Checkout apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12183145-B2
Application number	US-202318307026-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2023
Priority date	Jul 6, 2022
Publication date	Dec 31, 2024
Grant date	Dec 31, 2024

Abstract

A checkout apparatus according to an embodiment includes a housing, a bill change machine housed in the housing to be capable of being drawn out from the housing, a coin change machine housed in the housing to be capable of being drawn out from the housing in a same direction as a direction in which the bill change machine is drawn out, and a lock unit configured to, if the bill change machine was drawn out, lock the coin change machine to be unable to be drawn out and, if the coin change machine was drawn out, lock the bill change machine to be unable to be drawn out.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A checkout apparatus comprising:
a housing;
a bill change machine provided on an inside of the housing and configured to be drawn out from the housing;
a coin change machine provided on the inside of the housing and configured to be drawn out from the housing in a same direction as a direction in which the bill change machine is drawn out; and
a lock component configured to, if the bill change machine is drawn out, lock the coin change machine so as to be unable to be drawn out, and if the coin change machine is drawn out, lock the bill change machine so as to be unable to be drawn out,
wherein the lock component includes a coin draw-out preventing mechanism configured to inhibit the coin change machine from being drawn out if the bill change machine is drawn out and a bill draw-out preventing mechanism configured to inhibit the bill change machine from being drawn out if the coin change machine is drawn out, wherein
the coin draw-out preventing mechanism integrally includes a bill pusher that comes into contact with the housed bill change machine and a coin hook, the contact of the bill pusher and the bill change machine is released and the coin draw-out preventing mechanism rotates if the bill change machine is drawn out, and the coin hook locks to the coin change machine and locks the coin change machine to be unable to be drawn out, and
the bill draw-out preventing mechanism integrally includes a coin pusher that comes into contact with the housed coin change machine and a bill hook, the contact of the coin pusher and the coin change machine is released and the bill draw-out preventing mechanism rotates if the coin change machine is drawn out, and the bill hook locks to the bill change machine and locks the bill change machine to be unable to be drawn out.

2. The checkout apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein both of the coin draw-out preventing mechanism and the bill draw-out preventing mechanism turn on a same axis in a state in which the coin draw-out preventing mechanism and the bill draw-out preventing mechanism are attached to a base of the housing.

3. The checkout apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the coin draw-out preventing mechanism turns with an urging force of a spring if the bill change machine is drawn out, and the bill draw-out preventing mechanism turns with an urging force of a spring if the coin change machine is drawn out.

4. The checkout apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the bill change machine has a front side operated by a customer and is further configured to be drawn out from the housing to a rear side opposite the front side.

5. The checkout apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the coin change machine has a front side operated by a customer and is further configured to be drawn out from the housing to a rear side opposite the front side.

6. A method for a checkout apparatus, comprising:
drawing out a bill change machine from an inside of a housing of the checkout apparatus;
drawing out a coin change machine from the inside of the housing in a same direction as a direction in which the bill change machine is drawn out;
if the bill change machine is drawn out, locking the coin change machine with a lock component so that the coin change machine is unable to be drawn out; and
if the coin change machine is drawn out, locking the bill change machine with the lock component so that the bill change machine is unable to be drawn out,
the method further comprising:
inhibiting the coin change machine from being drawn out with a coin draw-out preventing mechanism if the bill change machine is drawn out; and
inhibiting the bill change machine from being drawn out with a bill draw-out preventing mechanism if the coin change machine is drawn out, wherein
the coin draw-out preventing mechanism integrally includes a bill pusher that comes into contact with the housed bill change machine and a coin hook, the contact of the bill pusher and the bill change machine is released and the coin draw-out preventing mechanism rotates if the bill change machine is drawn out, and the coin hook locks to the coin change machine and locks the coin change machine to be unable to be drawn out, and
the bill draw-out preventing mechanism integrally includes a coin pusher that comes into contact with the housed coin change machine and a bill hook, the contact of the coin pusher and the coin change machine is released and the bill draw-out preventing mechanism rotates if the coin change machine is drawn out, and the bill hook locks to the bill change machine and locks the bill change machine to be unable to be drawn out.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein both of the coin draw-out preventing mechanism and the bill draw-out preventing mechanism turn on a same axis in a state in which the coin draw-out preventing mechanism and the bill draw-out preventing mechanism are attached to a base of the housing.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the coin draw-out preventing mechanism turns with an urging force of a spring if the bill change machine is drawn out, and the bill draw-out preventing mechanism turns with an urging force of a spring if the coin change machine is drawn out.

9. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the coin change machine has a front side operated by a customer, further comprising:
drawing out the coin change machine from the housing to a rear side opposite the front side.

10. A semi-self-service point of sales terminal, comprising:
a commodity registration apparatus configured to execute commodity registration processing for a commodity; and
a payment processing component, comprising:
a bill change machine provided on an inside of a housing and configured to be drawn out from the housing;
a coin change machine provided on the inside of the housing and configured to be drawn out from the housing in a same direction as a direction in which the bill change machine is drawn out; and
a lock component configured to, if the bill change machine is drawn out, lock the coin change machine so as to be unable to be drawn out, and if the coin change machine is drawn out, lock the bill change machine so as to be unable to be drawn out,

wherein the lock component includes a coin draw-out preventing mechanism configured to inhibit the coin change machine from being drawn out if the bill change machine is drawn out and a bill draw-out preventing mechanism configured to inhibit the bill change machine from being drawn out if the coin change machine is drawn out, and wherein
the coin draw-out preventing mechanism integrally includes a bill pusher that comes into contact with the housed bill change machine and a coin hook, the contact of the bill pusher and the bill change machine is released and the coin draw-out preventing mechanism rotates if the bill change machine is drawn out, and the coin hook locks to the coin change machine and locks the coin change machine to be unable to be drawn out, and
the bill draw-out preventing mechanism integrally includes a coin pusher that comes into contact with the housed coin change machine and a bill hook, the contact of the coin pusher and the coin change machine is released and the bill draw-out preventing mechanism rotates if the coin change machine is drawn out, and the bill hook locks to the bill change machine and locks the bill change machine to be unable to be drawn out.

11. The semi-self-service point of sales terminal according to claim 10 , wherein both of the coin draw-out preventing mechanism and the bill draw-out preventing mechanism turn on a same axis in a state in which the coin draw-out preventing mechanism and the bill draw-out preventing mechanism are attached to

Assignees

• Toshiba Tec Kk

Inventors

• Miyashima Atsushi

Classifications

• G07D1/06 Primary

  dispensing the difference between a sum paid and a sum charged · CPC title

• G07D2211/00

  Paper-money handling devices · CPC title

• G07D2201/00

  Coin dispensers · CPC title

• G07D11/14

  Inlet or outlet ports · CPC title

• G07D9/00

  Counting coins (in combination with coin-sorting G07D3/16); Handling of coins not provided for in the other groups of this subclass · CPC title