Bank bill storing machine

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a cash handling machine which opens and closes a shutter in correspondence to a condition of a money amount approval by a user, keeps a security and can strictly manage the cash. A bank bill storing machine is constituted by an upper unit executing a counting process and a lower unit keeping bank bills, the upper unit is provided with an openable temporary reservation tray arranged in a temporary reservation portion temporarily accumulating bank bills to be received, the lower unit is covered by a safe-shaped covering member and is provided with a shutter for security which can be opened and closed, and a bank bill storage shutter which can be opened and closed automatically or manually is arranged in a bank bill storage receiving the bank bills to be received.

Description

The present application claims priority from Japanese application JP2005-219897 filed on Jul. 29, 2005, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference into this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a bank bill carrying and storing technique which feeds input bank bills one by one and carries each of the bank bills to a temporary reservation portion or a reject storage portion on the basis of a judged result of the bill, and thereafter stores the temporary reserved bank bill to a bank bill storage or brings back to a user.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

The bank bill storing machine installed in a shop such as a retail shop or the like and mounted to a bill receiving machine to which sales of the shop is received generally has a mechanism of feeding the bills input to the bank bill input portion one by one, carrying the bank bill to the temporary reservation portion or the reject storing portion on the basis of the judged result and thereafter storing the temporarily reserved bank bill to the bank bill storage or bringing back to the user. For example, JP-A-2001-67526 discloses a structure storing the temporarily reserved bank bill in the bank bill storage, however, the structure is made such that a temporary reservation portion temporarily accumulating the bank bill to be received and a bank bill storage portion storing the received bank bill are arranged on a front side.

The structure is conventionally made such that only a designated amount is received, however, elements constituting the machine are structured such that the temporary reservation portion accumulating the bank bills to be received is arranged in the upper unit, and the storage portion storing the received bank bills is arranged in the lower unit, and a reservation tray provided in the temporary reservation portion is opened to connect the upper unit and the lower unit. However, in accordance with the present structure, since it is necessary to make the upper portion of the storing portion be always in an open state in order to carry the bank bills accumulated in the temporary reservation portion, it is not preferable in view of security.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a cash handling machine which opens and closes a shutter in correspondence to a condition of a money amount approval by a user, keeps a security and can strictly manage the cash.

In the present invention, a bank bill storing machine is constituted by an upper unit executing a counting process and a lower unit storing bank bills, the upper unit is provided with an openable temporary reservation tray arranged in a temporary reservation portion temporarily accumulating the bank bills to be received, the lower unit is covered by a safe-shaped covering member and is provided with a shutter for security which can be opened and closed, and a bank bill storage shutter which can be opened and closed automatically or manually is arranged in a bank bill storage receiving the bank bill to be received.

Further, the structure is made such that security is enhanced by setting the reservation tray provided in the temporary reservation portion, the shutter for security and the bank bill storage shutter to be driven by the independent drive sources.

In the present invention, by arranging the security shutter in an upper portion of the bank bill storing portion, the lower unit for storing the bank bills is covered by the covering member in the bank shape, so as to set the opening and closing mechanism in a closed state except the bank bill storing motion.

Further, in this standby state, since the bills are in the covered state by the covering member, it is possible to strictly keep the bank bills which are stored on the basis of the approval by the user so as to be managed.

Further, it is possible to make it impossible to take out the bank bills within the storage by a user except a superior manager and a security company having a locking right, thereby, so as to keep the security.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevational view showing an embodiment of a bank bill receiving machine (a bank bill storing machine);

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of a money receiving machine to which the bank bill storing machine is mounted;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of details of a temporary reservation portion of the bank bill storing machine, and an upper portion of a bank bill cassette;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the bank bill cassette; and

FIG. 5 is an operation flow chart showing an outline flow of a money receiving and storing process of the bank bill storing machine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A description will be given below of an embodiment in accordance with the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 shows a money receiving machine 1 mounting a bank bill storing machine in accordance with the present invention therein. The money receiving machine 1 also serves as a storing apparatus which is installed within a shop such as a retail shop, an eating house or the like, and is provided for receiving and storing bank bills or coins such as a sale money or the like. The money receiving machine 1 is mainly constituted by a cash handling mechanism portion 2 (which is simply called as a carrier unit 11) executing a counting process of the bank bills and the coins, and a storage portion 3 storing the bank bills and the coins which are finished counting. The storage portion 3 is, for example, a safe, and is structured such as to store a bank bill cassette 61 and a coin cassette 61′ therein by opening and closing a lockable door, thereby securing a safety of the cassettes 61 and 61′ storing the cash. A main body control portion (simply called as a control portion) 7 is constituted by hardware structures such as a CPU, a memory and the like, and controls a bank bill carrying within the carrier unit 11 mentioned below, a shutter of the bank bill cassette 61 and the like. In this case, each of ports 22, 32 and 42 will be described in FIG. 1.

