WO2001016894A1

WO2001016894A1 - Tamper resistant coin acceptance and collection apparatus and method

Info

Publication number: WO2001016894A1
Application number: PCT/US2000/023776
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael J. Decorte; Donald W. Plungis
Original assignee: Protel, Inc.
Priority date: 1999-08-30
Filing date: 2000-08-29
Publication date: 2001-03-08
Also published as: AU7088800A; TW442765B

Abstract

A tamper resistant coin acceptance and collection apparatus (10) includes a coin chute assembly (20) having a plurality of doors (22, 24, 26) moveable from a juxtaposed position (28) to an open position (30) for permitting unwanted debris to be released from within a coin chute (38). Each of the doors (22, 24, 26) has a coin track (32, 34, 36) for defining the coin chute (38) having a circuitous path (40) when the doors (22, 24, 26) are in the juxtaposed position (28). A blocker arm (50) operates with the coin chute assembly (20) for permitting coin access when in a neutral position (62) while at the same time securing the doors (22, 24, 26) in the juxtaposed position (28). Upon operation by a user of a coin release lever (56), the blocker arm (50) is moved from the neutral position (62) to a coin entrance blocking position (64) for blocking access to the coin chute (38) while maintaining the doors (22, 24, 26) in the juxtaposed position (28). A puller bar (90) connected between the blocker arm (50) and the coin chute assembly (20) biases the blocker arm (50) in the neutral position (62) for securing the doors (22, 24, 26) in the juxtaposed position (28). With continued movement of the coin release lever (56), the puller bar (90) moves the doors (22, 24, 26) into the open position (30) thus causing the unwanted debris carried within the coin chute assembly (20) to be released therefrom.

Description

TAMPER RESISTANT COIN ACCEPTANCE AND COLLECTION APPARATUS AND METHOD

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to coin acceptance and collection mechanisms and, in particular, to methods and apparatus for preventing unwarranted access by tampering of a coin chute in a vending machines such as a pay telephone.

Background of the Invention

As described in U.S. Patent No. 5,513,738 to Hird et al., it is well known that coin handling machines require constant service. This appears to be especially true for public telephones. It is not unusual to find coin handlers jammed with paper. Fraudulent use of the public telephone is well known to include a coin-on-a-string technique, wire, and knife penetration into the coin chute for actuating a coin scanner. In addition, plastic bags are often stuffed in coin return slots for holding coins within the slot and permitting withdrawal of the coins by removing the plastic bag by burning it. Various anti-jamming coin chute devices are known in the art, such as that described in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,090,548 to Hird et al. and 5,829,569 to Cheng et al. which uses pivoted plate assemblies for defining the coin chute. In addition, various circuitous coin paths have been devised to avoid intrusion of wire and the like for accessing the coin chute in an attempt to penetrate the operating devices within a vending machine, such as described in U.S. Patent No. 4,91 1 ,280 to

Bruner. However, there remains a need for tamper resistant coin acceptance and collection systems that allow a user to easily clear a coin chute of unwanted debris, while preventing an intruder from penetrating the coin activating mechanisms with the vending machine, and which at the same time allow for the collection of a variety of coins within a relatively small space as is typical for intelligent public telephones. Summary of the Invention

In view of the foregoing background, it is an object of the present invention to provide a coin acceptance and collection system and method that prevents vandals from placing prying styled devices or foreign objects, such as coat hangers and wires, into the coin chute and scanner area of a pay phone housing or vending machine to thus eliminate fraud and damage to sensitive parts within the coin scanner, pay telephone, or vending machine housing.

