Patent Description:
Banknote transport arrangements are known in the art. A common kind of banknote transport arrangement is used to transport banknotes one by one within cash handling machines such as ATM machines or the like. Another kind of banknote transport arrangement is capable of transporting complete stacks of banknotes. These kind of banknote transport arrangements are termed herein as banknote stack transport arrangements. A problem with banknote stack transport arrangements in the art is that they may sometimes lead to one or more banknotes not being transported together with the rest of the banknotes of the stack. The problem may occur e.g. due to the banknote stack being misaligned in the banknote stack transport arrangement and/or one or more banknotes of the stack being damaged e.g. by folds, tears, holes and foil wear. There is thus a need in the art for an improved banknote stack transport arrangement.

The hereinbelow referenced prior art documents are examples of prior art which is described more generally hereinabove.

<CIT> discloses a banknote processor having the capability to transport banknote stacks as an entity between different parts of the machine by means of sandwiching the banknote stack between oppositely arranged conveyor belts or rollers.

<CIT> discloses a drive system utilizing a plurality of flexible drive elements disposed in aligned guideways. Devices such as currency carriers may be attached to the flexible drive elements for movement between a currency receiving position, a currency presenting position, and a currency purge position.

<CIT> discloses a bill receiving mechanism which comprises a rack, a first stop door and a second stop door provided in the rack sequentially along a bill output direction, and a bill storage portion provided below the first stop door and the second stop door, the first stop door and the second stop door each having a closing position and an opening position.

It is an object to mitigate, alleviate or eliminate one or more of the above-identified deficiencies in the art and disadvantages singly or in any combination. These and other objects are at least partly met by the subject matter defined in the independent claims.

According to a first aspect there is provided a banknote stack transport arrangement for a cash handling machine, comprising:.

The banknote stack transport arrangement may be advantageous as it allows stacking the banknotes before transporting them to a secondary location, such as e.g. a safe, within a cash handling machine. The stacking allows reducing the overall volume of the banknotes in the secondary location, which location hence could be made smaller and/or may be emptied less frequently. Furthermore, the banknote stack transport arrangement makes it easier to configure a cash handling machine for allowing a user to cancel a depositing operation. The banknote transport arrangement may be configured to hold the deposited banknotes in the temporary banknote receptacle and await a final confirmation from the user before transporting the banknotes to the secondary location, such as e.g. the safe.

The banknote stack transport arrangement may be advantageous as it allows for reducing the number of times one or more banknotes for various reasons cannot be transported by the banknote stack transport arrangement. There are several reasons why the banknote stack transport arrangement may be advantageous. Firstly, the banknote stack is supported from two sides by the first and second banknote engagement portions, respectively. As the first and second banknote engagement portions start to displace in relation to their associated structures, the banknote stack will have few, or no, non-moving obstacles in its way which could potentially block or jam the transport process. Secondly, the banknote engager may aid the transport of the banknote stack by pressing it towards one of, or both of, the two banknote engagement portions. This may be especially beneficial when there are few or even single banknotes in the stack and where one or more banknotes are damaged or twisted. The banknote engager will press the banknotes firmly towards one of, or both of, the banknote engagement portions, thereby reducing the risk of jam or blockage. The banknote stack transport arrangement may have a further advantage in that it provides a simplified design as compared to existing solutions in the art. Specifically, the first and second banknote engagement portions are capable of forming a receptacle, termed here as the temporary banknote receptacle, by their mere arrangement with respect to each other. No further parts are needed in this respect.

As readily appreciated by the person skilled in the art, displacing the first and second banknote engagement portions in relation to the first and second structures may be sufficient to transport the banknote stack out from the temporary banknote receptacle. The displacement will force the banknote stack towards a bottom of the temporary banknote receptacle (i.e. at the second associated ends of the first and second structures). The force from the banknotes will force the first and second structures such that they distance themselves from each other at their second associated ends, thereby forming the exit gap for allowing the banknote stack to leave the temporary banknote receptacle. There may however be situations where the displacement of the first and second banknote engagement portions is not enough for transporting the banknote stack out from the temporary banknote receptacle. Typically, such situations occur when the banknote stack includes few banknotes and/or the banknotes of the stack are not correctly aligned in the temporary banknote receptacle, and/or one or more banknotes of the banknote stack are damaged e.g. by folds, tears, holes and foil wear. For such situations, the banknote engager may aid in the transport process by pressing the banknote stack towards the first and/or the second banknote engagement portion, thereby reducing the risk that one or more banknotes of the banknote stack are prevented from being transported out from the temporary banknote receptacle.

The term "banknote stack transport arrangement" should be construed as one or more features within a cash handling machine which features together are capable of carrying out a transport of a banknote stack. The term should not be construed as limited only to a module or stand-alone device which e.g. could be readily inserted in the cash handling machine. In some cash handling machines, the banknote stack transport arrangement may instead form one of several parts of more extensive modules. In other cash handling machines, the banknote stack transport arrangement may be an integral part of the machine. As the term implies, the banknote stack transport arrangement is an arrangement for transporting banknote stacks, i.e. two or more banknotes which are stacked on top of each other face to face. However, as readily appreciated by the person skilled in the art, the banknote stack transport arrangement may also transport banknotes one by one in situations where only one banknote is provided to the banknote stack transport arrangement.

The first and second structures act as support structures for their associated banknote engagement portions. Said at least one of the first and second structures may be configured to move from the closed configuration to the open configuration in response to said displacing of said first and second surfaces in relation to said first and second structures.

