Cash till manifold having a sixth coin bin for a coin sorter

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6196913
  • Patent Number
    6,196,913
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, December 23, 1999
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, March 6, 2001
    23 years ago
Abstract
A manifold adapted to distribute six coin denominations discharged from a coin sorter to a standard cash till is set forth. The manifold includes a plurality of paths to deliver at least five of the coin denominations to the five coin compartments of the standard cash till. The manifold delivers the sixth coin denomination to a receptacle within the manifold.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates generally to coin sorting devices and, more particularly, to a manifold for a coin sorter adapted to distribute coins into a cash till.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




Coin sorters have been used for a number of years. Coin sorters and counters have relieved those who deal with quantities of coins from the burden of manually processing, sorting, and/or counting coins. Banks, casinos, and retail stores are some of the beneficiaries of these machines. As business grow, these businesses are experiencing a greater number of customers resulting in an increased intake of coins. As would be expected, these businesses wish to process their coins as quickly and accurately as possible.




In the retail environment where cash registers are commonplace, it is customary for the cash register operator to periodically “count down” the cash till drawer of the cash register. Counting down is a process by which the operator determines the aggregate value of the coin and paper currency in the cash till. Typically, the currency is removed from the cash till and the operator counts the number of units of each currency denomination. Once the quantity of each currency denomination is determined, that quantity is placed back into its respective compartment within the cash till. Manually counting down the cash till often takes a significant amount of time and often involves mistakes, especially with counting the coins. These problems are further compounded when there is a large volume of currency to be counted or when there are several cash tills to be counted down. Once the operator has determined the quantity of each denomination of currency in the cash till, the aggregate value of that currency can be calculated. The aggregate value of money in the cash till is then compared to the receipts from the same cash register. When the receipts to not match the total amount of money in the cash till, the cash till must be recounted, thus taking up more time.




Cash tills typically contain five coin compartments. In the United States, cash register operators are forced to group the six coin denominations into the five coin compartments of the cash till. Unfortunately, prior art cash till manifolds route both the half-dollar and dollar coins back into the fifth compartment of the cash till. However, it is often desirable to segregate these coins rather than group them back together in the fifth compartment of the cash till. Thus, a need exists for a coin sorting/counting machine which quickly and accurately counts down the coins in a cash till and segregates all denominations of coins.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




It is a primary object of this invention to provide a manifold for a coin sorter which is adapted to count down a cash till. In accordance with the present invention, the foregoing objective is realized by providing a coin sorter with a cash till manifold capable of distributing six denominations of coins. Coins from a cash till are deposited into a coin sorter. The coin sorter then sorts the coins by denomination and delivers the coins to the cash till manifold. The cash till manifold then distributes five coin denominations into the five coin compartments of the cash till, the sixth coin denomination is directed to a removable receptacle within the manifold.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which:





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of a coin sorter system according to an embodiment of the invention disclosed in commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,395 entitled “High Speed Coin Sorter have a Reduced Size”;





FIG. 2

is a perspective view of a coin sorter system according to an embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 3

is a side view of a coin sorter system according to an embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 4

is a perspective view of a cash till manifold having a sixth coin bin showing the inlets according to an embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 5

is a perspective view of a cash till manifold having a sixth coin bin showing the outlets according to an embodiment of the present invention





FIG. 6

is a perspective view of a cash till manifold with a diverter in place according to an embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 7

is a perspective view of a cash till manifold with a six coin bin in place according to an embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 8

is a perspective view of a segmental output receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 9

is another perspective view of a segmental output receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 10

is a top view of a segmental output receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 11

is another top view of a segmental output receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 12

is a top view of a segmental output receptacle according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 13

is another top view of a segmental output receptacle according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention; and





FIG. 14

is a perspective view of a coin sorter system equipped with a packaging device and a bagging device according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS




Referring first to

FIG. 1

, an embodiment of a coin sorter system


10


is illustrated. Such a coin sorter system is disclosed by commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,395 entitled “High Speed Coin Sorter Having a Reduced Size,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The coin sorter system


10


includes a coin tray


12


which receives coins of mixed denominations and feeds them into the coin sorting system


10


. As the coins flow into the coin sorting system


10


, they are deposited on the top surface of a rotatable disc (not shown). As the rotatable disc rotates, the coins deposited on the top surface of the disk tend to slide outwardly across the top surface of the rotatable disc due to the centrifugal force. As the coins move outwardly, those coins which are lying flat on the pad enter exit channels corresponding to the diameter of each coin. The sorted coins are captured in a plurality of coin bins


15


positioned on the exterior of the coin sorter system


10


. One embodiment of the coin sorting system


10


contains six coin bins


15


located on the front of the coins sorter system


10


. Such an embodiment may be used for sorting coin sets which have six different denominations of coins as in the United States or Canadian coin sets.




