Bill discriminating device

1 . A bill discriminating device comprising:

a body; and

a mask portion,

wherein said body includes a main substrate having a light source,

said mask portion includes a bill insertion port formed to be placed in a front surface of said bill discriminating device, and a bill chute passage having one end connected to a bill conveying passage and the other end extending to said bill insertion port, at least one surface of the bill chute passage is formed of a light guide member including a portion extending from said light source to said bill insertion port, and

light emitted from said light source is optically connected to said bill insertion port via said light guide member.

2 . The bill discriminating device according to claim 1 , wherein said light guide member is formed to have a lateral width matching a size of at least one light source at a connection end to said light source, and a width matching a lateral width of said bill insertion port at the other end of said bill chute passage extending to said bill insertion port.

3 . The bill discriminating device according to claim 1 , wherein said mask portion is formed of a rigid member.

4 . The bill discriminating device according to claim 1 , wherein said light source is a light emitting diode (LED).

5 . The bill discriminating device according to claim 1 , wherein said body includes a bill discriminating portion detachably mounted to said body, said bill discriminating portion includes said main substrate having said light source, said mask portion engages said body, an optical path extending from said light source to the bill insertion port via said light guide member is formed when said bill discriminating portion is mounted to said body, and no optical path is formed when said bill discriminating portion is removed from said body.