Media item transport
A method and apparatus for determining at least a portion of a media item pathway are disclosed. The apparatus includes a transfer module comprising shafts that are rotatable and spaced apart in a substantially parallel relationship. A removable module is located with respect to the transfer module to selectively locate spaced apart rows of protruding guide elements with respect to the arm elements. At least one arm element comprises an abutment member that moves with the arm element and abuts with an abutment region of at least one guide element when a respective shaft element is rotated. A portion of a media item pathway is at least partially determined via opposed guide surfaces of the guide elements and the arm elements.
1. An apparatus for determining at least a portion of a media item pathway, comprising:
a transfer module comprising a first and further rotatable shaft element in a substantially parallel spaced apart relationship; and
a removable module that is locatable with respect to the transfer module to selectively locate two spaced apart rows of protruding guide elements of the removable module with respect to arm elements carried in a spaced apart relationship on the first and further shaft element; wherein
at least one arm element comprises an abutment member that moves with the arm element and abuts with an abutment region of at least one guide element when a respective shaft element is rotated to move the arm element from a retracted position to an operational position in which a media item pathway is at least partially determined via opposed guide surfaces of the guide elements and the arm elements.
2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
in the retracted position the transfer module and removable module are laterally locatable with respect to each other and in an operational position, when the transfer module and the removable module are in a fixed respective location with respect to each other, a tip region of a guide surface of each arm element is spaced at least a predetermined threshold distance from a guide surface provided by an adjacent at least one guide element of the removable module.
3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising:
the tip region of each arm element extends for a distance of at least 5 mm along an edge of a respective arm element away from a terminal end extremity of the arm element and a whole of the tip region is at least a predetermined threshold distance of 1.5 mm set back from a guide surface of an adjacent guide element when viewed in an end on view.
4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a first plurality of arm elements carried by a respective first shaft element is independently locatable with respect to a further plurality of arm elements carried by the further shaft element by rotating a respective first and/or further rotatable shaft element independently.
5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a first and a further biasing element, each disposed at a biased end region of a respective shaft element and disposed to bias the respective shaft element in a favoured rotational direction.
6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
each abutment member comprises a rod element, having a cylindrical outer surface region, that extends away from and is connected to at least one arm element at an edge of an arm element that is disposed distal to a guide surface provided by a region of a remaining edge of the arm element and optionally said an edge comprises an edge that trails as the arm element moves, from a retracted to an operational position.
7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising:
at least one arm element of each plurality of arm elements comprises a respective abutment member that each stops rotational movement of arm elements carried by a respective shaft element at a respective desired rotational position that thereby sets the arm elements in respective operational positions.
8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , further comprising:
a respective desired rotational position of the first shaft element about a respective longitudinal axis of the first shaft element is independent of a respective desired rotational position of the further shaft element about a respective longitudinal axis of the further shaft element.
9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a first and a further pinion element, each comprising respective pinion teeth disposed to engage with rack teeth of a respective one of a first and further rack element and turn as the rack element moves, wherein the first pinion element moves with, and is disposed on a pinion end region of, the first shaft element and the further pinion element moves with, and is disposed on a pinion end region of, the further shaft element and pinion teeth of the first pinion element are not meshed with pinion teeth of the further pinion element.
10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising:
the transfer module comprises a pusher plate member; and
the removable module comprises a drive element that is disposed to engage with a pusher plate push surface of the pusher plate member when the removable module is moved towards and proximate to the transfer module.
11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising:
the pusher plate member comprises an upper rack contact arm, that extends towards a body of a first rack element, and a lower rack contact arm, that extends towards a body of a further rack element.
12. A method for determining at least a portion of a media item pathway, comprising the steps of:
locating a transfer module comprising a first and further rotatable shaft element in a substantially spaced apart parallel relationship, with respect to a removable module thereby locating two spaced apart rows of protruding guide elements of the removable module with respect to arm elements carried in a spaced apart relationship on the first and further shaft element;
as the transfer module and the removable module are mutually located, rotating the first and further shaft elements thereby moving arm elements carried on the respective shaft elements from a retracted position to an operational position; and
when an abutment member that moves with at least one arm element, abuts with an abutment region of at least one guide element, stopping further rotation of a shaft element carrying said arm element thereby setting the arm element in an operational position thereby at least partially determining a media item pathway via opposed guide surfaces of the guide elements and guide surfaces of the arm elements.
13. The method as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising:
with the arm elements carried on both shaft elements in their retracted position, locating the removable module laterally with respect to the transfer module by urging and thereby sliding the removable module that comprises a lower module into a safe housing, of an ATM, that comprises a media item aperture.
14. The method as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising:
as each arm element adopts a respective operational position, locating a tip region of a guide surface of each arm element at least a predetermined threshold distance from a guide surface provided by an adjacent at least one guide element of the removable module.
15. The method as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising:
independently locating arm elements carried on the first shaft element with respect to arm elements carried on the further shaft element by independently rotating each shaft element.
16. The method as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising:
as the removable module is moved towards and proximate to the transfer module, automatically rotating the first and further shaft element to move arm elements into respective operational positions.
17. The method as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising:
as the removable module is moved from a proximate position away from the transfer module, automatically rotating the first and further shaft elements to move arm elements into respective retracted positions.
18. The method as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising:
as the removable module is moved towards the transfer module, engaging a drive element of the removable module with a pusher plate member; and
as the pusher plate member is urged by the drive element, pulling at least one rack element thereby rotating a pinion element mounted to a respective shaft element and having pinion teeth meshed with rack teeth of the rack element.
19. An Automated Teller Machine (ATM), comprising:
a safe housing that comprises a safe chamber for receiving at least one currency cassette and that comprises at least one media access aperture in an upper surface;
at least one transfer module provided as an intermediate module secured proximate to a respective media access aperture; and
at least one removable module comprising a lower module, slidable into the safe housing for supporting at least one currency cassette, or an upper module, slidable with respect to the safe housing; wherein
a media item pathway determined for media items passing through the aperture is determined by guide surfaces of guide elements of the removable module and guide surfaces of arm elements of the transfer module that co-locate with respect to each other responsive to a mutual position when the removable module is located with respect to the first transfer module.
20. The ATM as claimed in claim 19 , wherein, as the lower module is racked into the safe housing, a reference point associated with guide elements of the lower module, and not a fixed point associated with the transfer module, is used to determine the rotational orientation of an operational position of arm elements of the intermediate module, wherein guide surfaces of the arm elements are set back from guide surfaces of the guide elements in a direction away from a media item pathway by at least a predetermined distance that prevents a leading edge of a media item passing through the media access aperture from jamming.