US 6,460,705 B1 · Method of creating identifiable smaller stacks of currency bills within a larger stack of currency bills

Abstract

A method and device for identifying small stacks of currency bills within a large stack of currency bills using a currency evaluation device. A stack of currency bills to be processed is received in an input receptacle and the bills are transported from the input receptacle, one at a time, past an evaluating unit to at least one output receptacle. The evaluating unit determines the face orientation of each of the bills. Next it is determined whether the face orientation of each of the bills matches a target orientation. If the face orientation of a bill matches the target orientation, the face orientation of that bill is maintained. If the face orientation of a bill fails to match the target orientation, the face orientation of that bills is reversed with a bill facing mechanism. Each of the bills are then stacked in the output receptacle. After a predetermined number of bills having a common face orientation are stacked in the output receptacle, the target face orientation is redefined. The bills continue to be processed in this manner until each of the bills are transported from the input receptacle.

Claims66

Dependent claims

A method of creating identifiable smaller stacks of currency bills within a larger stack of currency bills using a currency evaluation device, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a stack of currency bills in an input receptacle;
(b) transporting the bills from the input receptacle, one at a time, past an evaluating unit to at least one output receptacle;
(c) identifying the face orientation of each of the bills with the evaluating unit;
and either
(1) maintaining the orientation of a bill when the orientation of the bill matches a target orientation;
or
(2) reversing the orientation of a bill when the orientation of the bill does not match the target orientation;
(d) stacking a predetermined number of bills in the at least one output receptacle, the predetermined number of bills having a common face orientation;
(e) redefining the target orientation to be the other of the two face orientations after the predetermined number of bills have been transported to the at least one output receptacle;
and
(f) repeating (b), (c), (d), and (e), until each of the bills are transported from the input receptacle.

8 more elements

A method of creating identifiable smaller stacks of currency bills within a larger stack of currency bills with a currency evaluation device, the method comprising:

receiving a stack of currency bills of a plurality of denominations in an input receptacle;
transporting the bills from the input receptacle, one at a time, past an evaluating unit to a plurality of output receptacles, the plurality of output receptacles corresponding to the plurality of denominations;
assigning a target orientation to each of the plurality of output receptacles,
defining the target orientation assigned to each of the plurality of output receptacles to be one of two face orientations, one of the two face orientations being face-down, the other of the two face orientations being face-up;
determining the denomination and face orientation of each of the bills with the evaluating unit;
comparing the face orientation of a bill with the target orientation assigned to the output receptacle corresponding to the determined denomination of the bill;
maintaining the orientation of the bill when the orientation of the bill matches the target orientation;
reversing the orientation of the bill when the orientation of the bill does not match the target orientation;
routing the bill to the output receptacle corresponding to the determined denomination of the bill;
redefining the target orientation assigned to an output receptacle to be the other of the two face orientations after a predetermined number of bills of having a denomination corresponding to the output receptacle have been routed to the output receptacle with a common face orientation;
and
repeating the above method, beginning with transporting the bills until each of the bills are transported from the input receptacle.

9 more elements

A method of creating identifiable smaller stacks of currency bills within larger stacks of currency bills using a currency evaluation device, the method comprising:

(a) defining a target face orientation to be one of two face orientations for each of a plurality of currency bill denominations, one of the two face orientations being face-down, the other of the two face orientations being face-up;
(b) receiving a stack of currency bills of a plurality of denominations in an input receptacle;
(c) transporting the bills from the input receptacle, one at a time, past an evaluating unit to a plurality of output receptacles, the plurality of output receptacles corresponding to the plurality of denominations;
(d) determining the denomination of each of the currency bills with the evaluating unit;
(e) identifying the face orientation of each of the bills with the evaluating unit;
and either
(1) maintaining the orientation of a bill when the orientation of the bill matches the target orientation associated with the determined denomination of the bill;
or
(2) reversing the orientation of a bill when the orientation of the bill does not match the target orientation associated with the determined denomination of the bill;
(f) routing each of the bills to one of the plurality of output receptacles corresponding to the determined denomination of the bill;
(g) stacking a predetermined number of bills in the plurality of output receptacles corresponding to the determined denominations of the bills;
(h) redefining the target orientation associated with a particular denomination after a predetermined number of bills have been routed to the particular output receptacle corresponding to the particular denomination;
and
(i) repeating (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), and (h) until each of the bills are transported from the input receptacle.

11 more elements

A currency evaluation device for receiving a plurality of bills of mixed denominations and evaluating and arranging the bills in larger stacks, wherein the larger stacks include a plurality of identifiable smaller stacks of currency bills, the device comprising:

an input receptacle adapted to receive a stack of bills of a plurality of denominations;
a plurality of output receptacles adapted to receive the bills after the bills have been evaluated, the plurality of output receptacles corresponding to the plurality of denominations;
a transport mechanism adapted to transport the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to the plurality of output receptacles;
an evaluating unit adapted to determine the denomination and the face orientation of each of the bills;
a bill facing mechanism adapted to rotate a bill approximately 180° to reverse the face orientation of a bill;
and
a controller adapted to cause the transport mechanism to direct a bill to the bill facing mechanism when the face orientation of the bill does not match a target orientation associated with the determined denomination of the bill, the controller being adapted to cause the transport mechanism to direct a bill to the output receptacle associated with the determined denomination of the bill, the controller being adapted to redefine the target orientation associated with a particular denomination after a predetermined number of bills are transported to the output receptacle associated with the particular denomination with a common face orientation.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method of creating identifiable smaller stacks of currency bills within a larger stack of currency bills

Life of this patent

Method of creating identifiable smaller stacks of currency bills within a larger stack of currency bills

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims66