Method and apparatus for currency discrimination and counting

• US 7,536,046 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2003
• Issued: 05/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corporation (Crane Company)
• Inventors: Bauch, Aaron M., Raterman, Donald E., Graves, Bradford T., Stromme, Lars R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Phuoc
• Application Number:
  US10/434,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20030198373A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,203 Days
• Field of Search: 382/135, 382137-140, 382/181, 382/190, 382/191, 382/217, 382/218, 382/318, 382/319, 382/321, 382/322, 382/323, 209/534, 356/71, 194/202, 194/207
• US Class Current: 382/135
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/541 Counting
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2557/514 ultraviolet
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/1912 Banknotes, bills and cheques or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/063 separating from the bottom of pile B65H3/0615, B65H3/0623 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/10 Mechanical details
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/50 Sorting or counting valuable papers
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/04 Testing magnetic properties of the materials thereof, e.g. by detection of magnetic imprint G07D7/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/12 Visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/1205 Testing spectral properties
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/128 Viewing devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/16 Testing the dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/162 Length or width
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/20 Testing patterns thereon G07D7/004, G07D7/005 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/04 by paper currency

Abstract

A currency evaluation device for receiving a stack of U.S. currency bills and rapidly evaluating all the bills in the stack comprises an input receptacle adapted to receive a stack of U.S. currency bills of a plurality of denominations to be evaluated. According to one embodiment, a transport mechanism transports the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path at a rate of at least about 800 bills per minute. A denomination discriminating unit which includes a detector positioned along the transport path evaluates the bills. The device comprises a single denominated bill output receptacle positioned to receive bills whose denomination have been determined by the discriminating unit including bills of a plurality of denominations. A separate stacker bin is provided and a diverter positioned along the transport path routes bills whose denomination cannot be determined to the separate stacker bin.

Claims

1. A currency processing device for receiving a stack of U.S. currency bills and rapidly processing all the bills in the stack, the device comprising:

an input receptacle adapted to receive a stack of U.S. currency bills of a plurality of denominations, the currency bills having a wide dimension and a narrow dimension;

a transport mechanism positioned to transport the bills, one at a time, in a transport direction from the input receptacle along a transport path at a rate of at least about 800 bills per minute with the narrow dimension of the bills parallel to the transport direction;

a denomination discriminating unit for determining the denominations of and totaling the bills, the discriminating unit including a detector positioned along the transport path;

a single denominated bill output receptacle positioned to receive bills whose denomination have been determined and totaled by the discriminating unit including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations;

a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle; and

a diverter positioned along the transport path to route bills whose denomination cannot be determined to the separate stacker bin.

101. The device of claim 1 wherein the transport mechanism does not employ a vacuum.

102. A system comprising the device of claim 1 and a printer coupled thereto and wherein the printer is configured to print the total value of bills contained in the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations contained in the denominated bill output receptacle.

103. The device of claim 1 further comprising a display adapted to communicate the total value of bills contained in the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations contained in the denominated bill output receptacle.

2. A currency processing device for receiving a stack of U.S. currency bills and rapidly processing all the bills in the stack, the device comprising:

an input receptacle adapted to receive a stack of U.S. currency bills of a plurality of denominations, the currency bills having a wide dimension and a narrow dimension;

a transport mechanism positioned to transport the bills, one at a time, in a transport direction from the input receptacle along a transport path at a rate of at least about 800 bills per minute with the narrow dimension of the bills parallel to the transport direction;

a denomination discriminating unit for determining the denominations of the bills, the discriminating unit including a detector positioned along the transport path;

a single denominated bill output receptacle positioned to receive bills whose denomination have been determined by the discriminating unit including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations, the device being adapted to total the denominations of bills received in the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations;

a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle; and

a diverter positioned along the transport path to route bills which are denominated by the denomination discriminating unit including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations to the denominated bill output receptacle and bills whose denomination cannot be determined to the separate stacker bin.

3. A U.S. currency processing device for receiving a stack of U.S. currency bills and rapidly processing all the bills in the stack, the device comprising:

an input receptacle positioned to receive a stack of U.S. bills of a plurality of denominations, the bills having a narrow dimension;

a transport mechanism comprising a transport drive motor and transport rollers, the transport mechanism being positioned to transport the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction, the transport mechanism being adapted to transport bills at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

a denomination discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path and comprising a processor, the detector generating a characteristic information output signal in response to characteristic information detected from passing bills, the characteristic information output signal being electrically coupled to the processor, the processor receiving the characteristic information output signal and generating a denomination signal in response thereto, the discriminating unit being adapted to denominate bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute;

a single denominated bill output receptacle adapted to receive bills whose denomination have been determined by the discriminating unit including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations, the device being adapted to total the denominations of bills received in the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations;

a separate stacker bin adapted to receive bills that the device is not able to denominate, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle; and

a diverter positioned along the transport path to route bills which are denominated by the denomination discriminating unit to the denominated bill output receptacle and bills which are not denominated by the denomination discriminating unit to the separate stacker bin.

