Cash handling

Abstract

 A cash dispensing apparatus characterised by comprising:

a storage unit (11) having a plurality of discrete locations (13) within which parcels (21) of cash of one or more predetermined values can be stored,

input means for a user to input a demand for a parcel, and,

a mechanism (15) for, on demand, extracting an appropriate parcel (21) from its predetermined location and delivering that parcel to a collection location (22) for receipt by the demander.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to apparatus for dispensing cash, primarily but not exclusively, in the form of banknotes.

[0002] Most people are by now familiar with automatic teller machines (ATMs), which are often known colloquially as "hole in the wall" cash dispensers. Such ATMs and similar machines such as teller note dispensers (TNDs) disposed within the confines of banks or other financial institutions have some means, usually a card reader, of identifying a user, and a keyboard and screen through which the user communicates to input a personal identification number and the amount of cash required to be dispensed. Thereafter bank notes to the required value are counted as they are drawn from one or more secure storage locations within the machine, and after counting are dispensed as either a wad of notes, or as individual notes into a receiving tray from which they are extracted by the user.

[0003] It is understood that the step of recognising the amount of cash which has been requested, counting bank notes to that amount, collating and then delivering the notes imposes a time penalty on each transaction, the length of the time penalty increasing from a predetermined minimum in accordance with the number of notes to be counted. Thus where the same transaction may be repeated frequently each transaction will bear a significant time penalty and this can prohibit the use of conventional ATMs and/or TNDs in environments such as post office counters where the teller may be required repeatedly to dispense the same amount of cash. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for dispensing cash wherein the aforementioned problem is minimised.

[0004] In accordance with a first aspect of the invention there is provided a cash dispensing apparatus comprising:

a storage unit having a plurality of discrete locations within which parcels of cash of one or more predetermined values can be stored,

input means for a user to input a demand for a parcel, and,

a mechanism for, on demand, extracting an appropriate parcel from its predetermined location and delivering that parcel to a collection location for receipt by the demander.

[0005] The term "parcel" is used herein to denote an assembly of cash, usually bank notes, in a stack, pile, or bundle of a predetermined value, which parcel may or may not involve some form of binding, band, clip, or packaging, but which is characterised in that it can be handled as a unit.

[0006] Desirably there is provided a control means directing said mechanism to a location appropriate to the value of parcel demanded.

[0007] Preferably the apparatus includes means for replenishing locations from which parcels have been extracted.

[0008] Preferably said means includes a cash supply, a counting mechanism for dispensing cash in parcels of predetermined value, and a transport arrangement for transporting dispensed parcels to said storage unit to replenish appropriate locations.

[0009] Conveniently said cash supply and said counting mechanism are housed in a secure area remote from said storage unit.

[0010] Desirably said transport arrangement includes a tube conveyor along which one or more carriers conveying one or more parcels of cash are moved by an air flow.

[0011] Preferably said parcel extraction mechanism forms part of the replenishment means.

[0012] Preferably said control mechanism monitors the locations from which parcels have been extracted and signals a replenishment means to supply replacement parcels of appropriate value to replenish those locations.

[0013] Conveniently said collection location is the output of an ATM or a TND.

[0014] The invention further resides in a method of automated cash dispensing including:

storing parcels of cash of one or more predetermined values at a plurality of predetermined locations,

automatically determining which location is appropriate to supply a demand which has been input,

extracting the parcel from the selected location, and,

delivering that parcel to a collection location for receipt by the demander.

[0015] One example of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 shows, diagrammatically, a cash store unit and a "pick and place" mechanism for extracting parcels of cash from the storage unit and dispensing them,

Figure 2 illustrates an apparatus in which the storage unit can be replenished from a remote secure location,

Figure 3 is a front elevational view, in section, of the storage unit of Figures 1 and 2,

Figure 4 is a transverse cross sectional view in Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 in Figure 4,

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 of a modification, and

Figure 7 illustrates a store unit serving two dispensing locations.

