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CA1234082A - Currency-dispensing method and apparatus - Google Patents

Currency-dispensing method and apparatus

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Publication number
CA1234082A
CA1234082A CA000529625A CA529625A CA1234082A CA 1234082 A CA1234082 A CA 1234082A CA 000529625 A CA000529625 A CA 000529625A CA 529625 A CA529625 A CA 529625A CA 1234082 A CA1234082 A CA 1234082A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
currency
transport medium
medium
units
take
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA000529625A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Martin M. Atalla
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Atalla Corp
Original Assignee
Atalla Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US06/446,074 external-priority patent/US4515288A/en
Application filed by Atalla Corp filed Critical Atalla Corp
Priority to CA000529625A priority Critical patent/CA1234082A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1234082A publication Critical patent/CA1234082A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Abstract

CURRENCY-DISPENSING METHOD AND APPARATUS

Abstract of the Disclosure Method and means of supplying currency includes assembling and packing currency on a transport medium which is secured within a housing and which is incrementally unpacked under security control to dispense the desired amount of currency. Method and means for assembling and packing currency on the transport medium include adhesive regions on the transport medium for attaching currency thereto in substantially coplanar array to facilitate selective unpacking by non-coplanar manipulation of currency and transport medium.

Description

1 ~3a~0~Z

Background of the Invention Vending machines are commonly used to dispense diverse types and forms of goods, and such machines have even been adapted to dispense packets of cash in predetermined amounts. The popularity of dispensing cash packets seems to be attributable to the simplicity of debiting fixed amounts and to the convenience of using dispensing technology which is similar to the technology used in dispensing such packaged goods as cigarettes and candy bars. Machines of this type are disclosed in the literature (see, for example, U. S. Patents 3,662,343 and 3,845,277). One disadvan~age associated with conventional cash-dispensing machines is that the packets of cash remain highly vulnerable to pilferage in the course of manually inserting cash into packets and in the course of loading packets into the dispensing machines.
It is highly desirable to obviate the manual handling of cash (or other forms of money, like traveler's checks, etc.) in the preparation of the cash for dispensing and in the loading of the cash supply into a dispenser. Also, it is highly desirable to dispense cash (or currency, generally) in arbitrary amounts for greater versatility and accounting possibilities with respect to a recipient's own account balance.
-2- ~23~08X

Summary of the Invention In accordance with the present invention, cash or other currency to be dispensed is packaged automatically under secured conditions in continuous array on a transport medium which is assembled within a secure housing to form a currency cartridge which can only be operated under coded control to dispense arbitrary amounts of currency, as desired by users.
Another aspect of this invention is as follows:
Apparatus to prepare units of currency for selective dispensing, comprising: supply means of a length of transport medium having isolated adhesive regions disposed therealong; take-up means for the length of transport medium; a work station disposed intermediate the supply means and the take-up means along a path of movement of the transport medium therebetween, said work station including a supply of units of the currency to be dispensed disposed on the side of the transport medium adjacent the adhesive regions therealong, and including on the opposite side of the transport medium platen means for intermittently applying pressure to the transport medium at selected locations therealong to contact an adhesive region with a unit of currency at a location thereon which is interior of at least one boundary edge thereof; and means for moving the transport medium along the path thereof from the supply means through the work stations to the take-up means for attaching a plural number of units of currency to be dispensed at intervals along the length of the transport medium.
Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a pictorial view of a currency cartridge showing -the operating relationships of the structure;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a transport medium and attached unit of currency;

~L~3~Q8~
-2a-Figure 3 is a flow chart showing the logical control of the currency cartridge; and Figure 4 is a pictorial view of apparatus for preparing units of currency for dispensing from the transport medium.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment Referring now to Figure 1, there is shown a pictorial diagram of a currency cartridge 9 installed within a dispensing machine 11. The currency cartridge 9 is contained within a housing 13 which completely surrounds and encloses the reel supply 15 of currency and the operating components, later described herein, to form secure cartridge that has only an exit port 17 for currency and connector 19 for control signals.
lS Units of
3 ~ o~

