Patent Publication Number: US-8113420-B2

Title: Check receiving device and method of automatic teller machine

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2007-0136890 filed on Dec. 24, 2007, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a money-receiving device of an automatic teller machine, and more particularly to a check-receiving device for an automatic teller machine having a gate to determine a transfer path of a check according to the status of a received check. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     An automatic teller machine (ATM) is an apparatus assisting basic finance services such as deposit and withdrawal of money without a bank teller in various places and time. ATMs are classified into a cash dispenser and a cash dispenser and receiver. Recently, the ATMs are used to deposit and withdraw checks as well as cash, to update a bankbook, for giro transfers, to issue tickets, and so forth. 
     Currently, the ATMs are being widely used in banks and other financial agencies. More convenient the ATMs, the more the customers will use the ATMs. The use of ATMs as well as the amount of money involved in each financial transaction is also increasing. 
     Since the ATM having only one function of dispensing cash transfers preset types of bank notes as much as a input amount of money to a cash dispensing outlet, the ATM can perform normal financial transaction unless jamming of the bank note and/or abnormal transfer of two bank notes at a time. However, the ATM having a function of receiving cash must check things other than the jamming and the abnormal transfer of two bank notes for normal financial transaction. For example, whether other types of bank notes or a forged bank note is inserted, a crumpled or damaged bank note is inserted, and a correct direction of bank notes must be checked. Moreover, since customers are not familiar with the ATM, there is some possibility of mishandling of the causing more frequent malfunction of the ATM. 
     Particularly, checks have high face values, frequently counterfeited, and differently from cash in that it may lose its value in a case of a dishonored check. Thus, more careful handling of checks is needed that cash. Currently, serial numbers of the check are checked for validity whenever receiving the check. 
     Checks accumulated in the ATM are transferred one by one individually. For example, a conventional check transfer unit includes a pickup roller, a feed roller, and a guide roller. The check transfer unit transfers the checks by picking up one of the accumulated checks with the pickup roller and transferring the picked check along a transferring path while passing the feed roller and the guide roller. The checks are transferred to a storage unit via a transferring path and accumulated in the storage unit one by one individually. 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic view illustrating a conventional receiver module  110  of an ATM  101  to determine whether to reject or store a check. 
     The check received through a receiving unit  102  and being transferred along the transferring path  120  passes a contact image sensor (CIS) and a magnetic ink character reader (MICR) located on the transferring path  120  such that information on the check is read, then turns at an upper corner of the transferring path  120  to standby in a stack  130 . The information obtained from the check is checked during the standby in the stack  130  and the check is transferred into an insertion path  140  and stored in a storage unit  150  when the check is valid. When the check is not valid, the check is reversely transferred to the upper transferring path  120  and is rejected out through the receiving unit  102 . 
     In order to smoothly transfer checks in the conventional device, the stack  130  must have a height as high as a length of the check and thus the ATM has a minimum height equal to a height adding the height of the stack  130  and the height of the storage  150 . Thus, it is difficult to miniaturize the ATM. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a check receiving device of an automatic teller machine having a small receiver module by modifying a structure of determining a transferring path of a bank note, particularly, a check. 
     In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a check receiving device of an automatic teller machine having a receiving unit to receive a check and a storage to accumulate the check received through the receiving unit, the check receiving device including: a first transfer unit having inspection devices installed along a transferring path to inspect information of the check received through the receiving unit; a second transfer unit communicated with an end of the first transfer unit along the transferring path such that the check transferred from the first transfer unit stands by; a third transfer unit communicated with an end of the second transfer unit along the transferring path and receiving the check to be accumulated in the storage from the second transfer unit; a fourth transfer unit communicated with a communicating position between the second transfer unit and the third transfer unit toward the storage along the transferring path and receiving the check positioned in the third transfer unit; a gate installed at a communicating position of the second transfer unit, the third transfer unit, and the fourth transfer unit and changing a transferring direction of the check positioned in the third transfer unit to the fourth transfer unit; and a controller controlling each of the transfer units to be driven forward and reversely. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of loading a check received from a receiving unit in a storage of an automatic teller machine, the method including: transferring the check along a transferring path to press a gate; making the check pressing the gate stand by; determining whether the check standing by is to be moved forward or backward according to confirmation or cancellation of a deposit of the check by a user, respectively; transferring the check standing by forward until the check does not press the gate any more, thereby forming new transferring path, when the deposit is confirmed; and transferring the forwardly moved check reversely along the new transferring path to load in the storage. 
     The check receiving device of an ATM may be applied to a bank note, a merchandise coupon, and other paper moneys or paper material in addition to the check. 