[0016] Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a storage unit 11 shown in more detail in Figures 3, 4 and 5 comprising a rectangular box-like housing divided internally by horizontal partition walls 12 to define a plurality of vertically spaced shallow compartments 13. One vertical face, hereinafter referred to as the front face, of the unit is open and each of the walls 12 is formed with one or more elongate slots 14 extending inwardly from the open front face of the unit along the centre line of the wall.

[0017] In use each compartment 13 is used to house a discrete parcel of banknotes which together make up a predetermined monetary value.

[0018] Preferably the notes forming each parcel are not bound together in any way, and sit as a simple stack of aligned bank notes in the respective compartment 13. The width and depth of the compartments 13 are dimensioned to accommodate the width and depth dimensions of the largest denomination bank note, and the height of each compartment 13 is chosen to provide clearance above the maximum height of a stack of bank notes to be stored.

[0019] A parcel "pick and place" mechanism 15 is associated with the storage unit 1 1 and includes a vertically extending rail 16 along which a carriage 17 is movable. In addition, there is a mechanism (not shown) for rotating the rail 15 about its longitudinal axis although it will be understood that in some applications rotational movement may not be necessary. Projecting outwardly from the carriage 17 and extensible and retractable relative thereto, is an arm 18 carrying a narrow jaw assembly 19 at its free end. The jaws of the assembly 19 are movable towards and away from one another in known manner so as to grip, or release an article, for example a parcel of bank notes, interposed between the jaws. The jaws may consist of first and second relatively moveable fingers between which the notes are gripped, or three fingers with two operating as a fixed pair with respect to which the third is relatively moveable, the third finger being parallel to and aligned between the other two so as to impart a bow or bend to the notes when gripped.

[0020] A control system is associated with the mechanism 15 for controlling rotational movement of the rail, rectilinear movement of the carriage along the rail, extension and retraction of the arm, and opening and closing movement of the jaws 19. As will be described in more detail hereinafter the mechanism 15 can be operated to extract a parcel 21 of bank notes from a compartment 13 of the unit 1 1 and deliver it to a dispensing mechanism 22 which could, in its simplest form, be a tray from which the parcel of bank notes is lifted by a user. Equally well however the mechanism 22 could be the dispensing mechanism of an ATM where a pinch roller arrangement or the like feeds the parcel of bank notes delivered to it by the mechanism 15, to a receiving tray or gripper for presentation to the user. Moreover, the mechanism 22 could be a Teller Note Dispenser (TND) at the work station of a teller of a bank, post office, or other financial institution. Although the invention is described herein in relation to financial institutions it may find use in other areas where cash is handled, for example supermarkets, petrol stations and railway stations.

[0021] The control system of the mechanism 15 preferably incorporates a microprocessor and memory arrangement or an equivalent computer control system for interpreting requests for money entered by a user, by way of a key pad or the like and for guiding the mechanism 15 accordingly. Thus in one example the storage unit 11 has 15 compartments 13, and an upper, large compartment 23 the purpose of which will be described hereinafter. The uppermost three compartments 13 are charged with, by way of example, bank note parcels of the value of £10, and it does not matter whether each compartment has one £10 note, or two £5 notes. The next three compartments each have, by way of example, parcels of £15 and again it does not matter whether each parcel is composed of three £5 notes or a £10 note and a £5 note. The next three compartments each contain, by way of example, parcels to the value of £20, the next three may contain parcels to the value of £25 and the lowermost three may contain parcels to the value of £30.

[0022] When a user inputs a request for £10 then the control system will drive the mechanism 15 so that the jaws 19, in an open configuration, embrace a £10 parcel in one of the three upper compartments 13. It will be recognised that the slots 14 in the walls 12 permit the lower jaw of the assembly 19 to pass beneath the appropriate parcel while the upper jaw passes above the parcel. It follows therefore than when the jaws close they close around the parcel gripping the parcel and allow it to be withdrawn from the respective compartment 13 as the arm 18 is retracted. Thereafter the carriage 17 is driven towards the dispensing mechanism 22, and the rail 16 is rotated through an angle sufficient to align the parcel 21 carried by the jaws 19 with the dispensing mechanism 22 which receives the parcel from the jaws as they open, and delivers the parcel to the user.