An operator control panel


20


is used by the operator to control the coin sorter system


10


. The control panel


20


includes a display


22


for displaying information about the coin sorter system


10


. The control panel


20


also includes keys


24


allowing the operator to enter information to the coin sorter system


10


. In an alternative embodiment of the coin sorter system


10


, the control panel


20


may also comprise a touch screen device which provides more versatility to the operator when inputting information to the coin sorter system


10


. In another alternative embodiment of the coin sorter system


10


, the display


22


and the keys


24


of the control panel


20


may be configured as illustrated in FIG.


2


.




In an alternative embodiment of the coin sorting system


10


, an operator may decide that the coin bins


15


are not needed and, instead, the sorted coins must be directed into the cash till of a typical cash register. Because the coins are sorted based on their diameters, not on their value, it is necessary to distribute the sorted coins into a pattern that coincides with the coin compartment locations in a cash till of a typical cash register. In the United States, the typical cash register has coin compartments in which coins are placed in a manner of increasing value. The typical cash till has only five coin compartments; yet, United States and Canadian currencies have six different coin denominations. Typically, cash register operators group two denominations of coins into a single compartment of the cash till drawer. For example, cash register operators in the United States often group the half-dollar and dollar coin into the same coin compartment. However, it is often preferable to segregate all six coin denominations.




To convert the coin sorter system


10


into a system which places coins into a till


30


of a standard retail cash register, the coin sorter system


10


includes a manifold


100


as shown in

FIGS. 2-5

. Referring specifically to

FIGS. 2 and 3

, because the coin sorter system


10


may have a width that is less than the typical cash till


30


, the coin sorter system


10


may include a conversion device


40


over the coin tray. The conversion device


40


is wide enough to allow the operator to insert the cash till


30


and directly dump the coins from the till


30


into the coin sorter system


10


for processing without having to worry about the coins being spilled onto the floor. The conversion device


40


essentially funnels the coins into an lower aperture that is about as wide as the coin tray.




Because of the relatively compact size of the coin sorter system


10


, it may be necessary to raise the coin sorter system


10


equipped with the manifold


100


off of the surface on which it rests with a structure


50


. The structure


50


may also be designed to receive cash till


30


and align the respective compartments of the cash till beneath the corresponding outlets of the manifold


100


. To aid in the quick alignment of the cash till


30


, the structure


50


is equipped with guides


52


. Additionally, raising the coin sorter system


10


allows a cash till


30


to be inserted in a reverse direction than what is shown in FIG.


2


. This may be beneficial because some countries use coin tills which are arranged with the increasing value of coins going form right to left, not left to right.




Referring specifically to

FIG. 4 and 5

, the manifold


100


includes six inlets


101


-


106


that receive sorted coins exiting from the coin sorter system


10


. For example, when manifold


100


is used with the United States coins set, inlet


101


receives dimes, inlet


102


receives pennies, inlet


103


receives nickels, inlet


104


receives quarters, inlet


105


receives dollars, and inlet


106


receives half-dollars. The coins are discharged from the manifold


100


though the corresponding outlets


121


-


125


. The outlets


121


-


125


are generally aligned along a straight line to discharge coins in the compartments of a cash till.





FIGS. 6 and 7

illustrate the internal structure of the manifold


100


. To place the coins in ascending value in a till


30


, it is necessary to rearrange the flow of these coins along their respective coin paths


111


-


115


. Accordingly, from the inlets


101


-


106


, the coins travel down particular coin paths


111


-


115


which lead to five outlets


121


-


125


. Using the United States coin set as an example, the dimes which enter inlet


101


are transported down path


111


to outlet


121


. Pennies enter inlet


102


and travel down path


112


to outlet


122


. Nickels enter inlet


103


and travel down path


113


to outlet


123


. Quarters enter inlet


104


and travel down path


114


to outlet


124


. Dollar coins enter inlet


105


and travel down path


115


to outlet


125


.




