ATM currency presenter gate arrangement
View Patent ↗An ATM includes a currency note dispenser having a currency cassette, a note picker, a note transporter, and a note presenter. A cassette tambour door automatically opens during insertion of the cassette into the dispenser. The picker can pick notes through the opening. A spring loaded housing wall tab retains the picker shaft in mating connection with a drive pin. The transporter can move notes vertically and horizontally. The transporter includes belts between an idle shaft and a drive shaft. The idle shaft is vertically movable relative to a drive shaft to maintain belt tension. The transporter also includes convexly tapered rollers that automatically recenter a loose belt. A presenter gate is at a note dispensing outlet of the ATM. The gate is opened by actuating a lever linked with an arm connected to the gate. The gate opens by moving a pin upward in an angled slot.
1. An apparatus including:
a media presenter,
wherein the presenter is adapted for use in an automated banking machine to receive currency notes taken from at least one currency container and move the currency notes together as a currency note stack to a user access area during a currency note dispensing,
wherein the presenter includes a housing,
wherein the housing includes an outlet,
wherein the outlet is sized to have the currency note stack pass therethrough,
wherein the presenter includes a gate arrangement,
wherein the gate arrangement includes a gate,
wherein the gate is movable between a closed position and an open position,
wherein in the closed position the gate prevents passage of the currency note stack through the outlet,
wherein in the open position the gate permits the currency note stack to pass through and out the outlet,
wherein the gate arrangement includes at least one cam arm,
wherein the at least one cam arm is connected to the gate,
wherein movement of the at least one cam arm is operative to move the gate between the closed position and the open position,
wherein the gate is arranged to move in an upward direction during movement toward the open position,
wherein the gate arrangement includes an actuator comprising at least one lever,
wherein a first cam arm of the at least one cam arm is located adjacent to a first lever of the at least one lever,
wherein the first lever is movable relative to the first cam arm,
wherein actuation of the at least one lever is operative to move the at least one cam arm,
wherein the gate arrangement includes at least one slot and at least one pin,
wherein a first pin of the at least one pin is arranged to relatively move in a first slot of the at least one slot during the actuation.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein actuation of the first lever causes the first pin to move along the first slot.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the first cam arm includes a first arm end and a second arm end, wherein the first arm end is connected to the gate, wherein the second arm end includes a pivot axis, wherein the first cam arm is operative to pivot about the pivot axis.
4. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the first lever is linked with the first cam arm, wherein the first lever includes the first slot, wherein the first cam arm includes the first pin.
5. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the first slot is angled upward, wherein the first pin is operative to move upward in the first slot, wherein the gate correspondingly moves in an opening direction as the first pin moves upward in the first slot.
6. An apparatus including:
a media presenter,
wherein the presenter is adapted for use in an automated banking machine,
wherein the presenter includes a housing,
wherein the housing includes an outlet,
wherein the presenter includes a roller shaft having plural rollers thereon,
wherein the roller shaft is located adjacent the outlet,
wherein each roller includes an outer circumferential surface having a center portion and tapering portions,
wherein the center portion is located between tapering portions, wherein a diameter of each tapering portion narrows in a direction extending away from the center portion,
wherein the presenter includes a plurality of belts,
wherein each center portion supports a respective belt thereon,
wherein the presenter includes a gate arrangement,
wherein the gate arrangement includes a gate,
wherein the gate is movable between a closed position and an open position,
wherein in the closed position the gate prevents passage of a currency note stack through the outlet,
wherein in the open position the gate permits passage of the currency note stack through the outlet,
wherein the gate moves in an upward direction during movement toward the open position,
wherein the gate arrangement includes at least one cam arm,
wherein the at least one cam arm is connected to the gate,
wherein movement of the at least one cam arm is operative to move the gate between the closed position and the open position,
wherein the gate arrangement includes at least one lever,
wherein the at least one lever is movable relative to the at least one cam arm,
wherein actuation of the at least one lever is operative to move the at least one cam arm.
7. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the presenter includes at least one rail, wherein the at least one rail has a flexible end adjacent the outlet, wherein the presenter is operative to pass notes between at least one flexible end and the rollers, wherein the positional relationship of the at least one flexible end and the rollers is operative to impart a wavy configuration to notes passing therebetween.
8. The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein each rail is adapted to have a stack of notes moved thereon.
