Ncr Corporation

David A Hain

Brian G Hutchison

Alfred J Hutcheon

Jan Durajczyk

Ian J Walker

Grant G Keir

Edward Husband

Alister R McGregor

A sheet handling apparatus includes transport mechanism (40, 42) for feeding a stack of sheets, such as currency notes, from a position in which the stack is accessible to a user of the apparatus into a secure container. A stack banding device (138) is arranged to form a band around the stack during feeding of the stack from the accessible position into the container. The band comprises two self-adhesive labels which are respectively peeled off two carrier strips (166) wound around two spools (168) included in the stack banding device (138). A printer is arranged to print stack identification data on each band. The stack banding device (138) may be used in an ATM for identifying a stack of currency notes which a customer has failed to collect at an exit port of the ATM and which has been fed into a rejected note container.

Sheet handling apparatus

A currency note picking and feeding apparatus (10) includes feed belts (28) for feeding notes from the bottom of a stack of notes (20) to the nip of a rotating suction drum (22) and separating belts (64) of frictional material which engage with the periphery of the drum (22). The suction drum (22) grips and feeds the lowermost note to a further conveyor means (76,82,84), with the separating belts (64) holding back any notes superposed on the lowermost note. If a feeding failure of the drum (22) occurs, as recognized by photodetector (90) associated with the further conveyor (76,82,84) failing to sense the passage of a note within a predetermined time interval, then pivotably mounted pressure rolls (92) are caused to be moved temporarily into cooperative association with the suction drum (22) so as to press the notes present at the nip of the drum (22) and the separating belts (64) against the drum (22), thereby increasing the grip of the drum (22) on the lowermost note.

Sheet handling apparatus having controlled pressure rolls to ensure

An apparatus for automatically loading currency notes (11) into a currency cassette (12) includes first endless belt feeder (54, 56) for feeding notes (11) to an entry nip of second endless belt feeder (76, 78). Each note (11) fed to the second feeder (76, 78) passes over part of the periphery of a pulley (74) associated with the second feeder (76, 78), whereby, when the trailing portion of the note (11) moves out of engagement with the first feeder (54), this portion is deflected away from the feed path defined by the first feeder (54, 56). The second feeder (76, 78) is driven in an intermittent manner, so that notes are fed by the second feeder (76, 78) in overlapping manner into the open top of the cassette (12). Pusher arms project into an open end of the cassette and are periodically operated so as to push notes already present in the cassette (12) into the interior thereof away from said end.

Apparatus and method for loading sheets into a receptacle

An apparatus for loading currency notes into and picking notes from a currency cassette (14) includes a movable support member (56) on which the cassette (14) is mounted and which is movable together with the cassette (14) between an operative position in which loading or picking takes place and a non-operative position. Lower and upper stack retaining pawls (180, 182) are pivotably movable between operative positions in which they engage lower and upper front edges of a stack of notes (44) held in the cassette (14) and non-operative positions. When the apparatus changes from a picking to a loading mode, the support member (56) is moved to its non-operative position and the pawls (180, 182) are moved to their operative positions, after which the support member (56) is moved back to its operative position, the stack (44) being urged against the pawls (180, 182) so as to form a space (208) in front of the stack (44) for accommodating notes to be loaded into the cassette (14).

Apparatus for loading and picking sheets

An apparatus for testing the stiffness of a sheet, such as a currency note, includes first cooperating rollers (36, 38) and second cooperating rollers (28, 32) arranged to urge the sheet along a feed path (48) The first rollers (36, 38) engage frictionally with the sheet and are caused to rotate with a greater peripheral speed than the second rollers (28, 32). As a result, there is a tendency for the first rollers (36, 38) to cause that portion of the sheet between the first and second rollers (36, 38; 28, 32) to buckle, this tendency being resisted if the sheet has a required degree of stiffness. First and second sensors (66, 68) are disposed on opposite sides of said feed path (48) for sensing a deflection of said portion of said sheet away from the feed path (48) by at least a predetermined amount, brought about by buckling of the sheet due to the sheet being insufficiently stiff.

