Classifying – separating – and assorting solids – Sorting special items – and certain methods and apparatus for... – Sorting paper money
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-05
2001-04-10
Nguyen, Tuan N. (Department: 3653)
Classifying, separating, and assorting solids
Sorting special items, and certain methods and apparatus for...
Sorting paper money
C209S919000, C198S469100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06213310
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to an arrangement for handling banknotes.
More particularly, the invention relates to such an arrangement of the kind comprising a banknote magazine, which is arranged to permit the banknotes to be fed in into as well as out from the magazine one by one, detector means, which are arranged to detect each infeed of a banknote into and each outfeed of a banknote from the magazine, and memory means, which are arranged to store information about the contents of the magazine that is updated continuously in connection with the infeed of banknotes into and the outfeed of banknotes from the magazine.
Banknote handling arrangements of said kind are utilized inter alia with cash registers in shops or the like but may be used also in other connections, for instance in payment machines.
A banknote handling arrangement of the kind is previously known through EP-B1 0 615 643. This known arrangement is provided with a number of banknote magazines, each of which is formed by two tapes, extending each from one supply spool to a location where the two tapes are brought together and placed one upon the other in order then to be wound up jointly on a magazine spool. At the location where the two tapes are brought together, banknotes may be fed in one by one and one after the other between the two tapes in order then to be wound up on the magazine spool while being held between the two tapes. As a consequence of this design of the banknote magazine, banknotes may be fed out from each separate magazine only in an order reversed in relation to the order in which they have been fed in into the magazine. For this reason, each banknote magazine can be utilized only for one single type of banknotes. Therefore, the arrangement is provided with one separate banknote magazine for each banknote type which it is intended to handle. As a result, the arrangement as a whole is very bulky and it requires a space which in many cases is unaccetably large.
A banknote handling arrangement which eliminates the above need for separate banknote magazines for banknotes of different types and makes it possible to use one single banknote magazine for storing banknotes of different types is disclosed in Swedish patent application No. 95 01180-5. Even this arrangement is based on the utilization of co-operating tapes between which the banknotes may be inserted in order then to be wound up on a magazine spool while being held between two tapes. In order to facilitate an outfeed of a banknote of a selectable type from the banknote magazine, the magazine comprises on the one hand a first tape which extends between two different magazine spools, and on the other hand two additional tapes, one of which is arranged to be wound up on one of the magazine spools together with said first tape, while the other one is arranged to be wound up on the other magazine spool together with said first tape. The arrangement as a whole is very complicated. Moreover, its structure is such that it cannot be expected to operate in a reliable and unobjectionable manner if it is charged with banknotes which, as often is the case in practice, have serious deficiencies, for instance in the shape of heavy folds, torn edges or spots of sticky material occurring on the banknotes.
The invention has for its object to provide an improved banknote handling arrangement of the kind initially specified, which avoids the above disadvantages of the arrangement previously proposed.
The arrangement, according to the invention proposed for this purpose, is primarily characterized in that the banknote magazine comprises a controllably rotatable drum, containing a plurality of separate, individually identifiable magazine compartments which are formed each by one sector-like pocket, extending in a generally radial direction into the drum from a combined infeed and outfeed opening of the magazine compartment in question, located at the periphery of the drum, in that, through rotation of the drum, a magazine compartment, selected in view of the stored information, can be placed with its said opening in front of at least one infeed and/or outfeed station in order to permit an infeed of a banknote into and/or an outfeed of a banknote from said compartment at said station, in that each magazine compartment is arranged to receive only one banknote therein, and in that each magazine compartment is provided with combined infeed and outfeed means, located adjacent to said opening thereof, for forcibly feeding in a banknote into and forcibly feeding out a banknote from the magazine compartment and holding a banknote, fed in into the magazine compartment, within the same.
The invention makes it possible to use the banknote magazine for storing banknotes of a plurality of different types and it simultaneously also guarantees that the infeed of banknotes into the magazine and the outfeed of banknotes therefrom may take place in a very safe and reliable manner also when damaged or smeared banknotes occur among the banknotes handled by the arrangement.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, said infeed and outfeed means of each compartment may preferably comprise at least one pair of rotatable rollers which are arranged to be brought into frictional engagement with mutually opposite sides of a banknote.
Moreover, adjacent to each infeed and/or outfeed station, the arrangement may suitably be provided with drive means for controllably driving said infeed and outfeed means of a magazine compartment having its said opening located in front of the station in question.
The arrangement may preferably comprise an infeed station, provided with a banknote reader, and at least one separate outfeed station, in which case the drum may be arranged to be placed with a selectable magazine compartment in a position in front of a selectable one of said stations. Hereby, it is possible to avoid that banknotes fed out from the magazine have to pass through the banknote reader provided at the infeed station.
Furthermore, the arrangement may suitably comprise two different outfeed stations, one of which is arranged to be utilized for repayment purposes, while the other one is arranged to permit a transfer of banknotes from the magazine to a storage cassette. By this arrangement, it is possible to reduce the required size of the banknote magazine, since any surplus of banknotes appearing in the magazine during the use of the arrangement may be transferred from the magazine to the storage cassette.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4149637 (1979-04-01), Starr
patent: 5680935 (1997-10-01), Mistander et al.
patent: 5994657 (1999-11-01), Maier et al.
patent: 1449020 (1969-01-01), None
patent: 3136610 (1983-03-01), None
patent: 0604880 (1994-07-01), None
patent: 0615643 (1994-09-01), None
patent: 1353415 (1987-11-01), None
Wennersten Lars Harry
Wennersten Pirjo Riitta
Browdy and Neimark
Cash and Change Control Sweden AB
Nguyen Tuan N.
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