Automatic funds processing system

Abstract

A funds processing system receives, dispenses, and sorts currency and substantially immediately furnishes an associated accounting system with data, including the value of the currency processed, in a single transaction. The system determines the denomination of the received currency, sorts the received currency, generates electrical signals representing the amount of received currency in each denomination in each batch of currency received, has a memory for receiving data representing the amount of each denomination of currency received. The system also contains a controller for transferring data from the memory to the associated cash accounting system so that deposits and withdrawals executed at the funds processing system are entered in the accounting system substantially immediately after the execution of the deposits and withdrawals. The system dispenses currency based upon the amount of received currency and the amount deposited into the accounting system.

Claims

We claim:

1. A funds processing system for receiving and dispensing funds and substantially immediately furnishing an associated outside accounting system having an account with data, including the value of the funds processed in a single transaction, said system comprising:

means for receiving funds,

means for generating electrical signals representing the amount of received funds in each batch of funds received,

a memory for receiving data representing the amount of each batch of funds received through said means for receiving funds,

control means for transferring data from said memory to the associated cash accounting system so that deposits and withdrawals executed at said funds processing system are entered in said accounting system substantially immediately after the execution of the deposits and withdrawals,

means for processing unidentifiable funds,

escrow holding means coupled to said transport means for holding said funds until the conclusion of a transaction, and

means for dispensing funds from said account and from said accounting system on a real-time basis based upon the amount of received funds and the amount deposited into said accounting system.

2. The funds processing system of claim 1 wherein said funds are selected from a group consisting of currency, smart cards, and a remote accounting system and said currency is selected from the group consisting of bills and coins.

3. The funds processing system of claim 1 further comprising means for identifying a customer.

4. The funds processing system of claim 2 further including authentication means for determining whether said received currency is counterfeit, and first storage means for storing suspected counterfeit currency and second storage means for storing non-counterfeit currency.

5. The funds processing system of claim 4 further comprising a touch panel for allowing a user to input transaction information.

6. The funds processing system of claim 5 wherein said remote accounting system is a savings account, checking account, or customer account.

7. The funds processing system of claim 2 further comprising means for accepting the smart card, means for determining the value of stored funds on the smart card, and means for changing the value stored on the smart card.

8. The funds processing system of claim 2 further comprising means for maintaining a record of the transaction.

9. The funds processing system of claim 8 wherein said currency includes bills and coins, and further including a counter and scanner and transport means for processing bills at a rate in excess of about 350 bills per minute.

10. The funds processing system of claim 9 wherein said counter and scanner includes an optical scanhead which illuminates each bill and detects light reflected from the bill and produces corresponding electrical signals, and signal processing means for receiving said electrical signals and determining the denomination of the bill from which the light was reflected.

11. The funds processing system of claim 10 wherein said counter and scanner includes at least two optical scanheads, located on opposite sides of the bills being scanned.

12. The funds processing system of claim 11 further including a coin sorter for receiving successive batches of coins of mixed denominations, sorting the coins by denomination, and generating electrical signals representing the number of coins of each denomination in each batch of coins that is processed.

13. The funds processing system of claim 12 further including authenticating means for checking the genuineness of each bill and coin that is counted, and producing a control signal in response to the detection of a non-genuine bill or coin.

14. The funds processing system of claim 13 further including means responsive to said control signal for altering the processing of the bill or coin detected to be non-genuine.

15. The funds processing system of claim 10 wherein said memory includes means for storing master characteristic patterns of a plurality of denominations of genuine bills, and said signal processing means includes means for comparing the signals from said scanhead with the stored patterns in said memory to determine the denomination of each scanned bill.

16. A currency processing system for receiving, dispensing, and sorting coins and bills and substantially immediately furnishing an associated outside accounting system with data, including the value of the coins and bills processed, in a single transaction, said system comprising:

means for receiving coins,

means for receiving bills,

denomination determination means for determining the denomination of the received coins and bills and means for sorting the received coins and bills,

means for generating electrical signals representing the amount of received coins and bills in each denomination in each batch of currency received,

a memory for receiving data representing the amount of each denomination of coins and bills received through said denomination determination means,

control means for transferring data from said memory to the associated cash accounting system so that deposits and withdrawals executed at said currency processing station are entered in said accounting system substantially immediately after the execution of the deposits and withdrawals,

authenticating means for checking the genuineness of each bill and coin that is counted, and producing a control signal in response to the detection of a non-genuine bill or coin,

means responsive to said control signal for altering the processing of the bill or coin detected to be non-genuine,

means for processing unidentifiable bills,

escrow holding means coupled to said transport means for holding said bills until the conclusion of a transaction, and

means for dispensing coins and bills based upon the amount of received coins and bills and the amount deposited into said accounting system.

