Ncr Corporation

Robert J Suttie

John A Peebles

Kenneth A Nicoll

Gordon Burke

David C May

David Heighton

Alexander W Logie

Andrew Lynch

Neil Law

Alan James Finnie

Marcus Haley

Willy Kaempfer

George Petrie

Adam J Crighton

Thomas Gow

Kenneth Kelly

Grant William Smith

Finbarr Williamson

Symon P A Buckman

Patrick Strachan

Alistair Ballantyne

Robert Petrie

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

An apparatus and method are disclosed for supporting a flat belt member. The apparatus includes a drum member rotatable about a longitudinal axis of rotation and comprising an outer support surface that generally increases in diameter from a first end region to a central region and decreases in diameter from the central region to a further end region. The central region includes a groove in the support surface which extends circumferentially around the drum member. A ring member is located in the groove.

Belt supporting

A method and apparatus are disclosed for locating at least one item of media at a desired location. The apparatus includes a first and further transport element for transporting an item of media along a transport path having a pre-determined plane of transport. The apparatus also includes at least one abutment surface that locates respective first and second lateral edge regions of the item or a central region of the item to a side of the plane of transport to provide an arcuate cross-section in at least a region of the item.

Item transportation

A media cassette comprises: a base on which a stack of media items may be placed, a pusher plate biased towards the base and a plurality of drive rollers located beneath the profiled surface and partially protruding through apertures defined in the profiled surface. The base includes a profiled surface extending from a central low region disposed along an axis of the base to higher regions on opposing sides of the central low region. The pusher plate is operable to urge a stack of media items onto the profiled surface. The plurality of drive rollers are operable to drive a media item in contact with the profiled surface out of the media cassette.

Media cassette

A self service terminal (SST) is described, having a deposit means for allowing a user to deposit a number of media items into the SST. A single media transport path transports deposited items via an escrow storage to either a check bin or a banknote bin Items may be determined as banknotes or checks either automatically by the SST, by means of a media scanner and verifier or manually, by allowing the user to identify the deposited items. The SST also comprises a safe within which the banknote bin is located. Embodiments of the invention may provide the check bin either within or outside the safe Various methods of processing media deposited into the SST are also described.

Self service terminal

Information relating to the characteristics of the documents contained in a document cassette 16 is stored in a button memory 22 on the cassette housing and is read when the cassette 16 is inserted into a document feeding apparatus. The information is processed and correlated with data stored in the memory 74 of a control unit 70 to determine the optimum settings for a mechanism 10 for picking such documents. In particular, during a pick operation, a predetermined number of pulses are supplied to a stepper motor 50, so that when the friction belt 30 is moved into engagement with the documents of the cassette 16, an optimum pressure is exerted by the belt 30 on the documents in the cassette 16. A retard roller 52 is then moved to an optimum position in relation to the belt 30. In addition, the width of a gap between a guide plate 62 and the belt 30 is adjusted by moving the retard roller and the guide plate 62 to a predetermined width, which is optimum for accommodating documents of thickness equal to those in the cassette 16. Hence, the risks of mispicking of documents, double feeding and document jams are minimized.

Document feeding apparatus

The invention relates to a card reader system (10) including a detector (58') for determining a predetermined irregular mode of operation of the reader system. The invention is characterized by a card invalidation device (21, 24, 26) operable to render a card (2) permanently non-usable in response to the detection of the predetermined irregular mode of operation.

Card reader system including an invalidating device

In a sheet separating apparatus, for example an automated teller machine (ATM) in which banknotes are removed one by one from a stack (12) of banknotes, includes a vacuum pump (32), and suction unit (10A,B,C,D) connectable alternately between a vacuum enable port (30) of the vacuum pump (32) when a note is picked from the stack (12), and a vacuum release port (42) of the pump (32), when the note is released from the suction unit. Pre-filtered air from the vacuum pump (32) is therefore partially recycled, and dust is substantially excluded from the system.

Sheet separating apparatus for removing sheets one-by-one from at least

In sheet separating apparatus suitable for use in an automated teller machine (ATM), sheets, such as banknotes, are removed singly from a stack (14) using reduced pressure derived from a vacuum pump (86). An air filter (72) is provided in the vacuum supply line (16) from the vacuum pump (86). A pressure sensor (68) senses the pressure in the vacuum supply line (16) and when this rises to a threshold value, causes the vacuum pump to supply reverse air flow through the air filter (72) to transport any dust particles impeding the operation of the air filter (72) to a dust collection container (106).

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Alyth, United Kingdom

Robert J Suttie