Further, the equivalent security to a safe is applied to the storage portion 3. In other words, the structure is made such that the bank bill cassette 61 and the coin cassette 61′ storing the bank bill or the coil are accommodated within the safe-shaped storage portion 3 which is firm in structure and is provided with the door. This is based on an operation aspect of the money receiving machine in accordance with the present embodiment. A description will be given below of a reason thereof.

In general, the power of an operator operating an automatic teller machine (ATM) installed in a financial institution or the like is divided into a user executing a money input and output, an attendant packing the bank bills in the safe or taking out the bank bills from the safe, and a maintenance operator executing a maintenance in view of handling the ATM. The user only put the bank bill to be received in the money input and output port, or receives the bank bill to be output, and can not handle the bank bill in a jamming state generated within the ATM. On the contrary, the attendant can handle an entire of the bank bills existing within the ATM. For example, in the ATM in which the jamming of the bank bill is generated, the attendant judges whether the jammed bank bill corresponds to a user's possession or an apparatus's possession in correspondence to a proceeding state of the account (approval of the money amount). As mentioned above, since the user can executes the operation only from an external portion of the ATM, the user can not touch the bank bill within the ATM even in the case that a problem such as the jamming or the like is generated. The handling of the bank bill within the ATM is allowed only to the attendant having a management responsibility, and thus, the security of the bank bill is kept as mentioned above.

However, in the case of the money receiving machine (apparatus), the attendant of the financial institution is not near the apparatus due to the condition such as the installing condition of the apparatus, for example, the installation in the convenience store or the like. Accordingly, in the case that the problem such as the jamming or the like is generated before the approval of the amount to be received is finished, the user handles the bank bill stopping due to the jamming in the inner portion of the apparatus. Therefore, it is necessary to securely distinguish the user's possession and the apparatus's possession structurally within the apparatus.

In order to strictly protect the bank bill cassette 61 in which the bank bill approved by the user is stored, the bank bill cassette 61 is accommodated within the storage portion 3 corresponding to a safe so as to be locked. As a result, regarding the bank bill of which the amount is not yet approved by the user, the user can easily take out the bank bill stopping in the inner portion of the apparatus due to the jamming. However, the user can not touch the bank bill which is already approved and is stored in the bank bill cassette 61. Only the attendant of the financial institution having a key for taking out the bank bill cassette can touch the bank bill which is already approved. Therefore, it is possible to keep the security of the bank bill within the bank bill cassette 61 corresponding to the apparatus's possession.

Next, a description will be given of the structure of the money receiving machine 1 with reference to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4. FIG. 1 illustrates an internal structure of the cash handling mechanism portion 2 and the bank bill cassette 61 in FIG. 2, in which the coin cassette 61′ is omitted. As illustrated, on a front surface of the carrier unit 11, there are arranged a bank bill input port 22 to which the bank bill to be received is inserted, a reject output port 32 from which the rejected bank bill is output, and a return port 42 from which the bank bill to be returned is brought out. At the back of the bank bill input port 22, the reject output port 32 and the return port 42, there are arranged a bank bill receipt portion 21, a reject storing portion 31 and a temporary reservation portion 41 in which an upper surface, a lower surface, a left surface, a right surface and a back surface are formed at sizes in correspondence to a bank bill size by a regulation plate (not shown). Further, the reject output port 32 and the return port 42 respectively have a door 33 and a return door 43. The door 33 is structured to be manually opened and closed, and the return door 43 is structured to be. locked by an electromagnetic lock (not shown) such that the return door 43 can not be opened except an optional timing. The return door 43 arranged in the return port 42 is completely covered on an outer surface by a metal covering member, and the bank bills accumulated in the temporary reservation portion 41 can be taken out by automatically opening the return door 43.

