Patent Publication Number: US-7900900-B2

Title: Sheet handling device and sheet handling method

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a sheet handling device and a sheet handling method. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     As an example of a sheet handling device for handling sheets such as bills, checks and tickets, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-157461 discloses a bill deposit machine. In this bill deposit machine, bills fed into a casing through a deposit port are checked first by a discriminating unit as to whether they are acceptable or not. If two or more bills are recognized as unacceptable, the bills are rejected and discharged in the form of a bunch through a return port. In this bill deposit machine, the rejected bills are sequentially dropped on a stage and stacked into a bunch of bills. However, the bill deposit machine cannot align the edges of the stacked bills. Therefore, if the bunch discharged out of the return port includes a bill of different size and the edges of the bills are not aligned, the user may fail to catch a bill of a shorter length and drop it. Further, the bunch of misaligned bills is not preferable in view of appearance. 
     Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-149264 discloses a stacking device capable of stacking bills of different sizes into a bunch with the rear edges of the bills being aligned. This stacking device is configured such that the bills are sequentially fed and stacked in approximately rectangular box-shaped stacking space. A stopper which corresponds to the length of the fed bills is provided in the stacking space such that the bills are stacked in the stacking space with their rear edges being in contact with a rear wall of the stacking space. In this stacking device, the state of the stopper has to be changed depending on the length of the bills fed in the stacking space. For changing the state of the stopper, the length of the bills must be detected in advance. If every bill fed in the stacking space has different size, the state of the stopper has to be changed every time when the bill is fed in. This is disadvantageous because the bills cannot be stacked rapidly. 
     A specification of U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,413 discloses a banking machine including a sheet bunching mechanism including therein a first transport path and a second transport path connected to a middle part of the first transport path. In this sheet handling mechanism, transportation of a bill on the first transport path and transportation of a bill on the second transport path are synchronized such that the bills are stacked at the intersection of the first and second transport paths with their front edges being aligned. For successively stacking a plurality of bills according to this sheet handling mechanism, a bunch of bills has to move back and forth in the first transport path around the intersection. This increases time required to stack the bills. Further, large space is required in a casing because the transport path has to be long enough to move the bills back and forth. 
     Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-11238 discloses a paper money receiving and paying machine provided with a storage part which winds the paper money. The paper money receiving and paying machine is able to store bills of different sizes one by one and deliver out the stored bills one by one with reliability. However, the machine is not able to stack the bills into a bunch. 
     Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-293389 discloses a paper money processor including a temporary storage part which winds the paper money. The temporary storage part temporarily stores the bills after the discrimination and delivers out the bills stored therein. Just like the winding storage part described above, the temporary storage part is not able to stack the bills into a bunch. If the temporary storage part and the sheet bunching mechanism are both adopted, the size of the sheet handling device is inevitably increased. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     With the foregoing in mind, the present invention has been achieved. An object of the invention is to downsize a sheet handling device capable of stacking a plurality of sheets into an aligned bunch and to provide a sheet handling device and a sheet handling method capable of rapidly performing the stacking procedure. 
     According to an aspect of the present invention, the sheet handling device includes: a casing having an opening through which a sheet passes; a storage section provided in the casing to store the sheet; a main transport path connecting the opening and the storage section; a temporarily holding section provided in the main transport path to temporarily hold the sheet; a transport section transporting the sheet along the main transport path; a detection section provided at a predetermined detection position in the main transport path to detect the arrival of the sheet traveling along the main transport path at the detection position; and a controller controlling the storage section, the temporarily holding section and the transport section based on the detection result of the detection section. 
     The temporarily holding section includes a looped transport path capable of transporting the sheet in a revolving fashion independently from the main transport path. The controller performs a procedure including the steps of: (I) transporting the sheet traveling along the main transport path to the looped transport path of the temporarily holding section, (II) transporting another sheet along the main transport path, (III) controlling the transportation of the sheet on the looped transport path and the transportation of said another sheet on the main transport path in response to the arrival of said another sheet at the detection position such that said another sheet is transported to the looped transport path and the sheets are stacked into a bunch at a predetermined position in the looped transport path with certain parts of the sheets being aligned and (IV) repeating the steps (II) and (III) as required. 
     In this configuration, the temporarily holding section includes the looped transport path capable of transporting the sheet in a revolving fashion independently from the main transport path. The looped transport path makes it possible to stack a plurality of bills into a neatly aligned bunch. To be more specific, the sheet traveling along the main transport path (a first sheet) is transported to the looped transport path of the temporarily holding section and another sheet (a second sheet) is transported along the main transport path. Then, the transportation of the first sheet on the looped transport path and the transportation of the second sheet on the main transport path are controlled in response to the arrival of the second sheet at the detection position in the main transport path. As a result, the first and second sheets are stacked into a bunch at the predetermined position in the looped transport path with certain parts of the first and second sheets being aligned. The “certain parts” of the sheets may be, for example, the front edges or the rear edges of the sheets. In this manner, a plurality of sheets are stacked into a bunch with the certain parts thereof being aligned. 
