Claims
- 1. In currency handling apparatus wherein an input bin is provided for accepting a stack of bills from which bottom bills are to be successively fed in single file in a given feed direction along a bill transport path, a feed arrangement comprising:
- at least one drum roller adapted to frictionally contact said bottom bills to facilitate advancement thereof along the bill feed direction, said drum roller being rotationally driven in a direction which is complementary to said bill feed direction, and
- at least one picker roller adapted to contact and retard incoming bills other than said bottom bills, said picker roller being rotationally driven in a substantially continuous fashion in a direction counter to said bill feed direction as said roller contacts said incoming currency bills and in the absence of a bill in the region of engagement between said picker roller and said drum roller so as to impose a retarding action upon bills coming into contact therewith, thereby restricting said bills other than said bottom bills from being fed in along with said bottom bills, said picker roll being subsequently susceptible to rotation along said bill feed direction by contact with bills between said picker and drum rollers.
- 2. The feed arrangement according to claim 1 wherein a pressure roller is provided downstream of said drum roller along said bill transport path, said roller being rotationally driven along said bill feed direction by direct counter-rotating contact with said drum roller, and
- said picker roller is subjected to said rotation counter to said bill feed direction by direct counter-rotating contact with said pressure roller.
- 3. The feed arrangement according to claim 2 wherein said picker roller is capable of pivotal motion toward and away from said counter-rotating contact with said pressure roller, and wherein said roller, when in contact with said pressure roller, is disposed in an overlapping yet unobstructed peripheral relationship with said drum roller, whereby the presence of a bill in between said picker and pressure rollers pivots said picker roller into said neutral contact away from said counter-rotating contact with said pressure roller.
- 4. The feed arrangement according to claim 3 wherein said picker roller has a smooth, low-friction external surface.
- 5. The feed arrangement according to claim 3 wherein said picker roller has a high-friction external surface for increased retarding of said incoming bills.
- 6. The feed arrangement according to claim 3 wherein the external surface of said drum roller is provided with at least one selectively disposed eccentric surface adapted to establish intermittent contact between said picker and drum rollers, whereby the rotation of said picker roller is selectively alternated between (i) counter-rotating contact with said pressure roller in a direction counter to said bill flow direction, and (ii) counter-rotating contact with said drum roller along said bill flow direction.
- 7. In a feed arrangement for currency handling apparatus, wherein the feed arrangement includes a drum roller rotationally driven in a first direction for frictionally contacting successive bottom bills from a stack of bills that are to be advanced in single file along a given feed direction, a picker roller adapted to bear down into contact with leading edges of said bills being advanced by said drum roller so as to facilitate advancement of only said bottom bills along said feed direction, and a pressure roller disposed downstream of said picker roller for guiding said advanced bottom bills further along said feed direction, said pressure roller being mounted in direct counter-rotating contact with said drum roller along said bill feed direction, the improvement comprising:
- mounting said picker roller for direct counter-rotating contact with said pressure roller along a direction counter to said bill feed direction so as to impart a retarding action upon said stacked bills coming into contact therewith, said contact between said picker and pressure rollers being broken in the presence of a bill between said picker and drum rollers, whereby said picker roller is subsequently susceptible to rotation along said bill feed direction by contact with said bill between said picker and drum rollers.
- 8. The feed arrangement according to claim 7 wherein said picker roller is capable of pivotal motion toward and away from said counter-rotating contact with said pressure roller, and said roller, when in contact with said pressure roller, is disposed in an overlapping yet unobstructed peripheral relationship with said drum roller, whereby the presence of a bill in between said picker and pressure rollers pivots said picker roller into said neutral contact away from said counter-rotating contact with said pressure roller.
- 9. The feed arrangement according to claim 8 wherein said picker roller has a smooth, low-friction external surface.
- 10. The feed arrangement according to claim 8 wherein said picker roller has a high-friction external surface for increased retarding of said incoming bills.
- 11. The feed arrangement according to claim 8 wherein the external surface of said drum roller is provided with at least one selectively disposed eccentric surface adapted to establish intermittent contact between said picker and drum rollers, whereby the rotation of said picker roller is selectively alternated between (i) counter-rotating contact with said pressure roller in a direction counter to said bill flow direction, and (ii) counter-rotating contact with said drum roller along said bill flow direction.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of copending application Ser. No. 07/680,585 filed on Apr. 4, 1991 now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
119640 |
Sep 1980 |
JPX |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
680585 |
Apr 1991 |
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