17. A funds processing station for receiving and dispensing funds and substantially immediately furnishing an associated accounting system with data, including the value of the funds processed, for each transaction, said station comprising:

means for identifying a customer using said station and activating said station in response to said identification,

a coin sorter for receiving successive batches of coins of mixed denomination, sorting the coins by denomination, determining non-authentic coins, and generating signals representing the number of coins of each denomination in each batch of coins that is processed,

a coin return slot, coupled to said coin sorter, for returning said detected non-authentic coins to said customer,

a coin dispenser including a coin storage device for dispensing selected number of coins from said coin storage device,

a paper funds dispenser including a paper funds storage device and controllable transport means for dispensing selected numbers of paper funds from said storage device,

a paper funds receptacle for receiving stacks of paper funds to be deposited,

a paper funds counter and scanner for rapidly removing the paper funds one at a time from said receptacle and counting the paper funds while determining the value of each of said paper funds, said counter and scanner including means for generating data representing the value of said paper funds, and the number of bills amongst said paper funds, passed through said counter and scanner,

a memory for receiving and storing data representing the number of paper funds of each value passed through said counter and scanner in each transaction, and data representing the total value of the paper funds passed through said counter and scanner in each transaction,

means for accepting a smart card, means for determining the value of the smart card, and means for changing the value stored on the smart card,

control means for transferring data from said memory to an associated cash accounting system so that the deposits and withdrawals executed at said funds processing station are entered in said accounting system substantially immediately after the execution of said transactions.

18. The funds processing station of claim 17 wherein said counter and scanner and said transport means process bills at a rate in excess of about 350 bills per minute.

19. The funds processing station of claim 17 wherein said means for identifying a customer includes a magnetic keycard card reader.

20. The finds processing station of claim 17 wherein said control means includes a microprocessor.

21. A funds processing station for receiving and dispensing funds and substantially immediately furnishing an associated accounting system with data, including the value of the cash processed, for each transaction, said station comprising:

a magnetic keycard reader for receiving a magnetic keycard, reading said keycard, and identifying a customer based upon data on said keycard, said magnetic keycard reader activating said station in response to said identification of said customer,

a keyboard for receiving operating instructions from a user, said operating instructions causing the machine to operate in a plurality of modes,

a memory for holding a master primary and secondary bill patterns associated with a denomination of a bill,

a coin sorter for receiving successive batches of coins of mixed denomination, sorting the coins by denomination, determining non-authentic coins, and generating signals representing the number of coins of each denomination in each batch of coins and the total value of coins that are processed, said coin sorter coupled to said memory,

a coin return slot, coupled to said coin sorter, for returning said detected non-authentic coins to said customer,

a coin dispenser including a coin storage device for dispensing selected number of coins from said coin storage device,

a bill dispenser including a bill storage device and controllable transport means for dispensing selected numbers of bills from said storage device,

a bill receptacle for receiving stacks of bills to be deposited,

a bill counter and scanner, coupled to said memory, for rapidly removing the bills one at a time from said receptacle, said counter and scanner including optical scanhead means for illuminating each bill and detecting light reflected from the bill and producing corresponding electrical signals, and signal processing means for receiving said electrical signals, determining primary and secondary characteristics of said bills from said signals, determining the denomination of the bill based on a comparison between said sensed primary characteristic and said master primary pattern, determining the authenticity of said bills, and determining the number of bills of each denomination passed through said counter and scanner,

escrow holding means for receiving and holding said bills from said bill counter and scanner,

a verified deposit canister for receiving bills from said escrow holding means,

wherein said memory receives and stores data representing the number of coins of each denomination processed, the total value of the coins processed, the number of bills of each denomination passed through said counter and scanner in each transaction, the authenticity of said bills, and data representing the total value of the bills passed through said counter and scanner in each transaction,

means for accepting a smart card, means for determining the value of the smart card, and means for changing the value stored on the smart card,

a video display for displaying said data representing the total value of the coins and bills processed, and

control means for transferring data from said memory to an associated cash accounting system so that the deposits and withdrawals executed at said cash processing station are entered in said accounting system substantially immediately after a transaction.

