Patent Publication Number: US-2005126880-A1

Title: Counter/tabletop alignment note feeder

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      This application is a Continuation In Part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/863,059, filed on Jun. 7, 2004 which is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/081,756, filed Feb. 20, 2002, entitled Gaming Table Validator Assembly, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,745,887, and hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of Invention  
      This invention is directed to a note feeder adapted to receive one or more notes from the top side of a table and provide the notes to a validator assembly located underneath the table. In particular, the bulk note feeder is adapted to provide each of the notes to the validator assembly along a predetermined orientation.  
      2. General Background and State of the Art  
      Conventional gaming tables located in casinos are generally used to play games such as blackjack, poker, roulette, baccarat, and craps. The table may have an outer periphery containing a plurality of player locations and a dealer&#39;s location located generally opposite the player locations. From the dealer&#39;s location, the dealer controls the pace and operation of the game including for example dealing the cards, paying winning wagers and collecting losing wagers.  
      A dealer&#39;s responsibilities also include exchanging currency or notes received from a player for casino chips. Generally, when a player wants to exchange currency or notes for chips at the gaming table, the player gives the currency or notes to the dealer. Notes, as used herein, can include local and foreign currency, casino scrip, and casino issued tickets. The dealer counts out and then spreads the currency or notes on the playing surface of the gaming table. The dealer is sometimes required to notify a Pit Boss that the dealer is exchanging currency or notes. After receiving an approval from the Pit Boss, the dealer accepts the currency or notes and deposits them into a slot accessible from the playing surface of the gaming table. The slot leads to a channel for transporting the currency or notes from the slot to a cash box located below the playing surface. A plate may be used to push the currency or notes into the slot and ensure that the currency or notes properly fall into the cash box.  
      The revenues received on the gaming tables are a significant source of income for a casino. Accordingly, the high volume of currency or notes exchanged invites the risks of receiving counterfeit currency or notes. Unlike slot machines, wherein the implementation of integrated bill acceptors in the slot machines has diminished the casinos&#39; risk of receiving counterfeit currency, most gaming tables remain susceptible to this risk. Due to the increased sophistication of counterfeiters and the increasing difficulties in discriminating between authentic and counterfeit currency, the manual or dealer inspection method of accepting currency on gaming tables is inadequate to protect casinos from currency fraud. Also, as the use of casino scrip and casino tickets increases, there is a risk that these forms of revenue could be compromised or counterfeited. Accurate accounting of these alternative forms of notes may require that they be validated upon receipt.  
      A few attempts have been made to patent the use of a bill acceptor assembly on electronic gaming tables. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,993 (“the &#39;993 patent”) issued to Fentz et al. discloses a bill acceptor assembly mounted at each player station located around an electronic roulette wheel. Similarly, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,650 (“the &#39;650 patent”), each player console located around an automated roulette wheel includes a bill acceptor. In both of these patents an individual as opposed to a computer directs the game. A player can insert money into the bill acceptor to earn credits at any time, even though the player may not be able to place a bet until the next betting period. Yet, both the &#39;993 patent and the &#39;650 patent have two fundamental flaws. First, both patents use traditional single-feed bill acceptors where the player must insert one note at a time into the bill acceptor. The bill acceptors in the &#39;993 patent and the &#39;650 patent are not designed to accept multiple notes at one time. At a gaming table, players may start their betting with a large sum of money which, in the configuration of the &#39;993 or &#39;650 patents, would require each player to feed each note one at a time into the bill acceptor. The effort involved in feeding each note can be time consuming and frustrating, and even more so if the bill acceptor does not accept every note on the first feeding attempt.  
      Second, incorporating a bill acceptor into a computerized gaming table does not involve the same difficulties as incorporating a bill acceptor into a conventional gaming table operated by an individual. On the computerized gaming table, a computer using pre-programmed software manages each player&#39;s credits, operates the game, calculates and pays out all winnings, and collects any losing wagers. No casino tokens or notes are dispensed until a player cashes out. On the other hand, a gaming table operator has to do all of the functions by himself or herself. In addition, the operator is given the responsibility of watching each player to ensure that he/she does not cheat. Neither the &#39;993 patent nor the &#39;650 patent explain or address the many concerns of how to incorporate the bill acceptor into a gaming table operated by an individual. For example, neither patent discloses how the operator would know how much money has been inserted into the bill acceptor. This disconnect in information would prevent the operator from knowing how many tokens to give back to the player.  