These and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention are provided by a tamper resistant coin acceptance and collection apparatus comprising a coin chute assembly including a plurality of doors moveable from a juxtaposed position to an open position, each of the plurality of doors having a coin track therein for defining a coin chute having a circuitous path when in the juxtaposed position. A blocker arm is operable with the coin chute assembly for permitting coin access thereto when in a neutral position, the blocker arm securing the plurality of doors in the juxtaposed position when the blocker arm is in the neutral position and moveable from the neutral position to a coin entrance blocking position for blocking access to the coin chute. A puller bar is operably connected with the blocker arm and the coin chute assembly. The puller bar biases the blocker arm in the neutral position for securing the plurality of doors in the juxtaposed position and operable for movement of the blocker arm from the neutral position to the coin entrance blocking position for blocking access to the coin chute assembly and moving at least one of the plurality of doors into the open position thus causing material carried within the coin chute assembly to be released therefrom. A method aspect of the invention is directed to resisting tampering of a coin acceptance and collection device having a housing and a coin slot for coin entry therethrough and a coin release mechanism carried by the housing. The method comprises mounting a coin chute assembly within the housing. The coin chute assembly includes a plurality of doors moveable from a juxtaposed position to an open position, each of the plurality of doors having a coin track therein for defining a coin chute in combination when in the juxtaposed position. The coin chute further has a circuitous path from a coin chute entrance end to a coin chute exit end where a coin deposited through the coin slot is directed through the housing. The method further includes rotatably attaching a blocker arm within the housing proximate the coin slot for operation with the coin release mechanism for providing rotation thereto. The blocker arm has a notch therein juxtaposed between the coin chute entrance and the coin slot for permitting coin access therethrough when in a neutral position. The blocker arm is rotatable from the neutral position to a coin entrance blocking position for blocking access to the coin chute entrance end through the coin slot. A puller bar is connected between the blocker arm and the plurality of doors for transferring a movement of the blocker arm to a movement of at least one of the plurality of doors. The plurality of doors are secured in the juxtaposed position when the blocker arm is in the neutral position. Moving the blocker arm from the neutral position to the coin entrance blocking position by movement of the coin release mechanism, places at least one of the plurality of doors into the open position by moving of the puller bar, thus releasing material undesirably carried within the coin chute assembly.

Brief Description of the Drawings

A preferred embodiment of the invention, as well as alternate embodiments are described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front left perspective view of a public telephone illustrated in an off-hook position;

FIG. 2 is a partial front right perspective view of the public telephone of FIG. 1 with an upper housing and spent coin storage area entrance panel removed;

FIG. 3 is a front left perspective enlarged view of the one embodiment of the present invention shown in a neutral position as illustrated in FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a right front perspective view of FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 3; FIG. 7 is the embodiment of FIG. 3 illustrating a fully open coin chute position;

FIG. 7A is the view of FIG. 7 with elements omitted for further illustrating the fully open position of the coin chute; FIG. 8 is a partial right front perspective view of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a front elevation view of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9A is the view of FIG. 9 with elements omitted for further illustrating the fully open position of the coin chute;

FIG. 10 is a rear elevation view of one embodiment of the present invention illustrating a plurality of coin chute doors in a juxtaposed position;

FIG. 1 1 is a cross-section view taken through lines 1 1-1 1 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a rear elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 10 illustrating the plurality of doors in a fully open position;

FIG. 13 is a cross-section view taken through lines 13-13 of FIG. 12; FIG. 14 is a partial perspective view of a coin chute in keeping with the present invention illustrating a circuitous coin path therethrough;

FIG. 14A is a partial exploded view of the coin chute of FIG. 14;

FIG. 15 is a rear elevation view of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a cross-section view taken through lines 16-16 of FIG. 15; FIG 17 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 3 illustrating a blocked coin entrance position;

FIG. 18 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 3 illustrating an intermediate open coin chute position;

FIG. 19 is a partial rear elevation view of FIG. 5; FIG. 20 is a partial rear elevation view of FIG. 9;

FIG. 21 is a partial rear elevation view of FIG. 17;

