Coin-operated item vending and game apparatus housing with foreign object removal-enabling means

• US 7,516,831 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2006
• Issued: 04/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kil Jae Chang
• Original Assignee: Kil Jae Chang
• Inventors: Chang, Kil Jae
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAPIRO, JEFFERY A
• Application Number:
  US11/335,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20070108014A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 194/293, 194/317, 194/344, 194/347, 194/352, 221120-123, 221/217, 221/218, 221220-223, 221/273, 273/355, 273/383, 273/399, 273/448, 463/48
• US Class Current: 194/347
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 1/041 with means, other than for testing currency, for dealing with inserted foreign matter, e.g. "stuffing", "stringing" or "salting"

Abstract

Foreign object removal-enabling features in a coin-operated item vending and game apparatus housing include a shallow V-shaped guard wall extending between a pair of opposing sidewalls of a lower end portion of the housing, a pair of openings each in one of the opposing sidewalls adjacent opposite ends of the guard wall, and another opening in a front wall of the housing below and in front of the guard wall. The guard wall is positioned to block debris, such as pieces of paper, from traveling on a path to a coin slot of a coin deposit while providing a slot in the guard wall for permitting a coin to pass through the guard wall to the coin slot. The wall openings will permit insertion a tweezers or other tool therethrough enable the debris removal.

Claims

1. A game module for a coin-operated item vending machine, said game module comprising:

(a) a housing including a lower housing portion and one slot defined in said lower housing portion for permitting discharge of the coin from said housing; and

(b) means for enabling removal of a foreign object from within said housing, said removal-enabling means including

(i) a guard wall positioned within said housing above said one slot and extending across a path of travel of the coin to said one slot such that said guard wall can stop a foreign object from traveling on a portion of said path of travel from an upstream side to a downstream side of said guard wall and therefrom to said one slot, said guard wall also including another slot having a maximum dimension greater than a maximum dimension of the coin for permitting the coin to pass through said guard wall from said upstream side to said downstream side thereof and therefrom to said one slot, and

(ii) at least one opening defined in said housing adjacent one end of said guard wall and said upstream side of said guard wall such that said one opening will permit withdrawal of the foreign object from said housing, said one opening having a maximum dimension less than the maximum dimension of the coin such that the coin cannot be withdrawn from said housing through said one opening.

2. The game module of claim 1 wherein said guard wall has a generally upright lower segment and a forwardly and upwardly inclined upper segment merging from said lower segment.

3. The game module of claim 2 wherein said another slot is defined in said upright lower segment of said guard wall.

4. The game module of claim 1 wherein said lower and upper segments of said guard wall together define a shallow V-shaped angular configuration in cross-section.

5. The game module of claim 1 wherein said housing has multiple walls define a funnel-shaped configuration, said guard wall extending across and interconnecting said multiple walls.

6. The game module of claim 1 wherein said housing has a pair of spaced apart opposite side walls, said guard wall extending between and connected at opposite ends to said side walls.

7. The game module of claim 6 wherein said one opening is defined in one of said side walls of said housing.

8. The game module of claim 6 wherein said removal-enabling means includes another opening, said one and another openings being each defined in one of said side walls of said housing.

9. The game module of claim 1 wherein said removal-enabling means further includes a second opening in said housing below and spaced from said downstream side of said guard wall such that said second opening permits withdrawal of a foreign object from said housing which passed through said another slot in said guard wall.

10. The game module of claim 9 wherein said housing has multiple walls defining a funnel-shaped configuration, said guard wall extending across and interconnecting said multiple walls, said second opening being defined in one of said multiple walls spaced from and at least partially below said guard wall.

11. A game module for a coin-operated item vending machine, said game module comprising:

(a) a housing including

(i) an upper housing portion,

(ii) a first slot defined in said upper housing portion for permitting entry of a coin of a predetermined size into said housing,

(iii) a lower housing portion, and

(iv) a second slot defined in said lower housing portion spaced below said first slot for permitting discharge of the coin from said housing after the coin has traversed within said housing along a path of travel from said first slot to said second slot; and

(b) means for enabling removal of a foreign object from within said housing, said removal-enabling means including

(i) a guard wall positioned within said housing below said first slot and above said second slot and extending across said path of travel of the coin such that said guard wall can stop a foreign object from traveling on a portion of said path of travel from an upstream side to a downstream side of said guard wall and therefrom to said second slot, said guard wall also including a third slot having a maximum dimension greater than a maximum dimension of the coin for permitting the coin to pass through said guard wall from said upstream side to said downstream side thereof and therefrom to said second slot, and

(ii) at least one first opening defined in said housing adjacent one end of said guard wall and said upstream side of said guard wall such that said first opening will permit withdrawal of the foreign object from said housing, said first opening having a maximum dimension less than the maximum dimension of the coin such that the coin cannot be withdrawn from said housing through said first opening.

12. The game module of claim 11 wherein said guard wall has a generally upright lower segment and a forwardly and upwardly inclined upper segment merging from said lower segment.

13. The game module of claim 12 wherein said third slot is defined in said upright lower segment of said guard wall.

14. The game module of claim 11 wherein said lower and upper segments of said guard wall together define a shallow V-shaped angular configuration in cross-section.

15. The game module of claim 11 wherein said lower housing portion has multiple walls define a funnel-shaped configuration, said guard wall extending across and interconnecting said multiple walls.

16. The game module of claim 11 wherein said lower housing portion has a pair of spaced apart opposite side walls, said guard wall extending between and connected at opposite ends to said side walls.

17. The game module of claim 16 wherein said at least one first opening is defined in one of said side walls of said housing.

18. The game module of claim 16 wherein said removal-enabling means includes a pair of said first openings each defined in one of said side walls of said housing.

19. The game module of claim 11 wherein said removal-enabling means further includes a second opening in said housing below and spaced from said downstream side of said guard wall such that said second opening permits withdrawal of a foreign object from said housing which passed through said third slot in said guard wall.

20. The game module of claim 19 wherein said lower housing portion has multiple walls defining a funnel-shaped configuration, said guard wall extending across and interconnecting said multiple walls, said second opening being defined in one of said multiple walls spaced from and at least partially below said guard wall.