9. The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein each flexible end is aligned opposite a respective tapering portion.
10. An apparatus including:
a media presenter,
wherein the presenter is adapted for use in an automated banking machine,
wherein the presenter includes a housing,
wherein the housing includes an outlet,
wherein the presenter includes a gate arrangement,
wherein the gate arrangement includes a gate,
wherein the gate is movable between a closed position and an open position,
wherein in the closed position the gate prevents passage of a currency note stack through the outlet,
wherein in the open position the gate permits passage of the currency note stack through the outlet,
wherein the gate arrangement includes at least one cam arm,
wherein the at least one cam arm is connected to the gate,
wherein movement of the at least one cam arm is operative to move the gate between the closed position and the open position,
wherein the gate arrangement includes at least one lever,
wherein the at least one lever is movable relative to the at least one cam arm,
wherein actuation of the at least one lever is operative to move the at least one cam arm,
wherein the presenter includes a roller shaft,
wherein the presenter includes at least one rail,
wherein a rail of the at least one rail is adapted to have a stack of notes moved thereon,
wherein the rail has a flexible end adjacent the outlet,
wherein the flexible end comprises a flexible finger,
wherein the flexible finger is spring biased toward the roller shaft.
11. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein a rail of the at least one rail comprises an elongated rail body and a split end, wherein the rail body extends in a first direction, wherein the split end is adjacent the outlet, wherein the split end includes the flexible finger and a flanged finger, wherein both the flexible finger and the flanged finger extend in the first direction.
12. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the flanged finger comprises an end tip portion, wherein the end tip portion extends in the first direction a greater distance than the flexible finger, wherein the end tip portion includes a lip extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction.
13. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the flanged finger comprises a transverse portion extending substantially perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the transverse portion includes a raised hump, wherein the raised hump contributes to impartation of the wavy configuration.
14. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the presenter comprises a currency presenter in an ATM, wherein the currency presenter contains at least one currency note therein.
15. A method of operating the apparatus recited in claim 1 , comprising:
(a) moving a currency note stack in the presenter toward the gate;
(b) actuating the at least one lever to cause the gate to move to the open position;
(c) moving the currency note stack through the outlet.
16. An apparatus including:
a media presenter,
wherein the presenter is adapted for use in an automated banking machine,
wherein the presenter includes a housing,
wherein the housing includes an outlet,
wherein the presenter includes a gate arrangement,
wherein the gate arrangement includes a gate,
wherein the gate is movable between a closed position and an open position,
wherein in the closed position the gate prevents passage of a currency note stack through the outlet,
wherein in the open position the gate permits passage of the currency note stack through the outlet,
wherein the gate arrangement includes at least one cam arm and at least one lever,
wherein each lever is located adjacent to a respective cam arm,
wherein each cam arm includes a first arm end and a second arm end,
wherein the first arm end is connected to the gate,
wherein the second arm end includes a pivot axis,
wherein each cam arm is operative to pivot about a respective pivot axis,
wherein movement of each cam arm about a respective pivot axis is operative to move the gate between the closed position and the open position,
wherein each lever is movable relative to a respective cam arm,
wherein each lever includes a respective slot,
wherein the slot is angled upward,
wherein each cam arm includes a respective pin,
wherein each pin is operative to slide relatively upward in a respective slot,
wherein actuation of the at least one lever is operative to move the at least one cam arm,
wherein actuation of each lever causes a respective pin to move upward along a respective slot,
wherein the gate correspondingly moves in an opening direction as each pin moves upward in a respective slot.
17. A method of operating the apparatus recited in claim 10 , comprising:
(a) moving a currency note stack in the presenter toward the gate;
(b) actuating the at least one lever to cause the gate to move to the open position;
(c) moving the currency note stack through the outlet.
18. The apparatus according to claim 10 and further including an automated teller machine (ATM), wherein the ATM includes a currency note dispenser, wherein the presenter is in the ATM, wherein the presenter comprises a currency note presenter, wherein the currency note presenter is operative to present at least one currency note to a user of the ATM during a currency note dispensing transaction.
19. The apparatus according to claim 1 and further including an automated teller machine (ATM), wherein the ATM includes a currency note dispenser, wherein the presenter is in the ATM, wherein the presenter comprises a currency note presenter, wherein the currency note presenter is operative to present at least one currency note to a user of the ATM during a currency note dispensing transaction.