Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~.~q-3$~3~
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RECORD MEMBER DISP~NSING SYSTEM
Background of the Invention
. .
This application is a division of Canadian
Patent Application Serial No. 378,975 which was filed on
June 3, 1981.
This invention taken in conjunction with the
aforesaid parent application relates to record member dis-
pensing systems; and more particularly, it relates to
currency dispensing systems.
Counting and dispensing currency is an important
function which is performed by both bank tellers and the
recently-introduced, Automated Teller Terminals (ATT's)
which perform the counting and currency dispensin~ operation
as one of their important functions.
With regard to ATT's, there are two basic currently-
used, methods of dispensing currency to a customer. The
first method is to package pre-determined amounts of currency
in the form of envelopes or clips~ with each such envelope
or clip containing, for example, $25.00 or $50.00 when used
with U.S.A. currency. The dispensing operation consists of
dispensing the desired number of envelopes to equal the total
monetary amount requested (in multiples of an arnount per
envelope) by a customer in avalid transaction.
The second general method of dispensing currency
via ATT's is to store a stack of currency or bills within
the terminal ~or each denornination of currency to be dispensed
and to utilize a picker mechanism to pick a desired number of
such bills from the appropriate stack of currency until the
predetermined amount requested by the customer is dispensed.
30 With this second method, costly hardware is required to check
on the actual number of bills being dispensed, as this method
is susceptible to picking off more than one bill at a time
from the stack of currency. As a result of "double picking"
of the bills, it is necessary to provide a "reject hopper"
35 within the terminal where suspected miscounts of~currency
can be routed instead of delivering the suspectèd miscounts
of currency to the customer access receptacle associated
with the ATT.
05~30
Because of the "double picking" situation mentioned, the
supply of curren~y within the ATT is utilized sooner than
would be the case if accurate counting were effected on the
first try for each demand from a customer, thereby
increasing the costs for servicing the terminal.
Additionally, the provision of a reject hopper and the
associated mechanism for handling currency feeding errors
increases the purchase cost of the ATT ' s .
In contrast with the two general currency
dispensing methods mentioned earlier herein and in
accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention,
there is provided a currency dispenser having: a housing
having a discharge opening therein; a carrier means located
with.in said housing 50 as to position successive ones of
said bills adjacent to said discharge opening; and discharge
means located near said discharge opening for removing
successive ones of said bills from said carrier means and
also for discharging successive ones of said bills through
said discharge opening; and means for sensing the number of
said bills being discharged through said discharge opening;
said carrier means comprising spaced, opposed, first and
second horiæontally positioned guides to accommodate fan
folds therebetween and also comprising a single flexible
endless belt which has hinge portiuns at intervals to form
said fan folds, said hinge portions being sufficiently `.
spaced to enable successive ones of said bills to be
accommodated between adjacent ones of said fan folds.
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Some of the advantages of this invention are as
follows:
(1) Reliable dispensing of a predetermined amount
of bills îs o~tained, thereby eliminating the need for a
reject hopper and associated mechanisms within an ATT.
(2) The loading of the currency dispensers with
bills can be effected at a central office by automated
equipment.
(3) The currency dispensers are self-contained
units which can be made tamper-proof after loading at the
central office for distribution to ATT's.
(~) The currency dispensers can be used by
tellers at a bank to facilitate the counting of currency to
customers
~ 5) The currency dispensers can handle old or
worn currency and also can handle a variety of si~es and
shapes in accurate dispensing operations.
(6~ The currency dispensers are re-useable.
~ 7) The currency dispensers include positive
means for stripping each bill from the carrier means and
provide an ease in monitoring the number of bills dispensed
(8) The currency dispensers are capable o
dispensing bills of currency, travellers' checks, coupons,
and other record media; however, to facilitate the
explanation of this invention, only the term "bills of
currency" will be used in the specification and the claims
although this term is intended to cover the various record
media descr ibed .
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(9) The currency dispensers provide a low-
cost, accurate means for dispensing various kinds of
record media or bills of currency.
The above advantages and others will be more
readily understood in connection with the following
detailed description, claims and drawing.