The term "banknote engagement portion" should be construed as a portion of its associated structure which is displaceable in relation to said structure. As will be described in detail later, the banknote engagement portion may be embodied in different ways, e.g. by conveyor belts, rollers, or wheels. This implies that the term "banknote engagement portion" should be interpreted broadly. The banknote engagement portion may be defined by more than one element (such as e.g. a plurality of conveyor belts or a plurality of rollers) and/or may present more than one surface for contacting and supporting the banknote stack. The first and second banknote engagement portions may present first and second surfaces, respectively. The surfaces may be support and transport surfaces. The first and second surfaces may be planar, or substantially planar. The first and second banknote engagement portions may each be displaceable in relation to its associated structure along a displacement direction defined from the first end to the second end. The first and second banknote engagement portions may each extend, at least partly, between the first end and the second end of its associated structure. The first and second banknote engagement portions may form an oblique angle in between each other when the banknote stack transport arrangement is in the closed configuration. For some embodiments, the oblique angle is an acute angle. This implies that the bottom part of the temporary banknote receptacle may be V-shaped or substantially V-shaped. The first and second structures may be arranged in the cash handling machine such that their associated first ends are located above their associated second ends. This implies that the banknote stack may be transported out from the banknote stack transport arrangement along a downward or substantially downward direction.

It should be understood that banknotes come in different sizes and may be aligned in different ways in the banknote stack transport arrangement. Furthermore, banknote stacks come in different thicknesses dependent on the number of banknotes in the stack. Therefore the claim language "the first banknote engagement portion contacts a face side of the banknote stack" and "the second banknote engagement portion contacts an edge side of the banknote stack" should not be construed as ruling out the presence of further contact and support surfaces and/or elements of the banknote stack transport arrangement which, together with the first and second banknote engagement portions, provide support for the banknote stack. Specifically, the temporary banknote receptacle may comprise such further contact surfaces and/or elements for supporting the banknote stack.

The language "configured to press the banknote stack" should not be construed as limited to embodiments where the banknote engager is structured and arranged to, in an absence of banknotes in the temporary banknote receptacle, make contact with one of, or both of, the first and second banknote engagement portions. As readily appreciated by the person skilled in the art, a banknote stack may be pressed towards a banknote engagement portion even for embodiments where the banknote engager cannot make contact with a banknote engagement portion if only the dimensions of the banknote stack is sufficiently large. However, for preferred embodiments, the banknote engager is structured and arranged to, in an absence of banknotes in the temporary banknote receptacle, make contact with at least one of the first and second banknote engagement portions. Furthermore, the language "configured to press the banknote stack" implies that a distance between the banknote engager and the first and/or the second banknote engagement portions decreases as the banknote engager moves from the inactive position towards the active position. In other words, the banknote engager moves in a direction towards the first and/or the second banknote engagement portions during said movement from the inactive position towards the active position.

It should be understood that the banknote engager may be configured to press the banknote stack towards the first banknote engagement portion or towards the second banknote engagement portion or towards the first and second banknote engagement portions. This implies that the active position may be defined in relation to the first banknote engagement portion and/or in relation to the second banknote engagement portion dependent on the situation. A typical situation where the banknote engager may press the banknote stack towards the second banknote engagement portion is when one or more banknotes have been disorderly arranged in the temporary banknote receptacle such that they predominately rest on the second banknote engagement portion instead of the first banknote engagement portion. By allowing the banknote engager to press the banknote stack towards the second banknote engagement portion, it may be easier to transport the one or more banknotes out from the temporary banknote receptacle. For some embodiments the banknote engager is configured to press the banknote stack towards the first banknote engagement portion only. For some embodiments the banknote engager is configured to press the banknote stack towards the second banknote engagement portion only.

According to some embodiments, the banknote stack transport arrangement is configured to transport said banknote stack out from the temporary banknote receptacle via the exit gap in one displacement operation. This may be advantageous as it provides an efficient transport operation of the banknote stack. In most situations, one operation is enough for transporting the banknote stack out from the temporary banknote receptacle. This implies that it may be sufficient to provide one displacement operation of the first and second banknote engagement portions to completely empty the temporary banknote receptacle. However, there may be situations where one operation is not enough. For such situations, the banknote stack transport arrangement may be configured to perform other actions, such as but not limited to: stop displacing the first and second banknote engagement portions, moving the banknote engager to the active position, and displacing the first and second banknote engagement portions in a reverse direction.

According to some embodiments, the second structure is fixedly arranged in the banknote transport arrangement. This may be advantageous for several reasons. Firstly, the arrangement can be made less complex. Secondly, by allowing the first structure to be movable, the banknote engager will exert pressure in substantially the same direction as the direction in which the first structure will swingably move when commencing a transport operation of a banknote stack out from the temporary banknote receptacle.

According to some embodiments, each of the first and second banknote engagement portions are defined by one or more conveyor belts. This may be advantageous as it may provide a relatively large surface area available for contacting the banknote stack. Having a relatively large surface area allows for a more reliable transport of the banknote stack, because the risk of the banknote engagement portions losing fixed contact with the banknote stack, i.e. starts to slip, is reduced. A further advantage of using conveyor belts may be that conveyor belts typically are made from materials having high friction properties, thus further reducing the risk of slipping.

There are other ways of designing the banknote engagement portions. For example, each of the first and second banknote engagement portions may be defined by one or more rollers. It is also conceivable that said portions are defined by one or more wheels or one or more chains.

