Abstract: It is judged whether or not a bill, inserted from a bill inlet, is genuine, and then the bill is passed to a bill stacking position through a bill passage only when it is judged that the bill is genuine. The bill is pushed into an accumulating box by rotating an eccentric cam of a stacker unit at the bill stacking position when the a shutter switch becomes on after the bill passes a shutter plate and a pull out preventing lever. The eccentric cam is held at a top dead center. A bill pull out preventing apparatus includes a pull out preventing lever having a distal end portion. The distal end portion is curved to define a hook groove. The lever is arranged so that the distal end portion is directed away from the insert slot. The lever is spring biased to swing about a pivot to block the bill passage.

Abstract: This card type recording medium has plural types of inks which normally exhibit the same color visually but exhibit different optical characteristics under a predetermined condition provided in blocks in a desired pattern and, by breaking the blocks block by block in accordance with the used amount or other factor, is capable of recording information corresponding to the breakage state of the blocks. First information can be recorded by a pattern of arrangement of these plural types of inks and second information can be recorded in accordance with the breakage state of the blocks. The first information is a collation pattern which indicates that the card type recording medium is a genuine one. Since the plural types of inks exhibit the same color visually, it cannot be visually discerned which type of ink is used on which block, which makes it difficult to counterfeit the card by imitating this collation pattern.

Abstract: An apparatus for preventing a bill from being pulled out. The apparatus includes a hang preventing mechanism which has a tongue for preventing a bill from hanging from a bill accumulating box into a bill passage. The bill is conveyed through the bill passage to the bill accumulating box. The hang preventing mechanism is pivotally supported and is spring biased by a biasing mechanism for holding the tongue to prevent a bill, received in the bill accumulating box, from hanging from the bill accumulating box while the tongue is allowed to turn by a bill which passes through the bill passage for entering the bill accumulating box.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for recording and reproducing information comprising irradiating a light spot for recording and reproducing information and a plurality of light spots for tracking an information-recording region of an optical information-recording medium including tracks or guiding, projecting reflected beams from the optical information-recording medium due to said light spot for recording and reproducing information and plurality of light spots for tracking on a photosensor, and selecting two outputs from a plurality of electrical outputs for tracking from said photosensor to provide tracking-control signals.

Abstract: An apparatus for optically recording and reproducing information in and from an optical information recording medium having a guide track. The apparatus uses an optical head having a diffraction grating, for recording and reproducing information. In recording information, a zero-order diffraction light beam from the diffraction grating is used for the information recording, and plus/minus first-order diffraction light beams from the diffraction grating are used for the tracking. In reproducing information, the zero-order diffraction light beam is used for the tracking, and higher- and odd-order diffraction light beams including at least plus/minus first-order diffraction light beams are used for information reproduction.

Abstract: Money amount data and necessary discrimination data are recorded on a card and a card reader can read and write data on this card. A discarding circuit discards a money amount which is less than a money amount digit of a minimum denomination coin which can be handled from the money amount data read from the card. Money amount data left after discarding is added to a money amount of deposited coins and result of the addition is compared with a vend price for judgement as to whether vending is possible or not. Vend control of an article is made on the basis of this judgement. Discount is made from a predetermined vend price of the vended article. The vend price after the discount is subtracted from the money amount data read from the card by the card reader and the balance is caused to be written in the card by the card reader.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the improvement in an apparatus for reproducing information from a card-like optical information recording medium including tracks for guiding and tracks for information. At least three light spots are formed in said card-like recording medium by light-spot forming means. Signal detection means then detects focusing control signals and tracking control signals by scanning said tracks for guiding with a spot among said light spots. Further, signal reproducing means reproduces information signals of plural tracks by scanning the information tracks with the remaining at least two light spots. The reproduced information signals of the plural tracks are stored in plural memories separately for each track. Subsequently, read-out means sequentially and successively reads the stored information by the time sharing system from each of the plural memories with a speed larger than that when said reproduced information has been input.