Brief Description of the Drawing
Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram, in block form,
of an Automated Teller Terminal (ATT) in which a pre-
ferred form of the record mernber or currency dispensingsystem of this invention may be used, showing the dis-
pensing system as a currency dispenser or cassette
included in the dashed outline in the figure;
Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing how a
plurality of currency dispensers identical to the one
shown in Fig. 1 may be used to dispense different de-
nominations of currency;
Fig. 3 is a side view of one embodiment of a
currency dispenser made according to this invention;
Fig. 4 is an end view looking from the di-
rection A of Fig. 3 to show additional details of the
currency dispenser shown in Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along
the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 to show additional details of the
currency carrier, carrier drive, and discharge means
shown only in block form in Fig. l;
Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of
a portion of the currency carrier shown in Fig. 3;
Fig. 7 is a view of another embodiment of the
currency carrier shown only in block form in Fig. l;
Fig. 8 is a plan view of a currency carrier
which utilizes an adhesive for detachably securing the
bills of currency thereto;
- Fig. 9 is a plan view of another ernbodiment of
the currency carrier shown in block form in Fig. 1 with
a bill positioned thereon;
~ 2054 3 0
_5_
Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view, taken along
the line 10-10 of Fig. 9 to show additional details of
the embodiment shown in Fig~ 9;
Fig. 11 is a side view similar to Fig. 7 and
is intended to show how the currency carrier reacts with
an element included in the discharge means shown only in
block form in Fig. l; and
Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing
another embodiment of this invention in which the take-
up reel shown in Fig. 3 is replaced by a stuffing box;and
Fig. 13 is a diagrammatic side view of another
embodiment of this invention.
Detailed Description of the Invention
Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram, in block form,
showing an ATT 20 in which the preferred embodiments of
this invention may be used. The record member dis-
pensing system of this invention, hereinafter referred
to as a currency dispenser, is shown within the dashed
outline 22~
The ATT 20 (Fig. 1~ is conventional and will
be described only generally, as the functioning of ATT's
is well known. In general, a customer inserts an iden-
tification card (not shown) into an appropriate slot in
2~ the ATT 20 and enters a secret code number on the key-
~oard 24 to initiate a valid transaction on the ATT 20.
Instructions to assist a user or customer of the ATT 20
in the operation thereof and alsG, keyed-in data, such
as monetary amount requested from the customer's check-
ing account, for example, appear on the display 26. TheATT 20 has an associated control means 28 for con-
trolling the operation of the ATT 20 itself and the
currency dispenser 22 when currency is to be dispensed
therefrom. Assuming that the customer wants $40.00~in
U.S.A. currency in a valid transaction, and also as-
suming that the dispenser 22 is loaded with $20000
543al .
.
bills, then the dispenser 22 will dispense two bills 30
through a discharge opening 32 in the dispenser 22 into
a receptacle 34 to which the customer has access to
enable him to pick up the $4~.00 requested.
Fig. 2 shows how a plurality of dispensers 22,
22-A, 22-B, and 22-C, all identical to dispenser 22, may
be utilized to provide more than one denomination of
currency from an ATT 20, thereby enhancing its use-
fulness and versatility. In terms of U.S.A. currency,
for example, the dispensers 22, 22A, 22B, and 22C may
dispense ~20.00, $10.00, $5.00 and $1.~0 denominations
of bills, respectively~ Each dispenser such as 22-A~
22-B, and 22-C has a dischargP opening 32-A, 32-B and
32-C, respectively, formed therein to enable the as-
sociated bill 30 to be dispensed therethrough onto a
conveyor belt 36, which moves to the right as viewed in
Fig. 2 to deposit the bills like 30 into the receptacle
34 (to form a stack 38 of bills therein~ for access by
the customer. Because the security measures which are
used in the ATT 20 ~to prevent unauthorized access by a
customer or a potential thief) may be conventional, and
do not form a part of this invention, they are not shown
in Figs. 1 and 2. Naturally, the number of currency
dispensers like 22 and 22A used in a particular ATT
depends upon a particular application.
