Medium handling apparatus and medium handling method
Provided are a medium handling apparatus and method for, by using a temporary storage unit, performing a tallying task in an automated teller machine. The medium handling apparatus includes a deposit/withdrawal unit configured to separate each individual medium and accumulate the medium, a discrimination unit configured to discriminate whether the media are abnormal and types of the media, a medium storage unit including a plurality of recycling cassettes, a temporary storage unit configured to temporarily store media discriminated as normal media, and a conveyance path configured to convey the media. Media in each of the recycling cassettes are temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit to confirm the number of media remaining in the recycling cassette, and the media in the temporary storage unit are conveyed back to and stored in the recycling cassette when the number of remaining media is sensed.
1. A medium handling method of a medium handling apparatus, the method comprising:
during a media counting and rejection process, receiving media from a user into internal space of a deposit/withdrawal unit;
during the media counting and rejection process, determining normal media and reject medium of the received media by a discrimination unit;
during the media counting and rejection process, receiving the normal media via a separator/accumulator of a temporary storage unit, the separator/accumulator located below a first fixed plate and located closer to the deposit/withdrawal unit than a rear side of the medium handling apparatus to enable extension of the temporary storage unit to the rear side of the medium handling apparatus;
during the media counting and rejection process, storing the received normal media between the first fixed plate and a second plate of the temporary storage unit by moving the second plate of the temporary storage unit backward or forward after determination by the discrimination unit, the second plate located further away from the separator/accumulator than the first fixed plate;
during the media counting and rejection process, returning the reject medium to the deposit/withdrawal unit without storing in the temporary storage unit;
during a deposit receipt process subsequent to the media counting and rejection process, sending the normal media in the temporary storage unit to recycling cassettes according to types of the normal media;
receiving a signal for tallying numbers of media stored in each of the recycling cassettes to initiate an internal tallying process;
during the internal tallying process, separating stored media in the recycling cassette and conveying the separated media from the recycling cassettes to the discrimination unit;
during the internal tallying process, discriminating the separated media from the recycling cassettes through the discrimination unit, and storing the numbers of the separated media in a controller;
during the internal tallying process, storing, in the temporary storage unit by moving the second plate of the temporary storage unit backward or forward to accommodate the media between the first fixed plate and the second plate, the media from the recycling cassettes passed through the discrimination unit;
after storing the media in the temporary storage unit in the internal tallying, sensing the number of media stored in the temporary storage unit by separating and passing the media of the temporary storage unit through the discrimination unit to one or more of the recycling cassettes for storage;
displaying the numbers of separated media as sensed in the internal tallying;
receiving first additional media in the temporary storage unit by moving the second plate backward or forward to accommodate the first additional media between the first fixed plate and the second plate; and
sending normal media of the first additional media from the temporary storage unit to the recycling cassettes for refilling the recycling cassettes.
2. The medium handling method of claim 1 , further comprising, responsive to receiving input to refill the recycling cassette:
receiving additional media in the deposit/withdrawal unit, separating each individual inserted media,
passing the additional media through the discrimination unit to determine normal media and reject media of the additional media,
storing the normal media of the additional media in the temporary storage unit after being discriminated through the discrimination unit, and
sending the normal media of the additional media from the temporary storage unit to the recycling cassettes for storage.
3. The medium handling method of claim 2 , further comprising, storing the reject medium in a reject cassette during the media counting and rejection process.
4. The medium handling method of claim 1 , wherein the first additional media is received via an opening door at a top of the temporary storage unit.
5. The medium handling method of claim 1 , further comprising storing media loaded into the deposit/withdrawal unit but not retrieved by the user.
6. The medium handling method of claim 4 , further comprising,
receiving second additional media via the deposit/withdrawal unit; and
sending normal media of the second additional media from the deposit/withdrawal unit to the recycling cassettes for refilling the recycling cassettes.
7. The medium handling method of claim 1 , wherein the temporary storage unit has a capacity to accumulate the stored media of at least one of the recycling cassettes.