According to some embodiments, the first and second structures are biased towards each other to the closed configuration. This may be advantageous because it allows the at least one of the first and second structures to move from the closed configuration to the open configuration passively as a result from the displaced banknote stack forcing the opening of the exit gap by its own displacement. Thus, for these embodiments, no active drive mechanism will be needed to move the at least one of the first and second structures from the closed configuration to the open configuration.

According to some embodiments, the banknote engager extends from a fixed end at which the banknote engager is pivotally arranged, to a free end which presents an engaging surface configured to be in contact with the banknote stack for pressing the banknote stack towards the first and/or the second banknote engagement portion when the banknote engager is in the active position. This may be advantageous, because it allows the banknote engager to be operated by a rotational motion, which may allow a simplified drive mechanism. Moreover, the pivotally arranged banknote engager may be easier to arrange in the banknote stack transport arrangement, as the fixed end will be located at some distance from the first and second structures. The banknote engager may be swingably movable between the inactive and active positions. The banknote engager may be pivotally arranged at the fixed end along a pivot axis.

According to some embodiments, the banknote engager comprises one or more engaging elements arranged at the free end, wherein said one or more engaging elements together define said engaging surface. The one or more engaging elements may comprise one or more rollers. Alternatively, or additionally, the one or more engaging elements may comprise one or more wheels.

According to some embodiments, the banknote stack transport arrangement is configured to:.

This may be advantageous as it allows transporting the banknote stack without using the banknote engager for those situations where this works perfectly and efficiently. One example of such a situation is an orderly stacked banknote stack including undamaged and/or planar banknotes. For such situations, the banknote engager may potentially complicate the transport process instead of aiding it, and it may therefore be more efficient to not make use of it. By allowing the banknote engager to arrive at the active position after a predetermined time period, the displacement operation commenced by the first and second banknote engagement portions will first have a chance to attempt transporting the banknote stack on its own. If the transport process is not successful within the time period, the banknote engager will arrive at the active position and aid with the transport.

According to some embodiments, the banknote transport arrangement further comprises a drive unit configured to, via a drive mechanism, provide kinetic energy to the first and second structures for displacing said first and second banknote engagement portions.

According to some embodiments, the drive unit is further configured to, via the drive mechanism, move the banknote engager between the inactive and active positions.

Providing a drive mechanism that controls both the displacement of the first and second banknote engagement portions and the movement of the banknote engager may simplify the banknote stack transport arrangement. Moreover, it allows for using a single drive unit for both the portion displacement and the engager movement.

According to some embodiments, the drive unit is an electric motor.

According to some embodiments, the drive mechanism is configured such that kinetic energy is provided to the first and second banknote engagement portions only for one rotational direction of the drive unit, such that said first and second banknote engagement portions are only displaceable in a direction towards the exit gap.

This may be advantageous as it removes the risk of accidentally displacing the first and second banknote engagement portions in a direction opposite to the intended direction. If the first and second banknote engagement portions suddenly were to be displaced in the opposite direction, the banknote stack may break up into individual banknotes inside the temporary banknote receptacle, increasing the risk of jam. Furthermore, for these embodiments, the drive unit may be allowed to operate along both rotational directions without risking causing displacement in the opposite direction. One way to configure the drive mechanism such that kinetic energy is provided to the first and second banknote engagement portions only for one rotational direction of the drive unit is by using one or more one-way clutch bearings in the drive mechanism. Such clutch bearings will transfer kinetic energy supplied to the clutch bearing along a predefined rotational direction whereas it will not transfer any kinetic energy supplied to the clutch bearing along a rotational direction being opposite to the predefined rotational direction.

According to some embodiments, the drive unit is configured to be operated along a forward rotational direction for moving the banknote engager from the inactive to the active position, and a reverse rotational direction for moving the banknote engager from the active to the inactive position. The drive mechanism may be configured such that the drive unit operates in the forward direction when the banknote engager is located in the active position. This may be achieved by using one or more slip clutches or torque limiters in the drive mechanism. Such components allow mechanical coupling between the drive unit and the banknote engager as long as the torque supplied by the drive unit does not exceed a maximum threshold value. If the torque exceeds the maximum threshold value, the component either mechanically uncouples the drive mechanism from the banknote engager or limits the torque by slipping. For the example embodiments, the latter alternative is preferably used. In other words, the drive mechanism may be configured to exert a torque to the banknote engager when the banknote engager is in the active position and the drive unit is operated in the forward direction. This achieves the effect that the banknote engager may press the banknote stack towards the first and/or the second banknote engagement portion.

According to some embodiments, the banknote transport arrangement further comprises a banknote stacking wheel configured to receive the one or more banknotes, move the one or more banknotes into the temporary banknote receptacle, and form a banknote stack therein.

According to a second aspect there is provided a cash handling machine comprising:.

According to a third aspect there is provided a method for transporting one or more banknotes inside a cash handling machine, wherein said cash handling machine comprises:.

According to some embodiments, the step of displacing said first and second banknote engagement portions is initiated at a first time position, and wherein the step of moving the banknote engager is initiated at a second time position,
wherein said first and second time positions relate to each other such that said displacing of said first and second banknote engagement portions has been ongoing for a time period when the banknote engager reaches the active position.

Effects and features of the second and third aspects are largely analogous to those described above in connection with the first aspect. Embodiments mentioned in relation to the first aspect are largely compatible with the second aspect and third aspects.

A further scope of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description given below. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the disclosure, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. It must be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claim, the articles "a", "an", "the", and "said" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

The disclosure will by way of example be described in more detail with reference to the appended drawings, which shows presently preferred embodiments of the disclosure.

The present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which currently preferred embodiments of the disclosure are shown. This disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided for thoroughness and completeness, and fully convey the scope of the disclosure to the skilled person.

