Compact Bill Handling Device with Offset Pinch Roller

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing bill handling devices installed between game machines, such as pachinko and slot machines, face challenges in reducing their size to optimize space usage due to the perpendicular alignment of pinch rollers with tension rollers, leading to inefficiencies in space utilization and bill processing.

Innovation Solution

The bill handling device features a configuration where the distance between pinch rollers is set to be shorter than the distance between tension rollers, allowing for a more compact design by reducing the space required for the pinch rollers' installation and enabling efficient stacking and storage of bills within a smaller footprint.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the pinch roller is brought into press-contact with the tension roller in the direction perpendicular to the bill feeding direction, then the bill can be fed reliably, but the device size increases due to the required space for force-applying means and the outer diameter of the pinch roller

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebill feeding reliabilityVSAvoiddevice size

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of bringing the pinch roller into press-contact with the tension roller in the conventional perpendicular direction, the patent inverts the approach by positioning the pinch roller such that its contact point with the tension roller is offset in the bill feeding direction. This inversion allows the bill to be pinched between the rollers while eliminating the need for separate force-applying means, thereby reducing device size while maintaining feeding reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges the functions of the pinch roller and tension roller by arranging them such that the pinch roller contacts the tension roller at an offset position. This merging eliminates the need for separate force-applying mechanisms and reduces the overall device footprint while maintaining effective bill pinching and feeding

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Ease of manufacture

If a predetermined distance is reserved from the nip portion on the ejection side for subsequent processing, then bill stacking and storage can be performed, but space is wasted in the bill handling direction

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebill stacking and storage capabilityVSAvoiddevice length in bill handling direction

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent repositions the pinch roller such that its contact point with the tension roller is offset in the bill feeding direction rather than perpendicular to it. This dimensional change in roller arrangement allows subsequent processing to begin immediately after the bill passes through the nip portion, eliminating the need for reserved space and reducing device length in the bill handling direction

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Volume of moving object

If the distance between tension rollers is reduced to compact the device, then the device size decreases, but the bill feeding path becomes insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice sizeVSAvoidbill feeding path length

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSLength of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces asymmetry in the roller arrangement by offsetting the pinch roller contact position with respect to the tension roller in the bill feeding direction. This asymmetric configuration allows the device to maintain a compact overall size while providing sufficient bill feeding path length through the offset positioning, effectively decoupling device dimensions from feeding path requirements

Inventive Principle:

Principle #4Asymmetry

Data Source

PatentUS7487966B2Bill handling device

Publication Date: 2009.02.10 UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORP

AI summary

A bill handling machine according to one embodiment of the invention is provided with a casing having a bill insertion slot provided on a front face of the casing to enable a bill to be inserted therein; a bill feeding device having a feeding belt wound at opposite ends around at least tension rollers provided on the upstream and downstream sides respectively along the bill insertion direction, and pinch rollers in contact with the tension rollers on the upstream and downstream sides, to feed the bill inserted from the bill insertion slot along the bill insertion direction. The distance between the pinch rollers in contact with the respective tension rollers on the upstream and downstream sides is set to be shorter than the distance between the tension rollers on the upstream and downstream sides.