Bizarre Patents
A gun that fires a missile, powered by gas "discharged by the operator of the toy."
PatentStorm News
Make the Most of Our Site
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest innovations by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Registered users: Manage your profile.
| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7199573 | Electronic circuit with test unit A test arrangement for testing the interconnections of an electronic circuit (100) and a further electronic circuit is provided. A first selection of I/O nodes (120), which are arranged to receive input data in a functional mode of the electronic circu... | 04/03/2007 |
| 7152727 | Method and apparatus for coin or object sensing using adaptive operating point control A coin sensor is provided including a method and apparatus for providing adaptive operating point (AOP) control. The AOP control is provided using circuits and associated methods and algorithms connected between measurement circuits of the coin sensor and the coin s... | 12/26/2006 |
| 7108120 | Coin inspection method and apparatus therefor A coin inspection method and apparatus capable of inspecting coins having different materials and surface patterns with high accuracy by a simple coil arrangement. An exciting coil is arranged in the vicinity of one side of a coin passage inclined at a predetermined... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7073654 | Coin selector for bimetal coins A coin selector assembly includes a coin passageway having at least a pair of thickness sensor unit operatively positioned along the coin passageway to provide respective measurements of the thickness of the coin. A comparing unit compares the respective thickness s... | 07/11/2006 |
| 7048108 | Currency validation apparatus and method A currency validator operates by comparing measured properties of inserted articles with acceptance criteria. A set of acceptance criteria can be either enabled or disabled automatically. Some sets of acceptance criteria can be considered after an acceptance/rejecti... | 05/23/2006 |
| 7014355 | Electronic parking meter system The field of the present invention is parking meters and more particularly to the use of electronically operated parking meters coupled with a sensor for positively sensing unobtrusively the presence or absence of a vehicle in a specified parking space controlled by... | 03/21/2006 |
| 6946974 | Web-based systems and methods for internet communication of substantially real-time parking data A parking system includes an internet-accessible Web server storing substantially real-time parking data associated with occupancy of a plurality of parking spaces. The parking data can be rendered by a display device running a browser application. The Web server tr... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6920972 | Coin fraud detection sensing system and method A coin fraud detection sensing system is provided that includes a coin chute and one or more sensing devices coupled to the coin chute. The one or more sensing devices are operative to detect a coin or other object in the coin chute and transmit a signal to a proces... | 07/26/2005 |
| 6902459 | Coin bank having fun-to-use interface A coin bank equipped with a recreational function is developed for stimulating an interest in saving money while amusing the children. When a coin is successfully thrown into a target hole, the coins previously thrown and accumulated in the body are drained into a c... | 06/07/2005 |
| 6640955 | Coin inspection method and device A coin inspection method and device of inexpensive composition are provided, whereby the shape of the edge portions of a coin and the indentations patterns on the surface of a coin can be inspected with a high level of accuracy by means of a simple, singl... | 11/04/2003 |
| 6471030 | Coin sensing apparatus and method A coin discrimination apparatus and method is provided in which an oscillating electromagnetic field is generated on a single sensing core. The oscillating electromagnetic field is composed on one or more frequency components. The electromagnetic field in... | 10/29/2002 |
| 6227343 | Dual coil coin identifier The coin identification device comprises a gravity fed chute structure having an opening for receiving a coin to be identified, walls to guide the coin as it moves through the chute and an opening for the coin to exit. A wake-up circuit with sensing coils... | 05/08/2001 |
| 6056105 | Device and method for discriminating a circular plate body such as a coin A device and method are set forth for determining the authenticity of a coin or token which includes a housing defining a passageway to pass the coin to be tested. Coils are disposed about the housing to generate magnetic flux lines at the passageway. Det... | 05/02/2000 |
| 6039165 | Methods for coin sorting, coin change mechanism, and public telephone operable therewith A public telephone that has the ability to return change to a user is described. A coin changer that is advantageously sized to fit within the space available in a public telephone built to BellCore standards advantageously replaces the coin collect/rejec... | 03/21/2000 |
| 5806651 | Coin discrimination system A coin-sensing system wherein at least two sensor coils are electrically connected in series and physically arranged so that a coin deposited into the apparatus may pass sequentially through each sensor coil and thereby change the impedance of the coil. A... | 09/15/1998 |
| 5575057 | Method of manufacturing a coin detector Coin detector may be manufactured in several steps. An integrated circuit board (ICB) having conductive material on its surface is covered with an etching mask where conductive elements are to be located. The unmasked portion of the ICB surface is etched ... | 11/19/1996 |
| 5568854 | Coin discrimination method An electronic coin detector and method for sensing the presence of a valid coin and for providing an indication of the valid coin's type. A coin is guided into position between a first set of inductor coils. The coin is then guided through a channel surro... | 10/29/1996 |
| 5444526 | System for identifying or validating top crowns to be used as a means for activating a circuit A system is used to validate bottle caps, or top crowns, having particular reflectivity characteristics in plastic covering their undersides and in an alloy from which they are made. This permits the top crowns belonging in a particular promotion to be di... | 08/22/1995 |
| 5379876 | Coin discrimination apparatus In coin discrimination apparatus, a coin under test rolls past first and second inductive sensors (C1, C2) which produce first and second coin signals (x1, x2) in dependence upon the coin under test. The coin signals are compared wit... | 01/10/1995 |
