Abstract: A first shaft 21 and a second shaft 31 parallel with each other are provided near an inlet 14 of a bill storage chamber 10. Taking-in runners 20 are disposed on the first shaft 21 and taking-in rollers 30 are disposed on the second shaft 31. The taking-in runners 20 and the taking-in rollers 30 differ in position in a direction in which the shafts extend. Further, the sum of the radius of each taking-in runner 20 and that of each taking-in roller 30 is larger than the spacing between the first shaft 21 and the second shaft 31. Thus, if a plurality of overlapped bills are caught in the space between the taking-in runners 20 and the taking-in rollers 30, they are bent in a wavy form and the intimate contact force between the bill is lowered significantly, causing the bills to be easily aligned.

Abstract: Guide passages I for guiding bills S to a main transport passage M are formed. An endless belt 25 coming in contact with one face of each bill S is placed in the main transport passage M. Feed rollers 70 coming in contact with one face of each bill entering the guide passages, swing arms 74 swingably attached to a rotating shaft 73 of the feed roller, pressure rollers 27 rotatably attached to the swing arms so as to come in contact with the feed rollers 70, and coil springs 75 for urging the swing arms 74 in a direction approaching the endless belt 25 are provided upstream of the main transport passage when the guide passage I is considered to be the center of the main transport passage M. The feed roller 70 comes in contact with the pressure roller 27 rotated by motion of the endless belt 25 and is rotated by rotation of the pressure roller for transporting bills in the guide passage.