Patent Application
20130065497
The following disclosure relates generally to systems, apparatuses and methods for preventing debris from entering a coin counting machine.
A variety of machines that sort coins have been patented. One such machine, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,848 to David Goh, uses two methods to sort coins, both methods based on the diameter of the coins. In this machine the coins are loaded into a hopper. A rotating wheel feeds the coins individually onto an inclined ramp. The coins roll down the ramp with their rear surfaces resting against a support surface. Specific denominations are selected when they fall through slots of varying size located in the support surface. Specific denominations are also selected using peeler knives that are arranged at different distances from the ramp surface. These knives topple the coins from the ramp into bins. Using both techniques allows a short ramp to be employed. Another type of machine, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,059,122 to Yoshio Kinoshita, counts the number of coins according to denomination after sorting the coins.
A number of counting and sorting devices are deficient for various reasons. Many devices, while having some form of waste control device, have been unsuccessful in completely controlling waste that may be mixed in with the coins. As a result, many previous devices are only suitable for operation by an experienced or skilled operator and are not suitable for use by members of the general public, who may be less careful about including foreign or waste material among the coins. In particular, many previous devices were designed to admit coins into the counting device at such a rate that it was not possible for each coin to be individually exposed to the waste control device, i.e., such that some coins may block others from the waste control system.
Some counting/sorting devices have a complicated or ineffective mechanism to control the flow of coins so that it is difficult or expensive to prevent unacceptably high surges of coin flow from jamming or otherwise overwhelming the sorting/counting mechanism. Some devices were designed to permit only a slow entry of coins into the counting/sorting mechanism, but in some cases, this was done at the expense of the ability to accommodate a high volume of coins and/or resulted in unacceptably slow operation.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a device that receives an arbitrary number of coins, i.e., that does not require insertion of an exact minimum amount, and that converts the value of the coins from the inconvenient medium of coins to a more convenient medium. It would be further advantageous to provide a device that provides for effective and efficient waste management such that the device can be used by the ordinary consumer without jamming or damaging the machine. It would also be advantageous to provide for a device which accommodates a high volume or flow of coins without permitting surges of coin flow that can interfere with the counting/sorting and/or waste management systems, that does not have complicated electro/mechanical machinery and, preferably, that takes advantage of a gravity mechanism. It would also be useful to provide a device that efficiently and conveniently delivers the sorted coins in a standard sized coin bag that is conveniently accessible.
The following disclosure describes apparatuses, systems, and methods for separating coins from unwanted debris. In particular embodiments, a vane is spaced apart from a portion of a coin track by a predetermined distance. The vane will strike debris larger than the predetermined distance to remove it from the track and will permit coins thinner than the predetermined distance to pass along the track for further handling.
Certain details are set forth in the following description and in
The coin sorting assembly 200 can also include a debris diverter 250. In particular embodiments, the debris diverter 250 includes a motor 252, a mounting bracket 254, a bobbin 258, and a plurality of vanes 260 extending from the bobbin 258. The mounting bracket 254 can hold the debris diverter 250 in position relative to a portion of the track 218. The bobbin 258 and vanes 260 can move relative to the track 218 to permit coins 225 to pass along the track 218 and to prevent other objects from moving along the track 218 in a manner described in more detail below.
The bobbin 258 can be driven by the motor 252. The motor 252 can be any of a variety of suitable types of motors, including a DC electric motor. With the bobbin 258 and the vanes 260 in position relative to the track 218, the motor 252 can be activated when the assembly 200 is in operation and when coins 225 are moving along the track 218 to rotate the vanes 260 relative to the coins 225 and to the track 218. For example, the debris diverter 250 can be part of a coin sorting assembly 200 (
In some embodiments, the motor 252 rotates the bobbin 258 at such a rate that at least one vane 260 will strike each coin 225 passing along the track 218 at an assumed maximum coin rate. In other embodiments, the rotational speed of the bobbin 258 is such that two or more vanes 260 pass over each coin 225 moving along the track 218 at an assumed maximum coin rate. In any of these embodiments, the coin rate and the dimensions of the bobbin 258 and of the vanes 260 can factor into the design of the bobbin 258. For example, a larger bobbin 258 diameter will typically require a lower rotational speed. The number of vanes 260 and the pitch and spacing of the vanes 260 can also factor into the determination of rotational speed.
