GB2073711A - Banknote dispensing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a machine in which banknotes are fed as a stack to an outlet closable by a shutter arranged to nip the stack at the outlet, further feed of stacks to that outlet being inhibited until such nipping has ceased A motor drives a train of rollers to deliver banknotes from plural cassettes along a flowpath to a pair of conventional tined spiral stacking wheels 42, 43. The notes are stripped from the wheels to fall in a stack 45 on a delivery belt 250 in the delivery station. The delivery station 8 includes two outlets and two shutters 39. A reversible electric motor 10 drives through belts 13, 18, the belt 250, on which the stack of notes 45 is to drop, and drives a cam 25 through a one- way clutch 26. Through belts 13, 19, the motor drives a similar cam 30 through a one- way clutch 29. Cams 25, 30 co-operate with cam followers e.g. 36 attached to rods e.g. 37 to lift a respective shutter 39 arranged to nip a stack of banknotes on to a platform 40. A sensor 41 indicates the presence of the stack on the platform, and a further sensor indicates that the associated shutter 39 has dropped to nip the stack. Until that stack of notes is removed it is not possible to operate the belt 250 again to move another stack of notes towards that platform 40. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Banknote dispensing machine This invention relates to a banknote dispensing machine.

Banknote dispensing machines are known in which an operator, who may be a bank clerk or a member of the public operating the machine by means of coded card instructs the machine to deliver a sum of money in banknotes to a delivery station having one or more banknote outlets.

An object of the invention is to provide means to ensure that when a banknote or a stack of banknotes is delivered to an outlet they are held and gripped in the outlet until the bank clerk or customer removes them and until they are removed the machine will not deliver a further banknote or stack to the same outlet.

In accordance with the invention a banknote dispensing machine comprises a banknote delivery station with an outlet aperture, the outlet aperture being closable by a shutter or flap and the shutter or flap being arranged to nip a banknote or a stack of banknotes in the outlet, the arrangement being such that when the note or notes is or are nipped in the outlet the machine is inhibited from delivering a further note or stack of notes to that outlet.

Preferably, the note or notes are delivered on to a delivery belt and movement of the belt towards the outlet is inhibited as long as a note. or stack of notes is nipped by the shutter at that outlet.

The invention may be applied to a machine which is capable of delivering to two different outlets in opposite directions using a common belt. With the common belt arrangement the inhibiting effect is such that when a note or stack of notes is nipped in one outlet the machine is inhibited from delivering a further note or stack to that outlet but is still able to deliver a note or stack of notes to the other outlet if commanded to do so. The belt may be driven by drive means which also drives two cams which operate respective shutters.

There may be a one way clutch in the drive to each cam so that a cam associated with a particular outlet, and therefore its associated shutter, will only operate when the belt is being driven in a direction towards that outlet.

There may be gearing between a shaft carrying one of the cams and a shaft driving the belt so that the rate of movement of the belt is correctly related to the rate of movement of the cams.

Preferably there is a sensor associated with each shutter to indicate whether the shutter is open or closed and a further sensor in each outlet to indicate whether there are one or more banknotes present in each outlet or not.

Preferably the outlet shutter or flap is raised by means of a cam which may be driven by a belt through a one-way clutch so that a common motor can be used to drive the delivery belt and to drive the cam, but the cam will only operate when the motor is driving in one direction. There is, in a two-outlet machine, a pair of such cams, each cam being designed to raise one of the outlet flaps and to lower it to nip the banknote or banknotes.

Preferably the belt is driven via a motor capable of operating in two directions, and the drive to one of the cams also acts to drive the belt via gearing so arranged that the belt speed is greater than the cam speed.

Each cam preferably operates through a cam follower and an arm which connects to a pivoted flap, said flap operating to trap the banknote or banknotes, and the arm preferably carries an indicator which co-operates with a sensor to show the position of the flap.

There is also preferably a sensor in each outlet so that an indication is provided of the presence of a note of a stack of banknotes at the outlet, a signal from that sensor being used to inhibit operation of the belt in a direction towards that particular outlet as long as the note or stack of banknotes remains there.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of parts of a banknote dispensing machine including a customer access section including a banknote delivery station embodying the present invention; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic front elevation with parts removed for clarity, of the banknote delivery station; Figure 3 is a horizontal section through the lower part of the delivery station and illustrating the drive gearing, etc; and Figure 4 is an end elevation of the delivery station.

The banknote dispensing machine shown in Figure 1 comprises a box-like framework 1 in which are stacked a number of removable cassettes 2 containing different values of banknotes. An electric motor 3 drives a train of conventional gears and rollers to deliver banknotes along a flowpath 4. The word "banknotes" is to be taken to mean one or more banknotes.

Banknotes rejected due to "doubles" are diverted into flowpath 5 and into reject box 6.

The required notes are delivered via flowpath 7 to a pair of conventional tined spiral stacking wheels 42, 43. The notes are stripped from the wheels 42 and 43 by a stripper plate 44 so as to fall in a stack 45 on a delivery band 250 in the delivery station 8.

The details of the delivery station 8 will now be described in relation to Figures 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings. In Figure 2 is shown a two-way electric motor 10 which, through a gear-box 11, drives a pulley wheel 12 and the pulley wheel, through a belt 13, drives a larger pulley 14 on a shaft 15.

