Systems, methods and devices for managing rejected coins during coin processing

• US 9,430,893 B1
• Filed: 08/05/2015
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Inventors: Blake, John R., Hallowell, Curtis W., Jagielinski, Tomasz M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beauchaine, Mark
• Application Number:
  US14/818,734
• Time in Patent Office: 391 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/32 Record keeping transaction aspects G07F19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/50 Sorting or counting valuable papers
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 3/14 Apparatus driven under control of coin-sensing elements
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 3/16 in combination with coin-counting
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 5/00 Testing specially adapted to determine the identity or genuineness of coins, e.g. for segregating coins which are unacceptable or alien to a currency
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/202 Depositing operations within ATMs depositing in general G07D11/00

Abstract

Currency processing systems, coin processing machines, computer-readable storage media, and methods of managing processed coins are presented herein. A method is presented for managing coins processed by a currency processing system. The method includes: receiving a batch of coins by the currency processing system; feeding the coins into a coin processing unit which includes one or more coin discriminating sensors; sorting the batch of coins into genuine fit target coins and reject coins; sorting the reject coins into a plurality of reject groups, each of which corresponds to a respective category of rejected coins; analyzing at least one of the reject groups to determine if any genuine target coins were mischaracterized and erroneously sorted into that reject group; and, crediting a user of the currency processing system for any genuine target coins in the reject group determined to have been mischaracterized and erroneously sorted.

Claims

1. A method for managing coins processed by an automated currency processing system, the method comprising:

receiving a batch of coins via a coin input area of the currency processing system;

feeding the batch of coins into a coin processing unit of the currency processing system, the coin processing unit including one or more coin discriminating sensors;

sorting the batch of coins into genuine fit target coins and reject coins with the coin processing unit;

sorting the reject coins into a plurality of reject groups with the coin processing unit, each of the reject groups corresponding to a respective category of rejected coins;

analyzing, via one or more processors and the one or more coin discriminating sensors, at least one of the reject groups to determine if any genuine target coins were mischaracterized and erroneously sorted into the at least one reject group; and

crediting, via the one or more processors, a user of the currency processing system for the genuine target coins in the at least one reject group determined to have been mischaracterized and erroneously sorted.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sorting the batch of coins into genuine fit target coins and reject coins is performed with the currency processing system set in a first mode of operation, the first mode of operation including increasing a sensitivity level of at least one of the one or more coin discriminating sensors in the coin processing unit to an increased sensitivity level.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the sorting the reject coins into the plurality of reject groups is performed with the currency processing system set in a second mode of operation, the second mode of operation including decreasing a sensitivity level of at least one of the one or more coin discriminating sensors in the coin processing unit to a decreased sensitivity level, the decreased sensitivity level being less than the increased sensitivity level.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of reject groups includes a first reject group comprising stranger and counterfeit coins, a second reject group comprising rejected coins appearing to be genuine and fit, and a third reject group comprising genuine coins exhibiting unfit characteristics.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the analyzing at least one of the reject groups includes resorting the second reject group comprising rejected coins appearing to be genuine and fit into genuine fit target coins and reject coins by passing the second reject group through the coin processing unit multiple additional times.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the analyzing at least one of the reject groups includes passing the third reject group comprising genuine coins exhibiting unfit characteristics through the coin processing unit while operating with desensitized settings operable to enable various levels of unfit genuine coins to be valuated.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising transporting the first reject group comprising stranger and counterfeit coins to a coin receptacle of the currency processing system dedicated to invalid coins.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the coin processing unit is operable in any of a plurality of user-selectable modes of operation, each of the user-selectable modes of operation corresponding to a distinct sensitivity level of the one or more coin discriminating sensors in the coin processing unit, the method further comprising receiving from a user a selection of at least one of the user-selectable modes of operations.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of the user-selectable modes of operation and the corresponding distinct sensitivity level thereof is based, at least in part, on the origin of the batch of coins being processed.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of the user-selectable modes of operation deactivates coin authentication and fitness detection capabilities of the coin processing unit.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising transporting the valid genuine coins in the at least one reject group to a coin receptacle of the currency processing system associated with valid genuine coins.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more coin discriminating sensors of the coin processing unit include at least one sensor dedicated to assessing coin fitness and at least one sensor dedicated to assessing coin authenticity, and wherein the analyzing at least one of the reject groups includes decreasing a sensitivity level of the at least one sensor dedicated to assessing coin fitness without desensitizing the at least one sensor dedicated to coin authenticity.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing the at least one reject group is performed by an auxiliary device operatively connected to the coin processing unit, the auxiliary device being dedicated to analyzing the reject coins in the reject groups.

14. A currency processing system comprising:

a coin input area configured to receive coins;

a plurality of coin receptacles configured to receive and stow processed coins;

a coin processing unit with one or more coin discriminating sensors, the coin processing unit being configured to receive coins from the coin input area, process the coins, and output the processed coins to the coin receptacles;

one or more processors; and

one or more memory devices storing instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a signal indicative of a batch of coins being received via the coin input area;

receive a signal indicative of the batch of coins being fed into the coin processing unit;

direct the coin processing unit to sort the batch of coins into genuine fit target coins and reject coins;

direct the coin processing unit to sort the reject coins into a plurality of reject groups, each of the reject groups corresponding to a respective category of rejected coins;

receive signals from the one or more coin discriminating sensors indicative of coin parameters of the reject coins in at least one of the reject groups;

determine if any genuine target coins were mischaracterized and erroneously sorted into the at least one reject group; and

credit a user of the currency processing system for the genuine target coins in the at least one reject group determined to have been mischaracterized and erroneously sorted.

15. The currency processing system of claim 14, wherein the currency processing system is set in a first mode of operation when sorting the batch of coins into genuine fit target coins and reject coins, the first mode of operation including increasing a sensitivity level of at least one of the one or more coin discriminating sensors in the coin processing unit.

16. The currency processing system of claim 15, wherein the currency processing system is set in a second mode of operation when sorting the reject coins into the plurality of reject groups, the second mode of operation including decreasing a sensitivity level of at least one of the one or more coin discriminating sensors in the coin processing unit.

17. The currency processing system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of reject groups includes a first reject group comprising stranger and counterfeit coins, a second reject group comprising rejected coins appearing to be genuine and fit, and a third reject group comprising genuine coins exhibiting unfit characteristics.

18. The currency processing system of claim 17, wherein determining if any genuine target coins were mischaracterized and erroneously sorted includes resorting the second reject group comprising rejected coins appearing to be genuine and fit into genuine fit target coins and reject coins by passing the second reject group through the coin processing unit multiple additional times.

19. The currency processing system of claim 17, wherein determining if any genuine target coins were mischaracterized and erroneously sorted includes passing the third reject group comprising genuine coins exhibiting unfit characteristics through the coin processing unit while operating with desensitized settings operable to enable various levels of unfit genuine coins to be valuated.

20. The currency processing system of claim 14, wherein the coin processing unit is operable in any of a plurality of user-selectable modes of operation, each of the user-selectable modes of operation corresponding to a distinct sensitivity level of the one or more coin discriminating sensors in the coin processing unit.