~ he currency dispenser 22 (Fig. 1)/ in a
preferred embodiment, includes a conventional tamper-
proof housing 40 (Fig. 3) which has associated side
panels 42 and 43, with most of side panel 42 being
removed in Fig. 3, to facilitate a showing of the in-
terior of the dispenser 22. The dispenser ~2 (shown
diagrammatically in Fig. 1) comprises a carrier means or
currency carrier 44, and the motor 46 and a carrier
drive 48 comprise the means for moving the currency
carrier 44 within the dispenser 22 so as to position
successive bills 30 near the discharge opening 32~
Discharge means shown as block 50 in Fig. 1 are used to
IS43~ `
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separate the bills 30 from the carrier 44 and to dis-
charge them through the discharge opening 32 to the
receptacle 34. A currency counter 52 operatively coupled
with the carrier 44 and the control means 28 is utîlized
to count the number of bills 30 being dispensed from the
dispenser 22. The motor 46, carrier drive 48, and the
currency counter 52 are operatively coupled to the
control means 28 by a control cable 54 (shown as an
ellipse) so as to enable the currency dispenser 22 to
function as a self-contained unit and to be easily
connected to the control means 28 of the ATT 20 and the
terminal itself. The currency dispenser 22 may be
loaded with currency at a central office within ~ banking
system, for example, as previously explained, and there-
after, it may be sealed with a tamper proof seal such as
56 shown in Fig. 3 and delivered to an ATT 20 for in
stallation therein. Because the seal 56 and the tamper-
proof housing 40 may be conventional, they are shown
only diagrammatically in Fig. 3.
Fig. 3 is a side view of one embodiment 22-1
of the currency dispenser 22 which is shown only dia-
grammatically in Fig. 1, with certain portions of the
housing 40 being removed as previously explained to
facilitate a showing of the interior thereof.
The currency carrier 44 (Fig. 1) in the cur-
rency dispenser 22-1 shown in Fi~. 3 includes a length
or strip 58 of flexible material such as a clear plastic
which has a plurality oE bills 30 detachably secured
thereto in spaced relationship thereon. The strip 58
with the bills 30 thereon is fed: from a supply reel 60
over an arcuately shaped surface 62 (which is part of a
brake mechanism 64 to be later described herein); over
an arcuately-shaped element 66; between drive rollers
68 and 70 and back-up rollers 72 and 74 (best sèen in
Fig. 4); and over the cylindrically-shaped friction rods
7~, 78, and 80. Thereafter, the empty strip 58 with the
bills 30 removed therefrom is fed on to the take-up reel
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82. The reel 82 is rotatably supported on a rod 84 which
is supported in the side panels 42 and 43. The reel 82
has a conventional slip clutch 86 operatively connected
thereto so as to maintain a predetermined amount of torque
on the reel 82 to thereby rotate it in a clockwise direction
as viewed in Fig. 3 and to keep a predetermined amount of
tension on the strip 5~. The rods 76, 78, and 80 do not
rotate and are made of a material such as "Delrin", a
plastic material made by Dupont and a trademark thereof,
and these stationary rods provide the necessary friction
to prevent the take-up reel 82 from driving the strip 58
past the drive rollers 68, and 70 and their associated
back-up rollers 72 and 74, respectively. Because of
differences in inertia and other start-up forces of the
combined supply reel 60 and strip 58 in comparison with the
take-up reel 82, the strip 58 may be driven at a rate which
is faster than the rate at which the take up reel 82 can
wind up the strip 58, for hrief periods of time resulting
in an excess of the strip 58 accumulating between the back-
up roller 72, for example, and the rod 76; the excess ofthe strip 58 collects in the bin 89 and is drawn out there-
of at a slower rate as the take-up reel 82 accelerates in
speed. The reel 82 is rotated in a clockwise direction (as
viewed in Fig. 3) by an endless, gear-type, drive belt 90
which is coupled to the driving pulley 92 of a motor 94
which is located within the housing 40.
The motor 94 (Figs. 3 and 4~ is also used to
drive the strip 58 on which the bills 30 are located.
