Spring loaded coin holding apparatus

Abstract

A spring loaded coin dispensing apparatus 10 including an elongated housing member 20 having a top surface 21 provided with two rows 22 23 24 25 and 25′24′23′22′ of cylindrical recesses which are disposed adjacent the elongated sides 26 27 of the housing member 20 wherein each recess 22 etc., is provided with a spring member 30 and an appropriately sized pusher plate member 31 dimensioned to urge an appropriately sized coin 101 etc., against the underside of a cover member 40 and wherein the coins 101 etc., are arranged on the opposite sides of the apparatus 10 such that they are dispensed in the same sequence regardless of which side of the apparatus 10 is facing forward.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX

[0003] Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0004] 1. Field of the Invention

[0005] The present invention relates to the field of coin holding devices in general and in particular to a spring loaded coin holding device which is designed to dispense the coins in a particular orientation regardless of which direction the device is oriented.

[0006] 2. Description of Related Art

[0007] As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,781,290; 4,836,365; 5,353,924; and 5,782,280, the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse coin holding and dispensing arrangements.

[0008] While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical spring loaded holding apparatus that dispenses coins in the same sequence from both sides of the holder.

[0009] Unfortunately, most of the prior art constructions are designed to only dispense coins from one side of the holder after an external cover or closure has been moved to allow the dispensing of coins to take place. In addition, the Hall patent (4,836,365), where dispensing takes place from the four corners of the device, the user cannot determine by feel in the dark which coins are being dispensed from a particular dispensing slot.

[0010] As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need for a new and improved spring loaded coin holding apparatus that dispenses the four U.S. coins currently in widespread circulation from both sides of the coin holding device in a particular order; and the provision of such a construction is the stated objective of the present invention.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Briefly stated, the spring loaded coin holding apparatus that forms the basis of the present invention comprises in general a housing unit containing a plurality of dispensing units and a cover unit that partially overlaps the dispensing units.

[0012] As will be explained in greater detail further on in the specification, the housing unit includes an elongated housing member having an upper surface provided with two rows of different sized recesses disposed adjacent the opposed elongated sides wherein the recesses are dimensioned to receive coins having different diameters.

[0013] In addition, the plurality of dispensing units each includes a spring member and a pusher plate member dimensioned to be slidably received in the complimentary sized recesses in the housing member for pushing a stack of similar sized coins upwardly relative to the housing member; and the cover unit includes a contoured cover member that is dimensioned to partially overlie the respective stack of coins which may be selectively dispensed from the housing member in a desired sequential fashion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] These and other attributes of the invention will become more clear upon a thorough study of the following description of the best mode for carrying out the invention, particularly when reviewed in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one version of the preferred embodiment of the spring loaded coin holding apparatus of this invention;

[0016] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of one of the coin dispensing units taken through line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

[0017] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the first version of the preferred embodiment; and,

[0018] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the second version of the preferred embodiment of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] As can be seen by reference to the drawings, and in particularly to FIG. 1, the first version of the spring loaded coin holding apparatus that forms the basis of the present invention is designated generally by the reference number 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the apparatus comprises in general a main housing unit 11, a plurality of dispensing units 12, and a cover unit 13 that captively retains a portion of the dispensing units 12 within the main housing unit 11. These units will now be described in seriatim fashion.

[0020] Still referring to FIG. 3, it can be seen that the housing unit 11 comprises an elongated generally thin flat housing member 20 having an upper surface 21 provided with one row of different sized cylindrical recesses 22 23 24 25 formed adjacent one of the long sides 26 of the elongated housing member as viewed from left to right and another row of different sized cylindrical recesses 25′ 24′ 23′ 22′ formed adjacent to the other of the long sides 27 of the elongated housing member 20.

[0021] It should further be noted that like numbered recesses have the same dimensions and the diameter of the recesses 22 23 24 and 25 correspond to the diameters of a dime 103, quarter 104, nickel 102, and penny 101, respectively in U.S. coins.

[0022] As can also best be seen by reference to FIG. 3, the plurality of dispensing units 12 each generally includes a spring member 30 and a disc shaped pusher plate member 31 wherein, each group of individual plate members 32 33 34 35 and 32′ 33′ 34′ and 35′ has diameters corresponding to the diameters of a dime 103, quarter 104, nickel 102 and penny 101.

[0023] In addition, as is clearly shown in FIG. 3, the cover unit 13 comprises a contoured cover member 40 having a group of arcuate apertures 42 43 44 45 formed on one of the elongated sides 46 of the cover member 40 and another group of arcuate apertures formed on one of the elongated sides 47 of the cover member 40 and another group of arcuate apertures 45′ 44′ 43′ 42′ formed on the other-elongated side 47 of the cover member 40 wherein all of the apertures 42 42′ etc., extend inwardly beneath the top surface 41 of the cover member 40 as indicated by the dashed lines.

[0024] These extensions of the arcuate apertures are designated generally as 49 and are provided to form a registration stop to align the coins 101 102 etc., over their respective push plate member 35 35′ 34 34′ etc., to captively engage the coins between the push plate members 31 generally and the underside of the cover member 40 in a well recognized fashion as depicted in FIG. 2.

[0025] It should also be appreciated at this juncture that the extensions 49 of the arcuate apertures 42 43 etc., are dimensioned to overlie a portion of the pusher plate members 31 to captively retain the pusher plate members 31 between the cover member 40 and the main body 20 in a well recognized fashion.

[0026] Turning now to FIG. 4, it can be seen that in the alternate version of the preferred embodiment, the spring loaded coin holding apparatus 10′ has the coins 104 103 102 101 arranged in a descending order of value which is a more ordered sequence that most users would readily adapt to after a short period of time; and, again that orientation is reversed on the opposite side so that the user knows without looking that as long as the coins are in an upright position, they will be dispensed from the front of the apparatus 10′ in a specific order.

[0027] Although only an exemplary embodiment of the invention has been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A spring loaded coin dispensing apparatus comprising

a housing unit including an elongated housing member having an upper surface provided with two spaced rows of different sized cylindrical recesses arranged in a particular order adjacent the opposed elongated sides of the upper surface of the housing member;

a plurality of dispensing units wherein each dispensing unit includes a spring member and a disc shaped pusher plate member dimensioned to closely conform to a selected one of said different sized cylindrical recesses; and,

a cover unit including a contoured cover member having two groups of arcuate apertures that partially expose said two rows of different sized recesses on the opposite sides of the upper surface of the housing member.

2. The coin dispensing apparatus as in claim 1; wherein, each of said arcuate apertures include inwardly directed extensions that overlie said different sized cylindrical recesses in the housing member.

3. The coin dispensing apparatus as in claim 2; wherein said different sized cylindrical recesses are dimensioned to receive different sized coins.

4. The coin dispensing apparatus as in claim 3; wherein, each row of different sized recesses have the recesses arranged in a particular size sequence.

5. The coin dispensing apparatus as in claim 4, wherein the size sequence on one side of the housing member is reversed on the other-side of the housing member.

6. The coin dispensing apparatus as in claim 5; wherein, the size sequence is correlated to the increasing diameter of the coins.

7. The coin dispensing apparatus as in claim 5; wherein, the size sequence is correlated to the decreasing diameter of the coins.

8. The coin dispensing apparatus as in claim 5; wherein, the size sequence is correlated to the value of the coins.