Patent Publication Number: US-6213310-B1

Title: Arrangement for handling banknotes

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application is the national stage under 35 U.S.C. 371 of PCT/SE98/00228, filed Feb. 10, 1998. 
    
    
     The present invention relates to an arrangement for handling banknotes. 
     More particularly, the invention relates to such an arrangement of the kind comprising a banknote magazine, which is arranged to permit the banknotes to be fed in into as well as out from the magazine one by one, detector means, which are arranged to detect each infeed of a banknote into and each outfeed of a banknote from the magazine, and memory means, which are arranged to store information about the contents of the magazine that is updated continuously in connection with the infeed of banknotes into and the outfeed of banknotes from the magazine. 
     Banknote handling arrangements of said kind are utilized inter alia with cash registers in shops or the like but may be used also in other connections, for instance in payment machines. 
     A banknote handling arrangement of the kind is previously known through EP-B1 0 615 643. This known arrangement is provided with a number of banknote magazines, each of which is formed by two tapes, extending each from one supply spool to a location where the two tapes are brought together and placed one upon the other in order then to be wound up jointly on a magazine spool. At the location where the two tapes are brought together, banknotes may be fed in one by one and one after the other between the two tapes in order then to be wound up on the magazine spool while being held between the two tapes. As a consequence of this design of the banknote magazine, banknotes may be fed out from each separate magazine only in an order reversed in relation to the order in which they have been fed in into the magazine. For this reason, each banknote magazine can be utilized only for one single type of banknotes. Therefore, the arrangement is provided with one separate banknote magazine for each banknote type which it is intended to handle. As a result, the arrangement as a whole is very bulky and it requires a space which in many cases is unaccetably large. 
     A banknote handling arrangement which eliminates the above need for separate banknote magazines for banknotes of different types and makes it possible to use one single banknote magazine for storing banknotes of different types is disclosed in Swedish patent application No. 95 01180-5. Even this arrangement is based on the utilization of co-operating tapes between which the banknotes may be inserted in order then to be wound up on a magazine spool while being held between two tapes. In order to facilitate an outfeed of a banknote of a selectable type from the banknote magazine, the magazine comprises on the one hand a first tape which extends between two different magazine spools, and on the other hand two additional tapes, one of which is arranged to be wound up on one of the magazine spools together with said first tape, while the other one is arranged to be wound up on the other magazine spool together with said first tape. The arrangement as a whole is very complicated. Moreover, its structure is such that it cannot be expected to operate in a reliable and unobjectionable manner if it is charged with banknotes which, as often is the case in practice, have serious deficiencies, for instance in the shape of heavy folds, torn edges or spots of sticky material occurring on the banknotes. 
     The invention has for its object to provide an improved banknote handling arrangement of the kind initially specified, which avoids the above disadvantages of the arrangement previously proposed. 
     The arrangement, according to the invention proposed for this purpose, is primarily characterized in that the banknote magazine comprises a controllably rotatable drum, containing a plurality of separate, individually identifiable magazine compartments which are formed each by one sector-like pocket, extending in a generally radial direction into the drum from a combined infeed and outfeed opening of the magazine compartment in question, located at the periphery of the drum, in that, through rotation of the drum, a magazine compartment, selected in view of the stored information, can be placed with its said opening in front of at least one infeed and/or outfeed station in order to permit an infeed of a banknote into and/or an outfeed of a banknote from said compartment at said station, in that each magazine compartment is arranged to receive only one banknote therein, and in that each magazine compartment is provided with combined infeed and outfeed means, located adjacent to said opening thereof, for forcibly feeding in a banknote into and forcibly feeding out a banknote from the magazine compartment and holding a banknote, fed in into the magazine compartment, within the same. 
     The invention makes it possible to use the banknote magazine for storing banknotes of a plurality of different types and it simultaneously also guarantees that the infeed of banknotes into the magazine and the outfeed of banknotes therefrom may take place in a very safe and reliable manner also when damaged or smeared banknotes occur among the banknotes handled by the arrangement. 
     In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, said infeed and outfeed means of each compartment may preferably comprise at least one pair of rotatable rollers which are arranged to be brought into frictional engagement with mutually opposite sides of a banknote. 
     Moreover, adjacent to each infeed and/or outfeed station, the arrangement may suitably be provided with drive means for controllably driving said infeed and outfeed means of a magazine compartment having its said opening located in front of the station in question. 
     The arrangement may preferably comprise an infeed station, provided with a banknote reader, and at least one separate outfeed station, in which case the drum may be arranged to be placed with a selectable magazine compartment in a position in front of a selectable one of said stations. Hereby, it is possible to avoid that banknotes fed out from the magazine have to pass through the banknote reader provided at the infeed station. 
     Furthermore, the arrangement may suitably comprise two different outfeed stations, one of which is arranged to be utilized for repayment purposes, while the other one is arranged to permit a transfer of banknotes from the magazine to a storage cassette. By this arrangement, it is possible to reduce the required size of the banknote magazine, since any surplus of banknotes appearing in the magazine during the use of the arrangement may be transferred from the magazine to the storage cassette. 
    
