Drive up teller machine

A teller machine for drive up applications is disclosed. The machine has a safe with an access slot. The machine also has a user panel which has an opening that lies transverse to the slot. A document carrier is described which rotates documents around two different axes as it carries them between the slot and the opening to allow passage of the documents through both.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to automatic teller machines which are used by 
members of the public in order to execute a wide variety of financial 
transactions at convenient locations and at any time of day. More 
specifically this invention relates to teller machines to be installed 
adjacent to driveways at financial institutions and operated from a car 
window. Such machines are designed to receive cash and checks, often 
contained within a deposit envelope and to issue money to the machine 
user. Inasmuch as these machines are unattended, their reliability of 
operation is important. Likewise the money to be issued or the money being 
deposited must be protected in a secure enclosure of some type. 
2. Prior Art 
In the prior art such machines are designed so that the envelope being 
deposited and the money being issued travel in the most direct path in 
order to achieve a high reliability of operation. For example, in U.S. 
Pat. No. 3,836,980 the slot into the deposit container is parallel to the 
opening in the teller machine user panel through which the user makes a 
deposit, allowing the deposited envelope to travel in a straight line 
without constricting corners or bends. Such design results in a machine 
which is relatively deep from front to back. The cash issuing mechanism 
usually operates in a like manner but in reverse, transporting money from 
a money container area to the user. 
In teller machines mounted through a building wall or in the lobby of a 
financial institution, such depth is not necessarily objectionable. 
However, when the machine is to be mounted on an island between two drive 
up traffic lanes, the existing architectural designs of financial 
institutions places a constraint on the depth which the machine may have. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Advantages of the invention include simple document handling mechanism 
having high reliability to minimize failures of the machine during night 
time hours when service would be inconvenient or unavailable. These 
advantages are obtained while at the same time permitting a secure 
compartment designed for use in a lobby or through the wall installation 
to be used on a narrow island between drive up lanes. A further advantage 
is that the user panel through which a user of the machine deposits 
envelopes or receives money need not be substantially modified and 
therefore the entrance openings will be found in the same general 
orientations as the user finds them in through the wall or lobby teller 
machines which the user operates at other installations of the financial 
institution. 
These and other advantages of the invention are accomplished by 
transporting the documents which may include deposit envelopes and issued 
cash, in a carrier. The carrier after receiving the document from a slot 
in the secure compartment rotates the document through arcs in more than 
one direction so as to bring the carrier into alignment with the opening 
in the user panel where the document can be easily and reliably issued to 
the user. Likewise the invention can be used in the deposit mechanism for 
receiving a deposit from an opening in the user panel and holding this 
deposit while the carrier is rotated on more than one axis to place it 
into alignment with a slot in the safe or secure compartment for reliable 
deposit. The carrier of the invention having rotation on more than one 
axis thus allows an automatic teller machine to be installed adjacent to a 
drive up traffic lane by merely moving the user panel from one end of the 
machine around to the side of the machine and allowing the carrier to 
orient the deposited documents and issued money so as to reliably pass 
through both the opening in the user panel and the narrow slot in the safe 
or secure compartment. Such a narrow slot in the safe minimizes the risk 
of attack upon the safe and is required by security and insurance 
regulations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Example configurations of the prior art are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 
is a side view of a prior art teller machine 11 having a compartment 13 
where deposits are stored and where the money issuing mechanism is 
mounted. Compartment 13 has a slot 15 in its top wall through which the 
deposits are made and the money is issued. As shown by the dotted line 
path 17, these financial documents are transported between slot 15 and 
opening 19 in the face of user panel 21. 
FIG. 2 is a top view of the same prior art teller machine 11 with its money 
path 17. In FIG. 2 the center line 23 of opening 19 in user panel 21 is 
shown. Likewise the center line 25 of the slot 15 in compartment 13 is 
clearly visible. It can be seen that these center lines or axis 23. 25 lie 
parallel to each other so that the financial documents can be transported 
directly between the slot and the opening without requiring twist or 
complicated transport paths. So long as the user panel is mounted to one 
end of the teller machine such convenient path arrangement is possible. 
Referring now to FIG. 3 a schematic of the preferred embodiment 101 of the 
invention is shown where the user panel 21 has been moved around to the 
side of the machine. This allows the machine to be mounted on a narrow 
island between two lanes of drive up traffic at a bank for example without 
interfering with traffic in either lane. It can be seen in FIG. 3 that the 
financial document path is forced to become more complicated because the 
center line 25 of slot 15 is now transverse to the center line axis 23 of 
opening 19. 
FIG. 4 shows another top view of another embodiment 103 of applicants 
invention. In this embodiment, the financial document moves through a 
complex arc as its carrier transports it between opening 19 and slot 15. 
This arc will be described in more detail with respect to FIGS. 11 through 
14. 
Referring now to FIG. 5 the preferred embodiment will be described in 
greater detail. The carrier 111 includes a chute 113 for receiving an 
envelope for deposit. The chute is mounted to round plates 115 and 117 
which are in turn supported on flanged wheels 121 and 123. The carrier 
also has a gate 125 having two parts which are shown in more detail in 
FIGS. 9 and 10. 
The carrier 111 is supported by its wheels 121 and 123 in a rotary support 
structure comprising circular tracks 131 and 133 which are held apart by 
spacer bars 135. In addition bracket 137 is connected to rings 131 and 
133. Bracket 137 is connected to connecting rod 139 which acts to tip the 
support structure about the axis of pin 141. Connecting rod 139 is driven 
by motor 151 through gear train 153 and drive disk 155. In FIG. 5 the axis 
of rotation 61 of carrier 111 and the axis of tipping 63 are shown. These 
axes provide the motion necessary to carry a document between slot 15 and 
opening 19. 
