Coin mechanism
US5433309A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 8, 1993 |
| Grant date | Jul 18, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 8, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG07F1/04
- WIPO fieldControl
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A coin mechanism comprising a testing mechanism for testing coins as to their acceptability and denomination, an accept/reject gate which is normally in a reject position but is electrically powered to an accept position in response to the testing mechanism determining that a coin is acceptable, and an electrically-actuated coin separator adapted to receive the acceptable coins from the accept/reject gate and direct them selectively towards different destinations in dependence upon their denominations as determined by the testing mechanism, characterised by mechanism adapted to provide power for electrical actuation of the coin separator, following failure of electrical power for the accept/reject gate, for a period sufficient to allow the coin separator to complete the direction towards its correct destination of a coin which has passed the accept/reject gate in its accept position. This avoids a coin being directed by the separator to the wrong destination if a power failure occurs after a coin has been committed to the separator but before the separator has directed it to the correct destination, thus avoiding coin jams.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.