Rowe International Corporation

James D Collins

Jeffrey J Kalis

Donald A Dekker

Michael R Nulph

An anti-tether device used in vending machines to prevent retrieval of paper currency that is attached to a tether. The anti-tether device includes a slotted disk aligned with the paper currency path and is caused to rotate after paper currency passes through the slot. A tether attached to the paper currency will inhibit the motion of the disk. If the vending machine control system determines that the disk did not rotate completely or did not rotate within a predetermined time limit, the vending machine will not dispense a product or service and may send an external signal. Alternatively, if a product or service is dispensed despite the presence of a tether, the paper currency will not be retrievable, as the tether will be mechanically wound around a shaft of the anti-tether apparatus.

Anti-tether device

A vending or merchandising machine is provided which includes a bulk-loaded coin hopper for providing change to a user of the machine. The vending machine may be operable in a change mode, wherein change is dispensed from the bulk loaded hopper in an amount equivalent to the amount of credit input into the machine by user, or a vending mode, where a user may select an item to be purchased, and receive the item and change in an amount equal to the input amount less the purchase price of the item. Preferably, the vending machine automatically switches to the change mode in response to an input threshold amount being inserted into the vending machine. Preferably, the vending machine further may be selectively switched to the change mode in response to a user input on a keypad or the like on the merchandising machine.

Merchandising machine with bulk coin hopper

An improved universal document validator in which a document is transported along a path past light detectors and associated light sources positioned above and below the path, such that light from the sources is directed toward the path and reflected onto the detectors to produce outputs therefrom. A first stored value representing the desired output of each detector with no document in the transport path and with its associated light source illuminated is divided by the actual output of each detector with no document in the transport path and with its associated light source illuminated, to produce a plurality of quotients. If any of the quotients falls outside a predetermined range, the validator turns itself off. A microprocessor control system uses the outputs of the detectors with a document in the transport path together with the quotients to produce an indication of the validity of the document.

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Jenison, MI, United States of America

James D Collins