Coin-sorting and counting machine

Claim 1

A COIN-SORTING AND COUNTING MACHINE FOR SORTING AND COUNTING COINS OF DIFFERENT DIAMETERS, SAID MACHINE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY MOUNTED GUIDE RAIL, A RECEPTACLE OPEN AT ITS TOP AND DISPOSED BELOW THE LEVEL OF SAID RAIL FOR A SUPPLY OF INTERMINGLED COINS TO BE SORTED AND COUNTED, AN ENDLES CONVEYOR GUIDED ALONG A PATH INCLUDING A FIRST PORTION EXTENDING THROUGH THE SUPPLY RECEPTACLE SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY UPWARD THEREFROM, A SECOND PORTION EXTENDING PAST AND ABOVE SAID GUIDE RAIL PARALLEL THERETO AND A THIRD PORTION EXTENDING BACK TO THE BOTTOM SIDE OF THE RECEPTACLE, AT LEAST TWO GRIPPER PLATES SUPPORTED ON SAID CONVEYOR FOR TRAVEL IN UNISON THEREWITH, SAID PLATES BEING SPACED LENGTHWISE BY A DISTANCE AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE DIAMETER OF THE LARGEST COIN TO BE SORTED AND COUNTED IN THE MACHINE, THE MINIMAL DISTANCE OF THE GRIPPER PLATES FROM THE GUIDE RAIL BEING LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE SMALLEST COIN TO BE SORTED AND COUNTED, EACH OF SAID GRIPPER PLATES HAVING AT ITS LEADING END TWO GRIPPER POINTS FOR SEATING A GRIPPED COIN THEREBETWEEN, ONE OF THE GRIPPER POINTS ADJACENT TO THE GUIDE RAIL BEING AT SAID MINIMAL DISTANCE FROM THE GUIDE RAIL, SAID GRIPPER PLATES GRIPPING COINS WHICH PASS THROUGH SAID RECEPTACLE, ONE BY ONE, AND GUIDING THE SAME IN AN EDGEWISE POSITION ALONG SAID GUIDE RAIL, COIN-COUNTING MEANS FOR COUNTING THE NUMBER OF COINS, COIN-EJECTING MEANS, ONE FOR EACH DIAMETER OF THE COINS TO BE SORTED, FOR EJECTING COINS FROM THE GUIDE RAIL, COIN DIAMETER-DETECTING MEANS DISPOSED ALONG THE GUIDE RAIL ABOVE THE SAME, EACH OF SAID DETECTING MEANS BEING ASSOCIATED WITH ONE OF SAID COUNTING MEANS AND ONE OF SAID EJECTING MEANS, EACH OF SAID DETECTING MEANS BEING ACTIVATED BY ENGAGEMENT WITH A COIN OF A PREDETERMINED DIAMETER AND IN RESPONSE TO SUCH ACTIVATION OPERATING THE RESPECTIVE COUNTING MEANS AND EJECTING MEANS FOR COUNTING AND EJECTING, RESPECTIVELY, OF THE COINS.