4. A U.S. currency processing device for receiving a stack of U.S. currency bills and rapidly processing all the bills in the stack, the device comprising:

an input receptacle positioned to receive a stack of U.S. bills of a plurality of denominations, the bills having a narrow dimension;

a transport mechanism comprising a transport drive motor and transport rollers, the transport mechanism being adapted to transport the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction, the transport mechanism being adapted to transport bills at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

a denomination discriminating unit adapted to determine the denomination of bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute, the discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path, wherein the detector is positioned to receive light from passing bills and the detector is adapted to generate a received light characteristic information output signal in response to detected characteristic information, the received light characteristic information output signal being electrically coupled to a processor, the processor receiving the received light characteristic information output signal and generating a denomination signal in response thereto;

a single denominated bill output receptacle positioned to receive bills whose denomination have been determined by the discriminating unit including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations;

a separate stacker bin adapted to receive bills that the device is not capable of denominating, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle; and

a diverter positioned along the transport path to route bills which are denominated by the denomination discriminating unit to the denominated bill output receptacle and bills whose denomination cannot be determined to the separate stacker bin.

104. The device of claim 4 wherein the transport mechanism does not employ a vacuum.

105. A system comprising the device of claim 4 and a printer coupled thereto and wherein the printer is configured to print the total value of bills contained in the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations contained in the denominated bill output receptacle.

106. The device of claim 4 further comprising a display adapted to communicate the total value of bills contained in the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations contained in the denominated bill output receptacle.

5. A U.S. currency processing device for receiving a stack of U.S. currency bills and rapidly processing all the bills in the stack, the device comprising:

an input receptacle adapted to receive a stack of U.S. bills of a plurality of denominations, the bills having a narrow dimension;

a transport mechanism positioned to transport the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction, the transport mechanism being positioned to transport bills at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

a denomination discriminating unit adapted to determine the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute, the discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path, wherein the detector is positioned to receive light reflected off passing bills and the detector is adapted to generate a reflected light characteristic information output signal in response to detected characteristic information, the reflected light characteristic information output signal being electrically coupled to a processor, the processor receiving the reflected light characteristic information output signal and generating a denomination signal in response thereto;

a single denominated bill output receptacle positioned to receive bills whose denomination have been determined by the discriminating unit including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations, the device being adapted to total the denominations of bills received in the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations;

a separate stacker bin adapted to receive bills that the device is not capable of denominating, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle; and

a diverter positioned along the transport path to route bills which are denominated by the denomination discriminating unit to the denominated bill output receptacle and bills whose denomination are not determined by the denomination discriminating unit to the separate stacker bin.

6. A U.S. currency denominating device for receiving a stack of U.S. currency bills and rapidly processing the bills in the stack, the device comprising:

an input receptacle positioned to receive a stack of U.S. currency bills of a plurality of denominations to be processed, the bills having a narrow dimension;

a transport mechanism comprising a transport drive motor and transport rollers, the transport mechanism being adapted to transport the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction, the transport mechanism being adapted to transport bills at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

a denomination discriminating unit adapted to determine the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute, the bills the discriminating unit is adapted to denominate having images associated therewith corresponding to the plurality of denominations that the discriminating unit is adapted to denominate, the discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path, the detector being adapted to scan passing bills and generate image signals, the discriminating unit determining the denomination of bills based on the image signals;

a single denominated bill output receptacle for receiving bills whose denomination have been determined by the discriminating unit including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations;

a separate stacker bin adapted to receive bills whose denomination have not been determined by the discriminating unit, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle; and

a diverter positioned along the transport path to route bills which are denominated by the denomination discriminating unit to the denominated bill output receptacle and bills whose denomination have not been determined by the discriminating unit to the separate stacker bin.

7. A U.S. currency processing device for receiving a stack of U.S. currency bills and rapidly processing all the bills in the stack, the device comprising:

an input receptacle positioned to receive a stack of U.S. currency bills of a plurality of denominations, the bills having a narrow dimension;

a transport mechanism adapted to transport the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction, the transport mechanism being adapted to transport bills at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

a denomination discriminating unit adapted to determine the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations by scanning images associated with each of the bills, the discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path and a processor, the discriminating unit counting and determining the denomination of bills;

a single denominated bill output receptacle for receiving bills whose denomination have been determined by the discriminating unit including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations, the device being adapted to total the denominations of bills received in the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations;

a separate stacker bin adapted to receive bills that the device is not capable of denominating, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle; and

a diverter positioned along the transport path to route bills which are denominated by the denomination discriminating unit to the denominated bill output receptacle and bills whose denomination cannot be determined to the separate stacker bin.

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

an input receptacle adapted to receive a stack of U.S. currency bills of a plurality of denominations, the bills having a narrow dimension;

a transport mechanism positioned to transport the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction, the transport mechanism being adapted to transport bills at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

a memory having stored therein master data associated with denominations of bills which the device is capable of denominating;

a denomination discriminating unit adapted to determine the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute, the discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path and a processor, wherein the detector is positioned to receive light reflected off passing bills and the detector is adapted to generate a reflected light characteristic information output signal in response to detected characteristic information, the reflected light characteristic information output signal being electrically coupled to a processor, the processor receiving the reflected light characteristic information output signal and generating data based on the output signal, the processor determining the denomination of a bill by comparing generated data associated with the bill to master data stored in the memory;

a single denominated bill output receptacle adapted to receive bills whose denomination have been determined by the discriminating unit including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations, the device being adapted to total the denominations of bills received in the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations;

a separate stacker bin adapted to receive bills whose denomination have not been determined by the discriminating unit, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle; and

a diverter positioned along the transport path to route bills whose denomination have been determined by the discriminating unit to the denominated bill output receptacle and bills whose denomination have not been determined by the discriminating unit to the separate stacker bin.

