SHEET HANDLING APPARATUS AND SHEET COLLECTING METHOD

Abstract

A sheet handling apparatus includes a feeding mechanism which is configured to feed a rolled paper to a paper path and a conveying mechanism which is configured to convey the rolled paper along the paper path. The sheet handling apparatus further includes a detecting mechanism which is configured to detect whether the rolled paper is running out, and a control mechanism which is configured to convey an end portion of the rolled paper remaining on the paper path to a collection position when the detecting mechanism detects that the rolled paper is running out.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-49920 filed on Mar. 5, 2010, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

Embodiments described herein relate generally to a sheet handling apparatus and a sheet collecting method for use in the sheet handling apparatus (e.g., a receipt issuing apparatus that issues a receipt by cutting a printed portion of a sheet), which collects a remaining portion of a paper sheet when the paper sheet for printing is running out.

BACKGROUND

Paper sheet handling devices that are manufactured and used print information on a paper sheet and cuts a printed portion from the paper sheet to issue as a receipt. Such a paper sheet handling device may be employed as a receipt printer, for example, in an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine), where a paper roll is provided to be cut to a length that is adapted for a respective receipt. The cut portion of the rolled paper may be printed with some information to be issued as a receipt. A technology has been provided which enables the receipt printer with the configuration as described above to detect and notify a user that the paper roll provided for use as a receipt is running out.

For example, a printing device may include a detection unit which detects that the paper roll is running out and notifies a user that the printing operation may be disabled due to the running out of paper.

Unfortunately, even if a user is notified that the paper roll is running out in such a printing device, an end portion of the paper roll (remaining after a last printed portion is cut) may remain on a conveying path. The remaining end portion of the paper roll has a shorter length than a predetermined length of a receipt, which may cause paper jams on the conveying path.

In this case, the user may not recognize that the end portion of the paper remains within the printing device while trying to load a new rolled paper to the printing device, which may cause paper jams. Further, when the running out of a paper is detected while the printing is not completed, an end portion of the paper (remaining after the last printed portion is cut) remains in the printing device. In some cases, the leading edge of the paper may pop out of an outlet of the printing device and the user may attempt to pull out the popped out portion of the paper, which includes incomplete information printed thereon.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view showing an illustrative embodiment of a receipt issuing device.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an illustrative embodiment of a receipt issuing device.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view showing an example situation where a leading edge of a paper is erroneously discharged from a receipt issuing device.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of paper sheet handling and collecting operations according to an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the receipt issuing device in a state where a leading edge of a paper is being conveyed along a conveying path according to one embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the receipt issuing device in a state where a leading edge of a paper is being collected into a collecting container according to one embodiment.

FIG. 7A is a side elevational view of the receipt issuing device in a state where a paper path switching unit connects a paper path R to a paper supply path S while paper is being conveying along the paper supply path during a normal printing operation.

FIG. 7B is a side elevational view of the receipt issuing device in a state where the paper switching unit connects the paper path R to a paper collection path C while the paper is being collected into a collecting container.

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the receipt issuing device in a state where a leading edge of a paper is collected into a collecting container according to another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to an exemplary embodiment, a paper sheet handling device is provided. In one embodiment, a sheet handling apparatus includes a feeding mechanism which is configured to feed a rolled paper to a paper path and a conveying mechanism which is configured to convey the rolled paper along the paper path. The sheet handling apparatus further includes a detecting mechanism which is configured to detect whether the rolled paper is running out, and a control mechanism which is configured to convey an end portion of the rolled paper remaining on the paper path to a collection position when the detecting mechanism detects that the rolled paper is running out.

Embodiments will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a side elevational view of a receipt issuing device according to one embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a receipt issuing device 1 includes a rolled receipt paper 11, a reflective photo-sensor 12 configured to detect a paper being conveyed along a paper path R, a transport motor 13 configured to convey the paper along the paper path R, a thermal head for rear-surface 15 configured to print data on a rear surface of the paper, and a platen roller for rear-surface 14 provided to face the thermal head for rear-surface 15. The receipt issuing device 1 further includes a thermal head for front-surface 17 configured to print data on a front surface of the paper, a platen roller for front-surface 18 provided to face the thermal head for front-surface 17, a cutter 19 configured to cut the paper, a cutting motor 20 configured to drive the cutter 19, an outlet 21 through which a cut portion of the paper is discharged to the exterior, and a collecting container 22 configured to collect an end portion of the paper therein.

FIG. 2 shows a functional block diagram illustrating one example of an electrical configuration of the receipt issuing device. As shown in FIG. 2, the receipt issuing device 1 includes a CPU 31 configured to control the entire operation of the receipt issuing device 1, a ROM 32 to store operation programs therein, a RAM 33 to store operation programs or control information therein, and an EEPROM 34 to store operation programs or control information therein, which are connected to each other via a bus 30m. The receipt issuing device 1 further includes an A/D converter 35 configured to convert analog signals provided by the reflective photo-sensor 12 into digital signals, a motor driver 36 configured to drive the transport motor 13, a thermal head driver 37 configured to drive the thermal head for front-surface 17 and the thermal head for rear-surface 15, a motor driver 38 configured to drive the cutting motor 20, the reflective photo-sensor 12, and a communication unit 39 configured to enable communication with an external host computer H through a network, which are connected to each other via the bus 30m.

