85results about "Mechanical actuation" patented technology

An apparatus for securely monitoring the sales transactions in bulk vending machines, said apparatus comprising at least one bulk vending machine having a coin mechanism. The coin mechanism includes a coin plate; a selectively rotatable shaft extending radially therefrom; a coin shuttle, a cam-bearing lobe and a coin mechanism adapter plate co-axially and collectively located around the selectively rotatable shaft; and a first switch and a second switch. The first and second switches are fixedly mounted and oriented on the coin mechanism adapter plate so that the maximum amount of backlash in the coin mechanism is less than the angular spread of the switches. The coin mechanism further includes a microprocessor having a sales counter; and means for communicatingly connecting the first and second switches to said microprocessor, whereby the microprocessor will advance the sales counter one numeric count and record a single vend only after the cam-borne lobe contacts and completely closes both first and second switches, when it is rotated as a result of a coin deposited in the coin mechanism.

A currency changer device is adapted to be used with a point of sale terminal and includes a housing, a coin accepting tray carried by the housing for accepting a plurality of coins in bulk, and a bill accepter carried by the housing for accepting and sorting a plurality of bills in bulk. The currency changer device may also include a respective plurality of first and second currency changer device hardware components. The plurality of second currency changer device hardware components are identical to the respective plurality of first currency changer device hardware components. Both the first and second plurality of currency changer device hardware components include a first and a second coin sorter each in communication with the coin accepting tray, a first and a second plurality of respective coin bins in communication with the respective first and second coin sorters, and a first and a second plurality of bill cassettes in communication with the bill accepter. The currency changer device may also include a coin dispenser and a bill dispenser. The currency changer device is adapted to accept a plurality of unsorted coins in bulk and a plurality of unsorted bills in bulk for a cash transaction, and to dispense change in a cash transaction responsive to commands received from the at least one point of sale terminal.

As disclosed herein, a method for determining when a coin storage bin having a bottom and sides is filled to a predetermined percentage of the volume of the coin storage bin comprises: determining a coin volume for a coin entering the coin storage bin, adding the coin volumes for each coin entering the coin storage bin to provide a running total volume of all coins entering the coin storage bin, comparing the running total volume of all coins entering the coin storage bin with the volume of the coin storage bin, and determining when the running total volume of all coins entering the coin storage bin is greater than or equal to the predetermined percentage of the volume of the coin storage bin. The volume for a coin can be determined from information provided by a coin acceptor, where the information is thickness, diameter, weight, or a combination comprising at least one of these.

A sheet handling device includes a main transport path, a temporarily holding section provided in the main transport path, a transport section, a detection section provided at a predetermined detection position in the main transport path and a controller. The temporarily holding section includes a looped transport path. The controller performs a procedure including the steps of (I) transporting the sheet traveling along the main transport path to the looped transport path, (II) transporting another sheet along the main transport path, (III) controlling the transportation of the sheet and the transportation of said another sheet in response to the arrival of said another sheet at the detection position such that the sheets are stacked into a bunch in the looped transport path with certain parts of the sheets being aligned and (IV) repeating the steps (II) and (III) as required.

A drawerless point of sale system includes a point of sale terminal and a currency changer device in communication with the point of sale terminal. The currency changer device is adapted to accept cash in bulk for a cash transaction and includes a housing, a coin accepting tray, a coin sorter, a plurality of respective coin bins, and a coin dispenser. The currency changer also includes a bill accepter / dispenser carried by the housing for accepting, sorting and dispensing bills, and a plurality of bill cassettes carried by the housing and in communication with the bill accepter / dispenser for receiving a respective plurality of similar bills from the bill accepter and for dispensing a respective plurality of bills responsive to said point of sale terminal.

A packaged commodity dispensing device in which a package commodity dispensing machine is easily repaired and a packaged commodity is easily supplied and exchanged. The packaged commodity dispensing machine dispenses a packaged commodity; a frame into which the packaged commodity dispensing machine is permitted to detachably fit from forward; and a fixing section to fix the packaged commodity dispensing machine in a state of fitting into the frame.

A paper sheet handling apparatus includes a transport unit having a main transport path and a return transport path, a detection unit arranged at a predetermined detection position in the main transport path, and a controller controlling the transport unit based on the detection result of the detection unit. The controller leads, at the diversion position in the main transport path, a paper sheet transported along the main transport path into the return transport path, transports a subsequent paper sheet along the main transport path, and controls the transportation of the paper sheet and the transportation of the subsequent paper sheet respectively in response to the arrival of the subsequent paper sheet at the detection position such that the paper sheets are stacked into a batch at the joining position of the two transport paths with certain parts of the paper sheets being aligned.

A vending machine that dispense feminine hygiene products. Specifically, this invention is a coin-operated vending machine that dispenses sanitary napkins and tampons. This invention allows a user to purchase a feminine hygiene product by placing a coin or multiple coins in a slot within the vending machine and pressing a product release button. The product is then dispensed to the consumer. The apparatus also provides a mechanism for retrieving a coin in the event that the vending machine is out of a specific feminine hygiene.

The present invention is directed to a coin detection apparatus that is specially designed to avoid coins' sticking in a coin passage and that is capable of distributing an item to a customer only when a predetermined number of valid coins are paid. Coins (C) deposited by the customer are kept in a coin shoot (13). The coins (C) stand upright on a floor plate (20) that forms a part of the coin shoot (13). The floor plate (20) is urged by a spring member to protrude into the coin shoot (13). As a rotary disk (100) rotates, one end (119) of a recessed portion (120) defined in the rotary disk (100) leans on the floor plate (20) against elastic force of the spring member to make the floor plate (20) tilt. Subsequently, recessed edge of the rotary disk (100) continues to tilt the floor plate (20). As the other end 118 of the recessed portion (120) reaches the floor plate (20), the floor plate (20) is disengaged from the rotary disk (100). Tilt of the floor plate (20) causes the coins (C) to be evacuated from the floor plate (20), and the coins fall direction into a coin drop.

A multi-coin operated actuation mechanism includes an interchangeable coin carrier wheel having a coin receiving recess of a width different from that of another wheel such that a different number of coins can be deposited into coin accepting regions of the recess. The wheel has an outer segment on its peripheral edge defining either an abutment surface or a camming surface at an outer trailing end of the recess correspondingly aligned with the coin accepting region or a non-accepting region of the recess defined adjacent to the accepting region. Also, coin periphery sensing dogs are pivotally mounted side-by-side and match the maximum number of the multiple coins. The dogs have outer tip surfaces substantially identical and correspondingly aligned with and adapted to engage outer segments on the peripheral edge of the wheel to prevent or allow movement of the wheel past them depending upon whether the multiple coins are present or not in the recess.