     Every time the bunch of sheets is revolved along the looped transport path, an additional sheet is stacked onto the bunch with a certain part of the additional sheet being aligned with the corresponding part of the bunch. Since the bunch of sheets is revolved along the looped transport path to stack a plurality of sheets, time required to stack them is reduced as compared with the case where the bunch is reciprocated on the transport path. 
     Further, in this configuration, the temporarily holding section also functions as a stacking system. Therefore, the space for the stacking system is saved as compared with the case where the stacking system separate from the temporarily holding section is provided. 
     The controller may further perform the step of: (V) transporting the bunch formed in the temporarily holding section along the main transport path and discharging the bunch out of the casing through the opening. 
     According to this step, a neatly aligned bunch of a desired number of sheets is discharged out of the casing through the opening. Since a plurality of sheets are discharged at one time, the user hardly fails to take every sheet. Further, as the sheets are aligned, the user is able to easily grab the bunch and the sheets are less likely to escape from the user&#39;s hand. 
     When two or more sheets are fed into the casing through the opening one by one, the controller may be adapted to stack the sheets into a bunch in the temporarily holding section with certain parts of the sheets being aligned. 
     When two or more sheets are discharged out of the casing, the controller may be adapted to deliver the two or more sheets out of the storage section one by one, stack the delivered sheets into a bunch in the temporarily holding section with certain parts of the sheets being aligned and discharge the bunch out of the casing through the opening. 
     The storage section may be adapted to wind the sheets one by one to store the sheets in the storage section and deliver the wound sheets one by one out of the storage section. 
     In the sheet stacking procedure using the looped transport path, the sheets have to be transported to the temporarily holding section one by one. The winding storage section is capable of winding the sheets one by one to store them and delivering out the wound sheets one by one. Therefore, the storage section is able to transport the sheets one by one from the storage section to the temporarily holding section with reliability. This winding storage section is suitable for the sheet stacking procedure. 
     The sheet handling device may further include a delivery section storing the bunch formed in the temporarily holding section and delivering the sheets one by one from the bunch, wherein the controller is adapted to transport the bunch formed in the temporarily holding section to the delivery section and store the sheets delivered out of the delivery section one by one in the storage section. 
     When the storage section is configured to wind the sheets one by one to store them, the bunch of sheets formed in the temporarily holding section cannot directly be stored in the storage section. Therefore, the bunch of sheets is transported from the temporarily holding section to the delivery section. Then, the sheets are delivered one by one out of the delivery section to the storage section. In this manner, the sheets are stored one by one in the storage section. 
     The sheet handling device may further include a cassette which is detachably attached to the casing and capable of storing the sheets to replenish the storage section and the sheets collected from the storage section. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention, the sheet handling method is a method for discharging a sheet in the storage section out of the casing through an opening. 
     The method includes the steps of: (i) transporting a sheet delivered out of the storage section along a main transport path and transporting the sheet to a looped transport path in a temporarily holding section provided in the main transport path; (ii) delivering another sheet out of the storage section and transporting said another sheet along the main transport path; (iii) controlling the transportation of the sheet on the looped transport path and the transportation of said another sheet on the main transport path in response to the arrival of said another sheet at a predetermined position in the main transport path such that said another sheet is transported to the looped transport path and the sheets are stacked into a bunch at a predetermined position in the looped transport path with certain parts of the sheets being aligned; (iv) repeating the steps (ii) and (iii) as required and (v) transporting the bunch formed in the temporarily holding section along the main transport path and discharging the bunch out of the casing through the opening. 
     According to still another aspect of the present invention, the sheet handling method is a method for storing a sheet fed through an opening. 
     The method includes the steps of: (i) transporting the sheet fed through the opening along a main transport path and transporting the sheet to a looped transport path in a temporarily holding section provided in the main transport path; (ii) transporting another sheet fed through the opening along the main transport path; (iii) controlling the transportation of the sheet on the looped transport path and the transportation of said another sheet on the main transport path in response to the arrival of said another sheet at a predetermined position in the main transport path such that said another sheet is transported to the looped transport path and the sheets are stacked into a bunch at a predetermined position in the looped transport path with certain parts of the sheets being aligned; and (iv) repeating the steps (ii) and (iii) every time the sheet is fed through the opening. 
