GB2353990A

GB2353990A - Sheet extraction and dispensing apparatus and method

Info

Publication number: GB2353990A
Application number: GB9921696A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Marcus Willis; Andrew Brookman
Original assignee: Asahi Seiko Co Ltd
Current assignee: Asahi Seiko Co Ltd
Priority date: 1999-09-09
Filing date: 1999-09-14
Publication date: 2001-03-14
Anticipated expiration: 2019-09-14
Also published as: GB2353990B; GB2353989B; GB9921696D0; GB9921355D0; GB2353989A

Abstract

A sheet extraction apparatus comprises a sheet extraction mechanism (25) having a vacuum port, which can be moved into engagement with a leading sheet of a stack and then away from the stack to separate a leading portion of the sheet from the rest of the stack, and a feed member (36) for feeding out the separated sheet; and a control system for controlling operation of the sheet extraction mechanism. Also provided is a sheet store with a base, side walls and an opening at one end of the base, wherein the sheets are stacked at a non-orthogonal angle to the base and urged towards the opening by a biasing member.

Description

2353990 SHEET EXTRACTION AND DISPENSING APPARATUS AND METHOD The invention

relates to sheet extraction apparatus for extracting sheets from a stack. The apparatus may be used by itself or as part of sheet dispensing apparatus, for example, apparatus for dispensing sheets of value such as banknotes, vouchers, scrip and the like.

Many different types of sheet dispensing apparatus have been proposed and are indeed used but there is a continuing need to provide a simplified form of such apparatus, particularly for use in applications such as gaming apparatus. In that connection, WO-A-99/22350 illustrates gaming apparatus which includes a paper currency dispenser for dispensing paper currency or scrip as at least a portion of a pay out.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, sheet extraction apparatus comprises a sheet extraction mechanism, including a vacuum port, which can be moved into engagement with a leading sheet of a stack and then away from the stack to separate a leading portion of the sheet from the rest of the stack, and a feed member for feeding the separated sheet to the transport system; and a control system for controlling operation of the sheet extraction mechanism.

In accordance with a se.cond aspect of the present invention, a method of separating sheets from a stack, comprises drawing the leading sheet of the stack under vacuum away f rom the remainder of the stack and out of engagement with a stack retaining member into contact with a feed member; and thereafter driving the feed member to feed out the sheet.

This invention provides a very simple form of sheet extraction apparatus based on the use of a sheet extraction mechanism, including a vacuum port, which can be moved so as to separate a leading portion of the sheet from the rest of the stack. A feed member is then provided to feed the separated sheet either to an outlet or to a transport 2 system which then transports the sheetto the outlet.

Efficient separating action is achieved by initially moving the leading sheet under vacuum away from the rest of the stack thus minimizing problems of double sheet feed which can occur with friction dispensing systems.

Conveniently, the sheet extraction mechanism is mounted for pivotal movement although a linear reciprocating movement could also be used.

In a preferred example, the sheet extraction mechanism includes a vacuum source coupled with a vacuum port. Thus, the vacuum source will move with the rest of the extraction mechanism. However, a separate, fixed vacuum source could be provided coupled via a flexible conduit with the vacuum port.

The feed member could be defined by a conveyor or a roller and further feed members could be included. In one example, the feed member is a roller which is reversible to assist in separating the leading sheet. Conveniently, in this case, the sheet extraction mechanism defines a nonplanar support surface against which the sheet is drawn under vacuum, in use. Further, the method preferably further comprises initially driving the feed member in a reverse direction while holding one end of the sheet to cause the sheet to buckle and so draw it out of engagement with the retaining member.

In a preferred application, sheet dispensing apparatus comprises a transport system for transporting sheets to an outlet; and sheet extraction apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention for feeding separated sheets to the transport system.

In order to achieve a compact apparatus, the transport system preferably defines a transport path extending alongside the sheet stack.

The transport system itself can have any conventional form and may be for example defined by rollers (friction or vacuum assisted) or one or more feed belts.

3 Preferably, the transport system includes a condition sensor for sensing the condition of sheets being fed by the transport system, and a diverter member for directing unacceptable sheets away from the outlet. The condition will typically be a determination of whether or not more than one sheet has been fed simultaneously although other conditions such as soiling and authenticity could also be checked.

Conveniently, the diverter member diverts unacceptable sheets to a location behind the sheet stack. This increases the compactness of the apparatus.