The drive belt 90 from the pulley 92 also is in driving
engagement with a pulley 96 to rotate it in a clockwise
direction as viewed in Fig. 3. The pulley 96 is fixed
to shaft 98 to rotate it, and the shaft 98 passes through
a conventional magnetic clutch lO0 (Fig. 4) to provide
the driving rotary motion thereto when -the clutch is
energized. The clutch 100 has a plate 102 associated
therewith and the plate is coupled to a gear 104 which
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. .
is rotatably mounted on the shaft 98 which is con-
tinuously rotated whenever the ~otor 94 is energized.
The clutch 100 is part of the carrier drive 48 and is
operatively coupled to the control means 28 as shown in
Fig. 1. Whenever the clutch 100 is energized by the
control means 28, the plate 102 is rotated causing the
gear lD4 to be rotated therewith~ Gear 104 is in driv-
ing engagement with a similar gear 106 which is fixed
to the shaft 108 to rotate it whenever the clutch 100 is
energized. The shafts 108 and 98 are rotatably sup-
ported in the side panels 42 and 43 as is best shown in
Fig. 4. The drive pulleys 68 and 70 are fixed to shaft
108 to rotate therewith, and the back-up rollers 72 and
74 are rotatably supported on the rod 110. The ends of
the rod 110 are supported in elongated slots 112 (as
shown in Fig. 4) so as to enable the rollers 72 and 74
to be pushed away from the associated drive rollers 68
and 70 to facilitate the insertion of the strip 58
therebetween for the usual threading thereof. The
rollers 72 and 74 are biased into engagement with the
drive rollers 68 and 70 by a spring lever 114 (best seen
in Fig. 3) whose end is maintained between the locators
116 and 118 to bias the rod 110 towards the shaft 108.
Thus, whenever the clutch 100 is actuated, the currency
carrier or strip 58 will be driven between the drive
rollers 68 and 70 and their associated back-up rollers
72 and 74 at a velocity of, for example, 1 2/3 feet per
second. This velocity of the strip 58 will produce an
output of approximately 4 bills,'second being discharged
through the opening 32 in the housing 40. Increasing
the speed of motor 94 will increase the discharge rate
of bills 30 from the housing 40 and vice versa. It
should be noted that the drive rollers-l20 and 122
continuously rotate as long as the motor 94 is ener-
gized. The peripheries of the drive rollers 120 and 122
pass through aligned slots in a pick off member 124 and
engage the back-up rollers 126 and 128, respectively,
~ 91~3~
which are rotatably mounted on a rod 130. The ends of
the rGd 13D are mounted in elongated slots like slot 132
in Fig. 4 to enable the rollers 126 and 128 to be resi-
liently biased into engagement with the drive rollers
120 and 122, respectively. The rod 130 is restrained
from axial movement within the housing 4D and is also
biased towards the shaft 98 by a cantilever-type spring
134 whose free end 136 (Fig. 4) fits between the lo-
cators 138 and 140 which are fixed to the rod 130. The
springs 134 and 114 are anchored to cross bars 142 and
144, respectively, (Fig. 3) which bars are secured be-
tween the side panels 42 and 43.
The pick-off member 124 (Fig. 3) lies in an
imaginary plane which is parallel to and slightly below
the plane of the strip 58 (as viewed in Fig. 3) prior to
sliding over the element 66. The bill 30-1 in Fig. 3 is
shown in the process of being picked off or separated
from the currency carrier or strip 58. When discharging
a bill 30 from the dispenser 22-1, the clutch 100 (Fig.
4) is energized long enough by the control means 28
(Fig. 1) to enable the leading edge of the bill 30-1
(Fig. 3) to be caught between the drive rollers 120 and
122 and their associated back-up rollers 126 and 128 to
thereby be discharged out of the discharge opening 32 of
the housing 40.
The currency counter 52, shown only diagram-
matically in Fig. 1, includes a source of light such as
a light emitting diode (LED) 146 and a complementary
light responsive member 148 which are shown on opposed
sides of the strip 58 in Fig. 3. The member 148 is
operatively coupled to the control means 28 (Fig. 1) to
indicate a count of the bills 30 being discharged
whenever the light from the LED 146 to the light re-
sponsive member 148 is interrupted by a bill 30 passing
therebetween. Because the strip 58 is made of a clear
or transparent plastic material, an accurate count of
the bills 30 interrupting the light path between the LED
~L2~5~
146 and the member 148 is readily obtainedD
The dispenser 22-1 also includes the ~rake
mechanism 64 which is shown mainly in Figs. 3 and 4.