     The method may further include the step of (v) transporting the bunch formed in the temporarily holding section to a delivery section, delivering the sheets of the bunch one by one out of the delivery section and storing the sheets in a storage section. 
     The method may further include the step of (vi) transporting the bunch formed in the temporarily holding section along the main transport path and discharging the bunch through the opening when the storage of the sheets is cancelled. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a view illustrating the structure of a cash accept/dispense machine. 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged view illustrating a temporarily holding section. 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating the structure for controlling the cash accept/dispense machine. 
         FIG. 4  is a view illustrating the first step of a bill stacking procedure in the temporarily holding section. 
         FIG. 5  is a view illustrating the second step of the bill stacking procedure in the temporarily holding section. 
         FIG. 6  is a view illustrating the third step of the bill stacking procedure in the temporarily holding section. 
         FIG. 7  is a view illustrating a bill transport path selected in a bill reception process without using the temporarily holding section. 
         FIG. 8  is a view illustrating a bill transport path selected in a process of discharging a single bill through an opening. 
         FIG. 9  is a view illustrating a bill transport path selected in a process of replenishing stackers with the bills sent from a cassette. 
         FIG. 10  is a view illustrating a bill transport path selected in a process of collecting the bills from the stackers to the cassette. 
         FIG. 11  is a view illustrating a bill transport path selected in a bill reception process using the temporarily holding section. 
         FIG. 12  is a view illustrating a bill transport path selected in a process of discharging a plurality of bills through the opening. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Hereinafter, as an example of the sheet handling device of the present invention, an embodiment of a cash accept/dispense machine will be described with reference to the drawings. The description of the preferred embodiment is provided only for explanation purpose and does not limit the present invention, an object to which the present invention is applied and use of the invention. 
       FIG. 1  shows the internal structure of a cash accept/dispense machine  1  of the present embodiment. The cash accept/dispense machine  1  includes an opening  21  connecting the inside and the outside of a casing  2  and allows a bill to pass through. A discrimination unit  22  is provided in the casing  2  to identify the denomination of the bill, whether the bill is genuine or counterfeit and whether the bill is fit or unfit. In this context, fit bills include recyclable bills. First to third stackers  31  to  33  capable of storing bills therein and delivering the stored bills out are also provided in the casing  2 . A cassette  34  is detachably attached to the casing  2 . The cash accept/dispense machine  1  further includes a temporarily holding section  7  capable of temporarily holding the bills therein and delivering the bills out. A transport drive section  42  including a transport path  41  connects the opening  21 , the discrimination unit  22 , the first to third stackers  31  to  33 , the cassette  34  and the temporarily holding section  7  and transports the bill and a bunch of bills along the transport path  41  (see  FIG. 3 ). In the following description, “transportation of the bill” may also signify transportation of a bunch of bills. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the cash accept/dispense machine  1  further includes a communication section  23  sending/receiving data to/from a host computer  24  through a communication line and a controller  25  controlling the above-described components  22 ,  23 ,  31  to  34 ,  42  and  7 . The controller  25  controls the components  22 ,  23 ,  31  to  34 ,  42  and  7  based on a command from the host computer  24  which is connected to the cash accept/dispense machine  1 . Accordingly, the cash accept/dispense machine  1  performs various processes such as a bill reception process, a bill discharge process, a bill replenishment process and a bill collection process described later. 
     The cash accept/dispense machine  1  may be an individually operable device. In this case, the controller  25  is adapted to control the components  22 ,  23 ,  31  to  34 ,  42  and  7  based on a command given by a user through a certain interface. 
     The cash accept/dispense machine  1  is a so-called recycling cash accept/dispense machine  1 . Bills are stored in the stackers  31  to  33  in the bill reception process and are delivered out of the stackers  31  to  33  and discharged through the opening  21  in the bill discharge process. 
     For easy explanation, the left and right sides of the cash accept/dispense machine shown in  FIG. 1  are referred to as the front and rear sides thereof. 
     The opening  21  is an aperture through which a user feeds the bill into the machine in the bill reception process and through which the bill is delivered to the user in the bill discharge process. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the opening  21  is provided in a top portion of a front face of the casing  2 . When the user feeds a plurality of bills, the opening  21  receives the bills one by one. On the other hand, if there are a plurality of bills to be delivered to the user, the opening  21  discharges the bills in the form of a bunch with the front edges of the bills being aligned as described later. 
     The first to third stackers  31  to  33  are vertically piled in the casing  2  in this order from the top to the bottom. The first to third stackers  31  to  33  are adapted to store the bills classified by denomination, where the bills are, for example, discharged from the opening  21  as a change. 
