Currency processing and strapping systems and methods

• US 20080060906A1
• Filed: 09/07/2006
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Inventors: Klein, Robert J., Fitzgerald, Robert B., Lynch, Alan T., Renz, Mark B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,779,982 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 194/207
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/40 Device architecture, e.g. modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/50 Sorting or counting valuable papers

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.

Claims

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.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein currency processing and strapping device further comprises a plurality of misfeed detection sensors.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the first stacking surface is located below the second stacking surface.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the first stacking surface is lowered from a first position to a second position when a bill misfeed is detected by the device, and the second stacking surface is lowered from a third position to a position generally near to the first position of the first stacking surface when a bill misfeed is detected by the device.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the first stacking surface second position is within the stack moving mechanism.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

strapping material for strapping stacks of bills; and

a printer for applying appropriate alphanumeric information to the strapping material based on the denomination of the bills to be strapped as determined by the evaluating unit.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising at least one storage bin for storing strapped stacks of bills.

8. The device of claim 1 further comprising a memory for storing the stack limit associated with each the plurality of output receptacles and comprising an interface adapted to permit an operator of the device to vary the stack limit associated with each the plurality of output receptacles wherein the stack limit associated with each the plurality of output receptacles is user settable.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

strapping material for strapping stacks of bills; and

a printer for applying appropriate color-coding to the strapping material based on the denomination of the bills to be strapped as determined by the evaluating unit.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more strapping units for strapping stacks of bills each being adapted to receive stacks of bills from more than one of the plurality of output receptacles.

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:

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.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the acts of:

determining that the bills on the second stacking surface are removed; and

resuming operation of the processing and strapping device after the determining the bills on the second stacking surface are removed.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising the act of placing the strapped stack of bills into at least one storage bin.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

using a stack carrying structure to transport a complete stack of bills to the strapping position; and

using a conveyor belt adapted to support and move the carrying structure from at least one loading position to the strapping position, the conveyor belt being positioned proximate the output receptacles and the strapping position.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

using a clamp to grab a complete stack of bills from an output receptacle and to move the complete stack of bills to the strapping position.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving the bills removed from the second staking surface in the input receptacle;

transporting individually the bills from the input receptacle to the plurality of output receptacles, each of the plurality of output receptacles having the first bill stacking surface and the second bill stacking surface;

determining information regarding each of the bills;

sorting the bills into the plurality of output receptacles based on the determining of the information regarding each of the bills;

monitoring whether a complete stack of bills of have been received in any of the output receptacles; and

moving a complete stack of bills from one of the plurality of output receptacles to the strapping position; and

strapping the complete stack of bills that is placed in the strapping position, the strapping position being adapted to receive stacks from more than one of the plurality of output receptacles.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein, the strapping position is adapted to receive stacks of bills from more than one of the plurality of output receptacles.

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:

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.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the acts of:

determining that the bills on the second stacking surface are removed;

returning the first stacking surface to the first position after the act of determining that no bills remain on the second stacking surface, the act of returning occurring without altering the stack of bills on the first stacking surface; and

resuming operation of the processing and strapping device after returning the first stacking surface to the first position without reprocessing the stack of bills on the first stacking surface.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising the act of:

processing the currency bills removed from the second stacking surface after the act of resuming operation of the processing and strapping device.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein at least one of the currency bills removed from the second stacking surface is added to at least one of the stack of bills on at least one of the first stacking surface.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising the acts of:

detecting the status of an access panel adapted to allow access to at least one of the plurality of output receptacles;

verifying that the access panel is in a closed position before the act of resuming operation of the processing and strapping device.