Bill handling machine and bill storage unit

• US 7,503,445 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2005
• Issued: 03/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Aruze Corp. (Universal Entertainment Corporation), SETA Corporation (Universal Entertainment Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshioka, Kazuei
• Primary Examiner(s): Mackey; Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): BEAUCHAINE, MARK J
• Application Number:
  US11/269,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20060102446A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• Field of Search: 194/350, 194/208, 194/209, 194/353, 271/188, 271/209
• US Class Current: 194/350
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/5122 Corrugating; Stiffening
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/51256 Removing waviness or curl, smoothing
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/512565 involving tri-roller arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/1912 Banknotes, bills and cheques or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 29/008 Winding single articles into single rolls
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 29/22 and introducing into a pile
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 29/70 Article bending or stiffening arrangements

Abstract

A bill storage unit has a bill storage portion for storing bills and a bill validator which takes in a bill to validate the bill. A feeding device feeds the bill delivered from the bill validator to the bill storage portion along a feeding path. A correcting device removes a fold in the bill by applying a force stretching the bill, while the bill is being supported and guided along at least part of the feeding path.

Claims

1. A bill transport and storage unit comprising:

a bill storage portion for storing bills and that has an installation area for installing a bill validator which takes in a bill to validate the bill; and

a bill feeding device defining a feeding path for a bill to travel to reach the bill storage device, the bill feeding device comprising;

a guide device including a pair of guides spaced from each other along a direction perpendicular to the feeding path traveled by a bill to reach the bill storage portion, each guide including a planar portion and an adjoining semi-loop portion, the guides being aligned so that the planar portions are co-planar and the semi-loop portions are coaxial; and

a feeding rotation member disposed between the pair of guides, having an outer peripheral surface, and rotated about an axis generally parallel to the planar portions of the guides, wherein

the outer peripheral surface protrudes outwardly from, between, and beyond the planar portions of the pair of guides to engage and feed a bill in the feeding path, by applying a first frictional force to the bill, so the bill is fed along the planar portions of the pair of guides, and

the outer peripheral surface of the feeding rotation member protrudes further outwardly from, between, and beyond the semi-loop portions of the pair of guides than beyond the planar portions of the pair of guides, and applies a second frictional force, larger than the first frictional force, to the bill and stresses the bill traveling in the feeding path toward the bill storage portion, producing a V-shape in the bill as the bill travels along the semi-loop portions of the pair of guides toward the bill storage portion, to remove folds from the bill.

2. The bill transport and storage unit according to claim 1, wherein the bill storage portion is located adjacent to the guide device, and bills fed by the feeding device are successively placed and stacked in the bill storage portion.

3. The bill transport and storage unit according to claim 1, further comprising a bill detecting portion located in the feeding path and detecting a bill inserted into the feeding path, wherein the feeding rotation member is rotated to feed the bill to the bill storage portion only when the bill detecting portion detects the bill.

4. A bill handling machine comprising:

a bill insertion slot;

a bill validator having a bill validating portion that validates a bill inserted into the bill insertion slot, and a bill moving device that feeds a bill determined to be valid to a receiving position, and that feeds a bill determined to be invalid back to the bill insertion slot; and

a bill transport and storage unit with a bill guide inlet located at the receiving position for receiving the bill delivered from the bill validator, the bill transport and storage unit comprising

a bill storage portion, located under the validator, for storing bills, and

a bill feeding device defining a feeding path for a bill to travel to reach the bill storage device, the bill feeding device comprising

a guide device including a pair of guides spaced from each other along a direction perpendicular to the feeding path traveled by a bill to reach the bill storage portion, each guide including a planar portion and an adjoining semi-loop portion, the pair of guides being aligned so that the planar portions are co-planar and the semi-loop portions are coaxial, and

a feeding rotation member disposed between the pair of guides, having an outer peripheral surface, and rotated about an axis generally parallel to the planar portions of the pair of guides, wherein

the outer peripheral surface protrudes outwardly from, between, and beyond the planar portions of the pair of guides to engage and feed a bill in the feeding path, by applying a first frictional force to the bill, so the bill is fed along the planar portions of the pair of guides, and

the outer peripheral surface of the feeding rotation member protrudes further outwardly from, between, and beyond the semi-loop portions of the pair of guides than beyond the planar portions of the pair of guides, and applies a second frictional force, larger than the first frictional force, to the bill and stresses the bill traveling in the feeding path toward the bill storage portion, producing a V-shape in the bill as the bill travels along the semi-loop portions of the pair of guides toward the bill storage portion, to remove folds from the bill.

5. The bill handling machine according to claim 4, wherein the bill storage portion is located adjacent to the guide device, and bills fed by the feeding device are successively placed and stacked in the bill storage portion.

6. The bill handling machine according to claim 4, further comprising a bill detecting portion located in the feeding path and detecting a bill inserted into the feeding path, wherein the feeding rotation member is rotated to feed the bill to the bill storage portion only when the bill detecting portion detects the bill.

7. The bill handling machine according to claim 4, wherein no signal is communicated between the bill validator and the bill storage unit.