     Each of the stackers  31  to  33  is a tape winding stacker configured to wind the bills one by one to store them and deliver the stored bills one by one in the reverse order of the winding order. Specifically, a winding roller  35  winding the bills thereon is provided in each of the box-shaped stackers  31  to  33 . The winding rollers  35  are rotatable in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions in  FIG. 1 . 
     In each of the stackers  31  to  33 , the winding roller  35  is combined with a pair of tapes  361  and  362  whose tip ends are fixed to a certain part of the outer circumferential surface of the winding roller  35 . The tail ends of the tapes  361  and  362  are fixed to tape rollers  371  and  372  provided in each of the stackers  31  to  33 . The tape rollers  371  and  372  rotate in synchronization with the winding roller  35 . To be more specific, when the winding roller  35  rotates to reel the tapes  361  and  362 , the tape rollers  371  and  372  rotate to unreel the tapes  361  and  362 . On the other hand, when the winding roller  35  rotates to unreel the tapes  361  and  362 , the tape rollers  371  and  372  rotate to reel the unreeled tapes  361  and  362 . 
     In the front faces of the stackers  31  to  33 , ports  38  communicating with the inside and the outside of the stackers  31  to  33  are provided, respectively. The bills come in and out of the stackers  31  to  33  through the ports  38 . 
     For storing the bills in each of the stackers  31  to  33 , a bill introduced in the stacker through the port  38  is held between the pair of tapes  361  and  362  and wound on the winding roller  35 . In this manner, the stackers  31  to  33  store the bills by winding the bills one by one on the winding rollers  35 . 
     For delivering the bills out of the stackers  31  to  33 , the winding rollers  35  are driven in the reverse direction to unreel the bills and the pair of tapes  361  and  362  from the winding rollers  35 . In this manner, the bills are delivered one by one out of the stackers  31  to  33  through the ports  38  in the reverse order of the winding order. 
     The cassette  34  is in the form of an approximately rectangular box. A partition plate  34   a  is provided in a lower part of the cassette  34  to divide the space in the cassette  34  into two regions. Upper one of the two regions is a replenishment/collection section  341  capable of storing the bills therein and delivering the stored bills out. The lower region is a reject section  345  capable of storing the bills therein but incapable of delivering the stored bills out. 
     As described later, the replenishment/collection section  341  stores the bills to replenish the stackers  31  to  33  and stores the bills collected from the stackers  31  to  33 . The replenishment/collection section  341  also stores bills which do not have to recycle in the machine (e.g., large denomination bills that are not used as a change). The replenishment/collection section  341  includes storage space for keeping the bills stacked one above the other. A stage  342  is provided in the storage space on which the bills are placed. The stage  342  is vertically displaceable (see the solid and dotted lines in  FIG. 1 ). Specifically, the stage  342  is vertically displaced in accordance with the amount of bills placed thereon. The position of the stage  342  is controlled such that the topmost among the bills stacked in the storage space is always located at the top end of the storage space. 
     In the replenishment/collection section  341 , a conveyor belt system  343  including a belt running on a plurality of pulleys is provided. The conveyor belt system  343  is arranged such that the belt comes to contact with the topmost bill of the bill stack placed in the storage space. Further, the conveyor belt system  343  communicates with a port  344  opening in the top face of the cassette  34 . As detailed later, the thus-configured conveyor belt system  343  places a single bill or a bunch of bills introduced in the replenishment/collection section  341  through the port  344  on the stage  342 . Further, the conveyor belt system  343  delivers the bills placed on the stage  342  one by one and discharges them out of the replenishment/collection section  341  through the port  344 . 
     The reject section  345  is adapted to store the rejected bills. An inlet  347  communicating with the inside and the outside of the reject section  345  is formed in the rear wall of the cassette  34 . The bills enter the reject section  345  through the inlet  347 . 
     The transport path  41  is provided by combining transport belts running on pulleys, guide plates (not shown) guiding the bill, pairs of rollers sandwiching the bill in the thickness direction and branch elements arranged at predetermined positions in the transport path  41 . Every belt is able to rotate forward and backward. The transport path  41  is able to transport not only a single bill but also a bunch of bills. The transport path  41  is roughly divided into a main transport path  411  and a branch transport path for the cassette  413 . 
     The main transport path  411  is a transport path connecting the opening  21 , the stackers  31  to  33  and the reject section  345 . The main transport path  411  extends horizontally from the opening  21  to pass the discrimination unit  22  and then extends downward along the vertically piled stackers  31  to  33 . The front end of the main transport path  411  communicates with the inlet  347  of the reject section  345  of the cassette  34  attached to the casing  2 . 