Preferably, the apparatus further comprises a sheet store in which a stack of sheets to be dispensed is located in use, the sheet store including a biasing member for urging sheets in the stack towards the sheet extraction mechanism. The sheet store may form part of the sheet dispensing apparatus but conveniently is in the form of a separate item such as a cassette. 20 In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, we provide a sheet store comprising a base and side walls extending along opposite sides of the base; a dispense outlet located in an end wall at one end of the base between the side walls; and a biasing member for urging sheets along the base towards the dispense outlet, wherein the end wall and the biasing member are oriented so that sheets in the store lie with their planes at a nonorthogonal angle to the base. By arranging the sheets so that they are at a slant angle, a more compact apparatus can be achieved while having the ability to store the same number of sheets as a store with an end wall and biasing member arranged normally to the base.

Preferably, the sheet store further comprises a shutter movable between a closed position in which it covers the dispense outlet and an open position in which the dispense outlet is uncovered.

4 An example of sheet extraction and dispensing apparatus according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a side view of the apparatus with the 5 nearest side plate omitted; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a sheet cassette; Figure 3 is a cross-section through the cassette shown in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the apparatus from above and one end; Figure 5 is a perspective view of the vacuum box of the apparatus; Figure 6 is a flow diagram illustrating operation of the apparatus; Figure 7 illustrates schematically the vacuum box; Figure 8 is a perspective view of another example of a cassette; and, Figure 9 illustrates part of a side wall of the Figure 8 example.

The sheet dispensing apparatus shown in the drawings comprises an outer housing 1 defined by side plates 2 (only one of which is shown in Figures 1 and 4), top and bottom plates (not shown), and end plates (also not shown). A sheet cassette 5 is located in the housing 1, the cassette being shown in more detail in Figures 2 and 3.

The cassette 5 has side plates 10,11, a top plate 12, a bottom plate 13, a f ront end plate 14, and a rear end plate 15. The front end plate 14 is at an angle of about 500 to the base plate 13 and has an opening 17 through which sheets (not shown) are extracted. The top corners of the opening 17 as shown at 18,19 define bill retaining tabs.

Located within the cassette 5 (Figure 3) is a pressure plate assembly 3 oriented parallel with the front end plate 14. The pressure plate 3 is urged towards the front end plate 14 via a tension spring 4 coupled between an anchorage point 70 secured to the cassette casing and an anchorage point 71 secured to the pressure plate 3. The pressure plate 3 is constrained to move towards the front end plate 14 while maintaining its orientation due to engagement between respective axles 72,73 which engage in 5 respective slots 74,75 defined within the cassette casing.

The cassette 5 is located in the sheet dispensing apparatus housing 1 between cassette housing plates 76,77 and is locked by a key 16 in position via a tab 20 which passes through a slot 78 and engages in a locking aperture 21 of a flange 21A secured to the apparatus. When located in position, the front end wall 14 of the cassette 5 is positioned in alignment with a sheet extraction mechanism 25.

The mechanism 25 comprises a pair of spaced plates 26 (Figure 5) which are pivotally mounted about and relative to a shaft 80 rotatably mounted to the housing 1. A first primary feed roller 28 is non-rotatably secured to the shaft 80. A vacuum box 29 is secured to a support plate 81 mounted between the plates 26. The vacuum box 29 includes a pair of fan housings 82,83 (containing fans 100,101 (Figure 7)) which open into the main part of the vacuum box 29. Further friction feed rollers 27 are mounted non rotatably to a shaft 84 journalled between slide plates 110,111 of the vacuum box 29. The shaft 84 is coupled via a belt 112 to a further shaft 113 journalled between the side plates 110, 111, the shaft 113 extending beyond one ill of the side plates so that it can receive a drive belt 85 which is also entrained around the shaft 80. Thus, rotation of the shaft 80 to cause rotation of the feed roller 28 will also cause rotation of the shaft 84 and hence rotation of the feed rollers 27.

Movement of the vacuum box about the shaft 80 is controlled by a motor 30 coupled to a drive gear 31 located on the outside of the side plate of the apparatus which is not shown. The drive gear 31 engages a further drive gear 32 mounted non- rotatably to a shaft 33 extending between the side plates of the apparatus. A pair of gears 34,35 6 are non-rotatably mounted to the shaft 33 just inside the respective side plates and each engages a further gear 36,37 respectively. Each gear 36, 37 carries a bolt 38 which extends inwardly through a respective slot 39, 40 in the plates 26. Thus, when the motor 30 is actuated, it will cause rotation of the drive gears 31,32 and hence of the gears 34,35. These will then cause rotation of the gears 36,37 and thus pivotal movement of the vacuum box 29 about the shaft 80.

The shaft 80 is rotated by a friction roller drive motor 41 via a pair of drive gears 42,43 located outside the apparatus side plate.

A transport mechanism 50 is located generally above the cassette 5 to transport sheets from a separation mechanism 25 to an outlet position 51. The transport system 50 comprises a set of three upper 11011 rings or belts 52 entrained around drive rollers 94 on a drive axle 53 and sets of idler rollers 54. A set of lower 11011 rings or belts 55 are entrained around idler rollers 56. The belts 52,55 define a transport path 57 between them along which sheets are transported towards the dispense outlet 51.

