Medium storage container

Abstract

To provide a medium storage container capable of increasing a storage capacity of media by stacking the media further smoothly.SOLUTION: A medium storage container includes a storage section for storing media therein and a handle section provided on an outer surface of the storage section. An inner surface of the storage section opposite the outer surface is smooth.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a media repository. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, on toll roads such as expressways, toll payment machines are installed at exit toll booths to collect tolls.

[0003] The toll adjustment machine can calculate the toll to be paid by the driver of the vehicle traveling on the toll road based on the information of the toll ticket inserted by the driver. The toll ticket inserted into the toll adjustment machine is collected and stored in a storage unit inside the toll adjustment machine.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a toll ticket collecting unit that stores toll tickets in a stacked state as they drop one by one from a toll payment machine. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-129347 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the toll ticket collecting unit disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 did not consider at all the side of the storage unit that stores the toll tickets and other media. Therefore, if an attachment such as a handle is provided on the side of the storage unit to make it easier to handle, the media may get caught on the attachment and not be stacked in an orderly manner.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved media storage container that can increase the media storage capacity by stacking media more smoothly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, according to one aspect of the present invention, a media storage container is provided, comprising a storage section for storing media therein and a handle section provided on an outer surface of the storage section, wherein the inner surface of the storage section opposite the outer surface is smooth.

[0009] At least one or more side surfaces of the storage section may have an opening extending from the outer surface to the inner surface, and a transparent plate may be provided on the inner surface of the side surface having the opening to smooth the inner surface.

[0010] The opening may be provided at least on the side surface on which the handle portion is provided on the outer surface.

[0011] The opening may be a plurality of punched holes.

[0012] The medium may fall along the inner surface of one side of the container, and a slope may be provided on a bottom surface of the container such that the one side is higher than the other side opposite to the one side.

[0013] A plate portion may be provided on an upper portion of the container to tilt a lower end of the media that falls vertically to the other side.

[0014] The medium may be a rectangular shaped card.

[0015] The media may be stored in the storage section in a horizontally stacked manner. Effect of the Invention

[0016] As described above, according to the present invention, media can be stacked more smoothly inside a media storage container, thereby making it possible to increase the capacity of the media storage container. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a fee system in which a media storage chamber is provided, viewed from the front. [Diagram 2] This is a schematic diagram of the inside of the fee system in which the media storage container is installed, viewed from the right side with the side door open. [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the front side of a medium storage container according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram of the inside of a medium storage container according to the present embodiment, viewed from an opening at the top. [Diagram 5] 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of a medium storage container according to a first modified example. FIG. [Figure 6] 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of a medium storage container according to a second modified example. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0019] <1. Fee system> First, referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a fee system 1 in which a media storage container according to one embodiment of the present invention is provided will be described. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the fee system 1 in which a media storage container is provided, viewed from the front. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the inside of the fee system 1 in which a media storage container is provided, viewed from the right side with a side door D open. In the following, the upward, downward, leftward, and rightward directions are defined based on a state in which the fee system 1 is faced directly in front of it. In addition, the front direction of the fee system 1 is defined as the forward direction, and the direction opposite to the forward direction is defined as the rearward direction.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the fee system 1 includes a medium insertion slot 210, a display unit 230, a bill receiving / discharging port 240, a coin insertion slot 251, and a coin return slot 253.

[0021] The medium insertion slot 210 is an insertion slot into which a medium used for fee calculation in the settlement process is inserted. The medium may be, for example, a rectangular card such as a toll road pass, a parking ticket, or a train ticket. When a medium is inserted through the medium insertion slot 210, the data written on the medium is read by the fee system 1, and then a message indicating that the settlement process has been completed is written. The medium is then stored in a media storage inside the fee system 1.

[0022] 2, the medium inserted through the medium insertion slot 210 first has information written thereon by the medium reader / writer 270, which is written magnetically or the like, and also has a message written on it indicating that the payment has been processed. The medium on which the message has been written is then ejected downward from the medium reader / writer 270 and falls into the medium storage 100 below the medium reader / writer 270. As a result, the media used in the payment process are accumulated and stored one by one in the medium storage 100.

[0023] When a sufficient amount of media has been stored in the media storage vault 100, the media storage vault 100 is collected by being pulled out from the right side surface of the fee system 1. After that, the emptied media storage vault 100 is reintegrated into the fee system 1.

[0024] Based on the data read from the medium, the fee system 1 calculates the amount of the fee to be charged to the user who inserted the medium, and displays the calculated amount to the user on the display unit 230. The user can pay the fee by inserting bills and coins of an amount equal to or greater than the amount displayed on the display unit 230 into the bill inlet / outlet 240 and the coin inlet 251. The difference between the amount displayed on the display unit 230 and the amount of the inserted bills and coins is returned to the user from the bill inlet / outlet 240 and the coin return slot 253 as change.

[0025] <2. Media Storage> Next, the configuration of the media storage vault 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3 and Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the front side (i.e., the right side of the fee system 1) of the media storage vault 100 according to this embodiment. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the inside of the media storage vault 100 according to this embodiment, viewed from an opening at the top.

