Banknote deposit apparatus

1. A banknote deposit apparatus comprising:

a reception unit configured to take in, one by one, a plurality of banknotes;

a transport unit configured to transport the banknotes having been taken in by the reception unit;

a stacking unit configured to stack the banknotes having been transported by the transport unit;

a recognition unit disposed on the transport unit, the recognition unit being configured to recognize and count the banknotes being transported by the transport unit;

a storing box configured to receive the banknotes stacked in the stacking unit so as to store the banknotes; and

a clamping and transporting mechanism configured to clamp surfaces of the banknotes stacked in the stacking unit and to transport the banknotes in a direction parallel to the surfaces of the clamped banknotes and at the same time transport the banknotes downward so as to store the banknotes in the storing box;

wherein a front opening through which the stacked banknotes are taken out from outside, and a front shutter unit configured to open and close the front opening are disposed on a front surface of the stacking unit,

wherein the clamping and transporting mechanism includes a slide unit configured to support lower ends of the banknotes that are stacked in the stacking unit, the slide unit configured to be slid to be opened to an unsupporting condition when the banknotes, the lower ends of which were supported by the slide unit, are transported downward in the direction substantially parallel to the clamping surfaces of the clamped banknotes and are stored into the storing box, the clamping and transporting mechanism including a first contacting and transporting unit configured to come into contact with the surface of the banknote located on the rearmost side of the plurality of banknotes when the slide unit is slid to be opened, and a second contacting and transporting unit configured to come into contact with the surface of the banknote located on the frontmost side of the plurality of banknotes when the slide unit is slid to be opened.

2. The banknote deposit apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the clamping and transporting mechanism is configured to clamp surfaces of banknotes located on outermost positions of the plurality of banknotes stacked in the stacking unit, and to collectively transport the plurality of banknotes to the storing box.

3. The banknote deposit apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the storing box is provided with a slit opening through which the banknotes being transported by the clamping and transporting mechanism are taken in.

4. The banknote deposit apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein

the storing box is provided with a slit shutter unit configured to open and close the slit opening.

5. The banknote deposit apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the stacking unit is configured to stack the banknotes having been transported by the transport unit in a forwardly inclined standing state.

6. The banknote deposit apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

when the banknotes are transported by the clamping and transporting mechanism to the storing box, the front shutter unit is unopenable.

7. The banknote deposit apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a control unit configured to switch a storing mode in which the banknotes having been taken in by the reception unit are transported to the stacking unit by the transport unit, and then the banknotes, having been transported to the stacking unit, are transported to the storing box by the clamping and transporting mechanism, and a counting mode in which the banknotes, having been taken in by the reception unit, are transported to the stacking unit by the transport unit, and the banknotes, having been transported to the stacking unit, can be taken out from outside the banknote deposit apparatus through the front opening after the banknotes have been taken in by the reception unit, without actuating the clamping and transporting mechanism.