Patent ID: 9734648
Date: 2017-08-15
CPC Classifications: G07D

Claim:
1. A media handier for detecting counterfeit media, the media handler comprising: a removable media cassette; a pick unit that picks individual media items from the removable media cassette; a diverter; a plurality of discrete sensors distributed along a transport path when the transport path is vertically situated within the media handler, and the transport path operable to transport a media item from the pick unit to the diverter, wherein each of the discrete sensors is mounted on a corresponding circuit board separate from circuit boards of other discrete sensors, wherein each of the discrete sensors is laterally offset relative to at least one other discrete sensor for ensuring each sensor captures different aspects of the media item being transported along the transport path, wherein a first of the plurality of discrete sensors comprises an ultrasonic sensor to detect when the pick unit picks multiple media items, to detect a fraudulent composite banknote, and to provide media item detection even where the media item includes a transparent window, and wherein at least one sensor detects whether the item is skewed along the transport path instead of a track sensor; a plurality of position sensors mounted on a plurality of the circuit boards with the discrete sensors to detect positions of the media items along the transport path; and a controller operable to receive signals from the plurality of discrete sensors and to make a decision on validity of the transported media item based on the received signals wherein the discrete sensors comprise, are arranged, and ordered along the transport path: as an ultrasonic sensor, a first ultraviolet (UV) sensor, a green transmissive emitter/receiver pair sensor, a first Infrared (IR) sensor, a second IR sensor, and a second UV sensor, and wherein the circuit board for the IR sensor includes an IR transceiver and the circuit board is mounted laterally offset from the first UV sensor and the green transmissive emitter/receive pair sensor ensuring that different parts of the media item are measured by each of the sensors, and wherein the circuit board for the green transmissive emitter/receiver pair sensor includes a position sensor as a white Light Emitting Diode transceiver, and wherein each circuit board includes a dedicated processor that outputs a digital signal indicating whether the media items are valid or invalid after processing the media items as they pass along the transport path and when any of the sensors indicated a particular media item is invalid the diverter is activated to divert that particular media item to a purge container.