CURRENCY PROCESSING DEVICE, METHOD AND SYSTEM

• US 20100236892A1
• Filed: 06/04/2010
• Published: 09/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Inventors: Chen, Yanmei, Mennie, Douglas U., Jones, William J., Baranowski, Marek, Maier, Ken W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,978,864 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 194/206
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 15/012 twisted belts
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/33212 about an axis parallel to the direction of displacement of material
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/33224 180°
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/1912 Banknotes, bills and cheques or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/10 Mechanical details
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/16 Handling of valuable papers within containers G07D11/13
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/40 Device architecture, e.g. modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/50 Sorting or counting valuable papers

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a currency processing device for receiving and processing a stack of currency bills is described. The currency processing device comprises an input receptacle for receiving a stack of bills to be processed, a plurality of output receptacles for receiving bills after the bills have been processed, a transport mechanism for transporting the bills from the input receptacle to the output receptacles, and a discriminating unit for examining the bills. The output receptacles are arranged such that a center of at least one output receptacle is laterally offset from a center of the input receptacle. The discriminating unit includes a detector positioned between the input receptacle and the output receptacles and is adapted to determine the denomination of bills.

Claims

1-33. -33. (canceled)

34. A currency processing device for receiving a stack of currency bills and rapidly processing the bills in the stack, the device comprising:

an input receptacle positioned to receive a stack of bills to be processed;

a first plurality of output receptacles for receiving bills after the bills have been processed, the first plurality of output receptacles at least including a first output receptacle and a second output receptacle, the second output receptacle being positioned above the first output receptacle;

a second plurality of output receptacles for receiving bills after the bills have been processed, the second plurality of output receptacles at least including a third output receptacle and a fourth output receptacle, the third and fourth output receptacles being positioned to one side of the first plurality of output receptacles, the fourth output receptacle being positioned above the third output receptacle;

a transport mechanism adapted to transport the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to the output receptacles;

at least one detector positioned between the input receptacle and the output receptacles, the detector generating at least one output signal used to at least count and determine the denomination of the bills; and

a housing for the input receptacle, the first and second pluralities of output receptacles, the transport mechanism, and the at least one detector, the housing having a height, a width, and a depth,

wherein the device includes between about 0.46 and 0.65 output receptacles per cubic foot of the housing.

35. The device of claim 34, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth output receptacles are positioned in a two by two matrix.

36. The device of claim 34, wherein the height is about 27 inches, the width is about 44 inches, and the depth is about 25.5 inches.

37. The device of claim 36, wherein the device includes exactly 8 output receptacles.

40. The device of claim 34, wherein each of the first and second pluralities of output receptacles includes at least four output receptacles.

41. The device of claim 34, further comprising one or more output receptacles, the one or more output receptacles being above the input receptacle, below the input receptacle, or both above and below the input receptacle.

42. A currency processing device for receiving a stack of currency bills and rapidly processing the bills in the stack, the device comprising:

an input receptacle positioned to receive a stack of bills to be processed;

a first plurality of output receptacles for receiving bills after the bills have been processed, the first plurality of output receptacles at least including a first output receptacle and a second output receptacle, the second output receptacle being positioned above the first output receptacle;

a second plurality of output receptacles for receiving bills after the bills have been processed, the second plurality of output receptacles at least including a third output receptacle and a fourth output receptacle, the third and fourth output receptacles being positioned to one side of the first plurality of output receptacles, the fourth output receptacle being positioned above the third output receptacle;

a transport mechanism adapted to transport the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to the output receptacles;

at least one detector positioned between the input receptacle and the output receptacles, the detector generating at least one output signal used to at least count and determine the denomination of the bills; and

a housing for the input receptacle, the first and second pluralities of output receptacles, the transport mechanism, and the at least one detector, the housing having a height, a width, and a depth, the height and the width defining a faceprint of the device having a square footage equal to the height multiplied by the width,

wherein the device includes between about 0.97 and 1.35 output receptacles per square foot of the housing faceprint.

43. A currency processing device for receiving a stack of currency bills and rapidly processing the bills in the stack, the device comprising:

a first plurality of output receptacles for receiving bills after the bills have been processed, the first plurality of output receptacles at least including a first output receptacle and a second output receptacle, the second output receptacle being positioned above the first output receptacle;

a second plurality of output receptacles for receiving bills after the bills have been processed, the second plurality of output receptacles at least including a third output receptacle and a fourth output receptacle, the third and fourth output receptacles being positioned to one side of the first plurality of output receptacles, the fourth output receptacle being positioned above the third output receptacle;

a transport mechanism adapted to transport the bills, one at a time, from an input receptacle to the output receptacles; and

at least one detector positioned between the input receptacle and the output receptacles, the detector generating at least one output signal used to at least count and determine the denomination of the bills,

wherein the first and second pluralities of output receptacles reside within an output receptacle housing, the output receptacle housing having a width and a height and a faceprint defined by the width multiplied by the height of the output receptacle housing, and

wherein the faceprint of the output receptacle housing has a pocket density of about 1.75 output receptacles per square foot.