Check-actuated control mechanisms – Control mechanism actuated by check – other than coin – which... – By pliant currency
Reexamination Certificate
1997-05-28
2001-11-06
Bartuska, F. J. (Department: 2167)
Check-actuated control mechanisms
Control mechanism actuated by check, other than coin , which...
By pliant currency
C209S534000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06311819
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates, in general, to document processing. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for document discrimination, authentication, and/or sorting.
BACKGROUND
A variety of techniques and apparatus have been used in automated currency handling systems. Traditionally, these currency handling systems utilized a complex series of belts, pulleys, wheels and rollers to guide a currency bill through a complicated pathway having many twists and turns to pass the currency bill through the discriminating and/or authenticating sensors and to deliver the bills to an assigned output receptacle. These complicated pathways have sometimes led to jams of the currency bills which are difficult to clear.
Therefore, a need exists for a transport mechanism that reduces currency jams and is more accessible when clearing currency jams.
There is also a need for a currency evaluation device that can distinguish bills based on a number of criteria and that is flexible in permitting the operator of the device to specify which criteria are to be used to distinguish bills and how bills meeting or failing to meet various criteria are to be handled. There is also a need for a currency evaluation device having an input/output means that is simply to operate, flexible, and customizable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for document transport which reduces currency jams and is more accessible when clearing currency jams. Briefly, according to one embodiment, a method and apparatus for transporting a currency bill to be evaluated by a discrimination and/or authentication apparatus is provided. A transport mechanism includes a pair of substantially smooth opposing plates. These plates are substantially free of surface features. The smooth plates comprise a transport plate and a follower plate and define a currency pathway there between. A plurality of transport rolls protrude through apertures in the transport plate so as to frictionally engage the bills and actively advance the bills through the currency pathway. Furthermore, the follower plate is preferably mounted on a hinged module so that it may rotate out and away from the transport plate to allow easy access to the currency pathway.
In one embodiment, a transport mechanism includes a transport plate which defines in a substantially planar transport path between an evaluating mechanism and a plurality of output receptacles. The transport mechanism may include a follower plate that is substantially smooth and without surface features. The follower plate is positioned substantially parallel and in spaced relation to the opposing transport plate so as to define a currency pathway there between.
According to another embodiment, a currency evaluation device for receiving a stack of currency bills and rapidly evaluating all the bills in the stack is provided. The device has an input receptacle for receiving a stack of bills to be evaluated and a number of output receptacles for receiving the bills after the bills have been evaluated. A transport mechanism transports the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to one of the output receptacles along a transport path. A discriminating unit evaluates the bills including determining certain information concerning the bills. A control panel includes a touch screen for displaying the information concerning the bills and for receiving operational instructions from a user. A controller coupled to the touch screen and the discriminating unit causes the discriminating unit to operate in a number of modes in response to the operational instructions from the user. In one embodiment, the evaluation device has exactly two output receptacles.
According to another embodiment, a currency evaluation device for receiving a stack of currency bills and rapidly evaluating all the bills in the stack is provided wherein the device flags bills meeting or failing to meet certain criteria. A bill may be flagged, for example, by presenting the bill in one of the output pockets (delivering the bill to one of the pockets and suspending the operation of the device) or by off-sorting the bill to a different output pocket and continuing to process other bills. According to one embodiment the currency evaluation device has two output receptacles for receiving bills after they have been evaluated.
According to another embodiment a currency evaluation device has a routing interface. The routing interface has a data retrieval device such as a touch screen that receives information from a user of the evaluation device specifying into which output receptacle bills are to be delivered based on one or more criteria such as, e.g., a bill being a stranger.
According to another embodiment a currency evaluation device has a flagging control interface. The flagging control interface has a data retrieval device such as a touch screen that receives information from a user of the evaluation device specifying whether the evaluation device should suspend its operation based on the detection of a bill meeting or failing to meet one or more criteria such as, e.g., a bill being a no call bill.
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Anderson Matthew L.
Graves Bradford T.
Jones William J.
Klein Robert J.
Mazur Richard A.
Bartuska F. J.
Cummins-Allison Corp.
Jenkens & Gilchrist
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