JP6133755B2 - Coin slot and self-checkout device - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a coin slot and a self-checkout device.

  In recent years, in supermarkets and the like, self-checkout devices (self-checkout) that allow customers to make payments independently of shop assistants have been used. In the self-checkout, a coin insertion slot that allows a plurality of coins to be accepted at one time is used so that the convenience of the customer is taken into consideration and the coin insertion operation can be completed at one time.

  The coin insertion slot is generally funnel-shaped, and guides a plurality of coins inserted at a time to the hole in the center. The hole is sized to allow one or more coins to pass through, but not so large that a customer's finger cannot enter. For this reason, the hole has such a size that it cannot fall when the coin surface is horizontal.

  In the coin insertion slot as described above, the edge of the coin may be placed at a position that is symmetrical with respect to the hole, and the coin may stop in a state of straddling the hole. This phenomenon is likely to occur when the hole is a long hole long in the front and back, and the coin slips from the front or rear of the hole. In this case, coins remain in the coin slot and are not taken into the self-checkout.

  Although the self-registration has been described as an example so far, for example, the same problem may occur in a coin slot provided in another device such as a vending machine.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a coin slot and a self-checkout device that allow coins to be taken in smoothly without remaining.

The coin insertion port of the embodiment has a funnel-shaped inclined surface that descends from the outside toward the inside, and a hole that is provided at the lowermost portion of the inclined surface and allows a plurality of coins to pass therethrough. the a batch acceptable coin inlet, wherein the pair of portions sandwiching the hole of the inclined surface, at least one of the gradient or height Ri Do different, one of the pair of portions of the inclined surface, gentle gradient or lower on the back part, Ru with a magnet.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a self-checkout device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the coin slot according to the embodiment. Drawing 3 is a sectional view showing the shape of the coin slot of an embodiment.

  Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the self-checkout device 100. The self-checkout device 100 includes a settlement terminal 1, a basket shelf 2 and a bagging shelf 3. The settlement terminal 1 includes a control unit (not shown), a deposit / withdrawal unit 4, a reading unit 5, and a display operation unit 6.

  The reading unit 5 identifies the product from information obtained by scanning the appearance of the product and a code (barcode or the like) attached to the product. The display operation unit 6 includes a monitor 61 and a touch panel 62. The monitor 61 displays an image according to the control of the control unit. The touch panel 62 is provided on the surface of the monitor 61 and outputs information based on the position touched by the operator to the control unit.

  The basket storage shelf 2 is a storage table that is used as a storage place for the basket when the product is taken out from the basket containing the product and held over the reading unit 5, and is provided on one side of the settlement terminal 1. . The bagging shelf 3 is a table for packing products after scanning, and is provided on the other side of the payment terminal 1 (on the opposite side of the storage rack 2).

  The deposit / withdrawal unit 4 incorporates a bill change machine and a coin change machine (both not shown) in the housing 41. The banknote change machine discriminates the correctness of the taken banknotes, stores the correct coins, and withdraws banknotes as change. A coin change machine (coin depositing / withdrawing apparatus) determines whether or not the taken coins are correct and stores them, and dispenses coins as change. The bill change machine and the coin change machine notify the amount of money stored to the control unit, and receive a notification of the amount to be withdrawn as change from the control unit.

  The control unit comprehensively controls each unit (the deposit / withdrawal unit 4, the reading unit 5, and the display operation unit 6) included in the payment terminal 1. The control unit acquires code information from the reading unit 5. Further, the control unit outputs information to be displayed on the monitor 61 of the display operation unit 6, and acquires information on the operation performed by the operator from the touch panel 62. Further, the control unit grasps the deposit to the deposit / withdrawal unit 4 and instructs the deposit / withdrawal unit 4 to withdraw.

  The housing 41 is provided with a bill insertion slot 42 and a coin insertion slot 43. The bill insertion slot 42 takes in bills to be deposited into the bill change machine in the housing 41 into the housing 41. The coin insertion slot 43 takes in coins to be deposited into the coin change machine in the housing 41 into the housing 41.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the coin slot 43. Drawing 3 is a sectional view showing the shape of coin slot 43 of an embodiment. The coin slot 43 has a funnel-shaped inclined surface 7 that descends from the outside to the inside, and a hole 8 provided at the lowermost portion of the inclined surface, and can receive a plurality of coins at once.

  One or more coins can pass through the hole 8. That is, the dimension of the hole 8 is larger than the diameter of the largest coin in the longitudinal direction and larger than the thickness of the thickest coin in the width direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. Moreover, it is more preferable that the dimension of the hole 8 is such that a plurality of coins can overlap and pass. That is, it is more preferable if the dimension of the hole 8 in the width direction is larger than twice the thickness of the thickest coin.

  The hole 8 is a long hole and is vertically long in a plan view of a customer standing in front of the payment terminal 1. That is, the holes 8 are arranged so that the longitudinal direction thereof is along the front-rear direction of the payment terminal 1. In other words, the hole 8 is long in the front-rear direction.

  In a pair of portions of the inclined surface 7 sandwiching the hole 8, at least one of the gradient and the height is different. This will be described below.

  The inclined surface 7 includes a pair of surfaces 71 and 72 that sandwich the hole 8 forward and backward, and a pair of surfaces 73 and 74 that sandwich the hole 8 from the left and right. The surfaces 73 and 74 are in contact with the long side of the hole 8. Of the surfaces 73 and 74, the right slope 74 that is one surface has a steeper slope than the left slope 73 that is the other surface. Further, the position where the right slope 74 contacts the hole 8 is lower than the position where the left slope 73 contacts the hole 8. That is, the lower end of the right slope 74 is located below the hole 8 relative to the lower end of the left slope 73.

