Abstract: A bill processor for use in a bill handling machine comprises a first bill transport passage for guiding a bill inserted in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of bills stacked in a stacker toward substantially middle of interior of the main body of the bill handling machine, and a second bill transport passage for guiding the bill from the termination end of the first bill transport passage along the longitudinal direction of the stacked bills, wherein the first bill transport passage is formed in a meandering form along the longitudinal direction of the stacked bills, whereby the depth of the bill processor can be made small.

Abstract: A bill processor for use in a bill handling machine comprises a first bill transport passage for guiding a bill inserted in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of bills stacked in a stacker toward substantially middle of interior of the main body of the bill handling machine, and a second bill transport passage for guiding the bill from the termination end of the first bill transport passage along the longitudinal direction of the stacked bills, wherein the first bill transport passage is formed in a meandering form along the longitudinal direction of the stacked bills, whereby the depth of the bill processor can be made small.

Abstract: A bill processor for use in a bill handling machine comprises a first bill transport passage for guiding a bill inserted in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of bills stacked in a stacker toward substantially middle of interior of the main body of the bill handling machine, and a second bill transport passage for guiding the bill from the termination end of the first bill transport passage along the longitudinal direction of the stacked bills, wherein the first bill transport passage is formed in a meandering form along the longitudinal direction of the stacked bills, whereby the depth of the bill processor can be made small.

Abstract: A coin selecting apparatus includes a coin detection coil disposed in a coin channel for outputting a coin detection signal having a waveform changing gradually as the coin passes in the channel and uniquely accordance with the kind of the coin, and window device having a plurality of different windows for corresponding coins to be detected for producing a pulse signal when the coin detection signal is in a window. A timer device monitors the time duration of the pulse signal to thereby determine the validation and kind of the coin in accordance with the output from the timer device. A counter counts pulse signals produced by the window device to thereby determine the validation and kind of the coin in accordance with the count therein.

Abstract: This vending machine system comprises a single master vendor including a coin mechanism and a vend possible judgement circuit and a plurality of slave vendors controlled by this master vendor. The master vendor comprises a master control unit for controlling the operation of the respective slave vendors. Each of the slave vendors comprises a subcontrol unit which performs transmission and receiving of information relative to the master control unit and controls the article vending operation in response to the information provided from the master control unit. The transmission and receiving of the information between the subcontrol units and the master control unit is exclusively performed in accordance with a request issued from the side of the master control unit.

Abstract: A coin separator having a first coin passage along which coins are guided, a coin detector disposed in the first coin passage for discriminating whether coins passing therethrough are true or false and to which group belong coins which are discriminated as true and outputting a signal relative to whether the coins are true or false and a group signal indicative of the group to which the discriminated coins belong, a true coin passage and a false coin passage each connected to the first coin passage, a first dividing mechanism for introducing the coins passing through the first coin passage into either the true coin passage or the false coin passage in response to the signal outputted from the coin detector, a plurality of second coin passages connected to the true coin passage, a second dividing mechanism for introducing the coins passed through the true coin passage into one of the plurality of second coin passages in response to the group signal outputted from the coin detector, and a third dividing mechani

Abstract: This gift certificate has information recorded thereon for identifying a total face value vendible by the gift certificate and a predetermined base amount equal to or smaller than the total face value. The information recorded on a deposited gift certificate is read by a reading device. A validation device validates the total face value and the base amount of the deposited gift certificate in response to the read information. A vending permission judgement device prohibits, in reponse to an output of the validation device, at least vending of an article to which a vend price below the base amount has been assigned. By virtue of this arrangement, a purchaser of an article from a vending machine by using a gift certificate is not forced to make purchase of the entire total face value but has only to make purchase above the base amount in which case a change preferably is paid out.

Abstract: An automatic vending machine is provided which has a continuous sale controller for continuously selling a plurality of products within a total amount of coins inserted therein for a single purchase. Until the outstanding balance becomes zero single sale operations are stored in a single sale operation memory. When a count of a counter reaches a reference number while the single sale operations are being stored, a reference number detector generates an output. The regular sales price supplied from a product sales price generator to the continuous sale controller is updated to a discount price when an output is generated from the reference number detector.

Abstract: A gift coupon detectable by a bill sorter, comprising a rectangular paper having a width capable of being inserted into a travelling path of the bill sorter and also having predetermined characters and design, the gift coupon further having: a first data train comprising data units formed by a magnetic ink and arranged in a row at predetermined intervals, and a second data train comprising data units corresponding respectively to the data units of the first data train, formed by a magnetic ink and arranged in a row, data units in predetermined positions of the second data train being cut off to provide blank units to record data required for the gift coupon such as the significance of an amount of money, the name of commodity to be exchanged, etc.

Abstract: Sales management data such as sold product number data, sales data, unsold product number data, unit price data and sales condition data of a vending machine and individual columns are stored. When a given column and given sales management data are selected, the given column is displayed on a column display unit, and the sales management data of the given column is displayed on a data display unit. The sales management data can be set or updated. When a failure occurs in the vending machine, a failure position is displayed on the data display unit.

