SMART HOPPER IS A COIN PAYOUT DEVICE CAPABLE OF DISCRIMINATING AND PAYING OUT MULTI DENOMINATIONS OF STORED COINS FROM ITS INTERNAL STORAGE HOPPER. THE UNIT IS HOUSED INTO A HOST UNIT, SUCH AS A GAMING OR VENDING MACHINE. IT IS THE MECHANISM BY WHICH PAYOUTS OR CHANGE ARE DELIVERED. COINS ADDED TO THE HOPPER CAN BE DESIGNATED TO BE ROUTED TO AN EXTERNAL CASHBOX ON DETECTION OR RECYCLED AND STORED IN THE HOPPER UNIT TO BE AVAILABLE FOR A REQUESTED PAYOUT. THE CORE FUNCTIONALITY IS PROVIDED BY A MICROPROCESSOR WHICH USES STATISTICAL INFORMATION COLLECTED ABOUT THE TRENDS IN PAST PAY INS AND PAY OUTS TO CALCULATE THE RATIO AND NUMBER OF EACH TYPE OF COIN TO STORE IN THE HOPPER. THIS IS USED TO CALCULATE THE OPTIMUM NUMBER OF COINS TO BE STORED ALLOWING THE EXCESS SENT TO CASHBOX TO BE BANKED, WHILE STILL ENSURING FAST PAYOUTS. ALSO FOR EACH REQUESTED PAY-OUT THE DEVICE CALCULATES THE BEST MIX OF COINS TO PAYOUT AND TO GIVE A FAST PAYMENT AND MAINTAIN THE CORRECT BALANCE OF COINS REMAINING IN THE DEVICE. THE HOPPER WORKS FROM PRESET DATA PROGRAMMED INTO VIA A USB CONNECTION FROM, FOR EXAMPLE, A LAPTOP KEYBOARD. THIS DATA SET AND THE MESSAGE FROM THE HOST MACHINE REGARDING THE VALUE OF THE PAYOUT ARE USED TO PERFORM THE CALCULATION. THIS MACHINE IDENTIFIES WHAT COINS SHOULD BE PAID OUT BY MEASURING THEIR DIMENSIONS AND MATERIAL.

CLASSIFICATION HAS BEEN DETERMINED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FOLLOWING:- GENERAL INTERPRETATIVE RULES (GIRS): GIR 1 HAS BEEN USED TO CLASSIFY THIS PRODUCT BY THE TERMS OF HEADING 8470: CALCULATING MACHINES AND POCKET-SIZE DATA-RECORDING, REPRODUCING AND DISPLAYING MACHINES WITH CALCULATING FUNCTIONS; ACCOUNTING MACHINES, POSTAGE-FRANKING MACHINES, TICKET-ISSUING MACHINES AND SIMILAR MACHINES, INCORPORATING A CALCULATING DEVICE; CASH REGISTERS. GIR 6 HAS BEEN USED TO CLASSIFY THE GOODS TO SUBHEADING LEVEL 847090: OTHER CALCULATING MACHINES. ALSO CLASSIFIED IN ACCORDANCE WITH:- HSENs TO 8470 WHICH CONFIRMS A CALCULATING MACHINE MUST BE ABLE TO AT LEAST ADD TWO FIGURES OF MORE THAN ONE DIGIT.