Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE: CASSETTE FOR STACKING BANKNOTE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to cassettes for
receiving and stacking of banknotes. In particular, the
invention relates to cassettes with improved stacking
capability.
Existing cassettes for banknote accepting devices
such as currency validators or vending devices, include a
mechanism for initially receiving a banknote in a guide
with a movable actuator positioned between the guides for
displacing the banknote laterally to add it to a stack of
banknotes adjacent one side of the guides. Typically, this
actuator moves the stack of banknotes a sufficient distance
for the best banknote to clear the guides. The guides are
stationary and aligned with a receiving slot of the
cassette. A helical spring bias the banknote in one
direction and the movement of the actuator also causes a
compression of the spring.
Cassettes of this type require considerable
interior space for accommodating movement of the actuator
through the stationary guides for stripping of the last
received banknote. Furthermore, the actuator must have
sufficient power for displacing the stack of banknotes and
the spring when a banknote is added to the stack. In many
cases, the maximum capacity of the cassette determines the
frequency that the cassettes have to be removed and large
capacity cassettes are normally desired. On the other
hand, space is often at a premium and there is a trade-off
between the size of the cassette and the space that is
available. Larger capacity cassettes have also required
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higher power for the actuator as the size of the stack of
banknotes which is displaced is also larger.
The present invention provides a structure which
more efficiently makes use of the interior volume of the
cassette.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A cassette for receiving banknotes according to the
present invention comprises a housing having a slot for
longitudinally receiving banknotes between two opposed
guides, such that the guides engage opposite sides of a
received banknote. A storage arrangement is located to one
side of the guides and an actuator is located at the
opposite side of the guides. The actuator cooperates with
the guides for engaging a banknote received in the guides
and moves the received banknote into the storage
arrangement. A drive arrangement is connected to the
actuator and the guides for causing the guides and the
actuator to move a banknote into the storage arrangement by
moving the actuator through the guides in one direction as
the guides are moved in the opposite direction past the
actuator.
According a preferred embodiment of the invention,
the drive arrangement includes a rotary cam which controls
movement of both the guides and the actuator.
According to yet a further aspect of the invention,
the actuator is a platform member which in a banknote
receipt position closes one side of the guides and acts as
a flat support for a received banknote.
According to yet a further aspect of the invention,
the drive arrangement moves the guides in a direction away
from the storage arrangement while moving the actuator
towards the storage arrangement.
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According to yet a further aspect of the invention,
the storage arrangement includes a spring unit for
providing a spring force urging receiving banknotes
maintained in a stack against the stop and allowing
movement of such stack of received banknotes to accommodate
a new banknote to said stack once the actuator moves
through such guides.
According to yet a further aspect of the invention,
the stop for the banknote is defined by the guides and is
movable with the guides.
The banknote cassette, according to the present
invention, comprises a housing defining an enclosure having
a slot opening wall thereof through which a banknote can be
longitudinally inserted into the cassette. A banknote
receiving arrangement is associated with the slot opening
and comprises opposed guides in an initial position for
engaging the sides of received banknote and a support
member in an initial position located between and to one
side of said guides. A banknote storage arrangement is
located to the side of the guides opposite the initial
position of the support member and receives banknotes
removed from the guides. A drive arrangement is provided
for moving the guides towards the initial position of the
support member and for moving of the support member towards
the initial position of said guides to remove a received
banknote from said guides and to locate the received
banknote in the storage area and thereafter return the
guides and the support member back to the initial
positions.
According to yet a further aspect of the invention,
the cassette includes a rotating cam member which controls
movement of both the support member and the guides during
movement from and return to the initial position.
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According to yet a further aspect of the invention,
the guides members and the support member each have their
own linkage with a cam follow arrangement attached to said
cam member with said linkages maintaining said guides and
said support arrangement in a generally parallel
relationship during movement of the support member through
the guides.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in
the drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a sectional view through the cassette;
Figure 2 is a simplified view showing the guides
and the support arrangement in an initial position for
receipt of a banknote;
Figure 3 shows initial movement of the support
arrangement through the guides to start to remove a
banknote from the guides;
Figure 4 shows the relative movement of the support
arrangement and the guides freeing the edges of a banknote
from the guides;
Figure 5 shows the guides returning to the initial
position;
Figure 6 shows movement of the support arrangement
to the initial position such that the support arrangement
and the guides are now positioned for receipt of a
banknote;
Figure 7 is a side view showing a cam actuator
cooperating with a scissor linkage used to control the
guides;
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Figure 8 is a view of the cam drive arrangement as
_ cooperation with a linkage is used to control the support
arrangement;
Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 8 with the
support arrangement moved to an end position adding the
banknote to a stack of banknotes; and
Figure 10 is a simplified perspective view.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The cassette 2 shown in Figure 1 has a housing 4
with a slot opening 6 for allowing banknotes to enter the
cassette. Associated with this slot opening 6 is an idler
wheel 8 and a drive wheel 10 which cooperate to engage a
banknote and drive it into a banknote slot 12 defined
between opposed "U-shaped" guides 26 and 27. Drive wheel
10 and idler wheel 8 are located at the slot opening 6 and
drive a received banknote into the guides 26 and 27 without
belts.
The cassette to one side of the guides 26 and 27
has a banknote storage area 14 with a stack of banknotes
generally shown as 13. A plate 16 is attached to the
springs 17 and 18 and generally bias the stack of banknotes
13 against one side of the guide members 26 and 27. A
moveable support 30 is located between the opposed guides
26 and 27, and cooperates with the guides to strip a
received banknote from the guide members and add it to the
stack 13 banknotes.