Also on the shaft 1 5 are two further pulleys 1 6 and 1 7 (see Figs. 3 and 4) driving respective belts 18 and 19. Belt 1 8 drives a pulley 20 attached to a shaft 21 which through gears 22 and 23 drives a large roller at twice the speed.

The roller 24 carries the belt 250 on which the stack of notes is to drop.

Shaft 21 also drives a cam through a one-way clutch 26. The clutch 26 may be, for example, of the Torrington type (wedge and roller) or it may be a ratchet clutch or a wrapped spring type.

Belt 19 drives a pulley 27 which drives a shaft 28 which, through a similar one-way clutch 29, drives a similar cam 30. There is an idler roller 31 for the belt 250 and additional small idler rollers 32, 33, 34 and 35.

Cam 29 co-operates with a cam folíower 36 (see Fig. 2) attached to a rod 37 which is arranged to lift an arm 38 carrying a shutter 39 in the outlet of the machine. Shutter 39 is arranged to nip a stack of banknotes onto a platform end 40 and is located above a sensor 41 intended to indicate the presence of the stack.

Another pair of sensors 41 a, 41 b (Fig. 4) is arranged so as to produce two signals. One signal is produced when the rod is in its upper position, and flag 41 c is adjacent sensor 41 a to show that the arm 38 has been lifted and the shutter 39 is raised free of the stack of notes, and another signal when the arm 38 is in its lower position and flag 41 c is adjacent sensor 41 b, to show that the stack of banknotes is gripped.

As described above, the notes are delivered by means of stacking wheels 42, 43 and stripped off the stacking wheels by a stripper plate 44 to fall in a stack 45 on the delivery band 250. If the banknotes are to be delivered to the lefthand access point as shown in Fig. 2, the motor will be rotated in the direction of arrow B and the belts 13, 18 and 19 in the directions of the arrows shown in the diagram. The one-way clutch 26 is so arranged that with the belt operating in this direction the left-hand cam 25 shown in Fig. 2 will turn clockwise. At the same time the belt 250 will be driven in the direction shown by the arrow, i.e.

so as to move the stack of banknotes to the left and as the cam turns the flap 39 will be raised to allow the notes to partially exit but when the cam reaches its highest point, the cam follower will drop and cause the flap 39 to close, gripping the notes. An indication of this will be provided by the sensor on the vertical arm which will indicate that the cam follower has dropped and therefore the flap has closed, and the sensor below the flap will also indicate the presence of a stack of notes.

Until that stack of notes is removed it will not be possible to operate the belt again to move another stack of notes towards that exit. However, the other exit may still be used and a signal may be given to the machine to set up a further stack of notes on the belt for movement in either direction. Once a second stack of notes has been set up on the belt the machine may be operated to move the stack of notes to the right (in Fig. 2) but not to the left as long as the stack of notes is gripped in the exit.

Claims (13)

1. A banknote dispensing machine comprising a banknote delivery station with an outlet aperture, the outlet aperture being closable by a shutter or flap arranged to nip a banknote or stack of banknotes in the outlet, such that when the note or notes are nipped in the outlet the machine is inhibited from delivering a further note or stack of notes to that outlet.

2. A machine according to claim 1 and in which the banknote or notes is or are delivered on to a delivery belt and movement of the belt towards the outlet is inhibited as long as a note or stack of notes is nipped by the shutter or flap at that outlet.

3. A machine according to claim 1 or claim 2 which is capable of delivering to two different outlets in opposite directions using a common belt.

4. A machine according to claim 3 and in which the inhibiting effect is such that when a note or stack of notes is nipped in one outlet the machine is inhibited from delivering a further note or stack to that outlet but is still able to deliver a note or stack of notes to the other outlet if commanded to do so.

5. A machine according to claim 3 or claim 4 in which the belt is driven by-drive means which also drive two cams which operate respective shutters or flaps.

6. A machine according to claim 5 and in which there is a one-way clutch in the drive to each cam, so that a cam associated with a particular outlet, and therefore its associated shutter or flap, will only operate when the belt is being driven in a direction towards that outlet.

7. A machine according to claim 5 or claim 6 and in which there is gearing between a shaft carrying one of the cams anf a shaft driving the belt, so that the rate or movement of the belt is related to the rate of movement of the cams.

8. A machine according to any preceding claim and in which there is a sensor associated with the or each shutter to indicate whether the shutter is open or closed and a further sensor in the or each outlet to indicate whether or not there are one or more banknotes present in the or each outlet.

9. A machine according to any of claims 5 to 7 and in which the or each cam is driven by a belt through a one-way clutch so that a common motor can be used to drive the delivery belt and to drive the or each cam but the or each cam will only operate when the motor is driving in one direction.

10. A machine according to claim 9 and in which said motor is capable of operating in two directions, the drive to one of the cams also acts to drive the belt via gearing so arranged that the belt speed is greater than the cam speed.

11. A machine according to any preceding claim and in which the or each cam operates through a cam follower and an arm which is connected to the or each flap or shutter which is pivoted.

12. A machine according to any of claims 1 to 7 an in which there is a sensor in the or each outlet so that an indication is provided of the presence of note or a stack of banknotes at the respective outlet, a signal from that sensor being used to inhibit operation of the belt in a direction towards that particular outlet as long as the note or stack of banknotes remains there.

13. A banknote dispensing machine substantially as hereinbefore particularly described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.