107. The device of claim 8 wherein the transport mechanism does not employ a vacuum.

108. A system comprising the device of claim 8 and a printer coupled thereto and wherein the printer is configured to print the total value of bills contained in the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations contained in the denominated bill output receptacle.

109. The device of claim 8 further comprising a display adapted to communicate the total value of bills contained in the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations contained in the denominated bill output receptacle.

9. A U.S. currency processing device for receiving a stack of U.S. currency bills and rapidly processing all the bills in the stack, the device comprising:

an input receptacle adapted to receive a stack of U.S. currency bills of a plurality of denominations to be processed, the currency bills having a wide dimension and a narrow dimension;

a transport mechanism positioned to transport the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

a denomination discriminating unit for evaluating determining the denominations of the bills, the discriminating unit including a detector positioned along the transport path;

a single denominated bill output receptacle adapted to receive bills whose denomination have been determined by the discriminating unit including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations, the device being adapted to total the denominations of bills received in the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations;

a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle; and

a diverter positioned along the transport path to route bills whose denomination have not been determined by the discriminating unit to the separate stacker bin.

110. The device of claim 9 wherein the transport mechanism does not employ a vacuum.

111. A system comprising the device of claim 9 and a printer coupled thereto and wherein the printer is configured to print the total value of bills contained in the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations contained in the denominated bill output receptacle.

112. The device of claim 9 further comprising a display adapted to communicate the total value of bills contained in the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations contained in the denominated bill output receptacle.

10. A U.S. currency processing device for receiving a stack of U.S. currency bills and rapidly processing all the bills in the stack, the device comprising:

an input receptacle adapted to receive a stack of U.S. currency bills of a plurality of denominations, the currency bills having a wide dimension and a narrow dimension;

a transport mechanism positioned to transport the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

a denomination discriminating unit for determining the denominations of the bills, the discriminating unit including a detector positioned along the transport path;

a single denominated bill output receptacle;

a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle; and

a diverter positioned along the transport path to route bills whose denomination have been determined by the discriminating unit to the denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations and to route bills whose denomination have not been determined by the discriminating unit to the separate stacker bin.

11. A U.S. currency processing device for receiving a stack of U.S. currency bills and rapidly processing all the bills in the stack, the device comprising:

an input receptacle positioned to receive a stack of U.S. bills of a plurality of denominations, the bills having a narrow dimension;

a transport mechanism adapted to transport the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction, the transport mechanism being adapted to transport bills at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

a denomination discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path and comprising a processor, the detector generating a characteristic information output signal in response to characteristic information detected from passing bills, the characteristic information output signal being electrically coupled to the processor, the processor receiving the characteristic information output signal and generating a denomination signal in response thereto, the discriminating unit being adapted to denominate bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute;

a single denominated bill output receptacle;

a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle; and

a diverter positioned along the transport path to route bills whose denomination have been determined by the discriminating unit to the denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of denominations and bills whose denomination have not been determined by the discriminating unit to the separate stacker bin, the device being adapted to total the denominations of bills received in the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations.

113. The device of claim 11 wherein the transport mechanism does not employ a vacuum.

114. A system comprising the device of claim 11 and a printer coupled thereto and wherein the printer is configured to print the total value of bills contained in the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations contained in the denominated bill output receptacle.

115. The device of claim 11 further comprising a display adapted to communicate the total value of bills contained in the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations contained in the denominated bill output receptacle.

12. A U.S. currency processing device for receiving a stack of U.S. currency bills and rapidly processing all the bills in the stack, the device comprising:

an input receptacle positioned to receive a stack of U.S. bills of a plurality of denominations, the bills having a narrow dimension;

a transport mechanism adapted to transport the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction, the transport mechanism being adapted to transport bills at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

a denomination discriminating unit adapted to determine the denomination of bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute, the discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path, wherein the detector is positioned to receive light from passing bills and the detector is adapted to generate a received light characteristic information output signal in response to detected characteristic information, the received light characteristic information output signal being electrically coupled to a processor, the processor receiving the received light characteristic information output signal and generating a denomination signal in response thereto;

a single denominated bill output receptacle positioned to receive bills whose denomination have been determined by the discriminating unit;

a separate stacker bin adapted to receive bills that the device is not capable of denominating, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle; and

a diverter positioned along the transport path to route bills which are denominated by the denomination discriminating unit to the denominated bill output receptacle and bills whose denomination cannot be determined to the separate stacker bin.

