Coin storage unit

Abstract

The invention relates to a coin storage unit comprising a housing and multiple coin tubes arranged interchangeably in the housing, wherein locking means are provided for the coin tubes, which are actuatable between a locking position locking the coin tubes against removal from the housing and an unlocking position releasing the coin tubes for removal from the housing, wherein the locking means are arranged between each two adjacent coin tubes in the housing and lock the adjacent coin tubes against removal from the housing in the locking position, and wherein the locking means can only assume the locking position in the state of the adjacent coin tubes inserted completely into the housing.

Claims

1. A coin storage unit comprising: a housing; coin tubes arranged independently interchangeable in the housing, wherein the coin tubes are removable from the housing in an axial direction; and locking means which are actuatable between a locking position locking the coin tubes against removal from the housing and an unlocking position releasing the coin tubes for removal from the housing, wherein the locking means are each arranged between two adjacent coin tubes in the housing and lock the adjacent coin tubes against removal from the housing in the locking position, and wherein the locking means only assume the locking position in a state of the adjacent coin tubes inserted completely into the housing, wherein the locking means comprise at least one locking lever that is pivotable on the housing between the locking position and the unlocking position, and wherein the coin tubes each comprise at least one locking projection on their outer circumference, and the at least one locking lever rests in the locking position on locking projections of adjacent coin tubes.

2. The coin storage unit of claim 1, wherein the locking means are provided on the housing.

3. The coin storage unit of claim 1, wherein the locking means are each arranged and formed symmetrically with respect to adjacent coin tubes.

4. The coin storage unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one locking lever latches in the locking position on latching surfaces of the housing.

5. The coin storage unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one locking lever is pivotably mounted on the housing by means of a latching connection.

6. The coin storage unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one locking lever only terminates flush with a surface of the housing surrounding the at least one locking lever in the locking position.

7. The coin storage unit of claim 1, further comprising guide means for guiding the coin tubes in a radial direction.

8. The coin storage unit of claim 7, wherein the guide means comprise guide projections on the coin tubes and guide webs on the housing corresponding to the guide projections.

9. The coin storage unit of claim 8, wherein the coin tubes each have an upper guide projection in an upper region of each of the coin tubes and a lower guide projection in a lower region of each of the coin tubes, and wherein corresponding upper and lower guide webs are formed on the housing.

10. The coin storage unit of claim 9, wherein the upper guide projection forms the locking projection.

11. The coin storage unit of claim 9 wherein at least the lower guide webs have insertion bevels for the lower guide projection.

12. The coin storage unit of claim 9, wherein the guide means further comprises centering pins and centering receptacles formed on a lower side of the coin tubes and on an associated bottom side of the housing, wherein the centering pins and the centering receptacles interlock in the state of the coin tubes completely inserted into the housing.

13. The coin storage unit of claim 8, wherein a radial distance between the guide projections and a tube center axis is the same for each of the coin tubes.

14. The coin storage unit of claim 8, wherein the coin tubes have different internal diameters in a range from 17 mm to 33 mm, and wherein the coin tubes are operable to be arranged at different positions in the housing.

15. The coin storage unit of claim 14, wherein a radial distance between the guide projections and a tube center axis is the same for each of the coin tubes.

16. The coin storage unit of claim 7, wherein the guide means further comprises centering pins and centering receptacles formed on a lower side of the coin tubes and on an associated bottom side of the housing, wherein the centering pins and the centering receptacles interlock in the state of the coin tubes completely inserted into the housing.

17. The coin storage unit of claim 1, wherein the coin tubes have different internal diameters in a range from 17 mm to 33 mm, and wherein the coin tubes are operable to be arranged at different positions in the housing.

18. The coin storage unit of claim 1, wherein the coin storage unit is inserted into a main housing of a money changer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) An exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained in greater detail hereafter on the basis of figures. In the schematic figures:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a money changer according to the invention having a coin storage unit according to the invention in a partially disassembled state in a perspective view,

(3) FIG. 2 shows the coin storage unit shown in FIG. 1 in a further perspective view,

(4) FIG. 3 shows the coin storage unit from FIG. 2 in a top view,

(5) FIG. 4 shows the coin storage unit shown in FIG. 2 in a perspective partially exploded illustration,

(6) FIG. 5 shows a part of the coin storage unit shown in FIG. 2 in a perspective view,

