Method and apparatus for document processing

• US 6,880,692 B1
• Filed: 04/03/2000
• Issued: 04/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Inventors: Mennie, Douglas U., Jones, William J., Munro, Mark C., Mazur, Richard A., Graves, Bradford T., Stromme, Lars R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Walsh, Donald P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Beauchaine, Mark J.
• Application Number:
  US09/541,170
• Time in Patent Office: 1,842 Days
• Field of Search: 382/135, 209/534, 194/207, 194/215, 194/229, 194/230, 194/240, 194/317, 271/315
• US Class Current: 194/207
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/165 Picking
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/24 Managing the stock of valuable papers
• 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 11/60 User-interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/004 using digital security elements, e.g. information coded on a magnetic thread or strip
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/04 Testing magnetic properties of the materials thereof, e.g. by detection of magnetic imprint G07D7/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/12 Visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation

Abstract

A currency evaluation device for receiving a stack of currency bills and rapidly evaluating all the bills in the stack. The device comprises an input receptacle for receiving a stack of bills to be evaluated and a plurality of output receptacles for receiving the bills after they have been evaluated. A transport mechanism transports the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to one of the output receptacles along a transport path. A discriminating unit including a detector positioned along the transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacle evaluates the bills. The discriminating unit counts and determines the denomination of the bills. A means for flagging bills meeting or failing to meet a certain criteria causes the transport mechanism to halt in response to a determination that a bill meets or fails to meet the criteria.

Claims

1. A method of evaluating a stack of currency bills using a currency evaluation device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of bills in an input receptacle of the evaluation device;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to one of exactly two output receptacles of the currency evaluation device;

counting and determining the denomination of the bills utilizing a detector positioned along a transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacles;

determining whether the bills meet or fail to meet a non-piece count related criterion; and

halting the transporting when a bill meets or fails to meet the criterion, a bill meeting or failing to meet the criterion being termed a flagged bill,

wherein the halting is performed such that the flagged bill is positioned as the last bill in one of the output receptacles,

wherein bills whose denomination are determined are delivered to a first output receptacle and wherein bills whose denomination are not determined are directed to a second output receptacle, a bill whose denomination is not determined being termed a no call bill.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the halting occurs after a no call bill has been delivered to the second output receptacle.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the halting occurs with the no call bill being positioned at an identifiable location in the second output receptacle.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the halting occurs with the no call bill being the last bill transported to the second output receptacle, wherein the criteria is the denomination of a bill and wherein a bill failing to meet the criterion of having its denomination determined is a flagged bill.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the halting occurs before a no call bill has been delivered to the second output receptacle.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the halting occurs with the no call bill being located at an identifiable location within the transport path.

7. A method of evaluating a stack of currency bills using a currency evaluation device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of bills in an input receptacle of the evaluation device;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to one of exactly two output receptacles of the currency evaluation device;

counting and determining the denomination of the bills utilizing a detector positioned along a transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacles;

determining whether the bills meet or fail to meet a non-piece count related criterion;

halting the transporting when a bill meets or fails to meet the criterion, a bill meeting or failing to meet the criterion being termed a flagged bill,

wherein the halting is performed such that the flagged bill is positioned as the last bill in one of the output receptacles; and

determining whether a bill is a stranger bill, wherein a bill failing to have its denomination determined is termed a no call bill, and further including delivering stranger bills to a first output receptacle and delivering no call bills to the second output receptacle.

8. A method of evaluating a stack of currency bills using a currency evaluation device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of bills in an input receptacle of the evaluation device;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to one of exactly two output receptacles of the currency evaluation device;

counting and determining the denomination of the bills utilizing a detector positioned along a transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacles;

determining whether the bills meet or fail to meet a non-piece count related criterion;

halting the transporting when a bill meets or fails to meet the criterion, a bill meeting or failing to meet the criterion being termed a flagged bill,

wherein the halting is performed such that the flagged bill is positioned as the last bill in one of the output receptacles; and

determining whether a bill is a stranger bill and wherein the non-piece count related criterion is a bill being a stranger bill.