The basic function of the brake mechanism 64 is to keep
the supply reel 60 from rotating when the strip 58 is
stopped from being moved after a desired number of bills
30 is discharged from the housing 40.
The brake mechanism 64 is shown in the "on"
position in Fig. 3 in which the supply reel 60 is pre-
vented from bein~ rotated by the shoes 150 and 152 ofthe mechanism 64 engaging the spaced flanges 154 and
156, respectively, of the reel 60 as is ~est shown in
Fig. 4. The shoes 150 and 152 are extensions of~a
generally, triangularly shaped plate 158 having an apex
160 to which one end of a tension spring 162 is secured
so as to bias or urge the brake mechanism 64 to rotate
about the rod 164 in a counterclockwise direction as
viewed in Fig. 3. The plate 158 has extensions 166 and
158 from which the arms 170 and 172, respectively,
extend as shown in Fig. 3. The arms 170 and 172 support
the arcuately-shaped surface 62 over which the strip 58
slides or passes. The remaining end of spring 162 is
secured to the free end of a cantilever-type rod 174
whose remaining end is secured to the side panel 42 as
is best seen in Fig. 4.
~ henever the clutch J.00 is operatively ac-
t~ated, the strip 58 is moved to the right over the
element 66 (as viewed in Fig. 3) causing the brake
mechanism 64 to be rotated in a clockwise direction
tfrom the position shown in Fig~ 3), resulting in the
brake shoes 150 and 152 being moved away from the as-
sociated flanges 154 and 156; this permits the strip 58
with the bills 30 thereon to be unwound from the supply
reel 60. As hills 30 are dischargea from the dispenser
22 1, the supply reel 60 rotates in a clockwise di-
rection (as viewed in Fig. 3) and when the clutch 100 is
deactuated to stop the dispensing of bills 30, there.
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will be some rotational inertia left in the reel 60
which causes some slack to occur in the strip 58 be-
tween the reel 60 and the element 66. When this slack
occurs in the strip 58, the spring 162 will urge the brake
mechanism 64 in a counterclockwise direction (to the
position shown in Fig. 3) causing the brake shoes 150
and 152 to engage the associated flanges 154 and 156 of
the supply reel 60 to stop its rotation.
In the dispenser 22-1 described in Figs. 3,
4, and 5, the supply reel 60 has a diameter of approxi-
mately ten inches when storing about 3,000 bills of U.S.A.
currency on the strip 58 which has a length of approxi-
mately 1,250 feet to accommodate storing 3,000 bills like
30 thereon. Under these circumstances, the take-up reel
82 ha5 a diameter of about 4.5 inches for receiving a
length of approximately 1,250 feet of strip 58 with no
bills 30 thereon. For the embodiment of the dispenser
22-1 shown in Figs. 3-5, the strip 58 is made of a clear
flexible plastic material such as "Mylar" (which is manu-
factured by DuPont and a trademark thereof) and which strip58 has a thickness of approximately .00092 inch and has
a width of approximately 7.4 inches to accommodate the
length of U.S.A. currency and a large percentage of foreign
currency, traveller's checks, notes, and the like. A
feature of this invention is that different sizes of
currency (within limits) can be accommodated on the
strip 58 without having to change its basic dimensions.
The element 66 (Fig. 3) has a diameter of approximately
0.5 inch so as to provide an abrupt change of direction
for the strip 58 as it slides over the element 66 on its
way to the drive rollers 68 and 70 while the leading edge
of a bill like 30-1 in Fig. 3 continues in a direction
parallel to pick-off member 124. In the embodiment de-
scribed, the edge of the member 124 which is closest to
the element 66 is spaced therefrom approximately 1/32
of an inch to effect the picking off of a bill like 30
from the strip 58.
~ 35;~3~ ~
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.