Abstract: Sending and receiving of information between a coinmech control section performing controls relating to receiving and paying out of coins and a vendor control section performing controls relating to selection and vending of an article are made under the leadership of the vendor control section. Multiple kinds of information to be sent and received are previously classified into a plurality of modes and a mode including necessary information to be sent and received is designated on the side of the vendor control section by a mode selection code. Responsive to contents of the mode selection code, one of the coinmech control section and the vendor control section is brought into an information sending state and the other into an information receiving state whereby a group of information for this mode is sent and received.

Abstract: Identical products are stored in a plurality of columns. Dispensing product numbers of the respective columns are calculated in accordance with the numbers of products stored in the respective columns. The calculated dispensing product numbers are set in corresponding counters. The counters are decremented every time a product or products is/are dispensed from each column. When all the counts of the counters are set to "0", the calculated dispensing product numbers are set again in the corresponding counters, and the above operation is repeated, thereby dispensing the products on the FIFO basis.

Abstract: An up-down counter of a vending machine performs upcounting and downcounting in accordance with deposition and pay-out of coins and collection of a vend price, thereby producing a balance of an amount of deposited coins. The count of this up-down counter is indicated by a money amount indicator. A total sales summing device introduces, through a connector, money amount indication data provided from the up-down counter to the money amount indicator and performs a sales amount summing processing in accordance with this money amount indication data. This summing device detects the increment and decrement of the money amount indication data, performs upcounting and downcounting in response to this increment and decrement and prohibits downcounting of the decrement in the money amount indication data when the decrement has been caused by collection of the vend price. By virtue of the count prohibition control the difference between the amount of the deposited coins and the paid out coins, i.e.

Abstract: A coin changer comprises a coin changer main part and an electronic type coin discrimination device which can be readily mounted to and detached from the coin changer main part. The electronic type coin discrimination device includes a detection coil for detecting characteristics of a deposited coin, a discrimination circuit for judging whether the deposited coin is a true coin or a counterfeit one in response to the output of the detection coil and produces a sole kind of discrimination signal representative of trueness or falsity of the coin regardless of the denomination of the coin, a true coin passage and a counterfeit coin passage provided behind the detection coil and a mechanical coin sort-out device provided in the true coin passage for sorting out coins by denomination.

Abstract: An inventory device which is used for a route-man to take all the coins out of the coin containing cylinders of an automatic vending machine. With the inventory device, the coin containing cylinders are caused one after another to dispense the coins merely by operating a single switch. The inventory device comprises: the single switch; a shift register; and a coin dispensation control section connected to the bit output of the shift register. The signal "1" is successively shifted in the shift register in response to the operation of the single switch, to operate the coin dispensation control section, thereby to dispense the coins out of the coin containing cylinders.

Abstract: The control system for a vending machine according to the invention is designed for preventing shortage of change coins to a maximum possible extent. According to the control system, as many coins of a low denomination as possible among coins inserted by a purchaser are collected for use as change coins. The control system further includes, in addition to main tubes to which inserted coins are automatically supplemented, auxiliary tubes to which coins are manually supplemented by a supervisor of the vending machine. A payout control between the main tubes and the auxiliary tubes is effected without providing a special switch for detecting change over between the main tubes and the auxiliary tubes.

Abstract: In a coin counting device for an automatic vending machine, the outputs of counters adapted to counts the number of inserted coins separately according to the denominations of the coins are multiplied by the factors which are set by setting circuits separately according to the denominations, respectively, to obtain the total amount of money of the inserted coins. The factors can be changed according to the denominations of coins to be handled by the automatic vending machine, without modifying the circuitry, so that the device can handle coins of any denominations.

Abstract: In a coin inspecting apparatus wherein two secondary coils of a differential transformer are disposed along a coin passage and connected in series opposition, the secondary coils are disposed with a spacing smaller than the diameter of the coin and the level of the output of the secondary coils is detected to determine the diameter of the coin. In a modification two sets of the secondary coils are provided to inspect not only the diameter but also the material and the surface pattern of the coin.

Abstract: A control system for a vending machine capable of confirming an actual pay-out of change coins. The control system according to the invention includes a paid out coin detection switch which is provided at a location where a change coin driven out by a change pay-out motor passes by and a timer which operates during a predetermined period of time from starting of the change pay-out motor. The actual pay-out of the change coin is confirmed by actuation of the paid out coin detection switch during the operation time of the timer.

Abstract: A control system for a vending machine of a type capable of vending plural pieces of an article continuously in which an upper limit number of coins to be accepted is set for every denomination of coin and, if the number of inserted coins has reached the set upper limit, a subsequently inserted coin of the particular denomination is returned without being accepted. The control system according to the invention includes a counting device provided for each denomination of coin and a circuit for comparing the counting output of each counting device with a predetermined upper limit coin number for the corresponding denomination.