13. A U.S. currency processing device for receiving a stack of U.S. currency bills and rapidly processing all the bills in the stack, the device comprising:

an input receptacle adapted to receive a stack of U.S. bills of a plurality of denominations, the bills having a narrow dimension;

a transport mechanism comprising a transport drive motor and transport rollers, the transport mechanism being adapted to transport the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction, the transport mechanism being adapted to transport bills at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

a denomination discriminating unit adapted to determine the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute, the discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path, wherein the detector is positioned to receive light reflected off passing bills and the detector is adapted to generate a reflected light characteristic information output signal in response to detected characteristic information, the reflected light characteristic information output signal being electrically coupled to a processor, the processor receiving the reflected light characteristic information output signal and generating a denomination signal in response thereto;

a single denominated bill output receptacle for receiving bills whose denomination have been determined by the discriminating unit including bills of a plurality of denominations, the device being adapted to total the denominations of bills received in the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations;

a separate stacker bin adapted to receive bills whose denomination are not determined by the denomination discriminating unit, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle; and

a diverter adapted to route bills which are denominated by the denomination discriminating unit to the denominated bill output receptacle and bills whose denomination are not determined by the denomination discriminating unit to the separate stacker bin.

116. The device of claim 13 wherein the transport mechanism does not employ a vacuum.

117. A system comprising the device of claim 13 and a printer coupled thereto and wherein the printer is configured to print the total value of bills contained in the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations contained in the denominated bill output receptacle.

118. The device of claim 13 further comprising a display adapted to communicate the total value of bills contained in the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations contained in the denominated bill output receptacle.

14. A U.S. currency denominating device for receiving a stack of U.S. currency bills and rapidly processing the bills in the stack, the device comprising:

an input receptacle positioned to receive a stack of U.S. currency bills of a plurality of denominations to be processed, the bills having a narrow dimension;

a transport mechanism positioned to transport the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction, the transport mechanism being adapted to transport bills at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

a denomination discriminating unit adapted to determine the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute, the bills the discriminating unit is adapted to denominate having images associated therewith corresponding to the plurality of denominations that the discriminating unit is adapted to denominate, the discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path, the detector being adapted to scan passing bills and generate image signals, the discriminating unit determining the denomination of bills based on the image signals;

a single denominated bill output receptacle adapted to receive bills whose denomination have been determined by the discriminating unit;

a separate stacker bin adapted to receive bills whose denomination have not been determined by the discriminating unit, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle; and

a diverter adapted to route bills which have been denominated by the denomination discriminating unit to the denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of denominations and bills which have not been denominated by the denomination discriminating unit to the separate stacker bin, the device being adapted to total the denominations of bills received in the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations.

15. A U.S. currency processing device for receiving a stack of U.S. currency bills and rapidly processing all the bills in the stack, the device comprising:

an input receptacle positioned to receive a stack of U.S. currency bills of a plurality of denominations to be processed, the bills having a narrow dimension;

a transport mechanism comprising a transport drive motor and transport rollers, the transport mechanism being positioned to transport the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction, the transport mechanism being adapted to transport bills at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

a denomination discriminating unit adapted to determine the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of denominations by scanning images associated with each of the bills at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute, the discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path and a processor;

a single denominated bill output receptacle for receiving bills whose denomination have been determined by the discriminating unit;

a separate stacker bin adapted to receive bills that the device is not capable of denominating, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle; and

a diverter adapted to route bills which are denominated by the denomination discriminating unit to the denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of denominations and bills whose denomination cannot be determined to the separate stacker bin, the device being adapted to total the denominations of bills received in the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations.

119. The device of claim 15 wherein the transport mechanism does not employ a vacuum.

120. A system comprising the device of claim 15 and a printer coupled thereto and wherein the printer is configured to print the total value of bills contained in the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations contained in the denominated bill output receptacle.

121. The device of claim 15 further comprising a display adapted to communicate the total value of bills contained in the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations contained in the denominated bill output receptacle.

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

an input receptacle adapted to receive a stack of U.S. currency bills of a plurality of denominations, the bills having a narrow dimension;

a transport mechanism positioned to transport the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction, the transport mechanism being adapted to transport bills at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

a memory having stored therein master data associated with denominations of bills which the device is capable of denominating;

a denomination discriminating unit adapted to determine the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute, the discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path and a processor, wherein the detector is positioned to receive light reflected off passing bills and the detector is adapted to generate a reflected light characteristic information output signal in response to detected characteristic information, the reflected light characteristic information output signal being electrically coupled to a processor, the processor receiving the reflected light characteristic information output signal and generating data based on the output signal, the processor using generated data associated with a bill and master data stored in the memory to determine the denomination of a bill;

a single denominated bill output receptacle for receiving bills whose denomination have been determined by the discriminating unit;

a separate stacker bin adapted to receive bills whose denomination have not been determined by the discriminating unit, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle; and

a diverter adapted to route bills whose denomination have been determined by the discriminating unit to the denominated bill output receptacle and bills whose denomination have not been determined by the discriminating unit to the separate stacker bin.

122. The device of claim 16 wherein the transport mechanism does not employ a vacuum.

123. A system comprising the device of claim 16 and a printer coupled thereto and wherein the printer is configured to print the total value of bills contained in the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations contained in the denominated bill output receptacle.

124. The device of claim 16 further comprising a display adapted to communicate the total value of bills contained in the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations contained in the denominated bill output receptacle.

17. A method of processing U.S. currency using a U.S. currency denominating device comprising:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be denominated in an input receptacle of the device;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute using a discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path and a processor;

delivering bills that have been denominated including bills of a plurality of denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device; and

flagging a bill when the denomination of the bill is not determined by the discriminating unit by diverting a bill whose denomination is not determined to a separate stacker bin.

