Ford Motor Company Limited

Visteon Global Technolgoies, Inc.

John Hugh Allison

Gerald Arthur Heath

Richard Granitz

A combined coin sorting and dispensing apparatus for motor vehicles which may be mounted in or integrally formed with the dashboard, console, or an existing interior door or side panel, or placed in an existing pocket of the vehicle. The coin sorter has a hopper with a coin slot, a coin sorter plate, a coin holder support, and a plurality of coin holders. In operation, coins placed in the hopper pass through the coin slot, and fall onto an inclined sorter plate which sorts the coins into the coin holders. The motion of the motor vehicle as it is being driven assists in moving the coins through the hopper, down the coin slot, and down the sorter plate. The sorted coins are stored in the coin holders until needed at which time they are manually or automatically dispensed from the holders. Methods for sorting the coins using the disclosed combined coin sorting and dispensing apparatus are also disclosed.

Coin sorting and dispensing apparatus for motor vehicles

A novel electrical connector assembly is disclosed. An embodiment of the electrical connector assembly includes a guide sleeve having a tapered interior and electrical contacts disposed therein. The guide sleeve receives a tapered housing having corresponding electrical contacts for mating with the electrical contacts of the guide sleeve. An alternate embodiment of the electrical connector assembly has a connection mechanism using a flat contact surface and a round tipped contact surface to maintain electrical contact while allowing for movement of the contacts in any direction along the surface of the flat contact surface.

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Plymouth, MI, United States of America

John Hugh Allison