[0023] The control system will be arranged to remember the location of each parcel, and whether or not a compartment which has had its parcel removed has subsequently been replenished. It will be recognised therefore that the cash dispensing apparatus does not need to perform a bank note counting operation between the demand for a cash value, and that cash value being dispensed to the demander.

[0024] Where the apparatus is to be used in an environment where there are repeated demands for the same cash value, as can occur for example in post offices on predetermined days of the week when predetermined pensions, or benefit payments are to be made to a large number of users, all of the compartments 13 can be charged with parcels of the same predetermined value. Thus a teller, required to dispense repeatedly the same parcel value can be provided with a single control button which initiates extraction of an appropriate parcel from the store and delivery to his work station, or a selection of standard amount buttons if a selection of standard amounts is to be stored.

[0025] It will be recognised that the storage unit 11 will not, at any given instant, be holding a particularly large sum of money, and so the security arrangements associated with the storage unit 11 need not be as stringent as those which are associated with conventional ATMs which of course are required to hold very substantial sums. The apparatus also lends itself admirably to the TND environment where a teller can rapidly dispense predetermined amounts but does not have a large stock of bank note exposed in a cash drawer or the like at his work station.

[0026] The enlarged compartment 23 which for convenience is located at the uppermost end of the storage unit 11 is provided to accept parcels of bank notes which have been withdrawn from compartments 13, but which, for some reason, have not been accepted by the demander. Most ATMs have the facility for recovering from the delivery system bank notes which have not been accepted, within a predetermined length of time, by the demander. In this situation the parcel of bank notes is returned by the mechanism 22 to the jaws 19 which then, under the control of the control system return the unused parcels to the large compartment 23 from which they are removed at predetermined intervals manually, for counting and reconciliation with the records of cash dispensed kept by the control system. It will of course be appreciated that where the dispensing mechanism 22 is an ATM then the usual security arrangements will apply in that a demander will need to supply an appropriate card to a card reader, and will also need to input a corresponding personal identification number.

[0027] It will be recognised that if desired the compartments 13 of the storage unit 11 can be replenished manually. However, it will usually be more convenient to replenish compartments automatically from a supply of bank notes held in a secure location such as a vault or secure cash room. Figure 2 illustrates such an arrangement diagrammatically. Within the vault or secure cash room 24 a conventional bank note counting and dispensing mechanism 25 can compile parcels of bank notes of predetermined value, and supply them to the jaw assembly of a pick and place mechanism 26. The mechanism 26 then transports parcels individually from the dispensing mechanism 25 and inserts them into the sending station 28 of a pneumatic tube conveyor system 27. The conveying tube of the system 27 terminates at its opposite end in a receiving station 29 adjacent the storage unit 11 and accessible to the jaw assembly 19 of the pick and place mechanism 15. The control system of the mechanism 15 also effects control over the secure dispensing mechanism 25 the pick and place mechanism 26 and the conveyor system 27. Thus when there is a demand for, for example, a £10 parcel then in addition to the control system sending the mechanism 15 to extract a £10 parcel from the storage unit 11 it also instructs the mechanism 25 to prepare a replacement £10 parcel and to present it to the mechanism 26. Thereafter the mechanism 26 passes the £10 parcel to the station 28 where it is introduced into a carrier and the carrier is despatched along the tube system to the receiving station 29. Within the receiving station 29 the replacement £10 parcel is either removed from the carrier and presented for access by the jaw assembly 19, or alternatively the carrier itself is opened to provide access for the jaw assembly 19 to the replacement £10 parcel. Thereafter at a convenient point in the operation of the mechanism 15, for example when the carriage 17 is adjacent the station 29 or alternatively when the mechanism 15 is otherwise idle, the control system instructs the mechanism 15 to retrieve the replacement £10 parcel from the station 29 and to introduce it into the currently empty £10 storage compartment 13 of the unit 11.