There are two options for the half-dollar coins. The manifold


100


may be equipped with a diverter


130


(

FIG. 6

) or a coin bin


132


(

FIG. 7

) for processing the coin with the largest diameter (e.g. the half-dollar coin). The function of the diverter


130


is to group the coins entering inlet


106


with those coins entering inlet


105


so that those coins are collectively discharged from the manifold


100


into the fifth compartment of the cash till. The function of the coin bin


132


is to receive and hold those coins entering inlet


106


thus segregating all six coin denominations. The diverter


130


and the coin bin


132


are interchangeable. The manifold


100


contains a slot


134


(

FIGS. 4 and 5

) located on the side of the manifold


100


to receive the diverter


130


and the coin bin


132


. The slot


134


is designed to allow the diverter


130


and the coin bin


132


to readily side in and out of the manifold


200


so that the diverter


130


can quickly be swapped with the coin bin


132


, or vice versa.




When the manifold


100


is equipped with the diverter


130


, coins entering inlet


106


are deflected off of angled surface


136


of the diverter


130


into path


115


. Thus, those coins entering inlet


106


are discharged though outlet


125


along with the other coin denomination entering inlet


105


passing through path


115


and exiting through outlet


125


. For example in the United States coins set, the manifold


100


equipped with diverter


130


would discharge dollar and half-dollar coins though outlet


125


.




When the manifold


100


is equipped with the coin bin


132


, the coin denomination having the largest diameter is allowed to fall though inlet


105


into the coin bin


132


. For example, in the United States coin set, dollar coins would be discharged though the outlet


125


and half-dollar coins would be discharged into the coin bin


132


. Whether an operator of the coin sorting system


10


decides to use the diverter


130


or the coin bin


132


with the manifold


100


would be a function of the types of coins encountered by the operator. For example, an operator who experiences a low volume of U.S. dollars and half-dollars may not require the separation of dollar and half-dollar coins. However, other users in other environments may find that the segregation of dollar and half-dollar coins is desirable. A retailer in Canada, where the largest diameter coins are the dollar coin and the two-dollar coin, might find the implementation of the coin bin


132


in the manifold


100


to be useful.




To summarize, the coin sorter system


10


is equipped with the manifold


100


and also possibly the structure


50


to elevate the coin sorter system


10


if needed. An operator can dump the coins from the cash till


30


directly into coin sorter system


10


through the conversion device


40


. The cash till


30


can be inserted into the structure


50


which properly aligns the cash till


30


under the manifold


100


. Depending on the desired sorting, the operator may either place the diverter


130


or the sixth coin bin


132


into the slot


134


of the manifold


100


. The operator then turns on the coin sorter system


10


and the coins are sorted and distributed into the till


30


, and the sixth coin bin


132


if that option was selected. This results in a very efficient procedure by which retail cash register operators (e.g. a grocery store clerk) inserts the entire day's worth of coins directly from the cash till


30


into the conversion device


40


, instructs the coin sorter system


10


to begin sorting which returns the coins to the till, and reads the value of the counted coins from the display


20


of the coin sorter system


10


to assist in verifying the amounts received in the till


30


during the day. This saves the operator from having to count each of the coins present in the till by hand. Likewise, the use of the coin sorter system


10


with the manifold


100


is also helpful at the beginning of the day when an operator takes a given amount of money in currency and coins to the cash register and must determine the initial starting amount present in the cash till


30


.




In an alternative embodiment of the coin sorting system


10


, an operator may decide that the coin bins


15


are not needed and, instead, the sorted coins must be directed into a segmental output receptacle


200


.

FIGS. 8-11

illustrate embodiments of a segmental output receptacle


200


for the coin sorting system


10


. The segmental output receptacle


200


is customizable to serve the particular application of the user. The segmental output receptacle


200


is placed under the coin sorter system


10


so that the segmental output receptacle


200


collects coins discharged from the coin sorter


10


.




The illustrated embodiment of the segmental output receptacle


200


has five dividers


202


creating six compartments


204


corresponding to the six denominations of coins in the United States and Canadian coin sets. The dividers


202


fit within any of the slots


206


. In alternative embodiments of the segmental output receptacle


200


, there may be any number of slots


206


to enable the creation of compartments


204


of a variety of sizes. Any combination of dividers


202


to slots


206


can be used to tailor the segmental output receptacles to the particular needs of the user. For example, vending machine operators that only deal in nickels, dimes, and quarters may desire to segment the output receptacle


200


into three compartments


204


by placing dividers


202


into the second and forth slots


206


. Another vending machine operator may primarily deal with quarters and only a small quantity of nickels and dimes. Accordingly, that operator may place two dividers


202


in the first and seconds slots


206


thus creating two small compartments


204


for the dimes and nickels, respectively, and a single large compartment


204


for the quarters. In other applications, an operator may simply want to know the aggregate value of the coins without having the coins segregated. In that situation, the operator would remove all of the dividers


202


from the segmental output receptacle


200


thus creating a single compartment


204


for the counted coins.