     Branch transport paths for the stackers branch out from certain parts of the main transport path  411  to extend to the first to third stackers  31  to  33 , respectively. 
     At the junctions of the branch transport paths and the main transport path, branch elements  431 ,  432  and  433  for changing the transport direction of the bill are provided, respectively. Each of the branch elements  431 ,  432  and  433  is a claw-shaped member which is pivotable about a pivot axis. The pivotal movement of the branch elements  431 ,  432  and  433  is controlled by the controller  25  such that the bill traveling along the main transport path  411  is sent to any one of the first to third stackers  31  to  33  and the reject section  345  or the bill discharged out of any one of the first to third stackers  31  to  33  is sent toward the opening  21  along the main transport path  411 . 
     The branch transport path for the cassette  413  branches out from part of the main transport path  411  between the opening  21  and the discrimination unit  22 . The front end of the branch transport path for the cassette  413  is connected to the port  344  of the cassette  34  attached to the casing  2 . At the junction of the main transport path  411  and the branch transport path for the cassette  413 , a branch element  436  made of a claw-shaped member which is pivotable about a pivot axis is provided. The controller  25  controls the pivotal movement of the branch element  436  such that the bill traveling along the main transport path  411  toward the opening  21  is sent directly to the opening  21  or to the replenishment/collection section  341 . Or alternatively, the bill delivered out of the replenishment/collection section  341  may be sent to the main transport path  411 . 
     The temporarily holding section  7  is provided between the discrimination unit  22  and the first stacker  31  in the main transport path  411 . 
     As shown in the enlarged view of  FIG. 2 , the temporarily holding section  7  includes a roller  71 , a belt  72 , a branch element  73  and a switching element  74 . 
     The roller  71  is located on the side of the main transport path  411  and capable of rotating about its center axis in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions. Though not shown, the roller  71  is driven to rotate by a motor capable of controlling the angle of rotation and/or the rotation speed (e.g., a stepping motor or a servo-motor). Therefore, as described later, a looped transport path  412  including the roller  71  is able to transport the sheet independently from the main transport path  411 . 
     The belt  72  is a flat belt and wound on the roller  71  and four pulleys  75  arranged to surround the roller  71  such that one of belt surfaces is in contact with the pulleys  75  and the other belt surface is in contact with the roller  71 . The belt  72  wound on the roller  71  is in contact with about ¾ of the total circumference of the roller  71  and therefore the contact angle is relatively large. The belt  72  travels on the pulleys  75  and the roller  71  as the roller  71  rotates. Accordingly, a looped transport path  412  transporting the bill between the outer circumference surface of the roller  71  and one of the surfaces of the belt  72  is provided in the temporarily holding section  7 . As described later, the looped transport path  412  functions as a stacking system (bunching system) for stacking a plurality of bills into a bunch. Thus, the temporarily holding section  7  of the cash accept/dispense machine  1  has a stacking function. 
     The branch element  73  is provided between the temporarily holding section  7  and the main transport path  411 . The branch element  73  is a claw-shaped member pivotable about a certain pivot axis. The state of the branch element  73  is switched by the controller  25  between a slanted state indicated by a solid line and a vertical state indicated by a dotted line in  FIG. 2 . When the branch element  73  is in the slanted state, the bill traveling along the main transport path  411  toward the opening  21  is sent to the temporarily holding section  7  or the bill is sent back to the main transport path  411  from the temporarily holding section  7  (see a solid arrow in  FIG. 2 ). 
     When the branch element  73  is in the vertical state, the bill traveling along the main transport path  411  toward the opening  21  is directly sent to the opening  21  or the bill traveling along the main transport path  411  toward the stacker is directly sent to the stacker (see a dotted arrow in  FIG. 2 ). 
     The switching element  74  is arranged to face part of the roller  71  not covered with the belt  72 . Just like the switching element  73 , the switching element  74  is also a claw-shaped member which is pivotable about a certain pivot axis. The state of the switching element  74  is switched by the controller  25  between a vertical state indicated by a solid line and a slanted state indicated by a dotted line in  FIG. 2 . 
     When the switching element  74  is in the vertical state, the bill revolves along the looped transport path  412  in the counterclockwise direction (see a solid arrow in  FIG. 2 ). On the other hand, when the switching element  74  is in the slanted state, the bill is sent from the main transport path  411  to the looped transport path  412  in the counterclockwise direction or the bill traveling along the looped transport path  412  in the clockwise direction is sent from the temporarily holding section  7  to the main transport path  411  (see a dotted arrow in  FIG. 2 ). 