| 5353906 | Metal body discriminating apparatus In a metal body discriminating apparatus of a simple structure and a high detecting accuracy for discriminating a material, a shape, a size, or the like of a metal body by the magnetical principle, an oscillator which performs the oscillating operation by... | 10/11/1994 |
| 5351798 | Coin discrimination apparatus and method An electronic coin detector and method for sensing the presence of a valid coin and for providing an indication of the valid coin's type. A coin is guided into position between a first set of inductor coils. The coin is then guided through a channel surro... | 10/04/1994 |
| 5273151 | Resonant coil coin detection apparatus A coin detection apparatus is disclosed which is particularly suitable for low power applications. The coin detection apparatus utilizes a detector coil as part of a resonant circuit. The resonant circuit with no coin present in the detector coil has a da... | 12/28/1993 |
| 5244070 | Dual coil coin sensing apparatus An apparatus for sensing coins is disclosed which is capable of distinguishing between valid and non-valid coins as well as between the different denominations of coins. The apparatus is useful for application in coin-operated parking meters as well as ot... | 09/14/1993 |
| 5199545 | Metal body discriminating apparatus In a metal body discriminating apparatus for discriminating the material, shape, size, or the like of a metal body, an oscillator performs a self-oscillating operation together with a coil wound like a ring provided to generate magnetic lines of force. Ch... | 04/06/1993 |
| 5191957 | Coin discrimination method An electronic coin detector and method for sensing the presence of a valid coin and for providing an indication of the valid coin's type. A coin is guided into position between a first set of inductor coils. The coin is then guided through a channel surro... | 03/09/1993 |
| 5180046 | Coin discrimination apparatus Coin discrimination apparatus comprises a path (1) for passage of coins under test; sensor coils (2, 3, 4) forming an inductive coupling with a coin under test during its passage along the path, each of the sensor coils being connected in a resonant circu... | 01/19/1993 |
| 5176380 | Method and apparatus for identifying winning and losing tokens used in promotions In a preferred embodiment, method and apparatus for identifying winning and losing tokens used in a promotion which includes a machine in which one of such tokens is placed. An eddy current sensor in the machine determines the composition of the alloy of ... | 01/05/1993 |
| 5158166 | Coin discrimination apparatus with compensation for external ambient conditions A coin validator includes improved compensation circuitry for compensating for ambient conditions such as temperature or the presence of metallic objects, includes a path (1) for passage for coins under test, sensor coils (2, 3, 4) which form an inductive... | 10/27/1992 |
| 5028870 | Sensor system method and apparatus for discrimination of metallic objects based on a variation in self inductance A device for discriminating metal in an object is provided including a sense coil and related circuitry, with variations in the self inductance of the sense coil being measured as the object is passed substantially through the center of the coil.... | 07/02/1991 |
| 4895238 | Coin discriminator for electronic parking meter A coin discriminator system for use in an electronic parking meter. A deposited coin is inserted in the electronic parking meter and a chute guides the deposited coin past an inductor. The deposited coin causes a momentary change in the value of inductanc... | 01/23/1990 |
| 4754862 | Metallic article discriminator A multicoin tester has a coin inlet path 1 along which coins under test run edgewise past coils 2, 3 on opposite sides of the path, and through the windings of a coil 4. Electronic circuitry responsive to the inductive coupling of the coin with the coils ... | 07/05/1988 |
| 4705154 | Coin selection apparatus A coin selection apparatus comprises a plurality of detection coils and an oscillation circuit which detects changes of impedances of the detection coils caused when a coin pass through the detection coils, as a change of a voltage output. The plurality o... | 11/10/1987 |
| 4696385 | Electronic coin detection apparatus Electronic coin or token detector apparatus is provided in accordance with the teachings of the present invention wherein a predetermined parameter of a coin under test is measured to determine genuineness and surface reflectivity is tested to insure a se... | 09/29/1987 |
| 4664245 | Coin chute assembly An improved coin chute assembly wherein the housing contains a coin receiving opening, a first coin exit opening, a second coin exit opening, and a coin passageway disposed therein and interconnecting the coin receiving opening with the first and second c... | 05/12/1987 |
| 4662501 | Coin checking The invention relates to a coin acceptor mechanism in which a coil (101) is wound on a former (102) having a central opening (104) of a shape corresponding to the outline of a coin (103) to be checked and mounted with the plane of the opening at an angle ... | 05/05/1987 |
| 4574935 | Coin checking method and apparatus employing wave train comparison A coin 12 to be checked is passed through a test coil 1 connected in parallel with a capacitor 2. A comparison coil 3 having an adjustable core 5 is also connected in parallel with a capacitor 4 and a direct current is passed through both coils in paralle... | 03/11/1986 |
| 4488116 | Inductive coin sensor for measuring more than one parameter of a moving coin An apparatus for use in identification of coins is disclosed in which a coin is passed through the electromagnetic field of an inductive coil wound on a ferrite core having two poles, at least one of which has a diameter less than the diameter of the smal... | 12/11/1984 |
| 4448297 | Ferromagnetic coin validator and method A sensing device determines whether the ferromagnetic properties of a standard acceptable coin are matched by a coin under test. The two are compared in a sensing device which consists of a pair of substantially identical sensing coils wound around tube c... | 05/15/1984 |
| 4416364 | Coin validating arrangement A coin validating arrangement for a coin operated machine, comprising a coin chute (5) having an upstream coil (8) for sensing a true coin and producing a Q signal output only when a true coin is properly inserted, an obturator (11) generally downstream o... | 11/22/1983 |
| 4359148 | Coin acceptor or rejector The present invention relates to an apparatus for accepting or rejecting a single type of coin, which is designed and constructed only to accept genuine coins of a particular value or denomination, and to reject spurious coins or slugs which may have the ... | 11/16/1982 |