<FIG> shows a banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM> according to an example embodiment. The banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM> is typically used inside a cash handling machine of the kind handling large amounts of banknotes. The banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM> may be specifically advantageous to use within a cash handling machine used for depositing cash. Such a machine will be further described later.

The banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM> will here first be described with reference to <FIG> in terms of its structural features, whereas its function will be described more in detail later with references to <FIG>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM> comprises a first structure <NUM> having first <NUM> and second <NUM> ends. The first structure <NUM> comprises a first shaft <NUM> arranged at the first end <NUM> and a second shaft <NUM> arranged at the second end <NUM>. The first shaft <NUM> is rotationally arranged in the first structure <NUM>. One or more conveyor belts 118a-c extend between the first <NUM> and second <NUM> shafts. In the example embodiment, three conveyor belts are used. Conveyor belt 118b is located in the central part of the first structure <NUM>, whereas conveyor belts 118a and 118c are located in vicinity of side walls 134a, 134b which interconnects the first <NUM> and second <NUM> structure. In several of the Figures, side wall 134a has been partly or entirely removed to make it possible to see the interior of the arrangement.

The one or more conveyor belts 118a-c together presents a first banknote engagement portion <NUM> which is displaceable in relation to the first structure <NUM>. The purpose of the first banknote engagement portion <NUM> is to provide support for a banknote stack <NUM> as will be described more in detail later. The first structure <NUM> is pivotally arranged at its first end <NUM> so as to be swingably movable around pivot axis A1 (see <FIG> and most clearly in <FIG>). The first structure <NUM> is movable between a closed configuration C1 and an open configuration C2. In the closed configuration C1, which is illustrated in <FIG>, the first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions are in contact with each other at the second associated ends <NUM>, <NUM> such that they together form a bottom part of a temporary banknote receptacle <NUM>. As will be further described later, the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM> is configured to receive one or more banknotes <NUM> and support a formation of a banknote stack <NUM> therein.

The banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM> further comprises a second structure <NUM> having first <NUM> and second <NUM> ends. The second structure <NUM> comprises a first shaft <NUM> arranged at the first end <NUM> and a second shaft <NUM> arranged at the second end <NUM>. The first shaft <NUM> is rotationally arranged in the second structure <NUM>. One or more conveyor belts 128a-c extend between the first <NUM> and second <NUM> shafts. In the example embodiment, three conveyor belts are used. Conveyor belt 128b is located in the central part of the second structure <NUM>, whereas conveyor belts 128a and 128c are located in vicinity of side walls 134a, 134b. The one or more conveyor belts 128a-c together presents a second banknote engagement portion <NUM> which is displaceable in relation to the second structure <NUM>. The purpose of the second banknote engagement portion <NUM> is to provide support for a banknote stack <NUM> as will be described in more detail later. For the example embodiment, the second structure <NUM> is fixedly arranged in the banknote transport arrangement <NUM>. The first <NUM> and second <NUM> structures are arranged such that said first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions are distanced from each other at the first associated ends <NUM>, <NUM> for allowing one or more banknotes <NUM> to enter in between the banknote engagement portions <NUM>, <NUM>. The first <NUM> and second <NUM> structures are biased towards each other to the closed configuration C1. In the example embodiment the biasing is achieved by means of a coil spring (not shown) arranged at the pivot axis A1.

As can be seen in <FIG>, the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM> of the example embodiment extends beyond the first <NUM> and second <NUM> structures and is consequently defined by further features. These include already mentioned side walls 134a, 134b, first upper support structure <NUM> and second upper support structure <NUM>. When the first structure <NUM> is in the closed configuration C1, the first upper support structure <NUM> is slightly angled with respect to the first banknote engagement portion <NUM> of the first structure <NUM> and presents two protrusions 137a, 137b which, together with the first banknote engagement portion <NUM>, presents an interface for supporting a banknote stack <NUM>. The second upper support structure <NUM> presents two elongate openings 139a, 139b trough which a banknote stacking wheel <NUM> protrudes from below. The banknote stacking wheel <NUM> is configured to receive one or more banknotes <NUM>, move the one or more banknotes <NUM> into the temporary banknote receptacle and form a banknote stack <NUM> therein.

The banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM> further comprises a banknote engager <NUM>. The banknote engager <NUM> is movable between an inactive position P1 and an active position P2. As will be described in detail later, in the active position P2 the banknote engager <NUM> is configured to press the banknote stack <NUM> towards the first banknote engagement portion <NUM>. In <FIG>, the banknote engager <NUM> is located in the inactive position P1. The banknote engager <NUM> extends from a fixed end <NUM> at which the banknote engager <NUM> is pivotally arranged, to a free end <NUM>. The banknote engager <NUM> is pivotally arranged in the banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM> along pivot axis A2 (see <FIG>). At one of its sides, the banknote engager <NUM> is pivotally arranged by means of a banknote engager shaft <NUM> (see <FIG>) which protrudes out through side wall 134a to couple to a drive mechanism as will be further described later. In the example embodiment, the banknote engager <NUM> comprises side arms 151a, 151b which extend between the fixed end <NUM> and the free end <NUM>. Engaging element <NUM> extends between the side arms 151a, 151b at the free end <NUM>. The engaging element <NUM> presents an engaging surface <NUM> which is configured to be in contact with a banknote stack <NUM> for pressing said banknote stack <NUM> towards the first and/or the second banknote engagement portion <NUM> when the banknote engager is in the active position P2.

The banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM> further comprises a drive unit <NUM> configured to, via a drive mechanism <NUM>, provide kinetic energy to the first <NUM> and second <NUM> structures for displacing the first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions. Although illustrated in <FIG>, the drive unit <NUM> and the drive mechanism <NUM> is most clearly illustrated in <FIG>.

The drive mechanism <NUM> comprises two separate transmission lines: a first transmission line <NUM> configured to supply kinetic energy from the drive unit <NUM> to the first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions (i.e. to one or more conveyor belts 118a-c and 128a-c), and a second transmission line <NUM> configured to supply kinetic energy from the drive unit <NUM> to the banknote engager <NUM>. The drive unit <NUM> of the example embodiment is an electric motor. The drive unit <NUM> comprises a drive shaft <NUM> which carries both drive pulley <NUM>, which forms a part of the first transmission line <NUM>, and drive gear <NUM>, which forms a part of the second transmission line <NUM>.

The first transmission line <NUM> is most clearly illustrated in <FIG> and operates as follows: As the drive unit <NUM> rotates the drive shaft <NUM> in the counter clockwise direction, as illustrated in <FIG>, the drive pulley <NUM> forces the drive belt <NUM> to move along with it. The drive belt <NUM> connects with three other pulleys: a first banknote engagement portion pulley <NUM> which is attached to the first shaft <NUM> of the first structure <NUM>, a second banknote engagement portion pulley <NUM> which is attached to the first shaft <NUM> of the second structure <NUM>, and a biasing pulley <NUM>, which is disposed in between the first <NUM> and <NUM> second banknote engagement portion pulleys. As clearly illustrated in <FIG>, the counter clockwise rotation of the drive unit <NUM> will make the first banknote engagement portion pulley <NUM> rotate in the clockwise direction and the second banknote engagement portion pulley <NUM> to rotate in the counter clockwise direction. As readily appreciated by the person skilled in the art, this will allow both of the two banknote engagement portions <NUM>, <NUM> to be displaced in a direction from the first associated ends <NUM>, <NUM> to the second associated ends <NUM>, <NUM>. The biasing pulley <NUM> is arranged at a movable end of a lever <NUM> which is swingably attached to the banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM> at a pivot point <NUM>. The lever <NUM> is secured to side wall 134a to prevent rotation thereof by means of screw <NUM>. This allows for keeping the tension of the drive belt <NUM> to avoid slipping.

The second transmission line <NUM> is most clearly illustrated in <FIG> and operates as follows: As the drive unit <NUM> rotates the drive shaft <NUM> in the counter clockwise direction, as illustrated in <FIG>, the drive gear <NUM> engages large-diameter transmission gear <NUM> and forces the same to rotate in the clockwise direction. The transmission gear <NUM> is rotationally arranged on a first transmission shaft <NUM> which is fixedly arranged in the banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM>. Also rotationally arranged on the first transmission shaft <NUM>, and coupled to the transmission gear <NUM> (see more details on said coupling later), is small-diameter transmission gear <NUM>. The transmission gear <NUM> engages transmission gear <NUM> which is rotationally arranged on second transmission shaft <NUM>, which in turn is fixedly arranged in the banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM>. Finally, the transmission gear <NUM> engages banknote engager gear <NUM> which is attached to the banknote engager shaft <NUM>. As readily appreciated by the person skilled in the art, a rotation in the counter clockwise direction of drive unit <NUM> will result in a rotation in the clockwise direction of the banknote engager gear <NUM>. As evident from <FIG>, such a clockwise rotation will move the banknote engager <NUM> from the inactive position P1 to the active position P2.

In order for the drive unit <NUM> and drive mechanism <NUM> to control both the first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions and the banknote engager <NUM> to satisfaction, two further kind of mechanical components are used.

The first kind of such components are one-way clutch bearings 173a and 174a which form parts of the first transmission line <NUM> of the drive mechanism <NUM>. As illustrated in <FIG>, the one-way clutch bearing 173a is arranged between the first shaft <NUM> of the first structure <NUM> and the first banknote engagement portion pulley <NUM>, whereas the one-way clutch bearing 174a is arranged between the first shaft <NUM> of the second structure <NUM> and the second banknote engagement portion pulley <NUM>. The one-way clutch bearings 173a, 174a allows for controlling the rotational direction of the first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portion pulleys and hence the displacement of the first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions. The one-way clutch bearing 173a is arranged with respect to the first shaft <NUM> of the first structure <NUM> and/or first banknote engagement portion pulley <NUM> such that only the rotation in the clockwise direction enables transfer of kinetic energy to the first shaft <NUM> of the first structure <NUM>. The one-way clutch bearing 174a is arranged with respect to the first shaft <NUM> of the second structure <NUM> and/or second banknote engagement portion pulley <NUM> such that only the rotation in the counter clockwise direction enables transfer of kinetic energy to the first shaft <NUM> of the second structure <NUM>. In other words, if the drive unit <NUM> were to be rotated in reverse, i.e. in the clockwise direction, the first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portion pulleys would not be able to rotate the first associated shafts <NUM>, <NUM> of the structures <NUM>, <NUM>. This way, it is ensured that the first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions are never displaced in a direction extending from the second associated ends <NUM>, <NUM> towards the first associated ends <NUM>, <NUM>. Such a displacement is generally unwanted, because a banknote stack <NUM> residing in the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM> will be displaced upwardly in the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM>, which increases the risk of the banknote stack <NUM> breaking apart and individual banknotes <NUM> of the banknote stack <NUM> getting jammed in the banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM>.