     According to the check receiving device of the present invention, since the third transfer unit is installed at a position lower than or equal to a height of the upper end of the storage, a height of the receiver module can be reduced. Thus, the receiver module can be miniaturized so that the automatic teller machine can also be compact. Since the gate determines whether to receive or to reject the check with a simple spring structure, the structure of the receiver module is simplified. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments, given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view illustrating a conventional structure of determining whether to reject or store a check; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic view illustrating a check receiver module of an automatic teller machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a detailed perspective view of the receiver module of  FIG. 2 ; and 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic view illustrating a movement of a gate. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT 
     Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic view illustrating a check receiving device (or a check receiver module) of an automatic teller machine according to an embodiment of the present invention,  FIG. 3  is a detailed perspective view of the receiver module, and  FIG. 4  is a schematic view illustrating a movement of a gate. 
     The automatic teller machine (ATM) is an apparatus to receive and dispense cash or checks and includes several functional modules such as a magnetic card reading module, a bankbook updating module, a user interface module, a check receiver module  10 , and a dispenser module, which are installed in a single housing. 
     The check receiver module  10  is enclosed in a module housing (not shown) including a receiving unit  11  positioned at an upper front side thereof and a shutter (not shown) through which checks are received into the receiving unit  11 . The check received through the receiving unit  11  is transferred to a first transfer unit  20  extending from the upper front side to the upper rear side of the receiving module  10 . A second transfer unit  24  is vertically mounted to the rear side of the receiver module  10  such that the check transferred from the first transfer unit  20  stands by. A gate  30  is positioned at the lower side of the second transfer unit  24 . An upper portion of the gate  30  is pivotally fixed near to the lower end of the second transfer unit  24  and is elastically supported by a spring to be slightly inclined from a vertical line, that is, a lower end of the gate  30  is positioned behind the upper end of the gate  30 . When pressure is applied to the gate  30 , i.e., the check passes through the gate  30 , the gate  30  pivots against the action of the spring. Under the gate  30 , a third transfer unit  26  is arranged to be spaced apart from the second transfer unit  24 . A fourth transfer unit  28  is horizontally located above the third transfer unit  26 . A storage  40  is positioned near a front end of the fourth transfer unit  28 . 
     The first transfer unit  20  includes a check counting sensor, a genuine check detecting sensor, a check damage inspecting sensor. In a case of a module receiving and dispensing checks, the first transfer unit  20  may include a contact image sensor (CIS) to detect a serial number of a check, a magnetic ink character reader (MICR), an endorsement printer, and an image scanner. As such, the ATM determines whether the check is real or not through the various sensors and inspection devices, and may inquire a status of check value and other restrictions of the check through a database connected to a network of a bank. The ATM confirms the reception of the check only when it assumes normal transaction through above mentioned procedures. When the transaction is not assumed normal, all or some of the received checks are rejected and the transaction is terminated. 
     Each of the transfer units may include sensors detecting entry or transfer of the checks and is controlled to be driven forward and reversely according to the inspected result of an inspection device based on detected signals from the sensors. 
     Whether the check transferred along the first transfer unit  20  is valid is determined and information of the check is read through the CIS  21  and MICR  22 , respectively. The check passed through the first transfer unit  20  changes direction and is transferred to the second transfer unit  24 . The check may stand by in the second transfer unit  24  during the inspection of the check by the inspection device or further move downward to standby, thereby contacting the gate  30 . The check may stretch from the second transfer unit  24  to the third transfer unit  26  through the gate  30 . When the check contacts the gate  30 , the gate  30  elastically supported by the spring and positioned at an initial position  30   a  is pressed by the check and pivots about the upper portion thereof to a pressing position  30   b  such that a first path communicating the second transfer unit  24  with the third transfer unit  26  is formed. 
     When the information of the check obtained by CIS  21  or the MICR  22  during the standby of the check is verified, thereby proving the validity of the check, the check must be inserted into the storage  40 . The check further moves in the transfer direction, that is, downwardly. When the check does not contact the gate  30 , the check moves forward and presses the gate  30  such that the gate  30  pivots to the pressing position  30   b  and the first path through which the check is transferred is formed. The check then passes through the first path and is transferred to the third transfer unit  26 . When the check is transferred to the third transfer unit  26 , the upper end of the check departs from the gate  30 . At that time, the pressure acting on the gate  30  by the check is removed and the gate  30  pressed by the check is inclined again by the action of the spring. In other words, the lower end of the gate  30  moves backward to the initial position  30   a  and a second path through which the check passes is formed between the gate  30  and the fourth path  28 . The check is reversely transferred from the third transfer unit  26  to the fourth transfer unit  28  after passing through the gate  30  and a rear end of the fourth transfer unit  28  and is loaded in the storage  40 . 
     When the check is determined abnormal according to the information obtained during the standby of the check, the check is not transferred to the storage  40  but must be rejected out. The check is departed from the second transfer unit  24  to be reversely transferred to the first transfer unit  20  and is transferred to the receiving unit  11 . When the check is reversely transferred and is separated from the gate  30 , the gate  30  is pivoted back and elastically supported at the initial position  30   a  by the action of the. 
     The above-mentioned operations are repeated for checks received later depending on the validity of the check. 
     While the invention has been shown and described with respect to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modification may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.