Currency handling system having multiple output receptacles interfaced with one or more cash processing devices

• US 20030062242A1
• Filed: 09/27/2002
• Published: 04/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Inventors: Klein, Robert J., Hallowell, Curtis W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,453,820 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 194/302
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/203 Dispensing operations within ATMs dispensing in general G07D11/00

Abstract

A currency processing system comprises a first currency bill processing device having a plurality of output receptacles and a second currency bill processing device having at least one output receptacle. The second currency bill processing device is communicatively interfaced with the first currency bill processing device.

Claims

1. A currency processing system comprising.

a first currency bill processing device having a plurality of output receptacles, the first currency bill processing device including an input receptacle for receiving bills to be processed and a transport mechanism for transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle past an evaluation unit to the plurality of output receptacles, the first currency bill processing device being adapted to determine information concerning each of the bills including determining the denomination of each of the bills, the first currency bill processing device being adapted to maintain a first count of the determined denominations of the processed bills, and

a second currency bill processing device for processing currency bills having at least one output receptacle, the second currency bill processing device being communicatively interfaced with the first currency bill processing device, the second currency bill processing device having an input receptacle for receiving currency bills and a transport mechanism for transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle past an evaluation unit to the at least one output receptacle, the evaluation unit of the second currency bill processing device being adapted to determine information concerning each of the bills including the denomination of each of the bills, the second currency bill processing device being adapted to maintain a second count of the determined denominations of the currency bills processed by the second currency processing device, the first currency bill processing device being adapted to receive the second count from the second currency processing device

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the second currency bill processing device has a single output receptacle

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the second currency bill processing device has two output receptacles

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the currency bills processed by the first currency processing device and the currency bills processed by the second currency processing device are currency bills from the same batch of currency bills.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein one or more of the currency bills processed by the first currency processing device comprise currency bills processed by the second currency processing device

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the first currency processing device is adapted to flag those bills for which the first currency processing device can not determine the denomination, the currency bills processed by the second currency processing device being those bills flagged by the first currency processing device

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the first currency processing device is adapted to flag those bills failing to meet a predetermined criteria, the currency bills processed by the second currency processing device being those bills flagged by the first currency processing device

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the first currency processing device is adapted to receive substitute currency media and currency bills and is adapted to off-sort substitute currency media from currency bills, the second currency processing device being adapted to processes the substitute currency media off-sorted by the first currency processing device and to determine information concerning the processed substitute currency media, the first currency processing device being adapted to receive the information concerning the processed substitute currency media from the second currency processing device.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the first count of the determined denominations comprises a total value of the bills whose denomination has been determined and the second count of the determined denominations comprises a total value of bills whose denomination is determined by the second currency processing device

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the second count of the determined denominations includes denominations for bills processed by the second currency processing device that have been manually entered.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the first count of the determined denominations comprises the number of bills of each denomination and the second count of the determined denominations comprises the number of bills of each denomination determined by the second currency processing device

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the second count of the determined denominations includes one or more manually entered bill denomination number manually entered.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the first currency processing device includes an operator interface for receiving input from an operator of the currency processing system, the first currency bill processing device receiving the second count from the second currency bill processing device upon receipt of operator input.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the first currency bill processing device receives the second count first count upon processing the currency bills with the second currency processing device.

15. The system of claim 1 further comprising a coin sorter communicatively interfaced with the first currency processing system, the coin sorter being adapted to sort and count coins of mixed denominations, the coin processing device being adapted to maintain a third count of the coins counted by the coin sorter, the first currency processing device being adapted to receive the third count from the coin sorter

16. A currency processing system comprising.

a first currency bill processing device having a plurality of output receptacles, the first currency bill processing device including an input receptacle for receiving currency bills to be processed and a transport mechanism for transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle past an evaluation unit to the plurality of output receptacles, the first currency bill processing device being adapted to determine information concerning each of the bills including determining the denomination of each of the bills, the first currency bill processing device being adapted to maintain a first count of the determined denominations of the processed bills;

and

a coin sorter communicatively interfaced with the first currency processing system, the coin sorter being adapted to sort and count coins of mixed denominations, the coin processing device being adapted to maintain a count of the coins counted by the coin sorter, the first currency processing device being adapted to receive the coin of the coins from the coin sorter.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the currency bills processed by the first currency processing machine and the coin processed by the coin sorter are received from a single batch of currency bills and coins

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the batch represents currency bills and coins received from a gaming machine

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the first currency processing device includes an operator interface for receiving input from an operator of the system, the first currency bill processing device receiving the count of coins from the coin sorter upon receipt of operator input.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein the first currency bill processing device automatically receives the count of coins form the coin sorter.

