A movable divider wall means is resiliently supported to extend through a slot opening in a bottom wall and into contact with the top wall so as to define between one of its faces and one of the edges of a channel guide for documents an effective guide for documents of a narrower width defined by the wall and the opposed channel wall. The movable wall has a tapered top edge which tapers from a widely spaced leading edge to the flat top of the movable wall which abuts the top wall and is held into the top wall by resilient means. Documents of greater width may be inserted over the movable wall and passing documents will urge the movable wall downward to displace it and allow their passage. Guide means is preferably provided to direct documents of the second narrower width into the channel at a position after the beginning of the movable wall and from above the movable wall so that they do not tend to move the wall out of its position as they are introduced. In either case, suitable conveyor means pull the documents through the apparatus once they are introduced.
A paper selecting apparatus includes an upstream side transportation passage having an inclined bottom surface(s) held in the inclined state in the transverse direction, a lower stage transportation passage extending in continuation from the downstream end of the upstream side transportation passage, an upper stage transportation passage disposed above the lower one with a predetermined distance kept therebetween and a guide wall disposed between the upstream side transportation passage and the upper stage transportation passage for determining the direction of further movement of paper which has been displaced from the upstream side transportation passage to selectively bring it to either of both the upper and lower stage transportation passages in conformance with the width of paper to be selected.
A device for analyzing information carriers, particularly gaming coupons or receipts, includes a carrier receiver device, an image scanning device for reading the information on the carrier, a processing unit for processing the image information and for transmitting the information to a central gaming management unit. The carrier is printed with multiple colors. The image scanning device includes an optical reader which is blind to a single color, but sensitive to all other colors. The carrier has fixed marking patterns, printed in the color to which the image scanning device is blind, which delineate where the player marks the carrier with variable gaming information. The carrier also has fixed information for alignment and type designation printed in other colors. The processing unit uses stored marking patterns corresponding to the type of carrier analyzed, by superimposing blind color information.
A testing device for bank notes, or similar instruments of payment in sheet form for automatic vending machines, has a testing channel (20) with a transport device (7) and scanning devices for recognizing and checking the authenticity of the bank note (3). An input channel (2) of variable width is in front of the testing channel (20). The input channel (2) includes two channel halves (21), one on either side of the longitudinal center axis (22) of the input channel (2). The two channel halves (21) can be adjusted synchronously against the force of a spring. In their contact position, the channel halves (21) determine the minimum width of the channel, and in their separated end position they determine the maximum width. A bank note (3) of any type is introduced into the input channel (2) at its locked maximum channel width as far as a passage detector (19) arranged in a starting region of the testing channel (20). The passage detector (19) unlocks the channel halves (21), as a result of which the side walls (23) of the channel halves (21) are pressed by the force of a spring against the bank note (3) and align it centrally with the testing channel (20).
An apparatus provided in an automatic vending machine and the like for selectively accepting and conveying a paper money and a magnetic card. The apparatus includes first and second belts driven, respectively, by first and second pulleys having a same radius, a common rotary axis and a space left therebetween; a semicircular convex passage formed on and along the two belts, in a region where the two belts are bent into the form of a semicircular convex by the two pulleys, for selectively conveying the paper money and the card therein and guiding means arranged on and along the convex passage for guiding the paper money and the card in and along the convex passage in cooperation with the two belts so that the paper money and the card are moved while being bent along the convex passage.
A housing (10) incorporating a memory card connector (40) positioned in the computer for use with a memory card (100), is independently mounted on the backpanel (12) of the computer case and installed in the exterior of the computer case. The housing (10) is aligned with the inside corresponding memory card connector (40) by means of two opposite supporting arms (18) of the housing (10) being generally in alignment with the grooves (47) in the corresponding rails (44) of the memory card connector (40), respectively. The housing (10) further comprises a cavity (14) defined by walls of the housing (10) for receiving the rear portion of the inserted memory card (100) therein, and an opening (29), which is generally positioned about the centerline of the housing (10), recessed through the front portions of the top and bottom walls (15, 16) of the housing (10) for facilitating manually grasping the rear portion of the corresponding memory card (100) during insertion or withdrawal of such memory card (100) with regard to the computer case.
