Currency handling system having multiple output receptacles

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6601687
  • Patent Number
    6,601,687
  • Date Filed
    Monday, October 16, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, August 5, 2003
    21 years ago
Abstract
A currency handling device for rapidly processing a plurality of currency bills comprises an input receptacle adapted to receive the currency bills to be processed, a plurality of output receptacles adapted to receive the bills after the bills have been processed, a transport mechanism adapted to transport the bills, one at a time, along a transport path from the input receptacle to the plurality of output receptacles, an evaluating unit that is adapted to determine information concerning the bills, and a controller. The evaluation unit includes at least one sensor positioned along the transport path between the input receptacle and the plurality of output receptacles. The controller is adapted to operate the currency handling device according to a mode of operation wherein the mode of operation designates the output receptacle to which each of the bills are transported based on the determined information concerning the bill. The controller is adapted to disable at least one of the plurality of output receptacles. The controller is adapted to cause the transport mechanism to direct bills directed to the disabled one of the plurality of output receptacles pursuant to the mode of operation to an alternative output receptacle.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates generally to the field of currency handling systems and, more particularly, to a multi-pocket currency handling system for discriminating, authenticating, and/or counting currency bills.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




A variety of techniques and apparatuses have been used to satisfy the requirements of automated currency handling machines. As businesses and banks grow, these businesses are experiencing a greater volume of paper currency. These businesses are continually requiring not only that their currency be processed more quickly but, also, processed with more options in a less expensive manner. At the upper end of sophistication in this area of technology are machines that are capable of rapidly identifying, discriminating, and counting multiple currency denominations and then delivering the sorted currency bills into a multitude of output compartments. Many of these high end machines are extremely large and expensive such that they are commonly found only in large institutions. These machines are not readily available to businesses which have monetary and space budgets, but still have the need to process large volumes of currency. Other high end currency handling machines require their own climate controlled environment which may place even greater strains on businesses having monetary and space budgets.




Currency handling machines typically employ magnetic sensing or optical sensing for denominating and authenticating currency bills. The results of these processes determines to which output compartment a particular bill is delivered to in a currency handling device having multiple output receptacles. For example, ten dollar denominations may be delivered to one output compartment and twenty dollar denominations to another, while bills which fail the authentication test are delivered to a third output compartment. Unfortunately, many prior art devices only have one output compartment which can be appropriately called a reject pocket. Accordingly, in those cases, the reject pocket may have to accommodate those bills which fail a denomination test or authentication test. As a result, different types of “reject” bills are stacked upon one another in the same output compartment leaving the operator unknowing as to which of those bills failed which tests.




During the lifetime of prior art currency handling devices it is likely that individual key components of the devices, including components specific to the output receptacles, will degrade and eventually fail. The failure of an individual components specific to an output receptacle can render that output receptacle inoperable. The inoperability of one of the output receptacles of prior art currency handling devices can render the entire device inoperable regardless of whether the remaining output receptacles are otherwise properly functioning. Component failures resulting in the inoperability of the entire device can have a devastating effect on the cash handling operations of users of these devices. The inventors of the present invention have found that currency handling devices play a vital role in the overall operation of a cash vault, including cash vaults at bank or casinos. The inventors estimate that over 90% (ninety percent) of the cash handled within a cash vault is processed by a currency handling device. Therefore, the failure of a currency handling device can have a disastrous effect on the operation of a cash vault or other operations relying on the performance of the currency handling device.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




A currency handling device for rapidly processing a plurality of currency bills comprises an input receptacle adapted to receive the currency bills to be processed, a plurality of output receptacles adapted to receive the bills after the bills have been processed, a transport mechanism adapted to transport the bills, one at a time, along a transport path from the input receptacle to the plurality of output receptacles, an evaluating unit that is adapted to determine information concerning the bills, and a controller. The evaluation unit includes at least one sensor positioned along the transport path between the input receptacle and the plurality of output receptacles. The controller is adapted to operate the currency handling device according to a mode of operation wherein the mode of operation designates the output receptacle to which each of the bills are transported based on the determined information concerning the bill. The controller is adapted to disable at least one of the plurality of output receptacles. The controller is adapted to cause the transport mechanism to direct bills directed to the disabled one of the plurality of output receptacles pursuant to the mode of operation to an alternative output receptacle.




The above summary of the present invention is not intended to represent each embodiment, or every aspect, of the present invention. Additional features and benefits of the present invention will become apparent from the detail description, figures, and claim set forth below.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings in which:





FIG. 1



a


is a perspective view of a document handling device according to one embodiment of the invention;





FIG. 1



b


is a front view of a document handling device according to one embodiment of the invention;





FIG. 2



a


is a perspective view of an evaluation region according to one embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention;





FIG. 2



b


is a side view of an evaluation region according to one embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention;





FIG. 3



a


is a perspective view of an input receptacle according to one embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention;





FIG. 3



b


is another perspective view of an input receptacle according to one embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention;





FIG. 3



c


is a top view of an input receptacle according to one embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention;





FIG. 3



d


is a side view of an input receptacle according to one embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention;





FIG. 4

is a perspective view of a portion of a transportation mechanism according to one embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 5

is a front perspective view of an escrow compartment, a plunger assembly, and a storage cassette according to one embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention;





FIG. 6

is a top view of an escrow compartment and plunger assembly according to one embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention,





FIG. 7

is a front view of an escrow compartment and plunger assembly according to one embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention;





FIG. 8

is another front view of an escrow compartment and plunger assembly according to one embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention;





FIG. 9

is a perspective view of an apparatus for transferring currency from an escrow compartment to a storage cassette according to one embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention;





FIG. 10

is a perspective view of a paddle according to one embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention;





FIG. 11

is a rear perspective view of the escrow compartment, plunger assembly, and storage cassette according to one embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention;





FIG. 12

is a rear view of a plunger assembly wherein the gate is in the open position according to one embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention;





FIG. 13

is a rear view of a plunger assembly wherein the gate is in the closed position according to one embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention;





FIG. 14

is a perspective view of a storage cassette according to one embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention;





FIG. 15

is a rear view of a storage cassette according to one embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention;





FIG. 16

is a perspective view of a storage cassette where the door is open according to one embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention;





FIG. 17



a


is a top view of a storage cassette sized to accommodate United States currency documents according to one embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention;





FIG. 17



b


is a rear view of a storage cassette sized to accommodate United States currency documents according to one embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention;





FIG. 18



a


is a top view of a storage cassette sized to accommodate large documents according to one embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention;





FIG. 18



b


is a rear view of a storage cassette sized to accommodate large documents according to one embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention;





FIG. 19

is a flow chart of the disable pockets routine according to one embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention,





FIG. 20

is a flow chart of the disable pockets routine according to an alternative embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention; and





FIGS. 21-23

are illustrative screens that are displayed on a user interface pursuant to the disable pockets routine according to one embodiment of the document handling device of the present invention.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS




Referring to

FIGS. 1



a


and


1




b


, a multi-pocket document processing device


100


such as a currency handling device according to one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Currency bills are fed, one by one, from a stack of currency bills placed in an input receptacle


102


into a transport mechanism


104


. The transport mechanism


104


guides currency bills to one of a plurality of output receptacles


106




a


-


106




h


, which may include upper output receptacles


106




a


,


106




b


, as well as lower output receptacles


106




c


-


106




h


. Before reaching an output receptacle


106


the transport mechanism


104


guides the bill through an evaluation region


108


where a bill can be, for example, analyzed, authenticated, denominated, counted, and/or otherwise processed. In alternative embodiments of the currency handling device


100


of the present invention, the evaluation region


108


can determine bill orientation, bill size, or whether bills are stacked upon one another. The results of the above process or processes may be used to determine to which output receptacle


106


a bill is directed. The illustrated embodiment of the currency handling device has an overall width, W


1


, of approximately 4.52 feet (1.38 meters), a height, H


1


, of approximately 4.75 feet (1.45 meters), and a depth, D


1


, of approximately 1.67 feet (0.50 meters).




In one embodiment, documents such as currency bills are transported, scanned, denominated, authenticated and/or otherwise processed at a rate equal to or greater than 600 bills per minute. In another embodiment, documents such as currency bills are transported, scanned, denominated, authenticated, and/or otherwise processed at a rate equal to or greater than 800 bills per minute. In another embodiment, documents such as currency bills are transported, scanned, denominated, authenticated and/or otherwise processed at a rate equal to or greater than 1000 bills per minute. In still another embodiment, documents such as currency bills are transported, scanned, denominated, authenticated, and/or otherwise processed at a rate equal to or greater than 1200 bills per minute.




