Coin processing systems, methods and devices

• US 8,545,295 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2011
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Inventors: Blake, John R., Hallowell, Curtis W., Krbec, Marianne, Jones, William J., Adams, Thomas P.
• Primary Examiner(s): BEAUCHAINE, MARK J
• Application Number:
  US13/327,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20120156976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 453/4, 453/16, 453/18, 194/344, 194/346, 194/350, 194/353, 193/2.R, 193/22, 193/DIG.1, 232/1.D, 232/4.R, 232/5, 232/44, 232/55, 232/64, 232/65, 232/66, 141/10, 141/250, 141/297, 141/313, 141/314, 141/315, 141/316, 141/331, 141/333, 141/334, 902/8, 902/9, 902/30
• US Class Current: 453/4
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 39/06 adapted to support containers or wrappers
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 67/12 Sack holders, i.e. stands or frames with means for supporting sacks in the open condition to facilitate filling with articles or materials nozzles, funnels or guides adapted to support sacks B65B39/06
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 67/1238 Inserts or external supports, e.g. baskets, for stiffening sacks in the open condition
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 13/00 Handling of coins or of valuable papers, characterised by a combination of mechanisms not covered by a single one of groups G07D1/00 - G07D11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 3/128 Rotary devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 3/16 in combination with coin-counting
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 9/008 Feeding coins from bulk

Abstract

Systems, methods and devices for processing coins are presented herein. A coin processing system is disclosed which includes a housing with a coin input area for receiving a batch of coins, a controller with a communication interface operatively attached to the housing, and a coin processing unit for counting, discriminating, and/or valuing coins received from the coin input area. The coin processing system also includes a mobile coin receptacle removably disposed within the housing and configured to receive coins from the coin processing unit. The mobile coin receptacle is configured to wirelessly communicate information to the communication interface of the controller. The mobile coin receptacle can include one or more electrical contacts that mate with one or more electrical contacts on the housing to wirelessly communicate the information.

Claims

1. A coin processing system for processing and transmitting coins to one or more coin bags, the coin processing system comprising:

a housing with a coin input area configured to receive a batch of coins;

a coin processing unit operatively coupled to the coin input area, the coin processing unit being configured to count, discriminate, sort, value, or any combination thereof, coins received from the coin input area;

a wheeled trolley removably disposed within the housing, the wheeled trolley including a base and a removable coin receptacle sleeve supported by the base, the wheeled trolley being configured to receive at least some of the coins output from the coin processing unit, the wheeled trolley including a first electrical contact; and

a controller with a communication interface operatively attached to the housing, the communication interface including a second electrical contact configured to wirelessly communicate electrical signals with the first electrical contact of the wheeled trolley,

wherein the base of the wheeled trolley includes the first electrical contact, and the removable coin receptacle sleeve includes a third electrical contact configured to cooperate with the first electrical contact to thereby wirelessly communicate to the communication interface of the controller via the second electrical contact a signal indicative of at least one of the presence or absence of a coin bag on the wheeled trolley.

2. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein the removable coin receptacle sleeve has an upper portion adjacent a lower portion, at least the lower portion of the removable coin receptacle sleeve being configured to fit inside the coin bag, at least the upper portion of the removable coin receptacle sleeve being configured to extend out of the coin bag such that a full coin height to which coins can be fed into the removable coin receptacle sleeve is above a bag height of the coin bag.

3. The coin processing system of claim 2, wherein the upper portion has a first volume and the lower portion has a second volume smaller than the first volume.

4. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein the removable coin receptacle sleeve includes an elongated hollow tubular body with a first opening having a first size at an upper end of the tubular body, and a second opening having a second size at a lower end of the tubular body, the first size being larger than the second size.

5. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein the removable coin receptacle sleeve is configured to maintain the received coins within a confined footprint.

6. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein the removable coin receptacle sleeve is configured to provide a generally rigid internal geometry to the coin bag.

7. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein the removable coin receptacle sleeve includes a sleeve deflector configured to change a trajectory of the coins received from the coin processing unit.

8. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein the removable coin receptacle sleeve includes a handle extending across an opening in the top of the coin receptacle sleeve, the handle being configured to maintain the opening at a constant width.

9. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein the wheeled trolley includes one or more receptacle sleeve clamps configured to secure the coin receptacle sleeve to the base and support the coin receptacle sleeve in an upright position.

10. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein the first electrical contact includes a pair of contact plates mounted to the base and connected by a resistor, and the third electrical contact includes a pair of contact strips each mounted to a respective side of the removable coin receptacle sleeve, and wherein, in the absence of a coin bag, each of the contact plates is configured to abut a respective one of the contact strips thereby completing an electrical path therebetween.

11. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein the wheeled trolley includes a plurality of coin receptacle sleeves, the coin processing system further comprising a coin diverting mechanism configured to switchably direct coins received from the coin processing unit to a selected one or ones of the plurality of coin receptacle sleeves.

12. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein the wheeled trolley includes at least one of an RFID device, a bar code, a sonar device, and a Hall Effect device to wirelessly communicate the information to the communication interface of the controller.

13. A coin processing system for processing and transmitting coins to one or more coin bags, the coin processing system comprising:

a housing with a coin input area configured to receive a batch of coins;

a coin processing unit operatively coupled to the coin input area, the coin processing unit being configured to count, discriminate, sort, value, or any combination thereof, coins received from the coin input area;

a wheeled trolley removably disposed within the housing, the wheeled trolley including a base and a removable coin receptacle sleeve supported by the base, the wheeled trolley being configured to receive at least some of the coins output from the coin processing unit, the wheeled trolley including a first electrical contact; and

a controller with a communication interface operatively attached to the housing, the communication interface including a second electrical contact configured to wirelessly communicate electrical signals with the first electrical contact of the wheeled trolley,

wherein the removable coin receptacle sleeve includes an additional electrical contact configured to cooperate with the second electrical contact operatively attached to the housing to thereby wirelessly communicate to the communication interface of the controller a signal indicative of at least one of a presence or a position of the removable coin receptacle sleeve relative to the housing.

14. The coin processing system of claim 13, wherein the removable coin receptacle sleeve includes a handle, the housing includes a coin manifold, the additional electrical contact includes a pair of contact plates mounted to the handle, the second electrical contact includes a pair of springs mounted to the coin manifold, and wherein, when the wheeled trolley is functionally received by the housing, each of the contact plates touches a respective one of the springs thereby completing an electrical path therebetween.

15. A coin processing system for processing and transmitting coins to one or more coin bags, the coin processing system comprising:

a housing with a coin input area configured to receive a batch of coins;

a coin processing unit operatively coupled to the coin input area, the coin processing unit being configured to count, discriminate, sort, value, or any combination thereof, coins received from the coin input area;

a wheeled trolley removably disposed within the housing, the wheeled trolley including a base and a removable coin receptacle sleeve supported by the base, the wheeled trolley being configured to receive at least some of the coins output from the coin processing unit, the wheeled trolley including a first electrical contact; and

a controller with a communication interface operatively attached to the housing, the communication interface including a second electrical contact configured to wirelessly communicate electrical signals with the first electrical contact of the wheeled trolley,

wherein the removable coin receptacle sleeve includes a third electrical contact configured to cooperate with the second electrical contact to thereby wirelessly communicate to the communication interface of the controller a signal indicative of a characteristic of coins inside the removable coin receptacle sleeve.

16. The coin processing system of claim 15, wherein the housing further includes a coin manifold, the second electrical contact includes a pair of springs mounted to the coin manifold, and the third electrical contact includes a pair of contact strips each mounted to a respective side of the removable coin receptacle sleeve, and wherein, in the presence of a minimum number of coins, an electrical path is formed between the pair of springs and the pair of contact strips via the coins.

17. A coin processing system for processing and transmitting coins to one or more coin bags, the coin processing system comprising:

a housing with a coin input area configured to receive a batch of coins;

a coin processing unit operatively coupled to the coin input area, the coin processing unit being configured to count, discriminate, sort, value, or any combination thereof, coins received from the coin input area;

a wheeled trolley removably disposed within the housing, the wheeled trolley including a base and a removable coin receptacle sleeve supported by the base, the wheeled trolley being configured to receive at least some of the coins output from the coin processing unit, the wheeled trolley including a first electrical contact; and

a controller with a communication interface operatively attached to the housing, the communication interface including a second electrical contact configured to wirelessly communicate electrical signals with the first electrical contact of the wheeled trolley,

wherein the removable coin receptacle sleeve includes a handle, the first electrical contact includes two or more contact plates mounted to the handle, the second electrical contact including two or more electrical contacts, the two or more contact plates being configured to substantially simultaneously engage the two or more electrical contacts when the wheeled trolley is functionally received by the housing.