Referring to

FIGS. 12 and 13

, in another alternative embodiment of the segmental output receptacle


220


, various sized containers


222


are used rather than diverters


202


to create the compartments for the processed coins. The containers


222


are preferably rectangular in shape to fit squarely within the segmental output receptacle


220


. In one embodiment illustrated in

FIG. 12

, the output receptacle


220


can accommodate six containers


222


corresponding to the six denominations of coins in the United States and Canadian coin sets. In such an embodiment, each of the containers has an equal width. In other alternative embodiments, the containers can have any width; however, it is preferable that the combined width of the containers used approximately equals the width of the output receptacle


200


so that the containers


210


fit squarely within the output receptacle


200


. Such an embodiment is illustrated in

FIG. 13

wherein the segmental output receptacle


220


has three containers


222


of substantially equal width. Each of the containers


222


is preferably readily removable so that the operator can individually remove each of the containers


222


from the segmental output receptacle


220


in order to empty or replace the containers


222


. Any combination of the containers


222


can be used to tailor the segmental output receptacle


220


to the needs of the individual operator.




In still another alternative embodiment, the output receptacle contains coin bags rather than compartments


204


or containers


222


. In such an embodiment, the output receptacle is equipped with brackets to hold as many as six or as few as one coin bag in place.




In another alternative embodiment of the coin sorting system


300


, an operator may decide is necessary to package or bag coins. When packaging coins, a predetermined number of coins are stacked within a coin package which consists of hollow cylindrical package having an inner diameter which is substantially equal to the diameter of the coin denomination to be packaged. Accordingly, there are different sized coin packages for the different denominations of coins.





FIG. 14

illustrates an embodiment of a coin sorter system


300


that is capable of packaging or bagging coins. In order to package or bag coins, the coin sorter system


300


is equipped with a packaging device


302


and a bagging device


304


. In the illustrated embodiment, the coin sorting system


300


rests on an adjustable riser


306


. The adjustable riser


306


is used to vary the height of the coin sorting system


300


during the packaging process so the operator has enough room to insert coin packages and remove stacks of packaged coins from the wrapping device


302


. During the bagging process, it is preferable to adjust the height of the riser


306


so that the coin bag(s) is substantially standing upright while the bottom of the coin bag(s) rests upon a surface rather than hanging from the bagging device


304


. The height of the adjustable riser


306


is varied to accommodate different sized bags. If the bag(s) were allowed to simply hang from the bagging device


304


without the bottom portion of the bag(s) being supported, the weight of the coins collected in the bag(s) could cause the coin sorting system


300


to topple over. The coin wrapping device


302


comprises a bin


308


, a mount


310


, and a coin stacking/packaging tube


312


. The coin bin


308


is a modified coin bin


315


which was previously represented by reference number


15


in conjunction with other embodiments of the coin sorting system


300


. Because the coin bin


308


is similar to coin bin


315


, the packaging device


302


can be easily swapped with any of the coin bins


15


of the coin sorting system


10


(

FIG. 1

) or the coin bins


315


of the sorting system


300


(FIG.


14


). The coin bin


308


has a downwardly sloping interior bottom surface (not shown) to direct the coins, under the force of gravity, towards the mount


310


. The mount


310


connects the bin


308


and the coin stacking/packaging tube


312


. The mount


310


is fixedly attached to the coin bin


308


. Sorted coins are directed from the coin bin


308


through the mount


306


into the coin stacking/packaging tube


312


.




Prior to and during the actual operation of the coin sorting system


300


, a coin package is held within the coin stacking/packaging tube


312


by the operator. The coins flowing into the coin stacking/packaging tube


312


are aligned and then stacked within the coin package. The diameters of the coin stacking/packaging tube


312


and the diameter of the coin packages are dependent on the diameter of the denomination of coins to be packaged. Hence, a different sized coin stacking/packaging tube


312


is used for each coin denomination. The coin stacking/packaging tube


312


is readily detachable from the mount


310


so that different sized coin stacking/packaging tubes


312


can be used with each coin packaging device


302


. In an alternative embodiment, each coin stacking/packaging tube


312


is color-coded to correspond to each coin package for the respective coin denominations.