In the illustrated embodiment, interposed in the bill transport mechanism


104


, intermediate the bill evaluation region


108


and the lower output receptacles


106




c


-


106




h


is a bill facing mechanism designated generally by reference numeral


110


. The bill facing mechanism is capable of rotating a bill 180° so that the face position of the bill is reversed. That is, if a U.S. bill, for example, is initially presented with the surface bearing a portrait of a president facing down, it may be directed to the facing mechanism


110


, whereupon it will be rotated 180° so that the surface with the portrait faces up. The leading edge of the bill remains constant while the bill is being rotated 180° by the facing mechanism


110


. The decision may be taken to send a bill to the facing mechanism


110


when the selected mode of operation or other operator instructions call for maintaining a given face position of bills as they are processed by the currency handling device


100


. For example, it may be desirable in certain circumstances for all of the bills ultimately delivered to the lower output receptacles


106




c


-


106




h


to have the bill surface bearing the portrait of the president facing up. In such embodiments of the currency handling device


100


, the bill evaluation region


108


is capable of determining the face position of a bill, such that a bill not having the desired face position can first be directed to the facing mechanism


110


before being delivered to the appropriate output receptacle


106


. Further details of a facing mechanism which may be utilized for this purpose are disclosed in commonly-owned, U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,334, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, which may be employed in conjunction with the present invention such as the device illustrated in

FIGS. 1



a


and


1




b


. Alternatively, the facing mechanism disclosed in commonly-owned co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/503,039, entitled “Two Belt Bill Facing Mechanism” which was filed on Feb. 11, 2000, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, may be employed in conjunction with the present invention such as the device illustrated in

FIGS. 1



a


and


1




b


. Other alternative embodiments of the currency handling device


100


do not include the facing mechanism


110


.




The currency handling device


100


in

FIG. 1



a


may be controlled from a separate controller or control unit


120


which has a display/user-interface


122


, which may incorporate a touch panel display in one embodiment of the present invention, which displays information, including “functional” keys when appropriate. The display/user-interface


122


may be a full graphics display. Alternatively, additional physical keys or buttons, such as a keyboard


124


, may be employed. The control unit


120


may be a self-contained desktop or laptop computer which communicates with the currency handling device


100


via a cable


125


. The currency handling device


100


may have a suitable communications port (not shown) for this purpose. In embodiments in which the control unit


120


is a desktop computer wherein the display/user-interface


122


and the desktop computer are physically separable, the desktop computer may be stored within a compartment


126


of the currency handling device


100


. In other alternative embodiments, the control unit


120


is integrated into the currency handling device


100


so the control unit


120


is contained within the device


100


.




The operator can control the operation of the currency handling device


100


through the control unit


120


. Through the control unit


120


the operator can direct the bills into specific output receptacles


106




a


-


106




h


by selecting various user defined modes. In alternative embodiments, the user can select pre-programmed user defined modes or create new user defined modes based on the particular requirements of the application. For example, the operator may select a user defined mode which instructs the currency handling device


100


to sort bills by denomination, accordingly, the evaluation region


108


would denominate the bills and direct one dollar bills into the first lower output receptacle


106




c


, five dollar bills into the second lower output receptacle


106




d


, ten dollar bills into the third lower output receptacle


106




e


, twenty dollar bills into the forth lower output receptacle


106




f


, fifty dollar bills into the fifth lower output receptacle


106




g


, and one-hundred dollar bills into the sixth lower output receptacle


106




h


. The operator may also instruct the currency handling device


100


to deliver those bills whose denomination was not determined, no call bills, to the first upper output receptacle


106




a


. In such an embodiment, upper output receptacle


106




a


would function as a reject pocket. In an alternative embodiment, the operator may instruct the currency handling device


100


to also evaluate the authenticity of each bill. In such an embodiment, authentic bills would be directed to the appropriate lower output receptacle


106




c


-


106




h


. Those bills that were determined not to be authentic, suspect bills, would be delivered to the second upper output receptacle


106




b


. A multitude of user defined modes are disclosed by co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/916,100 entitled “Multi-Pocket Currency Discriminator” which was filed on Aug. 21, 1997, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, which may be employed in conjunction with the present invention such as the device illustrated in

FIGS. 1



a


and


1




b.






According to one embodiment, the currency handling device


100


is designed so that when the evaluation region


108


is unable to identify certain criteria regarding a bill, the unidentified note is flagged and “presented” in one of the output receptacles


106




a


-


106




h


, that is, the transport mechanism


104


is stopped so that the unidentified bill is located at a predetermined position within one of the output receptacles


106




a


-


106




h


, such as being the last bill transported to one of the output receptacles. Such criteria can include denominating information, authenticating information, information indicative of the bill's series, or other information the evaluation region


108


is attempting to obtain pursuant to a mode of operation. Which output receptacles


106




a


-


106




h


the flagged bill is presented in may be determined by the user according to a selected mode of operation. For example, where the unidentified bill is the last bill transported to an output receptacle


106




a


-


106




h


, it may be positioned within a stacker wheel or positioned at the top of the bills already within the output receptacle


106




a


-


106




h


. While unidentified bills may be transported to any output receptacles


106




a


-


106




h


, it may be more convenient for the operator to have unidentified bills transported to one of the upper output receptacles


106




a,b


where the operator is able to easily see and/or inspect the bill which has not been identified by the evaluation region


108


. The operator may then either visually inspect the flagged bill while it is resting on the top of the stack, or alternatively, the operator may decide to remove the bill from the output receptacle


106


in order to examine the flagged bill more closely. In an alternative embodiment of the currency handling device


100


, the device


100


may communicate to the user via the display/user-interface


122


in which one of the output receptacles


106




a


-


106




h


a flagged bill is presented.




The currency handling device


100


may be designed to continue operation automatically when a flagged bill is removed from the upper output receptacle


106




a,b


or, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the device


100


may be designed to suspend operation and require input from the user via the control unit


120


. Upon examination of a flagged bill by the operator, it may be found that the flagged bill is genuine even though it was not identified as so by the evaluation region


108


or the evaluation may have been unable to denominate the flagged bill. However, because the bill was not identified, the total value and/or denomination counters will not reflect its value. According to one embodiment, such an unidentified bill is removed from the output receptacles


106


and reprocessed or set aside. According to another embodiment, the flagged bills may accumulate in the upper output receptacles


106




a,b


until the batch of currency bills currently being processed is completed or the output receptacle


106




a,b


is full and then reprocessed or set aside.




According to another embodiment, when a bill is flagged, the transport mechanism may be stopped before the flagged bill is transported to one of the output receptacles. Such an embodiment is particularly suited for situations in which the operator need not examine the bill being flagged; for example, the currency handling device


100


is instructed to first process United States currency and then British currency pursuant to a selected mode of operation where the currency handling device


100


processes United States $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 currency bills into the lower output receptacles


106




c


-


106




h


, respectively. Upon detection of the first British pound note, the currency handling device


100


may halt operation allowing the operator to empty the lower output receptacles


106




c


-


106




h


and to make any spatial adjustments necessary to accommodate the British currency. A multitude of modes of operation are described in conjunction with bill flagging, presenting, and/or transport halting in commonly owned, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/916,100 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Document Processing” which was filed on May 28, 1997, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety above, which may be employed in conjunction with the present invention such as the device illustrated in

FIGS. 1



a


and


1




b.






In the illustrated embodiment, with regard to the upper output receptacles


106




a


,


106




b


, the second upper output receptacle


106




b


is provided with a stacker wheel


127


for accumulating a number of bills, while the first upper output receptacle


106




a


is not provided with such a stacker wheel. Thus, when pursuant to a preprogrammed mode of operation or an operator selected mode or other operator instructions, a bill is to be fed to the first upper output receptacle


106




a


, there may be a further instruction to momentarily suspend operation of the currency handling device


100


for the operator to inspect and remove the bill. On the other hand, it may be possible to allow a small number of bills to accumulate in the first upper output receptacle


106




a


prior to suspending operation. Similarly, the second upper output receptacle


106




b


may be utilized initially as an additional one of the lower output receptacles


106




c


-


106




h


. However, there is no storage cassette associated with the second upper output receptacle


106




b


. Therefore, when the second upper output receptacle


106




b


is full, operation may be suspended to remove the bills at such time as yet further bills are directed to the second upper output receptacle


106




b


in accordance with the selected mode of operation or other operator instructions. In an alternative embodiment of the currency handling device


100


both the first and the second upper output receptacles


106




a


,


106




b


are equipped with a stacker wheel. In such an embodiment both the upper output receptacles


106




a,b


may also function as the lower output receptacle


106




c


-


106




h


allowing a number of bills to be stacked therein.





FIGS. 2



a


and


2




b


illustrate the evaluation region


108


according to one embodiment of the currency handling system


100


. The evaluation region can be opened for service, access to sensors, clear bill jams, etc. as shown in

FIG. 2



a


. The characteristics of the evaluation region


108


may vary according to the particular application and needs of the user. The evaluation region


108


can accommodate a number and variety of different types of sensors depending on a number of variables. These variables are related to whether the machine is authenticating, counting, or discriminating denominations and what distinguishing characteristics are being examined, e.g. size, thickness, color, magnetism, reflectivity, absorbabilty, transmissivity, electrical conductivity, etc. The evaluation region


108


may employ a variety of detection means including, but not limited to, a size detection and density sensor


408


, a lower


410


and an upper


412


optical scan head, a single or multitude of magnetic sensors


414


, a thread sensor


416


, and an ultraviolet/fluorescent light scan head


418


. These detection means and a host of others are disclosed in commonly owned, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/916,100 entitled “Multi-Pocket Currency Discriminator,” incorporated by reference above.