In the dispenser 22-1 shown in Figs. 3-5, the
bills 30 are detachably secured to the carrier or strip
58 by the adhesive members 176 (Fig. 3) which are shown
enlarged in Fig. 6. The bills 30 are positioned on the
strip 58 so that the length of each bill 30 is per-
pendicular to the length of the strip 58. For a wide
range of sizes of currency, the adhesive members 176
are spaced apart on five inch centers as measured along
the length of the strip 58 and are also placed on three
and one-half inch centers across the width of the strip
58. The strip 58 has holes 178 punched therein to
receive the adhesive members 176 as shown in Fig. 6.
While the strip 58 is greatly exaggerated in thickness
in Fig. 6, each adhesive member 176 is larger in area
than the associated opening 178 (so as to adhere to the
underside 180 of the strip 58) and during the loading of
bills 30 on the strip 58, the adhesive member 176 is
forced through the opening 178 against the associated
bill 30 to detachably secure the bills 30 theretoO As
an illustration, the adhesive members may be made of a
silicon adhesive tape such as tape 3M 8402 which is
manufactured by the 3M Company. In forcing the adhesive
member 176 against the bill -30, a force of approximately
15 pounds on a 1/2 inch diameter plunger (not shown) was
adequate to force each adhesive member 176 into the
configuration shown in Fig. 6 so as to detachably secure
the bills to the strip 58. The element 66 is shown in
phantom outline in Fig. 6 just to assist the reader in
orienting the strip 58 and bill 30 thereon. Each bill
30 is positioned preferably on the strip 58 (Fig. 6) so
that its point of attachment thereto is effected closer
to the trailing edge 182 of the bill 30 than to its
leading edge 184; this facilitates the separation of
each bill 30 from the strip 58 as the strip slides over
the element 66 and the bill 30 slides over the pick-off
member 124 (Fig. 3).
Different embodiments of the currency carrier
~;~4~3~
44, shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1, may be used with
the currency dispenser 22-1 shown in Figs. 3-5 and in
place of the particular carrier described in relation to
strip 58 shown in Fiys. 3-6. Certain portions of the
currency dispenser 22-1 are shown only diagrammatically
in Fig. 7 so as to orient the re~der; like numerals are
used in Fig. 7 for their identical counterparts shown in
Figs. 3-5.
The currency carrier in Fig. 7 is comprised of
a carrier strip 186 having the bills 30 aetachably
secured thereto by adhesive areas 188. The strip 186
has the same overall dimensions as does the strip 58
already described, and it is also made of the sam,e
material as strip 58. The adhesive areas 188 result
from heating a thermally sensitive adhesive such as JET
MELT adhesive which is manufactured by the 3M Company.
~ ' The adhesive is applied to the carrier or strip 186 in
the form of narrow stripes 185 and 187 which are located
in spaced parallel relationship along the length of the
20 strip 186 as shown in Fig. 8. The bills 30 are po-
sitioned on the strip 186 as shown in dashed outline in
FigO 8 and heat is applied (via heated rods of ap-
proximately .040 inch diameter) to small areas 188 to
detachably secure the bills'30 to the strip 186. As
shown in Fig. 8, each bill 30 is secured to the strip
186 by applying heat to at least two spots to thermally-
activate the adhesive and detachably secure the bill to
the strip 186 at areas 188 which are closer to the
trailing edge of the bill 30 than to the leading edge
thereof which is numbered as 189 in Fig. 8. If found
necessary or desirable, the stripes 185 and 187, may be
heated also at areas 188-1 (Fig. 8) to provide addi-
tional securement of the bills 30 to the carrier strip
186.
Figs. 9, 10, and 11 show details of another
embodiment of a currency carrier designated generally as
190. The carrier 190 may have the same overall length,
31.Z~5~3~ ~
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width and thickness as do the strips 58 and 186 already
described, and the carrier 190 may be included in the
cash dispenser 22-1 (Figs. 3-5). Fig. 11 shows how the
carrier 190 coacts with certain elements of the dis-
penser 22-1~ with similar reference numerals being used
in Fig. 11 for identical elements shown in Figs. 3-5.
