System for detecting a foreign object attached to a bill passing through a bill validator
AssigneeCoin Acceptors, Inc.
InventorsJoseph L. Levasseur, Mark H. Leibu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bill validator for detecting the presence of a bill comprising a bill passageway having a first side and a second side, a light source positioned at the first side, the light source for emitting light across the passageway, a reflecting surface positioned at the second side, and a detector device positioned at the first side, the detector device for receiving light reflected from the reflecting surface.
Claims21
A system for detecting the presence of a trailing foreign object connected to a bill traveling in a predetermined direction through a generally planar passageway of a bill validator having first and second sides, comprising:
- a light source apparatus disposed along the first side of the passageway and operable to affect the transmission of light laterally across the passageway, and
- a reflective surface disposed along the second side of the passageway in position for reflecting transmitted light received thereat, back across the passageway, and
- a detector portion disposed along the first side of the passageway for receiving and responding to the reflected light,
- the light source apparatus, the reflective surface and the detector portion, being so positioned relative to one another that a bill traveling through the passageway will obstruct the passage of light across the passageway and a trailing foreign object attached to the bill will obstruct at least some portion of the light being laterally transmitted and reflected across the passageway,
- whereby the continuing obstruction of at least a portion of the light after the bill has moved past said system is indicative of the presence of a trailing foreign object connected to a bill.
A system for detecting the presence of a foreign object connected to a bill traveling in a predetermined direction through a passageway having a first and second side, the bill having a leading edge with reference to the predetermined direction of travel of the bill, an opposite trailing edge, and side edges extending between the leading and trailing edges, comprising:
- a light source apparatus disposed along a first side of the passageway in position for emitting light, and
- a reflective surface along a second side of the passageway opposite the first side in position for reflecting the light back across the passageway, and
- a detector portion disposed along the first side of the passageway in position for receiving and responding to the light even after the bill has moved through the passageway, wherein a bill with a foreign object attached thereto will obstruct some portion of the light emitted from the light source or reflected from the reflective surface while traveling through the passageway.
A method for detecting the presence of a foreign object connected to a bill traveling in a predetermined direction through a passageway having first and second sides, comprising of the steps of:
- emitting light laterally across the passageway from the first side to the second side of the passageway,
- reflecting the light back across the passageway,
- receiving and responding to the light even after the bill has moved through the passageway, whereby the continuing obstruction of at least a portion of the light after the bill has moved through the passageway is indicative of the presence of a trailing foreign object connected to a bill.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.