The direction of bill travel through the evaluation region


108


is indicated by arrow A. The bills are positively driven along a transport plate


400


through the evaluation region


108


by means of a transport roll arrangement comprising both driven rollers


402


and passive rollers


404


. The rollers


402


are driven by a motor (not shown) via a belt


401


. Passive rollers


404


are mounted in such a manner as to be freewheeling about their respective axis and biased into counter-rotating contact with the corresponding driven rollers


402


. The driven and passive rollers


402


,


404


are mounted so that they are substantially coplanar with the transport plate


400


. The transport roll arrangement also includes compressible rollers


406


to aid in maintaining the bills flat against the transport plate


400


. Maintaining the bill flat against the transport plate


400


so that the bill lies flat when transported past the sensors enhances the overall reliability of the evaluation processes. A similar transport arrangement is disclosed in commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,963 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Discriminating and Counting Documents,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.




Referring now to

FIGS. 3



a


-


3




d


, the input receptacle


102


of the currency handling device


100


is illustrated. A feeder mechanism such as a pair of stripping wheels


140


aid in feeding the bills in seriatim to the transport mechanism


104


which first carries the bills through the evaluation region


108


. According to one embodiment, the input receptacle


102


includes at least one spring-loaded feeder paddle


142




a


which is pivotally mounted, permitting it to be pivoted upward and drawn back to the rear of a stack of bills placed in the input receptacle


102


so as to bias the bills towards the evaluation region


108


via the pair of stripping wheels


140


. The paddle


142




a


is coupled to an advance mechanism


144


to urge the paddle


142




a


towards the stripping wheels


140


. In the illustrated embodiment, motion is imparted to the advance mechanism via a spring


145


. In other alternative embodiments, the advance mechanism


144


is motor driven. The advance mechanism


144


is slidably mounted to a shaft


146


. The advance mechanism


144


also constrains the paddle


142




a


to a linear path. The advance mechanism


144


may contain a liner bearing (not shown) allowing the paddle


142




a


to easily slide along the shaft


146


. In the embodiment illustrated, the paddle


142




a


may also contain channels


148


to aid in constraining the paddle


142




a


to a linear path along a pair of tracks


150


. The paddle


142




a


may additionally include a roller


152


to facilitate the movement of the paddle


142




a.






In the embodiment illustrated in

FIGS. 3



d


-


3




d


, a second paddle


142




b


is provided such that a second stack of bills


147


may be placed in the input receptacle


102


behind a first group of bills


149


, while the first group of bills


149


is being fed into the currency handling device


100


. Thus, the two feeder paddles


142




a


and


142




b


may be alternated during processing in order to permit multiple stacks of currency bills to be loaded into the input receptacle


102


. In such an embodiment, the operator would retract paddle


142




a


and place a stack of bills into the input receptacle. Once inside the input receptacle, the operator would place the paddle


142




a


against the stack of bills so that the paddle


142




a


biases the stack of bills towards the pair of stripper wheels


140


. The operator could then load a second stack of bills into the input receptacle


102


by retracting the second paddle


142




b


and placing a stack of bills in the input receptacle between the paddles


142




a


and


142




b


. The second paddle


142




b


urges the second stack of bills up against the backside of the first paddle


142




a


. The operator can then upwardly rotate the first paddle


142




a


thus combining the two stacks. The first paddle


142




a


is then retracted to the rear of the input receptacle and the process can be repeated. The two paddle input receptacle allows the operator to more easily continuously feed stacks of bills to the currency handling device


100


. In devices not having two feeder paddles, the operator is forced to awkwardly manipulate the two stacks of bills and the advance mechanism. Alternatively, the operator may wait for the stack of bills to be processed out of the input receptacle to add another stack; however, waiting to reload until each stack is processed adds to the total time to process a given amount of currency.




Referring to

FIG. 4

, a portion of the transport mechanism


104


and diverters


130




a


-


130




d


are illustrated. A substantial portion of the transport path of the currency handling device


100


positively grips the bills during transport from the pair of stripping wheels


140


through the point where bills are delivered to upper output receptacle


106




a


or are delivered to the stacker wheels


202


of output receptacles


106




b


-


106




h


. The positive grip transport path of the currency handling device


100


is less costly and weighs less than the vacuum transport arrangements of prior currency processing devices.




The transport mechanism


104


is electronically geared causing all sections to move synchronously from the evaluation region


108


through the point where the bills are delivered to the output receptacles


106


. Multiple small motors are used to drive the transport mechanism


104


. Using multiple small, less costly motors is more efficient and less costly than a single large motor. Further, less space is consumed enabling the currency handling device


100


to be more compact. Electronically gearing the transport mechanism


104


enables a single encoder to monitor bill transportation within the currency handling system


100


. The encoder is linked to the bill transport mechanism


104


and provides input to a processor to determine the timing of the operations of the currency handling device


100


. In this manner, the processor is able to monitor the precise location of the bills as they are transported through the currency handling device


100


. This process is termed “flow control.” Input from additional sensors


119


located along the transport mechanism


104


of the currency handling device


100


enables the processor to continually update the position of a bill within the device


100


to accommodate for bill slippage. When a bill leaves the evaluation region


108


the processor expects the bill to arrive at the diverter


130




a


corresponding to the first lower output receptacle


106




c


after a precise number of encoder counts. Specifically, the processor expects the bill to flow past each sensor


119


positioned along the transport mechanism


104


at a precise number of encoder counts. If the bill slips during transport but passes a sensor


119


later within an acceptable number of encoder counts the processor updates or “re-queues” the new bill position. The processor calculates a new figure for the time the bill is expected to pass the next sensor


119


and arrive at the first diverter


130




a


. The processor activates the one of the diverters


130




a-f


to direct the bill into the appropriate corresponding lower output receptacle


106




c


-


106




h


when the sensor


119


immediately preceding the diverter


130


detects the passage of the bill to be directed into the appropriate lower output receptacle


106




c-h.






The currency handling device


100


also uses flow control to detect jams within the transport mechanism


104


of the device


100


. When a bill does not reach a sensor


119


within in the calculated number of encoder counts plus the maximum number of counts allowable for slippage, the processor suspends operation of the device


100


and informs the operator via the display/user-interface


122


that a jam has occurred. The processor also notifies the operator via the display/user-interface


122


of the location of the jam by indicating the last sensor


119


that the bill passed and generally the approximate location of the jam in the system. If the operator cannot easily remove the bill without damage, the operator can then electronically jog the transport path in the forward or reverse direction via the control unit


120


so that the jammed bill is dislodged and the operator can easily remove the bill from the transport path. The operator can then flush the system causing the transport mechanism


104


to deliver all of the bills currently within the transport path of the currency handling device


100


to one of the output receptacles


106


. In an alternative embodiment, the user of the currency handling device


100


would have the option when flushing the system to first have the bills already within the escrow regions


116




a


-


116




f


to be delivered to the respective lower storage cassettes


106




c


-


106




h


so that those bills may be included in the aggregate value data for the bills being processed. The bills remaining in the transport path


104


would then be delivered to a predetermined escrow region


116


where those bills could be removed and reprocessed by placing those bills in the input receptacle


102


.




Utilizing flow control to detect jams is more desirable than prior art currency evaluation machines which do not detect a jam until a sensor is actually physically blocked. The latter method of jam detection permits bills to pile up while waiting for a sensor to become blocked. Bill pile-up is problematic because it may physically halt the machine before the jam is detected and may cause physical damage to the bills and the machine. In order to remedy a jam in a prior art machine, the operator must first manually physically dislodge the jammed bills. The operator must then manually turn a hand crank which advances the transport path until all bills within the transport path are removed. Moreover, because the prior art devices permit multiple bills to pile up before a jam is detected, the integrity of the process is often ruined. In such a case, the entire stack of bills must be reprocessed.




Referring back to

FIG. 1



a


, the illustrated embodiment of the currency handling device


100


includes a total of six lower output receptacles


106




c


-


106




h


. More specifically, each of the lower output receptacles


106




c


-


106




h


includes a first portion designated as an escrow compartment


116




a


-


116




f


and a second portion designated as a storage cassette


118




a


-


118




f


. Typically, bills are initially directed to the escrow compartments


116


, and thereafter at specified times or upon the occurrence of specified events, which may be selected or programmed by an operator, bills are then fed to the storage cassettes


118


. The storage cassettes are removable and replaceable, such that stacks of bills totaling a predetermined number of bills or a predetermined monetary value may be accumulated in a given storage cassette


118


, whereupon the cassette may be removed and replaced with an empty storage cassette. In the illustrated embodiment, the number of lower output receptacles


106




c


-


106




h


including escrow compartments


116


and storage cassettes


118


are six in number. In alternative embodiments, the currency handling device


100


may contain more or less than six lower output receptacles including escrow compartments and storage cassettes


118


. In other alternative embodiments, modular lower output receptacles


106


can be implemented to add many more lower output receptacles to the currency handling system


100


. Each modular unit may comprise two lower output receptacles. In other alternative embodiments, several modular units may be added at one time to the currency handling device


100


.