      Accordingly, a system for accepting valid currency and rejecting counterfeit currency on a conventional gaming table would be beneficial to the gaming industry. Such a system would increase the casino&#39;s profitability by decreasing the amount of counterfeit currency it may receive. Moreover, a bill acceptor capable of accepting and validating a stack of notes would significantly decrease the delay involved in feeding one note at a time into the bill acceptor.  
      Modern day cash exchange transactions have become much more efficient with the invention of automated bill acceptors as described previously. In general, bill acceptors have increased the efficiency, accuracy and reliability of the intake of money for such transactions. Bill acceptors are now utilized in a variety of different forums, including parking booths, toll booths, vending machines and, more recently, gambling venues.  
      As described previously, a dealer in the gaming industry has a multitude of tasks to oversee while conducting his/her job. An important aspect of a dealer&#39;s job is to insure that the notes received by players are properly dispensed through a slot to the cash box typically located beneath the gaming table. In some instances, automated bill acceptors are provided with gaming tables to receive and store the notes. Even with automated bill acceptors, however, the dealer is still responsible for insuring that the notes from the players enter into the bill acceptor. Inserting the notes into the bill acceptor can be distractive to the dealer such that the dealer is unable to adequately monitor the gaming table while inserting the notes into the bill acceptor. Accordingly, there still is a need for a device which will allow the dealer to insert notes into a bill acceptor without causing distraction to him/her.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      This invention is directed to a bulk note feeder adapted to accept a stack of indiscriminate notes to be ultimately authenticated and stacked by a bill acceptor and cash box. Due to the expansion of the types of currency and currency substitutes which are accepted by current bill acceptors, bills, vouchers, script, tickets and currency will be hereinafter collectively referred to as “notes.” The bulk note feeder of the present invention provides a bezel having a mouth adapted to receive at least one note, a reservoir to temporarily store the notes received through the mouth, and a transportation system capable of passing the notes from the reservoir to a validator assembly. The reservoir may temporarily store the notes in a predetermined orientation so that the transportation device may pass each of the notes from the reservoir along a predetermined pathway towards the validator assembly.  
      The mouth of the bezel of the note feeder may have a rectangular configuration wide enough to receive notes inserted elongated edge first. The bezel is designed to be mounted on a planar surface, such as a gaming table. At least a portion of the bezel surrounding the mouth may be provided with a lip that protrudes up from the surface of the table to prevent accidentally spilled liquids from entering the mouth. Additionally, the lip may be configured so that the operator or dealer may locate the mouth by touch.  
      When a stack of notes is inserted into the mouth of the bezel, the notes travel down a cash chute to a holding reservoir. The holding reservoir is located at the base of the cash chute to temporarily store the notes until they are passed to a validator assembly. From the temporary holding reservoir, the stack of notes are passed to the validator assembly through the operation of a transportation system such as an electromechanical or, pneumatic transport mechanism. The transportation system passes one note at a time to the validator assembly located underneath the table.  
      The bulk note feeder may be provided with a gate or valve that closes the cash chute for a period of time after a stack of notes has been dropped into the mouth. The valve allows a first stack of notes to pass through the cash chute and to the validator assembly before allowing a second stack of notes from being accepted through the mouth so that the second stack of notes are not intermixed with the first stack of notes. The valve thus allows each stack of notes sufficient time to pass through the cash chute before accepting another stack of notes through the mouth.  
      Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those persons having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains from the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a gaming table with an installed bill acceptor.  
       FIG. 2  is a representative cross sectional view of the bill acceptor and a cash box assembly.  
       FIG. 3  is a perspective of a mounting bracket for mounting the bill acceptor to the gaming table.  
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a cashbox housing and power assembly of the bill acceptor.  
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an alternative configuration for a bill acceptor and a bill guard installed on a gaming table.  