9. A method of evaluating a stack of currency bills using a currency evaluation device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of bills in an input receptacle of the evaluation device;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to one of exactly two output receptacles of the currency evaluation device;

counting and determining the denomination of the bills utilizing a detector positioned along a transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacles;

determining whether the bills meet or fail to meet a non-piece count related criterion;

halting the transporting when a bill meets or fails to meet the criterion, a bill meeting or failing to meet the criterion being termed a flagged bill,

wherein the halting is performed such that the flagged bill is positioned as the last bill in one of the output receptacles; and

determining whether a bill is suspect, a bill determined to be suspect being termed a suspect bill.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein bills whose denomination have been determined are delivered to a first output receptacle and wherein suspect bills are directed to the second output receptacle.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the halting occurs before a suspect bill has been delivered to the second output receptacle.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the halting occurs with the suspect bill being located at an identifiable location within the transport path.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the halting occurs after a suspect bill has been delivered to the second output receptacle.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the halting occurs with the suspect bill being positioned at an identifiable location in the second output receptacle.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the halting occurs with the suspect bill being the last bill transported to the second output receptacle, and wherein the non-piece count criterion is a bill being suspect.

16. A method of evaluating a stack of currency bills using a currency evaluation device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of bills in an input receptacle of the evaluation device;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to one of exactly two output receptacles of the currency evaluation device;

counting and determining the denomination of the bills utilizing a detector positioned along a transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacles;

determining whether the bills meet or fail to meet a non-piece count related criterion; and

halting the transporting when a bill meets or fails to meet the criterion, a bill meeting or failing to meet the criterion being termed a flagged bill,

wherein the halting is performed such that the flagged bill is positioned as the last bill in one of the output receptacles,

wherein the criterion is a bill being a stranger bill, and wherein the halting occurs with a stranger bill as the last bill in one of the output receptacles.

17. A method of evaluating a stack of currency bills using a currency evaluation device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of bills in an input receptacle of the evaluation device;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to one of exactly two output receptacles of the currency evaluation device;

counting and determining the denomination of the bills utilizing a detector positioned along a transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacles;

determining whether the bills meet or fail to meet a non-piece count related criterion; and

halting the transporting when a bill meets or fails to meet the criterion, a bill meeting or failing to meet the criterion being termed a flagged bill,

wherein the halting is performed such that the flagged bill is positioned as the last bill in one of the output receptacles,

wherein the criterion is a bill being a suspect bill, and wherein the halting occurs with a suspect bill as the last bill in one of the output receptacles.

18. A method of evaluating a stack of currency bills using a currency evaluation device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of bills in an input receptacle of the evaluation device;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to one of exactly two output receptacles of the currency evaluation device;

counting and determining the denomination of the bills utilizing a detector positioned along a transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacles;

determining whether the bills meet or fail to meet a non-piece count related criterion; and

halting the transporting when a bill meets or fails to meet the criterion, a bill meeting or failing to meet the criterion being termed a flagged bill,

wherein the halting is performed such that the flagged bill is positioned as the last bill in one of the output receptacles,

wherein a bill failing to have its denomination determined being termed a no call bill, and further determining whether a bill is a suspect bill,

wherein the halting occurs when a bill is determined to be a suspect bill.

19. The method of claim 18 further including delivering bills whose denomination have been determined and suspect bills to a first output receptacle and delivering no call bills to a second output receptacle.

20. The method of claim 19 further including determining whether bills are stranger bills, and delivering stranger bills to the second output receptacle.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the halting occurs after a no call bill or a stranger bill has been delivered to the second output receptacle.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the halting occurs with the no call bill or the stranger bill being the last bill transported to the second output receptacle.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein the halting does not occur after a no call bill or a stranger bill has been delivered to the second output receptacle.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the halting occurs after a suspect bill has been delivered to an output receptacle.

25. The method of claim 18 further including delivering bills whose denomination have been determined to a first output receptacle and delivering no call bills to a second output receptacle.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the halting occurs after a no call bill has been delivered to the second output receptacle.

27. A method of evaluating a stack of currency bills using a compact, high-speed United States currency evaluation device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of United States currency bills of a plurality of denominations in an input receptacle of the currency evaluation device;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to one of exactly two output receptacles of the currency evaluation device at a rate of at least 800 bills per minute;

counting and determining the denomination of the bills, including United States bills of a plurality of denominations, at a rate of at least 800 bills per minute utilizing a detector positioned along a transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacles;

flagging bills that meet or fail to meet any of certain non-Piece count related criteria, a bill meeting or failing to meet any of the criteria being termed a flagged bill, wherein the flagging comprises halting the transporting when a bill meets or fails to meet at least one of the criteria,

wherein one of the certain criteria is the denomination of a bill, a bill failing to meet the criterion of having its denomination determined being termed a no call bill, and wherein no call bills are flagged;

determining whether a bill is a stranger bill, wherein one of the certain criteria is a bill being a stranger bill and wherein stranger bills are flagged; and

determining whether a bill is a suspect bill, wherein one of the certain criteria is a bill being a suspect bill and wherein suspect bills are flagged,

wherein the two output receptacles consist of a first output receptacle and a second output receptacle, and further directing stranger bills and no call bills to the first output receptacle and directing suspect bills to the second output receptacle.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein halting occurs when a no call bill or a stranger bill is delivered to the first output receptacle.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein halting does not occur when a no call bill or a stranger bill is delivered to the first output receptacle.