Abstract: This device is an arrangement for detecting a signal for effecting a focus control of an optical head with respect to an optical information recording medium by making use of a reflected light beam from the optical information recording medium. On an optical path for a reflected light beam reflected from the recording surface of the optical recording medium, a photodetector is provided. This photodetector is composed of a plurality of elements arranged symmetrically in the transverse cross section of the light beam. Thus, an output of the outside element and an output of the inside element of the plural elements arranged in the transverse cross section of the light beam are used to detect a focus error, thus to utilize the signal detected for the focus control.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an optical head for recording and playing back optical information, the optical head comprising an illumination system which shines three beams of light comprising 0-dimensional diffraction light, +1-dimensional diffraction light, and -1-dimensional diffraction light onto an optical information recording medium, and a photoreceiver system which receives three beams of reflected light from the recording medium; the photoreceiver system being provided with an edge mirror whereby, of the three beams of reflected light from the recording medium, approximately one half of the 0-dimensional diffraction light and all of the +1-dimensional diffraction light is received by a first photoreceiver diode, without being affected by the edge mirror, and the remaining approximately one half of the 0-dimensional diffraction light and all of the -1-dimensional diffraction light is reflected by the edge mirror and is received by a second photoreceiver diode; wherein a focusing control signal, a

Abstract: This device is an arrangement for detecting a signal for effecting a focus control of an optical head with respect to an optical information recording medium by making use of a reflected light beam from the optical information recording medium. On an optical path for a reflected light beam reflected from the recording surface of the optical recording medium, a photodetector is provided. This photodetector is composed of a plurality of elements arranged symmetrically in the transverse cross section of the light beam. Thus, an output of the outside element and an output of the inside element of the plural elements arranged in the transverse cross section of the light beam are used to detect a focus error, thus to utilize the signal detected for the focus control.

Abstract: In a device for validating and accumulating bills and coins for fixed and movable chute mechanisms forming therebetween a bill passage and magnetic heads provided above the bill passage for validating bills passing thereby, and head pressing rollers for pressing bills against the magnetic heads from the opposite side of the bill passage. A feature of this device is that, when a counterfeit bill is to be returned by reversing the travel of a bill conveying belt constituting one part of a fixed chute mechanism, a mechanism automatically operates to move each head pressing roller clear of the bill passage thereby to prevent jamming of the bill. Another feature is that the driving shafts respectively of the bill conveying belt and of a coin conveying belt are coaxially coupled by way of a one-way clutch, whereby when the bill conveying belt is driven in reverse dirction for rejection and return of a bill, the coin conveying belt is stopped thereby to prevent reverse conveying coins.

Abstract: An apparatus for discriminating the authenticity of a bill put into an automatic vending machine, etc. on the basis of a degree of brilliance of a surface of the bill, comprises two photodiodes for receiving light irradiated from a light-emitting diode and reflected by the bill, and a polaroid filter disposed in front of one of the photodiodes.

Abstract: A coin to be judged is passed near an oscillation coil excited by an exciting signal containing a plurality of harmonic components, that is nonsinusoidal alternating current, and the coin is sorted in accordance with a signal produced by a receiving coil electromagnetically coupled with the oscillation coil and containing at least two harmonic components. The signal induced in the receiving coil may be a composite signal of at least two harmonic components. This signal may consist of a first signal of a composite of at least two harmonic components and a second signal of a composite of at least two other harmonic components.

Abstract: A plurality of plate members are provided to be aligned with each other in order to define a plurality of coin paths in units of denominations which are aligned with each other and capable of communicating with a common path along which all inserted coins pass. Selectors are provided at a position immediately upstream from two successive aligned coin paths. Each selector is driven by a solenoid operative in accordance with a detection result from a coil for detecting denominations of coins. An inserted coin is directed to a corresponding coin path by the selector.

Abstract: A money discriminating apparatus comprising a bill transporting path defined between a pair of spaced, but opposed wall surfaces. A coin transporting path is defined by a groove formed in at least one of the wall surfaces. The groove has a width slightly larger than a diameter of a largest one of coins to be transported and a depth slightly larger than a thickness of a thickest one of the coins. Inlet and outlet of coin transporting path open respectively to inlet and outlet of the bill transporting path. A transporting system transports bill and coin along their respective paths. A discriminating unit discriminates authenticity and kind of bill and coin in course of being transported along their respective paths. Preferably, the transporting system comprises a pair of transporting belts and mating surfaces arranged in facing relation respectively to running surfaces of the respective belts.

Abstract: Disclosed is a read/write apparatus for magnetic card, which includes a card conveyance passage along which a flexible magnetic card is guided. The passage has a direction changing portion where the direction of the passage is gradually changed, and a downstream portion where the passage extends vertically of the apparatus. By virtue of this arrangement the apparatus can be small in depth size and have a thin body.When an additional insertion button of the apparatus is depressed by a customer, zero value is written on the magnetic card and the card is returned. Upon insertion of an additional card, the sum of the balance of the additional card and the previous card is transmitted to an external information processing unit installed in a vending machine, to permit a single sales operation within the sum of the balances.