Paper Money Receiving Apparatus

Abstract

An apparatus for receiving paper money or the like to be deposited at a bank or the like, comprising: means for receiving a note or the like from a depositor, means for checking the genuineness of the note received; means for temporarily storing the note the genuineness of which has been confirmed; and means for conveying the note from the storing means in one direction to accept the note and alternatively in the opposite direction to return the note to the depositor.

Description

This invention relates to an apparatus for receiving paper money or notes or various negotiable instruments such as checks.

In recent years, automatic money dispensing machines or depositing machines have been in wide use at banks and the like establishments for withdrawal or deposit of money, checks or other valuable papers. The operations required for receiving money for the above purposes are to check the genuineness of the money introduced into the machine, to calculate the value thereof and produce a corresponding electrical signal to be applied to a suitable recorder to record the value, to convey the money to a required place and to issue, if necessary, a receipt or the like. The money introduced into the machine must be returned if it is false or forged, or if the customer so desires. In such a case, if the money is a coin, it is relatively easy to handle. However, if it is paper money, it is very difficult to handle, and a complicated and large-sized machine would be required to handle paper money.

Accordingly, the primary object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for receiving paper money or the like, which can efficiently handle notes, checks or other negotiable instruments made of relatively thin paper.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an apparatus as aforesaid which is simple in mechanism, reliable in operation and low in cost of manufacture and maintenance.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an apparatus as aforesaid which can advantageously be used in an automatic money depositing machine.

The apparatus of the invention is provided with means for checking the genuineness of a note or bill introduced into the apparatus, a chamber for temporarily storing the note which has been determined as genuine by the checking means, and means disposed in the chamber for conveying the note alternatively in two opposite directions. When a customer or depositor presses a push button switch after having introduced a certain number of genuine notes or bills, the conveying means conveys them in one direction to accept them, and when the customer pushes a cancel or return push button switch, the conveying means conveys the notes in the opposite direction to return them to the customer.

Each note that has been introduced into the apparatus is checked with respect to its genuineness. When it has been found genuine, it is nipped by a pair of endless conveyor belts to be drawn into the storing chamber as far as right above the previously mentioned conveying means, whereupon the two belts release the note they have been holding, so that the note gravitates to lie on the previously mentioned conveying means or on the previous note already lying thereon. When the note is released off from the nipping belts, it falls in a horizontal condition. If it falls fluttering, however, it may not properly lie on the previous one on the conveying means. To avoid this, a striking bar may be provided to force the note to fall down in a horizontal state to be properly piled on the previously piled notes on the conveying means.

In one embodiment of the invention, the lower one of the two nipping belts is moved laterally downwardly away from the upper one to release the note. In another embodiment of the invention, the lower one of the nipping belts is first moved laterally downwardly away from the upper one, thereby releasing the note, and then lowered directly downwardly so as to be used as a part of the reversible conveying means disposed below. In this second embodiment, the lower one of the nipping belts is moved downwardly into contact with the reversible conveying belt so as to nip therebetween one edge of the notes that have been piled thereon and convey them in either of the opposite directions.

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of some preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals in different figures denote corresponding parts, and wherein;

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the interior mechanism of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3 -- 3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the interior mechanism of another embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5 -- 5 of FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a housing 10 having a front panel 11 facing toward the customer who uses the apparatus. The panel 11 is provided with an inlet slot 12, an indicating window 13, a card receiving frame 14 and a return slot 15. The notes or bills (or checks or other negotiable instruments) to be deposited are introduced into the slot 12 one by one, and in the window 13 operating instructions, the value of the money introduced and other necessary informations are indicated. The customer is supposed to put his or her card in the frame 14, which is then pushed upward as indicated by an arrow 17 into a card reading box 16. Inside the box, the card identification number and other information recorded on the card are read electrically or mechanically, and on the basis of the information read, the money introduced is placed on the customer's account in the banking system. When the customer wishes to have the money returned to him, it will be delivered out through the return slot 15 upon such request by the customer.

Turning to FIGS. 2 and 3, showing the interior mechanism of the housing 10, the note inserted through the slot 12 is nipped and drawn in by a pair of endless belts 21 and 22 arranged one upon the other. A suitable detector, not shown, detects the forward edge of the note introduced and produces a detection signal to be applied to a suitable drive, not shown, which drives the belts 21 and 22 to draw in the nipped note. While the note is being drawn in by the belts, a genuineness checker 23 provided along the path of the belts checks whether the note is genuine or forged. If it is recognized as genuine, it is moved farther inwardly into a temporary storing chamber 24, whereas if it is a forgery, the belts 21 and 22 are turned in the opposite direction to return the introduced note to the inlet slot 12.