    
     Below the invention is further described with reference to the accompaying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic perspective view of a banknote handling arrangement according to an embodiment of the invention, selected by way of example, 
     FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a magazine compartment of a banknote magazine forming part of said arrangement and containing a plurality of separate magazine compartments, 
     FIG. 3 shows a partial view, illustrating an outer portion of a magazine compartment located in a position in front of a banknote reader provided at an infeed station of the arrangement, 
     FIG. 4 shows a section, taken along line IV—IV in FIG. 3, and 
     FIG. 5 shows a partial view, illustrating a drive for controllably driving combined infeed and outfeed means of a magazine compartment. 
    
    
     The banknote handling arrangement shown in the drawings comprises a banknote magazine  10 , having the general shape of a rotatably mounted cylindrical drum which is provided with a plurality of separate magazine compartments  11  for receiving only one banknote in each compartment. Magazine compartments  11  are formed as sector-like pockets, extending in radial directions into drum  10  from combined infeed and outfeed openings  27  of the different magazine compartments which are evenly distributed along the periphery of the drum. 
     Magazine drum  10  is contained within a surrounding casing  12  which prevents unauthorized access to the drum. Tn order to make it possible to rotate the drum  10  in a controllable manner, a driving motor  13  is mounted at the inner side of casing  12  and coupled to the drum through a belt transmission, comprising a pulley  14  mounted on the output shaft of motor  13 , a driving belt  15  and a pulley  16  mounted on a central shaft of the drum. 
     Reference numeral  17  generally designates an infeed station where banknotes may be fed into banknote magazine  10  through a banknote reader  18 . Reference numeral  19  generally designates a first outfeed station where banknotes may he fed out from drum  10  For repayment purposes via an outfeed device  20 , and reference numeral  21  generally designates a second outfeed station where banknotes may be transferred to a storage cassette  23  via a further outfeed device  22 . By means of driving motor  13  and the belt transmission connected to said motor, magazine drum  10  can be rotated in order to locate opening  27  of a selected magazine compartment  11  in front of any of said stations  17 ,  19  and  21 . 
     The more detailed construction of the drum-shaped banknote magazine appears from FIGS. 2,  3  and  4  As may be seen from said drawing figures, each magazine compartment  11  is formed by a sheet metal piece which comprises a plane main portion  24 , extending substantially along the whole axial length of magazine drum  10 , and two generally sector-shaped side wall portions  25 , formed by two opposite edge flanges which extend perpendicular to main portion  24  and towards the adjacent magazine compartment. In the illustrated case, magazine compartments  11  are assumed to be connected to each other by means of two end wall plates  26  which are provided at opposite ends of magazine drum  10  and to which side wall portions  25  are secured in any suitable manner, for instance through welding. 
     Adjacent to its combined infeed and outfeed opening  27 , each magazine compartment  11  is provided with combined infeed and outfeed means, located within said compartment and formed by four pairs of rotatable rollers  28  which, within each pair, are arranged to be brought into frictional engagement with mutually opposite sides of a banknote. Rollers  28 , which may consist of rubber of any other suitable material, are supported by two parallel shafts  29  which are rotatably mounted in the two side wall portions  25 . At its one end, one of said shafts projects in a lateral direction from magazine drum  10  and carries a tooth wheel  30 . In order to make it possible to rotate this tooth wheel  30  and hence also rollers  28  of a magazine compartment located in front of one of stations  17 ,  19  and  21 , a drive is provided adjacent to each of said stations, said drive comprising a driving motor  31  and a driving wheel  32  which is mounted at the outer end of an arm  34 , swingable by means of an electromagnet  33 , and which may be driven from motor  31  through a belt transmission comprising two pulleys  35  and  36  and a driving belt  37 . By swinging arm  347  toothed driving wheel  32  can be moved between an inactive position, in which it is out of engagement with any of tooth wheels  30 , and an active position, in which it is in engagement with tooth wheel  30  of a magazine compartment  11  located in front of station  17 ,  19  or  21 , respectively. 