     A guide  76  is also arranged to face the part of the roller  71  not covered with the belt  72 . The guide  76  helps the bill to revolve along the looped transport path  412 . 
     Several bill detection sensors for detecting the arrival of the bill, such as optical sensors, are provided at predetermined positions in the transport path  41 .  FIG. 1  shows only a bill detection sensor  5  provided in the main transport path  411  to be closer to the stacker than to the junction to the temporarily holding section  7 . The bill detection sensor  5  is used in a bill stacking procedure described later. 
     Though not shown, the transport drive section  42  includes a motor as a transport driver source capable of controlling the angle of rotation and/or the rotation speed. For example, the motor may be a stepping motor or a servo-motor. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4 to 6 , the bill stacking procedure by the temporarily holding section  7  is now explained in detail. In  FIGS. 4 to 6 , the belt  72  and the pulleys  75  are omitted for easy understanding. In the following description, the procedure of stacking the bills delivered out of the first to third stackers  31  to  33  is explained. However, as described later, the bill stacking procedure by the temporarily holding section  7  is not limited thereto. 
     First, the bill delivered out of any one of the first to third stackers  31  to  33  (a first bill  61 ) travels along the main transport path  411  toward the opening  21  and arrives at the junction to the temporarily holding section  7 . At this time, the branch element  73  is slanted as shown in  FIG. 4 . Therefore, the first bill  61  is sent to the temporarily holding section  7 . Then, the first bill  61  is situated at a predetermined standby position  45  on the looped transport path  412 . 
     With the first bill  61  kept at the standby position, another bill (a second bill  62 ) is delivered out of any one of the first to third stackers  31  to  33  and sent toward the opening  21  along the main transport path  411 . The second bill  62  is detected by the bill detection sensor  5 . To be more specific, the bill detection sensor  5  detects that the front edge of the second bill  62  has arrived at the sensor position. 
     Based on the detection result of the bill detection sensor  5 , the controller  25  controls the transport drive section  42  and the temporarily holding section  7  such that the first bill  61  on the looped transport path  412  and the second bill  62  on the main transport path  411  travel in synchronization with each other. Thus, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the front edges of the two bills  61  and  62  are aligned at a predetermined position in the looped transport path  412 . In this state, the two bills  61  and  62  travel along the looped transport path  412 . Thus, the first and second bills  61  and  62  are stacked into a bunch with their front edges being aligned. 
     The bunch of the bills  61  and  62  is situated at the standby position  45  on the looped transport path  412  (see  FIG. 6 ). Then, when another bill (a third bill  63 ) is detected by the bill detection sensor  5 , the bunch of the bills  61  and  62  travels in synchronization with the third bill  63 . Thus, the bills are stacked at the predetermined position on the looped transport path  412  with their front edges being aligned. 
     Every time a bill or a bunch of bills revolves along the looped transport path  412  in the temporarily holding section  7 , additional bills are stacked on the bill or the bunch of bills one after another. Since the temporarily holding section  7  makes it possible stack the bills with their front edges being aligned, a neatly aligned bunch is formed even if the bills are different in size. However, the number of bills stackable in the temporarily holding section  7  is limited depending on the maximum thickness of the bills traveling along the looped transport path  412 , the positional relationship between the roller  71  and the guide  76  and the maximum thickness of the bills traveling along the transport path  41 . 
     Now, the processes performed by the thus-configured cash accept/dispense machine  1  will be explained in detail with reference to  FIG. 7  to  FIG. 11 . 
       FIG. 7  shows a bill transport path for the bill reception process. In the bill reception process explained herein, the temporarily holding section  7  is not used. As described later, it is possible to use the temporarily holding section  7  in the bill reception process. For example, whether the temporarily holding section  7  is used or not in the bill reception process may be determined by the user&#39;s operation. The bill reception process is performed rapidly if the temporarily holding section  7  is not used. 
     In the bill reception process, a user feeds the bills one by one into the casing through the opening  21 . The discrimination unit  22  identifies each of the bills whether it is acceptable or not. The bill identified as acceptable is sent toward the stackers along the main transport path  411 . The rejected bill which is not identified as acceptable is discharged out of the casing through the opening  21 . 
     The controller  25  controls the branch elements  431 ,  432  and  433  based on the identification result of the discrimination unit  22 . As a result, the bill sent toward the stackers is stored in any one of the first to third stackers  31  to  33 . 
     A bill which does not have to recycle in the machine is sent to the replenishment/collection section  341  through the branch transport path for the cassette  413  and stored therein (see the dotted arrow in  FIG. 7 ). The bill which does not have to recycle in the machine may be stored in the reject section  345 . 