The note that has been drawn into the storing chamber 24 by the belts 21 and 22 is then nipped and farther drawn in by another pair of belts 25 and 26 provided in the chamber 24. A suitable detector, not shown, may be provided to detect the forward edge of the note that has been brought to the front ends of the belts 25 and 26 so as to produce a detection signal to start the movement of the belts 25 and 26. The upper belt 25 is a drive belt while the lower belt 26 is a free belt driven by frictional contact with the upper drive belt 25. The note or bill K that has been brought by the belts 21 and 22 onto the belts 25 and 26 has its one longitudinal side edge nipped by the belts 25 and 26 as shown in FIG. 3. As the note is conveyed by the belts 25 and 26, its forward edge is detected by a detector 27 comprising a light source 28 and a photoelectric element 29 arranged in a spaced apart, opposed relation. When the forward edge of the note K has come to be interposed between the light source 28 and the photoelectric element 29 thereby intercepting the light from the source 28 into the element 29, a detection signal is produced which causes the motion of the drive belt 25 to stop on the one hand and an electromagnet 31 to be energized on the other, whereupon a plunger 32 is pulled upward. To the lower end of the plunger 32 there is connected one end of an L-shaped lever 34, the other end of which supports the pulleys 35 and 36 of the lower belt 26. The lever 34 is pivoted by a pin 33 to a fixed member not shown of the housing. Therefore, when the plunger 32 is pulled upward, the lever 34 is turned counterclockwise about the pin 33 so that the belt 26 is moved away from the upper belt 25 int0 a position shown by dashed lines in FIG. 3, whereupon the bill that has until then been held between the belts 25 and 26 gravitates in a horizontal state. After a predetermined period of time, the electromagnet 31 is deenergized so that the belt 26 is raised to the original position to be ready for the next note or bill.

When the electromagnet 31 is energized, another electromagnet 41 is also energized, whereupon the plunger 42 is pulled down. The upper end of the plunger 42 is pivotally connected to a lever 44, one end of which is connected by a pivot pin 43 to a fixed member, not shown, of the apparatus. A striking bar 45 is secured to the other end of the lever 44. Normally, the bar 45 is held above the note K one side edge of which is held by the belts 25 and 26. However, when the electromagnet 41 is energized, the lever 44 and consequently the striking bar 45 is turned clockwise about the pin 43 down to the position shown by a dashed line, and during this downward movement the bar 45 strikes the upper surface of the note gravitating to accelerate the falling speed thereof. After a predetermined period of time the electromagnet 41 is deenergized so that the striking bar 45 is returned to the original position ready for the next operation.

In the lower portion of the housing there is provided a conveyer belt 45 which is driven by a motor 46 to run selectively in opposite directions. The note K falling down in the above mentioned manner lies on the conveyer belt 45. If a plurality of notes are introduced through the slot 12 one after another, they are conveyed one by one by the belts 21 and 22, and then by the belts 25 and 26 into the storing chamber 24 and finally lie piled on the belt 45 as shown at K' in FIG. 3.

When the depositor has finished introducing all the notes he desires to deposit, the indication in the window 13 requires him to press a push button switch 18 provided on the front panel 11 of the apparatus. When the switch is actuated, the motor 46 is energized to drive the belt 45 in the direction of an arrow 47, so that the notes piled thereon are moved to, say, a safe, not shown, through a slot 48.

There is a case where after having introduced some notes into the machine, the customer changes his mind and wishes to have the notes returned to him. In such a case, he may press a push button switch 19 on the front panel, whereupon the motor 46 is rotated so as to drive the belt 47 in the direction opposite to that of the arrow 47 till the notes piled on the belt 45 are brought to a chute 49, on which they slide down to the return outlet 15.

