Code controlled microcontroller readout from coin operated machine
Contents
1. 12 Clear memory If the proper access code is CMD 19x entered the PCU will reset the entire memory 13 Print Machine No This command can be used to Total print the total from a specific CMD 20 machine 14 Print Total The entire contents of memory is CMD 21 printed sequentially and then the dollar total is printed 15 Enter Access Code To use a common ROM plus omission CMD 22x of jumper wires this command will enter the access code in the memory 16 Enter Time amp Date Allows user to enter time and CMD 23 date for printing on daily machine totals for documentation purposes The counter 10 is shown as being adapted to store a coin count which is then read and computed to a money value by a PCU However as an alternative the counter can be located remote from the vending ma chine but wired thereto When provided with say an inexpensive LED read out the coin totals can be hand calculated to a money total Using coin sensors located within the machine as is usually the case and the counter and display located remotely from the vending 65 machine the counter would be more secure and could be read without a PCU Readout would be accom plished by simply displaying the register contents in sequence We claim 4 216 461 7 1 An apparatus for sensing totalling and displaying transactions in a vending machine comprising 1 sensor and totalling means including A means for sensi2. United States Patent Werth e al 11 4 216 461 45 Aug 5 1980 54 CODE CONTROLLED MICROCONTROLLER READOUT FROM COIN OPERATED MACHINE Robert L Werth 2053 W Romneya Dr Anaheim Calif 92801 Timothy L Brehm 27 Golden Star Irvine Calif 92714 76 Inventors 21 Appl No 830 758 22 Filed 6 1977 51 Int Chi e G08B 25 00 H04Q 9 00 GO6K 5 02 GO6E 7 00 52 U S 340 149 R 235 92 CN 273 143 R 340 150 340 162 364 479 194 1 N 58 Field of Search 340 149 R 147 A 152 340 151 150 162 364 403 406 479 235 92 AC 92 CN 92 ST 92 RD 273 138 A 139 143 194 1 N 56 References Cited U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 3 786 421 1 1974 Wostl et al 340 147 A 3 894 220 7 1975 Levasseur 364 479 3 931 497 1 1976 Gentile et al 340 149 4 072 930 2 1978 Lucero et al 340 152 T Ls 364 479 4 075 463 2 1978 Eguizabal 4 086 434 4 1978 Bocchi 340 151 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Computerized Automatic Pumping System L L Pelletier IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin vol 14 No 10 May 1972 pp 3729 3731 Inventory Unit is Tiny Data Terminal Electronics vol 49 No 19 pp 16E 18E Sep 16 1976 Reproduced by Patent Associated Literature Primary Examiner Donald J Yusko Attorney Agent or Firm Willie Krawitz 57 ABSTRACT A
3. Data PCU addresses counter and checks CMD 10 for good connection bad connect ion results in LED indication Battery bad indication is also shown indicating the counter battery is low The PCU then begins to rachet the counter around and look at the MSB of the counter When the MSB is active it indicates that the counter has been advanced half way the count is then calculated from the MSB point The vending machine number and the access code are derived in a similar manner The precise number is tapped off the counter and when a match occurs the output for each will go active the counter is then driven to zero 4 Display Counter Accesses the last counter CMD 11 entered or displayed and outputs to LCD for predetermined period 5 Display Counter Displays last machine entered CMD 12 into memory 6 Display Machine No Searches all active entries for CMD 13x a specified machine number and displays total 7 Add To Memory Acc Adds last displayed machine CMD 14 count to accumulator registers 8 Clear Memory Acc Resets contents of memory CMD 15 agcumulator 9 Display Memory Acc Displays contents total in CMD 16 memory accumulators 10 Display Memory 1 Allows user to sequence through CMD 17 memory and display each total individually both forwards and backwards 11 Display Total PCU totals all valid machine CMD 18x values and displays total amount in dollars and cents
4. MPM 201A The processor unit 14 in the counter 10 may employ CMOS chip parts or a processor similar to one manufactured by Western Digital Corporation as their CR 1872 and described in their CR 1872 User s Manual June 1977 the latter may employ a sleep mode by powering the registers at about 1 50 1 500 of the usual operating frequency when not in active use with PMOS FIG 3 illustrates a computer program employed for operating the counter Assuming the battery has been connected 61 the counter will be started 62 and the counter power alarm and service flags will be all reset 63 followed by counter initialization 64 Proceeding down the main path if there is no coin input 65 and the power is on 66 and there has been no service for the vending machine the service flag will indicate no and the program will idle through A A and return to the coin input 65 If a power failure has occurred a flag will be set 68 and the sensor will stop functioning 69 When power is resumed the power flag 63 is reset the counter is initialized 68 and the program will proceed If a service flag has been set 70 a check is made for a ser vice disable plug 71 not shown removal of which will cause the program to idle until service is completed the program will then return to the main path and back to the coin input 65 Upon termination of service to the vending machine a collector interrupt 71A will reset a service flag 71B and return to
