Coin processing systems, methods and devices

• US 8,701,860 B1
• Filed: 07/16/2013
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• 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:
  US13/942,892
• Time in Patent Office: 280 Days
• Field of Search: 194/350, 194/344, 194/351, 194/353, 193/2.R, 193/34, 193/44, 193/DIG.1, 248/95, 248/97, 248/98, 248/99, 248/101, 211/71.01, 211/85.15
• US Class Current: 194/350
• 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 to receive coins therefrom, the coin processing unit being configured to count, discriminate, sort, or value, or any combination thereof, coins received from the coin input area; and

a wheeled trolley removably disposed within the housing, the wheeled trolley including a base and a coin receptacle sleeve supported by and detachable from the base, the coin receptacle sleeve being configured to receive coins output from the coin processing unit and direct the coins into at least one of the coin bags, the coin receptacle sleeve having an upper portion adjacent a lower portion, at least the lower portion of the coin receptacle sleeve being configured to fit inside the coin bag and thereby constrain the coin bag to a predetermined footprint.

2. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein the coin receptacle sleeve maintains the coin bag in a predetermined shape.

3. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein at least the lower portion of the coin receptacle sleeve extends approximately the entire length of the coin bag.

4. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein at least the upper portion of the coin receptacle sleeve is configured to extend out of the coin bag such that a full coin height to which coins can be fed into the coin receptacle sleeve is above a bag height of the coin bag.

5. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein the wheeled trolley, including the base and the coin receptacle sleeve, is readily detachable from the housing.

6. The coin processing system of claim 5, wherein the coin receptacle sleeve is configured to stay inside the coin bag during and after the wheeled trolley is detached and removed from the housing.

7. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein the coin receptacle sleeve includes one or more electrical interfaces configured to help determine if the coin receptacle sleeve is in a desired position.

8. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein the coin receptacle sleeve includes one or more electrical interfaces configured to help determine if the coin bag is operatively attached to the coin receptacle sleeve.

9. The coin processing system of claim 1, 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.

10. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein the coin receptacle sleeve includes an elongated 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.

11. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined footprint is approximately 3 inches wide or less.

12. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein the coin bag is not rigid, and wherein the coin receptacle sleeve is configured to provide a generally rigid internal geometry to the non-rigid coin bag.

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

14. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein the 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. The coin processing system of claim 16, 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.

18. The coin processing system of claim 17, 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.

19. The coin processing system of claim 17, 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.

20. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein the coin processing unit includes 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.

21. 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 to receive coins therefrom, the coin processing unit being configured to count, discriminate, sort, or value, or any combination thereof, coins received from the coin input area; and

a wheeled trolley removably disposed within the housing, the wheeled trolley including a base and a coin receptacle sleeve seated on and detachable from the base, the coin receptacle sleeve being configured to receive at least some of the coins output from the coin processing unit and direct the coins into at least one of the coin bags, the coin receptacle sleeve having an upper portion adjacent a lower portion, at least the lower portion of the coin receptacle sleeve being configured to fit inside the coin bag and thereby constrain the coin bag to a confined footprint, at least the upper portion of the 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 coin receptacle sleeve is above a bag height of the coin bag.

22. 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, and a coin bag, 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; and

a coin receptacle sleeve removably attached to the trolley and supported by the base, the coin receptacle sleeve being configured to receive coins output from the coin processing unit and direct the coins into the coin bag, the coin receptacle sleeve including a lower portion adjacent an upper portion, at least the lower portion of the coin receptacle sleeve being configured to fit into the coin bag and thereby constrain the coin bag to a predetermined footprint.

23. The mobile coin receptacle assembly of claim 22, wherein the coin receptacle sleeve maintains the coin bag in a predetermined shape.

24. The mobile coin receptacle assembly of claim 22, wherein at least the lower portion of the coin receptacle sleeve extends approximately the entire length of the coin bag.

25. The mobile coin receptacle assembly of claim 22, wherein at least the upper portion of the coin receptacle sleeve is configured to extend out of the coin bag such that a full coin height to which coins can be fed into the coin receptacle sleeve is above a bag height of the coin bag.

26. The mobile coin receptacle assembly of claim 22, wherein the wheeled trolley and the coin receptacle sleeve are detachable from the housing.

27. The mobile coin receptacle assembly of claim 22, 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 22, wherein the coin receptacle sleeve includes one or more electrical interfaces configured to help determine if the coin receptacle sleeve is in a desired position.

29. The mobile coin receptacle assembly of claim 22, wherein the coin receptacle sleeve includes one or more electrical interfaces configured to help determine if the coin bag is operatively attached to the coin receptacle sleeve.

30. The mobile coin receptacle assembly of claim 22, wherein the coin bag is not rigid, and 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 22, wherein the 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.

32. The mobile coin receptacle assembly of claim 22, 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.

33. 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, and a coin bag, the mobile coin receptacle assembly comprising:

a movable trolley configured to insert into and be removably detached from the housing of the coin processing system, the trolley having a base; 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 and direct the coins into the coin bag, the coin receptacle sleeve including a lower portion adjacent the upper portion, at least the lower portion of the coin receptacle sleeve being configured to fit into the coin bag and thereby constrain the coin bag to a predetermined footprint, 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 coin receptacle sleeve is above a bag height of the coin bag.

34. A coin receptacle sleeve for a coin processing machine with a housing having an input area configured to receive a batch of coins, a coin processing unit disposed within the housing and operable to process coins received through the input area, a movable platform disposed in and removable from the housing, and a non-rigid coin bag supported by the movable platform, the coin receptacle sleeve comprising:

a rigid, elongated tubular body configured to seat on and removably attach to the movable platform, the tubular body having an upper portion adjacent a lower portion, 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, at least the lower portion of the tubular body being configured to fit inside the coin bag and thereby constrain the coin bag to a confined footprint, at least the upper portion of the tubular body being configured to extend out of the coin bag such that a full coin height to which coins can be fed into the tubular body is above a bag height of the coin bag.