       FIG. 8  shows the bill discharge process in which the bill is discharged through the opening  21  without using the temporarily holding section  7 . The bill discharge process includes a process of delivering a bill of designated denomination from the stackers  31  to  33  to the user (a so-called payout process) and a canceling process of delivering the bill once fed into the machine back to the user when the bill reception is cancelled in the bill reception process without using the temporarily holding section  7 . 
     To be more specific, in the bill discharge process, the bill delivered out of any one of the first to third stackers  31  to  33  travels along the main transport path  411  and is discharged through the opening  21 . When two or more bills are discharged, they are discharged one by one through the opening  21 . 
       FIG. 9  shows a bill replenishment process for replenishing the stackers  31  to  33  with the bills. In the bill replenishment process, the cassette  34  including the replenishment/collection section  341  containing the bills is attached to the casing  2  and the bills in the replenishment/collection section  341  are transported to and stored in the stackers  31  to  33 . In the replenishment/collection section  341 , the bills may be stacked in a state where different denominations are mixed. 
     Specifically, in the bill replenishment process, the bills are delivered one by one from the replenishment/collection section  341 . Each of the bills passes the branch transport path for the cassette  413 , enters the main transport path  411  and identified by the discrimination unit  22 . If the bill is identified as storable, it is sent to the stackers along the main transport path  411  and stored in any one of the stackers  31  to  33  corresponding to the denomination of the bill (see a solid arrow in  FIG. 9 ). If the bill is not identified as storable, the bill is rejected and sent to the reject section  345  along the main transport path  411  and stored therein (see a dotted arrow in  FIG. 9 ). 
     In the bill replenishment process, an initial stock of the bills available at the start of the cash accept/dispense machine  1  is stored into the stackers  31  to  33  from a single cassette  34 , which makes the operation highly convenient. Further, since only a single cassette  34  is used, the cassette  34  is easily transported and the measures against thief are easily taken. 
       FIG. 10  shows the bill collection process of collecting the bills stored in the stackers  31  to  33  in the replenishment/collection section  341  of the cassette  34 . In this bill collection process, the bills are delivered one by one from the stackers  31  to  33  and sent along the main transport path  411  toward the opening  21 . Each of the bills is identified by the discrimination unit  22 . After the identification, the bill travels along the branch transport path for the cassette  413  to the replenishment/collection section  341  and stored therein. In this manner, when every bill stored in the stackers  31  to  33  is collected in the replenishment/collection section  341 , the cassette  34  is detached from the casing  2 . Thus, the bills in the cash accept/dispense machine  1  are collected. 
     In the bill collection process, the bills may be sent to and stored in the replenishment/collection section  341  without execution of identification when passing through the discrimination unit  22 . In this case, the identification and counting of the bills may be carried out in the process of taking the bills out of the cassette  34  after the cassette  34  is detached from the casing. 
       FIG. 11  shows the steps of the bill reception process using the temporarily holding section  7 . As described above, the user feeds the bills one by one through the opening  21  in the bill reception process. Each of the bills is then identified by the discrimination unit  22 . If the bill is identified as acceptable, it is sent to the temporarily holding section  7 . Each of the bills passes the junction of the main transport path  411  and the temporarily holding section  7  and then goes back into the temporarily holding section  7 . If the bill is not identified as acceptable, the bill is rejected and discharged through the opening  21 . 
     The bills fed through the opening  21  are sent to the temporarily holding section  7  one after another. As described above, the bills are stacked into a bunch with their front edges being aligned on the looped transport path  412  of the temporarily holding section  7  (see step P 11 ). 
     When the bill reception process is cancelled by the user, the roller  71  of the temporarily holding section  7  is rotated in the reverse direction to transport the bunch of bills from the temporarily holding section  7  to the main transport path  411  in step P 12 . Then, the bunch of bills travels along the main transport path  411  in the reverse direction toward the opening  21  and is discharged through the opening  21 . 
     When the bill reception process is confirmed by the user, the bunch of bills is delivered from the temporarily holding section  7  to the main transport path  411 . Then, it travels along the main transport path  411  and the branch transport path for the cassette  413  to the replenishment/collection section  341  and is temporarily stored therein in step P 13  (see a solid arrow in  FIG. 11 ). 
     The bills in the bunch are then delivered one by one out of the replenishment/collection section  341  by the conveyor belt system  343 . Each of the delivered bills passes the discrimination unit  22  and is stored in any one of the first to third stackers  31  to  33  based on the identification result (see a dotted arrow in  FIG. 11 ). 