18. A method of processing U.S. currency using a U.S. currency denominating device comprising:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be denominated in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute using a discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path and a processor;

delivering bills that have been denominated including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device;

totaling the denominations of bills delivered to the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations; and

flagging a bill when the denomination of the bill is not determined by the discriminating unit by diverting a bill whose denomination is not determined to a separate stacker bin.

19. A method of processing U.S. currency using a U.S. currency denominating device comprising:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be denominated in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute using a discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path and a processor;

delivering bills that have been denominated including bills of a plurality of denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device; and

diverting a bill whose denomination is not determined by the discriminating unit to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

20. A method of processing U.S. currency using a U.S. currency denominating device comprising:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be denominated in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute using a discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path;

delivering bills that have been denominated including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device;

totaling the denominations of bills delivered to the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations; and

diverting bills whose denomination are not determined by the discriminating unit to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

21. A method of processing U.S. currency using a U.S. currency denominating device comprising:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be denominated in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute using a discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path and a processor;

the act of determining the denomination of bills comprising the additional acts of;

the detector generating a characteristic information output signal in response to characteristic information detected from passing bills, and

the processor receiving the characteristic information output signal and generating a denomination signal in response thereto;

delivering bills that have been denominated including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device;

totaling the denominations of bills delivered to the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations; and

diverting bills whose denomination are not determined by the discriminating unit to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

22. A method of processing U.S. currency using a U.S. currency denominating device comprising:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be denominated in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute, the act of determining the denomination of bills comprising the additional acts of;

receiving light from passing bills,

generating a received light characteristic information output signal in response to receiving light from passing bills, and

generating a denomination signal based on the output signal;

delivering bills whose denomination are determined including bills of a plurality of denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device; and

diverting bills whose denomination are not determined to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

23. A method of processing U.S. currency using a U.S. currency denominating device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be denominated in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute, the act of determining the denomination of bills comprising the additional acts of;

a detector receiving light reflected off passing bills and generating a reflected light characteristic information output signal in response thereto, and

a processor receiving the reflected light characteristic information output signal and generating a denomination signal in response thereto;

delivering bills that have been denominated including bills of a plurality of denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device; and

diverting bills whose denomination are not determined to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

24. A method of processing U.S. currency using a U.S. currency denominating device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be denominated in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute, the bills having images associated therewith corresponding to the plurality of denominations, the act of determining the denomination of bills comprising the additional acts of;

a detector scanning passing bills and generating image signals, and

determining the denomination of bills based on the image signals;

delivering bills that have been denominated including bills of a plurality of denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device; and

diverting bills whose denomination are not determined to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

25. A method of processing U.S. currency using a U.S. currency denominating device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be denominated in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations by scanning images associated with each of the bills at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute;

delivering bills whose denomination has been determined including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device;

totaling the denominations of bills delivered to the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations; and

diverting bills whose denomination has not been determined to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

26. A method of processing U.S. currency using a currency processing device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be processed in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute in a transport direction with the narrow dimension of the bills being parallel to the transport direction using a transport mechanism comprising a transport drive motor and transport rollers;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute using a discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path and a processor, wherein the act of determining the denomination comprises the additional acts of;

the detector detecting characteristic information from the bills,

the detector generating a characteristic information output signal in response to detected characteristic information,

the processor receiving the characteristic information output signal,

the processor generating data from the received output signal, and

the processor comparing the generated data to master data stored in a memory of the device, the memory having stored therein master data associated with denominations of bills which the device is capable of denominating;

delivering bills that have been denominated including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device;

totaling the denominations of bills delivered to the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations; and

diverting bills whose denomination are not determined to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

27. A method of processing U.S. currency using a currency processing device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be processed in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute in a transport direction with the narrow dimension of the bills being parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute, wherein the act of determining the denomination comprises the additional acts of;

illuminating passing bills with light,

detecting light reflected off passing bills,

generating a reflected light characteristic information output signal in response to detected light,

generating data based on the output signal, and

comparing the generated data to master data stored in a memory, the memory having stored therein master data associated with denominations of bills which the device is capable of denominating;

delivering bills whose denomination have been determined including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device; and

diverting bills whose denomination were not determined to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

28. A method of processing U.S. currency using a currency processing device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be processed in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute in a transport direction with the narrow dimension of the bills being parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute, wherein the act of determining the denomination comprises the additional acts of;

illuminating passing bills with light,

detecting light reflected off passing bills,

generating a reflected light characteristic information output signal in response to detected light,

generating characteristic information for a bill based on the output signal, and

generating a signal indicative of the denomination of a bill when generated characteristic information associated with the bill satisfactorily corresponds with master information stored in a memory;

delivering bills that have been denominated including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device;

totaling the denominations of bills delivered to the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations; and

diverting bills that have not been denominated to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

74. The method of claim 28 wherein the transporting does not employ a vacuum.

75. The method of claim 28 further comprising printing a total value of bills delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle.

76. The method of claim 28 further comprising displaying on the display of the denominating device a total value of bills delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle.

