Currency handling system having multiple output receptacles

An apparatus for transferring a plurality of documents from a first compartment to a second compartment comprising:

• a bidirectionally moveable base having a front, a first side, and a second side;
• a paddle extending laterally from the front of the base;
• a first arm hingedly protruding from the first side of the base;
• a second arm hingedly protruding from the second side of the base;
• a gate disposed between the first compartment and the second compartment forming a document supporting surface, the gate comprising a first shutter and a second shutter, wherein the first shutter and the second shutter are generally parallel when the gate is in an open position, and wherein the first shutter and the second shutter are generally coplanar when the gate is in a closed position;
• a first lever operatively associated with the first shutter, the first lever being in a first position when the gate is in the closed position and the first lever being in a second position when the gate is in the open position;
• a second lever operatively associated with the second shutter, the second lever being in a first position when the gate is in the closed position and the second lever being in a second position when the gate is in the open position;
• and
• wherein the gate moves from the closed position to the open position when the paddle urges the documents in the first compartment against the gate towards the second compartment, and wherein the first and second arms move the first and second levers from the second position to the first position to move the gate from the open position to the closed position when the paddle retracts from the second compartment to the first compartment.

A currency evaluation device for receiving a plurality of currency bills and rapidly evaluating each of the bills, the device comprising:

• an input receptacle being adapted to receive a plurality of bills to be evaluated;
• a plurality of output receptacles adapted to receive the bills after the bills have been evaluated, at least one of the output receptacles having a first compartment and a second compartment, the output receptacle having a gate disposed between the first compartment and the second compartment, the gate having an open position and a closed position, the gate being adapted to form a bill supporting surface when in the closed position, the gate having at least one lever outwardly extending therefrom, the lever being in a first position when the gate is in the closed position and the lever being in a second position when the gate is in the open position;
• a transport mechanism being adapted to transport the bills, one at a time along a transport path, from the input receptacle to the first compartment of one of the output receptacles;
• a paddle being adapted to urge the bills from the first compartment towards the second compartment wherein the paddle presses against the bills and causes the gate to move from the closed position to the open position, and wherein the paddle is adapted to engage the lever to move the gate from the open position to the closed position when the paddle retracts from the second compartment to the first compartment;
• an evaluating unit being adapted to determine information concerning the bills, the evaluation unit having at least one sensor positioned along the transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacles;
• an operator interface being adapted to receive operational instructions from a user and to display the information concerning the bills;
• and
• a controller being adapted to couple the operator interface and the evaluation unit, the controller causing the discriminating unit to operate in one of a plurality of operating modes which determine into which output receptacle each bill is delivered in response to the operational instructions from the user.

A currency handling system for evaluating and sorting currency bills, the system comprising:

• an input receptacle being adapted to receive a stack of bills, the input receptacle having a feeder mechanism adapted to feed the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle, the input receptacle having at least one paddle adapted to urge the stack of bills towards the feeder mechanism;
• a transport mechanism being adapted to transport the bills along a transport path from the feeder mechanism of the input receptacle, one at a time, to a plurality of output receptacles, wherein the transport mechanism positively grips the currency bills for a substantial portion of the transport path;
• an evaluation region disposed along the transport path between the input receptacle and the plurality of output receptacles, the evaluation region being adapted to denominate, authenticate, identify bill orientation, and identify bill size, the evaluation region being adapted to generate signals indicative of the bill's denomination, authenticity, orientation, and/or size;
• a plurality of diverters disposed along the transport path adjacent to the plurality of output receptacles, the plurality of diverters adapted to direct currency bills into the plurality of output receptacles wherein at least one of the plurality of output receptacles comprises an escrow compartment positioned above a storage cassette, and wherein bills are initially stacked in the escrow compartment, the storage cassettes being adapted to receive a plurality of stacks of currency bills from the escrow compartment;
• each of the plurality of escrow compartments comprising:
• a stacker wheel being adapted to receive currency bills from the one of the plurality of diverters and to stack the bills with in the escrow compartment,
• a gate adapted to receive currency bills from the stacker wheel, wherein the stacker wheel is adapted to stack the bills on the gate, the gate having an open position and a closed position,
• at least one lever extending from the gate, the lever being in a first position when the gate is in the open position and the lever being in a second position when the gate is in the closed position;
• and
• a document transfer mechanism being adapted to transfer the bills from the escrow compartment into the storage cassette, each document transfer mechanism comprising:
• a rigid support member extending from adjacent the escrow compartment to adjacent the cassette,
• a base slidably engaged to the rigid support member,
• a paddle extending from the base being adapted to contact the bills stacked with the escrow compartment on the gate,
• at least one outwardly extending arm hingedly connected to the base,
• wherein the paddle is adapted to urge the bills stacked within the escrow compartment against the gate of the escrow compartment to move the gate from a closed position to an open position as the paddle descends into the storage cassette, and wherein the at least one outwardly extending arm is adapted to move the lever from the first position to the second position to move the gate from the open position to the closed position as the paddle retracts from the storage cassette;
• each of the storage cassettes comprising:
• a base;
• two sides rigidly attached to the base;
• two tabs hingedly connected to each of the two sides, the tabs having a substantially flat bottom surface;
• a spring coupled to each tab being adapted to maintain each tab in a horizontal position;
• a platform being adapted to receive the currency bills, the platform adapted to urge the bills against the bottom side of the tabs.

