Coin acceptance mechanism and method of determining an acceptable coin
US5992603A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 18, 1997 |
| Grant date | Nov 30, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 18, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG07D5/08
- WIPO fieldControl
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A coin acceptance mechanism and a method of determining an acceptable coin includes a pair of spaced apart coils between which a coin is passed. A signal is generated in one of the coils and induced in the other coil when a coin passes between the coils. The peak amplitude of the signal induced in the other coil and the peak phase difference between the signals in the pair of coils are both compared to a range of acceptable values stored in a memory to determine if a coin is acceptable and to assign a value to the coin deemed acceptable. The coin acceptance mechanism has a program mode in which it can be programmed to recognize coins of various values and coins or tokens from various countries.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.