Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6196913
-
Patent Number
6,196,913
-
Date Filed
Thursday, December 23, 199925 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, March 6, 200123 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
- Olszewski; Robert P.
- Jaketic; Bryan
Agents
- Cummins-Allison Corp.
- Rudisill; Stephen G.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 235 7 R
- 235 7 A
- 235 10
-
International Classifications
-
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.
US Referenced Citations (21)
Foreign Referenced Citations (7)
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Date |
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CH |
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GB |