The second of these further components is a slip clutch <NUM> which is arranged between the transmission gear <NUM> and transmission gear <NUM> as is schematically illustrated in <FIG>. The slip clutch <NUM> allow mechanical coupling between the transmission gear <NUM> and the transmission gear <NUM> as long as the torque supplied by transmission gear <NUM> does not exceed a maximum threshold value. If the torque exceeds the maximum threshold value, the slip clutch <NUM> will limit the torque by slipping. As readily appreciated by the person skilled in the art, this has the consequence that the rest of the second transmission line <NUM> and the banknote engager <NUM> which is connected to the end of the transmission line <NUM>, will not move even if the drive unit <NUM> rotates the transmission gear <NUM>. By using the slip clutch <NUM>, it is possible to continue operating the drive unit <NUM> in the counter clockwise direction as illustrated in <FIG> and thereby continuing displacing the first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions even if the banknote engager <NUM> has reached the active position P2. At the active position P2, the slip clutch <NUM> will allow for the banknote engager <NUM> to supply a force in the direction of the first banknote engagement portion <NUM> as long as the drive unit <NUM> is in operation.

Having described the structural features of the banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM> in detail with reference to <FIG>, it is now time to describe how the banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM> handles a transport of a banknote stack <NUM>. This will be done with reference to <FIG> which illustrates the banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM> in different phases of the transport process.

<FIG> illustrates a stacking process of banknotes <NUM> in the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM> of the banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM>. The stacking process starts with a step of rotating the banknote stacking wheel <NUM> in the counter clockwise direction while individual banknotes <NUM> are supplied to the banknote stacking wheel <NUM>. Supplying individual banknotes to banknote stacking wheels are well known in the art, one common approach being based on a pair of oppositely arranged conveyor belts which presses individual banknotes in between them and transport the individual notes between two positions within a cash handling machine. Going back to <FIG>, we see how a banknote stack <NUM> is formed within the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM>. The banknote stack <NUM> is formed such that the first banknote engagement portion <NUM> contacts a face side <NUM> of the banknote stack <NUM> and the second banknote engagement <NUM> portion contacts an edge side <NUM> of the banknote stack <NUM>. In <FIG> the banknote stack <NUM> has been formed and the banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM> is ready to transport the banknote stack <NUM> out from the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM>. Also schematically illustrated in <FIG> are the two configurations of the first structure <NUM>. In <FIG>, the first structure <NUM> is in the closed configuration C1, at which the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM> is closed at its lower end by the first banknote engagement portion <NUM> being in contact with the second banknote engagement portion <NUM> at the second associated ends <NUM>, <NUM> of the first <NUM> and second <NUM> structures. The dotted lines illustrate the position of the structure <NUM> when it has been moved to the open configuration C2 along the indicated arrow.

The first phase of the banknote stack transport process will now be described with reference to <FIG>. When the banknote stack <NUM> has been formed in the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM>, the banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM> is ready to transport the banknote stack <NUM>. Typically, the banknote stack <NUM> is to be transported from the banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM> to a cash storage compartment located under the banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM>. As will be discussed later, such a compartment may be a safe, i.e. a locked and secured storage compartment. The banknote transport process is typically initiated in response to a signal reaching the banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM> from a control unit of the cash handling machine of which the arrangement <NUM> is part. The signal triggers the drive unit <NUM> to start rotating in the counter clockwise direction. This will initiate a displacement of the first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions in a direction towards the second associated ends <NUM>, <NUM>. The banknote stack <NUM>, which resides in the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM>, will then be forced downwards. This will in turn force the first structure <NUM> to move from the closed configuration C1 to the open configuration C2. In the open configuration C2, the first structure <NUM> has been swingably moved about the pivot axis A1 such that the first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions are separated from each other at the second associated ends <NUM>, <NUM> so as to define an exit gap <NUM>. The banknote stack <NUM> now resides in between the first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions and are pressed in between them at the second associated ends <NUM>, <NUM>. As the first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions continues to be displaced, the banknote stack <NUM> will continue its transport process out through the exit gap <NUM>. As most clearly illustrated in <FIG>, the banknote engager <NUM>, which by means of the second transmission line <NUM> started to move from the inactive position P1 in the direction towards the banknote stack <NUM> in response to the start of the drive unit <NUM>, has now reached a position somewhere in between the inactive position and the banknote stack <NUM>. Thus, at this stage of the transport process, the banknote engager <NUM> has not yet played a role in the transport process.

<FIG> illustrates the next step of the banknote stack transport process. Here, the banknote stack <NUM> has been transported about <NUM>/<NUM> through the exit gap <NUM>. At this point in time, the banknote engager <NUM> has finally reached the active position P2 at which it is configured to press the banknote stack <NUM> towards the first and/or the second banknote engagement portion <NUM> (In the example illustrated in <FIG>, the banknote engager <NUM> only presses the banknote stack <NUM> towards the first banknote engagement portion <NUM>). This facilitates the banknote stack transport process, as it enables the banknote stack <NUM> to keep together in a stack formation, and, further, to increase the frictional forces between the banknote stack <NUM> and the first banknote engagement portion <NUM>. Although not shown in the drawings, the banknote engager <NUM> may be configured to press the banknote stack <NUM> towards the second banknote engagement portion <NUM>. This implies that the active position may be defined in relation to the second banknote engagement portion <NUM> instead of the first banknote engagement portion <NUM>. This may for example occur when one or more banknotes <NUM> have been disorderly arranged in the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM> such that they predominately rest on the second banknote engagement portion <NUM> instead of the first banknote engagement portion <NUM>. By allowing the banknote engager <NUM> to press the banknote stack <NUM> towards the second banknote engagement portion <NUM>, it may be easier to transport the one or more banknotes <NUM> out from the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM>.

