Patent ID: 6276603
Filing Date: 2001-08-21
Classification: B65H,G07D

Abstract:
A sheet dispensing mechanism comprising:a housing having a sheet dispensing port via which sheets are dispensed to a user;a first unit mounted inside the housing including a removable sheet storage unit, a picking mechanism for picking sheets one by one from the sheet storage unit, and a first transport mechanism for transporting sheets from the picking mechanism; anda second unit which is mounted on the first unit within the housing with a selected orientation relative to the first unit dependent on whether the dispensing mechanism has a front loading or a rear loading configuration, the second unit being arranged to receive sheets transported upwardly out of the first unit, and including second transport mechanism for transporting sheets received from the first unit to the sheet dispensing port;the first unit including a sheet checking mechanism through which sheets transported from the picking mechanism by the first transport mechanism are passed, a divert mechanism for directing sheets rejected by the sheet checking mechanism into a reject mechanism, and a third transport mechanism for transporting sheets accepted by the sheet checking mechanism upwardly out of the first unit to the second unit at a single transfer station, regardless of whether the dispensing mechanism has a front or rear loading configuration.