Title: Apparatus for depositing valuables in envelopes with automatic envelope dispensing

We claim:

1. An apparatus for depositing valuables in envelopes, with automatic dispensing of envelopes, in which the envelopes to be deposited are inserted into a slot of the apparatus and conveyed into an internal drawer of the apparatus, comprising a magazine within the apparatus containing the empty envelopes, a conveyor for individually moving the envelopes, said conveyor including at least one pair of belts in contact with one another along a predetermined path between the slot and an internal deflection station, a reversible electric motor operable for selectively driving the belts in a first direction to dispense an envelope from the magazine to the slot and in a second direction to convey an envelope inserted in the slot toward the drawer, said magazine including a duct leading to the deflection station, the duct being disposed in such a way that an envelope coming from the conveyor does not enter it.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said magazine includes an envelope separating device (97) and an envelope pressure plate for resiliently pressing the envelopes towards the envelope separating device, the pressure plate cooperating with a sensor for providing an external indication of the absence of envelopes.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised by a slot closure element operable to open the slot under the control of a device for sensing an envelope coming from the magazine, the closure element being also controllable by an envelope deposit command.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the deposit drawer is provided with an access slot, drive means being arranged over the slot for forcing an envelope coming from the conveyor into the drawer through a duct.

5. An unattended bank apparatus for depositing bank notes inserted into envelopes, including a front panel carrying a command keyboard and a slot for inserting into the apparatus an envelope to be deposited, a drawer internal to the apparatus and associated with access means for receiving the deposited envelopes, a magazine internal to the apparatus for containing a stack of empty envelopes, exit means on said magazine adjacent said access means for allowing the dispensing of the empty envelopes from the magazine, and a conveyor for said envelopes including at least one pair of belts in contact with each other along a predetermined path between said slot and a position substantially intermediate to said access means and said exit means, said belts being selectively operable in response to a first command from said keyboard for being driven in a first direction to convey the dispensed envelope from said exit means to said slot and in response to another command from said keyboard for being driven in a second direction to convey an envelope inserted into said slot toward said access means, said exit means being so shaped that an envelope coming from the conveyor does not enter it.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, including a reversible electric motor for driving said belts selectively in one of the two opposite directions, and a printing device located along the envelope path for printing data character by character serial on an envelope in transit for deposit, the reversible motor being operable during the printing at a speed proportional to the spacing of the printing.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5, including a central control unit connected to said keyboard for control of the operations in dependence on manual commands, characterized by a microprocessor connected with said control unit able to receive a message on operations to be performed from the control unit and to control the performance of the individual operations of the apparatus in a predetermined sequence.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, characterized by a plurality of sensors for detecting the passage of an envelope along the conveyor, the microprocessor being operable to coordinate the individual operations in response to signals from the sensors, independently of the length of the envelopes to be deposited.

9. An unattended bank apparatus for depositing banknotes inserted into envelopes, including a front panel carrying a command keyboard and an insertion slot for inserting into the apparatus an envelope to be deposited, an armoured housing internal to the apparatus and provided with an access aperture, a closed drawer removably housed in said housing an operable cover on said drawer provided with an entrance slot in correspondence with said access aperture, a conveyor operable in response to a command from said keyboard for conveying an envelope inserted into said insertion slot toward said aperture, drive means mounted on said drawer over said entrance slot and including a pair of rollers rotatable in mutually opposite directions, said rollers being yieldably in contact to each other for preventing access into said drawer, said drive means including also an electric motor disposed in the housing and engageable with a drive shaft for the rollers projecting out from the drawer, said electric motor being operable when an envelope arrives from said conveyor for causing said rollers to force said envelope into said drawer, one of said rollers being displaceable with respect to the other parallel to itself, and a locking mechanism operable to lock the displaceable roller in contact with the other roller when the drawer is removed from the housing.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said entrance slot is disposed on an openable cover of the drawer and wherein the drive means include a pair of rollers which are rotatable in opposite senses, one of the rollers being displaceable with respect to the other parallel to itself.

11. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the rollers are driven by said electric motor are driven by an electric motor via a series of constantly meshing gears, the displaceable roller being mounted on a lever coaxial with a gear of the said series engaged by another gear rigidly connected to the roller.

12. Apparatus according to claim 9, characterised in that the locking mechanism includes a roller locking element which is normally inactivated by a hook located in the drawer, release means being disposed in the housing for operating the hook in such a way as to cause locking of the locking element during withdrawal movement of the drawer.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12, characterised in that the locking element can be manually re-engaged on the hook after having opened the cover by means of a lock the release means being inoperable on the hook during the re-insertion movement of the drawer.


Other info:


Inventors: Simonotti, Lucio (Banchette d'Ivrea, IT)
Motta, Carlo (Borgofranco d'Ivrea, IT)

Application Number: 06/254140
Filing Date: 1981-04-14
Publication_date: 1984-03-13
Assignee: OLIVETTI & CO SPA (IT)

Primary Class(es): 186/37 902/18, 902/17, 902/13, 235/379, 232/43.200
Other Classes: B41J1/46; G07B17/00; G07D11/00; G07F9/06; B41J1/00; G07G5/00
US Patent Ref:

3038157	June, 1962	Simjian	194/DIG.26
3101892	August, 1963	Reese	232/43.3
3442363	May, 1969	Riddle et al.	194/DIG.26
3836980	September, 1974	Grosswiller et al.	109/66
3866235	February, 1975	Maynard et al.	194/DIG.26
3964577	June, 1976	Bengtsson	186/37
3973237	August, 1976	Sawaguchi et al.	235/379
4166945	September, 1979	Inoyama et al.	235/379

Other Refs:
Primary Examiner: Bartuska F. J.
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney: Schuyler, Banner, Birch, McKie & Beckett