Abstract: A lock mechanism is disclosed for a sheet store adapted for the dispensing or accepting of sheets. The sheet store comprises a container having a lid operable for access to the interior of the container and a shutter operable for the passage of sheets therethrough. The lock mechanism comprises: a locking plate movable relative to the container, the locking plate being operable to control a lid lock element and a shutter lock element; and an actuator arranged to control movement of the locking plate. The locking plate is movable between three positions, including: a closed position, in which the shutter lock element prevents opening of the shutter; a primed position, in which the shutter can be opened; and an open position which controls the lid lock element to permit opening of the lid.

Abstract: A lock mechanism is disclosed for a sheet store adapted for the dispensing or accepting of sheets. The sheet store comprises a container having a lid operable for access to the interior of the container and a shutter operable for the passage of sheets therethrough. The lock mechanism comprises: a locking plate movable relative to the container, the locking plate being operable to control a lid lock element and a shutter lock element; and an actuator arranged to control movement of the locking plate. The locking plate is movable between three positions, including: a closed position, in which the shutter lock element prevents opening of the shutter; a primed position, in which the shutter can be opened; and an open position which controls the lid lock element to permit opening of the lid.

Abstract: A document feeder comprises an input hopper (1) into which batches of documents with interleaved separators (24, 25) are loaded in use, each separator carrying data related to the associated batch. A feed system (9, 10) withdraws documents and separators singly from the input hopper. A sensing system (7) obtains information about the documents and separators. The sensing system includes a data sensor (7) located so as to read separator data while the separator (24, 25) is in the input hopper (1).

Abstract: A document feeder comprises an input hopper (1) into which batches of documents with interleaved separators (24, 25) are loaded in use, each separator carrying data related to the associated batch. A feed system (9, 10) withdraws documents and separators singly from the input hopper. A sensing system (7) obtains information about the documents and separators. The sensing system includes a data sensor (7) located so as to read separator data while the separator (24, 25) is in the input hopper (1).

Abstract: Sheet feed apparatus for supplying sheets such as banknotes from a store (1) to a sheet transport system. The apparatus comprises a feed system (4) for withdrawing sheets from the store (1). A separator system (12) is provided to which sheets are fed by the feed system (1), the separator system being adapted to feed sheets singly to the sheet transport system (22, 23). A controller (29) controls operation of the feed and separator systems (1, 12) independently.

Abstract: A document alignment system comprises a feed system (6), defining an elongate path, for feeding documents along the path. The feed system is adjustable to vary the orientation of the elongate path in a lateral plain so as to cause a document to undergo a corresponding lateral shift as it is moved along the path. A detector (25,26) detects the lateral position of a document upstream of the elongate path. A control system (70,17,17′) is responsive to the detector (25,26) to adjust the feed system (6) so that the document undergoes a desired amount of lateral movement as it is moved along the elongate path.

Abstract: Sheet feeding apparatus includes a sheet feed device which operates to feed sheets towards or away from a sheet store. The sheet feed device has at least one resilient portion which flexes against its resilience relative to the remainder of the sheet feed device in response to contact with a sheet in the sheet store. A monitoring system is used to monitor the degree of flexure of the resilient portion to determine how full the sheet store is.

Abstract: A sheet transfer member (17) has at least one outwardly opening slot (20) into which a sheet can be received. The member (17) is rotatably mounted in use so that a sheet in the slot (20) can be transferred to a sheet stacking position. A portion of the rotatable member (17) comprises high friction insert (22) which, during a dispense operation, withdraws sheets from the stacking position.