To summarize the operation of the coin sorting system


300


, the operator fills the device with coins and then holds an empty coin package within the coin stacking/packaging tube


312


. Once the coin sorting system


300


is started, pursuant to a preprogrammed mode of operation, a predetermined number of coins are stacked within the coin package held inside the coin stacking/packaging tube


312


. The system


300


then suspends operation while the operator removes the packaged coins from the coin stacking/packaging tube


308


and then inserts an empty coin package. The process is repeated until all of the coins in the batch are packaged.




Depending on the particular application, the operator may use the wrapping device


302


in conjunction with the bins


315


so that the coins are sorted and one coin denomination is also packaged. Alternatively, an operator can package coins already sorted by inputting into the coin sorting system


300


only one coin denomination. In another alternative embodiment, the coin sorting system


300


can be equipped with up to six packaging devices


302


so that up to six denominations of coins are wrapped.




As illustrated in

FIG. 14

, the coin sorter system


300


may also include a foot pedal


321


to aid the operation of the coin sorter system


300


. The foot pedal is connected to the coin sorter system


300


via a cable


322


though a suitable communications port (not shown). Pursuant to a preprogrammed mode of operation, the coin sorting system


300


suspends operation after a predetermined number of coins are delivered to the packaging device


302


. The operator may then use the foot pedal


321


to restart the machine after a package of coins is removed from the coin stacking/packaging tube


312


and an empty coin package is inserted. The pedal


321


frees the operator's hands for manipulating the coin packages and the packaged coins which allows coins to be processed more quickly. The foot peddle


321


is a time saving alternative to using the control panel


320


.




The foot pedal


321


may also be used in a similar manner in conjunction with coin bagging. The bagging device


304


includes a coin bin


324


attached to a bag mount


326


. The bag mount


326


provides a platform for attaching a bag clamping mechanism


328


. The bag mount also has an outlet


330


through which processed coins are discharged. The coin bin


324


is a modified coin bin


315


previously discussed in conjunction with other embodiments of the coin sorting system


300


. Because the coin bin


324


is similar to coin bin


315


, the bagging device


304


can be easily swapped with any of the coin bins


15


of the coin sorting system


10


(

FIG. 1

) or the coin bins


315


of the sorting system


300


(FIG.


14


). The coin bin


324


has a downwardly sloping interior bottom surface (not shown) to direct the coins, under the force of gravity, towards the outlet


330


. The mount


326


is fixedly attached to the coin bin


324


. Processed coins are directed from the coin bin


324


through the outlet


330


into a bag attached to the bagging device


304


.




The bag mount


326


includes a bag clamping mechanism


328


to securely attach a coin bag to the bagging device


304


. The bag clamping mechanism


328


allows a coin bag to be attached and removed with ease. In the illustrated embodiment, the bag mount


326


may include a grooved region


332


which receives a corresponding tongue (not shown) on the bag clamping mechanism


328


.




Depending on the application, coins are bagged in a variety of manners. In one embodiment, the coin sorter system


300


is equipped with six bagging devices


304


so that a batch of mixed coins is sorted into six coin bags corresponding to six denominations of coins. In an alternative embodiment, only one coin denomination is input into a coin sorter system


300


which is equipped with one bagging device


304


. In such an embodiment, a predetermined number of coins are discharged into one coin bag. The coin sorted system


300


suspends operation when each bag is full. The operator then removes the filled coin bag and attaches an empty bag to the bagging device


304


. This process is repeated until the entire batch of coins is bagged or otherwise processed. The foot pedal


321


may also be implemented to restart the coin sorting system


300


in order to expedite the process. In other alternative embodiments, any combination of bagging devices


304


and bins


315


may be used.




In an alternative embodiment, the coin sorting system


300


is capable of sorting up to eight different denominations of coins. Such a coin sorter system is disclosed by commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,395 entitled “High Speed Coin Sorter Having a Reduced Size,” previously incorporated herein by reference above. The coin sorting system


300


capable of sorting up to eight coin denominations has coin bins


340


,


342


to hold the seventh and eighth coin denominations. The packaging device


302


and bagging device


304


may also be used in conjunction with the coin sorting system


300


which is cable of sorting up to eight coin denominations. In such an embodiment, the coin sorting system is capable of packaging or bagging as few as one or as many as eight different denominations of coins at one time. The seventh and eighth coin bins


340


,


342


may be modified in a manner similar to coin bins


315


to accommodate the packaging and bagging devices.




While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms described, but, on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.



