Coin handling apparatus with coin retardation feature

Claim 1

In coin handling apparatus of the type having a track down which coins may roll on edge, walls at opposite sides of the track for confining the coin to rolling along the track, said track and walls forming a chute, the latter being inclined off vertical for coins to roll down the chute in face-to-face engagement with one of said walls, and means along said one wall of the chute for detecting a coin as it rolls therepast, the improvement comprising entrance means through which a coin is adapted to enter the chute laterally through said one side wall at a point upstream of said detecting means, said entrance means comprising a passageway having an inclined reach extending laterally upwardly away from the chute at an inclination off vertical more than said one wall of the chute, and an inlet for entry of coins into the passageway for travel down said inclined reach toward said chute, said passageway opening into the chute through said one side wall thereof at an elevation above the track therebelow and at a location upstream of said detecting means, said inclined reach having an inside concave surface opposed to and facing said other side wall of the chute, said concave surface being so sized and contoured that coins which the apparatus is to handle slide down said inclined reach of the passageway generally in a plane inclined off vertical more than said one wall of the chute with only opposite edge portions of the coin in contact with said concave surface, the coin proceeding down in said inclined plane and being directed by said inclined reach laterally across the chute for impact of its lower edge portion against the other side wall of the chute thereby to deaden the motion of the coin and to deflect it down onto the track for rolling on edge down the chute without substantial bounce or flutter and with the coin in face-to-face engagement with said one wall of the chute for accurate detection by said detecting means as the coin rolls therepast.