5. access code is needed to read out the informa tion from the PCU The coin counter should contain the fewest number of operating functions on a cost basis and hence a register for validating the codes is con tained preferably within the PCU BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG 1 is a block diagram showing the overall view of the counter and PCU arrangement of this invention FIG 2 shows a block diagram of the PCU and FIGS 3A 3B 4A 4B show two programs employed for the operation of the counter and PCU DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The overall system is shown in FIG 1 and includes a vending machine 9 and a coin counter 10 including the usual coin sensing circuits 11 A portable PCU 12 is provided to interrogate the counter 10 and obtain infor mation stored therein concerning transactions which have occurred in the vending machine The coin counter 10 is adapted to sense various coin denomina tions which generally range from 5 through 1 00 in any combination coins returned from the machine are also sensed Signals from the coin sensing step are then converted to digit pulses and entered into a processor unit 14 in the counter to arrive at a coin input for a given transaction The coin input is stored as a coin count in a plurality of microelectronic circuit registers 4 216 461 3 15 or in a RAM The registers may be physically de tachable for subsequent processing at a remote location by the PCU Alte
6. and al though considerably more expensive than the counter since its use is spread over a large number of vending machines its unit cost is relatively low Vending machines in the broad sense provide a fixed service for a specific price and include such varied devices as games laundromat equipment food dispens ers music players cigarette vending machines photo graphic equipment television sets and other coin oper ated devices The vending machines must be serviced for coin collections change replenishment service replenish ment such as food soap photographic film etc Also in the case of vending machines such as games music players etc the owner would like to have information n whether the income from the vending machine is adequate for its location and also optimum servicing times When a machine is serviced access must be ob tained to the interior of the machine and this involves the honesty of the coin collector part owner lessee proprietor etc where the vending machine is located If these people are dishonest even a small amount of skimming can over a period of time amount to a substantial income loss Devices are presently on the market which total coin counts and obtain a dollar value therefrom however they are not tamper resistant and can be physically jammed Even assuming the accuracy of a coin counter an access key to a vending machine can be duplicated and this poses additional problems H
7. code change and for servicing a plurality of vending machines by means of a keyboard input 13 The apparatus of claim 2 comprising battery pow ered MOS logic for the collection unit and counter 14 The apparatus of claim 12 including CMOS and PMOS logic 15 The apparatus of claim 12 including i memory registers in the sensor and totaller adapted to store vending machine numbers and correspond ing validation codes and ii output registers for outputting the transactions from the memory registers upon receipt of a valid input code the portable collection unit including a register for validating a stored code in the memory register and being adapted to receive information from the memory registers only upon the input of a valid code from a keyboard input 16 The apparatus of claim 12 including i memory registers in the sensor and totaller adapted to store validation codes and ii output registers for outputting the transactions from the memory registers upon receipt of a valid input code the portable collection unit including a register for validating a stored code in the memory register and being adapted to receive information from the memory registers only upon the input of a valid code from a keyboard input 17 The apparatus of claim 12 including a portable collection unit adapted to receive and store information from the memory register upon input of a first code and release the information upon input of a s