A series of diverters


130




a


-


130




f


, which are a part of the transportation mechanism


104


, direct the bills to one of the lower output receptacles


106




c


-


106




h


. When the diverters


130


are in an upper position, the bills are directed to the adjacent lower output receptacle


106


. When the diverters


130


are in a lower position, the bills proceed in the direction of the next diverter


130


.




The vertical arrangement of the lower output receptacles


106




c


-


106




h


is illustrated in FIG.


5


. The escrow compartment


116


is positioned above the storage cassette


118


. In addition to the escrow compartment


116


and the storage cassette


118


, each of the lower output receptacles


106




c


-


106




h


contains a plunger assembly


300


. The plunger assembly


300


is shown during its decent towards the storage cassette


118


.




Referring now to

FIGS. 6 and 7

, one of the escrow compartments


116


of the lower output receptacles


106




c


-


106




h


is shown. The escrow compartment


116


contains a stacker wheel


202


to receive the bills


204


from the diverter


130


. The stacker wheel


202


stacks the bills


204


within the escrow compartment walls


206


,


208


on top of a gate


210


disposed between the escrow compartment


116


and the storage cassette


118


. In an alternative embodiment, the escrow compartment


116


contains a pair of guides to aid in aligning the bills substantially directly on top of one another. The gate


210


is made up of two shutters: a first shutter


211


and a second shutter


212


. The shutters


211


,


212


are hingedly connected enabling the shutters


211


,


212


to rotate downward approximately ninety degrees to move the gate from a first position (closed position) wherein the shutters


211


,


212


are substantially co-planer to a second position (open position) wherein the shutters


211


,


212


are substantially parallel. Below the gate


210


is the storage cassette


118


(not shown in FIGS.


6


and


7


).





FIG. 8

illustrates the positioning of the paddle


302


when transferring a stack of bills from the escrow compartment


116


to the storage cassette


118


. When the paddle descends upon the stack of bills


204


it causes shutters


211


,


212


to quickly rotate in the directions referred to by arrows B and C, respectively; thus, “snapping” open the gate


210


. The quick rotation of the shutters


211


,


212


insures that the bills fall into the storage cassette


118


in a substantially stacked position. According to one embodiment, the paddle is programmed to descend after a predetermined number of bills


204


are stacked upon the gate


210


. According to other embodiments, the operator can instruct the paddle


302


via the control unit


120


to descend upon the bills


204


stacked upon the gate


210


.




Referring now to

FIG. 9

, the plunger assembly


300


for selectively transferring the bills


204


from an escrow compartment


116


to a corresponding storage cassette


118


and the gate


210


are illustrated in more detail. One such plunger assembly


300


is provided for each of the six lower output receptacles


106




c


-


106




h


of the currency handling device


100


. The plunger assembly


300


comprises a paddle


302


, a base


304


, and two side arms


306


,


308


. Each of the shutters


211


,


212


comprising the gate


210


extend inwardly from corresponding parallel bars


214


,


215


. The bars


214


,


215


are mounted for pivoting the shutters between the closed position and the open position. Levers


216


,


217


are coupled to the parallel bars


214


,


215


, respectively, to control the rotation of the bars


214


,


215


and hence of the shutters


211


,


212


. Extension springs


218


,


219


(shown in

FIG. 8

) tend to maintain the position of the levers


216


,


217


both in the closed and open positions. The shutters


211


,


212


have an integral tongue


213




a


and groove


213




b


arrangement which prevents any bills which are stacked upon the gate


210


from slipping between the shutters


211


,


212


.




The base


304


travels along a vertical shaft


311


with which it is slidably engaged. The base


304


may include linear bearings (not shown) to facilitate its movement along the vertical shaft


311


. The plunger assembly


300


may also include a vertical guiding member


312


(see

FIG. 11

) with which the base


304


is also slidably engaged. The vertical guiding member


312


maintains the alignment of the plunger assembly


300


by preventing the plunger assembly


300


from twisting laterally about the vertical shaft


311


when the paddle


302


forces the bills


204


stacked in the escrow area


116


down into a storage cassette


118


.




Referring also to

FIG. 10

, the paddle


302


extends laterally from the base


304


. The paddle


302


is secured to a support


314


extending from the base


304


. A pair of side arms


306


,


308


are hingedly connected to the base. Each of the side arms


306


,


308


protrude from the sides of the base


304


. Rollers


316


,


318


are attached to the side arms


306


,


308


, respectively, and are free rolling. Springs


313




a


,


313




b


are attached to the side arms


306


,


308


, respectively, to bias the side arms


306


,


308


outward from the base


304


. In the illustrated embodiment, the spring


313




a


,


313




b


are compression springs.




The paddle


302


contains a first pair of slots


324


to allow the paddle to clear the stacker wheel


202


when descending into and ascending out of the cassette


118


. The first pair of slots


324


also enables the paddle


302


to clear the first pair of retaining tabs


350


within the storage cassette (see FIG.


14


). Similarly, paddle


302


contains a second pair of slots


326


to enable the paddle


302


to clear the second pair of retaining tabs


350


within the storage cassette


118


(see FIG.


14


).




Referring now to

FIG. 11

, which illustrates a rear view of one of the lower output receptacles


106




c


-


106




h


, the plunger


300


is bidirectionally driven by way of a belt


328


coupled to an electric motor


330


. A clamp


332


engages the belt


328


into a channel


334


in the base


304


of the plunger assembly


300


. In the embodiment illustrated in

FIG. 11

, two plunger assemblies


300


are driven by a single electric motor


330


. In one embodiment of the currency handling device, the belt


328


is a timing belt. In other alternative embodiments, each plunger assembly


300


can be driven by a single electric motor


330


. In still other alternative embodiments, there can be any combination of motors


330


to plunger assemblies


300


.





FIGS. 12 and 13

illustrate the interaction between the side arms


306


,


308


and the levers


216


,


217


when the paddle assembly


300


is descending towards and ascending away from the storage cassette


118


, respectively. Initially, before descending towards the cassette, the shutters are in a first (closed) position. In the illustrated embodiment, it is the force imparted by the paddle


302


which opens the gate


210


when the paddle descends towards the storage cassette


118


. When the paddle is ascending away from the storage cassette


119


, it is the rollers


316


,


318


coupled to the side arms


306


,


308


which engage the levers


216


,


217


that close the gate


210


. The levers


216


,


217


shown in

FIG. 12

are positioned in the open position. When descending towards the storage cassette


118


, the rollers


316


,


318


contact the levers


216


,


217


and roll around the levers


216


,


217


leaving the shutters in the open position. The side arms


306


,


308


are hinged in a manner which allows the side arms


306


,


308


to rotate inward towards the base


304


as the rollers


316


,


318


engage the levers


216


,


217


.

FIG. 13

illustrates the levers in the second position wherein the gate


210


is closed. When the paddle ascends out of the storage cassette, the side arms


306


,


308


are biased away from the base


304


. The rollers


316


,


318


engage the levers


216


,


217


causing the levers to rotate upward to the first position thus closing the gate.





FIGS. 14

,


15


, and


16


illustrate the components of the storage cassettes


118


. The bills


204


are stored within the cassette housing


348


which has a base


349


. Each storage cassette


118


contains two pairs of retaining tabs


350


positioned adjacent to the interior walls


351


,


352


of the storage cassette. The lower surface


354


of each tab


350


is substantially planar. The tabs


350


are hingedly connected to the storage cassette


118


enabling the tabs


350


to downwardly rotate from a horizontal position, substantially perpendicular with the side interior walls


351


,


352


of the cassette


118


, to a vertical position, substantially parallel to the interior walls


351


,


352


of the cassette


118


. The tabs


350


are coupled to springs (not shown) to maintain the tabs in the horizontal position.




The storage cassette


118


contains a slidable platform


356


which is biased upward. During operation of the currency handling system


100


, the platform


356


receives stacks of bills from the escrow compartment


116


. The floor


356


is attached to a base


358


which is slidably mounted to a vertical support member


360


. The base


358


is spring-loaded so that it is biased upward and in turn biases the platform


356


upward. The storage cassettes


118


are designed to be interchangeable so that once full, a storage cassette can be easily removed from the currency handling device


100


and replaced with an empty storage cassette


118


. In the illustrated embodiment, the storage cassette


118


is equipped with a handle


357


in order to expedite removal and/or replacement of the storage cassettes


118


. Also in the illustrated embodiment, the storage cassette


118


has a door


359


which enables an operator to remove bills from the storage cassette


118






The storage cassettes


118


are dimensioned to accommodate documents of varying sizes. In the illustrated embodiment, the storage cassettes


118


has a height, H


2


, of approximately 15.38 inches (39 cm), a depth, D


2


, of approximately 9 inches (22.9 cm), and a width, W


2


, of approximately 5.66 inches (14.4 cm). The storage cassette illustrated in

FIG. 15

has stand-offs


362


to set interior wall


352


off a fixed distance from in the interior wall


353


of the cassette housing


348


. The interior walls


351


,


352


aid in aligning the bills in a stack within the storage cassettes. The embodiment of the storage cassette illustrate in

FIG. 15

is sized to accommodate United States currency documents. To properly accommodate United States currency documents, the interior width of the storage cassette, W


3


, is approximately 2.88 inches.

