US 20040016621A1
(19) United States
(12) Patent Application Publication (io) Pub. No.: US 2004/0016621 Al
Jenrick et al. (43) Pub. Date: Jan. 29,2004
(54) CURRENCY HANDLING SYSTEM HAVING MULTIPLE OUTPUT RECEPTACLES
(76) Inventors: Charles P. Jenrick, Chicago, IL (US);
Robert J. Klein, Chicago, IL (US);
Curtis W. Hallowell, Palatine, IL (US)
Correspondence Address:
JENKENS & GILCHRIST, PC.
225 WEST WASHINGTON
SUITE 2600
CHICAGO, IL 60606 (US)
(21) Appl. No.: 10/424,678
(22) Filed: Apr. 25, 2003
Related U.S. Application Data
(63) Continuation ol application No. 09/688,526, filed on Oct. 16, 2000, now Pat. No. 6,588,569, which is a continuation-in-part ol application No. 09/502,666, filed on Feb. 11, 2000, now Pat. No. 6,398,000.
Publication Classification
(51) Int. CI.7 G07F 7/04; G06K 9/00;
G06K 7/00; G07D 7/00
(52) U.S. CI 194/206; 194/207
(57) ABSTRACT
A method and apparatus for handling bill jams within a currency processing device is provided. The device includes a transport mechanism adapted to transport bills along a transport path, one at a time, from the input receptacle past an evaluation unit into a plurality ol output receptacles. At least one ol the output receptacles includes a holding area and a storage area. A plurality ol bill passage sensors are sequentially disposed along the transport path that are adapted to detect the passage ol a bill as each bill is transported past each sensor. An encoder is adapted to produce an encoder count for each incremental movement ol the transport mechanism. A controller counts the total number ol bills transported into each ol the holding areas and the total number ol bills moved from a holding area to a corresponding storage area after a predetermined number ol bills have been transported into the holding area. The controller tracks the movement ol each ol the bills along the transport path into each ol the holding areas with the plurality ol bill passage sensors. The presence ol a bill jam is detected when a bill is not transported past one ol the plurality ol bill passage sensors within a requisite number ol encoder counts. The operation ol the transport mechanism is suspended upon detection ol a bill jam. The bills from each ol the holding areas are moved to the corresponding storage areas upon suspension ol the operation ol the transport mechanism. Remaining bills are then flushed from the transport path after moving the bills from each ol the holding areas to the corresponding storage areas upon suspension ol the operation ol the transport mechanism.