29. A method of processing U.S. currency using a currency processing device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be processed in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute in a transport direction with the narrow dimension of the bills being parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute, wherein the act of determining the denomination comprises the additional acts of;

illuminating passing bills with light,

detecting light reflected off passing bills,

generating a reflected light characteristic information output signal in response to detected light,

generating characteristic information for a bill based on the output signal, and

generating a signal indicative of the denomination of a bill when generated characteristic information associated with the bill satisfies predetermined criteria;

delivering bills that have been denominated including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device;

totaling the denominations of bills delivered to the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations; and

diverting bills that have not been denominated to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

30. A method of processing U.S. currency using a currency processing device comprising:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be processed in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension and a wide dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute in a transport direction with the narrow dimension of the bills being parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute, the act of determining the denomination of bills comprising;

illuminating bills being transported with at least one rectangular strip of light, the rectangular strip of light being elongated in a direction transverse to the direction of bill movement,

detecting light reflected from the rectangular strip of light striking the bills, and

comparing information obtained from the detected reflected light with master denominating information stored in memory of the device;

delivering bills that have been denominated including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device;

totaling the denominations of bills delivered to the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations; and

diverting bills whose denomination are not determined to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the strip is generated using a rectangular slit that is about ½

inch in the direction transverse to the direction of bill movement.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein the elongated dimension of the rectangular strip is small relative to the wide dimension of the U.S. bills.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the elongated dimension of the rectangular strip of light is about 1/12 the wide dimension of the bills.

34. The method of claim 30 wherein the elongated dimension of the rectangular strip of light is less than about 1/12 the wide dimension of the bills.

77. The method of claim 30 wherein the transporting does not employ a vacuum.

78. The method of claim 30 further comprising printing a total value of bills delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle.

79. The method of claim 30 further comprising displaying on the display of the denominating device a total value of bills delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle.

35. A method of processing U.S. currency using a U.S. currency denominating device comprising:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be denominated in an input receptacle of the device;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute using a discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path and a processor;

delivering bills that have been denominated including bills of a plurality of denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device; and

flagging a bill when the denomination of the bill is not determined by the discriminating unit by diverting a bill whose denomination is not determined to a separate stacker bin.

36. A method of processing U.S. currency using a U.S. currency denominating device comprising:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be denominated in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute using a discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path and a processor;

delivering bills that have been denominated including bills of a plurality of denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device; and

flagging a bill when the denomination of the bill is not determined by the discriminating unit by diverting a bill whose denomination is not determined to a separate stacker bin.

37. A method of processing U.S. currency using a U.S. currency denominating device comprising:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be denominated in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute using a discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path and a processor;

delivering bills that have been denominated including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device;

totaling the denominations of bills delivered to the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations; and

diverting a bill whose denomination is not determined by the discriminating unit to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

38. A method of processing U.S. currency using a U.S. currency denominating device comprising:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be denominated in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute using a discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path;

delivering bills that have been denominated including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device;

totaling the denominations of bills delivered to the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations; and

diverting bills whose denomination are not determined by the discriminating unit to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

80. The method of claim 38 wherein the transporting does not employ a vacuum.

81. The method of claim 38 further comprising printing a total value of bills delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle.

82. The method of claim 38 further comprising displaying on the display of the denominating device a total value of bills delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle.

39. A method of processing U.S. currency using a U.S. currency denominating device comprising:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be denominated in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute using a discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path and a processor;

the act of determining the denomination of bills comprising the additional acts of;

the detector generating a characteristic information output signal in response to characteristic information detected from passing bills, and

the processor receiving the characteristic information output signal and generating a denomination signal in response thereto;

delivering bills that have been denominated including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device;

totaling the denominations of bills delivered to the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations; and

diverting bills whose denomination are not determined by the discriminating unit to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

40. A method of processing U.S. currency using a U.S. currency denominating device comprising:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be denominated in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute, the act of determining the denomination of bills comprising the additional acts of;

receiving light from passing bills,

generating a received light characteristic information output signal in response to receiving light from passing bills, and

generating a denomination signal based on the output signal;

delivering bills whose denomination are determined including bills of a plurality of denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device; and

diverting bills whose denomination are not determined to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

41. A method of processing U.S. currency using a U.S. currency denominating device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be denominated in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute, the act of determining the denomination of bills comprising the additional acts of;

a detector receiving light reflected off passing bills and generating a reflected light characteristic information output signal in response thereto, and

a processor receiving the reflected light characteristic information output signal and generating a denomination signal in response thereto;

delivering bills that have been denominated including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device;

totaling the denominations of bills delivered to the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations; and

diverting bills whose denomination are not determined to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

83. The method of claim 41 wherein the transporting does not employ a vacuum.

84. The method of claim 41 further comprising printing a total value of bills delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle.

85. The method of claim 41 further comprising displaying on the display of the denominating device a total value of bills delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle.

42. A method of processing U.S. currency using a U.S. currency denominating device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be denominated in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute, the bills having images associated therewith corresponding to the plurality of denominations, the act of determining the denomination of bills comprising the additional acts of;

a detector scanning passing bills and generating image signals, and

determining the denomination of bills based on the image signals;

delivering bills that have been denominated including bills of a plurality of denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device; and

diverting bills whose denomination are not determined to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

86. The method of claim 42 wherein the transporting does not employ a vacuum.

87. The method of claim 42 further comprising printing a total value of bills delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle.

88. The method of claim 42 further comprising displaying on the display of the denominating device a total value of bills delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle.

