WO1995027256A1

WO1995027256A1 - Reader for magnetically coded information on bank notes and the like

Info

Publication number: WO1995027256A1
Application number: PCT/GB1995/000342
Authority: WO
Inventors: Terry Wheelwright
Original assignee: The Governor & Company Of The Bank Of England
Priority date: 1994-03-30
Filing date: 1995-02-17
Publication date: 1995-10-12
Also published as: GB9406282D0; AU1670295A

Abstract

A magnetic code reader for a bank note or other security document has a magnetic reading transducer (5) and two flexible conveyer band (1 and 2) which grip a bank note (3) between them. The conveyer bands are drivable longitudinally so as to convey bank notes towards and away from the magnetic transducer. Roller guides (9, 10, 12 and 13) define for the first band a path in front of the magnetic transducer and define for the second band a path extending around the rear of the magnetic transducer, whereby a bank note transported past the transducer between the bands is exposed to the transducer. At least one moving guide (14) is disposed laterally of the first band and supports the bank note in a location laterally of the first band as the bank note is transported past the magnetic transducer. The moving guide preferably comprises an auxiliary band.

Description


  
 



  READER FOR MAGNETICALLY CODED INFORMATION ON BANK NOTES AND
THE LIKE
The present invention relates to readers for reading magnetically codeS information on bank notes and similar security documents.



  It is now commonplace for bank notes and other security documents to include magnetically coded strips or other elements which carry information which may relate to the serial number of the bank note, the denomination of the bank note or other information. The information is useful in the counting or verification of the bank notes and may be provided in the form of a thin security thread which is disposed within the thickness of the bank note. One example of a magnetically coded security thread is given in our
International patent application published 26 July 1990 under the publication number WO 90/08367.



  The development of a satisfactory reader for magnetically coded bank notes has proved troublesome in practice. It is desirable for the magnetically coded parts to be as close as possible to the surface of the magnetic transducer but a close spacing at this location in the reader makes a jam caused by the concurrence of a multiplicity of notes more likely. The present invention is particularly concerned with a reader which has, or is associated with, means for transporting the notes past a magnetic reading head in a manner which is tolerant of multiple thicknesses of paper, thereby being less likely to jam, and which yet normally maintains a bank note during the reading of coded information on it in close proximity with the reading head.



  In a preferred form of the invention, the bank notes are conveyed towards and away from the reader by means of two conveyer bands between which the bank note is held. The  bands are relatively narrow, which is to say narrower than the dimension of the bank note in a direction transverse the bands, each bank note being transported lengthwise along the path of the bands. The magnetic reader may have a length, in the said transverse direction, substantially greater than the relatively narrow width of the conveyer bands. In order to support the bank note on at least one and preferably each side of a first band, hereinafter termed the lower band, there is provided at least one moving guide disposed laterally of the said first, lower band.

  Such a moving guide is preferably constituted by an auxiliary band which is preferably a short endless band disposed laterally of the first band and having a run along which the auxiliary band supports the bank note in close proximity to the transducing zone of the magnetic transducer. The, and in the preferred arrangement each, auxiliary band may be supported by at least a pair of rollers which are displaced longitudinally from respective rollers upstream and downstream of the magnetic transducer and around which the second of the conveyer bands, preferably the upper band, extends. The upper band is formed into a loop extending rearwardly of the transducer, so that the bank note is exposed to the magnetic transducer. The loop may be formed by at least one and preferably two other rollers around which the second, upper band extends.



  The auxiliary band and preferably each auxiliary band may be driven in longitudinal correspondence with the speed of the first and second conveyer bands.  



  Reference will be made hereinafter to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 illustrates schematically a side view of a magnetic reader including the associated transport elements according to one embodiment of the invention; and
Figure 2 illustrates a plan view from above of the reader shown in Figure 1.



  The reader which is illustrated schematically in the drawings is intended for use in the reading of codes from paper bank notes which each have a security thread which runs parallel to the shorter sides of the bank note, which is normally rectangular. Each bank note progresses in lengthwise manner past the reader and the individual bits of the magnetic coding, which is usually serially formatted in the security thread, are read in parallel by a magnetic head which has a large number of channels. Owing to the practical necessity of providing the magnetic coding with a substantial bit length, typically 2 mm, so that the magnetic recording is substantially immune to local damage or deterioration of the bank note owing to dirt, folding, grease spots or other effects, the magnetic head should usually be of considerable width, normally exceeding the width of the bank note.



  The reader shown in the drawing comprises two flexible conveyer bands 1, 2 between which each bank note 3 is transported by frictional engagement of the bank note with the bands towards a magnetic reader in a direction shown by an arrow A and away from the reader in a direction shown by an arrow B.  



  The system shown is preferably part of a larger system which includes verification or checking devices, the construction of which is not relevant to the present invention.



  The magnetic reader   comprises    a magnetic transducer shown schematically at 5, this transducer having a transducing region at its lower end surface 6. The particular construction of the transducer 5 is not important to the present invention, but normally it will contain a multiplicity of reading channels so that the magnetic thread, which will be disposed generally transversely of the longitudinal centre line of the conveyer bands, can have its bits read in parallel by the magnetic reader.



  As may be seen in Figure 2, the main conveyer bands 1 and 2 are substantially narrower than the width of the bank note 3. The transducer 5 is wider than the width of the bank note so as to accommodate variations in the lateral positioning of the bank note relative to the centre line of the bands 1 and 2.



