Apparatus for storing coins or coin-like articles

Patent 5755618 Issued on May 26, 1998. Estimated Expiration Date:

April 12, 2016. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

3605970

Game monitoring apparatus
Patent #: 4531187
Issued on: 07/23/1985
Inventor: Uhland

Electronic game machine suitable for chance and gambling card games
Patent #: 4614342
Issued on: 09/30/1986
Inventor: Takashima

System for monitoring the movement of money and chips on a gaming table
Patent #: 4755941
Issued on: 07/05/1988
Inventor: Bacchi

Monitoring the level of a stack of coins
Patent #: 4774841
Issued on: 10/04/1988
Inventor: Chadwick

Apparatus for progressive jackpot gaming Patent #: 5078405
Issued on: 01/07/1992
Inventor: Jones, et al.

Inventor

Mothwurf, Ewald

Assignee

Grips Electronics Ges. m.b.H

Application

No. 631351 filed on 04/12/1996

US Classes:

453/17, Electric453/58COUNTER OR INDICATOR

Examiners

Primary: Bartuska, F. J.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Townsend and Townsend and Crew LLP

Foreign Patent References

0310761 EP. 04/13/1989
0416751 A2 EP. 03/13/1991
0607823 A1 EP. 07/13/1994
2651105 DE 05/13/1978
3128094 DE. 02/13/1983
3137484 A1 DE. 04/13/1983
3403018 A1 DE. 08/13/1985
3436287 A1 DE. 04/13/1986
3515890 A1 DE. 11/13/1986
3939450 A1 DE. 06/13/1991
4328792 C1 DE. 12/13/1994
4439502 C1 DE. 09/13/1995
573 635 CH 03/13/1976
2269256 GB 02/13/1994

International Class

G07D 009/00

Foreign Application Priority Data

1995-09-14 AT

Abstract

Apparatus for storing coins or coin-like articles, such as for example gaming chips, tokens or the like, wherein the coins or coin-like articles to be stored are arranged against one another or above one another in at least one column, with this apparatus having a mechanism for determining the number of coins or coin-like articles present in the apparatus. The mechanism for determining the number of coins or coin-like articles present in the apparatus is formed by a plurality of transmitter/receiver pairs such as, for example, ultrasonic transmitters/receivers, light transmitters/receivers or the like arranged in rowssubstantially parallel to the column(s) of coins or coin-like articles.

Other References

Soviet Inventions Illustrated, Section E1, (Abstracts) week 8535, London: Derwent Publications Ltd., N85 162 294, T04, T05, SU 1140 137 A (Don Giprougleavtoma), Oct. 9, 198