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of another alternative embodiment of a bill acceptor for mounting on a gaming table.  
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an alternative note feeder and transportation system.  
       FIG. 8  is a cross sectional view of the note feeder illustrated in  FIG. 7 .  
       FIG. 9  is a partial exploded view of certain components of the note feeder and the transportation system illustrated in  FIG. 7 .  
       FIG. 10  is a second exploded view of certain components of the transportation system illustrated in  FIG. 7 .  
       FIG. 11  is a perspective cutaway view of certain components of the transportation system of  FIG. 7 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION  
       FIG. 1  provides a perspective view of a gaming table  10  having a base  12  and a playing surface  14 . The gaming table  10  has a dealer station  16  opposed by semi-circularly arranged player positions. The gaming table  10  will normally have a drop slot  18 , positioned proximate the dealer station  16 , which defines a hole in the gaming table  10  and allows for notes to be deposited into a cash box contained proximate the base  12 , or within the base. While a card type gaming table is depicted, the invention is applicable to other types of gaming tables.  
      As further illustrated in the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 1 , a bill acceptor  2 G is positioned on the playing surface  14  of the gaming table  10 . The bill acceptor  20  includes a housing  22  and a mounting bracket  24  to secure the housing  22  to the gaming table  10 . The housing  22  includes a bezel  26  upon which notes can be stacked and sequentially fed through a slot  28  into the bill acceptor  20 . The slot  28  generally comprises an opening dimensioned to receive the notes.  
       FIG. 2  depicts a cross-sectional view of the bill acceptor  20  and an associated cash box  40  removed from the gaming table  10  of  FIG. 1 . Within the bill acceptor  20 , the notes are transported through a validator assembly  30  by a transportation assembly  32 , as discussed below. A bill separator  36  may be located proximate the slot  28 . The notes pass from the bill separator  36  through a bill discriminator  38  to determine if the notes are authentic. The bill acceptor  20  also includes, at an opposite end of the housing  22 , a bill dispenser slot  34 . In the event that the bill discriminator  38  determines that a note inserted into the validator assembly  30  is not authentic, the transportation assembly  32  passes the note through the housing  22  to the bill dispenser slot  34 .  
      As illustrated, notes are to be inserted into the bill acceptor  20  through the slot  28 . Notes rejected by the validator assembly  30  are ejected through the bill dispenser slot  34 . Valid notes are deflected downward through a slot  35  located on the underside of the housing  22  which is to be positioned over the drop slot  18  of the gaming table  10 . In an alternative embodiment, the notes are directed to a location along the back edge of the gaming table  10  to then be transported to the cash box  40 .  
      A power assembly  42  draws the valid notes away from the validator assembly  30  and deposits them into the cash box  40 , which is to be mounted below the playing surface  14  of the gaming table  10 . The power assembly  42  also supplies power to and exchanges information with the validator assembly  30  through a power connector located on the underside of the housing  22  as discussed below. The cash box  40  is contained within a cash box housing  78  having a cash box door  43  and a door lock  44  to prevent unauthorized access to the contents of the cash box  40 . The cash box  40  may simply be an open container having a slot in the top through which the notes are inserted. As depicted in  FIG. 2  the cash box  40  receives and stacks the notes. While the cash box  40  may have a single stacker for all of the notes, it may be preferable to have two stacker sections as depicted, wherein first stacker section  45  receives and neatly stacks currency. A second stacker  46  can be used to stack a selected currency denomination or alternatively all non-currency notes accepted by the bill acceptor. As another alternative, the second stacker  46  could be used to store “fill slips” signifying additional chips being brought to the gaming table. Thus, the second stacker  46  could be used to store all documents, or all non-currency items, received by the bill acceptor. Accordingly, for this dual stacker cash box, the power assembly  42  will have a transport system and a deflector  47  to allow the notes to be directed to the appropriate stacker along a first transport path  48  or a second transport path  49 .  
      The validator assembly  30  contains a circuit board mounted validator processor  50  which is also preferably connected to a central computer or server (not shown) of the casino. The validator processor  50  has various processing capabilities which are known in the art. Upon receipt of a note and determination of validity, a signal is sent to the casino processor or server signifying receipt as well as the denomination of the note. The value of the notes accepted by the validator assembly  30  can then be displayed on an LCD display  54 .  
