Ncr Corporation

Gordon Burke

Ken Peters

Michael McLeod Rennie

Scott Deas

Grant William Smith

Scott Cruickshanks

Stephen W Swaine

Ian McFarlane Denny

Scott Low Colston

Marshall Munro

Kenneth J Peters

Robert J Suttie

Phil Noel Day

Kevin G Leeper

James D Swinton

David Heighton

Joshua Bruce

Alan James Finnie

Andrew W Smith

Duncan Keith

Lukasz Kaczmaryn

William G Potts

Joanna Phillips

William Potts

Various embodiments herein include a pocket to receive tendered notes and to dispense notes from a terminal, such as an automated teller machine. The pocket may include a shutter, a lifter opposite the shutter, a pusher plate between and perpendicular to the shutter and lifter, and a ceiling clamp. The pocket also includes a controller that causes the terminal to perform actions when dispensing notes including moving the ceiling clamp to an open position and providing an output triggering dispensing of notes into the pocket. The actions further include moving the ceiling clamp to a closed position, moving the pusher plate to bias notes present within the pocket against the ceiling clamp and raising the lifter from a lower position to an upper position thereby lifting notes present between the pusher plate and the ceiling clamp. The shutter is then opened to expose and dispense the notes.

Adjustable pocket device for note dispensing and receiving

Various embodiments herein include a pocket to receive tendered notes and to dispense notes from a terminal, such as an automated teller machine. The pocket may include a shutter, a lifter opposite the shutter, a pusher plate between and perpendicular to the shutter and lifter, and a ceiling clamp. The pocket also includes a controller causes the terminal to perform actions when dispensing notes including moving the ceiling clamp to an open position and providing an output triggering dispensing of notes into the pocket. The actions further include moving the ceiling clamp to a closed position, moving the pusher plate to bias notes present within the pocket against the ceiling clamp and raising the lifter from a lower position to an upper position thereby lifting notes present between the pusher plate and the ceiling clamp. The shutter is then opened to expose and dispense the notes.

The present invention provides apparatus for stacking media items, comprising a base member for supporting a stack of media items, at least one first registration member extending generally upwardly with respect to the base member, and at least one further registration member extending generally upwardly with respect to the base member and spaced apart from the first registration member, wherein at least a one of the first and further registration members is selectively moveable towards or away from a remainder one of the first and further registration members in an input direction of the media items. A method of stacking media items is also provided.

Media presenter

Value media is driven along a media path through a value media dispenser. While traversing the path, the media is imaged and a denomination and serial number for the media extracted from media image. The media image, denomination, and serial number are recorded for tracking and monitoring of the value media being dispensed from the value media dispenser.

Value media dispenser recognition systems

A media transport module comprising: a transport extending from a pick coupling area to a stacking port; and a retractable guide. The retractable guide is moveable to extend beyond the stacking port when media items are being stacked and thereby guide media items ejected from the stacking port onto a carriage plate. The retractable guide is also moveable to retract to the stacking port when media items have been stacked so that the carriage plate can close without touching the retractable guide.

Media transport module

A removable media container for use in a media dispenser is described. The media container comprises: a diverter entrance for receiving diverted media items prior to stacking of the media items; a non-present stack entrance for receiving a stack of media items subsequent to stacking of the media items but prior to presentation of the stack of media items to a customer; and a present stack entrance for receiving a stack of media items subsequent to presentation of the stack of media items to a customer.

Removable media container

A pick unit is described. The pick unit comprises: a frame and a picking assembly. The frame comprises (i) one or more guides for receiving a currency cassette, (ii) a tortuous pathway for guiding and supporting a cam follower, and (iii) a detent. The picking assembly comprises: (i) a guide edge configured to abut the detent when the picking assembly is moved to an initial alignment position, (ii) a cam follower configured to align with the pathway when the removable picking assembly is moved from the initial alignment position to an engagement position, and (iii) a gear train configured to engage with an upper gear external to the pick unit when the removable picking assembly is moved to an engaged position at which the cam follower has reached an end of the tortuous pathway.

Pick unit

A media presenter is described. The media presenter comprises: a chassis including a central track; a nose coupled to the chassis at a nose end of the chassis; and a carriage. The nose includes a presenting end distal from the chassis, and a nose track arranged to couple to the central track to provide a presenting track extending from the chassis to the presenting end. The carriage is mounted on the presenting track for movement therealong, and comprises a carriage body and a carriage plate movable between an open position at which media items can be placed on the carriage plate, and a closed position for clamping media items between the carriage plate and the carriage body.

A media transport module is described. The media transport module comprises: an upward transport, a divert transport, and a stacking transport. The upward transport extends from a pick coupling area to a diversion area and is operable to route individual media items from the pick coupling area to the diversion area. The divert transport extends from the diversion area to a diverter port; and the stacking transport extends from the diversion area to a stacking port. A diverter is located at the diversion area and is operable to route media items to either (i) the divert transport, or (ii) the stacking transport, in response to a signal received from a media thickness sensor. A drive gear is provided for receiving rotational motion from an external drive. An electrical connector is also provided for receiving electrical power from an external supply and using the received electrical power to energize the diverter.

Externally-powerable media transport module

A media presenter configurable for use in either a front access or a rear access dispenser is described. The media presenter comprises a chassis including a central track defining a central handle end and a central pick end. A nose is coupled to the chassis at the central pick end, and includes (i) a presenting end distal from the chassis and (ii) a nose track arranged to couple to the central track. A removable track is coupled to the chassis and extends from a handle end of the chassis to the central handle end. The nose track, the central track, and the removable track combine to provide a presenting track extending from the handle end to the presenting end. The presenter can present media items to a customer in a rear access dispenser, or can be reconfigured by exchanging the positions of the nose and removable track to present media items in a front access dispenser.

A depository apparatus includes a common entry slot (14) for receiving both envelopes and single sheets, such as checks and a thickness sensor (216) for providing an output indicative of whether a deposit item is an envelope or a sheet. Transport apparatus (38) transports deposit items along a common feed path to a printer (42) for printing data on envelopes and sheets, and to a read head (40) for reading data from sheets. A sheet alignment mechanism is included in the common feed path and is operable to bring about alignment of a sheet relative to the read head (40) by moving the sheet into engagement with a reference member (170). Operation of the transport apparatus (38) is interrupted during operation of the alignment mechanism. Envelopes are fed directly into a first container (146). After reading of data from a sheet, operation of the transport apparatus (38) is reversed to feed the sheet into a selected one of two additional containers (138, 140).

Growing community of inventors

Angus, United Kingdom

Gordon Burke