Referring now to FIG. 6, a side view of the carrier and its support 
structure and drive is shown. In FIG. 6, carrier 111 is shown in position 
to receive an envelope through opening 19. The envelope is received into 
chute 113 where it is held by gravity while the carrier moves. While 
connecting rod 139 tips carrier 111 cable 161 fastened to the far side of 
chute 113 pulls downward on the carrier causing it to rotate on its Wheels 
121. 123 while it is being tipped. The downward pull slowly becomes a 
horizontal pull as cable 161 is guided by pulleys 163 and 165 which are 
fixed to one of the spacer bars 135. Return spring 167 keeps the carrier 
in tension against the pull of cable 161. After the deposit has been made 
and disk 155 completes its rotation, return spring 167 restores the 
carrier 111 to the position shown in FIG. 6. 
Referring now to FIG. 7, the carrier of FIGS. 5 and 6 is shown in the 
position to release a document which has been rotated and tipped into 
position to pass through slot 15 in compartment 13. 
FIG. 8 is an end view of the support assembly showing the support ring 133 
and flanged wheels 123. Support ring 133 has a stop 134 which is engaged 
by one of the wheels 123 so as to stop rotation of the carrier when it has 
come into position for alignment with slot 15. 
FIG. 9 shows the chute 113 of the carrier in position over slot 15 just 
prior to releasing the documents contained therein. 
FIG. 10 shows the same carrier chute 113 after the support assembly has 
tipped an additional amount so as to cause the arms on gates 125. 126 to 
release the documents. 
Referring now to FIG. 11 a view from the rear of the machine looking 
forward is set forth depicting an alternate embodiment of the invention. 
In this embodiment, a cash carrier is disclosed for transporting a bundle 
of cash which has been issued by an issue mechanism within compartment 13. 
The bundle of cash is accumulated and transported upward out of 
compartment 13 through slot 15 into the nip of rolls 211, 212, and 213, 
214 where it is held. Rolls 211 through 214 are part of carrier 221 which 
is mounted to a bevel gear 225. The bevel gear 225 is permanently fixed 
and a part of carrier 221. Carrier 221 and its attached bevel gear 225 are 
mounted on a spindle passing directly through bevel gear 225 for rotation 
as bevel gear 225 meshes and moves cross the face of bevel gear 227. Bevel 
gear 227 is likewise fixedly attached to support 229 which is mounted 
directly to the top wall of compartment 13. Passing through bevel gear 227 
is a shaft 231 which is driven by a motor through approximately 90 degrees 
causing carrier 221 to moVe from a position in front of slot 15 to a 
position in front of opening 19. While shaft 231 is driven, bevel gears 
225 and 227 interact with each other causing carrier assembly 221 to 
rotate approximately 90 degrees around the axis 233 so that its side plate 
217 which appears in FIG. 11 in full view of the observer is translated to 
the side position at the right shown in FIG. 12. In this way carrier 221 
moves with two forms of rotation, a first form of rotation around axis 233 
and a second form of rotation around shaft 231 as it is driven by a motor 
which is not shown. Each of the details shown in FIGS. 5 through 10 may 
have a counterpart in the embodiment of FIGS. 11 and 12 but they have been 
omitted from these figures in order to avoid duplication. The combination 
of rotation about axis 233 and shaft 231 is depicted schematically by 
arrow 235. 
Referring now to FIG. 13 another embodiment of the invention in the form of 
a carrier for moving documents between slot 15 and opening 19 is set 
forth. In this embodiment documents are again collected by a document 
issuing mechanism and fed upward through slot 15 into the nip between 
belts 311 and 312. As they are fed between belts 311 and 312, they rotate 
about roll 315 from a vertical into a horizontal plane. After the 
documents have been captured between belts 311 and 312, carrier 301 is 
rotated about pivot 302 into proximity with opening 19. this rotation is 
better shown in FIG. 14 which is a top view of the carrier 301 shoWn in 
position in front of opening 19. Slot 15 is also shown. Carrier 301 is 
shown in dotted lines over slot 15 whereas it is shown in solid lines in 
front of opening 19. The mechanism for moving carrier 301 includes motor 
303 which drives belt 305 around pulley 307. Belt 305 has a pin 309 
fastened to it. Pin 309 slides in a slot 321 in the top surface of carrier 
301. As motor 303 drives clockwise, the carrier 301 is moved from 
proximity of slot 15 to its position in front of opening 19. Later motor 
303 is driven counterclockwise to return carrier 301 back to its position 
over slot 15. In FIG. 14 some money 325 is shown in dotted lines ready to 
be driven out through opening 19. While moving money between slot 15 and 
opening 19, carrier 301 causes it to rotate about axis 331 which is the 
shaft of roll 315 and also causes it to rotate about axis 333 which is the 
pivot upon which carrier 301 is rotated by motor 303. Roll 315 is also 
driven by motor not shown to move the bank notes or money 325 into and out 
of carrier 301. 
While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred 
embodiment and two alternate embodiments, it will be recognized by those 
skilled in the art that features of each may be combined with the others 
to provide a depository in the form shown in the FIGS. 13 and 14 or a 
money issuing mechanism in the form shown by FIGS. 5 through 10. To 
accomplish such changes, the rolls or belts of FIGS. 11 through 14 would 
be mounted in chute 113 of FIGS. 5 through 10 to positively control the 
documents instead of relying upon gravity as is the case with an envelope 
depository. Each of these embodiments and other modifications which will 
suggest themselves to those skilled in the art accomplish the transfer of 
financial documents between a slot 15 in a secure compartment and an 
opening 19 in a user panel of the teller machine.