A variety of machines that sort coins have been patented. One such machine, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,848 to David Goh, uses two methods to sort coins, both methods based on the diameter of the coins. In this machine the coins are loaded into a hopper. A rotating wheel feeds the coins individually onto an inclined ramp. The coins roll down the ramp with their rear surfaces resting against a support surface. Specific denominations are selected when they fall through slots of varying size located in the support surface. Specific denominations are also selected using peeler knives that are arranged at different distances from the ramp surface. These knives topple the coins from the ramp into bins. Using both techniques allows a short ramp to be employed. Another type of machine, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,059,122 to Yoshio Kinoshita, counts the number of coins according to denomination after sorting the coins.
A number of counting and sorting devices are deficient for various reasons. Many devices, while having some form of waste control device, have been unsuccessful in completely controlling waste that may be mixed in with the coins. As a result, many previous devices are only suitable for operation by an experienced or skilled operator and are not suitable for use by members of the general public, who may be less careful about including foreign or waste material among the coins. In particular, many previous devices were designed to admit coins into the counting device at such a rate that it was not possible for each coin to be individually exposed to the waste control device, i.e., such that some coins may block others from the waste control system.
Some counting/sorting devices have a complicated or ineffective mechanism to control the flow of coins so that it is difficult or expensive to prevent unacceptably high surges of coin flow from jamming or otherwise overwhelming the sorting/counting mechanism. Some devices were designed to permit only a slow entry of coins into the counting/sorting mechanism, but in some cases, this was done at the expense of the ability to accommodate a high volume of coins and/or resulted in unacceptably slow operation.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a device that receives an arbitrary number of coins, i.e., that does not require insertion of an exact minimum amount, and that converts the value of the coins from the inconvenient medium of coins to a more convenient medium. It would be further advantageous to provide a device that provides for effective and efficient waste management such that the device can be used by the ordinary consumer without jamming or damaging the machine. It would also be advantageous to provide for a device which accommodates a high volume or flow of coins without permitting surges of coin flow that can interfere with the counting/sorting and/or waste management systems, that does not have complicated electro/mechanical machinery and, preferably, that takes advantage of a gravity mechanism. It would also be useful to provide a device that efficiently and conveniently delivers the sorted coins in a standard sized coin bag that is conveniently accessible.