FIGS. 17



a


and


17




b


also illustrate an embodiment of the storage cassette


118


sized to accommodate U.S. currency documents which have a width of approximately 2.5 inches (approximately 6.5 cm) and a length of approximately 6 inches (approximately 15.5 cm). In alternative embodiments, the length of the stand-offs


362


can be varied to accommodate documents of varying sizes. For example, the embodiment disclosed in

FIG. 18



a


and


18




b


has an interior width, W


3


of approximately 4.12 inches (104.6 cm) and is sized to accommodate the largest international currency, the French


500


Franc note, which has width of approximately 3.82 inches (9.7 cm) and a length of approximately 7.17 inches (18.2 cm). In order to accommodate large documents and increase the interior width, W


3


, of the storage cassette


118


, the lengths of stand-offs


362


, illustrated in

FIG. 16



b


, are shortened.




Beginning with

FIG. 7

, the operation of one of the lower output receptacles


106




c


-


106




h


will be described. Pursuant to a mode of operation, the bills


204


are directed by one of the diverters


130


into the escrow compartment


116


of the lower output receptacle. The stacker wheel


202


within escrow compartment


116


receives the bills


204


from the diverter


130


. The stacker wheel


202


stacks the bills


204


on top of the gate


210


. Pursuant to a preprogrammed mode of operation, once a predetermined number of bills


204


are stacked in the escrow compartment


116


, the control unit


120


instructs the currency handling device


100


to suspend processing currency bills and the paddle


302


then descends from its home position above the escrow compartment


116


to transfer the bills


204


into the storage cassette


118


. Once the bills


204


have been deposited in the storage cassette


118


the currency handling device resumes operation until an escrow compartment is full or all the bills within the input receptacle


102


have been processed.




Referring now to

FIGS. 8 and 9

the plunger assembly


300


downwardly travels placing the paddle


302


onto of the stack of bills


204


. Upon making contact with the bills


204


the paddle


302


continues to travel downward. As the paddle


302


continues its descent, the paddle


302


forces the gate


210


to snap open. The paddle


302


imparts a force to the bills


204


that is transferred to the to the shutters


211


,


212


causing the shutters


211


,


212


to rotate from the closed position to the open position. The rotation of the shutters


211


,


212


is indicated by the arrows B and C, respectively. Once the paddle


302


imparts the amount of force necessary to rotate levers


216


,


217


, the extension springs


218


,


219


quickly rotate the shutters


211


,


212


downward, thus “snapping” the gate


210


open. The downward rotation of the shutters


211


,


212


causes each of the corresponding parallel bars


214


,


215


to pivot which in turn rotates the levers


216


,


217


. The extension springs


218


,


219


maintain the shutters


211


,


212


in the open position allowing the paddle


302


to descend into the storage cassette


118


. The hingedly connected side arms


306


,


308


retract as the rollers


316


,


318


to roll around the levers


216


,


217


while the plunger assembly


300


is traveling downward into the cassette


118


.




Referring now to

FIG. 15

, once the gate


210


is opened, the bills


204


fall a short distance onto the platform


356


of the storage cassette


118


or onto a stack of bills


204


already deposited on the platform


356


. The paddle


302


continues its downward motion towards the storage cassette


118


to ensure that the bills


204


are transferred to the cassette


118


. Initially, some bills


204


may be spaced apart from the platform


356


or the other bills


204


within the storage cassette by retaining tabs


350


. As the plunger assembly


300


continues to descend downward into the cassette, the paddle


302


continues to urge the stack of bills


204


downward causing the retaining tabs


350


to rotate downward. The bills


204


are pushed past retaining tabs


350


and onto the platform


356


.




Once the plunger assembly


300


has descended into the cassette


118


a distance sufficient for the paddle


302


to clear the retaining tabs


350


allowing the retaining tabs


350


to rotate upward, the plunger assembly initiates its ascent out of the storage cassette


118


. The platform


356


urges the bills


204


upward against the underside of the paddle


302


. The paddle


302


is equipped with two pairs of slots


324


,


326


(

FIG. 9

) to enable the paddle to clear the pairs of retaining tabs


350


. When the paddle


302


ascends past the pairs of retaining tabs


350


the bills


204


are pressed against the lower surfaces


354


of the pairs of retaining tabs


350


by the platform


356


.




Referring now to

FIG. 13

, when the plunger assembly


300


is traveling upward out of the cassette


118


, the rollers


316


,


318


on the side arms


306


,


308


engage the respective levers


216


,


217


and move the respective levers


216


,


217


from the second (open) position to the first (closed) position to move the gate


210


from the open position to the closed position as the paddle


302


ascends into the escrow compartment


116


after depositing the bills


204


in the storage cassette


118


. The paddle


302


is mounted on the base


304


above the rollers


316


,


318


on the side arms


306


,


308


so that the paddle


302


clears the gate


210


before the gate


210


is moved to the closed position.




In alternative embodiments of the currency handling device


100


, the output receptacles


106


can be sized to accommodate documents of varying sizes such as various international currencies, stock certificates, postage stamps, store coupons, etc. Specifically, to accommodate documents of different widths, the width of the escrow compartment


116


, the gate


210


, and the storage cassette


118


would need to be increased or decreased as appropriate. The document evaluation device


100


is sized to accommodate storage cassettes


118


and gates


210


of different widths. The entire transport mechanism


104


of the currency handling device


100


is dimensioned to accommodate the largest currency bills internationally. Accordingly, the document handling device


100


can be used to process the currency or documents of varying sizes.




In various alternative embodiments, the currency handling device


100


is dimensioned to process a stack of different sized currencies at the same time. For example, one application may require the processing of United States dollars (2.5 inches×6 inches, 6.5 cm×15.5 cm) and French currency (as large as 7.17 inches×3.82 inches, 18.2 cm×9.7 cm). The application may the U.S. currency from the French currency wherein the currency handling device


100


delivers U.S. currency to the first lower output receptacle


106




c


and the French currency to the second output receptacle


106




d


. In another alternative embodiment, the currency handling device


100


processes a mixed stack of U.S. ten and twenty dollar bills and French one hundred and two hundred Franc notes wherein the currency documents are denominated, counted, and authenticated. In that alternative embodiment, the U.S. ten and twenty dollar bills are delivered to the first


106




c


and second


106




d


lower output receptacles, respectively, and the French one hundred and two hundred Franc notes are delivered to the third


106




e


and fourth


106




f


lower output receptacle, respectively. In other alternative embodiments, the currency handling device


100


denominates, counts, and authenticates six different types of currency wherein, for example, Canadian currency is delivered to the first lower output receptacle


106




c


, United States currency is delivered to the second output receptacle


106




d


, Japanese currency is delivered to the third lower output receptacle


106




e


, British currency is delivered to the fourth lower output receptacle


106




f


, French currency is delivered to the fifth lower output receptacle


106




g


, and German currency is delivered to the sixth lower output receptacle


106




h


. In another embodiment, no call bills or other denominations of currency, such as Mexican currency for example, may be directed to the second upper output receptacle


106




b


. In another embodiment, suspect bills are delivered to the first upper output receptacle


106




a.






In other alternative embodiments of the currency handling device


100


, the user can vary the type of documents delivered to the output receptacles


106


. For example, in one alternative embodiment an operator can direct, via the control unit


120


, that a stack of one, five, ten, twenty, fifty, and one-hundred United States dollar bills be denominated, counted, authenticated, and directed into lower output receptacles


106




c


-


106




h


, respectively. In still another alternative embodiment, the currency handling device


100


is also instructed to deliver other bills, such as a United States two dollar bill or currency documents from other countries that have been mixed into the stack of bills, to the second upper output receptacle


106




b


. In still another alternative embodiment, the currency handling device


100


is also instructed to count the number and aggregate value of all the currency bills processed and the number and aggravate value of each individual denomination of currency bills processed. These values can be communicated to the user via the display/user-interface


122


of the currency handling device


100


. In still another alternative embodiment, no call bills and bills that are stacked upon one another are directed to the second upper output receptacle


106




b


. In still another alternative embodiment, the operator can direct that all documents failing an authentication test be delivered to the first upper output receptacle


106




a


. In another alternative embodiment, the operator instructs the currency handling device


100


to deliver no call bills, suspect bills, stacked bills, etc. to one of the lower output receptacles


106




c


-


106




h


. The currency handling device


100


which has eight output receptacles


106




a


-


106




h


provides a great deal of flexibility to the user. And in other alternative embodiments of the currency handling device


100


, numerous different combinations for processing documents are available.