21. The system of claim 16 further comprising a second currency bill processing device for processing currency bills having at least one output receptacle, the second currency bill processing device being communicatively interfaced with the first currency bill processing device, the second currency bill processing device having an input receptacle for received currency bills and a transport mechanism for transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle past an evaluation unit to the at least one output receptacle, the evaluation unit of the second currency bill processing device being adapted to determine information concerning each of the bills including the denomination of each of the bills, the second currency bill processing device being adapted to maintain a second count of the determined denominations of the currency bills processed by the second currency processing device, the first currency bill processing device being adapted to receive the second count from the second currency processing device.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the second currency bill processing device has a single output receptacle

23. The system of claim 21 wherein the second currency bill processing device has two output receptacles.

24. The system of claim 21 wherein the currency bills processed by the first currency processing device and the currency bills processed by the second currency processing device are currency bills from the same batch of currency bills

25. The system of claim 21 wherein one or more of the currency bills processed by the first currency processing device comprise the currency bills processed by the second currency processing device.

26. The system of claim 21 wherein the first currency processing device is adapted to flag those bills for which the first currency processing device can not determine the denomination, the currency bills processed by the second currency processing device being those bills flagged by the first currency processing device.

27. The system of claim 21 wherein the first currency processing device is adapted to receive substitute currency media and currency bills and is adapted to off-sort substitute currency media from currency bills, the second currency processing device being adapted to processes the substitute currency media off-sorted by the first currency processing device and to determine information concerning the processed substitute currency media, the first currency processing device being adapted to receive the information concerning the processed substitute currency media from the second currency processing device.

28. A method for processing a batch of currency bills using a currency processing system that includes a first currency processing device having a plurality of output receptacles and a second currency processing device having at least one output receptacles, the first and second currency processing devices being communicatively interface, the method comprising:

receiving a batch of currency bills to be processed in an input receptacle of the first currency processing device;

transporting each of the currency bills from the input receptacle of the first currency processing device, one at a time, past an evaluation unit to the plurality of output receptacles of the first currency processing device,

evaluating the denomination of each of the currency bills with the evaluation unit of the first currency processing device,

maintaining a first count of the denomination determined for a currency bill by the evaluation unit of the first currency processing device and storing the first count in a memory of the first currency bill processing device;

flagging each currency bill for which the denomination can not be determined;

receiving currency bills flagged by the first currency in an input receptacle of the second currency processing device,

transporting each of the currency bills from the input receptacle of the second currency processing device, one at a time, past an evaluation unit to the at least one output receptacle of the second currency processing device;

evaluating the denomination of each of the currency bills with the evaluation unit of the second currency processing device;

maintaining a second count of the denomination determined for a currency bill by the evaluation unit of the second currency processing device and storing the second count in a memory of the second currency bill processing device; and

transferring the second bill count from the second currency processing machine to the first currency processing device.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein transferring further comprises automatically transferring

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising storing the second bill count in the memory of the first currency processing device.

31. The method of claim 28 wherein transferring further comprising transferring upon receipt of operator input

32. The method of claim 28 wherein the batch of currency bills includes substitute currency documents, the method further comprising.

sorting the currency bills and the substitute currency documents with the first currency processing device;

determining information concerning each of the substitute currency documents with the second currency processing device,

storing the determined information concerning the substitute currency document in the memory of the second currency processing device; and

transferring the determined information to the first currency processing device

33. The method of claim 32 further comprising storing the determined information in the memory of the first currency processing device.