[0026] 3 and 4, the medium storage container 100 according to this embodiment includes a storage unit 110 that stores media therein. The storage unit 110 is, for example, a box having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with an open top.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 3, the housing portion 110 has an outer surface S1 provided with handles 120A and 120B and an opening .

[0028] The handles 120A and 120B are arch-shaped handles provided on the outer surface S1 that becomes the front (i.e., the surface exposed to the outside) when the medium storage vault 100 is incorporated into the fee system 1. For example, the handle 120A may be an arch-shaped handle extending in the front-to-rear direction, and the handle 120B may be an arch-shaped handle extending in the up-down direction.

[0029] For example, a worker performing maintenance on the fee system 1 can remove the medium storage vault 100 from the fee system 1 by grasping the handles 120A, 120B and pulling them toward themselves. To further improve the operability of the medium storage vault 100 by the worker, it is desirable to provide at least two or more handles 120A, 120B. However, the medium storage vault 100 may be provided with only either the handle 120A or the handle 120B, or may be provided with one or more handles (a total of three or more handles).

[0030] Here, the handles 120A and 120B are attached so that the heads of the screws for attaching the handles 120A and 120B to the outer surface S1 do not protrude toward the inner surface S2. Specifically, the handles 120A and 120B may be attached to the outer surface S1 so that the body and head of the screw for attachment are embedded inside the handles 120A and 120B. In this way, the handles 120A and 120B are attached to the outer surface S1 while maintaining the inner surface S2 in a smooth state, so that the media that has fallen into the storage unit 110 can be prevented from getting caught on the convex parts of the inner surface S2. Therefore, the media storage 100 can prevent the media from getting caught on the convex parts of the inner surface S2 and being stored in the storage unit 110 in an unintended stacked state, so that the storage capacity of the media can be further increased.

[0031] The opening 130 is a plurality of punched holes provided from the outer surface S1 to the inner surface S2 on the side surface that becomes the front (i.e. the surface exposed to the outside) when the media storage 100 is incorporated in the fee system 1. The plurality of punched holes may be regularly arranged in a two-dimensional pattern that avoids the handle parts 120A and 120B. For example, the plurality of punched holes may be provided in a staggered pattern in which the punched holes are arranged alternately in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction, or in a parallel pattern in which the punched holes are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction. The shape of the plurality of punched holes may be circular, square, or an elliptical shape with rounded corners of a rectangle. The media storage 100 can reduce the mass of the storage unit 110 by providing the opening 130 on the side surface. The media storage 100 can also visually check the amount of media accumulated in the storage unit 110 from the outer surface S1 by providing the opening 130 that penetrates from the outer surface S1 to the inner surface S2.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 4, a transparent plate 140 is provided on an inner surface S2 of the housing portion 110 opposite to the outer surface S1.

[0033] The transparent plate 140 is a thin, transparent, plate-like member and is attached to the inner surface S2. The transparent plate 140 may be a rigid thin plate (for example, 0.7 mm or less in thickness) panel made of a transparent organic resin such as acrylic resin, polycarbonate resin, or polypropylene resin. The transparent plate 140 is attached to the inner surface S2 opposite to the outer surface S1, so that the concave portion of the opening 130 penetrating from the outer surface S1 to the inner surface S2 can be covered, and the inner surface S2 can be made smooth. Therefore, the media storage 100 can prevent media that have fallen into the storage section 110 from getting caught in the concave portion of the inner surface S2 and being stored in the storage section 110 in an unintended stacked state, thereby increasing the storage capacity of media.

[0034] In the medium storage vault 100 according to this embodiment, the inner surface S2 of the storage section 110 is smooth, so that it is possible to store media by stacking them in a flat lying state in the storage section 110. Therefore, the medium storage vault 100 according to this embodiment can further reduce the possibility that the storage section 110 will be filled with fewer media than expected, and can further increase the storage capacity of media.

[0035] On the other hand, if the inner surface S2 is not smooth and has convex portions due to the mounting screws of the handles 120A and 120B and concave portions due to the opening 130, the corners of the media may get caught on the concave or convex portions of the inner surface S2, causing the media to be stored in a three-dimensionally standing state in the storage section 110. In such a case, media may be piled up on the media that is standing three-dimensionally, and the storage section 110 may be filled with fewer media than expected. According to the media storage section 100 of this embodiment, as described above, it is possible to increase the storage capacity of media by preventing such unintended stacking of media.

[0036] <3. Modifications> (First Modification) Next, a medium storage container 100 according to a first modified example will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the medium storage container 100 according to the first modified example.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 5, the medium storage container 100 according to the first modified example further includes an inclined portion 150 provided on the bottom surface below the storage section 110. As shown in FIG.

[0038] The inclined portion 150 is a slope with one side higher than the other along which the medium M falls, and is provided on the bottom surface below the storage unit 110. Specifically, the medium M falls from the medium reader / writer 270 along the front inner surface of the storage unit 110, and the inclined portion 150 is configured as a slope with the front side higher than the other side, that is, the rear side lower than the other side. The inclined portion 150 allows the fallen medium M to slide smoothly in the inclined direction (the direction from the front to the rear), making it easier to stack the medium M in the storage unit 110 while lying flat.