In the receipt issuing device 1 with the above-described configuration, an end portion of the paper (remaining after a last printed portion is cut) may remain on a conveying path. The remaining end portion of the rolled paper may be shorter in length than a predetermined length of a receipt, which may cause paper jams on the conveying path. Further, occasionally, as shown in FIG. 3, when it is detected that the paper is running out and printing is not completed, while the user is not aware of whether the end portion of the paper D remains in the device, a leading edge of the paper D may pop out of an outlet formed on the printing device and the user may attempt to pull out the paper D, which includes incomplete information printed thereon.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a paper sheet collecting process for use in a paper sheet handling apparatus according to one embodiment. Initially, the CPU 31 used as a control mechanism detects whether the rolled receipt paper 11 is running out (e.g., an end portion of the rolled receipt paper 11 remaining after a last printed portion is cut), based on a signal provided by the reflective photo-sensor 12 (Act A11). Upon detection of the running out of the rolled receipt paper 11 in Act A11, the CPU 31 measures a length of the remaining end portion of the rolled receipt paper 11, to determine whether the remaining end portion has enough area for printing predetermined information (Act A12). In some embodiments, whether the remaining end portion has enough area for printing the predetermined information may be determined by comparing the number of lines or rasters (or raster scans each including a raster graphics image, e.g., for one line of printable characters) to be printed within the length of the end portion with the number of lines or rasters required for printing the predetermined information. If the determination result in Act A12 is YES, the CPU 31 controls the receipt issuing device 1 to perform a normal printing operation (Act A18). If the determination result in Act A12 is NO, the CPU 31 determines that the remaining end portion of the paper should be collected. Thereafter, in Act A13, the CPU 31 controls the motor driver 36 to drive the transport motor 13, thereby allowing the end portion of the paper D to be conveyed along the paper path R in a reverse direction (indicated by a dashed line arrow B) with respect to a paper feed direction, as shown in FIG. 5. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 6, the CPU 31 controls the motor driver 36 to drive the transport motor 13, conveying the end portion of the paper D along the paper path R into the collecting container 22, which collects the end portion of the paper D therein (Act A14).

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, a paper path switching unit 23 may be provided at a location A where the paper path R connects to a paper supply path S and a paper collection path C. The CPU 31 controls the paper path switching unit 23 to connect the paper path R to the paper supply path S while the paper 11 is being conveying along the paper supply path S during the normal printing operation, as shown in FIG. 7A. On the other hand, the CPU 31 controls the paper switching unit 23 to connect the paper path R to the paper collection path C while the paper 11 (e.g., the end portion of the paper D) is being collected into the collecting container 22, as shown in FIG. 7B. For example, the paper path switching unit 23 may be implemented by a flapper. In this case, the CPU 31 controls a step motor (not shown) to drive the switching operation of the flapper.

In one embodiment, Act A12 (i.e., determination of whether the remaining end portion has enough area for printing predetermined information) may be omitted. In this case, upon detection of the running out of the rolled receipt paper 11 in Act A11, the end portion of the paper D may be collected into the collecting container 22 (Acts A13 and A14). Further, in some embodiments, the collecting container 22 may not be provided. In this case, in Act A14, the end portion of the paper D may be retracted to a location from which the rolled receipt paper 11 is supplied for printing (e.g., location A in FIGS. 7A and 7B), so that the user may manually collect the end portion of the paper D.

Thereafter, the CPU 31 may send a host computer H a message that prompts the user to load a new rolled receipt paper into the receipt issuing device 1, through the communication unit 39 (Act A15). In Act A16, the CPU 31 determines whether the new rolled receipt paper is loaded. If the determination result is YES in Act A16, the CPU 31 displays a standby message on an operation screen (not shown) or may send the standby message to the host computer H (Act A17).

As used in this application, entities for executing the actions can refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, an entity for executing an action can be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on an apparatus and the apparatus can be an entity. One or more entities can reside within a process and/or thread of execution and an entity can be localized on one apparatus and/or distributed between two or more apparatuses.

The program for realizing the functions can be recorded in the apparatus can be downloaded through a network to the apparatus and can be installed in the apparatus from a computer readable storage medium storing the program therein. A form of the computer readable storage medium can be any form as long as the computer readable storage medium can store programs and is readable by the apparatus such as a disk type ROM and a solid-state computer storage media. The functions obtained by installation or download in advance in this way can be realized in cooperation with an OS(Operating System) or the like in the apparatus.