currency 21 which are to be dispensed pass through an exit chute 23 and exit port 17 of the cartridge 13, and through a securi~y port 25 of the machine 11 which is designed using conventional technology to eject dispensed currency and to inhibit unauthorized intrusion by foreign objects.
The reel supply 15 of currency 21 includes a transport medium or web 27 of material such as Mylar~ or paper, or the like, of high tensile strength which has detector apertures 29 disposed at regular increments along the length of the medium 27. As shown more specifically in Figure 2, the medium 27 (which may be wider or narrower than the currency unit) includes adhesive regions 31 positioned at regular increments along the length of the medium at locations relative to the detector apertures 29 which facilitate attaching each unit of currency 21 to the medium 27 in registration over a corresponding aperture 29. The length of transport medium 27 with units of currency 21 adhesively (but removably) attached thereto i wound onto reel 15 or otherwise packed (as by zig-zag stacking, or the like) for selective unwinding or unpacking of the units of currency, as required to dispense the units 21. The medium 27 is attached to each unit of currency 21, as by conventional gummy, pressure-sensitive adhesive, at a location on each unit that is remote or back from the leading edge 22. Thus, the unit of currency 21 lays substantially in parallel-plane relationship to the medium 27 (referred to herein as
4 ~ 23~082 coplanar relation hip) and can be "peeled" off the medium 27 by bending the medium 27 away from the unit 21. This bending is accomplished by moving the medium 27 over roller 33. Because of the inherent rigidity of paper currency units 21 (even in used units), the leading edge 22 of a unit 21 "peels" away from medium 27 as it passes over roller 33 and can be gripped by a pair of rollers 35, 37 which exerts a continuing force on the unit 21 in a direction that diverges or strips away from the direction of movement of medium 27. An idler roller 3S may be mounted to pinch the medium 27 against roller 33 and to drive the rollers 35, 37 so that the surface velocities sf these moving elements are the same and are controlled by the take-up reel 41 and the drive 43 coupled thereto. A
unit of currency 21 which is thus stripped or peeled away from the medium 27 is ejected through the exit ~hute 23 and exit port 17 of the cartridge and can be transported through a conventional security port 25 of the machine 11 to the recipient. The incremental length of medium 27 moved sufficiently to eject one currency unit 21 is wound onto take-up reel 41.
Of course, more than one supply reel 15, 15' may be included within the same cartridge 13 where it is desirable to dispense currencies in combinations of different denominations. In that event, one supply reel 15, 15' contains currency units of a different denomination than is contained in other supply reels and ~.~3a~082 each such supply reel of currency units is included within an independently operable system of elements (deleted for clarity) similar to the one system described herein in connection with reels 15, 41, rollers 33, 35, 37, 39, etc.
Also, it should be recognized that paper money, scrip, traveler's checks, coins and other tokens of value should be considered in the term currency as used herein.
The take-up reel 41 and drive means 43 coupled thereto are operated incrementally in response to signals supplied by the cartridge control 44. As illustrated in the flow chart of Figure 3, operation of the cartridge 13 may be in response to an initializing mode or a user-transaction mode. In the initializing mode 60, a cartridge 13 newly prepared with units of currency, as later described in connection with Figure 4, may be scheduled to be installed in a selected machine 11 which has a known key code (Kl) associated therewith. The cartridge control 44 may be encoded 62 in conventional manner to include a security code which renders the cartridge 13 operable 64 only when installed in machine 11 and properly connected to its control 46 via connectors 19, 45. To establish the proper installation and operation of a cartridge 13, the assembly may be tested 66 under control of cartridge control 44 and machine control 46 to dispense 68 the first unit of ncurrency~ from the supply reel 15, which first unit may be dummy currency 6 ~23~08~

that is actually a receipt to evidence proper installation of the cartridge 13 in the selected machine 11.
In the user transaction mode 70, a user who was previously identified by the bank or other proprietor of the currency dispensing machine 11 and who has an account on file can identify himself 72 by his own code word at the location of machine 11 using conventional interface means 47 such as credit-card reader, keyboard, etc. The user's identity may then be verified 74, either off-line or in interactive connection 76 with the bank, using conventional algorithms, for e~ample, as disclosed in U. S. Patent 3,938,091 or 4,328,414. Once the identity of the user is verified, his requested amount of currency 78 may be checked at the bank 80 against the credit balance standing in his account, and the requisite control code 84 may be supplied to the cartridge control 44 to dispense 68 the requested amount of currency.
Cartridge control 44 thus is activated to perform several functions. The reel control 18, which locks the supply reel 15 against rotation, is activated to release or drive reel 1~ to unwind the transport medium 27 with attached currency. In addition, take-up reel 41 is rotated by drive means 43 to wind up the transport medium 27. This motion of transport medium 27 continues until one or more units of currency sufficient to total the requested amount are "peeled~ off the medium and dispensed.