[0028] It will be recognised therefore that replenishment of compartments 13 can take place whenever convenient, for example while the apparatus is idle between transactions, or while there is "dead" time during a transaction such as while the next customer is entering his personal identification number or his selection, while the transaction is being cleared by the accounts computer or a transaction slip is being printed. Thus replenishment does not constitute a penalty in the time between a cash demand, and the cash being dispensed.

[0029] In the event that the system is able to permit a request for a sum of money not held as a parcel within the unit 11 then that demand can be relayed directly to the mechanism 25 and the demander can be supplied from the mechanism 25 by way of the conveyor 27 and the mechanism 15. In such a situation of course the demander does suffer a time penalty associated with counting in the mechanism 25 and conveying by the conveyor 27, and it will be within the overall control of the financial institution using the system to determine whether or not to permit usage in such a mode, or to restrict usage to demands for predetermined values within a predetermined range of values.

[0030] In a modification the dispensing mechanism 22 has a holding area and where the amount demanded can be made up by combining two or more existing parcels then the pick and place mechanism 15 can be commanded to place a first parcel in the holding area of the mechanism 22 and then to deliver one or more further parcels so that the parcels together form the demanded value.

[0031] It will be recognised that in any financial institution there will develop recognisable patterns of demand which will be influenced by the location of the institution, its clientele, the time of day, and possibly also the day of the week. It is envisaged that the control system can operate with "fuzzy logic" or the like and can have a learning mode in which such patterns are learned and are used in conjunction with the time of day, the day of the week, and other triggers, to predict the probable demand in the immediate future. From this the control system can determine the best mode of stocking the storage unit 11 to accommodate the probable future demand. As an example, it is possible that demand patterns will reveal higher demand for lower value parcels on Mondays, and a higher demand for higher value parcels on Fridays in the afternoon. Thus in readiness for trading on Monday, and during Monday's trading the control system will stock more compartments 13 with low values parcels whereas from Friday midday onwards the system will start to stock compartments 13 with a higher proportion of large value parcels. If necessary the system can move parcels of a less used value to the compartment 23 and restock those compartments with a more appropriate value as the predicted demand patterns change.

[0032] As a further refinement, in order to speed up response time, the system can stock the most heavily demanded parcel values in those compartments 13 which are closest to the normal rest position of the jaw assembly 19 so that the movement of the mechanism 15 necessary to dispense a parcel of that value is minimised, thus minimising the time penalty during dispensing.

[0033] Figure 6 illustrates a minor modification of the storage unit 11 in which the front, open edge of each compartment wall 12 is turned upwardly to provide a lip restraining parcels introduced into the compartments 13. The up-turned lip minimises the risk of notes, or parcels of notes being dislodged inadvertently from compartments 13, for example by the air flow generated by the passage of the pick and place mechanism 15. The lip has other advantages for example should the jaws not close sufficiently tightly to grip the parcel then it will be stripped from the jaws as they retract from the compartment so remaining in the compartment aligned along the lip. The same action can be used to strip parcels from jaws when compartments 13 are being replenished, the jaws opening to reduce their grip prior to withdrawal such that the notes of the parcel are dragged against the lip and aligned thereby prior to being stripped from the jaws as they retract. When a deliberate withdrawal of a parcel from a compartment is to be effected, the jaws gripping the parcel will be caused to lift to move the parcel clear of the lip. An extended lip on compartment 23 could ensure that the parcels cannot be lifted by the jaws to clear the lip on jaw retraction so preventing withdrawal of money from the compartment 23. It will be recognised also that in high demand situations a larger unit 11 could be used, or alternatively two or more units 11 could be positioned side-by-side. Moreover, although it is convenient for the parcels to be horizontally orientated, it would be possible to operate the system with a unit of the kind shown in Figure 3 disposed with its long side horizontal, and thus with its compartments vertically orientated.

[0034] Turning now to Figure 7 there is illustrated an arrangement in which a single storage module 31, which may consist of one or more storage units 11, is used to serve a pair of adjacent dispensing stations 22. It can be seen that the pick and place mechanism 32 spans the gap between the dispensing stations 22 and can extract parcels from the storage module 31 and dispense them to either of the stations 22 on demand. Such an arrangement could be useful where there are two cashier work stations adjacent one another each dispensing station 22 being a TND. Similarly, the arrangement of Figure 7 would be useful where the stations 22 are first and second ATMs positioned close to one another. As described above, the module 31 could have a pneumatic conveyor receiving station in close proximity so that the mechanism 32 can also be used to restock the module 31 from the remote, secure cash office or the like.

[0035] In a more complex arrangement there are three or more stations 22 served by either of a pair of overlapping pick and place mechanisms which can serve all stations 22 from a single or a respective storage unit. It will be recognised that even more complex arrangements are possible with various grouping of stations 22, pick and place mechanisms and storage units served by more than one pneumatic conveyor station.

[0036] While the above described 'pick and place' mechanism 15 and jaw arrangement 19 are preferred arrangement it will be recognised that alternatives are possible. For example a multi-jointed robot arm could replace the mechanism 15 and a vacuum gripper arrangement might be substituted for the jaw arrangement 19.

[0037] It will be understood that a storage unit 11 with its associated pick and place mechanism 15 and control arrangement could be utilized to supply an existing ATM and/or TND unit and could be interposed, in association with a conveyor system between an existing secure cash room and existing ATM and/or TND units, the control arrangement interfacing with existing controls of the ATM/TND and the counting and dispensing mechanism in the secure cash room.

Claims

1. A cash dispensing apparatus characterised by comprising:

a storage unit (11) having a plurality of discrete locations (13) within which parcels (21) of cash of one or more predetermined values can be stored,

input means for a user to input a demand for a parcel, and,

a mechanism (15) for, on demand, extracting an appropriate parcel (21) from its predetermined location and delivering that parcel to a collection location (22) for dispensing to the demander.

2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, characterized by control means directing said mechanism (15) to a location appropriate to the value of parcel demanded.

3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterized by means (25-29, 15) for replenishing locations from which parcels (21) have been extracted.

4. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 3, characterized in that said means includes a cash supply, a counting mechanism (25) for dispensing cash in parcels of predetermined value, and a transport arrangement (26-29, 15) for transporting dispensed parcels to said storage unit (11) to replenish appropriate locations.

5. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 4, characterized in that said cash supply and said counting mechanism are housed in a secure area (24) remote from said storage unit (11).

6. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 5, characterized in that said transport arrangement includes a tube conveyor (27) along which one or more carriers conveying one or more parcels of cash are moved by an air flow.

7. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 3 to 6, characterized in that said parcel extraction mechanism (15) forms part of the replenishment means.

8. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 2, characterized in that said control mechanism monitors the locations from which parcels have been extracted and signals a replenishment means to supply replacement parcels of appropriate value to replenish those locations.

9. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said collection location (22) is the output of an ATM or a TND.

10. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, characterized by a transport arrangement for supply cash parcels from a remote position to the area of the storage unit and means for placing such parcels in appropriate empty locations (13) of the unit (11).

11. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 10, characterized in that said means for placing includes said mechanism (15).

12. A method of automated cash dispensing including:

storing parcels of cash of one or more predetermined values at a plurality of predetermined locations,

automatically determining which location is appropriate to supply a demand which has been input,

extracting the parcel from the selected location, and,

delivering that parcel to a collection location for dispensing to the demander.

13. A method as claimed in Claim 12, including supplying a second, and if necessary, further parcels of cash to the collection location so that all parcels can be dispensed together to satisfy a demand for a particular cash value being the total value of the parcels delivered to the collection location.

Drawing