Further feed rollers 57 are located at the dispense outlet mounted on a shaft 57A which extends beyond the side plate 2 (not visible in Figure 4) where it carries a pulley coupled via a belt (not shown) to a pulley (also not shown) on the axle 53.

A diverter plate 58 is positioned between the roller 57 and the trailing idler rollers 54,56, the diverter plate 58 being pivoted about a shaft 59. The position of the diverter plate 58 is controlled by a solenoid 60 coupled to the plate via a linkage mechanism 61. The diverter plate 58 is biased to a non-divert position (shown in Figures 1 and 4) and can be pivoted by the solenoid 60 to a divert position in which sheets are diverted downwardly through a slot 62 in the top plate 12 of the cassette 5 into a dump location 63 behind the pressure plate 3.

7 The transport system 50 is rotated via a motor 90. The motor 90 rotates a drive gear 91 located on the outside of the side plate 2, the gear 91 meshing with a gear 92 rotatably mounted on the shaft 33 and the gear 92 meshing 5 with a gear 93 non-rotatably mounted through the shaft 53. Rotation of the shaft 53 causes drive rollers 94 nonrotatably mounted to the shaft to rotate and thus causes rotation of the drive belts 52 entrained about the drive rollers 94. Since the belts 52 are in frictional engagement with the belts 55, these belts are also caused to move in the feed direction. The rollers 57 are also caused to rotate via the transmission described above.

In order to monitor the passage of sheets, a number of sensors are provided. These comprise a reflective double bill sensor 64 located at an upstream position of the transport So and for detecting the passage of more than one sheet simultaneously; and a pair of reflective exit sensors 66,67 located at the downstream end of the transport system and at the outlet 51 respectively. A further, reflective sensor 120 is mounted to the vacuum box 29 so as to view the sheets being separated.

Control of the apparatus is achieved via a microprocessor shown schematically at 67 mounted on a printed circuit board 68 secured to the side plate 2. The microprocessor 67 will be connected to an input device such as a keyboard (not shown). The microprocessor controls operation of the motors 30, 41, and 90 and responds to information received from the sensors 64-66 and 120 and the input device.

The operation of the apparatus will now be described with reference to the drawings and in particular the flow diagram of Figure 6. Initially, a dispense operation is, requested (step 200). This may be caused by an operator requesting such a dispense or by a machine in which the 3S apparatus is located ordering a dispense as for example in a gaming machine ordering a pay out process. The microprocessor 67 responds to this request to switch on the 8 fans within the housings 82, 83 (step 201), to activate the solenoid 60 (step 202), to switch on the motor 90 to activate the transport mechanism 50 (step 203) and to activate the motor 30 to move the separation mechanism 25 5 to the position shown in Figures 1 and 4 (step 204).

The motor 41 is then activated to rotate the rollers 27,28 in their reverse direction (step 205) for a period of 200ms. Due to the action of the fans 100 ' 101, the leading most sheet in the cassette will be drawn through the openings 17 and 29A against the rollers 27,28 so tha ' t reverse rotation of these rollers will draw the upper end of the sheet out through the opening 17 from behind the tabs 18,19. As can be seen in Figure 7, the extracted sheet 102 will have a kink 103 due to the reverse operation of the rollers and the action of the vacuum, the sheet following a corresponding indented profile 115 in the side plates 110,111. This assists in separating the leading sheet from others in the cassette.

If the cassette 5 is empty, this will be sensed by the sensor 120 (step 206) and the dispense operation will be stopped (step 207). Otherwise, the motor 30 is actuated to pivot the vacuum box 29 to its retracted or upright position (step 208) as shown schematically in Figure 7.

The microprocessor next determines from the sensor 120 whether or not a sheet has been successfully picked (step 209) and if not repeats the picking process (step 210).

Assuming a sheet has been successfully picked, the motor 41 is activated to rotate the rollers 27,28 in the feed direction (step 211) and the sheet will be fed up to the transport mechanism 50 where it will be sensed by the sensor 64. Once a sheet has been sensed by the sensor 64, the motor 41 is deactivated. The microprocessor monitors the output from the sensor 64 to determine whether or not a single sheet has been fed (step 212). If only a single sheet has been fed (i.e. a successful feed), the solenoid 60 is switched off allowing the diverter 58 to return under the bias to the position shown in Figure 1 (step 213). If 9 more than one sheet has been fed, the solenoid is maintained active so that the sheet is diverted into the dump position 63 and the dispense process will be retried (step 214) The solenoid is activated again once the 5 double sheet feed has passed the exit sensor 65.