Claims
  • 1. A manifold for a coin sorting system that sorts a plurality of coins of mixed denominations, the manifold adapted to direct coins from the coin sorting system to a cash till, the manifold comprising:a structure having a plurality of coin paths, the coins paths being adapted to receive sorted coins from the coin sorting system, less than all of the plurality of the paths being adapted to distribute the coins to a cash till; and at least one coin compartment adapted to hold coins received from one of the plurality coin paths.
  • 2. The manifold of claim 1 wherein the plurality of coin paths comprises six coin paths.
  • 3. The manifold of claim 2 wherein the six coin paths comprise five permanent coin paths and one adjustable coins path, the five permanent coin paths having an inlet and a corresponding outlet, the outlets being generally aligned along a straight line.
  • 4. The manifold of claim 3 wherein the six coin paths receive coins sorted in order of diameter size, and wherein the five permanent coin paths distribute the coins to a cash till in increasing order of denominational value.
  • 5. The manifold of claim 1 wherein the at least one coin compartment receives the coin denomination having the largest diameter.
  • 6. A manifold for a coin sorting system that sorts a plurality of coins of mixed denominations, the manifold adapted to direct coins from the coin sorting system to a cash till having multiple coin compartments, the manifold comprising:six inlets adapted to receive coins of six denominations from a coin sorter; five permanent outlets corresponding to five of the six inlets, the five permanent outlets adapted to discharge coins into the coin compartments of the cash till; an adjustable slot region adapted to receive coins from one of the six inlets, the adjustable slot region adapted to receive a coin bin for receiving and holding coins, the adjustable slot region being adapted to receive a diverter for directing coins to one of the five permanent outlets.
  • 7. The manifold of claim 6 wherein the manifold further comprises a top surface, a bottom surface, and a side surface, wherein the six inlets inlet are disposed in the top surface of the manifold and the five permanent outlets are disposed in the bottom surface of the manifold, the five permanent outlets being generally aligned along a straight line.
  • 8. The manifold of claim 7 wherein the adjustable slot region is disposed within the side surface of the manifold.
  • 9. The manifold of claim 6 in combination with the diverter, the diverter further comprising an angled surface.
  • 10. The manifold of claim 6 in combination with the diverter, wherein the diverter directs the coin denomination having the largest diameter.
  • 11. The manifold of claim 6 in combination with the coin bin, wherein the coin bin receives and holds the coin denomination having the largest diameter.
  • 12. The manifold of claim 6 wherein the six inlets receive sorted coins in order of increasing size of diameter, and wherein the five permanent outlets discharge coins in order of increasing denomination value.
  • 13. A coin sorting system for sorting mixed coins of six denominations, wherein each of the six denominations has different sized diameters, and wherein the coin sorting system discharges the coins into a cash till having five coin receptacles, the coin sorting system comprising:a rotating disk for imparting motion to said coins; a structure for sorting the coins in communication with the rotating disk to sort the coins by denomination, the structure providing six coin exit channels for sorting and discharging sorted coins of six denominations, a manifold adapted to receive the sorted coins from the structure, the manifold having six inlets for receiving coins from a corresponding one of the six coin exit channels, the manifold having five permanent outlets adapted to discharge coins into the cash till, and one adjustable slot region, the adjustable slot region being adapted to receive a coin bin for receiving and holding coins, the adjustable slot region being adapted to receive a diverter for directing coins to one of the permanents outlets.
  • 14. The coin sorting system of claim 13 further comprising a platform to receive the cash till, the platform adapted to align the receptacles of the cash till with the corresponding permanent outlets of the manifold.
  • 15. The coin sorting system of claim 13 wherein the manifold further comprises a top surface, a bottom surface, and a side surface, wherein the six inlets are disposed in the top surface of the manifold and the five permanent outlets are disposed in the bottom surface of the manifold, the five permanent outlets being generally aligned along a straight line.
  • 16. The coin sorting system of claim 15 wherein the adjustable slot region is disposed within the side surface of the manifold.
  • 17. The coin sorting system of claim 13 in combination with the diverter, the diverter further comprising an angled surface.
  • 18. The coin sorting system of claim 13 in combination with the diverter, wherein the diverted directs the coin denomination having the largest diameter.
  • 19. The coin sorting system of claim 13 in combination with the coins bin, wherein the coin bin receives and holds the coin denomination having the largest diameter.
  • 20. The coin sorting system of claim 13 wherein the six inlets receives sorted coins in order of increasing size of diameter, and wherein the five permanent outlets discharge coins in order of increasing denomination value.
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