(7) FIG. 6 shows an enlarged detail of the illustration of FIG. 5,

(8) FIG. 7 shows a further enlarged detail of the illustration of FIG. 5 without a housing wall,

(9) FIG. 8 shows a coin tube of the coin storage unit shown in FIG. 2 in a perspective view,

(10) FIG. 9 shows detail A from FIG. 8 in an enlarged illustration,

(11) FIG. 10 shows detail B from FIG. 8 in an enlarged illustration,

(12) FIG. 11 shows a locking lever of the coin storage unit shown in FIG. 2 in a first perspective view,

(13) FIG. 12 shows the locking lever of FIG. 11 in a second perspective view,

(14) FIG. 13 shows a further enlarged detail of the coin storage unit shown in FIG. 2 in a pre-installation position of the locking lever,

(15) FIG. 14 shows the detail of FIG. 13 with locking lever in its unlocking position, and

(16) FIG. 15 shows the detail of FIG. 13 with locking lever in its locking position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(17) Unless otherwise stated, the same reference symbols denote the same objects in the figures.

(18) A money changer having a main housing 10 is shown in FIG. 1, which can be used, for example, in vending machines, such as ticket machines, slot machines, or the like. The money changer has a coin slot 12 and a coin validating unit, which is essentially concealed in FIG. 1 and has a subsequent coin sorting unit, which sorts the inserted coins depending on their denomination or diameter into the coin tubes 14 of the coin storage unit shown in FIG. 1 at the reference signs 16. A payout module (not shown in greater detail in FIG. 1) is used to pay out coins from the coin tubes 14 via a coin dispenser. In addition, the money changer has a coin return channel, via which rejected coins can be ejected, and a cash register channel, via which coins can be fed to a cash register. This structure and this function of a money changer are known per se.

(19) The coin storage unit 16 has a housing 18 in which six coin tubes 14 arranged along a U-shape are arranged in the example shown. Coins are kept stacked one on top of another in the hollow cylindrical coin tubes 14. The housing 18 is inserted into the main housing 10 of the money changer and can be held in this, for example, by latching. Depending on the diameter, the coin tubes 14 can be arranged abutting one another and abutting inner surfaces of the housing 18. In the example shown, the housing 18 has a frame section 20 and a base section 22, which can be connected to one another, for example, by screwing. Furthermore, the housing 18 has a front cover 24 which can be fastened to the frame section 20, for example, by latching.

(20) In addition, three locking levers 26 are provided in the example shown, which are each pivotably mounted in a lever receptacle 28 of the housing 18 by means of a latching connection, as will be explained in more detail below. It is apparent in particular in FIG. 4 that the lever receptacle 28 provided on the base side of the U shape of the coin tubes 14 and with it the corresponding locking lever 26 held therein are concealed in the installed state by the front cover 24. The inside of the front cover 24 is flush in this case with the housing surface 30 surrounding this lever receptacle 28. In addition, the lateral outer walls 32 of the housing 18, which have the two further lever receptacles 28, abut flush against the inner sides 34 of the main housing 10 facing toward them in the state installed in the main housing 10. A handle (latch) for carrying the coin storage unit and for locking the coin storage unit in its lower end position is apparent at reference number 36.

(21) Only a part of the coin storage unit is shown for illustration in FIG. 5, in particular the outer wall 32 also apparent in FIG. 4. The left one of the two coin tubes 14 in FIG. 5 is already in its position inserted completely into the housing 18 in the illustration of FIG. 5. The coin tube 14 on the right in FIG. 5, in contrast, is not yet in its position inserted completely into the housing 18. FIGS. 6 and 7 show enlarged details of the illustration from FIG. 5, wherein the housing wall forming the outer wall 32 in FIG. 5 is also not shown for reasons of illustration in FIG. 7. The coin tubes 14 each have an upper guide projection 38 and a lower guide projection 40. The upper guide projection 38 has a tube-side guide groove 42 on both sides. The lower guide projection 40 has a tube-side guide web 44 on both sides. Upper housing-side guide webs 46 corresponding to the tube-side guide grooves 42 of the upper guide projections 38 are provided on the housing 18. In addition, housing-side guide webs 48 corresponding to the tube-side guide webs 44 of the lower guide projections 40 are also formed on the base section 22 of the housing 18. The lower tube-side guide webs 44 are guided between these housing-side guide webs 48 and the respective adjacent inner surface of the outer wall 32. The lower housing-side guide webs 48 on the base section 22 of the housing 18 also have insertion bevels 50 which facilitate insertion of the tube-side guide webs 44 of the lower guide projections 40. In the example shown, two cylindrical centering pins 52 are furthermore formed on the underside of the coin tubes 14 and are accommodated in corresponding cylindrical centering receptacles in the state completely inserted into the housing. The undersides of the upper guide projections 38 form stop surfaces, which the coin tubes 14 strike on associated support surfaces 54 in the state completely inserted into the housing. As a result, the position of the coin tubes 14 completely inserted into the housing 18 is reliably defined. In addition, locking surfaces 58 are formed on both sides on the upper guide projections 38, the function of which will be explained in greater detail below.