30. A method of evaluating a stack of currency bills using a compact, high-speed United States currency evaluation device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of United States currency bills of a plurality of denominations in an input receptacle of the currency evaluation device;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to one of exactly two output receptacles of the currency evaluation device at a rate of at least 800 bills per minute;

counting and determining the denomination of the bills, including United States bills of a plurality of denominations, at a rate of at least 800 bills per minute utilizing a detector positioned along a transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacles;

flagging bills that meet or fail to meet any of certain non-piece count related criteria, a bill meeting or failing to meet any of the criteria being termed a flagged bill, wherein the flagging comprises halting the transporting when a bill meets or fails to meet at least one of the criteria;

wherein one of the certain criteria include the denomination of a bill and wherein the halting occurs when a bill fails to meet a criterion of having its denomination determined, a bill failing to meet the criterion of having its denomination determined being termed a no call bill; and

delivering bills meeting the certain criteria of having their denomination determined to a first output receptacle and directing no call bills to a second output receptacle.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the halting occurs before a no call bill has been delivered to the second output receptacle.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein the halting occurs after a no call bill has been delivered to the second output receptacle.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the halting occurs with a no call bill being positioned at an identifiable location in the second output receptacle.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the halting occurs with a no call bill being the last bill transported to the second output receptacle.

35. A method of evaluating a stack of currency bills using a compact, high-speed United States currency evaluation device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of United States currency bills of a plurality of denominations in an input receptacle of the currency evaluation device;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to one of exactly two output receptacles of the currency evaluation device at a rate of at least 800 bills per minute;

counting and determining the denomination of the bills, including United States bills of a plurality of denominations, at a rate of at least 800 bills per minute utilizing a detector positioned along a transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacles;

flagging bills that meet or fail to meet any of certain non-piece count related criteria, a bill meeting or failing to meet any of the criteria being termed a flagged bill, wherein the flagging comprises halting the transporting when a bill meets or fails to meet at least one of the criteria; and

determining whether bills are suspect bills and wherein the halting occurs when a bill meets a criterion of being determined to be a suspect bill.

36. The method of claim 35 further including delivering bills whose denominations have been determined to a first output receptacle and delivering suspect bills to a second output receptacle.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the halting occurs after a suspect bill has been delivered to the second output receptacle.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein the halting occurs with a suspect bill being positioned at an identifiable location in the second output receptacle.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein the halting occurs with the suspect bill being the last bill transported to the second output receptacle.

40. The method of claim 36 further including delivering bills whose denomination have not been determined to the second output receptacle.

41. The method of claim 40 wherein the halting occurs in response to the denomination of a bill not being determined.

42. The method of claim 36 further including delivering bills whose denomination have not been determined to the first output receptacle.

43. A method of evaluating a stack of currency bills using a compact, high-speed United States currency evaluation device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of United States currency bills of a plurality of denominations in an input receptacle of the currency evaluation device;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to one of exactly two output receptacles of the currency evaluation device at a rate of at least 800 bills per minute;

counting and determining the denomination of the bills, including United States bills of a plurality of denominations, at a rate of at least 800 bills per minute utilizing a detector positioned along a transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacles; and

flagging bills that meet or fail to meet any of certain non-piece count related criteria, a bill meeting or failing to meet any of the criteria being termed a flagged bill, wherein the flagging comprises halting the transporting when a bill meets or fails to meet at least one of the criteria,

wherein the certain criteria include the denomination of a bill and wherein the halting occurs when a bill fails to meet a criterion of having its denomination determined, a bill failing to meet a criterion of having its denomination determination being termed a no call bill, and further including determining whether bills are suspect,

wherein the halting occurs when a bill meets a second criterion of being determined to be suspect.

44. The method of claim 43 further including delivering bills whose denomination have been determined to a first output receptacle and directing bills determined to be suspect and bills whose denomination have not been determined to a second output receptacle.

45. The method of claim 44 wherein the halting occurs after a no call bill or a suspect bill has been delivered to the second output receptacle.

46. The method of claim 45 wherein the halting occurs with the no call bill or the suspect bill being the last bill transported to the second output receptacle.