  The coin slot 43 further includes a magnet 9. The magnet 9 is disposed on the back side of the lower end portion of the right slope 74.

  In such a configuration, when a customer who uses the self-checkout device 100 inserts the coin C into the coin insertion slot 43, the coin C is guided to the shape of the coin insertion slot 43 and guided to the hole 8. And the coin C enters into the housing | casing 41 from the hole 8, and is received by a coin change machine.

  The behavior of the coin C in the coin slot 43 will be described below. First, since the conventional coin insertion slot has a symmetrical funnel shape, when the coin slides from the front and back surfaces of the hole, the edge of the coin rides in a symmetrical position across the hole, and the coin crosses the hole. There is a possibility that an event will occur that stops in the state. This is inconvenient because no coins are taken into the coin change machine. However, the shape of the coin slot 43 of this embodiment is not symmetrical. Even when the coin C slides from the front and rear surfaces 71, 72 of the coin insertion slot 43 toward the center of the hole 8, the right slope 74 is positioned lower than the left slope 73, so that the coin C has the right slope 74. Tilt to the right slope 74. For this reason, the above events and inconveniences cannot occur.

  Further, the coin C sliding toward the hole 8 from the right slope 74 generally falls directly into the hole 8, and the coin C sliding toward the hole 8 from the left slope 73 falls directly into the hole 8, or It falls into the hole 8 via the right slope 74.

Here, if a foreign object such as a clip accidentally falls into the coin slot 43,
Due to the magnetic force of the magnet 9, the foreign matter remains near the entrance of the hole 8 on the right slope 74.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide the coin input port 43 and the self-checkout device 100 in which the coins C are smoothly and continuously captured without remaining.

  In the present embodiment, the right slope 74 is steeper than the left slope 73, and the lower end of the right slope 74 is positioned lower than the lower end of the left slope 73. A similar effect can be obtained if at least one of the gradient or the height is different between the pair of portions sandwiching the hole 8.

  For example, even if the lower end of the right inclined surface 74 and the lower end of the left inclined surface 73 are the same height, if the right inclined surface 74 has a gentler slope than the left inclined surface 73, it slips from the front and rear surfaces 71, 72 of the hole 8. When the coin goes to the center of the hole 8, the coin C can be brought to the right slope 74.

  For example, even if the slopes of the right slope 74 and the left slope 73 are equal, if the lower end of the right slope 74 is made lower than the lower end of the left slope 73, coins that have slipped from the front and rear surfaces 71, 72 of the hole 8 will be perforated. The coins can be brought to the right slope 74 when heading to the center of FIG.

  Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of an event in which the edge of the coin C rides on a symmetrical position with the hole 8 interposed therebetween and the coin C stops in a state of straddling the hole 8.

  In the above description, front and rear and left and right are described for ease of understanding, but front and rear and left and right may be reversed in implementation. That is, the gradient and height relationship between the right slope 74 and the left slope 73 in the embodiment may be reversed.

  Next, a modification of the above embodiment will be described. The coin insertion port 43 may be rotatable or detachable with respect to the housing 41 by making the shape of at least the outer periphery symmetrical vertically and horizontally. By doing in this way, it becomes possible not only to a right-handed user but also to be a coin insertion slot 43 that is easier for left-handed users.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

100 ... Self-checkout device,
1 ... Payment terminal,
2… The storage rack
3 ... Bagging shelf,
4 ... deposit and withdrawal department,
41 ... Case, 42 ... Bill slot, 43 ... Coin slot,
5: Reading unit,
6 ... display operation part,
61 ... monitor, 62 ... touch panel,
7 ... Inclined surface,
71, 72 ... surface, 73 ... left slope, 74 ... right slope,
8 ... hole,
9: Magnet.

JP 2008-130009 A

Claims (5)

A coin insertion slot having a funnel-shaped inclined surface that descends from the outside to the inside and a hole that is provided at the bottom of the inclined surface and allows a plurality of coins to pass therethrough, and that can receive a plurality of coins collectively Because
In a pair of portions sandwiching the hole of the inclined surface, Ri least one of Do different gradient or height,
One of the pair of portions of the inclined surface, the rear surface of the low-gradient or the lower part, a coin slot to Ru with a magnet. The hole is a long hole long in the front-rear direction,
The coin insertion slot according to claim 1, wherein the pair of portions of the inclined surface are portions sandwiching the hole from the left and right. In a self-checkout device that identifies a product from information obtained by scanning the appearance of the product or a code attached to the product, accepts an operation by an operator, and deposits / withdraws money based on the information and the operation ,
The coin slot according to claim 1 or 2 provided in a case,
A coin depositing and dispensing device that deposits coins taken into the housing from the hole of the coin slot and dispenses coins based on the information and the operation;
A self-checkout device comprising: The self-checkout device according to claim 3 , wherein the coin insertion slot can be attached to the casing in the opposite direction. In a self-checkout device that identifies a product from information obtained by scanning the appearance of the product or a code attached to the product, accepts an operation by an operator, and deposits / withdraws money based on the information and the operation ,
A funnel-shaped inclined surface that is provided on the housing and can be attached to the housing in the right-and-left direction, and a plurality of coins pass at the bottom of the inclined surface. A plurality of coins that can be received together, and in a pair of portions sandwiching the hole among the inclined surfaces, at least one of a slope or a height, and a coin slot,
A coin depositing and dispensing device that deposits coins taken into the housing from the hole of the coin slot and dispenses coins based on the information and the operation;
A self-checkout device comprising:

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