A currency evaluation device for receiving a plurality of currency bills and rapidly evaluating each of the bills, the device comprising:

• an input receptacle being adapted to receive the plurality of bills to be evaluated, the input receptacle being adapted to accommodate bills ranging in size from about 4.39 inches long by about 2.40 inches wide to about 7.17 inches long by about 3.82 inches wide;
• a plurality of output receptacles adapted to receive the bills after the bills have been evaluated, at least one of the output receptacles having a first compartment and a second compartment, the output receptacle having a gate disposed between the first compartment and the second compartment, the gate having an open position and a closed position, the gate being adapted to form a bill supporting surface when in the closed position, the gate having at least one lever outwardly extending therefrom, the lever being in a first position when the gate is in the closed position and the lever being in a second position when the gate is in the open position, each of the first and second compartments being adapted to accommodate bills ranging in size from about 4.39 inches long by about 2.40 inches wide to about 7.17 inches long by about 3.82 inches wide;
• a transport mechanism being adapted to transport the bills, one at a time along a transport path, from the input receptacle to the first compartment of one of the output receptacles, the transport mechanism being adapted to accommodate bills ranging in size from about 4.39 inches long by about 2.40 inches wide to about 7.17 inches long by about 3.82 inches wide;
• a paddle being adapted to urge the bills from the first compartment towards the second compartment wherein the paddle presses against the bills and causes the gate to move from the closed position to the open position, and wherein the paddle is adapted to engage the lever to move the gate from the open position to the closed position when the paddle retracts from the second compartment to the first compartment;
• an evaluation unit being adapted to determine information concerning the bills, the evaluation unit having at least one sensor positioned along the transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacles;
• an operator interface being adapted to receive operational instructions from a user and to display the information concerning the bills;
• and
• a controller being adapted to couple the operator interface and the evaluation unit, the controller being adapted to cause the evaluation unit to operate in one of a plurality of operating modes which determine into which output receptacle each bill is delivered in response to the operational instructions from the user.

A currency evaluation device for monitoring the transportation of bills being evaluated by the device, the device comprising:

• an input receptacle being adapted to receive a stack of bills to be evaluated;
• a plurality of output receptacles being adapted to receive the bills after the bills have been evaluated;
• a transport mechanism being adapted to transport the bills along a transport path, one at a time, from the input receptacle to the output receptacles;
• an evaluation region being adapted to determine information concerning the bills, the evaluation region including at least one bill information sensor positioned along the transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacle;
• a plurality of bill passage sensors sequentially disposed along the transport mechanism, each of the plurality of bill passage sensors being adapted detect the passage of a bill as each bill is transported past each bill passage sensor, each of the plurality of bill passage sensors being adapted to generate a signal upon the detection of each bill as each bill is transported past each bill passage sensor;
• an encoder adapted to produce an encoder count for each incremental movement of the transport mechanism;
• and
• a controller being adapted to track the movement of each bill along the transport path, the controller being electrically coupled to the encoder, the transport mechanism, and each of the plurality of bill passage sensors, the controller being adapted to control the operation of the transport mechanism, the controller being adapted to calculate a range of encoder counts in which each of the bills is to be transported past each one of the plurality of bill passage sensors, the controller being adapted to receive the signal from each of the plurality of bill passage sensors, the controller being adapted to recalculate the range of encoder counts in which each of the bills is to be transported past each subsequent bill passage sensor after receiving the signal from each of the plurality of bill passage sensors, the controller being adapted to suspend the operation of the transport mechanism when the controller does not receive the signal from one of the plurality of bill passage sensors within the calculated range of encoder counts.