In the case of a successful feed, the microprocessor monitors the output from the exit sensor 66 (step 215) and once the sheet -has exited from the dispense outlet 51, the motor 90 is deactivated (step 216), and the fans 100,101 are switched off (step 217).

Figure 8 illustrates a modified cassette which is similar to the cassette shown in Figure 2 in all respects except that a slidable shutter 300 is supported for sliding movement between a closed position (shown in Figure 8) in which it covers the dispense outlet 17 and an open position (not shown) in which it is retracted beneath the upper wall 12 of the cassette. The shutter comprises a number of elongate, flat sections 310, each mounted on a respective shaft 320, the ends of the shafts being received in respective guide slots 330 (Figure 9) in the side walls 340. The sections 310 are linked together in such a way that they can pivot relative to one another as they are moved along the guide slots 330.

A lock system (not shown) is provided to lock the shutter in its closed position so that the cassette can be transported while preventing access to its contents. When the cassette is loaded into the sheet dispensing apparatus, the lock is automatically released and the shutter 300 can be retracted to its open position either as the cassette is slid into the sheet dispensing apparatus or by rotating a suitable drive mechanism once the cassette is fully inserted. Furthermore, it will not be possible to remove the cassette until the shutter 300 has been fully returned across the dispense outlet to its closed position.

Claims

1. A sheet extraction apparatus, including a sheet extraction mechanism having a vacuum port, which can be moved into engagement with a leading sheet of a stack and then away from the stack to separate a leading portion of the sheet from the rest of the stack, and a feed member for feeding out the separated sheet; and a control system for controlling operation of the sheet extraction mechanism.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet extraction mechanism is mounted for pivotal movement.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the sheet extraction mechanism includes a vacuum source coupled with the vacuum port.

4. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the feed member comprises a roller for frictionally feeding the separated sheet.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the roller is reversible.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the sheet extraction mechanism defines a non-planar support surface against which the sheet is drawn under vacuum, in use.

7. Sheet dispensing apparatus comprising a transport system for transporting sheets to an outlet; and sheet extraction apparatus according to any of the preceding claims for feeding separated sheets to the transport system.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the transport system defines a transport path extending alongside the sheet stack.

9. Apparatus according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the transport system includes one or more feed belts.

10. Apparatus according to any of claims 7 to 9, wherein the transport system includes a condition sensor for sensing the condition of sheets being fed by the transport system, and a diverter member for directing unacceptable sheets away from the outlet.

11 11. Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the diverter member diverts unacceptable sheets to a location behind the sheet stack.

12. Apparatus according to any of claims 7 to 11, wherein 5 the transport system further includes an outlet sensor for sensing the presence of sheets at the outlet.

13. Apparatus according to any of claims 7 to 12, further comprising a sheet store in which a stack of sheets to be dispensed is located in use, the sheet store including a biasing member for urging sheets in the stack towards the sheet extraction mechanism.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the sheet store includes a retaining portion against which sheets are urged by the biasing member.

15. Apparatus according to claim 13 or claim 14, when dependent on claim 11, wherein the diverter member diverts unacceptable sheets to a region of the sheet store behind the biasing member.

16. Sheet dispensing apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

17. Gaming apparatus including sheet dispensing apparatus according to any of claims 7 to 16 for dispensing sheets of value related to a winning operation of the gaming apparatus.

18. A sheet store comprising a base and side walls extending along opposite sides of the base; a dispense outlet located at one end of the base between the side walls; and a biasing member for urging sheets along the base towards the dispense outlet, wherein the dispense outlet and the biasing member are oriented so that sheets in the store lie with their planes at a non-orthogonal angle to the base.

19. A sheet store according to claim 18, further 35 comprising a shutter movable between a closed position in which it covers the dispense outlet and an open position in which the dispense outlet is uncovered.

12

20. A sheet store according to claim 19, wherein the shutter is slidably mounted relative to the dispense outlet.

21. A sheet store according to claim 20, wherein the 5 shutter comprises a number of connected elongate members supported at each end in respective slots in the side walls.

22. A sheet store according to any of claims 19 to 21, further comprising means for locking the shutter in the closed position.

23. A sheet store according to claim 22, wherein the locking means is releasable when the store is located in sheet dispensing apparatus.

24. Sheet dispensing apparatus according to any of claims 7 to 17, further comprising means for locating a sheet store according to any of claims 18 to 23 in dispensing relation to the sheet extraction mechanism.

25. A method of separating sheets from a stack, the method comprising drawing the leading sheet of the stack under vacuum away from the remainder of the stack. and out of engagement with a stack retaining member into contact with a feed member; and thereafter driving the feed member to feed out the sheet.

26. A method according to claim 25, further comprising 25 initially driving the feed member in a reverse direction while holding one end of the sheet to cause the sheet to buckle and so draw it out of engagement with -the retaining member.