47. A method of evaluating a stack of currency bills using a compact, high-speed United States currency evaluation device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of United States currency bills of a plurality of denominations in an input receptacle of the currency evaluation device;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to one of exactly two output receptacles of the currency evaluation device at a rate of at least 800 bills per minute;

counting and determining the denomination of the bills, including United States bills of a plurality of denominations, at a rate of at least 800 bills per minute utilizing a detector positioned along a transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacles; and

flagging bills that meet or fail to meet any of certain non-piece count related criteria, a bill meeting or failing to meet any of the criteria being termed a flagged bill, wherein the flagging comprises halting the transporting when a bill meets or fails to meet at least one of the criteria,

wherein the certain criteria include the denomination of a bill and wherein the halting occurs when a bill fails to meet a criterion of having its denomination determined, a bill failing to meet a criterion of having its denomination determination being termed a no call bill, and further including determining whether bills are suspect, and

delivering bills whose denomination have been determined to a first output receptacle and directing bills whose denomination have not been determined to a second output receptacle.

48. The method of claim 47 further including delivering suspect bills to the second output receptacle.

49. The method of claim 47 further including delivering suspect bills to the first output receptacle.

50. A method of evaluating a stack of currency bills using a currency evaluation device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of bills in an input receptacle of the evaluation device;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to one of exactly two output receptacles of the currency evaluation device;

counting and determining the denomination of the bills utilizing a detector positioned along a transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacles;

determining whether the bills are suspect; and

flagging a bill that has been determined to be suspect,

wherein the flagging comprises halting the transport mechanism when a bill is determined to be suspect.

51. The method of claim 50 wherein the counting and determining the denominations of the bills comprising counting and denominating United States currency bills of a plurality of denominations.

52. The method of claim 50 wherein the counting and determining the denominations of the currency bills is performed independent of the size of the bills.

53. The method of claim 50 wherein the halting occurs with the suspect bill being the last bill transported to one of the output receptacles.

54. The method of claim 50 wherein the detector includes a stationary optical scanning head and further including scanning at least a preselected segment of each bill transported between the input and output receptacles, producing an output signal representing the scanned image, and wherein the determining of the denomination of each scanned bill utilizes the output signal.

55. A method of evaluating a stack of U.S. currency bills using a high-speed United States currency evaluation device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills in an input receptacle of the currency evaluation device;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to one of exactly two output receptacles of the currency evaluation device at a rate of at least 800 bills per minute, at least one of the output receptacles being adapted to receive more than one denomination of bills;

counting and determining the denomination of the bills, including United States bills of a plurality of denominations at a rate of at least 800 bills per minute, utilizing a detector positioned along a transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacles;

flagging bills that meet or fail to meet any of certain non-piece count related criteria, a bill meeting or failing to meet any of the criteria being termed a flagged bill,

wherein the flagging comprises halting the transporting with a flagged bill that meets or fails to meet at least a given set of the criteria positioned in one of the output receptacles,

wherein the certain criteria include the denomination of a bill, a bill failing to meet a criterion of having its denomination determined being termed a no call bill; and

determining whether a bill is a stranger bill and wherein the certain criteria include a bill being a stranger bill.

56. The method of claim 55 further including delivering no call bills to a first output receptacle and delivering stranger bills to a second output receptacle.

57. The method of claim 55 further including determining whether a bill is a suspect bill and wherein the certain criteria include a bill being a suspect bill.

58. The method of claim 57 further including directing no call bills and stranger bills to a second output receptacle and directing suspect bills to the first output receptacle.

59. The method of claim 58 wherein the halting occurs when a bill is directed to the second output receptacle.

60. The method of claim 58 wherein the halting does not occur when a bill is directed to the second output receptacle.

61. A method of evaluating a stack of currency bills using a high-speed United States currency evaluation device comprising:

receiving a stack of bills in an input receptacle of the currency evaluation device;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to one of exactly two output receptacles of the currency evaluation device at a rate of at least 800 bills per minute, at least one of the output receptacles being adapted to receive more than one denomination of bills;

counting and determining the denomination of the bills including United States bills of a plurality of denominations at a rate of at least 800 bills per minute, utilizing a detector positioned along a transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacles;

flagging bills that meet or fail to meet any of certain non-piece count related criteria, a bill meeting or failing to meet any of the criteria being termed a flagged bill,

wherein the flagging comprises halting the transporting with a flagged bill that meets or fails to meet at least a given set of the criteria positioned in one of the output receptacles; and

delivering flagged bills to the second output receptacle.