A currency evaluation device for monitoring the transportation of bills being evaluated by the device, the device comprising:

• an input receptacle being adapted to receive a stack of bills to be evaluated;
• a plurality of output receptacles being adapted to receive the bills after the bills have been evaluated;
• a transport mechanism being adapted to transport the bills along a transport path, one at a time, from the input receptacle to the output receptacles;
• an evaluation region being adapted to determine information concerning the bills, the evaluation region including at least one bill information sensor positioned along the transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacle;
• a plurality of bill passage sensors sequentially disposed along the transport mechanism, each of the plurality of bill passage sensors being adapted to detect the passage of a bill as each bill is transported past each bill passage sensor, each of the plurality of bill passage sensors being adapted to generate a signal upon the detection of each bill as each bill is transported past each bill passage sensor, the plurality of bill passage sensors including a first and a second bill passage sensor;
• an encoder adapted to produce an encoder count for each incremental movement of the transport mechanism;
• and
• a controller being adapted to track the movement of each bill along the transport path and to control the operation of the transport path, the controller being electrically coupled to the encoder, the transport mechanism, and each of the plurality of bill passage sensors, the controller being adapted to receive a signal from each of the plurality of bill passage sensors, the controller being adapted to calculate the number of encoder counts required for a bill to be transported past the second bill passage sensor upon receiving a signal from the first bill passage sensor, the controller being adapted to suspend the operation of the transport mechanism when the controller does not receive a signal from the second bill passage sensor within an acceptable deviation from the calculated number of encoder counts required for the bill to be transported past the second bill passage sensor.

A currency evaluation device for monitoring the transportation of bills being evaluated by the device, the device comprising:

• an input receptacle being adapted to receive a stack of bills to be evaluated;
• a plurality of output receptacles being adapted to receive the bills after the bills have been evaluated;
• a transport mechanism being adapted to transport the bills along a transport path, one at a time, from the input receptacle to the output receptacles;
• an evaluation region being adapted to determine information concerning the bills, the evaluation region including at least one bill information sensor positioned along the transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacle;
• a plurality of bill passage sensors sequentially disposed along the transport mechanism, each of the plurality of bill passage sensors being adapted detect the passage of a bill as each bill is transported past each bill passage sensor, each of the plurality of bill passage sensors being adapted to generate a signal upon the detection of each bill as each bill is transported past each bill passage sensor, the plurality of bill passage sensors including a first and a second bill passage sensor;
• and
• a controller being adapted to track the movement of each bill along the transport path and to control the operation of the transport path, the controller being electrically coupled to the transport mechanism and each of the plurality of bill passage sensors, the controller being adapted to receive a signal from each of the plurality of bill passage sensors, the controller being adapted to calculate the time required for a bill to be transported past the second bill passage sensor upon receiving a signal from the first bill passage sensor, the controller being adapted to suspend the operation of the transport mechanism when the controller does not receive a signal from the second bill passage sensor within an acceptable deviation from the calculated number of time required for the bill to be transported past the second bill passage sensor.

An apparatus for feeding a plurality of stacked currency bills into a currency handling device, the apparatus comprising:

• a receptacle being adapted to receive a plurality of stacked bills, the receptacle having a first and a second side, a front end, and a floor;
• a feeder mechanism disposed in the front end of the receptacle, the feeder mechanism being adapted to transfer the bills, one at a time, from the receptacle to the currency handling device;
• a first rigid member disposed along the first side;
• a second rigid member disposed along the second side;
• a first paddle pivotally and slidably engaged to the first rigid member, the first paddle having a substantially flat surface being adapted to contact a plurality of stacked bills;
• a second paddle pivotally and slidably engaged to the second rigid member, the second paddle having a substantially flat surface being adapted to contact a plurality of stacked bills;
• a first resilient member coupled to the first paddle, the first resilient member being adapted to bias the first paddle towards the front end of the receptacle;
• and
• a second resilient member coupled to the second paddle, the second resilient member being adapted to bias the second paddle towards the front end of the receptacle.

A method for loading a plurality of stacks of currency bills into a currency handling device, the currency handling device having an input receptacle being adapted to receive a plurality of stacks of bills, the input receptacle having a front end and a back end, the input receptacle having a feeder mechanism disposed in the front end of the input receptacle, the feeder mechanism being adapted to transfer the bills, one at a time, from the receptacle into the currency handling device, the input receptacle having a first paddle and a second paddle each being adapted to urge the stacked bills towards the feeder mechanism, the method comprising:

• retracting the first and the second paddle toward the back of the receptacle;
• placing a first stack of bills in the input receptacle between the first paddle and the feeder mechanism;
• releasing the first and the second paddle so that the first paddle presses up against the first stack of bills and the second paddle presses against the first paddle;
• the first paddle urging the first stack of bills towards the front end of the receptacle;
• retracting the second paddle towards the back end of the receptacle;
• placing a second stack of bills in the input receptacle between the first paddle and the second paddle;
• positioning the second paddle against the second stack of bills to that the second stack of bills presses against the first paddle;
• the second paddle urging the second stack of bills towards the front end of the receptacle and into the first paddle;
• upwardly pivoting the first paddle out of the input receptacle so that the first and the second stacks of bills form a combined stack;
• the second paddle urging the combined stack of bills towards the front end of the receptacle;
• retracting the first paddle towards the back end of the receptacle;
• downwardly pivoting the first paddle into the input receptacle;
• and
• positioning the first paddle behind the second paddle.