Patent Application
20090218191
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cash receiving device for used in a consumption system and more particularly, to a cash receiver for consumption system that accepts coins as well as bills.
2. Description of the Related Art
Following fast development of technology, the distance between people is becoming closer, and the rhythm of modern life is becoming faster. In consequence, modern people need convenience and rapidness. To satisfy people's need for convenience and rapidness, automatic vending machines are provided everywhere. Installation of automatic vending machines saves much labor cost and brings convenience to people. Q-shop provides three advantages, i.e., “technology intelligence”, “fast service” and “fast checkout”. It breaks through conventional sales mode. A Q-shop may provide vending machines to sell beverage, vehicle tickets, tobaccos, ice cream, theater tickets, memorial coins, key rings or even hamburger, French fries, noodles, etc. Following development of automatic vending machine technology, many new machines are created to sell different items. Many virtual shops are established to bring convenience to people. These virtual shops emphasize manless management and self-checkout, providing people with a totally different shopping experience.
Similar to the provision of automatic vending machines, game machines, photo-shooting machines and/or other amusement machines are commonly seen in shops as well as entertainment parks, amusement parks, recreational places, night markets, street corners and many other places. However, regular game machines and automatic vending machines simply accept coins. The owner of the place where game machines and/or automatic vending machines are provided may have to provide a money exchange service. Providing this service relatively increases the management cost.
Further, because coins are small-value money and heavy, people may be not willing to bring coins. When a people enters a manless-management amusement park and is going to play one particular facility, he (she) must prepare coins and insert coins into the coin slot of the facility. A manless-management amusement park may provide a coin change machine so that consumers can change a banknote into coins. However, a coin change machine has only a limited number of coins for exchange. When the coins of a coin change machine are all used up, the coin change machine can no longer provide the service. A consumer may feel upset if he (she) cannot change the money into coins. This inconvenience may cause the consumer not willing to visit the place again.
Therefore, how to overcome the problem that a consumption system accepts only coins and rejects banknote is an important subject to people running this business.
The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. According one aspect of the present invention, the cash receiver is installed in a host for controlling the operation of the host. The host can be any of a variety of amusement machines. The cash receiver comprises a face panel that has a coin slot, a coin-return slot and a vertical bill slot, a coin receiver unit that is affixed to the rear side of the face panel and has a coin entrance passage connected to the coin slot and a coin-return passage connected to the coin-return slot, and a bill receiver unit that is affixed to the rear side of the face panel and abutted against one side of the coin receiver unit and has a bill passage connected to the vertical bill slot. The client can insert a coin into the coin slot or a bill into the bill slot to start the host for play.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the bill receiver unit comprises a bill acceptor module installed in the bill passage for verifying the authenticity and value of the inserted bill. When a counterfeit bill is inserted, the bill acceptor module will reject the counterfeit bill and return it to the bill slot.
By means of the application of the present invention, the consumption system can accept a coin as well as a bill and has a function to verify the authenticity of the inserted coin or bill, and therefore the owner of the consumption system needs not to worry about the risk of money washing by an evil person by means of the consumption system.
Referring to
The face panel 1 comprises a coin slot 11 near the top, a coin-return slot 12 below the coin slot 11, a vertical bill slot 13 near one lateral side, and a coin-return button 14 at a suitable location, for example, between the coin slot 11 and the coin-return slot 12.
The coin receiver unit 2 comprises a base plate 21, a coin dispenser 22, a coin entrance passage 23 defined between the base plate 21 and the coin dispenser 22, a loop-coil detector circuit 24 installed in the coin entrance passage 23 and adapted to detect the authenticity and value of the inserted coin, an anti-theft security hook 25 disposed in the coin entrance passage 23 to prevent stealing of coins by a theft, an optical sensor 26 installed in the coin entrance passage 23 and adapted to detect the authenticity of each inserted coin, a coin-return passage 28 below the coin-entrance passage 23, an electromagnetic valve 27, a sliding gate 271 controllable by the electromagnetic valve 27 to close/open the passage between the coin entrance passage 23 and the coin-return passage 28.
The bill receiver unit 3 comprises a base frame 31, a cover 32 covering the base frame 31 and defining with the base frame 31 a bill passage 33, a motor drive mechanism 34 mounted in the bill passage 33, an interface circuit 35 for data transmission, a bill acceptor module 36 adapted to detect the authenticity and value of each inserted bill passing through the bill passage 33, and an anti-theft security hook 37 disposed in the bill passage 33 to prevent stealing of bills by a theft. The motor drive mechanism 34 is comprised of a motor 341, a plurality of transmission rollers 342, transmission belts 343 and rolling balls 344 for delivering each inserted bill through the bill passage 33.
During installation, the coin receiver unit 2 and the bill receiver unit 3 are abutted against each other and fixedly fastened to the back side of the face panel 1. After the cash receiver is assembled, the coin entrance passage 23 and the coin-return passage 28 of the coin receiver unit 2 and the bill passage 33 of the bill receiver unit 3 are respectively connected to the coin slot 11, the coin-return slot 12 and the bill slot 13 of the face panel 1. Thereafter, the cash receiver is installed in the host 5, keeping the coin receiver unit 2 and the bill receiver unit 3 on the inside of the host 5 and the face panel 1 on the outside of the host 5.