FIG. 22 is a partial rear elevation view of FIG. 18; and

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of coin chute doors including grooves formed within side wall sections of each door. Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. One embodiment of the present invention, a tamper resistant coin acceptance and collection apparatus 10 will herein be described, by way of example, with reference to use in a public telephone 12, as illustrated with reference to FIGS. 1-6. One embodiment of the tamper resistant coin acceptance and collection apparatus 10 comprises a mounting bracket 14 suitably dimensioned for mounting onto a lower housing 16 of the telephone 12 for extending into a portion of an upper housing 18. A coin chute assembly 20 is carried by the mounting bracket 14, which coin chute assembly includes a plurality of doors, herein described by way of example as first, second, and third doors 22, 24, 26, respectively, which doors are moveable from a juxtaposed position 28 to a fully open position 30, as illustrated with reference to FIGS. 7, 7A, 8, 9, and 9A. Each of the plurality of doors 22, 24, 26 having a coin track 32,

34, 36, respectively, as illustrated with reference again to FIG. 9A and to FIGS.10-13, for defining a coin chute 38 in combination when in the juxtaposed position 28.

As illustrated with reference to FIGS. 14-16, the coin chute 38 provides a circuitous, zig-zag styled path 40 from a coin chute entrance end 42 to a coin chute exit end 44, where a coin 46 deposited at the coin chute entrance end is directed to a coin scanner 48 positioned proximate thereto, as herein described by way of example with reference again to FIGS. 3 and 6. As illustrated by way of example for one fraudulent tampering technique, an elongate rod 49 is stopped from penetrating completely into the coin chute 38 even with available access to the coin chute. The apparatus 10 further includes a blocker arm 50 that is rotatably carried by the mounting bracket 14 using a shoulder screw 52 secured to the mounting bracket. The blocker arm 50 is operable with a coin release mechanism 54, illustrated with reference again to FIG. 2 for providing rotation thereto when a user operates a coin release lever 56 typically found on public telephones 12, as illustrated by way of example with reference again to FIG. 1. As illustrated with reference again to FIGS. 3 and 4, by way of illustration, the blocker arm 50 includes a notch 58 formed therein and juxtaposed with the coin chute entrance end 44 for permitting coin access through a coin slot 60 in the upper housing 18, as illustrated with reference again to FIG. 1 , and into the coin chute 38 through the coin slot entrance end 42 when the blocker arm is in a neutral position 62. However, when the blocker arm 50 is rotated from the neutral position 62, illustrated with reference again to FIG. 3, to a coin entrance blocking position 64, as illustrated with reference to FIG. 17, access through the coin slot 60 into the coin chute 38 of the coin chute assembly 20 is blocked.

As illustrated with reference again to FIGS. 3-6, a latching pin 66 is carried by the coin chute assembly 20, and in particular for the embodiment herein described by way of example, carried by a latching plate 68 attached to the first door 22. The latching pin 66 is operable within a slot 70 formed within the blocker arm 50 for securing the doors 22, 24 against the third door 26, which third door is attached to the mounting bracket 14. As illustrated with reference again to FIG. 6, the third door 26 is secured against a wall plate 72, wherein the first and second doors 22, 24 are pivotal about a pivot pin 74 with the third door. The doors 22, 24, 26 are in the juxtaposed position 28 when the blocker arm 50 is in the neutral position 62. Further, and as illustrated with reference to FIGS. 3-

5 by way of illustration, the first and second doors 22, 24 in combination define a coin chute input slot 76 which is juxtaposed with the coin slot 60 of the telephone 12 earlier described with reference to FIG. 1.

With reference again to FIGS. 5, 17, and 18, by way of further illustration, the slot 70 of the blocker arm 50 is elongate and dimensioned for slidably receiving the latching pin 66 therein. The slot 70 includes an open end portion 78 and opposing stop end portion 80. The stop end portion 80 includes an angled flat edge 82 for permitting movement of the latching pin 66 thereon during an initial rotation of the blocker arm 50, as illustrated in FIG. 5 for the neutral position 62 to the coin entrance blocking position 64 of FIG. 17, while maintaining the doors 22, 24, 26 in the juxtaposed position 28. The slot open end portion 78 includes a flared shape opening for permitting the first and second doors 22, 24 to be pivoted to the fully open position 30 , as earlier described with reference to FIG. 7, while passing through an intermediate coin chute position 84, illustrated by way of example with reference again to FIG. 18, and again to FIGS. 5 and 9 illustrating a travel arc 86 for the latching pin 66 about a fixed radius 88 to the pivot pin 74 supporting such operation. The stop end portion 80 includes a radial end 83. A center of radius for the end 83 is the shoulder screw 52. The radius of the slot 82 is such that the blocker arm 50 can rotate from the neutral position 62 to a just blocked position, herein described as the coin entrance blocking position 64, while keeping the latching pin 66 fixed and thus latching the doors 22, 24 in the juxtaposed position 28.