Apparatus for testing the stiffness of a sheet

The invention relates to an apparatus (2) for assessing the stiffness of a sheet (4), such as a currency note, by measuring the extent and rate of movement of the trailing edge of the sheet (4) away from a feed path for the sheet. Such movement is part of a straightening movement of the sheet (4) upon disengagement of the trailing edge from constraining means (34) when a leading portion of the sheet (4) is in a bent condition.

Apparatus for assessing the stiffness of a sheet

A despository apparatus for stacking envelopes in a container (24) includes a transport (16) for conveying an envelope (122') from an entry slot (22) of the apparatus into a receiving zone of the container (24), the receiving zone being separated from a storage zone of the container (24) by resiliently mounted flaps which in operation permit one-way passage of an envelope from the receiving zone into the storage zone. A pusher block (146) is arranged to push an envelope in the receiving zone past the flaps and into the storage zone against the pressure exerted by a block of elastomeric material held in the storage zone in a somewhat compressed condition. For the purpose of simplifying the construction of the apparatus, there is employed a single bidirectional electric motor (80) for driving the transport (16) when operating in one sense, and for driving an actuator (108) for the pusher block (146) when operating in the opposite sense.

Apparatus for stacking articles in a container

A container (24) for holding a stack of envelopes (122) includes pusher means (146) for pushing envelopes from a receiving zone (A) into a storage zone (B) past resiliently mounted flaps (132). The stack is supported on a support member (130) which is slidably and resiliently mounted in the container (24). A shaft (184) to which gear means (186, 188) are secured is rotatably mounted on the support member (130), the gear means (186,188) engaging with fixed rack means (180). A ratchet wheel (194) engageable by a pawl (200) is freely mounted on the shaft (184) which passes through a torsion spring the ends of which are respectively attached to the shaft (184) and the ratchet wheel (194). When the support member (130) is moved away from the flaps (132) torsion is built up in the spring since rotation of the ratchet wheel (194) is prevented, this torsion serving to urge the support member (130) back towards the flaps (132). The support member (130) is removable from the container (24) together with the stack.

Container for holding a stack of articles

A sheet handling apparatus includes first and second endless belts (38, 40) which are of resiliently stretchable material and parts of which are in cooperative relationship with respect to each other, a sheet (68) being fed through the apparatus while gripped between the cooperating parts of the belt drives (38, 40). One of the belt drives (40) passes around a pulley (60) associated with selectively operable actuating members (42, 46, 50, 52, 54). Operation of the actuating members (42, 46, 50, 52, 54) moves the associated pulley (60) so as to bring out a deformation of the cooperating parts of the belt drives (38, 40) and thereby change the length of the feed path for the sheet (68) through the apparatus. By operating the actuating members (42, 46, 50, 52, 54), the time at which the sheet (68) arrives at a certain location, such as a stacking wheel 75, may be adjusted. By using two pairs of cooperating belt drives of this type, the orientation of a sheet passing between the cooperating belt drives may be adjusted.

A cash dispensing unit includes first (68) and second (70) cooperating endless groups of belts for feeding a stack (72) of currency notes to an exit location (50). First ends of the first (68) and second (70) groups of belts respectively pass round first (26) and second (30) group of pulleys of equal diameter mounted in a central position of a support framework (11), and second ends of the two groups of belts (68, 70) respectively pass round two smaller groups of pulleys (66, 52) disposed adjacent the exit location (50). The first group of belts (68) pass partly around the periphery of the second group of pulleys (30), and are resiliently stretchable so that the stack (72) can pass between this group of belts (68) and this group of pulleys (30). The cash dispensing unit can be a rear loading unit in which the smaller groups of pulleys (66, 52) are located adjacent one end of the framework (11), or can be a front loading unit in which these groups of pulleys (66, 52) are repositioned adjacent the opposite end of the framework (11).