Referring to
Further, the interface circuit 35 of the bill receiver unit 3 is not limited to any particular type. It can be a CCTalk, RS232 or MDB Parallel type interface circuit electrically coupled to the host 5 for signal and data transmission.
Referring to
As described above, the DIP switch 42 can be operated to set the CPU 41 of the control circuit 4, and the client can run related operations via the DIP switch 42. When the CPU 41 receives a bill-insertion signal after start of the control circuit 4, it immediately drives the motor control unit 44 to start the motor drive mechanism 34 and the bill acceptor module 36, causing the motor 341, the transmission rollers 342, the transmission belts 343 and the rolling balls 344 of the motor drive mechanism 34 to deliver the inserted bill through the bill passage 33 and the photo emitters 361 and the photo receivers 362 of the bill acceptor module 36 to verify the authenticity of the inserted bill and to give a detection result signal to the CPU 41. If the CPU 41 receives a coin-insertion signal, it drives the loop-coil detector circuit 24 and the photo emitters 261 and the photo receivers 262 of the optical sensor 26 to detect the authenticity and value of the inserted coin, and the photo receivers 262 will give a detection result signal to the CPU 41. When the CPU 41 receives a false coin or false bill signal, it immediately drives the error indicator light of the indicator lights 45 to give a visual indication. If the inserted bill or coin is confirmed to be genuine, the CPU 41 immediately drives the motor drive mechanism 34 or the electromagnetic valve 27 to receive the inserted bill or coin, and transmits the coin or bill value signal to the host 5 via the interface circuit 35.
Referring to
As described above, after system initialization, the system automatically runs system check. In case of a system error, the system displays the error and then ends the operation. When the system is checked OK, it enters standby mode. When a coin or bill is inserted, the system immediately verifies the authenticity and value of the inserted coin or bill. In case a counterfeit coin or bill is inserted, the inserted object is returned. When the inserted coin or bill is checked real, the system gives a signal indicative of the value of the inserted coin or bill to the host 5 and then waist for response. When the host 5 accepts the inserted coin or bill, the system immediately receives the coin or bill in the coin box or bill box and then enters standby mode, and the user can then operate the host 5. If the host 5 rejects the coin or bill, the system immediately returns the coin or bill and then enters standby mode.
Referring to
When a bill is inserted into the bill slot 13 of the face panel 1, the inserted bill will be moved by the motor drive mechanism 34 toward the inside of the bill receiver unit 3, at the same time the bill acceptor module 36 will be driven to verify the authenticity of the inserted bill. If the inserted bill is a counterfeit, the motor drive mechanism 34 will be revered to carry the inserted counterfeit bill to the bill slot 13. It the inserted bill is real, the motor drive mechanism 34 will carry the bill through the anti-theft security hook 37 toward the rear side of the bill passage 33. At this time, the anti-theft security hook 37 prohibits a backward displacement of the bill. When the bill reaches the rear side of the bill passage 33, the bill will be forced into the bill box by the motor drive mechanism 34.
Referring to
Further, consumption systems may be installed in an arcade, night market or street corner. The number of consumption systems in these areas is limited, and most of the clients of these consumption systems are passersby. In these places, no money exchange service is provided. People must prepare coins when wishing to play games or purchase things from these consumption systems. By means of the application of the present invention, people can insert the bill instead of coins. Therefore, the invention brings convenience to people.
Further, the bill slot 13, the bill receiver unit 3, the coin slot 11 and the coin-return slot 12 as well as the coin receiver unit 2 are of vertical design. Therefore, the coin receiver unit 2 and the bill receiver unit 3 can be set in vertical and abutted against each other and fixedly fastened to the back side of the face panel 1, reducing the size of the cash receiver and saving much the space of the host 5.
As stated above, the invention provides a cash receiver for consumption system that has the following advantages and features:
1. The face panel 1 has a coin slot 11, a coin-return slot 12 and a bill slot 13, and the coin receiver unit 2 and the bill receiver unit 3 are abutted against each other and fixedly fastened to the back side of the face panel 1. When assembled, the cash receiver is installed in the host 5 of a consumption system such that a person can insert a coin or bill into the cash receiver to play the consumption system.
2. After insertion of a bill into the bill slot 13, the bill receiver unit 3 verifies the authenticity and value of the inserted bill. After insertion of a coin into the coin slot 11, the coin receiver unit 2 verifies the authenticity and value of the inserted coin. When a counterfeit bill is inserted, the bill receiver 3 will return the inserted counterfeit bill to the bill slot 13. When a counterfeit coin is inserted, it will be rejected by the coin receiver unit 2 and discharged out of the coin-return slot 12. Because the cash receiver accepts coins as well as bills, the consumption system owner needs not to hide a serviceman or servicewoman or to install a coin change machine for providing a money exchange service.
Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.