8. coin counter attached to a vending machine and a microprocessor controlled portable collection unit PCU are provided for monitoring vending machine operations This enables transactions of the machine to be calculated stored and recorded The coin counter forms part of a microelectronic circuit e g a MOS type and is attached or mounted as a package to the vending machine The counter is primarily designed to count net coin intake but can be programmed to provide other information such as coin collection times vending machine number code validations etc The PCU has a keyboard to input information to the counter and access information therefrom the PCU calculates the coin count value and displays this value and the other information on an LED printer etc upon input of a suitable access code The PCU may be employed for servicing a number of vending machines to better pinpoint responsibility for collection deficiencies determining location and ma chine effectiveness peak load times and so forth The information so obtained can be maintained secret within the PCU itself and can be accessed only upon the input of the correct code 18 Claims 6 Drawing Figures 9 COIN INPUT COIN RETURN i 20 SERVICE ALARM SERVICE 2l INTERLOCK INPUT POWER OUTPUT ALARM PROCESSOR UNIT i4 COIN COUNTER 1 l I9 a COIN INPUT l OWNER NUMBER VENDING MACHINE 22 NUMBER ALARMS l TIME FUNCTION D
9. is provided comprising a sensing and counting device employing a microelectronic circuit chip having a plurality of memory registers The counting device is attached or incorporated with the vending machine and is adapted to sense and count net coin intake after coin changing and store the net count and other related operations in a plurality of memory registers in the microelectronic circuits These related operations may include an access code which is unique to the machine and hence the owner coin collection dates and times power interruptions vending load times tampering etc A PCU is provided having an input keyboard to access the memories upon input of a valid access code The output from the memories of the coin counter is added in the PCU to obtain a money value which may be read out from the PCU on a display such as an LED LCD incandescent etc or onto a printer casette punched card teletype etc the other related operations are similarly read out The PCU also may be adapted to store the read outs and display them only upon receipt of a second access code This permits the owner lessee etc to enjoy total secrecy from the person akin to the meter reader who actually obtains the information from the coin counter This arrangement ensures a dou ble check on the secrecy of the contents in the coin counter if desired since a first access code is required to read out the information from the coin counter and a second
10. ISPLAY INTERROGATION COMMAND RESET COMMAND 23 4 216 461 Sheet 1 of 6 U S Patent Aug 5 1980 62 el Ol YALNNOD GNVWINOD 13535 39019 1NdNI 3OOT33 NI 3OIAH3S NOLLV9OHM3 LNI LINn 5542044 O2 I NOILONA AWIL ONISN3S NIOO 5 H3g8WnN iu AY 9NION3A oum H3NMO 39IAM3S LNdNI 4 216 461 Sheet 2 of 6 U S Patent Aug 5 1980 3NIHOVIN 9NION3A H3 LNQOO9 9 HON AS sna v sna SS3MQQ0V AMOWSW v v g OLA aman v 62 Ic QHVOGA3 ddAL3 3L ev 2 015 4 216 461 Sheet 3 of 6 U S Patent Aug 5 1980 82 S3A 97 GL v SV 14 L3S3M ON dois SJA INSA3NONI ON z HOLO3 1109 v9 c9 De 614 ON OL lt lt ars 49 401 ON 69 3MfY1IV4 YAMOd Sak OV 14 146 99 89 GAZIIVILINI YALNNOD SV 14 39IAH3S L393H WeiV IV H3MOd LASSY YSLNNOO 13535 1OS3NNOO d3MOd 2950 lHNVlS AN3LIVS 4 216 461 Sheet 4 of 6 U S Patent Aug 5 1980 917135 9V H Las 301AH3S 1393 9v1J 13539 i ON 8 wuoLo31109 I VIA v8 EN SS399Y Ig 135 SV 14 LASSY 08 ON 3NIHOVIN SAA QN3A LNnOO 62 22 Ae a qe 61 4 216 461 Sheet 5 of 6 U S Patent Aug 5 1980 Ol AYOWSAW WLOL bp 014 Hl
11. ay the results on a read out 22 or store the value for future use In the latter case a second access code may be employed to release the information from the PCU In addition to obtaining coin values and c de changes additional information such as coin collection times service dates power interruptions and times etc can be read out from the counter to the PCU or they may be stored in the PCU for subsequent read out A real time clock 23 is used to provide times and dates of various transactions which are synchronized for read out at convenient intervals e g every 5 min utes Hence transaction activities can be monitored with a reasonable degree of accuracy in terms of time The architecture of the PCU is shown in FIG 2 and includes a keyboard input 29 for supplying specific data acquisition requests and codes such as access and change codes to the system Specific data acquisition requests include obtaining coin totals from the counter and determining their money values dates and times of use servicing etc Inputs from the keyboard 29 are fed to a digit con verter 30 for converting keyboard contacts to digit pulses These pulses are fed to a data bus and then to a microprocessor 31 where they are converted to a com mand If the command is an add the microprocessor will access information from a RAM 33 and a ROM 34 to enable the instruction to be carried out If the instruc tion is a code validation the operation may be car
