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US 4,728,096 AGranted
Compact apparatus for dispensing a preselected mix of paper currency or the like
AssigneeBrandt, Inc.
InventorsTheodore Winkler, Fredric W. Burger
Life of this patent
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AssigneeBrandt, Inc.
InventorsTheodore Winkler, Fredric W. Burger
Estimating the term…
A sheet dispenser for selectively dispensing predetermined numbers of sheets, for example, paper currency of different denominations and having plural input stations each receiving a stack of each bill denomination. A feed roller at each station has a high friction surface portion which engages a bottom sheet and feeds the sheet between the feed roller and a cooperating stripper shoe to assure single sheet feeding. An elongated acceleration belt extends beneath all of the feed rollers. Cooperating acceleration pinch wheels form a nip with the belt for accelerating a sheet entering the nip. A curved resilient guide cooperates with each feed roller to guide sheets passing the stripper shoe toward its associated acceleration nip. The sheets pass along the acceleration belt and outfeed stacker including a stacker wheel to facilitate the formation of a neat stack of sheets. Sensors detect the entry of a sheet into each acceleration nip and to assure proper positioning of the feed roller. Notches provides in each feed roller adjacent to the leading edge of the high friction surface assure movement of the leading edge of the sheet into the nip formed by the feed roller and stripper shoe to enhance sheet feeding. The drive motor for each feed roller rotates one revolution for each sheet to be dispensed. A microprocessor-based electronic control operates the motors to dispense a mix of denominations to preferably minimize the number of bills dispensed. An override is provided to alter the mix of the denominations. In the event that a sensor fails to sense the delivery of a bill to its associated acceleration nip the dispensing operation may be automatically repeated at least once.
Apparatus for dispensing rectangular sheets of flexible material such as sheets of paper currency one at a time in a direction generally perpendicular to the smaller dimension thereof including in combination, a cassette for receiving a stack of said sheets, said cassette having a generally rectangular floor somewhat larger than the size of the sheets to be dispensed, a front wall and a back wall and side walls extending upwardly from said floor, an elongated dispensing slot defined by the lower edge of said front wall and the edge of said floor adjacent to the front wall lower edge to permit the bottom sheet of a stack to pass out of the cassette in a direction transverse to its smaller dimension, a plurality of guide slots at spaced intervals along the edge of said floor adjacent to said rear wall, said guide slots spanning a distance greater than half the longer dimension of said sheets, a feed slot in the floor of said cassette adjacent to said dispensing slot, feed means extending through said feed slot when said cassette is present in said cavity, and a plurality of projections in said cavity extending respectively through said guide slots when said cassette is placed in said cavity to align said cassette in said cavity and directly to engage the lowermost sheet of a stack of sheets in said cassette along the edge of the lowermost sheet adjacent said back wall and to raise the entire stack of sheets from said floor while inclining the lowermost sheet to cause the edge thereof adjacent the front wall to engage said feed means, operation of said feed means freeing the lowermost sheet of said stack from the weight of the stack before the lowermost sheet moves out through said dispensing slot.
Apparatus for dispensing rectangular sheets of flexible material such as sheets of paper currency from a stack of sheets at a dispensing location including in combination a cassette comprising a housing having sidewalls and a floor for receiving a stack of sheets, an elongated dispensing slot defined by the floor and the lower edge of one of said sidewalls to permit the bottom sheet of the stack to pass out of the cassette, a feed slot formed in the floor of said cassette adjacent to said delivery slot, means at said dispensing location for removably positioning said cassette in an operative position, a feed member extending through said feed slot in the operative position of the cassette, and means responsive to positioning of said cassette in said operative position for engaging the bottom sheet of said stack over a major portion of its longer dimension adjacent to the sidewall opposite to said one sidewall and to raise the entire stack from said floor while inclining the bottom sheet to cause the edge thereof adjacent said one wall to engage said feed member, operation of said feed means freeing the bottom sheet of said stack from the weight of said stack before the bottom sheet moves out through said dispensing slot.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.