Patent ID: 7699152

Claim:
A device for discriminating valuable papers comprising: a conveyer for transporting a valuable paper inserted from an inlet along a passageway to a stand-by position of the passageway; a validation sensor for detecting an optical or a magnetic pattern of the paper moving through the passageway to produce detection signals; a stacking device for stowing the paper in the stand-by position into an accumulation chamber; a trigger element connected to a battery and turned on by an opening operation of a cover mounted adjacent to the inlet; a drive controller for receiving detection signals from the validation sensor, validating the authenticity of the paper and providing the conveyer and stacking device with drive signals, said drive controller comprising a timer for counting time elapse since the trigger element is turned on; a self-holding circuit connected between the battery and drive controller and switched from an inactive to an active condition when the trigger element is turned on to supply electric power from the battery through the self-holding circuit to the drive controller, validation sensor and conveyer; a shutoff circuit which has a control terminal for receiving a control signal from the drive controller to switch the self-holding circuit in the active to the inactive condition and thereby interrupt the power supply through the self-holding circuit; and a stack sensor for detecting stowage of the paper into the accumulation chamber in the stacking device to produce a detection signal to the drive controller; wherein the drive controller is further operated to: i) rotate the conveyer in the forward direction to transport the paper to the stand-by position, when the drive controller decides the paper inserted from the inlet is genuine; ii) provide the control signal for the shutoff circuit to switch the self-holding circuit from the active to the inactive condition, when the drive controller receives a detection signal from the stack sensor; iii) rotate the conveyer in the adverse direction to return the paper to the inlet, when the drive controller does not decide the paper inserted from the inlet is genuine; and iv) switch the self-holding circuit from the active to the inactive condition, when the timer has counted a predetermined period of time.