As can be understood by the person skilled in the art, the banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM> of the disclosure hence is configured to transport the banknote stack <NUM> out from the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM> via the exit gap <NUM> by displacing said first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions in relation to said first <NUM> and second <NUM> structures and by moving the banknote engager <NUM> to the active position P2. As readily appreciated by the person skilled in the art, displacing the first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions in relation to the first <NUM> and second <NUM> structures may be sufficient to transport the banknote stack <NUM> out from the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM>. The displacement will force the banknote stack <NUM> towards a bottom of the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM> (i.e. at the second associated ends <NUM>, <NUM> of the first <NUM> and second <NUM> structures). The force from the banknote stack <NUM> will force the first <NUM> structure to distance itself from the second structure <NUM> from at their second associated ends <NUM>, <NUM>, thereby forming the exit gap <NUM> for allowing the banknote stack <NUM> to leave the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM>. There may however be situations where the displacement of the first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions is not enough for transporting the banknote stack <NUM> out from the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM>. Typically, such situations occur when the banknote stack <NUM> includes few banknotes <NUM> and/or the banknotes <NUM> of the stack <NUM> are not correctly aligned in the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM>, and/or one or more banknotes <NUM> of the banknote stack <NUM> are damaged e.g. by folds, tears, holes and foil wear. For such situations, the banknote engager <NUM> may aid in the transport process by pressing the banknote stack <NUM> towards the first banknote engagement portion <NUM>, thereby reducing the risk that one or more banknotes of the banknote stack <NUM> are prevented from being transported out from the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM>.

Typically, the banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM> is configured to transport said banknote <NUM> stack out from the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM> via the exit gap <NUM> in one displacement operation. However, sometimes, this is not possible. There may for example be situations where one or more banknotes <NUM> of the stack <NUM> is not transported out through the exit gap <NUM> with the rest of the banknote stack <NUM>. Alternatively, the banknote stack <NUM> may be incorrectly aligned in the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM>. Alternatively, one or more banknotes <NUM> of the banknote stack <NUM> may be damaged e.g. by folds, tears, holes and foil wear. In such situations it may not be possible to transport the banknote stack <NUM> out from the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM> in one transport operation. Instead, the drive unit <NUM> may be operated in reverse, i.e. in the clockwise direction, forcing the banknote engager <NUM> to move backwards in the direction of the inactive position P1 and hence loosen its grip of the banknote stack <NUM>. At the same time, displacement of the first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions ceases, as a result from the one-way clutch bearings 173a, 174a preventing the drive unit <NUM> to reverse the displacement direction of the first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions. If the drive unit <NUM> is then yet again operated in the counter clockwise direction, displacement of the first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions is yet again initiated and the banknote engager <NUM> is moved to the active position P2. It has been seen that this iterative process will for most cases ultimately result in all banknotes <NUM> of the banknote stack <NUM> being transported out from the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM>.

One intrinsic feature of the present example embodiment of the arrangement is that the banknote engager <NUM> reaches the active position P2 after the first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions has already displaced the banknote stack <NUM> at least partly out from the exit gap <NUM>. This is illustrated in the timing diagram of <FIG>. The banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM> is configured to initiate the displacing of said first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions at a first time position T1, and initiate the moving of the banknote engager <NUM> at a second time position T2, wherein said first T1 and second T2 time positions relates to each other such that said displacing of said first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions has been ongoing for a time period TP when the banknote engager <NUM> reaches the active position P2. As can be seen in <FIG>, the first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions are displacing from the first time position T1 until a fourth time position T4. This is illustrated in <FIG> by time block C. The banknote engager <NUM> will start its movement from the inactive position P1 towards the active position P2 at the second time position T2 but will not reach the active position P2 until a third time position T3. This time of banknote engager movement is illustrated in <FIG> by time block B1. The banknote engager <NUM> will then remain in the active position P2 as long as the drive unit <NUM> operates the banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM>. This lasts until the fourth time position T4. The time block B2 marks the time period during which the banknote engager <NUM> is in the active position P2. For the example embodiment, the time period TP is achieved even if the first time position T1 and the second time position T2 occurs simultaneously or substantially simultaneously, as indicated in <FIG>. The reason for this is that the example embodiment utilizes a built-in mechanical delay, as has been described already with reference to <FIG>. It should be understood that the banknote stack transport arrangement of the disclosure is not limited to this particular embodiment, and that other means of achieving said time period is equally applicable within the scope of the claims. One such alternative example embodiment could have separate drive mechanisms and drive units which could be operated by the control unit to initiate displacement and movement at different respective time positions.

A method for transporting one or more banknotes inside a cash handling machine <NUM> will now be described with reference to <FIG>. Much of the details has already been described in detail hereinabove and the method will thus be described only in brief. The cash handling machine <NUM> comprises a first structure <NUM> having first <NUM> and second <NUM> ends and presenting a first banknote engagement portion <NUM> being displaceable in relation to the first structure <NUM>; a second structure <NUM> having first <NUM> and second <NUM> ends and presenting a second banknote engagement portion <NUM> being displaceable in relation to the second structure <NUM>; said first <NUM> and second <NUM> structures being arranged such that said first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions are distanced from each other at the first associated ends <NUM>, <NUM> for allowing one or more banknotes <NUM> to enter in between the portions, wherein at least one of the first <NUM> and second <NUM> structures is pivotally arranged at its first end <NUM> so as to be swingably movable.