According to one embodiment, the various operations of the currency handling device


100


are controlled by processors disposed on a number of printed circuit boards (“PCBs”) such as ten PCBs located throughout the device


100


. In one embodiment of the present invention, the processors are Motorola processors, model number 86HC 16, manufactured by Motorola, Inc. of Schaumburg, Ill. Each of the processors are linked to a central controller via a general purpose communications controller disposed on each PCB. In one embodiment of the present invention the communications controller is an ARCNET communications controller, model COM20020, manufactured by Standard Microsystems Corporation of Hauppauge, N.Y. The communications controller enables the central controller to quickly and efficiently communicate with the various components linked to the PCBs.




According to one embodiment, two PCBs, a “motor board” and a “sensor board,” are associated with each pair of lower output receptacles


106




c


-


106




h


. The first two lower output receptacles


106




c,d


, the second two lower output receptacles


106




e,f


, and the last two lower output receptacles


106




g,h


are paired together. Each of the lower output receptacles


106


contain sensors which track the movement of the bills into the lower output receptacles


106




c


-


106




h


, detect whether each storage cassette


118




a


-


118




e


is positioned within the currency handling device


100


, detect whether the doors


359


of the storage cassettes


118


are opened or closed, and whether the cassettes


118


are full. These aforementioned sensors associated with each pair of the lower output receptacles are tied into a sensor board which is linked to the central controller. The operation of the plunger assembly


300


, the stacker wheels


202


, the portion of transportation mechanism


104


disposed above the lower output receptacles


116




c


-


116




h


, and the diverters


130


are controlled by processors disposed on the motor board associated with each pair of lower output receptacle's


106




c


-


106




h


. Those sensors


130


which track the movement of bills along the transportation mechanism


104


that are disposed directly above the lower output receptacles


106




c


-


106




h


are also tied into the respective motor boards.




One of the four remaining PCBs is associated with the operation of the one or two stacker wheels


127


associated with the upper output receptacles


106




a,b


, the stripping wheels


140


, the primary drive motor of the evaluation region


108


, a diverter which direct bills to the two upper output receptacles


106




a,b


, and the diverter which then directs bills between the two upper output receptacles


106




a,b


. The remaining three PCBs are associated with the operation of the transport mechanism


104


and a diverter which directs bills from the transport path to the bill facing mechanism


110


. The plurality of sensors


130


disposed along the transport mechanism


104


, used to track the movement of bills along the transport mechanism


104


, also tied into these three remaining PCBs.




During the lifetime of prior art currency handling devices it is likely that individual key components of the devices, including components specific to the output receptacles, will degrade and eventually fail. The failure of an individual component specific to an output receptacle can render that output receptacle inoperable. The inoperability of one of the output receptacles of prior art currency handling devices can render the entire device inoperable regardless of whether the remaining output receptacles are otherwise properly functioning. Component failures resulting in the inoperability of the entire device can have a devastating effect on the cash handling operations of users of these devices. The inventors of the present invention have found that currency handling devices play a vital role in the overall operation of a cash vault, including cash vaults at banks or casinos. The inventors estimate that over 90% (ninety percent) of the cash handled within a cash vault is processed by a currency handling device. Therefore, the failure of a currency handling device can have a disastrous effect on the operation of a cash vault or other operations relying on the performance of the currency handling device.




Like prior art currency handling devices, it is anticipated that over the extended lifetime of the currency handling device


100


components of the device


100


, including components specific to the output receptacles


106


, will degrade and eventually fail. Such individual components include, for example, the motor


330


(FIG.


11


), the belt


328


(FIG.


11


), sensors such as the bill passage sensors


119


, solenoids, switches that indicate a cassette


118


is properly inserted into an output receptacle


106


, and other electrical or mechanical components of the output receptacles


106


. However, the currency processing device


100


of the present invention implements a backup routine to remedy the failure of a component(s) of an output receptacle


106


which would otherwise render the currency handling device


100


inoperable. The inventors of the present invention use the term “disable pockets” to describe this backup routine which essentially disables one or more output receptacles


106


(also called a “pocket”) in which component failure(s) have occurred.




Upon the failure of a component within one of the output receptacles, the user of the currency handling device


100


is informed of the error via the user interface


112


. For example, each of the lower output receptacles


106




c-h


contains a switch (not shown) that is tripped when a cassette


118


is properly inserted into the output receptacle


106


. Under normal circumstances, the control unit


120


detects the tripped switch upon proper insertion of a cassette


118


into the output receptacle


106


and the currency handling device


100


operates as intended. When a cassette


118


is improperly inserted, the control unit


120


does not detect the presence of a properly inserted cassette


118


and the user is prompted via the user interface


122


. Upon a visual inspection or physical manipulation of the storage cassette


118


, the operator can quickly determine whether the cassette


118


is properly inserted within the output receptacle


106


. If the operator determines the cassette


118


is properly inserted and the error signal indicating otherwise is itself an error, the operator can implement the disable pockets routine via the user interface


122


.




The implementation of the disable pockets routine will cause the control unit


120


to ignore the error conditions associated with the output receptacle


106


experiencing component failure by essentially shutting down that output receptacle, allowing the currency handling device


100


to operate with one less lower output receptacle


106




c-h


. For example, disabling the first lower output receptacle


106




c


will cause the currency handling device


100


to operate as though the device


100


has five lower output receptacles—the second lower output receptacle


106




d


through the sixth lower output receptacle


106




h


. Those bills normally directed to the first lower output receptacle


106




c


are now, pursuant to the disable pockets routine, directed to another one of the output receptacles


106


such as the first or second upper output receptacles


106




a-b


. In other embodiments of the device


100


, more than one lower output receptacle


106




c-h


may be disabled. For example, disabling the first two lower output receptacles


106




c-d


will cause the currency handling device


100


to operate with four lower output receptacles—the third lower output receptacle


106




e


through the sixth lower output receptacle


106




h.






According to one embodiment of the disable pockets routine, those bills which would normally be directed to the inoperable output receptacle(s) are now directed to the output receptacle to which bills triggering error conditions (e.g., no call bills) are directed pursuant to various modes of operation. The disable pockets routine is designed to work with existing modes of operation (or other user-defined modes of operation) such as, for example, those modes of operation incorporated by reference above from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/916,100 as well as disclosed in International Patent Application Publication No. WO 99/09511, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Put another way, the disable pockets routine compliments the user-selected mode of operation by directing bills otherwise directed to the disabled output receptacle to an alternative output receptacle.




In one embodiment of the disable pockets routine directs the bills otherwise directed to the disabled output receptacle to an output receptacle


106


to which bills triggering error conditions are directed pursuant to the current mode of operation of the currency handling device


100


. By way of example, one mode of operation may direct bills triggering a “no call” error condition to the second lower output receptacle


106




b


while directing U.S. $1 bills to the first lower output receptacle


106




c


. Upon disabling the first lower output receptacle


106




c


, $1 bills are automatically directed to the no call output receptacle


106




b


which is the second lower output receptacle. During operation of the device


100


, both no call bills and identifiable $1 bills are directed to the second lower output receptacle


106




b


. The device


100


can suspend operation when a no call bill is delivered into the second upper output receptacle


106




b


giving the operator the opportunity to remove the no call bills from the identifiable $1 bills. Alternatively, all bills triggering error conditions may be directed to the first upper output receptacle


106




a


and $1 bills are directed to the second lower output receptacle


106




b


. In other alternative embodiments, after one or more of the output receptacles


106


is disable, the user is prompted to select which of the remaining output receptacles


106


are to replace the disabled output receptacle


106


. The user may designate that U.S. $1 bills be directed to the sixth lower output receptacle along with U.S. $5 bills for example. Many of the modes of operation direct no call bills to one of the upper output receptacles


106




a,b


. However, in alternative embodiments of the present invention, bills triggering error conditions can be directed into any one of the plurality of output receptacles


106


.




Referring now to

FIG. 19

, the operation of the currency handling device


100


pursuant to one embodiment of the disable pockets routine


400


will be described. Before implementing the disable pockets routine, the user of the currency handling device


100


determines that it is necessary to disable of one or more of the output receptacles


106


of the device


100


. Upon deciding to process a batch of currency bills, the user inputs or selects (via the user interface


122


) a mode of operation at step


402


. An illustrative screen


450


which may be displayed on the user interface


122


is illustrated in FIG.


21


. The user can select one of a plurality of buttons


452


corresponding to the desired mode of operation. This step


402


may also include assigning denominations and strap limits to a specific mode of operation by selecting buttons


472


as shown in the illustrative screen


470


of FIG.


22


. The currency handling device


100


is able to process bills according to a strapping mode of operation as described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/635,181 entitled “Method of Creating Identifiable Smaller Stacks of Currency Bills within a Larger Stack of Currency Bills,” which was filed on Aug. 8, 2000 and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. At step


404


, the user instructs the device


100


to disable one of the output receptacles


106


. This may include designating the specific output receptacle(s)


106


to be enabled and which output receptacle(s)


106


to be disabled. An illustrative screen


460


which may be displayed on the user interface


122


is illustrated in FIG.


