Patent Publication Number: US-7712596-B2

Title: Bill recycle machine

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
   The present invention relates to a bill recycle machine, and more particularly to a bill recycle machine which is installed at the interior of an automatic teller machine so as to control depositing and withdrawing bills. 
   BACKGROUND ART 
   In general, an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) includes an input part by which a customer inputs information, a screen part displaying financial service menus and a transaction situation, and a bill recycling machine through which the customer can insert or receive bills in order to perform depositing/withdrawing transaction, and the customer can deposit/withdraw bills through the bill recycling machine. 
     FIG. 1  is a side perspective view illustrating a typical bill recycling machine, and  FIG. 2  is a side perspective view illustrating an input/output part of the bill recycling machine, through which bills are inserted/withdrawn by the customer. 
   With reference  FIG. 1 , an ATM through which bills are deposited/withdrawn includes: a controller performing a control operation so that overall operation of the bill recycling machine including an operation of depositing/withdrawing bills are controlled; a depositing/withdrawing part  1  through which the customer inserts or receives bills in order to deposit/withdraw the bills; a returning path  2  along which bills deposited/withdrawn through the depositing/withdrawing part  1  are transferred; an identifying part  3  installed at the returning path  2  so as to identify if any error regarding the bills exists; a temporary storage part  4  in which the inserted bills, after passing through the identifying part  3 , are temporarily stacked; a plurality of recycling boxes  5  performing a recycling function so that bills inserted from the customer are stacked and the stacked bills are output; and a reject box  6  receiving bills which have been identified as erroneous bills at the identifying part  3 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 2 , the depositing/withdrawing part  1  includes: a bill receiving space  20  formed at the lower part of a shutter  10  which is opened/closed so as to allow the customer to insert bills when depositing the bills and to receive bills when withdrawing; a stack plate  30  divides the bill receiving space  20  into the first bill receiving space  20   a  and the second bill receiving space  20   b ; a transfer plate  40  is positioned so as to make contact with the stack plate  30  in an initialization state as a standby stage for depositing/withdrawing bills; an elevation plate  50  installed at the lower part of the first bill receiving space  20   a  so as to be elevated; a push plate  60  pushing bills toward a separating part  70  in a state where bills are stacked on the elevation plate  50  and are moved downward; the separating part  70  separating the bills pushed by the push plate  60  from each other; and a front plate  80  forming a wall surface of a front side of the bill receiving space  20  formed at the lower part of the shutter  10 . 
   The separating part  70  includes a pickup roller  71  allowing bills to be separated from each other, a feed roller  72  feeing each bill divided by the pickup roller  71 , and a guide roller  73  making contact with the feed roller  72  so as to prevent the bills from being separated from each other. 
   DISCLOSURE 
   Technical Problem 
   In a bill cycle machine having such a structure, when a customer inserts bills into a first bill receiving space  20   a  so as to deposit the bills, the bills have to be separated after an elevation plate  50   a  is moved downward because a separating part  70  has to be positioned at the lower part of the first bill receiving space  20   a . Therefore, the bill cycle machine has to include a separation device which can elevate the elevation plate  50 , thereby having a complicated structure. 
   Also, a push plate  60  and the separating part  70  are positioned at the lower part of the bill receiving space  20 , thereby increasing volume of the machine. 
   The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and the present invention provides a bill recycle machine including a separation part for separating bills from each other and a push plate installed at the same level as a bill receiving space, in which an elevation plate is removed, thereby having a simple structure and small volume. 
   Technical solution 
   In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bill recycle machine including: a front plate forming a wall surface of a front side of a bill receiving space formed at a lower part of a shutter, the front plate rotating about a hinge shaft of an upper part of the front plate; a push plate forming a first bill receiving space between the push plate and the front plate; a stack plate installed at an opposite side of the first bill receiving space, based on the push plate, so as to support bills stacked through a stack wheel; a transfer plate forming a second bill receiving space between the transfer plate and the stack plate; and a pickup roller installed at a position allowing the pickup roller to make contact with bills stacked in the first bill receiving space when the push plate moves frontward. 
   In this case, the bill recycle machine as claimed in claim  1 , wherein the front plate is locked by a solenoid when bills are deposited so as to prevent a separation part of a lower side of the front plate from being exposed. 
   Also, the bill recycle machine as claimed in claim  1 , wherein the push plate and the stack plate are installed in such a manner as to be pulled by each spring in a direction of the transfer plate; the push plate is moved frontward by restoring force of a spring; and the stack plate is pushed by the transfer plate so that the stack plate moves frontward while overcoming force by the spring and moves backward along with the transfer plate due to restoring force of the spring when the transfer plate moves backward. 