12. d hence service requirements The time checks also can pinpoint power shortages which can be instigated by employees who desire to interfere with the data collection process ofa vending machine If desired the machine code and hence access code can be altered 110 111 this may be necessary if owner ship changes hands or if the access code becomes dis seminated too widely The following are special and operating code func tions employing a keyboard of a standard 16 key station type SPECIAL FUNCTIONS E enter PCU acquires input and performs commands or accepts data PCU exchanges display from machine number to dollar count value displays last machine entered CLR resets program which reinitializes the registers however this does not reset the memory if a count is stored therein automatically causes the PCU to display the next machine number dollar value 5 5 20 45 55 PCU will back up to display the previously entered machine dollar value OPERATING FUNCTIONS OPERATING FUNCTIONS FUNCTION No battery unit power always on Battery connected power applied to all circuits Power on reset is performed when PCU is reset to oooo and clock is started Program does housekeeping and goes into wait loop and polls inputs OPERATION 1 Power off 2 Power On x hexidecimal 6 continued _OPERATING FUNCTIONS _ OPERATION FUNCTION 3 Read Counter
13. econd code 18 The apparatus of claim 12 in which the portable collection unit contains a microprocessor g
14. ence a check on income servicing requirements performance etc is desireable from many standpoints Furthermore as between competitive devices and their locations secrecy is important since the most suitable machine in an optimum location can spell the difference between a successful or a defunct business Also cus tomer preference for game machines can change quickly and this may necessitate a machine being re moved to a new location or being taken completely off the market Consequently a need exists for a tamper resistant counting device which can be accessed without open ing the coin box of the vending machine and which provides information on total coin intake servicing requirements prior service history useage times power outages tamper attempts etc Monitoring of these items not only can provide a coin count but also can pinpoint the presence of particular employees when the vending machine is serviced tampered with etc This knowl 5 25 40 45 55 60 65 2 edge in itself represents a deterrent to interfering with normal operations of the vending machine In any event if a shortage exists use of a counter which is accurate and tamper resistant permits the owner to establish the extent of his losses which serve as a legiti mate basis for a tax loss claim THE INVENTION According to the invention a tamper resistant system for coin counting and totalling net intake of vending machines
15. ending machine numbers and correspond ing validation codes and ii output registers for outputting the transactions from the memory registers upon receipt of a valid input code the portable collection unit including a register for validating a stored code in the memory register and being adapted to receive information from the memory registers only upon the input of a valid code 4 The apparatus of claim 1 in which the portable collection unit is adapted to reset the memory registers 8 The apparatus of claim 1 in which the PCU is adapted to store and lock into a memory register all information obtained from the sensor and totaller 6 The apparatus of claim 3 in which the validation register is included in the sensor and totaller registers 7 The apparatus of claim 1 including i memory registers in the sensor and totaller adapted to store validation codes and ii output registers for outputting the transactions from the memory registers upon receipt of a valid input code the portable collection unit including a register for validating a stored code in the memory register and being adapted to receive information from the memory registers only upon the input of a valid code from a keyboard input 8 The apparatus of claim 1 including a portable col lection unit adapted to receive and store information 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 8 from the memory register upon input of a fi
