WO2014002117A4

WO2014002117A4 - System and method for currency collection and presentation

Info

Publication number: WO2014002117A4
Application number: PCT/IN2013/000394
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kannan Lakshminarayan; Manoj Kunhi PURAYIL; Ranjith Kumar GUNABALAN; Joshua Premkumar DANIEL
Original assignee: Vortex Engineering Private Limited
Priority date: 2012-06-28
Filing date: 2013-06-27
Publication date: 2014-02-27
Also published as: WO2014002117A1; CN104067321A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a currency collection system and method in self-service terminals such as ATMs and cash dispensers, the system comprising of movable cartridge that collects media-items dispensed sequentially by a plurality of picker modules and arranges them as a bunch that is subsequently presented to the user. Further, the system is provided with guide-way to convey the movable cartridge with the media-items received from one or more of the picker modules to an opening through which it may be presented as a bunch to the user and to retract the bunch if the user fails to pick them. Further, the system is provided with a separate compartment within the movable cartridge to receive and collect media-items that are erroneously picked or unfit for presentation to the user.

Claims

AMENDED CLAIMS

received by the International Bureau on 04 February 2013 (04.02.13)

5 WE CLAIM:

1. A system in ATMs and cash dispensers for collecting media-items dispensed sequentially, bunching and presenting of the media-items to user comprising:

A movahle cartridge (20); .

At least one media cassette (18) with its associated picker module; and 10 Guide-way (1 ),

wherein the movable cartridge (20) is positioned adjacent to the selected picker module to collect media-items dispensed sequentially by the picker module for subsequent transport as a bunch,

wherein the guide-way ( 1 ) conveys the movable cartridge (20) to successive picker ^•15 modules to collect media-items dispensed from respective media cassettes (18) and assemble as a bunch in. the movable cartridge (20),

wherein the guide-way ( 19) conveys the movable cartridge (20) with the bunch to an opening through which the bunch may be presented to the user,

wherein the movable cartridge (20) may draw in the bunch if it is not picked by the 20 user, and move along a path defined by the guide-way (19) to deliver the media-items at a desired location, and

wherein the movable cartridge (20) is conveyed along intended path and oriented in desired direction at different positions along the path by the geometry of the guide- way (19).

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2. A system as claimed in c!aiml, wherein a separate compartment is provided within the movable cartridge (20) to receive and collect erroneously picked plural media-items, and wherein the erroneously picked plural media-items arc subsequently delivered into a purge bin (17) within the ATMs and cash dispensers.

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3. A system as claimed in claiml, wherein the movable cartridge (20) is positioned adjacent to a currency-acceptor module to accept deposits and deliver the accepted media-items to a designated location in the ATMs and cash dispensers.

35 4. A system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the system is provided with a counterweight to reduce the energy needed to convey the movable cartridge (20).

14 5^, Λ system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the movable cartridge (20) comprises:

at least two baffle-plates (11, 15);

at least one take-away roller (3);

at least one pinch roller (5);

at least one media sensor (16);

at least one diverter (4);

at least one take-away guide (12);

at least one presentation roller (9);

at least one conveyor roller (6);

at least one floating plate (8); and

at least one shutter (10),

wherein the two baffle-plates (11, 15) guide the dispensed media-items towards the take-away roller (3) co-operating with the pinch roller (5),

wherein the media sensor (16) is positioned along the path of the media from the picker-module that is coupled to the media cassette (18), and

wherein the divcrter (4) is positioned downstream of the take-away roller (3).

6. A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the movable cartridge and guide-way (19) are equipped with additional sensors to sense the position of the media cassette (18) and the type of media-item stored in the media cassette to position the movable cartridge adjacent to the selected picker module.

7. A system for dispensing media-items in a bunch as claimed in anyone of the claims 1 to 6 comprising:

picker roller (2) of the picker module to pick media-items one at a time irom cash stack (14) of the media cassette (18);

co-operating retard roller (1) and picker guide (13) to ensure multiple media-items are not picked simultaneously; and

diverter (4) with it's tip at position (P) when the media-items are drawn into compartment (A) by the take-away roller (3) under the grip of the co-operating pinch roller (5) along the path defined by the take-away guide (12), to be assembled into a bunch,

15 5 wherein flap-whecis moun ted eoaxiaUy on shaft of the conveyor roller (6) convey the items up into the compartment (A) and then down on the other side of the conveyor roller (6) within the compartment (A),

wherein lower edges of successive media-items are aligned to bottom of the compartment (A), and

10 wherein the floating plate (8) accommodates media-items of varying width within the movable cartridge (20), while restraining them from the top.

8. A system for presenting the bunched media-items as claimed in claim 7 to the user, whei'ein the movable cartridge (20) is moved to .appropriate position from where the bunch

15 may be presented to the user, and wherein ejection of the bunch from the compartment (A) of the movable cartridge (20) is preceded by moving the shutter (1 ) laterally to clear the path leading from the nip between the take-away roller (3) and presentation roller (9).

9. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the presentation roller (9) is spring-loaded to 20 accommodate different numbers of raedia-items in the bunch thereby providing appropriate grip during presentation of the bunch.

10. A system for separating overlapped media-items and conveying leading mcdia^tem when 25 a plurality of media-items is en'oncously picked as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 6 comprising;

media sensor ( 16) to detect magnitude of offset (1) of the leading media-item, with respect to the subsequent media-item;

wherein the picker roller (2) may be stopped when the leading media item is free of 30 tlic pick roller and cause it to act as grip roller for the trailing media item, in co^¬ operation with retard roller (1), to prevent further movement of the trailing media- item (s) thereby drawing out the leading media-item alone by the take-away roller (3) into the compartment (A),

wherciti the mechanism selectively sq?aratcs and conveys the leading media item ^■35 when offset (1) between the leading media item and the next media item is greater than threshold (x) defined by geometry of arrangement, and

16 wherein the threshold (x) is characterised by condition that thu leading-edge of the second media item is not under the grip of the takc-away roller (3) when the lirst media item is free of the picker roller (2).

11. Λ system for diverting the erroneously picked plural media-items into a separate compartment as claimed in anyone of claims I to 6 comprising:

Tip of the ilivertcr (4) tripped to the position (Q), whererrom the mediu-items are delivered into compartment (B), when signals from the media sensor (16) detenniuc that the offset ^*f is less than the said threshold *x\ warranting diversion of media- items into compartment (B), before the divertcr (4) is triggered.

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