The predetermined distance d between the vanes 260 and the portion of the track 218 is generally defined by a minimum distance between the vanes 260 and the rear surface 219 of the track 218. For example, in embodiments in which the vanes 260 move in a circular path, the distance d can be expressed as a difference between the radius of the circular path and the distance between a central axis of the bobbin 258 and the rear surface 219 of the portion of the track 218. In other embodiments in which the vanes 260 have a different movement pattern, the distance d can be measured differently. The distance d can be adjusted by moving the mounting bracket 254 relative to the track 218. This allows the debris diverter 250 to accept coins 225 having different thicknesses, such as in countries with different currencies, or for sorting other objects (e.g., bottle caps).
The bobbin 258 can rotate with the vanes 260 passing counter to the flow of coins 225 along the track 218 (which is into the page). In other embodiments, the bobbin 258 can rotate in the opposite direction. In some embodiments, the bobbin 258 has a cylindrical shape and the vanes 260 are helical vanes extending along the length of the bobbin 258 and at least partially encircling the bobbin 258. The helical vanes 260 can have a pitch 8 of approximately 30°. The vanes 260 can have an upward-facing surface 331 and an opposing downward-facing surface 332. The bobbin 258 and vanes 260 can move with the upward-facing surface 331 leading and the downward-facing surface 332 trailing. When oriented as shown, the upward-facing surface 331 of the vanes 260 lifts debris upward and out of the track 218.
The illustrated embodiment includes a cylindrical bobbin 258 that moves the vanes 260 in a circular path. In other embodiments, the debris diverter 250 includes other bobbin shapes and motor configurations that move the vanes 260 differently. For example, the bobbin 258 can be shaped to move the vanes 260 in a linear path or an elliptical path. The vanes 260 can move relative to the track 218 so that periodically the vanes 260 pass over the track 218 while spaced from the portion of the track 218 by the predetermined distance d.
In other embodiments, the bobbin 258 has other shapes. For example, in some embodiments the bobbin 258 has a triangular, square, hexagonal, or other polygonal cross-sectional shape. The corners of the polygonal shapes can form vanes and operate to divert debris similar to the vanes 260 discussed above. The polygonal shape of the bobbin 258 can be helical or not. In still further embodiments, more than one bobbin 258 can be used. For example, a second bobbin (not shown) can be positioned with a central axis perpendicular to the first bobbin 258 and can stop debris taller than a predetermined height from passing along the track 218 while allowing coins smaller than the predetermined height to pass. In other embodiments, a second bobbin can have the same orientation as the first bobbin 258 and can accordingly provide redundancy with the first bobbin 258.
The foregoing description of embodiments of the invention is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosed technology to the precise embodiments disclosed. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described herein for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as those of ordinary skill in the relevant art will recognize. For example, although certain functions may be described in the present disclosure in a particular order, in alternate embodiments these functions can be performed in a different order or substantially concurrently, without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the teachings of the present disclosure can be applied to other systems, not only the representative coin sorting systems described herein. Further, various aspects of the invention described herein can be combined to provide yet other embodiments.
All of the references cited herein are incorporated in their entireties by reference. Accordingly, aspects of the invention can be modified, if necessary or desirable, to employ the systems, functions, and concepts of the cited references to provide yet further embodiments of the invention. These and other changes can be made to the invention in light of the above-detailed description. In general, the terms used in the following claims should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification, unless the above-detailed description explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope of the invention encompasses the disclosed embodiments and all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the invention under the claims.
Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to.” Words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number respectively. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below,” and words of similar import, when used in this application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. When the claims use the word “or” in reference to a list of two or more items, that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments of the disclosed technology have been described herein for purposes of illustration, but that various modifications may be made without deviating from the invention. For example, the vanes can be integral with the bobbin, or can be initially separate and joined to the bobbin. The vanes can be formed of multiple individual projections, rather than single continuous projections. Alternatively, the vanes and bobbin can be any suitable shape that, as the bobbin and vanes rotate, a distance between the outermost extent of the vanes and bobbin varies between a predetermined distance and a larger distance. More particularly, the predetermined distance is approximately equal to a largest acceptable size, such as a largest expected coin for a coin counting and sorting machine. Certain aspects of the invention described in the context of particular embodiments may be combined or eliminated in other embodiments. Further, while advantages associated with certain embodiments of the disclosed technology have been described in the context of those embodiments, other embodiments may also exhibit such advantages, and not all embodiments need necessarily exhibit such advantages to fall within the scope of the disclosed technology. Accordingly, the disclosure and associated technology can encompass other embodiments not expressly shown or described herein.