As illustrated with reference again to FIGS. 4, 6, and 8, and by way of further views with reference to FIGS. 19-22, a puller bar 90 is operable connected with, and in the embodiment herein described by way of example, between the blocker arm 50 and the latching plate 68 attached to the first door

22 of the coin chute assembly 20. The puller bar 90 biases the blocker arm 50 in the neutral position 62 for securing the doors 22, 24 in the juxtaposed position 28 with each other and with the third door 26. In one embodiment as herein described, a spring loaded actuating lever arm 92 of the coin scanner 48 biases against a foot 96 of the puller bar 90. The puller bar 90 includes a tab 98 extending therefrom in an engaging connection with an aperture 100 carried within the blocker arm 50 for operation therewith. To accommodate tolerance within the apparatus 10 and provide a backup to the lever arm 92 of the coin scanner 48, or accommodate a situation without the coin scanner, a coil spring 102 is connected from a mounting bracket wall section 94 proximate the blocker arm 50 to a leverage portion 106 of the blocker arm for the biasing thereof toward the neutral position 62. The apparatus 10, herein described by way off example, operates with the coin scanner 48, which scanner identifies the coin 46 for acceptance as a fee, or rejects the coin and routes it to a coin return chute 95 illustrated with reference again to FIG. 1 , and well known with public telephones 12. As herein described, the coin release 56 operated by the user drives the coin release mechanism 54 which communicates with the blocker arm 50 for rotating the blocker arm about the shoulder screw 52. Movement of the blocker arm 50, herein described as a rotation however, it is to be understood that slidable and other movement will come to the mind of one of skill in the art from the teaching of the present invention, in turn drives the puller bar 90. Movement of the blocker arm 50 from the neutral position 62 to the coin entrance blocking position 64 for unlatching the latching pin 66 and subsequently moving the first and second doors 22, 24 into the open position 30 thus causing debris which may have been lodged between the doors 22, 24, 26 within the coin chute assembly 20 to be released therefrom and typically drop into a bottom portion of the lower housing

16.

The puller bar 90 is connected for operation with the first door 22 by a tongue 108 extending from the latching plate 68, which tongue is pivotal about the pivot pin 74 for slidable movement within a slot 110 carried within a distal end 112 of the puller bar 90, which distal end opposes the proximal end 114 having the foot 96 earlier described. As illustrated with reference to FIGS. 19-22, the slot 110 of the puller bar 90 is dimensioned for slidably receiving the tongue 108, and the slot has a length dimension which provides a gap 116 for providing a free movement of the tongue within the slot while the blocker arm 50 is in the neutral position 62. The slot 110 of the puller bar 90 further has the length dimension for providing a stop end 118 for engaging the tongue 108 for causing the puller bar to operate with the latching plate 68, and thus the first door 22, in the unlatching of the latching pin 66 and the subsequent moving of the doors 22, 24.