As described in the above embodiments, upon detection of the running out of the paper, the receipt issuing device 1 may allow the remaining end portion of the paper D to be retracted in the reverse direction B along the paper path R, thereby preventing the user from pulling out the end portion of the paper D (including incomplete printed information) from the outlet 21, or preventing the end portion of the paper D from being popped out of the receipt issuing device 1. This reduces the chances of the leading edge of the incomplete printed paper from being popped out of the receipt issuing device 1, which in turn lowers the chances that the user recognizes and takes out the incomplete printed paper. In addition, paper jams can be avoided because the remaining end portion of the paper is collected before a new rolled receipt paper is loaded.

In the above embodiments, the collecting container 22 is provided upstream from the reflective photo-sensor 12 in the reverse direction B (e.g., through the paper collection path C connecting to the location A where the paper path R connects to the paper supply path S, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B). Alternatively, a collecting container 22′ may be installed downstream from the reflective photo-sensor 12 in the paper feed direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the collection container 22′ may be provided to connect to the paper path R at a location A′ through a paper collection path C′.

In this embodiment, a paper path switching unit 23′ may be provided at the location A′ where the paper path R connects to the paper collection path C′. Further, the CPU 31 controls the paper path switching unit 23′ to convey the paper 11 to pass through the outlet 21 during the normal printing operation. On the other hand, the CPU 31 controls the paper switching unit 23′ to connect the paper path R to the paper collection path C′ while the paper 11 (e.g., the end portion of the paper D) is being collected into the collecting container 22′. For example, the paper path switching unit 23′ may be implemented by a flapper. In this case, the CPU 31 controls a step motor (not shown) to drive the switching operation of the flapper.

While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosures. Indeed, the novel methods and devices described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the methods and devices described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A sheet handling apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a feeding mechanism which is configured to feed a rolled paper to a paper path;

a conveying mechanism which is configured to convey the rolled paper along the paper path;

a detecting mechanism which is configured to detect whether the rolled paper is running out; and

a control mechanism which is configured to convey an end portion of the rolled paper remaining on the paper path to a collection position when the detecting mechanism detects that the rolled paper is running out.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control mechanism includes a determination mechanism which is configured to determine whether the end portion of the rolled paper has an area required for printing predetermined information, upon the detection by the detection mechanism that the rolled paper is running out, and configured to convey the end portion of the rolled paper along the paper path if the end portion of the rolled paper does not have the area required for printing the predetermined information.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a collecting unit configured to collect the end portion of the rolled paper being conveyed along the paper path to the collection position.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the collecting unit is located downstream of the detecting mechanism in a direction of feeding the rolled paper.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the collecting unit is located upstream of the detecting mechanism in a direction of feeding the rolled paper.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a paper path switching unit configured to guide the end portion of paper into the collecting container, upon the detection by the detection mechanism that the rolled paper is running out.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the paper path switch unit guides the end portion of paper into the collecting container along a paper collection path, the paper collection path being branched from the paper path.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a driving unit configured to convey the end portion of the rolled paper to the collection position along the paper path in a reverse direction with respect to a direction of feeding the rolled paper, upon detection by the detection mechanism that the rolled paper is running out.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a communication unit configured to send to an external device a message for prompting a user to load a new rolled paper after the end portion of the rolled paper is conveyed to the collection position by the control mechanism.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control mechanism, upon the detection by the detection mechanism that the rolled paper is running out, is further configured to retract the end portion of paper to the collection position where the rolled paper is supplied for printing.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detection mechanism is a reflective photo sensor, and wherein the detection mechanism detects that the rolled paper is running out by sensing that the end portion of paper is being conveyed through the detection mechanism.

12. A method of handling a paper in a sheet handling device, the method comprising:

feeding a rolled paper along a paper path by a feeding mechanism;

detecting whether the rolled paper is running out by a detection mechanism; and

conveying, upon the detection by the detection mechanism that the rolled paper is running out, an end portion of the rolled paper remaining on the paper path to a collection position by a control mechanism.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining by the control mechanism, upon the detection by the detection mechanism that the rolled paper is running out, whether the end portion of the rolled paper has an area required for printing predetermined information, and conveying the end portion of the rolled paper along the paper path if the end portion of the rolled paper does not have the area required for printing the predetermined information.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising collecting the piece of paper conveyed to the collection position into a collecting container.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising guiding by a paper path switching unit the end portion of paper into the collecting container, upon the detection by the detection mechanism that the rolled paper is running out.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the guiding includes guiding by the paper path switch unit the end portion of paper into the collecting container along a paper collection path, the paper collection path being branched from the paper path.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising conveying by the control mechanism the end portion of the rolled paper to the collection position along the paper path in a reverse direction with respect to a direction of feeding the rolled paper, upon detection by the detection mechanism that the rolled paper is running out.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising sending to an external device a message for prompting a user to load a new rolled paper after the end portion of the rolled paper is conveyed to the collection position.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the detecting includes detecting the running out of the rolled paper by sensing through a photo sensor that the end portion of paper is being conveyed through the detection mechanism.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the conveying, upon the detection by the detection mechanism that the rolled paper is running out, includes retracting the end portion of paper to the collection position where the rolled paper is supplied for printing.