16. ng coin input and output transac tions B means for converting the sensed transactions into digit pulses C a plurality of microelectronic circuit registers to receive the digit pulses including i internal totalling registers for counting net coin intake ii memory registers for storing the net coin count and iii output registers for outputting the net coin count from the memory registers and 2 A detachable digital portable collection unit for re ceiving transaction information from the memory registers the collection unit being adapted to serve a plurality of vending machines and including A ROM and RAM memories B a keyboard input C an input register and D a read out register the PCU being adapted for access and interrogation of the output registers for data contained in the memory registers the collection unit being adapted to input data code and code changes into the sen sor and totalling means 2 The apparatus of claim 1 including memory regis ters in the sensor and totaller for storing times and dates of coin collection coin useage power interruptions battery deterioration tampering and servicing and to receive the net coin count information from the output registers total the net coin count and readout the infor mation on a read out register upon activation by the key board input 3 The apparatus of claim 1 including i memory registers in the sensor and totaller adapted to store v
17. oded 96 and will perform a counter read 97 a memory clear 104 a totalling operation 107 or an enter access code 110 If a read counter command 95 is given and flags 78 79 have been set indicating the vending machine and access codes correspond the flags will be fed to the correct code word 98 step and the program will pro ceed If a reset flag 80 or 32 is present in the correct counter code word 98 this indicates either one or both of the machine number or access codes are incorrect and hence a light error 99 will appear the counters then will initialize 64 Proceeding down the main path from the read counter 97 assuming a correct access code word has been fed from the keyboard the vending machine number 100 and count time or other data 101 are loaded from a particular register in the counter and stored 102 in the PCU The collector is then reset 103 and the program proceeds to the command input 95 for a further instruction If a clear memory mode 104 is entered into the cor rect code word 105 is ascertained by the presence or absence of a flag and the memory is cleared 106 this frees the PCU for further data collection If a coin total and read out is desired a total memory routine 107 is connected all totals 108 are calculated and then displayed 109 by teletype LED etc As men tioned use of a real time clock permits a periodic time check of transactions and enables a vending machine owner to determine peak useage time an
18. ried out in a comparison register using say a subtraction process If the subtraction yields a number not equal to zero the machine number and access code which has been entered through the keyboard are obviously not the same and the program will permit no information to be transmitted or received at any I O port Preferably however a code validation is carried by a program described infra If the instruction is a print or read out data from the microprocessor will be decoded in an I O decode 35 and sent to a teletype interface 40 for conver 20 25 30 35 40 45 4 sion to pulses in say a control character register to activate the appropriate numbers and characters for print out by a teletype 41 Similarly other print out instructions may be sent to an LED LCD 42 etc via a BCD to number decode 43 or to a printer 44 via a printer interface 45 A bus synchronizing clock 46 oper ating via a modem 47 synchronizes movement of pulses through the system and with the read out if any The bus system is the UNIBUS variety but other types may be used A real time clock 49 may be used to afford a date and time read out along with the other data A counter interface 50 is employed to input instructions to the counter 10 from the microprocessor 31 through the I O decode 35 The PCU 12 may be a CMOS chip sold by RCA as the CDP 1802 and described in their User Manual for the CDP 1802 COSMAC Microprocessor 1976
19. rnatively in the preferred form of the invention the storage or registers may be internal i e contained with in the circuitry of the chip In another embodiment say where only a numerical count is de sired the storage or registers may be an LED LCD incandescent display etc The storage or registers e g on a CMOS chip are powered by an A C source or a D C battery which enables them to store the informa tion until released or accessed by the PCU In addition to the usual sensing and counting cir cuitry the counter 10 may be provided with a hard wired memory 16 17 containing an owner access code and machine code respectively alternatively micro electronic circuit registers 18 and 19 may be employed to contain the access code and the machine code respec tively The latter has the advantage of permitting a code change if the vending machine is relocated or if the ownership becomes changed etc An interlock 20 or other sensing device may be pro vided to indicate service times of the vending machine similarly a power outage sense 21 may be employed to indicate via a signal or read out that battery tampering or battery deterioration has occurred The PCU I O device 12 is provided for the system to input as appropriate access code into the counter and thereby enable release of data or information stored therein The PCU is adapted for converting the coin count from the counter into a total coin value and either displ
