Abstract:
A gift coupon detectable by a bill sorter, comprising a rectangular paper having a width capable of being inserted into a travelling path of the bill sorter and also having predetermined characters and design, the gift coupon further having: a first data train comprising data units formed by a magnetic ink and arranged in a row at predetermined intervals, and a second data train comprising data units corresponding respectively to the data units of the first data train, formed by a magnetic ink and arranged in a row, data units in predetermined positions of the second data train being cut off to provide blank units to record data required for the gift coupon such as the significance of an amount of money, the name of commodity to be exchanged, etc. according to the arrangement of the blank units, the first and second data trains being disposed in positions capable of being detected by two magnetic detection heads for bill sorting provided in the bill sorter during travel of the gift coupon along the travelling path.
Abstract:
A vending control system for sequentially carrying out a first and second operation in order to insure that the selected article is in fact vendible and that the correct amount of change is provided. During the first operation, the amount of deposited coins is compared with the vend price of all articles in order to determine which articles are vendible, and article selection switches corresponding to the vendible articles are enabled. And during the second operation, the amount of deposited coins is compared with the vend price of an article selected by operation of the corresponding article selection switch, in order to confirm that the selected article is in fact vendible and to insure that the proper amount of change is provided.
Abstract:
A bill accepting device judges whether a deposited bill is a true bill or not and produces a true bill signal if it is a true bill. A device such as a vending machine utilizing this bill accepting device receives this true bill signal, counts the number of the deposited bill and, upon confirming that the counting has been properly made, produces a true bill confirmation signal. The bill accepting device receives the true bill confirmation signal and thereby confirms that the true bill signal has been properly used. Thereupon, the bill accepting device stores the deposited bill. If this confirmation has not been made, the deposited bill is automatically returned notwithstanding that it is a true bill.
Abstract:
The bill device comprises a main part made of an elongated casing. A bill insertion slit is formed at an end portion of a front panel of the casing and a bill conveying passage of an L-shape is provided in the casing and communicates with the bill insertion slit for conveying a bill in the longitudinal direction. A bill discrimination device is provided in a short straight portion of the bill conveying passage nearer to the bill insertion slit and a reciprocating mechanism is provided on one side of a long straight portion of the bill conveying passage for effecting a bill accumulating operation. A bill accumulating box is provided on the other side of the long straight portion of the bill conveying passage for accumulating bills pressed toward it by the reciprocating mechanism.
Abstract:
A coin changer comprises a coin changer main part and an electronic type coin discrimination device which can be readily mounted to and detached from the coin changer main part. The electronic type coin discrimination device includes a detection coil for detecting characteristics of a deposited coin, a discrimination circuit for judging whether the deposited coin is a true coin or a counterfeit one in response to the output of the detection coil and produces a sole kind of discrimination signal representative of trueness or falsity of the coin regardless of the denomination of the coin, a true coin passage and a counterfeit coin passage provided behind the detection coil and a mechanical coin sort-out device provided in the true coin passage for sorting out coins by denomination. The coin changer main part comprises coin switches for detecting coins of respective denominations having been sorted out by the sort-out device, a coin receiving device for receiving the coins which have passed through the coin switches, a control circuit for effecting control operations including a money amount counting control, a vend control and a change payout control, and an electromagnetic device for distributing the deposited coin to either the true coin passage or the counterfeit coin passage in the coin discrimination device in response to the output of the discrimination circuit. This electromagnetic device distributes the coins by projecting or withdrawing a reject pin into or from a bifurcation of the true coin passage and the counterfeit coin passage.
Abstract:
An inventory device which is used for a route-man to take all the coins out of the coin containing cylinders of an automatic vending machine. With the inventory device, the coin containing cylinders are caused one after another to dispense the coins merely by operating a single switch. The inventory device comprises: the single switch; a shift register; and a coin dispensation control section connected to the bit output of the shift register. The signal "1" is successively shifted in the shift register in response to the operation of the single switch, to operate the coin dispensation control section, thereby to dispense the coins out of the coin containing cylinders.
Abstract:
In the malfunction indication device for a vending machine according to this invention, a malfunction occurrence indicator is provided at a prominent place on the outside of the vending machine. This indicator indicates occurrence of malfunction immediately upon detection of the malfunction by a malfunction detector to give warning to a purchaser. Simultaneously, a code representing a detected malfunctioning point is stored in a memory circuit. By manipulation of an indication control switch by an operator, the code representing the malfunctioning point is read from this memory circuit and indicated by a malfunction code indicator. As the malfunction occurrence indicator and the malfunction code indicator, a money amount indicator already provided in the vending machine for indicating an amount of deposited coins or a balance thereof is advantageously utilized. For enabling the money amount indicator to function as the malfunction occurrence indicator, present contents of indication of the money amount indicator are intermittently indicated by an intermittent driving of the indicator when the malfunction has been detected. For enabling the money amount indicator to function as the malfunction code indicator, the code representing the malfunctioning point is indicated by the money amount indicator only when the indication control switch is manipulated.
Abstract:
A coin separator having a first coin passage along which coins are guided, a coin detector disposed in the first coin passage for discriminating whether coins passing therethrough are true or false and to which group belong coins which are discriminated as true and outputting a signal relative to whether the coins are true or false and a group signal indicative of the group to which the discriminated coins belong, a true coin passage and a false coin passage each connected to the first coin passage, a first dividing mechanism for introducing the coins passing through the first coin passage into either the true coin passage or the false coin passage in response to the signal outputted from the coin detector, a plurality of second coin passages connected to the true coin passage, a second dividing mechanism for introducing the coins passed through the true coin passage into one of the plurality of second coin passages in response to the group signal outputted from the coin detector, and a third dividing mechanism for dividing the coins passed through each of the second coin passages into a plurality of groups with the third dividing mechanism being provided in each of the plurality of second coin passages.
Abstract:
A money discriminating apparatus comprising a bill transporting path defined between a pair of spaced, but opposed wall surfaces. A coin transporting path is defined by a groove formed in at least one of the wall surfaces. The groove has a width slightly larger than a diameter of a largest one of coins to be transported and a depth slightly larger than a thickness of a thickest one of the coins. Inlet and outlet of coin transporting path open respectively to inlet and outlet of the bill transporting path. A transporting system transports bill and coin along their respective paths. A discriminating unit discriminates authenticity and kind of bill and coin in course of being transported along their respective paths. Preferably, the transporting system comprises a pair of transporting belts and mating surfaces arranged in facing relation respectively to running surfaces of the respective belts. The running surfaces of the respective belts cooperate respectively with the mating surfaces to transport money while clamping the money therebetween.
Abstract:
The control system is constituted by a plurality of switches operated by inserted coins of different denominations, first register for storing amounts of inserted coins for each denomination and a second register for storing remaining amount of change. The amount of coins corresponding to operated switch is added to the content of the first register, 1 is added to the content of the second register in accordance with the denomination of the inserted coin, and 1 is substracted from the content of the second register in accordance with the denomination of payed out money. The selling price of a merchandise is subtracted from the total price of the inserted coins for calculating the amount of change. Selling is possible or not is determined by sequentially subtracting the price of the coins starting from a coin of the highest price from the change. The content of the first register is sequentially changed until the content exceeds the selling price and the selling price is subtracted from the content of the first register for setting the content to the amount of change for different denomination of coins.