Movement of the guides 26 and 27 and the support
arrangement 30 to cause a banknote to be stripped from the
guides is controlled by the rotary cam 20. The rotary cam
20 is secured in the cassette and the cam has two tracks,
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one for engaging cam follower 22 for causing movement of
the guides and the second track for cam follower 24
attached to the support 30. This cam allows opposite
relative movement of the guides and the support for a
superior stripping action.
The Figure 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, show the movement
imparted to the guides in the support arrangement for
stripping of the banknote. In Figure 2, the guides 26 and
27 are aligned with the opening slot and have received the
banknote 40. The guides 26 and 27 are oversized for
receiving banknotes of differing widths. In this case, the
depth of the "U-shaped" guides is sufficient for receiving
the largest banknote centered in the slot as well as the
smallest width banknote centered in the slot. The movable
support 30 in Figure 2 is located to one side of the
banknote slot 12 and is positioned intermediary the guides
26 and 27. The guides are in contact with the movable stop
31 controlled by link arm 35. The stop 31 moves to a clear
position when link arm 35 pivots, allowing the guides to
move past the stop 31.
In Figure 3, the rotary cam has now caused the
support arrangement 30 to move towards the stack of
banknotes 13. In this position, the support now forms a
stop for the stack of banknotes and the received banknotes
are now in contact with the stack.
Figure 4 shows how the guides 26 and 27 are moved
by the cam 20 in a direction away from the stack of
banknotes 13 and the received banknote is stripped from the
guides. In this way, both the support 30 and the guides 26
and 27 move relative to one another and reduce the amount
of space required to strip a banknote 40 from the guides 26
and 27. Furthermore, there is very little displacement of
the stack of banknotes to add a banknote to the stack, such
that the energy requirements for the stacking operation is
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. reduced and essentially constant, regardless of the size of
the stack of banknotes.
The movement of guides 26 and 27 and the support 30
are controlled by the cam. In the embodiment shown,
support 30 moves first and guides 26 and 27 move
thereafter. Other arrangements are possible to achieve the
relative movement therebetween.
Figure 5 shows how the guides have now been brought
back to an initial position and the "U-shaped" stops 37
engage the banknote which has now been stripped from the
guides.
Figure 6 shows how the support member 30 is now
moved back to the opposite side of the guides in
preparation for receiving of a banknote. The banknote slot
12 is now aligned with the slot 6 in the housing and is in
a position for receiving a further banknote.
With the arrangement as described in Figures 2
through 6, improved space efficiency is accomplished as the
guides move into the space formally occupied essentially by
the support 30 and the support 30 moves through the guides
to strip a banknote from the guides. The space generally
shown as A in Figure 4, is the maximum amount of space
required in the cassette for the relative movements of the
guides and support member. This space is less than the
space required if the support member was designed to only
move relative to fixed guides 26 and 27 which would also
require a large shift in the stack of banknotes.
Figure 7 shows details of the rotary cam 20. The
rotary cam is engageable with a motor drive 50 shown in
Figure 1 and causes the cam followers 22 and 24 to impart
the desired action to the guides 26 and 27 and the support
30. The motor 50 is part of the device which receives a
banknote cassette. Figure 7 shows the scissor-type
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arrangement used to move the guides 26 and 27 in the manner
described in Figures 2 through 6. The cam follower 22
moves within the cam channel 23 and imparts the desired
action to the scissor-type linkage arrangement generally
shown as 25. The motor shaft 51 drives the rotary cam.
Figures 8 and 9 illustrate the movement of the
support member 30 from the banknote receipt position of
Figure 8 to the extended position for stripping of a
banknote from the guides shown in Figure 9. The support
member 30 is spring biased to provide a force maintaining
the cam follower 24 in contact with the cam surface 29 at
the end of cam member 20.
For a better understanding of the working of the
components, the guides 26 and 27 are not shown but would be
attached to plate 39. Plate 39 to the right hand side of
Figure 10 has been cut away to skew the linkage 25.
The cam 20 has cam followers 22 and 24 located 180°
apart relative to the cam and as such can surface 25 and
cam track 23 have a similar profile. The 180° phase
difference causes the opposite desired movement. With this
arrangement, the size of the cam can be kept smaller. The
cam also allows considerate flexibility in importing the
desired drive action for the linkages and the timing of
these actions including accordation of the linkages. The
single cam is driven in a single direction by motor 50 and
is cost effective, as well as highly reliable.
With this arrangement, movement of the support 30
in one direction and movement of the guides 26 and 27 in
the opposite direction provides more efficient use of the
space within the cassette and it also serves to reduce the
force necessary to effectively strip a banknote from the
guide arrangement. As can be appreciated in the present
structure, the guides move away from the stacked banknotes
and thus, the extent that the support member has to move
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and displace the stacked banknotes is reduced and the
distance that the stacked banknotes moves, is reduced to
approximately the thickness of a banknote. In this way,
there is more room in the cassette for storing of banknotes
as the amount of space for moving the stack to add a
banknote is almost negligible.
Figure 10 is a perspective view illustrating the
action of the rotary cam controlling support 30 and the
guides 26 and 27. Support 30 is shown as a transparent
component to illustrate the components therebelow.
Although various preferred embodiments of the
present invention have been described herein in detail, it
will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, that
variations may be made thereto without departing from the
spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended
claims.
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