Coin handling device and coin handling method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12243369-B2
Application number	US-202016806184-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 2, 2020
Priority date	Mar 5, 2019
Publication date	Mar 4, 2025
Grant date	Mar 4, 2025

Abstract

The present invention provides a coin handling device that enables a simple and easy change of a way of handling a coin of which a type is difficult to determine according to the user needs. The coin handling device includes a detector that detects a feature of a coin, a determiner that determines a type of the coin based on the feature of the coin detected by the detector, a reception unit that receives from an operating person handling settings that designate a way of handling the coin that is an indeterminate coin of which the type is not determined and for which multiple options of the type are extracted by the determiner, and a handling unit that handles the indeterminate coin based on the handling settings received by the reception unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A coin handling device comprising:
a detector that detects a feature of a coin;
templates;
a determiner that is configured to calculate degrees of similarity based on comparison between the feature of the coin detected by the detector and each of the templates and determines a type of the coin based on the degrees of similarity calculated;
a receptor that is configured to receive from an operating person handling settings that designate a way of handling the coin that is an indeterminate coin of which the type is not determined and for which multiple options of the type are extracted by the determiner because multiple degrees of similarity are higher than a predetermined threshold; and
a handler that is configured to handle the indeterminate coin based on the handling settings received by the receptor,
wherein the handling settings include a first setting item that designates the indeterminate coin as a coin to be subjected to rejection handling, a second setting item that designates the indeterminate coin as a coin of a type having a highest degree of similarity calculated by the determiner among the multiple options of the type, and a third setting item that designates a degree of priority of the type of the indeterminate coin,
wherein the receptor is configured to receive one of the first, second, and third setting items from the operating person, and
wherein based on the setting item received by the receptor, the handler is configured to: perform the rejection handling on the indeterminate coin based on the first setting item; handle the indeterminate coin as a coin of the type having the highest degree of similarity calculated by the determiner among the multiple options of the type based on the second setting item; or determine the indeterminate coin as a coin of a type having a highest degree of priority among the multiple options of the type based on the third setting item and handle the indeterminate coin as a coin of the determined type.

2. The coin handling device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the detector includes a magnetic sensor that detects a magnetic feature of the coin.

3. The coin handling device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the detector includes an image sensor that detects an optical feature of the coin.

4. The coin handling device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the type includes at least one of a denomination, an uneven structure on a surface of the coin, or a material, and
wherein the multiple options of the type have the same denomination and have difference in at least one of the uneven structure on the surface of the coin or the material.

5. The coin handling device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the type includes at least one of a denomination, an uneven structure on a surface of the coin, or a material,
wherein the multiple options of the type are a rare type and a non-rare type that is equal in denomination to the rare type and is not equal in at least one of the uneven structure on the surface of the coin or the material to the rare type,
wherein the handling settings include a setting item that designates a transport destination of the indeterminate coin to a transport destination of a coin of the non-rare type, and
wherein the handler performs handling of transporting the indeterminate coin to the same transport destination as that of a coin of the non-rare type.

6. The coin handling device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the type includes at least one of a denomination, an uneven structure on a surface of the coin, or a material,
wherein the multiple options of the type are a rare type and a non-rare type that is equal in denomination to the rare type and is not equal in at least one of the uneven structure on the surface of the coin or the material to the rare type,
wherein the handling settings include a setting item that designates a transport destination of the indeterminate coin to a transport destination different from that of a coin of the non-rare type, and
wherein the handler performs handling of transporting the indeterminate coin to the transport destination different from that of a coin of the non-rare type.

7. A coin handling method comprising:
detecting a feature of a coin;
providing templates;
calculating degrees of similarity based on comparison between the feature of the coin detected in the detecting and each of the templates and determining a type of the coin based on the degrees of similarity calculated;
receiving from an operating person handling settings that designate a way of handling the coin that is an indeterminate coin of which the type is not determined and for which multiple options of the type are extracted in the determining because multiple degrees of similarity are higher than a predetermined threshold; and
handling the indeterminate coin based on the handling settings received in the receiving,
wherein the handling settings includes a first setting item that designates the indeterminate coin as a coin to be subjected to rejection handling, a second setting item that designates the indeterminate coin as a coin of a type having a highest degree of similarity calculated in the determining among the multiple options of the type, and a third setting item that designates a degree of priority of the type of the indeterminate coin,
wherein the receiving includes receiving one of the first, second, and third setting items from the operating person, and
wherein based on the setting item received in the receiving, the handling includes: performing the rejection handling on the indeterminate coin based on the first setting item; handling the indeterminate coin as a coin of the type having the highest degree of similarity calculated in the determining among the multiple options of the type based on the second setting item; or determining the indeterminate coin as a coin of a type having a highest degree of priority among the multiple options of the type based on the third setting item and handling the indeterminate coin as a coin of the determined type.

Assignees

• Glory Kogyo Kk

Inventors

• Morishita Ruka
• Hashimoto Kouta
• Ohmatsu Kazuhiro
• Tada Kazuya

Classifications

• G07D11/60

  User-interface arrangements · CPC title

• G07D7/2075

  Setting acceptance levels or parameters · CPC title

• G07D2205/00

  Coin testing devices · CPC title

• G07D9/002

  Coin holding devices · CPC title

• G07D5/08 Primary

  Testing the magnetic or electric properties · CPC title