43. A method of processing U.S. currency using a U.S. currency denominating device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be denominated in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations by scanning images associated with each of the bills at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute;

delivering bills whose denomination has been determined including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device;

totaling the denominations of bills delivered to the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations; and

diverting bills whose denomination has not been determined to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

89. The method of claim 43 wherein the transporting does not employ a vacuum.

90. The method of claim 43 further comprising printing a total value of bills delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle.

91. The method of claim 43 further comprising displaying on the display of the denominating device a total value of bills delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle.

44. A method of processing U.S. currency using a currency processing device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be processed in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute in a transport direction with the narrow dimension of the bills being parallel to the transport direction using a transport mechanism comprising a transport drive motor and transport rollers;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute using a discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path and a processor, wherein the act of determining the denomination comprises the additional acts of;

the detector detecting characteristic information from the bills,

the detector generating a characteristic information output signal in response to detected characteristic information,

the processor receiving the characteristic information output signal,

the processor generating data from the received output signal, and

the processor comparing the generated data to master data stored in a memory of the device, the memory having stored therein master data associated with denominations of bills which the device is capable of denominating;

delivering bills that have been denominated including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device;

totaling the denominations of bills delivered to the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations; and

diverting bills whose denomination are not determined to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

45. A method of processing U.S. currency using a currency processing device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be processed in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute in a transport direction with the narrow dimension of the bills being parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute, wherein the act of determining the denomination comprises the additional acts of;

illuminating passing bills with light,

detecting light reflected off passing bills,

generating a reflected light characteristic information output signal in response to detected light,

generating data based on the output signal, and

comparing the generated data to master data stored in a memory, the memory having stored therein master data associated with denominations of bills which the device is capable of denominating;

delivering bills whose denomination have been determined including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device; and

diverting bills whose denomination were not determined to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

46. A method of processing U.S. currency using a currency processing device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be processed in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute in a transport direction with the narrow dimension of the bills being parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute, wherein the act of determining the denomination comprises the additional acts of;

illuminating passing bills with light,

detecting light reflected off passing bills,

generating a reflected light characteristic information output signal in response to detected light,

generating characteristic information for a bill based on the output signal, and

generating a signal indicative of the denomination of a bill when generated characteristic information associated with the bill satisfactorily corresponds with master information stored in a memory;

delivering bills that have been denominated including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device;

totaling the denominations of bills delivered to the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations; and

diverting bills that have not been denominated to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

92. The method of claim 46 wherein the transporting does not employ a vacuum.

93. The method of claim 46 further comprising printing a total value of bills delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle.

94. The method of claim 46 further comprising displaying on the display of the denominating device a total value of bills delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle.

47. A method of processing U.S. currency using a currency processing device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute in a transport direction with the narrow dimension of the bills being parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute, wherein the act of determining the denomination comprises the additional acts of;

illuminating passing bills with light,

detecting light reflected off passing bills,

generating a reflected light characteristic information output signal in response to detected light,

generating characteristic information for a bill based on the output signal, and

generating a signal indicative of the denomination of a bill when generated characteristic information associated with the bill satisfies predetermined criteria;

delivering bills that have been denominated including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device;

totaling the denominations of bills delivered to the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations; and

diverting bills that have not been denominated to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

95. The method of claim 47 wherein the transporting does not employ a vacuum.

96. The method of claim 47 further comprising printing a total value of bills delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle.

97. The method of claim 47 further comprising displaying on the display of the denominating device a total value of bills delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle.

48. A method of processing U.S. currency using a currency processing device comprising:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension and a wide dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute in a transport direction with the narrow dimension of the bills being parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute, the act of determining the denomination of bills comprising;

illuminating bills being transported with at least one rectangular strip of light, the rectangular strip of light being elongated in a direction transverse to the direction of bill movement,

detecting light reflected from the rectangular strip of light striking the bills, and

comparing information obtained from the detected reflected light with master denominating information stored in memory of the device;

delivering bills that have been denominated including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device;

totaling the denominations of bills delivered to the single denominated bill output receptacle including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations; and

diverting bills whose denomination are not determined to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

49. The method of claim 48 wherein the strip is generated using a rectangular slit that is about ½

inch in the direction transverse to the direction of bill movement.

50. The method of claim 48 wherein the elongated dimension of the rectangular strip is small relative to the wide dimension of the U.S. bills.

51. The method of claim 50 wherein the elongated dimension of the rectangular strip of light is about 1/12 the wide dimension of the bills.

52. The method of claim 48 wherein the elongated dimension of the rectangular strip of light is less than about 1/12 the wide dimension of the bills.

98. The method of claim 48 wherein the transporting does not employ a vacuum.

99. The method of claim 48 further comprising printing a total value of bills delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle.

100. The method of claim 48 further comprising displaying on the display of the denominating device a total value of bills delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle.