The bank bill input from the bank bill input port 22 is fed out from the bank bill receipt portion 21 by a feeding roller, and is carried along a feeding carrier path 51, and a money kind and truth of the bank bill are judged by the bank bill judging portion 5. On the basis of the judgment, the bank bill to be rejected is carried to the reject storing portion 31, and the correct bank bill is carried to the temporary reservation portion 41, respectively. In other words, the traveling direction of the bank bill is switched by a switching gate 55 on a judging carrier path 52, and the bank bills are respectively stored through a reject carrier path 53 and a reservation carrier path 54.

FIG. 3 shows details of the temporary reservation portion 41 and the upper portion of the bank bill cassette 61. Among them, a description will be given mainly of the temporary reservation portion.

The temporary reservation portion 41 is structured such that a lower feeding roller 48 and an upper feeding roller 49 are arranged at an inlet of the temporary reservation portion 41 so as to feed the bank bill into the temporary reservation portion 41. If a leading end of a bank bill S1 fed to the temporary reservation portion 41 by the upper and lower feeding rollers comes into collision with a stopper 44, a rear end of the bank bill is pushed down by a reservation storing roller 46 in which elastic sheets are arranged in a radial pattern, and the bank bills are accumulated on the reservation tray 45. Further, when storing a plurality of bank bills, the bank bill is sequentially accumulated on the accumulated bank bills S which are accumulated on the reservation tray 45. In the case that the accumulated bank bills S are stored after the accumulation is finished, a storing lever 47 which is retracted to a retracted position 47a in an upper portion of the temporary reservation portion 41 during the storing motion is descended on the accumulated bank bills S (47b), and the reservation tray 45 moves to a position at a retracted position 45b from a position 45a accumulating the bank bills by a drive motor of the reservation tray (not shown) while keeping a state of pressing the accumulated bank bills S from the above on the basis of its own weight or a spring force.

If the bank bill counting is finished by the bank bill judging portion 5, and the user approves the counting result, the accumulated bank bills S are descended to a lower position 47c on the basis of the pressing force of the storing lever 47, and the bank bills are dropped down to an inside of the bank bill cassette 61. Since the force of the storing lever 47 is always applied to the bank bills at a time when the bank bills drop, by making the storing lever 47 follow to the drop of the bank bills in the drop motion of the bank bills, it is possible to prevent a drop failure generated by a catch of the bank bills, an oblique drop of the bank bills or the like, thereby, securing stable drop performance of the bank bills.

Further, if the user selects the return after the counting of the bank bills is finished, the accumulated bank bills S within the temporary reservation portion 41 are set to a state in which the user can take out the bank bills S by canceling the lock mechanism of the return door 44 so as to automatically open the return door 43 on the basis of the spring force or the like, and reclining the stopper 44 while working with the return door 43, whereby the accumulated bank bills S are returned.

Next, a description will be given mainly of the bank bill cassette 61. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, the bank bill cassette 61 is arranged on a lower front side with respect to the carrier unit 11. Further, if the bank bill cassette 61 is set to a loading portion 64 on the apparatus side, the bank bill cassette 61 is fixed by a locking mechanism 63, however, is formed as a detachable structure which can be detached by canceling the lock of the lock mechanism 63.

The bank bill cassette 61 has a bank bill storage shutter 65 which can be automatically or manually opened and closed on a top surface as shown in FIG. 4. The bank bill storage shutter 65 is not opened in a state in which the bank bill cassette 61 is detached, on the basis of the lock within the cassette, however, employs such a structure that the lock is canceled by setting the bank bill cassette 61 to the loading portion 64, whereby the bank bill storage shutter 65 is automatically or manually opened. In the bank bill cassette 61, the bank bills can be stored in the storage portion 66 from the top surface by being set the bank bill cassette 61 to the loading portion 64 and opening the bank bill storage shutter 65. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, the bank bills are piled vertically on the bank bill storing table 62 provided in the storage portion 66 and moving in a vertical direction so as to be stored. Further, the bank bill cassette 61 is structured such that the upper and lower surfaces, the right and left surfaces, and the front and rear surfaces are closed so as to secure a safe characteristic in a state that the bank bill storage shutter 65 is closed and the bank bill cassette 61 is detached from the storage portion 64, and can be easily carried while holding a handle 67. In the case that the bank bill cassette 61 is in the detached state, the storage portion 66 is largely opened by opening a front surface door 68, it is easy to take out the bank bills stored in the storage portion 66, and it is possible to rapidly execute a recovery work of the bank bills.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a security shutter 71 is arranged between the carrier unit 11 and the bank bill cassette. The security shutter 71 executes an opening and closing motion on the basis of a slide back and forth, and the bank bills temporarily reserved in the temporary reservation portion 41 of the carrier unit 11 can be transferred to the bank bill cassette 61 in an open state. On the contrary, in the case that the security shutter 71 is in a closed state, the security shutter 71 covers an upper portion of the bank bill cassette 61, and the bank bill cassette 61 is covered by the security shutter 71 and the casing safe portion 2 of the money receiving machine 1 so as to secure a security characteristic. Further, the security shutter 71 is operated back and forth on the basis of a drive force of a motor so as to automatically execute an opening and closing motion, and can execute an opening and closing management at an optional timing, such as an open state is set only at a time of transferring the bank bills from the carrier unit 11 to the bank bill cassette 61.