For the embodiment of the coin chute assembly 20 illustrated with reference again to FIGS. 10-16, and to FIGS. 7A and 9A, each of the doors 22,

24, 26 comprises a single side wall 120, 122, 124, respectively, for defining the coin chute 38. The coin tracks 32, 34, 36, respectively for each door 22, 24, 26, extend outward therefrom as earlier described, with each defining a portion of the coin chute circuitous path 40 which includes a zig zag styled path within three generally parallel and distinct planes 126, 128, 130. Further, the circuitous path 40 is inclined downwardly for permitting the coin 46 to travel therealong under a force of gravity. One embodiment includes inclining the coin tracks 32, 34, 36 by 14 degrees, 27 degrees, and 12 degrees, respectively, for providing an effective gravitational pulling on the coin within a desirably confined path dimension as herein described by way of example. As illustrated with reference again to FIG. 6, and to FIG. 23, at least one surface of each side wall 120, 122, 124 includes grooves formed therein for reducing frictional effects on the coin 46 when following the circuitous path 40. Further, the coin tracks 32, 34 have an inclined top surface 132 for receiving the coin thereon, which inclined top surface is downwardly angled from the respective single side wall 120, 122 by approximately 24 degrees for biasing the coin 46 therefrom and into the appropriate distinct plane 128, 130 when moving through an opening 134, 136 of the applicable side wall 122, 124, respectively. In addition, and as illustrated with reference again to FIGS. 1 1 and 13, proximate the opening of a door, each track of an adjacent door, within an adjacent plane, is stepped 125 downward by approximately .030 inches to permit the coin to drop down onto the adjacent track, into the adjacent plane. As illustrated with reference again to FIGS. 14- 16, the coin 46 placed into the coin chute 38 changes direction twice, a "switchback" path, as it travels down the chute under gravitational influence. Such a path allows the coin 46 to pass, but as described earlier with reference to FIGS. 14, and 14A -16 prevents the intrusion of foreign objects such as a coat hangers, or other prying objects from entering the coin chute 38 and ultimately the coin scanner 48. The switchback path prevents fraud and damage to the coin scanner 48 or other internal parts of the telephone 12, or other vending apparatus in which the present invention is used. With reference again to FIGS. 1 1 and 13, by way of example, the first door 22 includes a stop 138 which engages an edge portion 140 of the second door 24 after the first door opens by approximately 14 degrees, at which time the second door 24 is pivoted into an open position with the third door 26.

In the operation of the apparatus 10, a user will operate the coin release lever 56 where an initial portion of its movement during the neutral position 62 allows free travel of the puller bar 90 before the puller bar engages the tongue

108 to cause the first door 22 to rotate through the action of the tongue extending from the latching plate 68, which latching plate is carried by the first door. The puller bar 90 and thus the first door 22 are latched shut with the latching pin 66 prevented from rotating about the pivot pin 74 by movement of the latching pin only with the angled flat edge portion 82 of the slot 70 in the blocker arm 50. As the blocker arm 50 is rotated clockwise, as the reader faces the drawing page, the blocker arm engaging the puller bar 90 with the tab 98 causes the puller bar to move vertically downward. As the blocker arm 50 is rotated, and the free travel portion of the tongue 108 within the puller bar slot 10 is completed, the coin slot entrance end 42 becomes fully blocked, at which time the latching plate 68 and thus the first door 22 become de-latched and pivoted as the latching pin 66 is slidably moved from the slot stop end portion 80 to the flared open angled end portion 78 of the slot 70 and out therefrom. In addition, as the puller bar 90 is pulled downward, the foot 96 at the proximal end 114 of the the puller bar 90 activates the spring loaded lever arm 92 of the coin scanner 94.

It is to be understood that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

Claims

That Which Is Claimed

1. A tamper resistant coin acceptance and collection apparatus comprising: a coin chute assembly including a plurality of doors moveable from a juxtaposed position to an open position, each of the plurality of doors having a coin track therein for defining a coin chute having a circuitous path when in the juxtaposed position; a blocker arm operable with the coin chute assembly for permitting coin access thereto when in a neutral position, the blocker arm securing the plurality of doors in the juxtaposed position when the blocker arm is in the neutral position and moveable from the neutral position to a coin entrance blocking position for blocking access to the coin chute; and a puller bar operably connected with the blocker arm and the coin chute assembly, the puller bar biasing the blocker arm in the neutral position for securing the plurality of doors in the juxtaposed position and operable for movement of the blocker arm from the neutral position to the coin entrance blocking position for blocking access to the coin chute assembly and moving at least one of the plurality of doors into the open position thus causing material carried within the coin chute assembly to be released therefrom.