      There may be situations where some or all of the notes received are rejected from the validator assembly  30  even though it may be apparent to the dealer that the rejected notes are authentic. In this and other situations, the dealer may want to accept the notes in spite of the refusal of the validator assembly  30 . To override the decision of the validator assembly  30 , the dealer could activate an override input, such as an Accept button  56  which is electrically connected (not shown) to the validator processor  50 . Pressing the Accept button  56  will force the validator assembly  30  to accept the notes and the transportation assembly  32  to transport the notes to the cash box  40 . Software associated with the bill acceptor  20  can be provided to keep track of the number of notes received as a result of the dealer overriding the validator assembly  30 .  
      If a player wants to place a bet with a dealer operating a casino game on the gaming table  10 , casinos generally require the player to use the casino&#39;s own tokens to play. The player may already have casino tokens in possession or may give notes to the dealer who will exchange the notes for an equivalent value of casino tokens. To validate the notes received from the player, the dealer or player places the stack of notes on the bezel  26 . The bill separator  36  pulls off one note at a time through the slot  28 . The technology of bill separators is known in the art, which includes feeding devices such as printers, photocopiers, currency counters, and automated teller machines that feed one sheet of paper, such as a note, from a stack of paper or notes.  
      The notes are then pulled into the bill discriminator  38  by the transportation assembly  32 . Because they are electrically connected to one another, the bill discriminator  38  can instruct the transportation assembly  32  to direct and transport validated notes into the cash box  40  and invalid notes to the bill dispenser slot  34 . The transportation assembly  32  includes belts  60  and  62  that transport the note from the bill discriminator  38  to the deflector  64 . Depending on the authenticity of the note processed, the bill discriminator  38  will send a signal to a deflector  64  which directs the pathway of the note through the validator assembly  30 . If the note is authentic, the deflector  64  will remain in an initial position to direct the notes downwards towards the cash box  40 . In the event the note is not authentic according to the bill discriminator  38 , the deflector  64  moves from the initial position to a secondary position to deflect the note to an exit or horizontal pathway out of validator assembly  30 .  
      It is understood that the transportation assembly  32  discussed above is an exemplary embodiment for illustration purposes only. Other transportation systems well known or apparent to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the present invention. In addition, in an alternative embodiment, the slot  28  and the bill dispenser slot  34  may be the same.  
      As illustrated in the cross-sectional view of  FIG. 2 , the transportation assembly  32  transports valid notes past the deflector  64  to slot  35 , which is positioned opposite a narrow extension of the power assembly  42 , configured to extend up through the drop slot  18  of the gaming table  10 . At the top of the narrow extension is a slit  70  into which the notes are directed. After entering the slit  70 , the note passes between two wheels  72  and  74 , driven by belts  66  and  68 , respectively which draw the note down towards the cash box  40  and away from the validator assembly  30 . The belt  66  extends down to the top of the cash box  40  to direct notes to the first stacker  45  of the cash box  40  if a deflector  47  is in an initial position according to the type of note. Belt  68 , driven by a motor drive  69  and passing over or around various idler wheels, drives belt  66  and controls the direction of notes directed to the second stacker  46  of the cash box  40  if the deflector  47  moves to a second position.  
      The bill acceptor  20  may be composed of multiple modules that facilitate installation on a gaming table  10 , including for example the mounting bracket  24 , the validator assembly  30 , and the cash box housing  78  which contain the power assembly  42  as well as the cash box  40 . The validator assembly  30  can be an independent component and compact assembly, for example, about the width and length of two U.S. currency bills placed consecutively lengthwise. The mounting bracket  24  is adapted to receive and securely hold the validator assembly  30  to the gaming table  10 .  
      As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the mounting bracket  24  may have a base plate  84  that is connected to two plates  86  extending upward and two plates  88  extending downward. The base plate  84  has an opening  90  that is similar in size to the opening of the drop slot  18 . The upward plates  86 , which rise upward from the base plate  84  and contain overhangs  92  and  94 , secure the validator assembly  30  from the top, underside, and each side parallel to the length of the validator assembly  30 . A locking mechanism may be provided on the validator assembly  30  so that it can mate and lock with a lock receiver to secure the validator assembly  30  to the mounting bracket  24 .  