The bank bill receiving machine (the bank bill storing machine) has a counting process function of counting the bank bills set in the bank bill receipt portion 21 by the user and a money receiving and storing process of storing the counted bank bills in the bank bill cassette 61 on the basis of the approval of the user. A description will be given of an operation of the storing process with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3 by using a flow chart in FIG. 5.

In the money receiving and storing process, the user inputs the bank bills to be received from the bank bill input port 22, the bank bills are temporarily accumulated in the reservation portion 41 after being counted, and the user confirms the counted result displayed on a display portion and selects whether the counted bank bills are received or canceled (step S111). In the case of receiving the counted bank bills (step S111a), a storing motion is started on the basis of a storing process command from the main body control portion 7 (steps S113 to S126), by pressing down an approval key (step S112).

In the bank bill storing machine 10, the bank bill storage shutter 65 is set to an open state at a position 65b automatically or manually (step S113), the bank bill storing table 62 is ascended to a portion just below the security shutter 71 so as to set in a standby state (step S114), and the security shutter 71 is moved from a position 71a to a position 71b (step S115). At this time, a bank bill storing guide 69 provided in the bank bill storing portion 61 and working with the storing portion shutter 65 and the security shutter 71 rises up (step S116).

Next, after the storing lever 47 is descended on the bank bills S accumulated in the temporary reservation portion 41 (step S117), the bank bill storing table 62 is ascended to a portion just below the reservation tray 45 (step S118), and the reservation tray 45 is moved from a position 45a to a position 45b (step S119). Accordingly, the bank bills are transferred to the bank bill storing table 62 (step S120). The bank bill storing table 62 is descended to the portion just below the security shutter 71 (step S121) while the storing lever 47 pressing the bank bills (47b, 47c), and is stored within the bank bill cassette 61. When the storing motion in the bank bill cassette 61 is finished, after the storing lever 47 is retracted to the position 47a (step S122), the security shutter 71 is moved from a position 71b to a position 71a (step S123). At this time, the bank bill storing guide 69 working with the security shutter 71 reclines as shown by a dotted line, and presses the bank bills S from the upper portion (step S124). Further, the bank bill storage shutter 65 is closed (step S125), and the reservation tray 45 of the temporary reservation portion moves from a position 45b to a position 45a (step S126). Further, the stored money amount is displayed on the display portion (step S127), and the money receiving and storing process is finished.

Further, in the case of selecting the return of the counted bank bills (step S111b), the user pushes down a cancel key in the operation portion (step S131). The return door 43 is automatically opened on the basis of the command of the main body control portion 7 so as to set to a state in which the user can take out the bank bills accumulated in the temporary reservation portion 41 (step S132), and if the user take out the bank bills and manually closes the return door 43, the process is finished (step S133).

As mentioned above, the bank bill storing machine in accordance with the present invention achieves the secure money receiving and storing motion while taking the strict security into consideration. In this case, as described above, it is one of the features that the bank bill storing guide 69 rises up and reclines as shown by a solid line and a dotted line in correspondence to the opening and closing motion of the security shutter 71 while working with the security shutter. Further, it is one of the features that the reservation tray 45, the security shutter 71 and the bank bill storage shutter 65 are independently driven.