20. rst code and release the information upon input of a second code 9 The apparatus of claim 1 in which the portable collection unit contains a microprocessor 10 The apparatus of claim 1 comprising battery pow ered MOS logic for the collection unit and counter 11 The apparatus of claim 1 including memory regis ters in the sensor and totaller forstoring servicing re quirements prior service history power outages bat tery deterioration tamper attempts and useage times 12 An apparatus for sensing and totalling transac tions in a vending machine comprising A means for sensing coin input and output transactions B means for converting the sensed transactions into digit signal pulses and C a plurality of microelectronic circuit registers to receive the digit pulses including i internal totalling registers for counting net coin intake ii memory registers for storing the net coin intake and iii a read out register for outputting a the net coin intake from the memory registers servicing requirements prior service history power outages battery deterioration tamper attempts and useage times and b times and dates of coin collecting coin useage power interruptions tampering and servicing the read out registers being adapted for accessing and interrogation by a detachable portable collection unit for data contained in the memory registers the collection unit being adapted for input of data code and
21. the coin input 65 Assuming a coin input has occurred a check is made to determine if the counter is full 72 and if so the counter will be stopped 73 rather then being set to a 50 55 60 zero value consequently only information on overflow beyond the maximum reading will be lost To collect data from the counter an external inter rupt 74 is used to forceably increment the counter 75 The collector given the capacity of the counter moni tors the counter full flag and continually increments the counter by one When the counter is full 76 a flag is set 71 and the collector counts the number of increments calculates the number in the counter prior to the incre menting step and stores the number If the counter is not full a flag reset occurs and the program reiterates eventually the program determines if the count has equalled the vending machine number 79 and then sets a flag 83 A like operation is then performed for the access codes 80 81 82 and 84 65 FIG 4 shows the program for the data collection function of the PCU 12 When the PCU has been plugged in and turned on 92 the registers are reset 93 and the storage initialized 94 this can be set at zero or set from a prior reading The program then awaits the 4 216 461 5 first command input 95 and the PCU will idle in the first command input loop until it receives an instruction from the keyboard Upon receipt an instruction is de c
22. vol 3009 AMOW3W 552007 H31N3 uv319 ONVWWOO 300930 S3A 96 LNdNI QNVWWOS G6 3oVHOLS 3ZITVILINI Vo c6 JO193 1102 13539 imas 2 26 YALNNOO QV34 4 216 461 Sheet 6 of 6 1980 U S Patent Aug 5 qp 015 gol E AMOWSW HV319 ANA NI o 201 901 LNNOO ayon lol 79101 NEWNAN 3NIHOVMI MOMM3 1 911 IN AN 601 S34 66 OOl 135 viva 3009 3003 TV 19101 MGLNG 3009 HYJ 19 gt N ON YSLNNOD Lo eluoo 1938409 801 oll 86 H3 LNnOO 13534 4 216 461 1 CODE CONTROLLED MICROCONTROLLER READOUT FROM COIN OPERATED MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a new and improved system for coin counting totalling and reading out information arising from coin transactions in vending machines and the like More specifically this invention concerns the use of single chip microelectronic circuits for counting the net coin intake of a vending machine storing the count and reading it out to a microprocessor controlled portable collection unit PCU The coin counter may be wired permanently attached or integrated with the vending machine and is considerably less costly than the vending machine itself The PCU is used to calcu late a money total from the coin count and if desired display or output certain other operations associated with the vending machine The PCU is employed to service a large number of vending machines
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