      The plates  88 , which extend downward from the base plate  84 , are parallel to the wider wall of the drop slot  18 . The lower ends of the plates  88  extend down the full length of the drop slot  18 . At the lower end, the plates  86  may include flanges.  96  that clip to the underside of the gaming table  10 . To install the mounting bracket  24 , the plates  88  are inserted into and pushed through the drop slot  18 . After the flanges  96  extend past the end of the drop slot  18 , the flanges  96  grip onto the gaming table  10 , preventing the removal of the mounting bracket  24 . To remove the mounting bracket  24  from the gaming table  10 , the flanges  96  must be squeezed together from below the gaming table  10 .  
      As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the top of the narrow extension of the power assembly  42  includes a plurality of pin contacts  100  located extending from the power assembly  42  toward the validator assembly  30 . The pin contacts  100  may be spring-loaded to maximize contact between the pin contacts  100  and contacts located on the base of the validator assembly  30 . The pin contacts  100  and contacts on the validator assembly  30  are made of alloys that allow transfer of electrical power and data between the validator assembly  30  and the power assembly  42 . Alternatively, pin contacts  100  may be used primarily to transfer power from the power assembly  42  to the validator assembly  30 , whereas an optical coupling device  102  on the power assembly  42  communicates with an optical coupling device on the validator assembly  30  to transfer data information.  
      The pin contacts  100  are attached to a power supply and controller in the power assembly  42 . A cable  110  can be provided to couple power to the power assembly  42  and also electrically couple the controller of the power supply  42  to a computer server (not shown) in the casino. Alternatively, wireless technology can be used to communicate information between the bill acceptor  20  and a computer server (not shown) in the casino.  
      As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , a bill guard  120  attaches to the gaming table  10  and is positioned near the bill acceptor  20 . The bill guard  120  minimizes the possibility that a player could reach onto the gaming table and remove the notes as they were being fed into or rejected from the bill acceptor. The bill guard  120  can be made of a translucent material such as high impact plastic. The bill guard  120  will allow the dealer and players to watch the bills as they are inserted into or rejected from the validator assembly  30 . The bill acceptor  20  depicted in  FIG. 5  is an alternative embodiment, where the bezel  26  and the bill dispenser  34  are positioned on the same side of the validator assembly  30 .  
      As depicted in an alternative embodiment in  FIG. 6 , the bill acceptor  20  is enclosed within an integrated housing  78  containing the cash box  40 . To install the bill acceptor  20  on the gaming table  10 , a hole is cut into the gaming table  10 . The hole may need to be larger than the drop slot  18 . The bill acceptor  20  is mounted through this hole such that the validator assembly  30  is above the playing surface  14  and the cash box  40  is below. Mounting members  76  are provided to secure the bill acceptor  30  to the gaming table  10 . The internal components of the bill acceptor  30  in the exemplary embodiment, such as the transportation assembly  32 , bill separator  36 , and the bill discriminator  38 , would be used in this alternative embodiment.  
       FIG. 7  illustrates a perspective view of an alternative design for a note feeder  130  adapted to receive at least one note from the top side of a table  10  and provide the at least one note to the validator assembly  30  located underneath the table  10 . The note feeder  130  may be used in a variety of applications such as in a check out counter of a retail store as well as in the gaming industry. In a gaming industry, the note feeder  130  may be provided at the edge of the gaming table  10  next to where a dealer may stand or positioned at the location of the drop slot. The note feeder  130  includes a note chute  132  that defines an opening or mouth  134  designed to receive a stack of notes which are to be escrowed and fed into the validator assembly  30  along a predetermined orientation. The note feeder  130  passes the notes inserted through the mouth  134  to an escrow reservoir  142  located underneath the top of the table  10 .  
