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:
May. 21, 2002
Filed:
Apr. 10, 2000
Gregory John Billington, Reading, GB;
Andrew Simon Pope, Reading, GB;
Mars Incorporated, McLean, VA (US);
Abstract
A money handling mechanism has a first port P for connection to a machine controller and a second port P to which further money handling mechanisms can be connected. Different types of mechanism, such as a card acceptor or a bill validator can be connected to the second port P over a bus B. The first port P may be connected to one of several interface adapters to and the communications protocol used is selected accordingly. If the first port P uses the same protocol as the second port P signals are passed transparently between the first port P and the second port P Signals from the additional mechanism may be modified to be recognisable by the controller The money handling mechanism may convert between the denominations of currencies represented in the protocols over the first and second ports P and P