The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 03, 1998
Filed:
Nov. 07, 1996
Michael F Jones, Mt. Vernon, NH (US);
Paul O Stump, Topsfield, MA (US);
Telequip Corporation, Hollis, NH (US);
Abstract
A portable canister for holding coin-like objects for ejection from a dispenser has a lid and a substantially box-like base that are either attached pivotally at one or more hinges so that the canister may be opened in a clamshell fashion a full 180 degrees or that come together in a box-like fashion without the use of hinges, the cover being lifted entirely off the base for loading. Inside the canister base is a side-by-side array of columns, each column having sides encircling the column circumference by no more than 180 degrees in order to allow horizontal loading of stacks of coins. The lid operates to trap the coins into the columns of the base. The closed canister has slots in the plane of the lid to permit ejection of coins one at a time from each column. An ejection mechanism mounted in the dispenser chassis employs one solenoid subassembly per column of a removable canister. Each solenoid plunger protrudes into the canister base at all times when the canister is mounted and rests underneath a land in the base of the canister. The bottom coin in the stack in each column rests below the bottom of the land on a pad located entirely within the canister base, allowing the plunger to be accurately positioned with respect to the coin. When the ejection mechanism is activated, the plunger strikes only the bottom coin in the stack, pushing it off the pad into the coin chute.