       FIG. 7  also illustrates a bracket  200  adapted to couple the note feeder  130  to a transportation assembly  202  and the validator assembly (not shown). The bracket  200  may have a top plate  208  and triangular shaped sides  210 ,  212  with the top plate  208  coupled to the base of the note feeder  110 . The bracket  200  is configured to mount the components of the transportation assembly  202  (described more fully below) which is operative to pass notes from the escrow reservoir  142  to the validator assembly.  
      In most applications, the validator assembly  30  has an inlet opening that is adapted to receive notes along the narrow edge of the rectangular shape note. The validator assembly is positioned underneath the gaming table  10  and proximate to the bottom of the chute  132  of note feeder  130 , to receive the at least one note along a predetermined orientation, i.e., along the narrow edge of the rectangular shape note. A transportation assembly  202  guides each of the notes from escrow reservoir  142  along the predetermined orientation so that the narrow edge of the note is fed into the inlet opening of the validator assembly  30 .  
      The top of the mouth  134  of the note feeder  130  may be substantially flush with the top surface of the table  10  and configured to receive a stack of notes inserted along an elongated edge of the rectangular shaped note. The note chute  132  defining the mouth  134  may have a generally rectangular shape defined by sides  150 ,  152 ,  154  and  156 . The edge  154  may be substantially flush with the top surface of the gaming table  10  to allow a dealer to slide one or more notes over the edge  154  and into the mouth  134 . The sides  150 ,  152 , and  156  around the mouth  134  may be slightly elevated relative to the surface of table  10 . The raised sides  150 ,  152  and  156  may act as a “spill-guard” for beverages which may be accidentally spilled on the table  10 . Side  150  may include a display  168  operative as discussed above with respect to display  54 .  
      Additionally, when the dealer attempts to place or drop a stack of notes into the note feeder  130 , the dealer may feel for the raised sides to find the mouth  134  of the note feeder  130 . As a result, the dealer may initiate the drop transaction without losing eye contact with the players at the table.  
      Before inserting one or more notes into the mouth  134  of the note feeder  130 , a dealer may organize a stack of rectangular shape notes so that the elongated edges of the notes are aligned relative to each other. The dealer may then insert the stack of notes along an elongated leading edges of the notes into the mouth  134 . The mouth  134  of the note feeder  130  may be sized to allow a dealer to insert a plurality of notes, such as forty notes, into the mouth  134  of the note feeder  130 . The sides defining the note chute  132  may narrow gradually downward from the top surface of the gaming table  10 .  
       FIG. 8  shows a partial cross-sectional view of the note chute  132 . At the top of the note chute  132  is the mouth  134  defined by sides  150 ,  152  and  154 . The mouth  134  opens to a throat  158  defined by continuations of sides  152  and the removed side  156 . Side  150  of the mouth transitions to a backwall  160  at he upper most part of the throat. The backwall  160  extends downward, preferably at a small angle to a line perpendicular to the surface of table  10 , and transitions to a basewall  162 . Side  154  of the mouth of  134  transitions to a frontwall  164  at the uppermost part of the throat  158 . The frontwall  164  is slanted at a sharper angle toward the backwall  160  whereby the width of throat  158  gradually becomes narrower. As depicted in the exemplary design, the frontwall  164  extends about one-fourth to one-third of the height of the backwall  160 . At the bottom edge of the frontwall  164  is a transition to an arched wall  166  which extends in an arch away from the backwall and down, terminating at a lower edge spaced apart from the lower edge of the basewall  162 . The lower edges of sides  152 ,  154 , basewall  162  and archedwall  166  all rest on the upper surface of bracket  200 . The lower portion of the backwall  160 , basewall  162  and arched wall  166 , together with sides  152  and  156 , and the top of bracket  200 , define the escrow reservoir  142 .  
      With the construction depicted in  FIG. 8  and described above, one or a stack of notes inserted into the mouth  134  will be directed into the throat  168  and, constrained by backwall  160  and directed rearward by frontwall  164 , the notes wall fall to land on bracket  200  with an edge proximate the basewall  162 . The note or notes will then pivot and fall sideways toward arched wall  166  and land on flat at the bottom of escrow reservoir  142 .  
