maintaining its on-edge orientation, said lateral force carrying the coin to contact an upper and lower gauge, said upper gauge defining an accurate contact surface;
- physically gauging the diameter of the deflected coin;
- moving each deflected coin of a minimum diameter down the primary race;
- and
- moving each deflected coins of less than the minimum diameter down a secondary coin race.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.