An item dispensing system includes one or more inventory drawers, at least one of the inventory drawers comprising one or more inventory tracks configured to hold items. At least a given one of the inventory tracks comprises a drive assembly comprising a motor and a sensor assembly affixed above a front of the given inventory track proximate an item drop region of the item dispensing system. The drive assembly is configured to controllably advance the items held in the given inventory track towards the item drop region, and the sensor assembly is configured to detect vending of items from the given inventory track to the item drop region using at least one light emitter and sensor. The item dispensing system also includes an item dispensing system controller configured to control the motor and monitor signals from the sensor to determine whether the given item has dispensed.

An item dispensing system includes one or more inventory drawers, at least one of the inventory drawers comprising one or more inventory tracks configured to hold items. At least a given one of the inventory tracks comprises a drive assembly comprising a motor and a sensor assembly affixed above a front of the given inventory track proximate an item drop region of the item dispensing system. The drive assembly is configured to controllably advance the items held in the given inventory track towards the item drop region, and the sensor assembly is configured to detect vending of items from the given inventory track to the item drop region using at least one light emitter and sensor. The item dispensing system also includes an item dispensing system controller configured to control the motor and monitor signals from the sensor to determine whether the given item has dispensed.

A money handling apparatus includes: a first storage unit and a second storage unit; a transport unit; a recognition unit; and a control unit configured to transport the money in the first storage unit by the transport unit, recognize the money by the recognition unit, transport a part of the money from the first storage unit to the second storage unit based on a result of recognition to store money of predetermined denominations, for which a quantity of money of each denomination is set in advance, in the second storage unit. The control unit detects a shortage denomination of money in the first storage unit, and stores money of the shortage denomination larger in quantity than the quantity set in advance for the shortage denomination, into the second storage unit.

A coin handling device for a coin handling machine includes a coin container, a coin output arrangement, and a coin jam preventing arrangement. The coin jam preventing arrangement includes a coin jam preventing element and a flexible link having a free and a fixed end. The coin jam preventing element is suspended in a volume of the coin container at the free end of the flexible link such that the coin jam preventing element is able to, freely, move around within a predefined volume at least at the lower end of the coin container to physically interact with coins of the mass of coins present in the predefined volume.

A currency processing device comprises a deposit port that receives currency; a transport which transports the currency fed from the deposit port along the transport path; a recognition sensor that recognizes the currency transported on the transport path as normal or abnormal; a currency storage to store the currency; a reject port for returning the currency; and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to control the transport to transfer the currency recognized as normal by the recognition sensor to the currency storage for storage in the currency storage, and control the transport to transport the currency recognized as abnormal by the recognition sensor to be recirculated along the transport path to the recognition sensor to re-recognize the currency at least once, and to return the currency to the reject port based on a result of re-recognition by the recognition sensor.

An object deflector for installation within a storage apparatus. The object deflector includes an attachment portion for coupling the object deflector to the storage apparatus. The object deflector also includes a deflection ramp that is saddle shaped. The deflection ramp extends from the attachment portion. The deflection ramp is operable to receive an object entering the storage apparatus and direct the object to an interior portion of the storage apparatus.

To improve efficiency of a dispensing process, a money handling method for an apparatus that feeds out money from storage units including a first storage unit storing denominations of money in a mixed state, and dispenses the money, include: performing a dispensing process for dispensing money corresponding to a dispensing amount to be dispensed; recording a dispensing history including information on the denominations and the quantity for each denomination of the money dispensed in the dispensing process; changing, based on the dispensing history, a denomination assignment to assign a first denomination assigned to the first storage unit to another storage unit among the storage units; and performing a replacement process for transferring money of the first denomination from the first storage unit to the other storage unit, for which the assigned denominations are changed.

The rare coin identifying machine is a coin sorting machine with integrated scanner interconnected to a CPU to identify collectible rare coins. The purpose being to automate the rarity identification for both avid coin collectors and novice. This automation will help alleviate human error in rare coin identification and the time needed to access them. The scanner inside the coin sorting machine scans coins one at a time and the CPU crosschecks database to see if a rare coin match occurs. If one does occur, then the coin exists the machine. If one does not occur, then the coin is routed to the proper stack.

A money handling apparatus includes: a first storage unit and a second storage unit; a transport unit; a recognition unit; and a control unit configured to transport the money in the first storage unit by the transport unit, recognize the money by the recognition unit, transport a part of the money from the first storage unit to the second storage unit based on a result of recognition to store money of predetermined denominations, for which a quantity of money of each denomination is set in advance, in the second storage unit. The control unit detects a shortage denomination of money in the first storage unit, and stores money of the shortage denomination larger in quantity than the quantity set in advance for the shortage denomination, into the second storage unit.

A money handling apparatus includes a banknote handling assembly, a coin handling assembly, and a first operation surface having a banknote inlet portion, a banknote outlet portion, a coin inlet portion, and a coin outlet portion and facing a front direction in a front-back direction of the money handling apparatus. The banknote inlet portion and the coin inlet portion are aligned and the banknote outlet portion and the coin outlet portion are aligned in a right-left direction of the money handling apparatus, which is perpendicular to the front-back direction. The banknote inlet portion and the banknote outlet portion overlap and the coin inlet portion and the coin outlet portion overlap in the up-down direction of the money handling apparatus, which is perpendicular to the right-left direction and perpendicular to the front-back direction.