2. The apparatus according to Claim 1 , wherein the circuitous path extends from a coin chute entrance end to a coin chute exit end, wherein a coin deposited at the entrance end is directed to a coin scanner positioned proximate thereto.

3. The apparatus according to Claim 2, wherein the blocker arm includes a notch therein for providing coin access to the coin chute when the notch is juxtaposed with the coin chute entrance end.

4. The apparatus according top Claim 1 , further comprising a coin release mechanism operable with the blocker arm for providing rotation thereto.

5. The apparatus according to Claim 1 , further comprising a latching pin carried by the coin chute assembly and slidably operable with the blocker arm for latching the plurality of doors in the juxtaposed position when the blocker arm is in the neutral position, and for permitting the free movement of at least one of the plurality of doors when the blocker arm is in the coin entrance blocking position..

6. The apparatus according to Claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of doors comprises a single side wall and a track extending outward from the single side wall.

7. The apparatus according to Claim 1 , wherein the coin track comprises an inclined top surface for receiving the coin thereon, which inclined top surface is downwardly angled from a side wall for biasing the coin therefrom.

8. The apparatus according to Claim 1 , wherein the plurality of doors comprises at least two first and second doors pivotal with a third door.

9. The apparatus according to Claim 8, wherein the puller bar is connected to the first door.

10. The apparatus according to Claim 8, wherein the first and second doors in combination define a coin input slot at the coin chute entrance end when in the juxtaposed position.

11. The apparatus according to Claim 1 , further comprising a tongue extending from the coin chute assembly, the tongue operable connected to the puller bar for movement of thereby, wherein the puller bar includes a slot dimensioned for slidably receiving the tongue therein, the slot having a length dimension for providing a free movement of the tongue therewith when the blocker arm is in the neutral position, and a stop for operating with the latching plate in the unlatching of the latching pin and the subsequent moving of at least one of the plurality of doors.

12. The apparatus according to Claim 1 , wherein the puller bar includes a tab extending therefrom in an engaging connection with an aperture carried within the blocker arm for operation therewith.

13. The apparatus according to Claim 1 , wherein the puller bar further includes a foot for engaging an actuating lever of a coin scanner.

14. The apparatus according to Claim 1 , further comprising biasing means operable with the puller bar for biasing the blocker arm in the neutral position.

15. A tamper resistant coin acceptance and collection apparatus comprising a coin chute assembly including a plurality of doors moveable from a juxtaposed position to an open position, wherein moving at least one of the plurality of doors from the juxtaposed position to the open position causes material carried therebetween to be released therefrom, each of the plurality of doors having a coin track therein for defining a coin chute when in the juxtaposed position, each of the plurality of doors having a side wall and a track extending outward therefrom with at least one of the plurality of doors having an opening therethrough for communicating with a next adjacent door for receiving a coin therethrough to thus provide a circuitous path from a coin chute entrance end to a coin chute exit end, and wherein the circuitous path includes a zig zag path for guiding the coin into at least one plane in spaced relation to a second plane through the opening, the circuitous path inclined downwardly for permitting a coin to travel therealong under a force of gravity.

16. The apparatus according to Claim 15, wherein the coin track includes an inclined top surface for receiving the coin thereon, which inclined top surface is downwardly angled from the single side wall for biasing the coin therefrom and into an adjacent distinct plane through the opening formed within the at least one side wall.

17. The apparatus according to Claim 16, wherein the top surface of the at least one track is in a stepped relation to the track top surface of an adjacent track proximate the opening for permitting the coin to drop down under the influence of gravity when moving from the at least one plane to the second plane.

18. The apparatus according to Claim 15, wherein the plurality of doors comprises first, second and third doors.

19. The apparatus according to Claim 18, wherein the third door is fixedly attached to a mounting bracket and the first and second doors are pivotal therewith.

20. The apparatus according to Claim 18, wherein the first and second doors in combination define a coin input slot at the coin chute entrance end when in the juxtaposed position.