Sheet feeding or delivering – Feeding – With means to align sheet
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-18
2001-05-29
Walsh, Donald P. (Department: 3653)
Sheet feeding or delivering
Feeding
With means to align sheet
C271S226000, C271S234000, C271S239000, C271S240000, C271S253000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06237911
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a sheet material guide for guiding sheets of different width, and more particularly, to an improved sheet guide for guiding a banknote, into a banknote processing apparatus for use in a service machine such as a vending machine, a money changing machine, a pinball dispenser or a token dispenser.
BACKGROUND ART
In general, a banknote processing apparatus for determining the authenticity of a banknote, inserted therein and accepting a genuine one, is installed in a service machine such as a vending machine, a money changing machine, a pinball dispenser or a token dispenser, and a sheet guide forms a portion of this banknote processing apparatus.
Furthermore, as an example of an application of this kind of sheet guide, in addition to the apparatus for guiding a banknote described above, there is also an apparatus for guiding a card, into a card processing apparatus which guides an inserted card along a card passageway, and during which time, reads and writes information on various storage areas formed on the card.
Meanwhile, this kind of sheet guide ordinarily comprises a banknote conveying path provided inside a main body, and a banknote conveying path width varying means for changing the width of the banknote conveying path in a plurality of stages.
The banknote conveying path width varying means, as disclosed in Unexamined Japanese patent publication Kokai No. 9-16826, for example, comprises a mating groove, which is formed parallel to the banknote conveying path in the side of the banknote conveying path, and mating members, which are formed parallel to banknote conveying path, and which mate to the mating groove in a freely detachable manner. By attaching different shaped mating members to the mating groove, it is possible to change the width of the banknote conveying path.
With the sheet guide of the aforementioned type, by providing a plurality of mating members, the shapes of which differ in accordance with the width of a sheet, selecting the one mating member among those that correspond to the width of the sheet to be conveyed, and mating it to the mating groove, it is possible to change the width of the banknote conveying path so that it corresponds to the width of the sheet, without replacing the entire sheet guide.
In particular, when a sheet guide is utilized in a banknote processing apparatus, it is possible to change the width of the banknote conveying path so that it corresponds to the different widths of paper currency from countries around the world, without replacing the entire sheet guide.
However, in accordance with the conventional sheet guide described above, the banknote conveying path width varying means comprises a mating groove, which is formed in the side of the banknote conveying path, and mating members, which mate to the mating groove in a freely detachable manner. When changing the width of the banknote conveying path, it is necessary to perform the work, first, of preparing a new mating member with a shape that corresponds to the width of the sheet, next, of removing the mating member that is attached to the mating groove, and then, of attaching the new mating member to the sheet material guide. Consequently, the job of changing the width of the banknote conveying path has the drawback of being complicated and troublesome.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet guide, which does not have the drawback of conventional sheet guide such as above, and which is capable of changing the width of a banknote conveying path using a simple operation in a plurality of stages.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a sheet guide having a banknote conveying path, upper and lower surfaces thereof being formed by a lower chute and an upper chute; a banknote insertion opening, which communicates with the banknote conveying path; and banknote conveying path width varying means provided on the side of at least one of the upper and lower chutes, for changing width of the banknote conveying path in a plurality of stages, characterized in that the banknote conveying path width varying means comprises an arm provided parallel to a direction of travel of a sheet, both ends thereof being supported in a freely rotatable manner at a side portion of the shoot; and a guide rotor supported in a freely rotatable manner by an intermediate portion of the arm, the intermediate portion paralleling the direction of travel of the sheet, and formed with a plurality of sheet plates provided radially and having differing widths that parallel the direction of travel of the sheet, wherein when one of the plurality of sheet plates of the guide rotor is provided between the upper and lower chutes, sides of the sheet plate form sides of the banknote conveying path.
The sheet guide configured in the above manner enables the width of the banknote conveying path to be changed in a plurality of stages by the simple operation of selecting one of the plurality of sheet plates that constitute the guide rotor, which in turn simplifies the job of changing the width of the banknote conveying path in a vending machine, a money changing machine, a pinball dispenser a medal dispenser, or other service machine that makes use of the sheet guide of the present invention, thus enabling the efficiency of maintenance, inspection and other work to be further enhanced.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3-56328 (1991-03-01), None
patent: 6-135526 (1994-05-01), None
Hatamachi Tadashi
Mori Yoshikazu
Beauchaine Mark J.
Hogan & Hartson LLP
Kabushiki Kaisha Nippon Conlux
Walsh Donald P.
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