18. The coin processing system of claim 17, wherein the wheeled trolley includes a plurality of coin receptacle sleeves, the coin processing system further comprising a coin diverting mechanism configured to switchably direct coins received from the coin processing unit to a selected one or ones of the plurality of coin receptacle sleeves.

19. The coin processing system of claim 18, wherein the coin diverting mechanism includes a driving mechanism coupled to a rotatable diverter tube, the driving mechanism being configured to selectively rotate the diverter tube between a plurality of sleeve positions, wherein, at each of the sleeve positions, coins received by the coin diverting mechanism pass through the diverter tube into the selected one of the plurality of coin receptacle sleeves.

20. The coin processing system of claim 19, wherein the coin diverting mechanism further includes a limit switch connected to the driving mechanism and configured to engage with positioning features of the diverter tube to regulate the rotation of the diverter tube.

21. The coin processing system of claim 19, wherein the coin diverting mechanism further comprises one or more stationary bypass tubes each of which directs coins received by the coin diverting mechanism past the diverter tube to one of the sleeve positions.

22. The coin processing system of claim 17, further comprising a programmable sorting head configured to direct coin flow into a selected one of a plurality of exit slots by activating a motor-driven pin to block another one of the plurality of exit slots.

23. The coin processing system of claim 17, wherein the wheeled trolley includes at least one of an RFID device, a bar code, a sonar device, and a Hall Effect device to wirelessly communicate the information to the communication interface of the controller.

24. A coin processing system for processing and transmitting coins to one or more coin bags, the coin processing system comprising:

a housing with a coin input area configured to receive a batch of coins;

a coin processing unit operatively coupled to the coin input area, the coin processing unit being configured to count, discriminate, sort, value, or any combination thereof, coins received from the coin input area;

a wheeled trolley removably disposed within the housing, the wheeled trolley including a base and a removable coin receptacle sleeve supported by the base, the wheeled trolley being configured to receive at least some of the coins output from the coin processing unit, the wheeled trolley including a first electrical contact; and

a controller with a communication interface operatively attached to the housing, the communication interface including a second electrical contact configured to wirelessly communicate electrical signals with the first electrical contact of the wheeled trolley,

wherein the second electrical contact comprises one or more manifold spring assemblies each including first and second contact springs, the first contact spring being configured to electrically disconnect the spring assembly in the presence of the wheeled trolley, and the second contact spring being configured to electrically reconnect the spring assembly when coins received in the present wheeled trolley reach a predetermined overflow height.

25. A mobile coin receptacle assembly for a coin processing system having a housing configured to receive a batch of coins, a coin processing unit operable to process coins received by the housing, a coin bag, and a controller with a communication interface, the mobile coin receptacle assembly comprising:

a movable trolley configured to removably insert into the housing of the coin processing system, the trolley having a base with a first electrical contact operatively attached thereto, the first electrical contact being configured to wirelessly communicate electrical signals with the controller via a second electrical contact of the communication interface; and

a coin receptacle sleeve removably attached to the trolley and supported by the base, the coin receptacle sleeve being configured to receive through an opening in an upper portion thereof at least some of the coins output from the coin processing unit,

wherein the coin receptacle sleeve includes a third electrical contact configured to cooperate with the first electrical contact to thereby wirelessly communicate to the communication interface of the controller via the second electrical contact a signal indicative of at least one of the presence or absence of a coin bag on the trolley.

26. The mobile coin receptacle assembly of claim 25, wherein the removable coin receptacle sleeve includes a lower portion adjacent the upper portion, at least the lower portion of the removable coin receptacle sleeve being configured to fit into to the coin bag, the upper portion being configured to extend out of the coin bag such that a full coin height to which coins can be fed into the removable coin receptacle sleeve is above a bag height of the coin bag.

27. The mobile coin receptacle assembly of claim 26, wherein the upper portion has a first cross-sectional area and the lower portion has a second cross-sectional area smaller than the first cross-sectional area.

28. The mobile coin receptacle assembly of claim 25, wherein the coin receptacle sleeve includes an elongated hollow body with a first opening having a first size at an upper end of the hollow body, and a second opening having a second size at a lower end of the hollow body, the first size being larger than the second size.

29. The mobile coin receptacle assembly of claim 25, wherein the coin receptacle sleeve is configured to maintain the received coins within a confined footprint.

30. The mobile coin receptacle assembly of claim 25, wherein the coin receptacle sleeve is configured to slide inside of the coin bag and to provide a generally rigid internal geometry to the coin bag.