      The note feeder  130  may include a gate or valve  170  within the throat  158 . The valve  170  allows one or more notes to pass through the note chute  132  and fall toward the base of the escrow reservoir  142  and therefrom processed before allowing a subsequent set of notes to pass through the note chute  132 . This way two sequential sets of notes are not counted together or jam the note feeder. In a gaming operation, once a dealer inserts a stack of notes through the mouth  134  of the note feeder  130 , the valve  170  may close the note chute  132  for a predetermined period of time to allow the stack of notes to pass to the validator assembly before allowing a second set of notes to pass through the note chute  132 . The valve  170  may be pivotally coupled to either the backwall  160  or frontwall  164  of the throat  158 . In addition, the valve  170  may operate to prevent notes inserted through the mouth  134  from being retrieved out of the mouth  134  once the notes have passed through the note chute  132 .  
      With the note feeder  130  of the present invention, a stack of notes may be dropped into the mouth  134  with one hand, while leaving the other hand free to perform other functions. For some games played in a casino environment, such as black jack or poker, the dealer may not be allowed to put the deck of cards onto the gaming table other than to shuffle the cards with both hands. The design of the note feeder  130  allows a dealer to deal black jack or poker in a casino environment with one hand, while performing the drop transaction with the other hand.  
      The inner surfaces of the note chute  132  may be coated with a variety of materials to minimize the friction between the note and the internal surfaces of the note chute  132 . This way, notes may fall through the note chute  132  and into the escrow reservoir  142  with minimal resistance. When a drop transaction is performed by the dealer, the stack of notes may fall through the note chute  132  and into the escrow reservoir  142  due to gravity. Alternatively, mechanisms such as a pneumatic or vacuum source or mechanical spring systems may be provided within the escrow reservoir  142  to aid transport and proper orientation of the notes into the escrow reservoir  142 .  
      FIGS.  9  to  11  illustrate the main components of the transportation assembly  202  adapted to transport the notes from the escrow reservoir  142  to the inlet opening of the validator assembly  30 . Once the notes are dropped into the mouth  134  of the note feeder  130 , the escrow reservoir  142  may serve as a temporary storage for the notes while waiting to be fed into the validator assembly  30 . The validator assembly  30  then validates the notes and sends the notes to the cash box  40  for stacking. With the notes laying flat on the base of the escrow reservoir  142 , each of the notes may be fed sequentially from bottom to top of the notes into the validator assembly  30  by the transportation assembly  202 .  
      The transportation assembly  202  for the note feeder  130  is depicted in the perspective and cut away and exploded views of  FIGS. 9 through 11 . The transportation assembly  202  is built on a bracket  200  having a top plate  208  and downward depending generally triangularly shaped side plates  210  and  212 . The top plate  208  has a cutout  214 . The transportation assembly  202  includes a fan bracket assembly  220  which includes a fan bracket  222  and a fan assembly  224 . The fan assembly  224  includes a fan motor  226  and fan blades  228 . The fan bracket assembly  220  includes the fan bracket  222  having a generally planer surface which is mounted to the bottom side of the top plate  208  of mounting bracket  206 , spanning the cutout  214  yet leaving openings at opposite ends of the fan bracket  222 .  
      The transportation assembly  202  also includes a motor  230  connected via a shaft  232  to drive a pulley  234 . A belt  236  wraps around the pulley  234  so as to drive a second pulley  238 . The second pulley  238  is mounted on a shaft  240  extending all the way through both side plates  210 ,  212  of the mounting bracket  206 . A belt drive roller  242  is mounted on shaft  240  in the location positioned between the respective side plates  210  and  212 . At the opposite side of the mounting bracket  206 , the shaft  240  extends outward to drive a timing pulley  250  which is connected via a timing belt  252  to drive a driven pulley  254  connected to a shaft  256  that extends back through side plate  212  and extending to the opposite side plate  210  of the mounting bracket  206 . A hub assembly  260  is mounted at a mid point on the shaft  256 . The hub assembly  260  includes a hub  262  and a hub plates  264 .  