7 i.2340~3~

To assure a proper accounting for the amount of currency actually dispensed, the pair of gripping rollers 35, 37 may be conductive and normally operated in conductive relationship to each other so that their conductive connection is interrupted as a unit of currency is being rolled through. This detection signal 88 (which can also be generated by optical or other suitable means) is indicative of currency actually dispensed and is used to initiate a debit 90 of the user's account. Of course, similar operation of other supply reels of currency of different denominations can also be controlled by cartridge control 44 in order to dispense a wider variety of amounts of currency consistent with an identified user's outstanding account credits.
If a unit of currency 21 is not peeled off the medium 27 after it moves around roller 33, the error detector 92, which may include an optical so~rce and detector, will indicate that the unit is still in position on the medium covering the associated aperture 29. In this event, no unit of currency would have been dispensed (or debited), as expected, and the unit of currency may simply be wound onto the take-up reel 41 as the drive means 43 continues to move the medium 27 an additional distance sufficient to dispense the required unit or units of currency. However, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, this detected error 94 in the operation of the cartridge 13 is applied to alter the cartridge code in a 8 1.234()~X

manner which indicates that currency is stili contained within the cartridge. When the cartridge is later removed from machine 11 and returned to the bank for disassembly and reloading, this altered code may be detected via connector 19 as an indication that disassembly requires retrieval of currency in take-up reel 41.
~ eferring now to Figure 4, there is shown a work station at which a supply 100 of currency units is automatically assembled or stacked on the transport medium 27. Adhesive regions 106 are formed at regular intervals along the medium by roller 110 having raised applicator protrusions around its perimeter which pick up adhesive 112 and apply it as a lateral stripe 106 to the medium 27.
Conventional, pressure-sensitive, gummy adhesives for this application are commonly available, for example, from 3M
Company, Minnesota, and can be applied in continuous operation as disclosed. This adhesive adequately holds a unit of currency in gummy fixation upon the medium for easy "peeling" therefrom without damage to the currency.
A light source and detector 102 at the entrance side of the work station aligns with the apertures 29 and activates the drive means 104 to press the medium 27 with adhesive regions 106 onto the top unit of currency in the supply 100, as illustrated at 113. By this action, the top unit adheres to the medium 27 in position over the associated aperture 29 and with the leading edge (relative to the illustrated direction of movement of the medium 27~

~34Q~
well in advance of the adhesive region 106. The units of currency are thus stacked on the medium 27 substantially in parallel-plane relationship 114 to the medium 27. The leading edge or forward boundary of each unit of currency is thus free to "peel" away from the medium 27 when the medium 27 is moved over roller 33, as previously described. The last unit of "currency" 116 attached to the medium 27 may be dummy currency or a receipt for test operation of the cartridge 13, as previously described.
Light source and detector 118 may be located on the outlet side of the work station in alignment with the apertures 29 to provide error signal to the drive means 104 for suitably altering its operation in response to detection of an aperture 29 not covered by an adhered unit of currency.
Therefore, the currency dispenser and method of the present invention provide units of currency to users at remote locations under conditions that insure high degrees of security upon installation and operation. In addition, currency dispensing cartridges according to the present invention may directly supply units of currency in different selected denominations for greater versatility compared with conventional prepackaged packets of currency.

Claims (3)

The embodiments of the present invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. Apparatus to prepare units of currency for selective dispensing, comprising: supply means of a length of transport medium having isolated adhesive regions disposed therealong; take-up means for the length of transport medium; a work station disposed intermediate the supply means and the take-up means along a path of movement of the transport medium therebetween, said work station including a supply of units of the currency to be dispensed disposed on the side of the transport medium adjacent the adhesive regions therealong, and including on the opposite side of the transport medium platen means for intermittently applying pressure to the transport medium at selected locations therealong to contact an adhesive region with a unit of currency at a location thereon which is interior of at least one boundary edge thereof; and means for moving the transport medium along the path thereof from the supply means through the work stations to the take-up means for attaching a plural number of units of currency to be dispensed at intervals along the length of the transport medium.
2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said supply means includes means disposed intermediate the supply means and the work station along the path of movement of the transport medium therebetween for applying adhesive to isolated regions on one surface of the transport medium.
3. Apparatus as in claim 1 comprising detector means mounted intermediate the work station and the take-up means along the path of the transport medium therebetween for producing a signal indicative of the attachment of a unit of currency to the transport medium.
CA000529625A 1982-12-01 1987-02-12 Currency-dispensing method and apparatus Expired CA1234082A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA000529625A CA1234082A (en) 1982-12-01 1987-02-12 Currency-dispensing method and apparatus

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US06/446,074 US4515288A (en) 1982-12-01 1982-12-01 Currency-dispensing method and apparatus
US446,074 1982-12-01
CA000442191A CA1221067A (en) 1982-12-01 1983-11-29 Currency-dispensing method and apparatus
CA000529625A CA1234082A (en) 1982-12-01 1987-02-12 Currency-dispensing method and apparatus

Related Parent Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000442191A Division CA1221067A (en) 1982-12-01 1983-11-29 Currency-dispensing method and apparatus

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1234082A true CA1234082A (en) 1988-03-15

Family

ID=25670226

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000529625A Expired CA1234082A (en) 1982-12-01 1987-02-12 Currency-dispensing method and apparatus

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA1234082A (en)

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