The carrier 190 (Fig. 9) has a portion 192
removed therefrom to produce a tongue-like member 194
which has an upwardly bent portion 196 near its base and
1~ a downwardly-bent portion 198 at its free end so as to
enable a bill 30 to-be retained under the tongue-like
member 194 as shown in Figs. 9 and 10. The carrier 190
also has-two "C"-shaped areas 200 removed therefrom to
produce the spaced, short tabs 202. As is best seen in
15 Fig. 9, after a bill 30 is placed on the carrier 190,
the trailing edge-of the bill 30 is placed under the two
tabs 202 and the leading-edge 204 of the bill is re-
tained by the downwardly-bent portion 198 of the tongue-
like member 194 to secure the bill 30 on the carrier
20 190. The spacing of the bills 30 on the carrier 190 is
identical to that employed with the strips 58 and 186
when used in the dispenser 22-1; however, the spacing
may be changed to suit particular applications. The
forming of the upwardly-bent portion 196 and the down-
wardly-bent portion 198 may be effected conventionally
by rotary dies during the same time that the notched out
portions 192 and 200 are formed.
Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram showing how the
bills 30 are separated from the carrier 190 near the
discharge opening 32 of the currency dispenser 22-1. As
the carrier 190 slides over the element 66, the tongue-
like member 194 continues to travel-in a direction which
is parallel to and above the pick off member 124, and
the bill 30 (not shown in Fig. 11) also continues to
travel in this direction under the tongue-like member
194. Finally, the tongue-like member (shown as 19~-1
in Fig. 11) is pushed backwardly with respect to the
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direction of the c~rrier prior to eventually being wound
up on the take-up reel 82, and the separated bill 30 is
fed out the discharge opening 32 as previously ex-
plained.
Fig. 12 shows another embodiment of this
invention referred to as currency dispenser 22-2 which
- is generally similar to the dispenser 22-1 (shown in
Figs. 3-5) except as hereinafter indicated. Like nurnerals
are used in Fig. 12 for identical elements shown in
10 Figs. 3-5. The dispenser 22-2 has a stuffing box 206
which replaces the take-up reel 82, bin 89t and rods 76,
78, and 80 best shown in Fig. 3. The currency carrier,
which may be any of the types already described in
detail such as strips 58 or 186, for example, is just
designated as 44 in Fig. 12 and is driven into the
stuffing box 206 by the drive rollers like 106 and the
back up rollers like 72. After the bills 30 are removed
from the carrier 44, the carrier 44 drops into the
stuffing box 206 and forms convolutions or folds 208
therein. The currency dispenser 22-2 stores approxi-
mately 1,000 bills of the U.S.A. currency size on thesupply reel 60 when the stuffing box 206 is used, as the
stuffing box 206 is not as efficient as is the take-up
reel 82 (Fig. 3) in storing the empty carrier 44. The
~5 output pulley 92 of motor 94 (Fi~. 12) is operatively
coupled to the pulley 96 of the magnetic clutch 100 (not
shown in Fig. 12) by a shorter gear-type drive belt 210
than was used in Fig. 3.
Fig. 13 is a diagrammatic side view of another
embodiment of this invention which is designated gen-
erally as currency dispenser 212. The dispenser 212includes a housing 214 having a discharge opening 216
therein through which the bills such as 30 are dis-
pensed. The housing 214 has most of its side panel 215
removed to facilitate a showing of the interior of the
housing 214. The housing 214 has conventional end
panels such as 218 and 220 which can be conveniently
~2()S430
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opened to gain access to the interior of the housing 214
to enable it to be loaded with bills and conventionally
closed and locked for transit to an individual ATT 20
'. (Fig. 1) as earlier explai.ned herein.
The currency carrier for the currency dis-
penser 212 (Fig. 13~ is comprised of an endless carrier
222 having a plurality of hinge portions such as 224 and
226 therein which may,be formed by creasing the carrier
222 to form a plurality of fan folds. like,228 and 230.
A single bill 30 is placed in each-of the folds like 230
as shown. There ~re guides -232 and 234 which are spaced
apart in parallel relationship with each other and which --
are conventionally secured within the housing 214. to
receive the fan folds like 228 and ,230 of the carrier,
222 therebetween as shown. When in -the position, shown -. - _,_
in Fig. 13, the carrier 222 has a width.which extends in
a direction which.,is -perpendicular to .the plane of Fig.