     In addition to a radially outer portion of magazine drum  10 , FIGS. 3 and 4 also show an adjacent portion of a banknote reader  18  which, as indicated in FIG. 1, is provided with two sets of controllably rotatable rollers  38  which are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the banknote reader and by means of which a banknote  39  may be fed through the banknote reader and to a magazine compartment  11 , located in front of said reader, in order then to be fed into said compartment with the aid of the rollers  28  of said compartment. Corresponding sets of controllably rotatable rollers  38  are provided also in each of the two outfeed devices  20  and  22  in order to permit a banknote discharged from a magazine compartment  11  to be fed out through said device. 
     In order to facilitate a correct transfer of a banknote to or from a magazine compartment  11 , at its radially outer end, each magazine compartment is provided with three pairs of radially projecting guide tongues  41  which are located at a short distance from each other in the peripheral direction of the magazine drum and which define constricted portions of the infeed and outfeed opening  27  of the compartment in question. 
     In order to make it possible to determine the existing rotary position of magazine drum  10 , as diagrammatically indicated in FIG. 1, said drum may for instance be provided with a code circle  43 , co-operating with a fixed optical or magnetic sensor  42  and serving to identify the magazine compartment  11  at a given instant located in front of banknote reader  18  or any of the two outfeed devices  20  and  22 . Moreover, at each one of the infeed and outfeed stations formed by banknote reader  18  and outfeed devices  20  and  22 , electrooptical detector means are provided for detecting each correctly effected infeed of a banknote into or outfeed of a banknote from banknote magazine  10 . FIG. 3 diagramatically shows such detector means  45  provided at the transition between banknote reader  18  and magazine compartment  11 . 
     The manner of operation of the banknote handling arrangement described above is as follows. 
     When a banknote  39  is to be fed in into banknote magazine  10 , an arbitrarily chosen unoccupied magazine compartment  11  is placed in a position in front of infeed station  19  and the banknote reader  18  located at said station. Simultaneously, information about the identity of the magazine compartment in question is delivered to a combined control and monitoring unit  44 . Hereupon, banknote reader  18  is activated and feeds banknote  39  into compartment  11  after having determined the denomination of the banknote and checked its genuiness. The banknote is then forcibly fed into compartment  11  by means of the rollers  28  of said compartment. Under the control of detector means  45 , the infeed of the banknote into compartment  11 , obtained by means of rollers  28 , is interrupted when the banknote has been released from banknote reader  18  but still has an outer portion thereof located between rollers  28  which hereby will hold the banknote in a position such as to make it possible at a later stage easily to feed out the banknote from compartment  11  by rotating rollers  28  in directions opposite to the directions in which they are rotated during the infeed of the banknote. When the infeed of the banknote has been completed, corresponding information is delivered to unit  44  which contains memory means, arranged to store information about the banknote contents of the magazine which is updated continuously in connection with each infeed of a banknote into and each outfeed of a banknote from magazine  10  and which consists of individual information about the contents of each separate magazine compartment. 
     When, instead, a banknote of a certain desired denomination is to be fed out from magazine  10  at any of the two outfeed stations  19  and  21 , magazine drum  10  is rotated under the control of unit  44  to a position in which a magazine compartment  11  containing a banknote of the desired denomination is located in front of the selected outfeed station. Hereupon, the banknote is fed out from said compartment and through the outfeed device  20  or  22 , respectively, provided at said station. When the outfeed of the banknote has been completed, this fact is detected by the detector means located at the station in question and corresponding information is delivered to unit  44  in order to update the information stored in the memory means of said unit. 
     The invention is not restricted to the embodiment above described and shown in the drawings. Instead, many other embodiments are feasible within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.