A sheet handling apparatus for accumulating currency notes into a stack includes a rotatable cylinder (14), an endless belt (22) driven together with the cylinder (14) and arranged to be in cooperative relationship with the cylinder (14) over a major part of the periphery thereof, and feeding mechanism (98, 84) for feeding currency into an entry throat (174) between the cylinder (14) and the belt (22), whereby a single or multiple note fed into the entry throat (174) is held between the belt (22) and the cylinder (14) and is carried around the axis of the cylinder (14). The operation of the feeding means (98, 84) is synchronized with the rotation of the cylinder (14) so that each successive single or multiple note fed into the entry throat (174) is brought into a superposed relationship with the note or notes already held between the belt (22) and the cylinder (14) so as to form a stack of sheets (24) between the belt ( 22) and the cylinder (14).

Apparatus for removing currency notes one by one from a stack of notes (82) includes a rotating suction drum (16) having openings (26) formed therein, and a fixed member (88) against which an end note (82') in the stack is urged. The fixed member (88) includes a curved portion (94) disposed adjacent to, and extending partially around the drum (16), the curved portion (94) being provided with a plurality of parallel slots (96) which are respectively disposed in cooperative relationship with the openings (26) in the drum (16). During rotation of the drum (16), vacuum is applied to the end note (82') so as to draw the lower part of this note into engagement with the curved portion (94), with the end of the note projecting slightly beyond the end of the curved portion (94). Feed rolls (38) are then moved into engagement with the end of the note, the rolls (38) and drum (16) thereafter drawing the end note away from the remainder of the stack.

Sheet separating apparatus

A sheet feeding apparatus is arranged to feed sheets, such as bank statements, along a guideway (40) to an exit slot (16), the guideway (40) including a smooth guide surface (58) which has the configuration of part of a cylinder. Two elastomeric rolls (108) are rotatably mounted on a support (80) mounted on a drive shaft (64) whose axis lies along the center of curvature of said guide surface (58). During a sheet feeding operation, the support (80) is rotated from a position in which the rolls (108) are adjacent an entry throat (54) of the guideway (40) to a position in which the rolls (108) are adjacent the exit slot (16), the rolls (108) pressing a sheet (24') against said guide surface (58) and causing the sheet to be slidably moved along said guide surface. During this movement, gears (94, 100, 102, 104) carried by the support (80) bring about rotation of said rolls in such a direction as to increase the sheet feeding movement.

Sheet feeding apparatus

A currency cassette has removably attached to one side thereof an identification means in the form of a card having a magnetic stripe. Data concerning the cassette, such as the quantity and denomination of the notes stored therein, is recorded on the stripe. Such data is arranged to be read by a read head attached to a carrier which is slidably mounted on support means forming part of a cassette receiving compartment of an ATM into which the cassette is arranged to be inserted. Upon completion of the insertion of the cassette into said compartment, the carrier is arranged to be moved in a controlled manner along said support means by a spring against the action of a dash pot, thereby causing the head to move in a controlled manner along the magnetic stripe and read the data recorded thereon.

Data sensing system for currency cassettes

A self-service banking system includes a walk-in kiosk (12) housing an ATM (10), the ATM including a user console (16) provided in a front wall (17) of the kiosk. The ATM includes a safe (24) in which are housed a currency dispenser unit (20) and a depository unit (22) when the safe is closed. The dispenser and depository units are mounted on the safe door (72), and when the door is fully opened, these units are pivoted through 180 degrees from their home positions to positions outside the safe. The kiosk includes a movable portion (58) which is pivotable through 90 degrees to an extended position in order to accommodate the safe door (72) and the dispenser and depository units (20, 22) when the door is pivoted to its fully open position. The kiosk provides a secure enclosed environment for an authorized person who has opened the safe door (72) for the purpose of carrying out a servicing or note replenishment operation.

Growing community of inventors

Dundee, United Kingdom

David A Hain