      A bottom belt roller  270  is mounted at the lower portion of the side plates  210  and  212  on a shaft  272  secured by bushings at the lower corners of the triangular side plates  210  and  212 . A rear belt roller  274  is mounted on a shaft  276  and mounted in bushings at the rear corners of triangular side plates  210  and  212 . A conveyor belt  278  is configured to wrap around the belt drive roller  242 , bottom belt roller  270  and rear belt roller  274  and to extend up through the openings formed at the respective ends of the fan mounting bracket  222  and the mounting bracket top plate  208 , whereby the belt runs over the top surface of the fan bracket  222  driven by belt drive roller  242 .  
      At the forward edge of the transportation assembly  202  is the picker assembly  202 . The picker assembly includes a center section  280 , left side  282  and right side  284 . Within at least one of the sides  282  or  284  there is a cavity  286  which accommodates a picker wheel  298 . The picker wheel  288  incorporates the hub  262  and the blades  264 . These components are mounted on the shaft  256  so as to rotate in the opposite direction as the direction that the conveyor belt  268  rotates when a bill is being transported out of the reservoir  142  by the transportation assembly  202 . The counter rotation of the hub blades  264  prevents multiple bills from passing from the reservoir  142  stacked one on top of the other.  
      As noted above, the fan bracket assembly  220  includes a fan bracket  222  forming a plate over which the conveyor belt  278  traverses. The lowermost note in the reservoir  142  lays atop the upper surface of the conveyor belt  278 . The fan bracket  222  includes slots  290 ,  292  and the conveyor belt  278  is made from a porous material whereby the note lying atop the conveyor belt  278  is sucked down towards the belt by the operation of the fan assembly  224  and air passing through the openings  290 ,  292  of the fan bracket  222 . The fan motor  226  and belt drive motor  230  are both electrically connected to the validator  30  to obtain power and processing control signals therefrom. Thus, when the transportation assembly  202  is activated, the fan motor  226  and belt drive motor  230  are both powered, one to adhere notes to the conveyor belt  278  and the second to drive the conveyor belt  278 , and the validator  30  is also activated to accept and process the notes being provided.  
      The transportation assembly  202  operates to selectively feed one note at a time from the escrow chamber  142  across the top of the conveyor belt  278  towards an outlet slot  296  so that the note may pass to the intake slot of the validator  30 . The motor  230  drives the shaft  232  and thereby the timing pulley  234  which in turn drives the belt  236  driving the timing pulley  238  and shaft  240 . The belt drive roller  242  mounted on shaft  240  frictionally engages the conveyor belt  278  thereby driving the conveyor belt  278 . The opposite end of shaft  240  also rotates, rotating the timing pulley  250  and the timing belt  252  to drive the driven pulley  254  and shaft  256 . The rotation of shaft  256  is counter-rotating with respect to the shaft  240  on which the belt drive roller  242  is mounted and so the shaft  256  having the hub assembly  260  and more particularly the hub blades  264  rotates in a counter direction with respect to the direction of the movement of the conveyor belt  268 . By this configuration, one note at a time is extracted from the reservoir of  142  to be sequentially fed into the validator  30 , and the transportation assembly  202  can rapidly move a stack of notes from the escrow chamber  142  to the validator  30 .  
      In the validator  30 , as discussed above, information concerning the authenticity and denomination of each note is passed to the validator processor  50  (discussed above) which is also preferably connected to a central computer or server of the casino. Upon receipt of a note or a series of notes and determination of their authenticity, a signal is sent to the casino processor or server signifying receipt as well as the denomination of the notes. The value of the notes accepted by the validator assembly  30  can also be displayed individually, sequentially or cumulatively totaled on the display panel  158 , which is electrically interconnected to the validator processor  50 .  
      The bracket  200  may be pivotally coupled to the note feeder  130  such that the bracket  200  can be swing open to provide access to the escrow reservoir of the note feeder  130 . A lock assembly may be provided to fix the note feeder assembly  130  in place to the bracket  200 .  
      From the foregoing detailed description, it will be evident that there are a number of changes, adaptations and modifications of the present invention which come within the province of those skilled in the art. The scope of the invention includes any combination of the elements from the different species or embodiments disclosed herein, as well as subassemblies, assemblies, and methods thereof. However, it is intended that all such variations not departing from the spirit of the invention be considered as within the scope thererof.