Dispensing of currency

Abstract

A paper passageway delivers bills that have been picked from a bill supply container to a location at which the bills are to be dispensed, the paper passageway and the bill supply container are structurally coupled together at least temporarily to form an integrated bill dispensing structure, and at least one of the bill supply container and the paper passageway are functionally incomplete in the absence of the other. The paper passageway delivers bills alternatively to a location at which the bills are to be rejected, a reject container holds rejected bills in a stack in which the bills are oriented vertically, and the bills are accessible to a user from an open top of the container. The paper passageway and the bill supply container are coupled at least temporarily to form a structure, a picker is positioned within the structure to enable the picker to pick bills from the bill supply container and move them along a predetermined path for delivery to the paper passageway, and the picker is removable from the position within the structure by sliding the picker in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined path. A mounting mechanism supports the bill dispensing structure on a wall through which the bill is to be dispensed to a user, the bill dispensing structure being self supporting and rigid without additional support.

1 . An apparatus comprising 
 a paper passageway to deliver bills that have been picked from a bill supply container to a location at which the bills are to be dispensed, the paper passageway and the bill supply container being structurally coupled together at least temporarily to form an integrated bill dispensing structure, at least one of the bill supply container and the paper passageway being functionally incomplete in the absence of the other.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  in which the bill supply container lacks a wall to support bills, the wall being provided by the paper passageway in the integrated bill dispensing structure.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 2  in which side walls of the bill supply container are coupled to the wall provided by the paper passageway.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 2  in which each of the side walls of the bill supply container is coupled to the passageway wall at an upper location and a lower location.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 1  in which the bill supply container is configured to enable access by a picker to bills stored in the supply container, and the paper passageway is configured to receive bills delivered from the picker.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus of  claim 5  in which the bill supply container is generally box-shaped and includes an integral extension from the box to couple the bill supply container to the paper passageway.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 6  in which the integral extension extends under the picker and is attached to the paper passageway.  
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 6  in which opposite sides of the integral extension are coupled to side walls of the picker when the picker is installed.  
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 1  in which an underside of a base of the bill supply container includes molded strengthening features that provide structural strength to the integrated bill dispensing structure.  
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 9  in which control electronics is housed in the base of the bill supply container and supported by the strengthening features.  
   
   
       11 . The apparatus of  claim 1  in which the bill supply container includes molded feet for mounting the integrated bill dispensing structure.  
   
   
       12 . The apparatus of  claim 5  in which the bill supply container includes electrical terminals to which the picker mates.  
   
   
       13 . The apparatus of  claim 1  in which the bill supply container includes a plate to apply pressure to a stack of the bills that are in the container and ready for dispensing and a one-piece guide rail to guide the plate back and forth toward and away from the stack of bills, the guide rail piece forming a floor of the bill supply container.  
   
   
       14 . The apparatus of  claim 13  in which the one-piece guide rail is snapped at its ends to respective side walls of the bill supply container and provides structural strength for the side walls.  
   
   
       15 . The apparatus of  claim 13  in which the plate is biased toward the bill stack and the apparatus also includes a locking mechanism to hold the plate away from the bill stack for loading of bills.  
   
   
       16 . The apparatus of  claim 15  in which the locking mechanism comprises a rotating key formed of two plastic elements that mate through a hole in a front wall of the bill supply container.  
   
   
       17 . An apparatus comprising 
 a paper passageway to deliver bills that have been picked from a bill supply container to a location at which the bills are to be dispensed or a location at which the bills are to be rejected,    a reject container configured to hold rejected bills in a stack in which the bills are oriented vertically and the bills are accessible to a user from an open top of the container.    
   
   
       18 . The apparatus of  claim 17  in which the reject container comprises a single integral piece.  
   
   
       19 . The apparatus of  claim 17  in which the reject container comprises a vertically configured box open at the top to receive bills fed by gravity from a reject path of the paper passageway.  
   
   
       20 . The apparatus of  claim 19  in which the reject container comprises a rear wall sloped to direct bills fed by gravity into the reject container attached to the paper passageway.  
   
   
       21 . The apparatus of  claim 19  in which the reject container comprises an angled bottom floor to cause each of the bills fed by gravity into the reject container to be oriented vertically and in a position that causes each successive bill to be placed in front of the prior bill until the tray is full.  
   
   
       22 . An apparatus comprising 
 a paper passageway to deliver bills that have been picked from a bill supply container to a location at which the bills are to be dispensed, the paper passageway and the bill supply container being coupled at least temporarily to form a structure, and    a picker at a position within the structure to enable the picker to pick bills from the bill supply container and move them along a predetermined path for delivery to the paper passageway,    the picker being removable from the position within the structure by sliding the picker in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined path.    
   
   
       23 . The apparatus of  claim 22  in which the picker includes an anti-backup roller requiring periodic maintenance.  
   
   
       24 . The apparatus of  claim 22  in which the picker is latched into and unlatched from the position using a single hand-operated knob.  
   
   
       25 . The apparatus of  claim 22  including guide features to aid the sliding of the picker.  
   
   
       26 . An apparatus comprising 
 a bill dispensing structure including a bill supply container, a paper passageway to deliver bills that have been picked from a bill supply container to a location at which the bills are to be dispensed through a wall to a user, and a reject tray to receive bills that are diverted from the paper passageway and are not dispensed through the wall, and    a mounting mechanism to support the bill dispensing structure on the wall, the bill dispensing structure being self supporting and rigid without additional support.    
   
   
       27 . The apparatus of  claim 26  in which the mounting mechanism comprises mounting elements near the top of a side of the bill dispensing structure that faces the wall.  
   
   
       28 . The apparatus of  claim 27  in which the mounting elements comprise pins each having an end connected to the bill dispensing structure and a free end projecting from the bill dispensing structure in a direction parallel to the wall.  
   
   
       29 . The apparatus of  claim 27  in which the mounting mechanism comprises four pins any two of which are adequate to support the bill dispensing mechanism on the wall.  
   
   
       30 . A method comprising 
 removing a picker from a position at which the picker can pick bills from a bill supply container and move them along a predetermined path for delivery to a paper passageway from which they are to be dispensed, the picker being removed by sliding it in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined path.    
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 30  also including mating locators on one end of the picker with receptors on the paper passageway.  
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 30  also including activating a tab lock to hold the picker in place.