In accordance with the description mentioned above, the bank bill cassette 61 storing the bank bills is loaded within the sotrage portion 3, and the security shutter 71 is set to the closed state except the time when the bank bills are stored in the cassette. Further, since the bank bill storage shutter 65 is provided with the automatic opening and closing mechanism, the security of the cash management can be secured. In the standby state except the time of storing the bank bills, the bank bills can be strictly kept on the basis of the function of the storage portion 3 serving as the safe and the closed state of the security shutter 71. Accordingly, the other user (for example, a shop assistant) than the superior manager and the security company having the locking right of the storage portion 3 can not take out the bank bills within the storage portion 3 and the bank bill cassette 61. Therefore, it is possible to keep the security of the cash. Further, it is possible to execute the secure storing motion by arranging the bank bill guide 68 working with the security shutter 71 and the storing portion shutter 65.

It should be further understood by those skilled in the art that although the foregoing description has been made on embodiments of the invention, the invention is not limited thereto and various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A bank bill storing machine storing bank bills input to a bank bill input port in a bank bill storage portion, comprising:

a temporary reservation portion temporarily accumulating the received bank bills on a reservation tray;

a bank bill storage storing the bank bills accumulated in said temporary reservation portion from an opening portion, and provided with a bank bill storage shutter arranged in said opening portion;

a security shutter sectionalizing said temporary storage and said bank bill storage; and

a control portion,

wherein when storing the bank bills accumulated in said temporary storage in said bank bill storage, said control portion sets said reservation tray, said bank bill storage and said security shutter to an open state.

2. A bank bill storing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said temporary reservation portion is structured such that a lower feeding roller and an upper feeding roller are arranged in an inlet of the temporary reservation portion, and feed the bank bills into the temporary reservation portion.

3. A bank bill storing machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein if a leading end of each of the bank bills fed to the temporary reservation portion by the upper feeding roller and the lower feeding roller comes into collision with a stopper, said temporary reservation portion pushes down a rear end of the bank bill by a reservation storing roller in which elastic sheets are arranged in a radial pattern so as to accumulate the bank bills on the reservation tray.

4. A bank bill storing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control portion independently controls an opening and closing of said reservation tray and said security shutter.

5. A bank bill storing machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein said control portion independently controls an opening and closing of said reservation tray and said security shutter.

6. A bank bill storing machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein said control portion independently controls an opening and closing of said reservation tray and said security shutter.

7. A bank bill storing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bank bill storage has a bank bill storing guide, and a bank bill storing table moving upward and downward so as to accumulate the bank bills, and

wherein said bank bill storing guide rises up working with an open state of said security shutter, and reclines so as to press a top end of the bank bills accumulated on said bank bill storing table while working with a closed state of said security shutter.

8. A bank bill storing machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein said bank bill storage has a bank bill storing guide, and a bank bill storing table moving upward and downward so as to accumulate the bank bills, and

wherein said bank bill storing guide rises up working with an open state of said security shutter, and reclines so as to press a top end of the bank bills accumulated on said bank bill storing table while working with a closed state of said security shutter.

9. A bank bill storing machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein said bank bill storage has a bank bill storing guide, and a bank bill storing table moving upward and downward so as to accumulate the bank bills, and

wherein said bank bill storing guide rises up working with an open state of said security shutter, and reclines so as to press a top end of the bank bills accumulated on said bank bill storing table while working with a closed state of said security shutter.

10. A bank bill storing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bank bill storage has a bank bill storing table moving upward and downward so as to accumulate the bank bills,

wherein said control portion sets the bank bill storage shutter to an open state, and

wherein said control portion moves up said bank bill storing table to a portion below said security shutter and sets said security shutter to an open state, and thereafter sets said reservation tray to an open state so as to transfer the bank bills accumulated on said reservation tray to said bank bill storing table.

11. A bank bill storing machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein said bank bill storage has a bank bill storing table moving upward and downward so as to accumulate the bank bills,

wherein said control portion sets the bank bill storage shutter to an open state, and

wherein said control portion moves up said bank bill storing table to a portion below said security shutter and sets said security shutter to an open state, and thereafter sets said reservation tray to an open state so as to transfer the bank bills accumulated on said reservation tray to said bank bill storing table.

12. A bank bill storing machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein said bank bill storage has a bank bill storing table moving upward and downward so as to accumulate the bank bills,

wherein said control portion sets the bank bill storage shutter to an open state, and

wherein said control portion moves up said bank bill storing table to a portion below said security shutter and sets said security shutter to an open state, and thereafter sets said reservation tray to an open state so as to transfer the bank bills accumulated on said reservation tray to said bank bill storing table.