62. A method of evaluating a stack of U.S. currency bills using a high-speed United States currency evaluation device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills in an input receptacle of the currency evaluation device;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to one of exactly two output receptacles of the currency evaluation device at a rate of at least 800 bills per minute, at least one of the output receptacles being adapted to receive more than one denomination of bills;

counting and determining the denomination of the bills, including United States bills of a plurality of denominations at a rate of at least 800 bills per minute, utilizing a detector positioned along a transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacles;

flagging bills that meet or fail to meet any of certain non-piece count related criteria, a bill meeting or failing to meet any of the criteria being termed a flagged bill,

wherein the flagging comprises halting the transporting with a flagged bill that meets or fails to meet at least a given set of the criteria positioned in one of the output receptacles,

wherein the certain criteria include the denomination of a bill, a bill failing to meet a criterion of having its denomination determined being termed a no call bill; and

determining whether a bill is a stranger bill and wherein the certain criteria include a bill being a stranger bill.

63. A method of evaluating a stack of currency bills using a currency evaluation device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of bills in an input receptacle of the evaluation device;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to one of exactly two output receptacles of the currency evaluation device;

counting and determining the denomination of the bills utilizing a detector positioned along a transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacles;

generating a characteristic information output signal in response to detected characteristic information via the detector;

generating a denomination signal in response to the information output signal;

generating a suspect signal when a bill is determined to be suspect;

producing tracking signals in response to the physical movement of the bills;

generating a stopping signal in response to the suspect signal; and

stopping a transport drive motor in response to the stopping signal.

64. The method of claim 63 wherein the counting and determining the denomination of the bills comprises counting and determining United States currency bills of a plurality of denominations.

65. The method of claim 63 wherein the counting and determining the denominations of the currency bills is performed independent of the size of the bills.

66. The method of claim 63 wherein the determining of the denomination of bills includes denominating currency bills of a plurality of denominations, bills of at least two of the denominations having the same dimensions.

67. The method of claim 63 wherein the determining of the denomination of bills includes denominating currency bills of a plurality of denominations, genuine bills of the plurality of denominations have a plurality of images associated therewith, the plurality of images defining the plurality of denominations, and further including scanning the image associated with each of the bills and distinguishing among the plurality of denominations using the scanned image.

68. A method of evaluating a stack of currency bills using a currency evaluation device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of bills in an input receptacle of the evaluation device;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to one of exactly two output receptacles of the currency evaluation device;

counting and determining the denomination of the bills utilizing a detector positioned along a transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacles; and

halting the transporting in a predetermined manner in response to a determination that a bill meets a stranger bill criterion and in response to a determination that a bill meets a no call bill criterion,

wherein a bill which meets the stranger bill criterion is termed a stranger bill, and wherein a bill which meets the no call bill criterion is termed a no call bill,

wherein the halting occurs with the bill meeting the stranger bill or non call bill criterion being positioned in one of the output receptacles.

69. The method of claim 68 wherein the halting occurs with the bill meeting the stranger bill or no call bill criterion being positioned as the last bill in one of the output receptacles.

70. A method of evaluating a stack of currency bills using a currency evaluation device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of bills in an input receptacle of the evaluation device;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to one of exactly two output receptacles of the currency evaluation device;

counting and determining the denomination of the bills utilizing a detector positioned along a transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacles; and

halting the transporting in a predetermined manner in response to a determination that a bill meets a stranger bill criterion and in response to a determination that a bill meets a no call bill criterion,

wherein a bill which meets the stranger bill criterion is termed a stranger bill, and wherein a bill which meets the no call bill criterion is termed a no call bill,

wherein the halting occurs with the bill meeting the stranger bill or no call bill criterion being located at a predetermined position.

71. A method of evaluating a stack of currency bills using a currency evaluation device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of bills in an input receptacle of the evaluation device;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to one of exactly two output receptacles of the currency evaluation device;

counting and determining the denomination of the bills utilizing a detector positioned along a transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacles;

halting the transporting in a predetermined manner in response to a determination that a bill meets a stranger bill criterion and in response to a determination that a bill meets a no call bill criterion,

wherein a bill which meets the stranger bill criterion is termed a stranger bill, and wherein a bill which meets the no call bill criterion is termed a no call bill; and

determining whether bills are suspect and wherein one of a criterion is a bill being a suspect bill.

72. The method of claim 71 wherein the output receptacles include a second receptacle, and further including delivering stranger and no call bills to the second output receptacle and wherein suspect bills are delivered to the first output receptacle.

73. The method of claim 72 wherein the halting occurs when a bill meeting the no call criterion or the stranger criterion is delivered to the second output receptacle.