   Advantageous Effects 
   According to a bill recycle machine according to the present invention, a separation part for separating bills from each other and a push plate are installed at the same level as a bill receiving space, and the push plate, a stack plate, and a transfer plate are arranged in a line so that simple structure of the bill recycle machine and reduced volume thereof can be achieved. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a side schematic view illustrating a typical bill recycle machine; 
       FIG. 2  is a side schematic view illustrating a depositing/withdrawing part of a bill recycle machine, through which a customer inserts and receives bills; 
       FIG. 3  is a side schematic view illustrating a bill recycle machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIGS. 4   a ,  4   b  and  4   c  are views illustrating the procedure of depositing bills through a bill recycle machine according to the present invention; and 
       FIGS. 5   a ,  5   b  and  5   c  are views illustrating the procedure of withdrawing bills through a bill recycle machine according to the present invention. 
   

   BEST MODE 
   Mode for Invention 
   Hereinafter, the construction and function of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same elements will be designated by the same reference numerals although they are shown in different drawings. 
     FIG. 3  is a side schematic view illustrating a bill recycle machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the direction of an error {circle around ( 1 )} refers to ‘a front direction,’ and the direction of an error {circle around ( 2 )} refers to ‘a rear direction.’ 
   The present invention is a bill recycle machine through which a customer inserts bills so as to deposit the bills or receives bills which have been withdrawn, and a shutter  10  is installed at the upper part of the bill recycle machine. Although the shutter  10  can be installed at the upper part of the bill recycle machine as shown in  FIG. 1 , the shutter  10  can be installed at an outer case  200  of an ATM according to the present embodiment. 
   A separating part  160  is included at a lower depositing/withdrawing part  1 ′ of the shutter  10  so as to separate bills from each other. The separating part  160  includes a pickup roller  161  allowing bills to be separated from each other, a feed roller  162  feeding the bill separated by the pickup roller  161 , and a guide roller  163  making contact with the feed roller  162  so as to prevent bills from being stuck together. The pickup roller  161  of the separating part  160  is installed at a level similar to the level of the lower part of inserted bills in a vertical direction so as to make contact with the lower part of inserted bills when the customer inserts the bills so as to deposit them. Also, a separation pressure sensor (not shown) is installed at a front side of the pickup roller  161  so as to sense if the pickup roller  161  is pushed frontward to a position allowing the pickup roller  161  to obtain frictional force required for separating bills. 
   A front plate  110  rotating about a hinge shaft  110  of the upper part thereof is installed at an upper side of the separation part  160 . When bills are inserted, the front plate  100  rotates about the hinge shaft  110   a  in a counter-clockwise direction so as to prevent alien substances from flowing into the separating part  160  so that the pickup roller  161  can be prevented from being exposed. In order to this, a solenoid  111  is installed at a side part of the bill recycle machine so as to pull the front plate  110  toward the front bill receiving space  120   a  so that the front plate  110  covers the upper part of the pickup roller  161 . 
   Also, when bills are separated, the front plate  110  rotates about the hinge shaft  110   a  in a clockwise direction so that the pickup roller  161  is exposed so as to make contact with bills stacked in the first bill receiving space  120   a.    
   A push plate  130  is installed so as to form the first bill receiving space  120   a  between the push plate  130  and the front plate  110 , and to push the bills stacked in the first bill receiving space  120   a  toward the pickup roller  161  so as to apply separation pressure. 
   A spring  131  is connected with the push plate  130  in such a manner that the spring  131  pulls the push plate  130  in the rear direction. In a case where the push plate  130  is moved in the front direction, the push plate is moved while overcoming pulling force exerted by the spring  131  by means of driving of the push plate driving motor (not shown). When the push plate driving motor is rotated in an opposite direction in a state where the push plate  130  has been moved in the front direction, the push plate  130  is moved in the rear direction by restoring force by the spring  131 . 
   A stack plate  140  is installed at the rear part of the push plate  130  so as to support bills stacked through the stack wheel  180 . A spring  141  is installed as the stack plate  140  so as to pull the stack plate in the rear direction. The stack plate  140  is not driven by a separate motor, but is moved frontward along with frontward movement of a transfer plate  150 . The stack plate  140  is moved backward by the restoring force of the spring  141  along with the backward movement of the transfer plate  150 . In this state, a limit position (herein, refers to a ‘stack position’), where the spring  141  is moved backward by restoring force of the spring  141 , is restricted by a stopper (not shown). 
   The second bill receiving space  120   b  is formed in the rear direction of the stack plate  140 , and the transfer plate  150  is installed in the rear direction of the stack plate  140  so that the second bill receiving space  120   b  is formed between the transfer plate  150  and the stack plate  140 . 
   A belt  171  is installed at both sides of the transfer plate  150  so as to move the transfer plate  150  frontward and backward while the belt  171  is rotated by driving of a transfer plate driving motor (not shown). 
   A front plate pressure member  112  is installed at an upper line  171   a  of the belt  171 . The front plate pressure member  112  is assembled with a tooth shape formed at the surface of the upper line  171   a  so that the front plate pressure member  112  is transferred frontward and backward as the belt  171  is rotated by driving of the transfer plate driving motor. When the front pressure member  120  is transferred frontward, the front pressure member  120  makes contact with a side plate  110   b  protruding in a side direction of the front plate  110  so as to rotate the front plate  110  about a hinge shaft  110   a  in a clockwise direction. Therefore, the pickup roller  161  is exposed toward a rear direction of the front plate  110 . 