     As described above, the number of the bills stackable in the temporarily holding section  7  is limited. Therefore, the maximum number of the bills that the user can feed into the opening  21  at one time in the bill reception process is determined in advance such that a large number of bills exceeding the maximum number are not fed into the port. Even if the maximum number is not determined in advance, and when the maximum number of bills stackable in the temporarily holding section  7  is fed into the opening  21 , the feeding of the bills into the opening  21  is suspended for a while, during which the bills stacked in the temporarily holding section  7  are sent to and stored in the stackers  31  to  33 . Alternatively, the bills stacked in the temporarily holding section  7  are moved to the replenishment/collection section  341  during the suspension, and then the feeding is restarted. The bills moved to the replenishment/collection section  341  are sent to and stored in the stackers  31  to  33  after the feeding is completed. That is, the bill reception process may be divided and performed in several times. 
       FIG. 12  shows the steps of the bill discharge process (payout process) for discharging two or more bills. In the bill discharge process, the two or more bills are stacked into a bunch with their front edges being aligned in the temporarily holding section  7 , and then the bunch is discharged through the opening  21 . 
     In the bill discharge process, the bills are delivered one by one from any one of the first to third stackers  31  to  33 . The bills are sent to the temporarily holding section  7  and stacked into a bunch on the looped transport path  412  of the temporarily holding section  7  as described above with their front edges being aligned. (see step P 21 ). 
     When a required number of bills are stacked in step P 21 , the roller  71  of the temporarily holding section  7  is rotated in the reverse direction in step P 22  to send the bunch of bills from the temporarily holding section  7  to the main transport path  411 . Then, the bunch travels along the main transport path  411  in the reverse direction and is discharged through the opening  21 . 
     The bills delivered out of any one of the first to third stackers  31  to  33  may be identified by the discrimination unit  22  first. Then, they are sent to the temporarily holding section  7  and stacked into a bunch. 
     In the bill discharge process, it is preferable that the maximum number of bills discharged from the opening  21  is determined in advance such that a large number of bills exceeding the maximum number cannot be discharged. When the maximum number is not determined in advance, and when the maximum number of the bills stackable in the temporarily holding section  7  is discharged, the bill discharge may be divided and performed in several times. In this case, it is displayed on the cash accept/dispense machine  1  that the bill discharge is currently in progress. 
     As described above, when a plurality of bills are discharged out of the cash accept/dispense machine  1 , the bills are stacked into a bunch with their front edges being aligned and then the bunch is discharged through the opening  21 . Therefore, even if the bills are different in size, the user is able to grab the bunch of bills easily and the bills are less likely to escape from the user&#39;s hand. 
     The stacking system which makes it possible to stack the bills into a bunch includes the looped transport path  412 . The bills are stacked by revolving the bill and the bunch of bills on the looped transport path  412 . This simplifies the structure of the stacking system and the bills are stacked at high speed. 
     The looped transport path  412  is provided in the temporarily holding section  7 . Therefore, as compared with the case where the stacking system is configured of a looped transport path separate from the temporarily holding section  7 , space for the stacking system is saved. As a result, the cash accept/dispense machine  1  is downsized. 
     As the storage section for storing the bills, the cash accept/dispense machine  1  includes the winding stackers (the first to third stackers  31  to  33 ). Therefore, the bills are delivered one by one from the stackers and sent to the temporarily holding section  7  with reliability. Accordingly, the stacking of the bills is performed with reliability. However, the storage section is not limited to the tape winding stackers. Any kinds of storage section may be adopted as long as it is capable of delivering the bills. If there is a possibility that the storage section delivers two stacked bills at a time, the stacking state of the bills is detected until the bills arrive at the temporarily holding section  7 . In this way, the bills are stacked one by one with reliability. 
     In the temporarily holding section  7 , the bills are stacked into a bunch with their front edges being aligned. However, this is not limitative. The temporarily holding section  7  may stack the bills into a bunch with other required parts thereof being aligned. Therefore, the bills may be stacked with their rear edges being aligned or with their centers being aligned. 
     An object handled by the sheet handling device of the present invention is not limited to the bills. The sheet handling device is able to handle every kind of sheets such as checks and tickets as well as the bills. 
     The sheet handling device is not limited to a device which stores and discharges sheets (a device which receives and discharges the bills). The sheet handling device may be a device which only stores or discharges the sheets. 
     The sheet handling device may be applicable to various kinds of devices such as self-service registers used in various stores, ticket dispensers, parking fee registers, etc. 
     It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and various modifications are possible within the spirit and essential features of the present invention. The above embodiment shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. The scope of the present invention is specified only by the following claims and the description of the specification is not limitative at all. Further, it is also to be understood that all the changes and modifications made within the scope of the claims fall within the scope of the present invention.