Ncr Corporation

James D Swinton

John A Peebles

Douglas L Milne

Gordon Burke

David J McMillan

Timothy Wiggins

William Rice

Ian McIntosh

Bruce Dunn

A self-service terminal ( ) comprising a dispenser ( ) having a pick unit ( ) for picking media items ( ) is described. The dispenser ( ) includes a drive wheel ( ) for engaging with one surface of a media item and mounted on a drive wheel shaft ( ), and a retard wheel ( ) for engaging with an opposite surface of the media item and mounted on a retard wheel rotatable shaft ( ) for rotating in the same direction as the first rotatable shaft. The drive and retard wheel shafts ( ) are coupled to a common drive component ( ). The drive wheel ( ) and the retard wheel ( ) are resiliently biased together, and at least one of the shafts ( or ) is pivotally coupled to the common drive component ( ) whereby the distance between the at least one shaft ( or ) and the drive component ( ) remains constant as the at least one shaft ( or ) is displaced by a media item passing between the wheels ( ).

Self-service terminal

An image forming apparatus uses a plurality of image forming units that are arranged rotatable in a vertical plane such that the image forming units that shifted sequentially to an image forming position. Each image forming unit has a translucent toner detection window on its outer periphery for detecting the remaining amount of toner in a toner hopper. The image forming units will have a replacing position in which it will face an opening for allowing replacement of the image forming unit. The translucent detection window will face the opening when the image forming unit is in the replacing position.

Machine for dispensing media

Apparatus for indicating the thickness of a document being fed along a feed path comprises cooperating upper and lower roll sets (20 and 32) between which a document passes. The lower roll set (20) is driven by the document transport, while the upper roll set (32) is rotatably mounted on a pivotally mounted arm (36), which is urged by a spring (42) to cause the upper roll set (32) to move toward engagement with the lower roll set (20). The upper roll set (32) includes a central cylindrical portion (30) of reduced diameter. A further roll (46) is mounted so that its circumference is normally spaced from the surface of the cylindrical portion by a predetermined distance. A timing disc (52) is mounted for rotation with the further roll (46), and a sensing device (58) is associated with the timing disc (52) to generate pulses as the further roll (46) rotates. If a document of more than a predetermined thickness equal to the predetermined distance passes between the two roll sets (20 and 32) the upper roll set (32) is rocked and engages the further roll (46) to rotate the further roll and the timing disc (52). Pulses are generated, indicating a document in excess of said predetermined thickness. Counting of the pulses by a data processor (68) enables the apparatus to distinguish between a crease in the document and an entire document in excess of said predetermined thickness.

Apparatus and method for indicating the thickness of record media by

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).

Depository apparatus for envelopes and single sheets

A sheet feeding apparatus includes a first elongated drive belt assembly (52) which is driven by, and is pivotable about the axis of, a first drive shaft (86) mounted adjacent one end of this assembly (52), and a second elongated drive belt assembly (50) which is mounted in coopertive relationship with respect to the first belt assembly (52) and which is driven by, and pivotable about the axis of, a second drive shaft (72) spaced inwardly from both ends of the second belt assembly (52). The two belt assemblies (50, 52) are pivotally movable under the control of a single solenoid between closed positions in which the belt assemblies are in cooperative relationship with respect to each other for feeding a sheet therebetween towards an exit solt (26), and open positions in which the cooperating surfaces of the belt assemblies (50, 52) are spaced apart to facilitate the entry of a sheet between the belt assemblies (50, 52) at an entry location (169).

Growing community of inventors

Dundee, United Kingdom

James D Swinton