[0039] The angle of the slope of the inclined portion 150 may be, for example, 5° to 10° with respect to the bottom surface of the storage portion 110. On the other hand, if the angle of the slope of the inclined portion 150 is 30° or more, it is not preferable because the media M tend to be stacked in a three-dimensional standing state rather than being stacked in a two-dimensional lying state.

[0040] According to the first modification, the medium storage container 100 is capable of stacking the media M in the storage section 110 in a more planar lying state.

[0041] For example, in a media storage container in which the inner surface S2 is not smooth and the inclined portion 150 is not provided, the probability of successfully collecting 1000 media M out of an expected number of collected sheets is about 20%. This indicates that in such a media storage container, the media M are stacked in a three-dimensional upright state, and there is an extremely high possibility that the media storage container 100 will be filled with fewer media M than expected. On the other hand, the media storage container 100 according to the first modified example makes it easy to stack the media M in a flat, lying state, and therefore it is possible to improve the probability of successfully collecting 1000 media M out of an expected number of collected sheets to about 40%.

[0042] Therefore, the medium storage container 100 of this modified example can increase the storage capacity of the medium M by further reducing the possibility that the storage section 110 will be filled with a smaller number of media M than expected.

[0043] (Second Modification) Furthermore, a medium storage container 100 according to a second modified example will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the medium storage container 100 according to the second modified example.

[0044] 6, the medium storage container 100 according to the second modification further includes an inclined portion 150 provided on the bottom surface below the storage section 110, and a plate portion 160 provided above the storage section 110. The inclined portion 150 is as described in the first modification, and therefore will not be described here.

[0045] The plate portion 160 is a resin plate provided above the storage portion 110 on one side where the medium M falls. Specifically, the plate portion 160 is a small piece that protrudes obliquely from the front side to the rear side above the front inner surface of the storage portion 110 where the medium M falls. The plate portion 160 can make the medium M fall onto the inclined portion 150 in a state where it is tilted backward by contacting the lower end of the falling medium M, so that the medium M can be easily stacked in a state where it lies flat inside the storage portion 110. Note that the plate portion 160 is desirably made of a flexible organic resin with a very thin plate thickness (for example, about 0.5 mm) because it is only necessary to tilt the falling medium M by a small amount. The length of the plate portion 160 may be, for example, about 1 cm to 3 cm.

[0046] According to the second modification, the medium storage container 100 is capable of stacking the media M in the storage section 110 in a state in which the media M lie flatteringly.

[0047] For example, in a media storage container in which the inner surface S2 is not smooth and which does not have the inclined portion 150 and the plate portion 160, the probability of successfully collecting 1000 media M for an expected number of 1000 media to be collected is approximately 20%. This indicates that in such a media storage container, the media M are stacked in a three-dimensional upright state, and therefore the media storage container 100 is highly likely to be filled with fewer media M than expected. On the other hand, in the media storage container 100 according to the second modified example, it is easier to stack the media M in a flat lying state, and therefore it is possible to improve the probability of successfully collecting 1000 media M for an expected number of 1000 media to be collected to approximately 80%.

[0048] Therefore, the medium storage container 100 of this modified example can further increase the storage capacity of the medium M by further reducing the possibility that the storage section 110 will be filled with a smaller number of media M than expected.

[0049] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such an example. It is clear that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can conceive of various modified or altered examples within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 100 Media Storage 110 Storage unit 120A, 120B Handle 130 Aperture 140 Transparent plate 150 Inclined section 160 Plate section 210 Media insertion slot 230 Display section 240 Banknote inlet / exit 251 Coin slot 253 Coin return slot 270 Media Reader / Writer D Side door S1 outer surface S2 inner surface M medium

Claims

1. A storage section for storing a medium therein; A handle portion provided on an outer surface of the storage portion; Equipped with A media container, wherein an inner surface of the container portion opposite the outer surface is smooth.

2. At least one or more side surfaces of the storage section are provided with an opening extending from the outer side surface to the inner side surface, The medium storage container according to claim 1 , wherein a transparent plate is provided on the inner surface of the side surface on which the opening is provided, to smooth the inner surface.

3. The media storage container according to claim 2 , wherein the opening is provided at least on a side surface on which the handle portion is provided on the outer surface.

4. The medium storage container according to claim 2 , wherein the opening is a plurality of punched holes.

5. The medium falls along the inner surface of one side of the storage portion, The medium storage container according to claim 1 , wherein a bottom surface of the storage section is provided with an inclined portion in which the one side is higher than the other side opposite to the one side.

6. The media storage container according to claim 5 , further comprising a plate portion provided on an upper portion of the container for tilting a lower end of the media that falls vertically to the other side.

7. The medium storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the medium is a rectangular card.

8. The media storage container according to claim 1 , wherein the media are stored in the storage section in a horizontally stacked manner.

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