Sheet feeding or delivering – Delivering – With transfer means between conveyor and receiver
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-06
2001-03-13
Bollinger, David H. (Department: 3653)
Sheet feeding or delivering
Delivering
With transfer means between conveyor and receiver
Reexamination Certificate
active
06199856
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a mechanism for stacking flexible media of varying dimensions and accumulating the stacked material. In particular, an embodiment of the mechanism operates to stack banknotes of different dimensions in a storage cassette.
Banknote acceptors are well known and have found wide applications in vending, ticketing and gaming applications. Such acceptors generally have a facility for storing the accepted banknotes in an orderly fashion. This facilitates bulk handling of the accepted money and is an efficient use of the limited space available in a typical automatic transaction machine installation.
In sophisticated automatic transaction machine applications, such as in casino gaming machines, the currency is stacked in an enclosed, lockable removable cassette. In such applications the money cannot be directly accessed by the operator servicing the host machine. Instead, the money is transported in the locked cassette to a secure place, such as a central cash handling room, where an authorized person opens the cassette.
The vast majority of currency stacker units in production today use a stacking technique involving transporting a bill in a bill passageway or elevator to a location opposite a pressure plate or ram mechanism. The pressure plate is typically oriented to be perpendicular to the surface of the bill and is operated to drive the money out of the channel and into the storage compartment. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,917,260 to Okkonen et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,519 to Zouzoulas describe such devices.
Alternative stacking mechanisms include a bill channel comprised of longitudinal members which rotate (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,639,081, 5,564,691 and
5,624,017).
None of these devices is well adapted to applications where the flexible media may be of variable size and shape, and where the stacker mechanism must be implemented in a compact physical space.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An apparatus capable of storing flexible media of a plurality of dimensions is provided. The device includes a carriage having at least two rotating members, wherein a membrane is wrapped about each of the rotating members, a frame for supporting the membranes, and at least one actuator. The actuator causes a first membrane to unwrap and a second membrane to wrap about their respective rotating members as the carriage moves.
The device may include one or more of the following features. The device may include a container connected to the frame. A pressure plate may be connected to the container, wherein the pressure plate exerts a force against the unwrapped portion of the membranes. A biasing means may be connected to the pressure plate to distribute the force. The device may also include a diverter connected to the carriage to guide the flexible media. In addition, a nip roller may be connected to the carriage for gripping the flexible media. An elastic element may be included to bias the nip roller into a gripping position, and a ramp and cam mechanism may be included to bias the nip roller into a gripping position. The ramp and cam mechanism may bias a diverter into a position to guide the flexible media. The device may include at least one actuator coupled to at least one rotating member, and/or at least one actuator coupled to the carriage. A bill validator for transporting bills to the carriage may be included. At least one additional actuator may be included, wherein at least one additional actuator may move a diverter that is connected to the carriage. In addition, at least one additional actuator may be included to move a nip roller that is connected to the carriage. At least one rotating member may comprise a rotatable shaft mounted in the frame and an intermediate element mounted in the carriage for supporting the membrane. The membranes may be spring coils, and/or the membranes may comprise a plurality of strips. A sheath may be included for controlling the strips. At least one torsional elastic element may supply a tension to at least one of the membranes.
Another aspect of the invention concerns a method for a stacker apparatus capable of stacking flexible media of varying dimensions in any of a plurality of orientations. The method includes transporting the flexible media to a carriage; translating the carriage to unwrap a first membrane from a first rotating member and to fold the leading edge of the media onto a stack; wrapping a second membrane about a second rotating member of the carriage; gripping the media between the first membrane and the stack as the carriage moves to stack the media; translating the carriage in the opposite direction after the media has been stacked; and gripping the media between the second membrane and the stack as the second membrane unwraps from the second rotating member.
The method may include one or more of the following features. A plurality of sheets of flexible media may be stacked during a stacking cycle. The carriage may move in a linear path to stack flexible media. Alternately, the carriage may move in a curved path.
In an alternate implementation, an apparatus capable of stacking flexible media of a plurality of dimensions is provided. The apparatus includes a container for storing the flexible media. A carriage movably mounted on the container has at least two rotating members, and a membrane is wrapped about each of the rotating members.
The apparatus may include one or more of the following features. At least one actuator may be included for driving the carriage. At least one actuator may be coupled to at least one of the rotating members, and/or at least one actuator may be coupled to the carriage. A pressure plate may be attached to the container for exerting a force against the unwrapped portion of the membranes. Biasing means may be connected to the pressure plate to distribute the force. The carriage may include a nip roller for gripping the flexible media as it is inserted. The carriage may include a diverter for guiding the flexible media. A bill validator may be included for transporting bills to the carriage. At least one rotating member may include a rotatable shaft and an intermediate element for supporting the membrane.
The invention advantageously provides a means for stacking flexible media (for example, banknotes, coupons, bank drafts, traveller's cheques, and the like) and accumulating the flexible media in a container. The device safely and dependably handles flexible media of variable sizes and shapes. The invention is simple and compact and offers highly reliable handling of sheets that may be torn, wet or otherwise in poor physical condition.
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Clauser Robert
Deaville David C.
Gerlier Andre
Shuren Thomas E.
Young Neil M.
Bollinger David H.
Fish & Richardson P.C.
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