23


. According to the illustrative screen


460


of

FIG. 22

, buttons


461


-


464


have been selected thus enabling the first four lower output receptacles


106




c-f


while buttons


465


-


466


have not been selected thus disabling the fifth and sixth lower output receptacles


106




g-h


. Alternatively, the disable pockets routine automatically disables the inoperable output receptacle(s)


106


. Thereafter, the operation of the currency handling device


100


commences. As each bill is transported though the evaluation region


108


, information concerning each bill is determined at step


406


. Such information can include denomination, currency type, or authenticity. Next, based on the determined information concerning the bill, an output receptacle


106


to which the device


100


normally transports that bill is designated at step


408


. The designated output receptacle


106


is determined pursuant to the particular mode of operation. For example, a particular mode of operation may designate the first lower output receptacle


106




c


for U.S. $1 bills and the second lower output receptacle


106




d


for $1 Canadian bills. The designated output receptacle (designated pursuant to the mode of operation) is checked against the disabled output receptacle (disable pursuant to the disable pockets routine) at step


408


. If the designated output receptacle


106


is not the disabled output receptacle, the bill is directed to the designated output receptacle


106


at step


412


. If the designated output receptacle is the disabled output receptacle, the bill is directed to the output receptacle designated for no call bills—typically, one of the two upper output receptacles


106




a,b


is designated for no calls.




Referring now to

FIG. 20

, the operation of the currency handling device pursuant to another embodiment of the disable pockets routine


420


will be described. Again, before implementing the disable pockets routine


420


, the user of the currency handling device


100


determines that it is necessary to disable of one or more of the output receptacles


106


of the device


100


. Upon deciding to process a batch of currency bills, the user inputs or selects (via the user interface


122


) a mode of operation at step


422


. At step


424


, the user instructs the device


100


to disable one or more of the output receptacles


106


. According to alternative embodiments, steps


422


and


424


, or steps


402


and


404


with regard to

FIG. 19

, can be performed in the reverse order. Again, step


424


may include designating the specific output receptacle(s) to be disabled. Alternatively, the disable pockets routine


420


at step


424


automatically disables the inoperable output receptacle(s). At step


426


, the output receptacle designations pursuant to the selected mode of operation (e.g., U.S. $10 bills are directed to the third lower output receptacle


106




e


) are updated to reflect the disabling of the output receptacle(s). For example, pursuant to one mode of operation, the third lower output receptacle


106




e


is designated to receive U.S. $10 bills and the second upper output receptacle


106




b


may be designated to receive no call bills. At step


426


, the designation of the second upper output receptacle


106




b


is updated to include U.S. $10 bills. In one embodiment of the disable pockets routine


420


, the disabled output receptacles are replaced with those output receptacles


106


assigned to bills triggering error conditions (e.g., no calls) are directed such as either of the two upper output receptacles


106




a-b


. Alternatively, step


426


may include selecting the particular output receptacle(s)


106


to replace the disabled output receptacles. Thereafter, the operation of the output receptacles is commenced. At step


428


, information concerning each of the bills is determined such bill denomination. The determined information is used to designate to which output receptacle a particular bill will be directed at step


432


. For example, bills determined to be U.S. $100 bills are directed to lower output receptacles


106




h


. And at step


432


, the device


100


directs the bill to the designated output receptacle


106


.




Pursuant to one mode of operation, an operator can direct, via the control unit


120


at step


402


, that a batch of bills be processed such that stacks of U.S. $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 bills are denominated, counted, authenticated, and directed into lower output receptacles


106




c


-


106




h


, respectively. Other bills such as U.S. $2 bills, currency bills from other countries that have been mixed into the batch of bills, and non-identifiable bills (e.g., no calls) are directed to the second upper output receptacle


106




b


. Lastly those U.S. $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 bills determined to be non-authentic (e.g., suspect documents) are directed to the first upper output receptacle


106




a


. The above-described mode of operation is simply one example of the manner in which the currency handling machine


100


processes currency bills. The currency handling device


100


having eight output receptacles


106




a


-


106




h


provides a great deal of flexibility to the user. And in other alternative embodiments of the currency handling device


100


, numerous different combinations for processing documents are available. Upon a user implementing the disable pockets routine, an output pocket—the first lower output receptacle


106




c


, for example—is disabled. Accordingly, during the processing of each of the bills in the batch are processed as described above except that U.S. $1 bills are directed into the second upper output receptacle


106




b


along with those bill determined to be strangers.




As indicated above, in alternative embodiments of the disable pockets routine, the user can designate the output receptacle to which the bills normally directed to one or more disabled pocket are to be directed. In such an embodiment, upon selection of the disable pockets routine, the device


100


may prompt the user via the user interface


122


to specify the alternative output receptacle(s)


106


to which to direct bills otherwise directed to the disabled output receptacle(s)


106


. For example, using the above-described scenario, both U.S. $1 and $5 bills may be directed to the second lower output receptacle


106




d


when the first lower output receptacle


106




c


is disabled. Such an embodiment may be advantageous if the user anticipates a low volume of U.S. $1 and $5 bills. The user can vary the output receptacle(s)


106


to which bills otherwise directed to disabled output receptacles are directed in a manner best suited to the particular application.




The disable pockets routine provides a temporary solution to remedy of the inoperability of one of the output receptacles. The users of the currency handling device


100


can continue to process currency bills while awaiting the arrival of spare parts and/or waiting for repairs to take place.




While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.



Claims
  • 1. A method of processing a plurality of currency bills with a currency handling device, the currency handling device including a transport mechanism adapted to transport each of the bills, one at a time, from an input receptacle past an evaluation unit to a plurality of output receptacles, the currency handling device includes a user-interface adapted receive input from a user of the currency handling device, the method comprising:disabling at least one of a plurality of output receptacles; receiving a plurality of currency bills; transporting the bills from the input receptacle past the evaluating unit to the plurality of output receptacles; determining information concerning each of the bills; designating the particular one of the plurality of output receptacles to which each of the bills are transported based on the determined information concerning each of the bills; comparing the designated output receptacle for each of the bills to the disabled output receptacle; and re-designating the particular one of the plurality of output receptacles to which each of the bills are transported to an alternative output receptacle when the designated output receptacle is the disabled output receptacle.
  • 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising detecting the presence of an error condition within the plurality of output receptacles.
  • 3. The method of claim 2 wherein disabling further comprises disabling the output receptacle having an error condition detected therein.
  • 4. The method of claim 3 further comprising disabling the output receptacle having an error condition detected therein response to user input.
  • 5. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving input from a user of the currency handling device selecting a mode of operation from a plurality of modes of operation stored within a memory of the currency handling device, wherein the mode of operation designates the output receptacle to which each of the bills are transported based on the determined information concerning the bill.
  • 6. The currency handling device of claim 5 wherein the alternative output receptacle is the output receptacle to which no call bills are transported pursuant to the selected mode of operation.
  • 7. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving input from a user of the currency handling device specifying the particular one of the plurality of output receptacles to be disabled.
  • 8. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving input from a user of the currency processing device specifying which of the plurality of output receptacles is the alternative output receptacle.
  • 9. A method of processing a plurality of currency bills with a currency handling device, the currency handling device including a transport mechanism adapted to transport each of the bills, one at a time, from an input receptacle past an evaluation unit to a plurality of output receptacles, the currency handling device includes a user-interface adapted receive input from a user of the currency handling device, the method comprising:disabling at least one of a plurality of output receptacles; updating at least one output receptacle designation of a mode of operation to direct those bills designated to be delivered to the at least one disabled output receptacle to an alternative output receptacle; receiving a plurality of currency bills; transporting the bills from the input receptacle past the evaluating unit to the plurality of output receptacles; determining information concerning each of the bills; and designating the particular one of the plurality of output receptacles to which each of the bills are transported based on the determined information concerning each of the bills.
  • 10. The method of claim 9 further comprising detecting the presence of an error condition within the plurality of output receptacles.
  • 11. The method of claim 10 wherein disabling further comprises disabling the output receptacle having an error condition detected therein.
  • 12. The method of claim 11 further comprising disabling the output receptacle having an error condition detected there in response to user input.
  • 13. The method of claim 9 further comprising receiving input from a user of the currency handling device selecting a mode of operation from a plurality of modes of operation stored within a memory of the currency handling device, wherein the mode of operation designates to the output receptacle to which each of the bills are transported based on the determined information concerning the bill.
  • 14. The method of claim 13 wherein the alternative output receptacle is the output receptacle to which no call bills are transported pursuant to the selected mode of operation.
  • 15. The method of claim 9 further comprising receiving input from a user of the currency handling device specifying the particular one of the plurality of output receptacles to be disabled.
  • 16. The method of claim 9 further comprising receiving input from a user of the currency processing device specifying which of the plurality of output receptacles is the alternative output receptacle.
  • 17. A method of processing a plurality of currency bills with a currency handling device, the method comprising:disabling at least one of a plurality of output receptacles; receiving a plurality of currency bills in an input receptacle; transporting the bills with a transport mechanism, one at a time, from the input receptacle past an evaluating area to the plurality of output receptacles; determining information concerning each of the bills with an evaluating unit; designating the particular one of the plurality of output receptacles to which each of the bills are transported based on the determined information concerning each of the bills; comparing the designated output receptacle for each of the bills to the disabled output receptacle; and re-designating the particular one of the plurality of output receptacles to which each of the bills are transported to an alternative output receptacle when the designated output receptacle is the disabled output receptacle.
  • 18. The method of claim 17 further comprising detecting the presence of an error condition within the plurality of output receptacles.
  • 19. The method of claim 18 wherein disabling further comprises disabling the output receptacle having an error condition detected therein.
  • 20. The method of claim 19 wherein the currency handling device includes a user interface, and wherein disabling further comprises disabling the output receptacle having an error condition detected therein in response to user input.
  • 21. The method of claim 17 further comprising receiving input from a user of the currency handling device selecting a mode of operation from a plurality of modes of operation stored within a memory of the currency handling device, wherein the mode of operation designates the one of the plurality of output receptacles to which each of the bills are transported based on the determined information concerning the bill.
  • 22. The method of claim 21 wherein the alternative output receptacle is the output receptacle to which no call bills are transported pursuant to the selected mode of operation.
  • 23. The method of claim 17 further comprising receiving input from a user of the currency handling device specifying the particular one of the plurality of output receptacles to be disabled.
  • 24. The method of claim 17 further comprising receiving input from a user of the currency handling device specifying which of the plurality of output receptacles is the alternative output receptacle.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/502,666 entitled “Currency Handling System Having Multiple Output Receptacles,” which was filed on Feb. 11, 2000 and is assigned to the assignee of the present application.

