Detection of surface irregularities in coins. Three-dimensional topographic data of at least one surface of a coin, having at least one feature, is acquired and used to determine characteristics of the coin features, based on vector components of normal vectors at various points on the surface of the coin. The feature characteristics are then compared to reference feature characteristics. Based on this comparison, an irregularity indication is provided if differences between the feature characteristics and the reference characteristics are found.

A coin input to a deposit opening is determined a denomination by a coin identifying device, and is allocated and held in a denomination storing and dispensing device in a course of being transported to a coin transporting and distributing device. The coin of a specified denomination is sent from the denomination storing and dispensing device based on a pay-out command, and paid out to a pay-out opening by a pay out transporting device. When the holding amount of the denomination storing and dispensing device becomes full, the coin is not allocated to the denomination storing and dispensing device by the coin transporting and distributing device, but is dropped to an overflow coin slot, guided to an overflow coin guiding tube juxtaposed to the denomination storing and dispensing device and held in an overflow coin storing unit arranged on the lower side of the denomination storing and dispensing device.

When an unfair gaming currency is delivered to a dealer from a player, the currency is detected as unfair. The inspection system 600 for inspecting the gaming currency, in which an RF tag is built, comprises: a gaming currency tray 617 for housing the gaming currencies C of the dealer in a casino game; an RF reader 6100 for reading the RF tags of the plural gaming currencies C housed in the gaming currency tray 617; plural photosensors 6173 for detecting at least the number of the plural gaming currencies C housed in the gaming currency tray 617 at a constant time interval or always in a method other than RFID; and an inspection/alarm part 6200 for generating alarms when the number of the gaming currencies C whose RF tags are read by the RF reader 6100 is not equal to the number of the gaming currencies C detected by the plural photosensors 6173.

When an unfair gaming currency is delivered to a dealer from a player, the currency is detected as unfair. The inspection system 600 for inspecting the gaming currency, in which an RF tag is built, comprises: a gaming currency tray 617 for housing the gaming currencies C of the dealer in a casino game; an RF reader 6100 for reading the RF tags of the plural gaming currencies C housed in the gaming currency tray 617; plural photosensors 6173 for detecting at least the number of the plural gaming currencies C housed in the gaming currency tray 617 at a constant time interval or always in a method other than RFID; and an inspection/alarm part 6200 for generating alarms when the number of the gaming currencies C whose RF tags are read by the RF reader 6100 is not equal to the number of the gaming currencies C detected by the plural photosensors 6173.

An image processing apparatus includes a conversion unit configured to convert an image in a first color space into an image in a second color space in such a manner that the image in the second color space has a bit depth smaller than a bit depth of the image in the first color space, a first recognition unit configured to perform first recognition processing using the image in the second color space, and a second recognition unit configured to perform second recognition processing on an image area that is determined to be the image area in which the second recognition processing is performed on the image in the first color space based on a result of the first recognition processing.

A method as well as an inspection device are provided for automatically checking the authenticity of objects, such as coins. The method includes carrying out an X-ray fluorescence analysis, XRFA, of an object which is to be checked, and carrying out a first comparison in which one or more properties of at least one fluorescence spectrum generated during the course of the XRFA are compared with an associated first body of reference information; carrying out a second analysis of the object on the basis of a corresponding second inspection method other than XRFA, as well as a second comparison in which an examination result obtained during the course of the second analysis is compared with an associated second body of reference information; and determining an analysis result relating to the authenticity of the object in dependence upon the results of the first comparison as well as the second comparison.

A method as well as an inspection device are provided for automatically checking the authenticity of objects, such as coins. The method includes carrying out an X-ray fluorescence analysis, XRFA, of an object which is to be checked, and carrying out a first comparison in which one or more properties of at least one fluorescence spectrum generated during the course of the XRFA are compared with an associated first body of reference information; carrying out a second analysis of the object on the basis of a corresponding second inspection method other than XRFA, as well as a second comparison in which an examination result obtained during the course of the second analysis is compared with an associated second body of reference information; and determining an analysis result relating to the authenticity of the object in dependence upon the results of the first comparison as well as the second comparison.

One object is to efficiently identify number of transactions that can be performed by using an inventory amount of money inside a change machine and to improve the business efficiency. A POS register (290) transmits a total amount request to a change machine (200) connected thereto (Step S11). Upon receiving the total amount request from the POS register (290), a change machine (200) transmits to the POS register (290) a total amount of money that can be dispensed as change and that is calculated based on an inventory amount of one or more predetermined denominations (Step S12). The POS register (290) receives the total amount from the change machine (200) (Step S13) and calculates number of transactions for which the change can be dispensed by calculating how many times is the total amount of the maximum change amount (JPY9, 999) for one transaction (Step S14). The POS register (290) informs the salesclerk of the calculated number of transactions by displaying and the like. Therefore, the salesclerk can confirm the number of transactions and can use this information as a factor to determine a timing of replenishing the change.

The present invention provides a coin handling device that enables a simple and easy change of a way of handling a coin of which a type is difficult to determine according to the user needs. The coin handling device includes a detector that detects a feature of a coin, a determiner that determines a type of the coin based on the feature of the coin detected by the detector, a reception unit that receives from an operating person handling settings that designate a way of handling the coin that is an indeterminate coin of which the type is not determined and for which multiple options of the type are extracted by the determiner, and a handling unit that handles the indeterminate coin based on the handling settings received by the reception unit.

The present invention provides a coin handling device that enables a simple and easy change of a way of handling a coin of which a type is difficult to determine according to the user needs. The coin handling device includes a detector that detects a feature of a coin, a determiner that determines a type of the coin based on the feature of the coin detected by the detector, a reception unit that receives from an operating person handling settings that designate a way of handling the coin that is an indeterminate coin of which the type is not determined and for which multiple options of the type are extracted by the determiner, and a handling unit that handles the indeterminate coin based on the handling settings received by the reception unit.