Method of and system for detecting bill status in a paper money dispenser

• US 4,462,587 A
• Filed: 10/05/1981
• Issued: 07/31/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/1981
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Diebold Incorporated (Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Diebold Incorporated (Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated)
• Inventors: Graef, Harry T., Wise, Mark J.
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHACHER, RICHARD
• Application Number:
  US06/309,022
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 271/263, 209/534, 209/603
• US Class Current: 271/263
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 7/06 responsive to presence of faulty articles or incorrect separation or feed B65H7/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/10 Mechanical details

Abstract

Overlapped or folded bills in a paper money dispenser are detected by sensors that measure bill length and thickness. The sensors generate a first signal when bill thickness corresponds to the thickness of at least one standard bill and generate a second signal when bill thickness corresponds to at least twice standard bill thickness. A third signal is generated when bill thickness corresponds to at least three times standard bill thickness. The first and second signals, together with a fourth signal corresponding to the bill length, are supplied to a computer that identifies single or double bills as well as overlapped or folded bills and jammed bills. Bill count is incremented in response to identification of single or dispensable double bills. Overlapped bills, folded bills, double bills that cannot be dispensed, triple bills or suspicious bills are diverted to a storage canister.

Claims

1. A method of detecting sheet status, such as overlapped sheets or folded sheets, on a sheet delivery conveyor, comprising the steps of measuring sheet thickness along the entire length of the sheet, and in response, generating a first signal when the measured sheet thickness corresponds to the thickness of at least one sheet and a second signal when the measured thickness corresponds to the thickness of at least two sheets;

measuring sheet length and, in response, generating a third signal;

arithmetically summing durations of said first and second signals related to corresponding sheet lengths and, in response, generating a fourth signal; and

interpreting said third and fourth signals to determine sheet status.

2. A method of identifying particular abnormalities, such as overlapped sheets or folded sheets on a sheet delivery conveyor, comprising the steps of measuring sheet thickness along the entire length of the sheet, measuring sheet length, generating a plurality of first signals as a function of different sheet thicknesses, generating a second signal as a function of the measured sheet length, arithmetically summing time durations of the plurality of first signals to obtain a third signal, and interpreting said second and third signals to identify sheet abnormality type.

3. A method of identifying bill status in an automatic paper money dispenser, comprising the steps of measuring bill thickness along the entire length of the bill to obtain a first electrical signal, measuring bill length to obtain a second electrical signal, processing said first and second electrical signals to obtain third electrical signals representing bill lengths having respectively, different multiple bill thicknesses;

arithmetically summing time durations of the third signals to obtain a fourth electrical signal;

comparing said fourth signal with a corresponding reference electrical signal; and

, in response, identifying bill status such as overlapped or folded bills, single bills, double bills or jammed bills.

9. The method of claim 3, 5 or 7 including the step of dispensing double bills.

10. The method of claim 3, 5 or 7 including the steps of determining if a single bill is dispensable and dispensing said bill.

11. The method of claim 3, 5 or 7 including the steps of detecting non-dispensable single or double bills and diverting said non-dispensable bills.

12. The method of claim 3, 5 or 7 including the step of diverting a double bill if said double bill is a last bill to be dispensed.

13. The method of claim 12 including the additional step of dispensing a single bill rather than the double bill as the last bill.

4. In a money dispenser including a conveyor for transporting bills from a money supply source to a delivery station, an apparatus for identifying overlapped bills or folded bills on said conveyor, comprising:

means for measuring bill thickness, along an entire length of said bill;

means responsive to said thickness measuring means for generating a first signal when bill thickness corresponds to the thickness of at least one bill and for generating a second signal when bill thickness corresponds to the thickness of at least two bills;

means responsive to the thickness measuring means for developing a third electrical signal proportional to the duration of the first signal and developing a fourth signal proportional to the duration of the second signal;

means for arithmetically summing said third and fourth signals to develop a fifth signal; and

means responsive to said fifth signal for identifying identifying overlapped or folded bills on said conveyor.

5. In an automatic paper money dispenser, a method of identifying bill status such as single bill, double bills, overlapped bills and folded bills, comprising the steps of

measuring bill thickness along the entire length of the bill;

generating a first electrical signal when the measured bill thickness corresponds to the thickness of at least on standard bill;

generating a second electrical signal when the measured bill thickness corresponds to at least twice the thickness of one standard bill;

arithmetically summing the durations of said first and second electrical signals to obtain a third electrical signal;

comparing said third electrical signal with corresponding reference signals; and

generating a fourth electrical signal in response to the comparing step for identifying bill status.

6. In an automatic paper money dispenser, wherein bills are transferred on a conveyor means between a supply source and a customer station for delivery, a system for identifying bill status prior to delivery, comprising:

means for measuring bill thickness along the entire length of each bill;

means for generating a first electrical signal when the measured bill thickness corresponds to the thickness of at least one standard bill;

means for generating a second electrical signal when the measured bill thickness corresponds to at least twice the thickness of a standard bill;

means for arithmetically summing the durations of said first and second electrical signals to obtain a third electrical signal identifying bill portions having at least single standard bill thickness and bill portions having at least double standard bill thickness;

means for comparing said third electrical signal with a corresponding reference signal; and

means responsive to said comparing means for generating a fourth electrical signal identifying bill status.

7. In an automatic paper money dispenser, a method of identifying bill status such as single bill, double bills, triple bills, overlapped bills and folded bills, comprising the steps of:

measuring bill thickness along the entire length of the bill;

generating a first electrical signal when the measured bill thickness corresponds to the thickness of at least one standard bill;

generating a second electrical signal when the measured bill thickness corresponds to at least twice the thickness of one standard bill;

generating a third electrical signal when the measured bill thickness corresponds to the thickness of at least three times the thickness of one standard bill;

arithmetically summing the durations of said first, second and third electrical signals to obtain a fourth electrical signal identifying a summation of bill portions having at least single standard bill thickness, bill portions having at least double standard bill thickness, and bill portions having at least triple standard bill thickness;

comparing said fourth electrical signal with a corresponding reference signal; and

generating a fifth electrical signal in response to the comparing step for identifying bill status.

8. A method of detecting sheet status such as folded or overlapped sheets on a conveyor carrying a series of said sheets, comprising the steps of measuring sheet thickness, generating a first signal when the measured sheet thickness corresponds to the thickness of at least one standard sheet, generating a second signal when the measured thickness corresponds to at least twice standard sheet thickness, measuring sheet length, generating a third electrical signal proportional to the arithmetic summation of said first and second signals as a function of sheet length, and interpreting said third signal to determine sheet status.