  The bands 1 and 2 pass over a roller 7 upsteam of the reader 4 and a roller 8 downstream of the reader. Each of these rollers offsets the path of the bands so as to form a respective pinch between the bands. The bands 1 and 2 are preferably driven by a roller capstan (not shown) which is disposed further downstream of the reader and directly engages the rear face of the band 1 so as to drive this band and the second band 2 may be driven by frictional contact with the first band 1.



  In order to expose all the width of the bank note in the vicinity of the reader, the second, upper, band 2 is formed into a loop extending rearwardly of the reader. The loop is defined by rollers 9 and 10 disposed immediately upstream and immediately downstream of the transducer 5. The second,  upper band 2 extends around the roller 9 and is formed into a loop 11 by loop forming means constituted by spaced apart rollers 12 and 13. From the roller 13 the band 2 passes around the roller 10 where it rejoins the first, lower band
 which has a very slight angle of wrap around each of the rollers 9 and 10 and extends in a run passing adjacent the surface 6 of the reader 5.



  The rollers 9 and 10 are preferably relatively located so that the leading margin of a bank note transported past the transducer 5 enters the nip formed by the first and second bands in the region of the roller 10 before the trailing margin of the same note leaves the nip formed by the bands 1 and 2 in their common angle of wrap round the roller 9. The distance between the rollers 9 and 10 is preferably small compared with the length of the note.



  In order to support the margins of the bank note along the longer sides thereof as the bank note is transported past the reader, and to support the bank note across substantially its entire width in close proximity, preferably direct contact, with the surface 6 of the magnetic reader 5, at least one auxiliary band is provided laterally of the conveyer band 1 in the vicinity of the reader. In the view presented by Figure 1, only one auxiliary band 14 is shown and since all the auxiliary bands are similar, only the band 14 and the associated parts will be described. As shown in Figure 2 however, there may be four auxiliary bands, disposed two to each side of the first and second bands 1 and 2. These auxiliary bands are denoted 14a to 14d in Figure 2.

 

  The band 14 constitutes a moving guide for the bank note as the bank note passes by the reader. The band 14 is preferably a short endless band having a longitudinal run adjacent that of the first, lower band 1 as the band 1  passes by the surface 6. The auxiliary band 14 is supported by a pair of rollers 15, 16, of which the roller 15 is disposed slightly upsteam of the roller 9 and the roller 16 is disposed slightly downstream of the roller 10. The longitudinal offset of the roller 15 with respect to the roller 9 and the longitudinal offset of roller 16 relative to roller 10 avoid the formation of any firm nip in which a multiplicity of sheets or bank notes might easily jam.



  The lower surface 6 of the reader is preferable made of a hard-wearing, low-friction material and is shaped such that a nip is formed between the band 1 and the surface 6 of the reader; a note in this nip is subject to a high frictional force on the face engaging the band 1 and a low frictional force on the face engaging the reader's surface 6.



  One of the rollers 15 and 16, preferably roller 16, may be a driven roller, being coupled by means (not shown) to a drive which drives the band 14 in synchronism with the bands 1 and 2 so that longitudinal speed of band 14 matches that of the bands 1 and 2. The roller 16 is mounted in a shaft held in a fixed support 17 whereas roller 15 is mounted in a moveable support 18 that is slidable relative to the support 17. The separation of the rollers 15 and 16 may be adjusted by a screw adjustment cooperating with a slot 19 in a moveable support 18. The separation of the rollers 15 and 16 enables the tension in the band 14 to be adjusted.



  One advantage of the presently described arrangement is that the band 14, and in the preferred embodiment all the plurality of bands 14a to 14d, can urge the bank note against the magnetic head so that the magnetically coded parts of the bank note are maintained   in    as close proximity as possible to the magnetic head, yet owing to the flexibility of the bands, the band 14 can be displaced from the head in the event that two or more bank notes are fed  simultaneously or in an overlapping configuration past the transducing head. Normally such a misfeed of bank notes will be detected by the magnetic reader, employing circuitry of no particular relevance to the present invention, or will   btl    otherwise detected by devices upsteam or downstream on the magnetic reader. 

  The described embodiment enables the reader to be in close contact with the bank note during the reading of information yet has a lower susceptibility to jamming.

Claims

1. A magnetic code reader for a bank note or other security document including magnetically coded parts, said reader (umprising: a magnetic reading transducer (5); a first (1) and a second (2) flexible conveyer band for gripping a bank note (3) between them, said conveyer bands being drivable longitudinally so as to convey bank notes towards and away from the magnetic transducer; guide means (9,10) defining for said first band a path in front of said magnetic transducer; means (9,10,12,13) for defining for the second band a path extending around the rear of the magnetic transducer, whereby a bank note transported past the transducer between the bands is exposed to the transducer;

and at least one moving guide (14) disposed laterally of said first band, and supporting said bank note in a location laterally of said first band as said bank note is transported past said magnetic transducer.

2. A magnetic code reader according to claim 1, wherein said moving guide comprises an auxiliary band.

3. A magnetic code reader according to claim 2, wherein said auxiliary band extends between rollers (15,16) disposed upstream and downstream of said transducer (5).

4. A magnetic code reader according to claim 3 wherein means (18,19) are provided for adjusting the separation of said rollers for said auxiliary band.

5. A magnetic code reader according to any foregoing claim, wherein said guide means include a first roller (9) disposed upstream of said magnetic reading head and second roller (10) disposed downstream of said transducer, the first and second bands gripping said note in the region of said first roller and gripping said note in the region of said second roller.

6. A magnetic code reader according to any foregoing claim, wherein said at least one moving guide (14b) is arranged laterally on one side of said first conveyer band (1) and at least a second similar moving guide (14c) is disposed laterally of said first band and on the other side thereof.