Patent ID: 7407157

Claim:
An arrangement for handling banknotes and/or other documents, said arrangement comprising: a magazine ( 13 ) containing a plurality of magazine pockets ( 18 ), each one of said pockets being arranged to receive only one banknote or other document therein and having, at one end thereof, a combined infeed and outfeed opening ( 26 ) through which a banknote or other document can be fed into or fed out from said pocket ( 18 ), and each one of said pockets being provided with holding means ( 27 ) for releasably holding, within said pocket, a banknote or other document fed into said pocket ( 18 ); controllable driving means ( 16 , 17 ) for the magazine ( 13 ), by means of which a selectable magazine pocket ( 18 ) can be placed with said opening ( 26 ) in front of a selected one of an infeed station ( 14 ) and an outfeed station ( 15 ) located adjacent to said magazine ( 13 ); first feeding means ( 33 ) provided at the infeed station ( 14 ) for controllably feeding a banknote or other document from a pocket ( 18 ) placed in front of the infeed station ( 14 ); second feeding means ( 36 ) provided at the outfeed station ( 15 ) for controllably feeding a banknote or other document from a pocket ( 18 ) placed in front of the outfeed station ( 15 ); first cam means ( 32 ) provided at the infeed station ( 14 ); and second cam means ( 32 ) provided at the outfeed station ( 15 ), wherein: said holding means of each said magazine pocket ( 18 ) comprise at least one pair of resiliently flexible clamping means having clamping portions ( 27 ′) located at or near said opening ( 26 ) and movable relative to each other between, on the one hand, clamping positions in which said clamping portions are arranged to bear resiliently against mutually opposite sides of a banknote or other document fed into said pocket ( 18 ), and, on the other hand, release positions in which said clamping portions permit an unobstructed infeed of a banknote or other document into said pocket ( 18 ) by said first feeding means ( 33 ), or an unobstructed outfeed of a banknote or other document from said pocket ( 18 ) by said second feeding means ( 36 ); and said clamping portions ( 27 ′) of a magazine pocket ( 18 ) placed in front of one of the stations ( 14 , 15 ) are capable of being brought to engage a respective one of said cam means and to move from the clamping position to the release position through a limited relative displacement of said pocket ( 18 ) and the respective one of said cam means ( 32 ) in a direction towards each other.