53. A currency processing device for receiving a stack of U.S. currency bills and rapidly processing all the bills in the stack, the device comprising:

an input receptacle that is open to receive a stack of U.S. currency bills to be processed, the currency bills having a wide dimension and a narrow dimension;

a transport mechanism for transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path at a rate of at least 800 bills per minute, in a transport direction with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

a discriminating unit for denominating the bills, the discriminating unit including a detector positioned along the transport path and a processor;

a single denominated bill output receptacle positioned to receive bills whose denomination have been determined by the discriminating unit;

a flagging device comprising the processor and an encoder linked to the transport mechanism, the encoder producing tracking signals in response to the physical movement of the bills, the processor generating a no call signal when the denomination of a bill is not determined by the processor; and

a separate stacker bin and wherein the flagging device causes bills whose denomination cannot be determined to be diverted to the separate stacker bin, wherein the separate stacker bin is separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

54. A method of processing U.S. currency using a U.S. currency processing device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be denominated in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path in a transport direction at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute using a discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path and a processor;

delivering bills that have been denominated including bills of a plurality of denominations to at least one output receptacle of the device; and

flagging a bill when the denomination of the bill is not determined by the discriminating unit, wherein flagging comprises diverting bills whose denomination cannot be determined to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the at least one output receptacle.

55. The method of claim 54 the delivering act comprises delivering bills whose denomination have been determined by the discriminating unit including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations to a single output receptacle.

56. A method of processing U.S. currency using a U.S. currency denominating device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of U.S. bills having a plurality of denominations to be denominated in an input receptacle of the device, the bills having a narrow dimension;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute in a transport direction with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute using a discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path and a processor;

delivering bills that have been denominated including bills of a plurality of denominations to at least one output receptacle of the device; and

flagging a bill when the denomination of the bill is not determined by the discriminating unit, the flagging comprising the processor generating a no call signal when the denomination of a bill is not determined, wherein flagging comprises diverting bills whose denomination cannot be determined to a separate stacker bin, the stacker bin being separate from the at least one output receptacle.

57. The method of claim 56 wherein the delivering act comprises delivering bills whose denomination have been determined by the discriminating unit including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations to a single output receptacle.

58. A method of processing currency using a U.S. currency denominating device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of bills having a plurality of U.S. denominations to be denominated in an input receptacle of the device;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path at a rate of at least about 800 bills per minute using a transport mechanism comprising a transport drive motor and transport rollers;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate of at least about 800 bills per minute using a discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path and a processor;

wherein the act of determining the denomination comprises the acts of;

the detector detecting characteristic image information from the bills;

the detector generating a characteristic image information output signal in response to detected characteristic information, the characteristic image information output signal being electrically coupled to the processor;

the processor receiving the characteristic image information output signal; and

the processor generating a denomination signal in response thereto;

delivering bills that have been denominated to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device; and

diverting a bill whose denomination is not determined to a stacker bin separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

59. The method of claim 58 wherein the detecting comprises detecting reflected light and the generating comprises generating a reflected light characteristic output signal.

60. The method of claim 59 wherein determining the denomination comprises the processor receiving the output signal, generating a scanned pattern therefrom, and comparing the scanned pattern to at least one master pattern stored in a memory of the device, the memory having stored therein at least one master pattern associated with each genuine bill which the system is capable of identifying.

61. The method of claim 59 wherein the transport mechanism does not employ a vacuum.

62. The method of claim 59 comprising delivering bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations to the single denominated bill output receptacle.

63. The method of claim 59 further comprising printing a total value of bills delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle.

64. The method of claim 59 further comprising displaying on the display of the denominating device a total value of bills delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle.

65. The method of claim 59 wherein each bill is rectangular and has a wide dimension and a narrow dimension and wherein the transporting comprises transporting bills in a transport direction with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction.

66. A method of processing currency using a U.S. currency denominating device comprising the acts of:

receiving a stack of bills having a plurality of U.S. denominations to be denominated in an input receptacle of the device;

transporting the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute using a transport mechanism comprising a transport drive motor and transport rollers;

determining the denomination of bills including bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute using a discriminating unit comprising a detector positioned along the transport path and a processor;

wherein the act of determining the denomination comprises the acts of;

the detector detecting characteristic image information from the bills;

the detector generating a characteristic image information output signal in response to detected characteristic information, the characteristic image information output signal being electrically coupled to the processor;

the processor receiving the characteristic image information output signal; and

the processor generating a denomination signal in response thereto;

delivering bills that have been denominated to a single denominated bill output receptacle of the device;

totaling the denominations of bills delivered to the single denominated bill output receptacle; and

diverting a bill whose denomination is not determined to a stacker bin separate from the denominated bill output receptacle.

67. The method of claim 66 wherein the detecting comprises detecting reflected light and the generating comprises generating a reflected light characteristic output signal.

68. The method of claim 67 wherein determining the denomination comprises the processor receiving the output signal, generating a scanned pattern therefrom, and comparing the scanned pattern to at least one master pattern stored in a memory of the device, the memory having stored therein at least one master pattern associated with each genuine bill which the system is capable of identifying.

69. The method of claim 66 wherein the transport mechanism does not employ a vacuum.

70. The method of claim 66 comprising delivering bills of a plurality of U.S. denominations to the single denominated bill output receptacle.

71. The method of claim 70 further comprising printing a total value of bills delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle.

72. The method of claim 70 further comprising displaying on the display of the denominating device a total value of bills delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle and the number of bills of each of the plurality of denominations delivered to the denominated bill output receptacle.

73. The method of claim 66 wherein each bill is rectangular and has a wide dimension and a narrow dimension and wherein the transporting comprises transporting bills in a transport direction with their narrow dimension parallel to the transport direction.