Currency processing system with fitness detection

• US 20070122023A1
• Filed: 10/05/2006
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Charles Jenrick, Curtis Hallowell, Douglas Mennie, Gary Watts, Jeffrey Knoll, John Blake, Matthew D. Anderson, Robert Klein, Tomasz Jagielinski
• Original Assignee: Charles Jenrick, Curtis Hallowell, Douglas Mennie, Gary Watts, Jeffrey Knoll, John Blake, Matthew D. Anderson, Robert Klein, Tomasz Jagielinski
• Inventors: Klein, Robert, Anderson, Matthew, Mennie, Douglas, Watts, Gary, Jenrick, Charles, Blake, John, Hallowell, Curtis, Knoll, Jeffrey, Jagielinski, Tomasz
• Granted Patent: US 7,978,899 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/135
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/30 Tracking or tracing valuable papers or cassettes
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/40 Device architecture, e.g. modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/50 Sorting or counting valuable papers
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/162 Length or width
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/164 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/183 Detecting folds or doubles
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/185 Detecting holes or pores
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/187 Detecting defacement or contamination, e.g. dirt
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/2091 Setting a plurality of levels

Abstract

In one aspect, a method of processing currency in a currency processing machine includes the act of retrieving, from a plurality of input currency bills, characteristic information from each of the bills, the characteristic information itself including at least a first characteristic information relating to fitness. The method also includes the act of assigning to each currency bill one of a plurality of fitness types and fitness levels relating to the first characteristic information of the bill, at least one of the fitness types and the fitness levels being defined by a user. The method also includes the act of outputting each currency bill along one of a plurality of output paths designated by the user to receive currency bills, the output path having a fitness type and/or fitness level assigned to the currency bill.

Claims

1. A user-configurable currency processing device, comprising:

an input receptacle adapted to receive input currency bills;

a reading device adapted to retrieve at least a first characteristic information relating to fitness from each of the currency bills;

a transport mechanism adapted to serially transport the currency bills from the input receptacle to the reading device and then to one of a plurality of output receptacles;

a memory device for storing one of or both of user-definitions and user settings for at least the first characteristic information;

an I/O device configured at least to receive a user input;

a processor adapted to process the first characteristic information retrieved for each of the currency bills by the reading device and assign the currency bill to a category defined by a user to correspond to the processed first characteristic information; and

a controller adapted to discharge each currency bill from the transport mechanism to another transport mechanism or to an output receptacle designated by a user to receive said category of currency bills.

2. A user-configurable currency processing device, according to claim 1, wherein said reading device or another reading device is adapted to retrieve at least a second characteristic information from each of the currency bills.

3. A user-configurable currency processing device, according to claim 2, wherein said reading device comprises at least a first fitness detector for retrieving at least a first characteristic information associated with a fitness of the currency bill.

4. A user-configurable currency processing device, according to claim 3, wherein said reading device or another reading device comprises a denomination detector for retrieving said second characteristic information, said second characteristic information being associated with a denomination of a currency bill.

5. A user-configurable currency processing device, according to claim 4,

wherein said reading device further comprises a second fitness detector for retrieving a third characteristic information associated with a fitness of the currency bill,

wherein said memory device is configured to store user-defined assignments of designated levels of said first characteristic information and said third characteristic information to at least one of a plurality of categories.

6. A user-configurable currency processing device, according to claim 5, wherein the reading device further comprises an authenticity detector for retrieving a fourth characteristic information associated with an authenticity of the currency bill.

7. A user-configurable currency processing device, according to claim 5, wherein said first fitness detector comprises any least one of a limpness detector, a thickness detector, a soil detector, a tape detector, a hole detector, a tear detector, a staple detector, a graffiti detector, stain detector, and an ink wear detector.

8. A user-configurable currency processing device, according to claim 7, wherein said second fitness detector comprises any least one of a limpness detector, a thickness detector, a soil detector, a tape detector, a hole detector, a tear detector, a staple detector, a graffiti detector, stain detector, and an ink wear detector.

9. A user-configurable currency processing device, according to claim 8, further comprising at least one sensor configured to read or capture a bar code from a currency bill.

10. A user-configurable currency processing device, according to claim 1, further comprising an unfit bill processing device configured to render unusable currency bills determined to be unfit.

11. A method of processing currency in a currency processing machine, comprising the acts of:

retrieving, from a plurality of input currency bills, characteristic information from each of the bills, the characteristic information comprising at least a first characteristic information relating to fitness;

assigning to each currency bill one of a plurality of fitness types and fitness levels relating to the first characteristic information of the bill, at least one of the fitness types and the fitness levels being defined by a user;

outputting each currency bill along one of a plurality of output paths designated by the user to receive currency bills having at least one of the fitness type and the fitness level assigned to the currency bill.

12. A method of processing currency in a currency processing machine, according to claim 11, further comprising the act of:

retrieving, from a plurality of input currency bills, characteristic information from each of the bills, the characteristic information comprising at least a second characteristic information relating to an identification number of the currency bill.

13. A method of processing currency in a currency processing machine, according to claim 12, further comprising the act of:

retrieving, from a plurality of input currency bills, characteristic information from each of the bills, the characteristic information comprising at least a third characteristic information relating to a denomination of the currency bill.

14. A method of processing currency in a currency processing machine, according to claim 11, wherein the first characteristic information comprises information relating to a bill substrate defect comprising at least one of a dimensional defect, hole, tear, corner, or tape.

15. A method of processing currency in a currency processing machine, according to claim 11, wherein the first characteristic information further comprises information relating to at least one of ink wear, soilage, and series.

16. A method of processing currency in a currency processing machine, according to claim 15, further comprising the act of:

outputting to a data storage device, for each currency bill, characteristic information pertaining to at least one of a fitness type, a fitness level, an identification number, and a denomination.

17. A method of processing currency in a currency processing machine, according to claim 12, further comprising the act of:

rendering unfit currency bills unusable.

18. A method of processing currency in a currency processing machine, according to claim 17, wherein said act of rendering unfit currency bills unusable comprising at least one of printing a mark on said unfit currency bills, removing at least a predetermined portion of said unfit currency bills, changing a state of at least a predetermined portion of said unfit currency bills, and destroying at least a predetermined portion of said unfit currency bills

19. A method for tracking currency comprising the acts of:

processing a plurality of bills to determine fitness;

reading, from each of the plurality of processed bills, characteristic information comprising at least a first characteristic information relating to a bill fitness and a second characteristic relating to a bill serial number;

assigning the first characteristic information to one of a plurality of fitness levels defined by a user; and

comparing at least the second characteristic information to a corresponding field in a database of previously processed bills.

20. A method for tracking currency according to claim 19, further comprising the act of:

associating the first characteristic information with the second characteristic information.

21. A method for tracking currency according to claim 20, further comprising the act of:

storing the association of the first characteristic information with the second characteristic information in the database of previously processed bills.

22. A method for tracking currency according to claim 21, further comprising the act of:

determining a difference between the first characteristic of a processed bill and a first characteristic for the processed bill stored in the database of processed bills.

23. A method for tracking currency according to claim 22, wherein the first characteristic information comprises information relating to at least one of ink wear, soilage, and series.

24. A method for tracking currency according to claim 22, wherein the first characteristic information comprises information relating to a bill substrate defect comprising at least one of a dimensional defect, hole, tear, corner, or tape.

25. A method for tracking currency according to claim 19, further comprising the act of:

storing data relating to at least one of a processing bank, processing time, processing machine, and user in the database of processed bills in association with the second characteristic information.