   The belt assembling member  152  is installed at a lower line  171   b  of the belt  171 , and are assembled with a supporting plate  151  integrally assembled with the transfer plate  150  so that the belt assembling member  152  is transferred frontward and backward according to the rotation of the belt  171 . 
   Hereinafter, the operation of the present invention having such a structure will be described.  FIGS. 4   a ,  4   b  and  4   c  are views illustrating a procedure of depositing bills through the bill recycle machine according to the present invention. 
   With reference to  FIG. 4   a , when the customer selects a bill depositing menu, the push plate  130  and the transfer plate  150  move to a ‘deposition standby position’ which has been set. After this, the shutter  10  is opened so that the customer inserts bills into the first bill receiving space  120   a  so as to deposit the bills. In this case, so as to prevent alien substance from flowing into the pickup roller  161 , the locked state of the front plate  110  is kept by a solenoid  111  in a state where the front plate  110  is rotated about the hinge shaft  110   a  in a counter-clockwise direction. 
   With reference to  FIG. 4   b , in a state where the bills are inserted into the first bill receiving space  120   a , the shutter  10  is closed, and the solenoid  111  locking the front plate  110  is released. After this, the bills are arranged while the push plate  130  is repeatedly moved frontward and backward, and then the push plate  130  is moved frontward. The bills push the pickup roller  161  due to the front movement of the push plate  130 , and the separation pressure sensor senses the position of the pickup roller  161 . When the separation pressure sensor determines that the position is a ‘separation position,’ the push plate  130  is stopped. 
   Simultaneously, the transfer plate  150  is moved to a rear position, which is a ‘withdrawal standby position’ (a position allowing bills of the recycle box to be stacked in the second bill receiving space when the bills are withdrawn), and the stack plate  140  is moved to a ‘stack position’ so as to stack rejected bills among separation bills in the second bill receiving space  120   b.    
   Meanwhile, when the transfer plate  150  moves backward to the ‘withdrawal standby position,’ the front pressure member  112  connected with the belt  171  is transferred frontward so as to push the side plate  110   b  of the front plate  110  and to rotate it about the hinge shaft  110   a . Therefore, when bills are separated, interference caused by the front plate  110  can be removed. 
   In this state, the bills start to be separated by the pickup roller  161 . 
   Then, with reference to  FIG. 4   c , when the bills are completely separated from each other, the push plate  130  is moved toward the stack plate  140 , and the transfer plate  150  is moved to the ‘deposition standby position.’ If rejected bills among the separated bills are generated, and the rejected bill are stacked in the second bill receiving space  120   b , the position of the push plate  130  is determined according to the number of rejected bills. Then the transfer plate  150  is positioned so as to allow the customer to receive the rejected bills, and when the customer receives the rejected bills, the transfer plate  150  is again transferred to the ‘deposition standby position.’ Therefore, the procedure of depositing bills is finished. 
     FIGS. 5   a ,  5   b  and  5   c  are views illustrating the procedure of withdrawing bills through the bill recycle machine according to the present invention. 
   With reference to  FIG. 5   a , according to the customer&#39;s request for drawing bills, bills of the recycle box (not shown) are stacked in the second bill receiving space  120   b . In this case, the transfer plate  150  is transferred at the ‘withdrawal standby position’ so as to allow bills to flow into the second bill receiving space  120   b , and the stack plate  140  is positioned at the ‘stack position’ so as to support bills flowing into the second bill receiving space  120   b.    
   In this case, as the number of bills stacked in the second bill receiving space  120   b , the stack plate  140  moves frontward while overcoming force of the spring  141 . Herein, if the push plate  130  is positioned while making contact with the stack plate  140 , there is a problem in that bills have to be stacked in the second bill receiving space  120   b  while overcoming force of two springs  131  and  141 . Therefore, when bills are stacked in the second bill receiving space  120   b , the push plate  130  is preferably spaced a predetermined distance from the stack plate  140  so as not to make contact with the stack plate  140  according to the increase of the number of bills. In this case, since it is required to sense the position of the push plate  130 , the present invention has structure where the push plate  130  pushes the pickup roller  161  so as to allow the separation pressure sensor to sense it so that the push plate  130  is moved frontward to the position determined as a ‘separation pressure position.’ 
   With reference to  FIG. 5   b , transfer plate  150  is transferred from the ‘withdrawal standby position’ to the ‘deposition standby position,’ and the push plate  130  spaced a predetermined distance from the stack plate  140  is moved toward the stack plate  140 . After this, the customer transfers the transfer plate  150  frontward to a proper position allowing the customer to receive bills stacked in the second bill receiving space  120   b , and then the customer receives the bills. Accordingly, the procedure of drawing bills is finished. 
   If the customer does not receive the bills stacked in the second bill receiving space  120   b , as shown in  FIG. 4   c , the transfer plate  150  is transferred frontward until the separation pressure sensor senses it, and then the bills start to be separated by the pickup roller  161  so that a retrieving process is performed. 
   Although several exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.