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Abstract of JP 2-302894.
Abstract of JP 3-98945.
Abstract of JP 3-111991.
Abstract of JP 4-275696.
Abstract of JP 05205436 (Publn. No. 07061417 A publ. Mar. 7, 1995).
Abstract of JP 07042545 (Publn. No. 08217269 A publ Aug. 27, 1996).
Abstract of JP 08298522 (Publn. No. 10143711 A publ May 29, 1998).
Abstract of JP 09071514 (Publn. No. 10269396 A publ Oct. 9, 1998).
AFB Currency Recognition System (1982).
Banking Machine Digest No. 31 (last page of C12 translation has a date of Dec. 5, 1988) (Japanese).
First Translation of Banking Machine Digest No. 31 (C11).
Second Translation of Banking Machine Digest No. 31 (C11) (Glory).
Third Translation of Banking Machine Digest No. 31 (C11).
Billcon D-202/204 Service Manual (cover marked 630229) (Japanese).
Translation of Billcon D-202/204 Service Manual—(C15).
Billcon D-202, D204 Operator's Manual (cover marked 611215) (Japanese).
First Translation of Billcon D-202, D204 Operator's Manual (C17).
Second Translation of Billcon D-202, D204 Operator's Manual (C17) (Glory).
Brochure “DeLa Rue Systems, The processing of money and documents;” date: copyr: 1987 (See e.g. 3120 Currency Sorting Machine, p. 3).
Brochure: “GFR-X Banknote Counter with Denomination Recognition”, date: 12/94; pp. 3.
Brochure of Mosler Model CS 6600 Optical Currency Counter/Sorter, 4 pages, copyr. 1992.
Brochure by Toyocom, “New Currency Counter with Denomination Recognition, Toyocom NS” (Sep. 26, 1994) (1 page).
Chp. 7 of Mosler CF-420 Cash Management System, Operator's Manual©, 1989.
Cummins-Allison Corp. v. Glory U.S.A., Inc., N.D. Ill. 1998.
Currency Systems International, CPS 1200; 4 pages; date: copyr. 1992.
Currency Systems International/Currency Processing Systems, CPS 300; 4 pages; date: copyr. 1992.
Currency Systems International, Medium Speed Currency Sorting Family, CPS 600 and CPS 900; 4 pages; date: copyr. 1994.
Currency Systems International, Mr. W. Kranister in Conversation With Richard Haycock; pp. 1-5; dated: estimated 1994.
Declaration of Per Torling, 6 page (Mar. 18, 1999).
Description of Currency Systems International's CPS 600 and CPS 900 devices; date: estimated 1994.
Description of Toshiba-Mosler CF-420 Device; estimated 1989.
Drawings of portions of Mosler CF-420 Cash Management System (FIGs. A-C) and description of the same (1989).
Glory GFB-200/210/220/230, Desk-Top Bank Note Counter; 2 pages; date: estimated before Aug. 9, 1994.
Glory GFF-8CF and GFF-8 Desk-Top Currency and Check Counter; 4 pages; date: estimated Jan. 14, 1994.
Glory GFR-X Banknote Counter with Denomination Recognition; 3 pages; date: estimated Jan. 14, 1994.
Glory GFU-100 Desk-top Currency Fitness Sorter/Counter; 2 pages; date estimated Jan. 14, 1994.
Glory Instruction Manual for Model GFR-100 Currency Reader Counter, dated Aug. 15, 1995; pp. 26.
Glory UF-1D brochure; 2 pages; date: estimated before Aug. 9, 1994.
Glory GSA-500 Sortmaster brochure; 2 pages; dated Jan. 14, 1994.
Glory GSA-500 Sortmaster brochure; 4 pages; date: estimated Jan. 14, 1994.
JetScan Currency Scanner/Counter, Model 4060, Operator's Manual by Cummins-Allison (8/91).
JetScan Currency Scanner/Counter, Model 4061, Operating Instructions by Cummins-Allison (Apr. 20, 1993).
JetScan Currency Scanner/Counter, Model 4062, Operating Instructions by Cummins-Allison (Nov. 28, 1994).
Mosler CF-420 Cash Management System Operator's Manual, cover, copyright page, and chapter 5 pp. 5-1 through 5-16, copyrighted 1989.
Mosler Inc. Brochure “The Mosler/Toshiba CF-420”, 1989.
Mosler-Toshiba Currency Sorter CF-400 Series; 4 pages; date: copyr. 1983.
News Product News by Toyocom, “Toyocom Currency Counter Now Reads Denominations”, (Sep. 26, 1994) (1 page).
“Offer for Sale of Optical/Magnetic Detection 9/92”.
“Sale of Doubles Detection 6/92”.
“Sale of Doubles Detection 7/91”.
Sale of JetScan Currency Scanner/Counter, Model 4060 (8/91).
Sale of JetScan Currency Scanner/Counter, Model 4061 (Arp. 20, 1993).
Sale of JetScan Currency Scanner/Counter, Model 4062 (Nov. 28, 1994).
“Sale of Magnetic Detection 7/91”.
“Sale of Multiple Density Sensitivity Setting 4/93”.
“Sale of Multiple Magnetic Sensitivity Setting 4/93”.
Toshiba-Mosler Operator's Manual of CF-420 Cash Settlement System; pp. 1 to C-3; copyr. 1989 (See eg. pps. 3-10; 4-10; and 5-7).
Toyocom Currency Counter, Model NS-100, “Operation Guide (Preliminary)” (Jun. 13, 1995).
First Translation of JP 61-14557.
Second Translation of JP 61-14557 (Glory).
Translation of JP 54-71673.
Translation of JP 54-71674.
Translation of JP 61-41439.
First Translation of JP 56-136689.
Second Translation of JP 56-136689 (Glory).
Translation of JP 56-16287.
Billcon Brochure: Note Counter with Detection K-100 series.
CSI, Inc. Web Page: CashCat Desktop Sorter and Specifications.
CSI, Inc. Web Page: CPS 300-600 and Specifications.
CSI, Inc. Web Page: CPS 900 and Specifications.
CSI, Inc. Web Page: CPS 1200-1500-1800 and Specifications.
Mosler Brochure: TouchSort Currency Processing System—One Touch One Pass One Solution.
Toyocom Brochure: NC-50 Currency Counter.
Toyocom Brochure: NS-200 Currency Recognizer.
Glory UW-200 Multipurpose Compact Currency Sorter, 4 pages, © 1999.
Glory UW-100 Compact Currency Fitness Sorter, 2 pages, © 1999.
Glory GFRT-1 Currency Scanner, 12/94.
Glory GFR-100 Currency Reader Counter Instruction Manual, 32 pages Aug. 20, 1998.
Glory Brochure “Unstoppable” GFR-100 ReadMaster Currency Discriminator, 2 pages. 8/98.
Glory Brochure “Tank Currency Discriminators” GFR-100 & GFB-700, 2 pages, Aug. 6, 1998.
Glory Brochure “Tank Currency Discriminators” GFR-100 & GFR-S80, 2 pages, Dec. 7, 1999.
Continuation in Parts (1)
Number Date Country
Parent 09/502666 Feb 2000 US
Child 09/688538 US