(22) It is apparent that, in the example shown, all coin tubes 14 have the described guide projections 38, 40, which interact in the assembled state with associated housing-side guide webs 46, 48 on the housing. The guide projections 38, 40 of the coin tubes 14 differ only in the case of different diameters of the coin tubes. The radial distance between the respective tube center axis and the guide projections 38, 40, in particular the sections participating in the guidance, is thus the same for each coin tube 14. For this purpose, a section 56 connecting the guide projections 38, 40 to the outer surface of the respective coin tube 14 has different lengths (see, for example, FIGS. 6, 7 and 9 and 10). This design ensures that the coin tubes 14 can be flexibly arranged interchangeably at the specified positions in the housing.

(23) FIGS. 11 and 12 show one of the locking levers 26 shown in FIG. 4 in an enlarged view. The locking lever 26 has a mounting section 60 and a locking section 62 which is T-shaped in the example shown. Latching surfaces 64 are provided on the locking section 62. As shown in FIG. 13, the locking lever 26 is installed from above into the keyhole-shaped lever receptacle 28, with the mounting section 60 being press-fitted into the unlocking position shown in FIG. 14. In this position, the locking lever 26 is accommodated captively latched in the lever receptacle 28 and is pivotably mounted between the unlocking position shown in FIG. 14 and the locking position shown in FIG. 15. In the unlocking position shown in FIG. 14, the coin tubes 14 can be withdrawn axially upward out of the housing 18 or inserted axially downward into the housing 18. If the adjacent coin tubes 14 have reached their fully inserted position in the housing 18, the locking lever 26 can be pivoted by 90° from the unlocking position shown in FIG. 14 into the locking position shown in FIG. 15. Latching surfaces 66 corresponding to the latching surfaces 64 of the locking levers can be provided on the frame section 20 of the housing 18. In the locking position, the latching surfaces 64 of the locking lever 26 latch with the associated latching surfaces 66 of the frame section 20. In the locking position shown in FIG. 15, the coin tubes 14 are thus secured by the locking lever 26 and the locking surfaces 58 against axial withdrawal from the housing 18. It is additionally apparent that the locking lever 26 terminates flush with the outer surface of the housing surrounding it in the locking position. It is only surface flush in the locking position. It is to be noted that the function of the locking described for one locking lever 26 and an adjacent pair of coin tubes is identical for all pairs of coin tubes of the coin storage unit.

(24) Due to the design of the locking lever 26 and the locking function, on the one hand, reliable and visually and haptically simple to check locking of the coin tubes 14 in the housing 18 is implemented. On the other hand, in the example shown, an installation of the front cover 24 and an installation of the coin storage unit in the main housing 10 of the money changer is only possible when the locking lever 26 is in the locking position and thus when the coin tubes 14 are properly inserted. In addition, by using the space between two adjacent coin tubes 14 for locking, an arrangement of coin tubes 14 having a particularly large diameter is also enabled, the outer surface of which essentially directly abuts the respective inner surface of the housing 18 or an adjacent coin tube 14. Due to the symmetrical arrangement of the locking and design of the coin tubes 14, the coin tubes 14 can be exchanged with one another in a simple manner.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(25) 10 main housing 12 coin slot 14 coin tubes 16 coin storage unit 18 housing 20 frame section 22 base section 24 front cover 26 locking lever 28 lever receptacle 30 housing surface 32 outer walls 34 inner sides 36 handle 38 upper guide projections 40 lower guide projections 42 tube-side guide grooves 44 tube-side guide webs 46 upper housing-side guide webs 48 lower housing-side guide webs 50 insertion bevels 52 centering pins 54 support surfaces 56 connecting section 58 locking surfaces 60 assembly section 62 locking section 64 latching surfaces of the locking lever 66 latching surfaces of the frame section