Arrangement for handling banknotes

• US 6,213,310 B1
• Filed: 08/05/1999
• Issued: 04/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cash And Change Control Sweden AB
• Original Assignee: Cash And Change Control Sweden AB
• Inventors: Wennersten, Lars Harry, Wennersten, Pirjo Riitta
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tuan N.
• Application Number:
  US09/355,849
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• Field of Search: 209/534, 209/621, 209/919, 198/469.1, 198/470.1
• US Class Current: 209/534
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2405/352 in closed loop
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2408/113 with variable location in space of the bins relative to a stationary in-feed path
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/12 Containers for valuable papers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/919 Rotary feed conveyor

Abstract

An arrangement for handling banknotes having a banknote magazine (10) which is arranged to permit banknotes (39) to be fed into as well as out from the magazine one by one, and a memory device (44) for storing continuously updated information about the contents of the magazine (10). The banknote magazine has a controllably rotatable drum (10), containing a plurality of separate magazine compartments (11), formed by sector-like pockets, each of which extends in a generally radial direction into the drum (10) from an opening (27) located at the periphery of the drum. Through rotation of the drum (10), a selectable magazine compartment (11) can be placed with its opening (27) in front of an infeed and/or outfeed station (17, 19, 21) in order to permit an infeed of a banknote into or an outfeed of a banknote from said compartment (11) by an infeed and outfeed device (28), located within the magazine compartment (11) and serving also to hold a banknote fed into the magazine compartment (11) within the latter.

Claims

1. An arrangement for handling banknotes, said arrangement being of the kind comprising a banknote magazine (10), which is arranged to permit banknotes (39) to be fed in into as well as out from the magazine one by one, detector means (45), which are arranged to detect each infeed of a banknote into and each outfeed of a banknote from the magazine (10), and memory means (44), which are arranged to store information about the contents of the magazine that is updated continuously in connection with (he infeed of banknotes into and the outfeed of banknotes from the magazine (10), characterized in that the banknote magazine comprises a controllably rotatable drum (10), containing a plurality of separate, individually identifiable magazine compartments (11) which are formed each by one sector-like pocket, extending in a generally radial direction into the drum (10) from a combined infeed and outfeed opening (27) of the magazine compartment (11) in question, located at the periphery of the drum, in that, through rotation of the drum (10), a magazine compartment (11), selected in view of the stored information, can be placed with its said opening (27) in front of at least one infeed or outfeed station (17, 19, 21) in order to permit an infeed of a banknote into or an outfeed of a banknote from said compartment (11) at said station (17, 19, 21), in that each magazine compartment (11) is arranged to receive only one banknote (39) therein, and in that each magazine compartment (11) is provided with combined infeed and outfeed means (28), located adjacent to said opening (27) thereof, for forcibly feeding in a banknote into and forcibly feeding out a banknote from the magazine compartment (11) and holding a banknote, fed in into the magazine compartment.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that said infeed and outfeed means of each magazine compartment (11) comprise at least one pair of rotatable rollers (28) which are arranged to be brought into frictional engagement with mutually opposite sides of a banknote.

3. An arrangement according to claim 1, chatracterized by drive means (30-37), provided at each infeed or outfeed station (17, 19, 21), for controllably driving said infeed and outfeed means (28) of a magazine compartment (11) having its said opening (27) located in front of the station (17, 19, 21) in question.

4. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises an infeed station (17), provided with a banknote reader (18), and at least one separate outfeed station (19, 21), the drum (10) being arranged to be placed with a selectable magazine compartment (11) in a position in front of a selectable one of said stations (17, 19, 21).

5. An arrangement according to claim 4, characterized in that it comprises two separate outfeed stations (19, 21), one (19) of which is arranged to be utilized for repayment purposes, while the other one (21) is arranged to permit a transfer of banknotes from the magazine (10) to a storage cassette (23).