13. The width of-t-he bills 30 is seen in Fig. -13, and
the lengths of these bills extend in the direction which
is perpendicular to the plane of Fig. 13.
The leading edge 236 of the bill 30 (with
regard to the discharge opening 216) is about to pass
between the feed rolls 238 and 240, and thereaf ter pass
out through the discharge opening 216 as shown by bill
25 30-1 shown in Fig. 13. The currency counter 50 (Fig. 1)
is comprised of a source of light such as LED 242 and
associated light responsive member 244 which is con-
ventionally coupled to the control means 28 (Fig. 1) to
give a count indication of the number of bills being
30 dispensed. The dispenser 212 also includes a pick-off
member 246 which performs the same function as does the
- pick-off member 124 already described in relation to
Fig. 3. The pick-off member 246 may be made of clear or
transparent plastic material, to permit the light from
35 the LED 242 to pass therethrough when no bill 30 is
present, or if the pick-off member 246 is made of an
opaque material such as metal, it may have an aligned
~2~S9L3~ '-
-~ -18-
slot therein (not shown) to permit the light from LED
242 to pass therethrough to effect the counting of bills
passing out of the dispenser 212.
The means for moving the carrier 222 within
the housing 214 (Fig. 13) also includes the motor 248
having a driving pulley 250 extending therefrom, and it
also includes the driving feed roll 252 and the back-up
feed roll 254. The feed rolls 238, 240V 252 and 254 are
cylindrical in shape and have resilient or rubber like
surfaces to grip the carrier 222 therebetween. The roll
240 is resiliently biased into engagement with the roll
238, and similarly, the feed roll 254 is resiliently
biased into engagement with the drive feed roll 2,52.
The drive feed roll 252 has a driving shaft 256 which is
rotated in a clockwise direction (as viewed in Fig. 13)
by the output member 258 of a conventional magnetic
rotary clutch 260 which is shown only diagrammatically
in Fig. 13. The magnetic rotary clutch 260 is opera-
tively coupled to the output pulley 250 of motor 248
which supplies the constant rotary motion to the clutch
260. Whenever clutch 260 is energized, the constant
rotary motion supplied by motor 248 is supplied to the
drive shaft 256 of drive rolcl 252 by a conventional
coupling member shown only as dashed line 262 in Fig.
13.
When clutch 260 (Fig. 13) is energized by the
control means 28 (Fig. 1), the drive roll 252 rotates.
As drive roll 252 rotates, it causes the portion 264 of
the carrier 222 between the feed roll 238 and drive feed
roll 252 to move to the left as viewed in Fig. 13. This
causes the leading edge 236 of bill 30 to move between
the feed rolls 238 and 240 and out of the discharge
opening 216 of the housing 214 as the carrier 222 moves
around the feed roll 238. The pick-off member 246
facilitates the guiding of the bills such as 30-1 out of
the discharge opening 216. After a portion of the
carrier 222 passes around the drive feed roll 252, as
.,
.
()543~ ~ -
- -19-
for example portion 266 of carrier 222, it is pushed
into the area 268 in the housing 214 in a general random
manner so that it exerts a cumulative force on the
remaining fan folds 228 and 230 between the planar
guides 232 and 234 to move the fan folds like 230 to the
right as viewed in Fig. 13.
The carrier 222 is made of clear plastic
material as earlier explained herein and has a thickness
of approximately .001 inch. While the dispenser 212 is
shcwn in a preferred position for dispensing the bills
30 in a horizontal direction out of the dispenser, the
dispensing opening 216 of the dispenser 212 can be
tilted upwardly at varying angles approaching 45 degrees
from the position shown in Fig. 13 and still work ef-
fectively. The use of any of the previously describedmeans (such as those shown in Figs. 6 and 8 for example)
of attaching the bills 30 to the carrier will permit an
angle of tilt greater than the 45 degrees mentioned for
such applications of the dispenser 212 as dispensing
bills 30 upwardly through a table top.
