In general, a coin handling apparatus which determines authenticity of thrown coins to selectively store genuine coins according to denomination, and pays out the selectively stored coins as changes is mounted inside an apparatus such as a vending machine, a money-changer, and a service apparatus.
A detachable coin storage cassette (coin storage cassette, hereinafter) mounted to this coin handling apparatus is detachable to the coin handling apparatus, and is mainly constituted by a unit tube formed of a plurality of coin tubes which are arranged linearly and in parallel and have respectively different inner diameters, a coin base adhered to a lower region of the unit tube with screws, etc., and a payout slide which is slidably supported between the lower edge of the unit tube and the coin base and extracts the coins positioned in the lowest bottom layers of the plurality coin tubes one by one.
This coin storage cassette furthermore comprises latching mechanism for locking the upper portion of the coin storage cassette to the coin handling apparatus main body or releasing the upper portion from the main body, and a handle formed in the front face of the coin storage cassette so that fingers are inserted into the handle and hooked at the time of removing and mounting, and, the coin storage cassette can be removed while the coin handling apparatus is kept mounted to the apparatus, by the operation of the latching mechanism for releasing the connection between the coin handling apparatus main body and the coin storage cassette.
In contrast, in some conventional coin handling apparatuses, malfunction of coin handling apparatuses caused by human errors are prevented by arranging two detection means for detecting the setting state and the type of the coin storage cassette in the apparatus main body.
Furthermore, full state detection means having a lever protruding at the upper edge inside the coin tube is further arranged so that it can be detected when the coins stored inside the coin tube are full.
By the way, a coin storage cassette piles and stores coins in the above unit tube according to each denomination, and thus, exclusive coin tubes formed with the size according to the diameter and thickness of each stored denomination are respectively required.
Therefore, in the case of conventional coin storage cassettes, when they were used in various countries in the world where coin diameters were varied, or when combination of applied denomination was changed according to the purpose, as many integratedly formed unit tubes having respectively different inner diameters as the number of the corresponding countries and the purposes had to be manufactured.
Also, in the case of coin handling apparatus already mounted to a vending machine, etc. and used, when acceptable coins had to be changed, an integratedly formed unit tube having the inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the changed coin had to be newly manufactured. These issues were the reasons for the increase of the cost for manufacturing coin handling apparatuses.
In contrast, instead of independently manufacturing integratedly formed unit tubes, it is technically known to store various coins by mounting a spacer inside the coin tube so that the inner diameter of the coin tube is changed.
For example, it is technically known to change the inner dimeter of the coin tube by inserting a cylindrical shaped adapter tube having a flange at its upper edge into each coin tube (Patent document 1: Japanese Patent No. 3672705).
However, in the art in Patent document 1, the adapter tube entirely covers the inner wall face of the coin tube at the mount reception side, and thus, a conventional coin handling apparatus fails to allow a lever of the full state detection means to intrude into the coin tube. Therefore, the coin handling apparatus main body needs to be improved.
Moreover, in the art in Patent document 1, due to the lack of means for restricting the upward movement of the adapter tube, unless the adapter tube is securely mounted to the coin tube, the coins may not be aligned and stored inside the coin tube and a payout failure may occur.
On the other hand, as an art in which the inner wall face of the coin tube is not entirely covered, it is technically known to guide stored coins toward the full state detection sensor side by the use of a spacer having a half-moon shaped cross section (Patent document 2: Japanese Patent No. 4242786). This art allows the distance between the store coins and the full state detection sensor to be maintained even after the spacer is mounted and, thereby the full state detection sensor can detect the stored coins.
However, in the art in the Patent document 2, since the spacer is mounted with an L-shaped hook, unless the spacer is securely mounted, the coins may not be aligned and stored inside the coin tube and a payout failure may occur.
Also, when coins with smaller diameter are guided toward the side where the full state detection sensor is arranged, the coins with small diameter are caught while standing at the hole for paying out coins, arranged in the coin base on the side where the full state sensor is arranged, and thereby, a coin payout failure may occur.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds