Anti-fraud coin chute device

• US 5,906,260 A
• Filed: 07/03/1997
• Issued: 05/25/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Goodrich, Robert Ray
• Primary Examiner(s): Bartuska, F. J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jaketic, Bryan J.
• Application Number:
  US08/888,227
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• Field of Search: 194/203, 83/588, 83/600
• US Class Current: 194/203
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 1/043 Cutting or trapping of the flexible member or the attached coin
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/8785 Through return [noncutting] stroke

Abstract

A coin telephone instrument is provided with a string cutter positioned to intercept and cut the string of a tethered coin deposited by a fraudulent user. The deposited, tethered coin follows the usual serpentine path of the coin chute, along a coin chute guide. However, a "cusp" in the coin path facilitates the cutting of the string, when it is pulled back by the fraudulent user. Pulling back on the string causes it to leave the serpentine coin chute path and to enter a gap between the coin chute path and the door of the telephone instrument. The tethered coin remains in the coin chute. Once the string has entered the gap between the door of the telephone instrument it encounters the jaws of the string cutter where any further pulling of the string will cause it to be cut by a scissoring action of the jaws. The coin is then free to continue its normal drop through the coin path, being retained in the coin box safe if genuine or rejected if counterfeit but, in either event, preventing fraudulent use of the coin telephone.

Claims

1. A coin chute apparatus having, in combination, a coin chute intended to receive a coin deposited in a coin slot, said chute defining a serpentine path for said coin, and door forming a part of said chute, said door being leverable to release a deposited coin from said chute;

the improvement comprising;

a string cutter including a pair of scissor blades forming jaws adapted to cut a string attached to a coin deposited in said slot, and

a guide positioned in said path, said guide forming a gap with said door when closed, said gap being thinner than the thinnest coin allowed to be used with said coin chute but wide enough to admit said string;

said guide being adapted to direct said string into said gap to actuate said cutter jaws when said string is pulled in a direction opposite to that in which the coin is deposited.

2. An anti-fraud coin chute apparatus for disabling a tethered coin from operating said apparatus, comprising:

a main body having a coin slot for receiving a coin and coin chute having a pair of walls for directing therebetween the gravity-induced fall of said coin along a serpentine path within said main body;

a door hinged to said main body closable to cover said coin chute, said door being leverable to release a coin from said chute, said door when closed leaving a gap between said pair of walls of said chute and said door, said gap being dimensioned to be thinner than the thinnest coin for which said apparatus is to be used; and

a cutter interposed in said gap for intercepting and cutting said tether, said cutter including a pair of spring loaded scissor blade jaws adapted to be closed by the pulling of said tether in a direction opposite to that in which said coin is deposited.

3. An anti-fraud coin chute apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said walls include a projecting cusp for directing said string into cutter.

4. An anti-fraud coin chute apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said blades are spring loaded to remain open until said string is directed into said jaw of said cutter.