Token purchasing device

• US 20040124063A1
• Filed: 09/18/2003
• Published: 07/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Asahi Seiko CO., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Asahi Seiko CO., Ltd.
• Inventors: Tezuka, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,258,220 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 194/241
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 1/04 dispensing change equal to a sum deposited
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/16 wherein the use of two or more coins or an equivalent single coin is optional for each transaction; wherein the use of two or more coins or an alternative equivalent combination of coins is optional for each transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/24 with change-giving
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/04 by paper currency

Abstract

A token purchasing device that can automatically change the number of tokens purchased for a given price based on time, date, and day of the week information. The token purchasing device includes a banknote accepting unit for accepting a banknote and outputting a banknote value signal based on the denomination of the accepted banknote, a clock unit for outputting the current time and date information, a control unit for computing the number of tokens for dispensing, and a token dispensing unit. The control unit is configured to store a predetermined set of days or a range of times from a start time to an end time defining a special purchasing mode. The control unit can automatically change the number of tokens purchased when the current time and date is within the programmed parameters for the special purchasing mode.

Claims

1. A token purchasing device including

a banknote accepting unit for accepting a banknote and determining the denomination of the accepted banknote, the banknote accepting unit outputting a banknote value signal based on the denomination of the accepted banknote;

p1 a control unit for receiving the banknote value signal, the control unit outputting a token dispensing signal based on the banknote value signal; and

a token dispensing unit for storing and dispensing tokens based on the token dispensing signal, the improvement comprising;

a clock unit for outputting the current time information;

a dispensing number setting unit for setting the dispensing number of tokens from the token dispenser, the dispensing number being determined based on the current time and date information from the clock unit;

a display unit for displaying the dispensing number; and

a dispensing number changing unit for changing the dispensing number based on the current time and the current dispensing number,

wherein the dispensing number is changed for both the display unit and the token dispensing unit.

2. The token purchasing device of claim 1,

wherein the clock unit includes date information and hour information for use by the dispensing number setting unit.

3. A token purchasing device, comprising:

a banknote accepting unit for accepting banknotes and outputting a banknote value signal based on the denomination of the accepted banknote;

a clock unit for outputting the current time information;

a control unit for receiving the banknote value signal from the banknote accepting unit and the current time information from the clock unit, the control unit storing a predetermined range of times from a start time to an end time, the control unit computing and outputting a token dispensing signal corresponding to a predetermined quantity of tokens, the predetermined quantity of tokens being a first quantity of tokens when the current time is within the predetermined range of times, the predetermined quantity of tokens being a second quantity of tokens when the current time is not within the predetermined range of times, the first quantity of tokens being greater than the second quantity of tokens; and

a token dispensing unit for dispensing the predetermined quantity of tokens based on the token dispensing signal from the control unit,

wherein the token dispensing signal is automatically changed based on the current time information from the clock unit.

4. The token purchasing device of claim 3,

wherein the clock unit includes current date information and current hour information, and

wherein the control unit stores a predetermined day information and predetermined hour information, the token dispensing signal being automatically changed based on the current day and current hour information.

5. The token purchasing device of claim 3, further comprising:

a display unit for displaying the current purchasing mode and user selections, the display unit receiving signals from the control unit; and

a touch screen unit for receiving a command from a user, the command from the user indicating the quantity of tokens purchased in the current purchasing mode, the touch screen unit outputting the command from the user to the control unit.

6. The token purchasing device of claim 3, further comprising:

a pseudorandom number generator for indicating the predetermined range of times from a start time to an end time.

7. The token purchasing device of claim 3, further comprising:

a speaker connected to the control unit, the speaker for emitting an audible announcement, the audible announcement being an indication of the availability of a special purchasing mode,

wherein a user can purchase a greater quantity of tokens for a predetermined banknote value.

8. The token purchasing device of claim 3, further comprising:

a coin dispensing unit for dispensing coins,

wherein the coin dispenser can dispense a predetermined quantity of coins with a value corresponding to the difference between the value of the banknote accepted and the value of the quantity of tokens dispensed.

9. The token purchasing device of claim 3, further comprising:

a smart card accepting unit for accepting a smart card, the smart card conveying a predetermined value, the smart card accepting unit reading the value from the smart card and outputting a smart card value signal,

wherein the control unit receives the smart card value signal from the smart card accepting unit, the control unit computing a token dispensing signal corresponding to a predetermined quantity of tokens.

10. The token purchasing device of claim 5,

wherein the touch screen unit is in a plane parallel to and overlapping a predetermined portion of the display unit.

11. The token purchasing device of claim 5,

wherein the display unit is a liquid crystal display, a cathode ray tube, a fluorescent character display tube, or a plasma display panel.

12. A method of purchasing tokens, comprising:

receiving a banknote and calculating the value of the banknote based on the denomination;

determining the current time;

calculating a predetermined quantity of tokens for dispensing corresponding to the value of the banknote received and the current time,

wherein the predetermined quantity of tokens is automatically changed from a first quantity of tokens to a second quantity of tokens when the current time is within a predetermined range of time values, the second quantity of tokens being higher than the first quantity of tokens; and

dispensing the predetermined quantity of tokens.

13. A machine-readable medium having one or more instructions for banknote

accepting and token dispensing, which when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a banknote value signal from a banknote accepting unit indicating the denomination of an accepted banknote;

receiving the current date and time from a clock unit;

calculating a predetermined quantity of tokens corresponding to the banknote value signal and the date and time from the clock unit; and

dispensing the predetermined quantity of tokens.