31. The mobile coin receptacle assembly of claim 25, wherein the coin receptacle sleeve includes a sleeve deflector configured to change a trajectory of the coins received from the coin processing unit.

32. The mobile coin receptacle assembly of claim 25, wherein the coin receptacle sleeve includes a handle extending across the opening in the top of the coin receptacle sleeve, the handle being configured to maintain the opening at a constant width.

33. The mobile coin receptacle assembly of claim 25, wherein the wheeled trolley includes one or more receptacle sleeve clamps attached to and projecting from the base of the trolley, the one or more receptacle sleeve clamps being configured to attach the coin receptacle sleeve to the base and support the coin receptacle sleeve in an upright position.

34. The mobile coin receptacle assembly of claim 25, wherein the first electrical contact comprises a first plurality of electrical contacts, and the second electrical contact comprises a second plurality of electrical contacts each configured to mate with a respective contact of the first plurality of electrical contacts and thereby wirelessly communicate electrical signals with the communication interface of the controller.

35. The mobile coin receptacle assembly of claim 34, wherein the electrical signals are indicative of a presence of the mobile coin receptacle proximate the housing, a position of the mobile coin receptacle relative to the housing, a characteristic of coins stowed by the mobile coin receptacle, or a presence of a coin bag on the mobile coin receptacle, or any combination thereof.

36. The mobile coin receptacle assembly of claim 25, wherein the first electrical contact includes a pair of contact plates mounted to the base and connected by a resistor, and the third electrical contact includes a pair of contact strips each mounted to a respective side of the coin receptacle sleeve, and wherein, in the absence of a coin bag, each of the contact plates is configured to abut a respective one of the contact strips thereby completing an electrical path therebetween.

37. The mobile coin receptacle assembly of claim 25, wherein the trolley includes at least one of an RFID device, a bar code, a sonar device, and a Hall Effect device to wirelessly communicate the information to the communication interface of the controller.

38. A mobile coin receptacle assembly for a coin processing system having a housing configured to receive a batch of coins, a coin processing unit operable to process coins received by the housing, a coin bag, and a controller with a communication interface, the mobile coin receptacle assembly comprising:

a movable trolley configured to removably insert into the housing of the coin processing system, the trolley having a base with a first electrical contact operatively attached thereto, the first electrical contact being configured to wirelessly communicate electrical signals with the controller via a second electrical contact of the communication interface; and

a coin receptacle sleeve removably attached to the trolley and supported by the base, the coin receptacle sleeve being configured to receive through an opening in an upper portion thereof at least some of the coins output from the coin processing unit,

wherein the coin receptacle sleeve includes an additional electrical contact configured to cooperate with the second electrical contact operatively attached to the housing to thereby wirelessly communicate to the communication interface of the controller a signal indicative of at least one of a presence or a position of the coin receptacle sleeve relative to the housing.

39. The mobile coin receptacle assembly of claim 38, wherein the coin receptacle sleeve includes a handle, the housing includes a coin manifold, the additional electrical contact includes a pair of contact plates mounted to the handle, the second electrical contact includes a pair of springs mounted to the coin manifold, and wherein, when the mobile coin receptacle is functionally received by the housing, each of the contact plates touches a respective one of the springs thereby completing an electrical path therebetween.

40. A mobile coin receptacle assembly for a coin processing system having a housing configured to receive a batch of coins, a coin processing unit operable to process coins received by the housing, a coin bag, and a controller with a communication interface, the mobile coin receptacle assembly comprising:

a movable trolley configured to removably insert into the housing of the coin processing system, the trolley having a base with a first electrical contact operatively attached thereto, the first electrical contact being configured to wirelessly communicate electrical signals with the controller via a second electrical contact of the communication interface; and

a coin receptacle sleeve removably attached to the trolley and supported by the base, the coin receptacle sleeve being configured to receive through an opening in an upper portion thereof at least some of the coins output from the coin processing unit,

wherein the coin receptacle sleeve includes a third electrical contact configured to cooperate with the second electrical contact to thereby wirelessly communicate to the communication interface of the controller a signal indicative of a characteristic of coins inside the coin receptacle.

41. The mobile coin receptacle assembly of claim 40, wherein the housing further includes a coin manifold, the second electrical contact includes a pair of springs mounted to the coin manifold, and the third electrical contact includes a pair of contact strips each mounted to a respective side of the coin receptacle sleeve, and wherein, in the presence of a minimum number of coins, an electrical path is formed between the pair of springs and the pair of contact strips via the coins.