Since notes or bills are made of relatively thin paper, they are likely to be bent, wrinkled or entangled about an element such as a roll provided in the machine and cannot be properly brought to the required position. For example, if the arrangement were such that the notes that have passed the genuineness checker were directly brought onto the conveyer belt 45, they would fall off from the inner ends of the belts 21 and 22 in a disorderly manner such as shown by dashed lines in FIG. 2, so that they could not be properly piled one upon another. In accordance with the invention, however, the pair of belts 25 and 26 nip one side edge of the note and conveys it in a horizontal condition as far as right above the belt 45, where the belt 26 is moved away from the belt 25 thereby releasing the note, so that the note falls down in a horizontal state to lie on the belt 45 or piled properly on the note previously lying thereon. Therefore, it becomes easier to convey the notes to a required place. Since air resists the note gravitating in a horizontal condition, the striking bar 45 helps accelerate the falling speed of the note, with resulting decrease in the time required for the operation.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show another embodiment of the invention, wherein the belt 26 is used to help the operation of the belt 45. As shown in FIG. 5, the belt 26 is disposed right above the belt 45 in a parallel relation thereto. The belt 26 cooperates with the belt 25 to nip and draw in and then release the note in the same manner as in FIGS. 1 - 3. However, when the push button switch 18 or 19 is pressed, a motor 61 is energized to rotate a cam 62. A lever 63 is urged by a spring, not shown, against the cam 62, so that upon rotation of the cam 62 the lever 63 is turned counter-clockwise about a pivot pin 64. A frame 65 is secured to the outer end of the lever 63 and supports the electromagnet 31, the plunger 32, the lever 34 and the belt 26. The lever is pivoted to the frame 65 as at 33'. As the cam 62 is turned counter-clockwise from the position shown in FIG. 4, the frame 65 with the belt 26 lowers. After the first quarter of a revolution of the cam 62, the belt 26 comes into contact with the belt 45 as shown in dashed line in FIG. 4 or 5, so that the belts 26 and 45 hold the notes lying on the belt 45. A suitable device not shown detects the phase of rotation of the cam 62 and causes the belt 45 to be driven so that the belts 26 and 45 convey the notes they are holding. The arrangement is such that if it is the switch 18 that has been pressed the belts 26 and 45 convey the notes rightward in FIG. 4 to accept them, while if it is the switch 19 that has been pressed the belts convey the notes leftward to return them through the slot 15. The conveying operation is conducted during the next half of a revolution of the cam 62. Then for the next quarter of a revolution of the cam, the lever 63 is rotated in the opposite direction to raise the frame 65 to the original position.

In this case, it is not necessary to hold the entire area of the note between the belts 26 and 45, but it is sufficient to hold only one side edge of the piled notes as shown in FIG. 5. In the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5, the belt 26 is used to cooperate with the belt 45, so that the notes can be conveyed without fail and no particular belt is required for the purpose.

The striking bar 45 with its drive means may be applied to the arrangement of FIGS. 4 and 5, and the lower belt 26 may be so arranged as to be able to brought into contact with the belt 45 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 - 3 just as in FIGS. 4 - 5.

Claims

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for receiving paper money or the like, comprising:

means for receiving notes or the like introduced into the apparatus one after another, said receiving means comprising means for checking the genuineness of each said note, means for accepting each said note which has been found genuine by said checking means, and means for causing each said note to drop substantially horizontally, said causing means comprising a pair of horizontal endless belts disposed one above the other, each of said endless belts having a top run and a bottom run, the lower one of which belts is movable away from the upper one, the moving of said lower one defining a continuous space between the bottom run of said upper belt and the top run of said lower belt and causing each said note to drop substantially horizontally; means for temporarily storing a plurality of successively dropped notes, each of said notes, after a first dropped note, coming to rest substantially on top of a previously dropped note, forming a stack of said dropped notes; and means for conveying said stacked notes alternatively in two opposing directions in response to a signal produced upon completion of introduction of a succession of said notes into said checking means.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said temporary storing means and said conveying means comprises an endless conveyor belt.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further including a striking bar for striking the note that is dropping from said pair of belts, and means for driving said striking bar.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the lower endless belt is downwardly movable, after all the notes have dropped from said belts, onto said conveyor belt on which said notes are stacked, so that said lower belt and said conveyor belt sandwich said stacked notes and convey them.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 further including a striking bar for striking said dropping note to accelerate the dropping speed thereof and means for driving said bar.

6. An apparatus for receiving paper money or the like, comprising:

means for receiving a note or the like;

means for checking the genuineness of said note;

means for temporarily storing said note that has been recognized as genuine;

first means for conveying said note stored in said storing means, and being operable in response to a signal produced upon completion of introduction of said note into said receiving means to convey said note in one direction to accept the same and alternately in response to a signal produced upon request by the customer who introduced said note to convey said note in the opposite direction to return said note to said customer; and

second means for conveying said note, the genuineness of which has been recognized by said checking means, from said receiving means to said storing means, said second conveying means comprising a pair of horizontal endless belts disposed one upon the other, so that the belts hold said note while they are conveying the same, the lower one of said endless belts being movable away from the upper one, thereby releasing said note, as far down as it comes into contact with said first conveying means, so that said lower belt and said first conveying means holds the notes on said first conveying means and conveys them.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further including a striking bar for striking the note that has been released from said pair of belts to accelerate the falling speed thereof.