Method of and an apparatus for collecting valuable sheet-shaped objects
OwnerLeif Jorgen Ingemar Lundbladinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for collecting banknotes in a vending machine is disclosed. The apparatus includes a removable cassette having a banknote intake opening, the cassette being closed and locked automatically when removed from the apparatus. The cassette also shows slot-like wall openings for the insertion of thin actuating fingers for pushing previously collected banknotes away from the intake opening to provide a free space for the next banknote to be fed into the cassette. After said next banknote has been received in the cassette, the fingers are withdrawn, such that the previously collected banknotes are put together with the banknote received due to the action of spring means in the cassette.
Claims12
Apparatus for receiving and collecting sheet-shaped objects representing a value in a vending machine, said apparatus comprising:
- a container for collecting said objects, said container comprising a removable and lockable cassette having an intake opening and resilient means for pushing existing objects in the container towards the intake opening, said cassette cooperating with the remainder of the apparatus such that the cassette is substantially closed when in the apparatus;
- means for locking said cassette before removal from the apparatus;
- feeding means for feeding successively received objects through said intake opening into the container;
- and actuating means including a number of finger-shaped means movably suspended outside the container and means for displacing said finger-shaped means through corresponding openings in at least one wall of the container into engagement with existing objects in the container for temporarily compressing and/or displacing said existing objects such that a free space is provided in the container adjacent said intake opening, said feeding means being arranged to feed at least one object into said free space, such that said object will be put together with said existing objects when the temporary compressing and/or displacing action of said actuating means stops.
A method of receiving and collecting sheet-shaped objects representing a value in a container, said objects being fed successively into said container through an intake opening, said method comprising:
- a. subjecting existing objects in the container to a resilient pushing action in the direction of the intake opening;
- b. introducing finger-shaped actuating means into said container, before feeding in an additional object, to compress said existing objects in the container against said resilient pushing action to displace said existing objects in a direction away from said intake opening to provide a free space in the vicinity of said intake opening, said finger-shaped actuating means being introduced into said container by turning said fingers around an axis relatively far from said fingers, and free space being produced by introducing the finger-shaped actuating means such that said fingers are in a plane substantially parallel to said existing objects and then causing said actuating means to move toward the planes of said existing objects away from said intake opening;
- c. guiding an additional object through said intake opening into said free space into a predetermined position in the container;
- d. causing said finger-shaped actuating means to move away from said intake opening by rotating said fingers about an axis relatively close to said finger-shaped actuating means;
- and
- e. causing said additional object to be put together with the existing objects by urging said existing objects toward the intake opening by said resilient pushing action.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.