Currency processing and strapping systems and methods
First Claim
1. A currency processing and strapping device for strapping a stack of currency bills, each bill having a respective denomination, the device comprising:
- an input receptacle adapted to receive bills to be strapped;
one or more detectors adapted to retrieve information from a passing bill which is used to denominate the passing bill;
one or more strapping units for strapping stacks of bills, each strapping unit having a plurality of output receptacles adapted to receive the bills processed by the evaluating unit, each one of the plurality of output receptacles having a stack limit which determines how many bills will form a complete stack of bills, at least one of the plurality of output receptacles having a first stacking surface and a second stacking surface, the strapping units having a strapping position being adapted to receive stacks of bills from at least one of the plurality of output receptacles, the stacks of bills being strapped after being placed in the strapping position, the one or more strapping units having a stack moving mechanism adapted to move a stack of bills selected for strapping from any of the plurality of output receptacles to the strapping position; and
a transport mechanism defining a transport path between the input receptacle, past the one or more detectors, and the strapping unit, the transport mechanism being adapted to transport each bill individually along the transport path, the transport mechanism being adapted to sort the bills into the plurality of output receptacles based on the information retrieved from the one or more detectors so that an individual one of the output receptacles contains bills having the same denomination;
wherein the first stacking surface of the at least one of the plurality of output receptacles is adapted to receive the bills processed by the evaluating unit during normal operations, and the second stacking surface is adapted to receive the bills within the transport mechanism when a bill misfeed is detected.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and device for evaluating currency bills using a strapping unit that allows a currency evaluating device to automatically strap stacks of currency bills. Currency bills are placed in an input receptacle and an evaluating unit processes each currency bill one at a time. The currency bills are then transported to a plurality of output receptacles within a strapping unit. A stack moving mechanism transports a stack of currency bills, which contains a predetermined number of currency bills, from each of the plurality of output receptacles to the strapping unit or a strapping position. Each stack of currency bills is strapped using strapping material.
240 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A currency processing and strapping device for strapping a stack of currency bills, each bill having a respective denomination, the device comprising:
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an input receptacle adapted to receive bills to be strapped; one or more detectors adapted to retrieve information from a passing bill which is used to denominate the passing bill; one or more strapping units for strapping stacks of bills, each strapping unit having a plurality of output receptacles adapted to receive the bills processed by the evaluating unit, each one of the plurality of output receptacles having a stack limit which determines how many bills will form a complete stack of bills, at least one of the plurality of output receptacles having a first stacking surface and a second stacking surface, the strapping units having a strapping position being adapted to receive stacks of bills from at least one of the plurality of output receptacles, the stacks of bills being strapped after being placed in the strapping position, the one or more strapping units having a stack moving mechanism adapted to move a stack of bills selected for strapping from any of the plurality of output receptacles to the strapping position; and a transport mechanism defining a transport path between the input receptacle, past the one or more detectors, and the strapping unit, the transport mechanism being adapted to transport each bill individually along the transport path, the transport mechanism being adapted to sort the bills into the plurality of output receptacles based on the information retrieved from the one or more detectors so that an individual one of the output receptacles contains bills having the same denomination; wherein the first stacking surface of the at least one of the plurality of output receptacles is adapted to receive the bills processed by the evaluating unit during normal operations, and the second stacking surface is adapted to receive the bills within the transport mechanism when a bill misfeed is detected. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for processing and strapping currency bills including reconciling a currency batch after a bill misfeed, each bill having a respective denomination, the method comprising the acts of:
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receiving a plurality of bills in an input receptacle; transporting individually the bills from the input receptacle to a plurality of output receptacles, each of the plurality of output receptacles having a first bill stacking surface and a second bill stacking surface; determining information regarding each of the bills; sorting the bills into the plurality of output receptacles based on the information determined about each bill; monitoring whether a complete stack of bills has been received in any of the output receptacles; moving a complete stack of bills from one of the plurality of output receptacles to a strapping position; strapping a complete stack of bills that is placed in the strapping position; monitoring whether a bill misfeed occurs during the act of transporting; moving the first stacking surface from a first position to a second position and moving the second stacking surface from a third position to a position generally near to the first position of the first stacking surface when the act of monitoring indicates a bill misfeed has occurred; retaining the stack of bills on the first stacking surface; flushing bills not located within an output receptacle to the second stacking surface. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of reconciling a batch of currency when a bill misfeed occurs within a currency processing and strapping device for strapping a stack of currency bills, each bill having a respective denomination, the currency processing and strapping device having an input receptacle, at least one strapping unit having a plurality of output receptacles, each of the plurality of output receptacles having a first bill stacking surface and a second bill stacking surface, the first bill stacking surface adapted to receive currency bills during normal operation of the device, the device further having a transport mechanism adapted to transport each bill individually along a transport path from the input receptacle to one of the plurality of output receptacles of the at least one strapping unit, the method comprising the acts of:
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monitoring whether a bill misfeed occurs during an act of transporting currency bills within the currency processing and strapping device from the input receptacle to one of the plurality of output receptacles of the at least one strapping unit; moving the first stacking surface of at least one of the plurality of output receptacles from a first position to a second position and moving the second stacking surface from a third position to a position generally near to the first position of the first stacking surface when the act of monitoring indicates a bill misfeed occurred; retaining a stack of bills on the first stacking surface; flushing bills not located within an output receptacle to the second stacking surface. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification