SECURABLE BANKNOTE CARRIER, AND A BANKNOTE HANDLING APPARATUS AND BANKNOTE CASSETTE FOR USE WITH THE SECURABLE BANKNOTE CARRIER

• US 20150083792A1
• Filed: 09/09/2014
• Published: 03/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innovative Technologies, Incorporated (Valmont Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Innovative Technologies, Incorporated (Valmont Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Robinson, John, Bullock, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 9,483,893 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 232/1.D
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/125 Secure containers

Abstract

A securable banknote carrier comprising an enclosure of flexible material attached to an articulated bi-fold frame delimiting a banknote aperture, wherein the frame comprises a pair of hingedly coupled opposing jaw members, and wherein the frame is configured such that when moving from a banknote aperture open position to a banknote aperture closed position the opposing jaw members rotate inwardly towards one another from a position in which the jaw members are substantially coplanar to a position in which the jaw members are substantially adjacent and parallel to each other.

Claims

1. A securable banknote carrier comprising an enclosure of flexible material attached to an articulated bi-fold frame delimiting a banknote aperture, wherein the frame comprises a pair of hingedly coupled opposing jaw members, and wherein the frame is configured such that when moving from a banknote aperture open position to a banknote aperture closed position the opposing jaw members rotate inwardly towards one another from a position in which the jaw members are substantially coplanar to a position in which the jaw members are substantially adjacent and parallel to each other.

2. A securable banknote carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the opposing jaw members are coupled together via a pair of live hinges.

3. A securable banknote carrier as claimed in claim 2, wherein the opposing jaw members rotate about a common axis that passes through each of the pair of live hinges, and said live hinges provide a small bias in favour of folding of the articulated bi-fold frame.

4. A securable banknote carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the articulated bi-fold frame includes locking means for irreversibly locking the opposing jaw members together in the banknote aperture closed position.

5. A securable banknote carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locking means comprises at least one male barb means disposed on one of the pair of opposing jaw members and at least one corresponding female engaging means disposed on the other jaw member and adapted to receive the at least one male barb means, wherein once mated the male barb means and the female engaging means cannot be disengaged without destruction or rupture of one of the male barb means or the female engaging means.

6. A securable banknote carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the jaw members includes a skirt portion projecting substantially orthogonally from an underside surface thereof, and wherein the enclosure of flexible material is attached to each skirt portion.

7. A securable banknote carrier as claimed in claim 6, wherein the enclosure of flexible material comprises a foldable or compressible bag.

8. A securable banknote carrier as claimed in claim 7, wherein the foldable or compressible bag is permeable to ink or dye.

9. A banknote cassette for removable insertion into a banknote handling apparatus comprising:

a casing defining outer walls and a aperture for receiving a securable banknote carrier as claimed in any preceding claim;

at least one mounting bracket adapted to releasably receive at least one corresponding lug disposed on the securable banknote carrier; and

a resiliently biased stacker plate disposed opposite said aperture.

10. A banknote cassette as claimed in claim 9, wherein the banknote cassette includes the securable banknote carrier as claimed in any of claims 1 to 15, and wherein in operation the resiliently biased stacker plate is urged against expansion of the enclosure of flexible material.

11. A banknote handling apparatus comprising:

a banknote cassette as claimed in claim 9 removably housed within a cassette docking station configured to receive banknotes, the cassette docking station including a banknote stacker mechanism for sequentially feeding received banknotes into the securable banknote carrier held within the banknote cassette; and

a pair of gate members adapted to engage with the securable banknote carrier upon insertion of the banknote cassette.

12. A banknote handling apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein each of the pair of banknote cassette gate members is resiliently biased in a substantially closed position.

13. A banknote handling apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the banknote cassette gate members are interconnected such that each of the pair of banknote cassette gate members is configured to open and close in unison with the other.

14. A banknote handling apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein insertion of the banknote cassette containing a banknote carrier into the cassette docking station urges the pair of banknote cassette gate members inwardly away from the advancing cassette into a substantially open position, and wherein upon retraction of the banknote cassette said banknote cassette gate members initially resile to cooperatively engage with the laterally disposed channels of the bi-fold frame opposing jaw members and, upon further retraction of the banknote cassette, continue to resile to a closed position simultaneously folding the bi-fold frame into a banknote aperture closed position such that opposing jaw members interlock via action of the locking means.