The method comprises the step of receiving S102, when said at least one of the first <NUM> and second <NUM> structures is in a closed configuration C1 at which the first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions are in contact with each other at the second associated ends <NUM>, <NUM> so as to form at least a bottom part of a temporary banknote receptacle <NUM>: one or more banknotes <NUM> in the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM> and supporting a formation of a banknote stack <NUM> therein such that the first banknote engagement portion <NUM> contacts a face side <NUM> of the banknote stack <NUM> and the second banknote engagement portion <NUM> contacts an edge side <NUM> of the banknote stack <NUM>.

The method further comprises the step of moving S104 a banknote engager <NUM> of the cash handling machine <NUM> to an active position P2 at which the banknote engager <NUM> is configured to press the banknote stack <NUM> towards the first banknote engagement portion <NUM>.

The method further comprises the step of displacing S106 said first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions in relation to said first <NUM> and second <NUM> structures so as to transport, when said at least one of the first <NUM> and second <NUM> structures is in an open configuration C2 at which the first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions are separated from each other at the second associated ends <NUM>, <NUM> so as to define an exit gap <NUM>: the banknote stack <NUM> out from the temporary banknote receptacle <NUM> via the exit gap <NUM>.

The step of displacing said first <NUM> and second <NUM> banknote engagement portions may be initiated at a first time position T1, and the step of moving of the banknote engager <NUM> may be initiated at a second time position T2, wherein said first and second time positions relates to each other such that said displacing of said first and second banknote engagement portions has been ongoing for a time period TP when the banknote engager <NUM> reaches the active position P2.

<FIG> illustrates a cash handling machine <NUM> according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The cash handling machine <NUM> is of a kind usually used for depositing large amounts of cash by personnel for example in stores and financial establishments. The user may enter cash and deposit the cash value electronically to his or her account. The cash is physically transported by the cash handling machine <NUM> to a storage compartment of the machine.

The cash handling machine <NUM> of the example embodiment comprises a banknote input unit <NUM> for allowing a user to input one or more banknotes <NUM>. The user operates the cash handling machine <NUM> by inputting commands and instructions via an operating interface <NUM>. In response to specific user instructions, the one or more banknotes <NUM> are transported internally within the machine <NUM> to a banknote counting and counterfeit determination unit <NUM> within which the banknotes <NUM> are counted and investigated to assess if they are genuine or counterfeit. After this process, the one or more banknotes <NUM> are transported to a banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM> configured to receive said one or more banknotes <NUM> and transport the same into a safe <NUM>. The safe <NUM> is located below the features described already, and the banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM> may thus transport the one or more banknotes <NUM> by allowing them to fall into the safe <NUM> by gravity. The safe <NUM> may comprise a dedicated storage compartment, such as a heat-sealable cash bag, a canvas bag or a banknote cassette (not shown). Cash handling machines of this kind typically have different access levels or rights. Typically, the safe <NUM> is not accessible by the users depositing their banknotes <NUM>, which users merely have a limited access to the upper parts of the machine <NUM>. The safe <NUM> is instead typically maintained by cash-in-transit (CIT) personnel who have full access to the machine <NUM>, including the safe <NUM>. One embodiment of the banknote stack transport arrangement <NUM> has been described hereinabove. However, the cash handling machine may comprise also other embodiments of the banknote stack transport arrangement within the scope of the appended claims.

Claim 1:
A banknote stack transport arrangement (<NUM>) for a cash handling machine (<NUM>), comprising:
a first structure (<NUM>) having first (<NUM>) and second (<NUM>) ends and presenting a first banknote engagement portion (<NUM>) being displaceable in relation to the first structure;
a second structure (<NUM>) having first (<NUM>) and second (<NUM>) ends and presenting a second banknote engagement portion (<NUM>) being displaceable in relation to the second structure;
said first and second structures being arranged such that said first and second banknote engagement portions are distanced from each other at the first associated ends (<NUM>, <NUM>) for allowing one or more banknotes (<NUM>) to enter in between the banknote engagement portions;
characterised in that at least one of the first and second structures is pivotally arranged at its first end (<NUM>) so as to be swingably movable between:
a closed configuration at which the first and second banknote engagement portions (<NUM>, <NUM>) are in contact with each other at the second associated ends (<NUM>, <NUM>) such that they together form at least a bottom part of a temporary banknote receptacle (<NUM>) configured to receive the one or more banknotes (<NUM>) and support a formation of a banknote stack (<NUM>) therein, such that the first banknote engagement portion (<NUM>) contacts a face side (<NUM>) of the banknote stack (<NUM>) and the second banknote engagement (<NUM>) portion contacts an edge side (<NUM>) of the banknote stack (<NUM>); and
an open configuration at which the first and second banknote engagement portions are separated from each other at the second associated ends (<NUM>, <NUM>) so as to define an exit gap (<NUM>); and
a banknote engager (<NUM>) movable between an inactive position (P1) and an active position (P2), at which active position the banknote engager is configured to press the banknote stack towards the first (<NUM>) and/or the second (<NUM>) banknote engagement portion;
wherein the banknote stack transport arrangement is configured to transport said banknote stack (<NUM>) out from the temporary banknote receptacle (<NUM>) via the exit gap (<NUM>) by displacing said first (<NUM>) and second (<NUM>) banknote engagement portions in relation to said first (<NUM>) and second (<NUM>) structures and by moving the banknote engager (<NUM>) to the active position (P2).