22. A method for receiving and dispensing funds and substantially immediately furnishing an associated outside accounting system having an account with data, including the value of the funds processed in a single transaction, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving funds,

generating electrical signals representing the amount of received funds in each batch of funds received,

providing a memory and receiving data representing the amount of each batch of funds at the memory,

transferring data from said memory to the associated cash accounting system so that deposits and withdrawals executed at said funds processing system are entered in said accounting system substantially immediately after the execution of the deposits and withdrawals,

processing unidentifiable funds,

holding said funds until the conclusion of a transaction, and

dispensing funds from said account and from said accounting system on a real-time basis based upon the amount of received funds and the amount deposited into said accounting system.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said funds includes currency and said currency is processed at a rate in excess of about 350 bills per minute.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to currency processing systems such as automatic teller machines and currency redemption machines.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved automatic teller machine ("ATM") or currency redemption machine that is capable of processing cash deposits as well as withdrawals.

Another object of this invention is to provide such machines that are capable of accepting and dispensing coins as well as bills.

A further object of this invention is to provide such machines that automatically evaluate the authenticity, as well as the denomination, of the cash that is deposited, whether in the form of bills or coins.

Still another object of the invention is to provide such machines that are coupled to the cash accounting system of a bank or other financial institution so that the customer's account can be immediately credited with verified cash deposit amounts.

Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings.

In accordance with the present invention, the foregoing objectives are realized by providing a currency processing machine for receiving and dispensing cash and substantially immediately furnishing an associated cash accounting system with data, including the value of the currency processed, for each transaction. The machine includes a bill dispenser having a bill storage device and controllable transport means for dispensing selected numbers of bills from the storage device, a bill receptacle for receiving stacks of bills to be deposited, and a bill counter and scanner for rapidly removing the bills one at a time from the receptacle and counting the bills while determining the denomination of each bill. The counter and scanner also generates data representing the denomination of each bill, and the number of bills of each denomination, passed through the counter and scanner. A memory receives and stores data representing the number of bills of each denomination passed through the counter and scanner in each transaction, and data representing the total value of the bills passed through the counter and scanner in each transaction. A control system transfers data from the memory to an associated cash accounting system so that the deposits and withdrawals executed at the currency processing machine are entered in the accounting system substantially immediately after the execution of those transactions. The preferred control system checks the genuineness of each bill and coin that is counted, and produces a control signal in response to the detection of a non-genuine bill or coin. The processing of the bill or coin detected to be non-genuine is altered in response to such control signals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1a is a flow chart illustrating the overall operation of the funds processing system;

FIG. 1b is a perspective view of an automatic teller machine embodying the present invention;

FIG. 1c is a diagrammatic side elevation of the machine of FIG. 1a;

FIG. 1d is a more detailed diagrammatic side elevation of the machine of FIG. 1a;

FIG. 1e is a flow chart illustrating the sequential procedure involved in the execution of a bill transaction in the machine of FIG. 1a;

FIG. 1f is a flow chart illustrating the sequential procedure involved in the execution of a coin transaction in the machine of FIG. 1a;

FIG. 1g is a flow chart illustrating one part of the sequential procedure in the allocation and dispensing step of the machine of FIG. 1a;

FIG. 1h is a flow chart illustrating another part of the sequential procedure in the allocation and dispensing step of the machine of FIG. 1a;

FIG. 1i is a flow chart illustrating another part of the sequential procedure in the allocation and dispensing step of the machine of FIG. 1a;

FIG. 2a is a functional block diagram of the currency scanning, sorting and counting subassembly in the machine of FIG. 1b, including a scanhead arranged on each side of a transport path;

FIG. 2b is a functional block diagram of a currency scanning and counting device that includes a scanhead arranged on a single side of a transport path;

FIG. 2c is a functional block diagram of a currency scanning and counting machine similar to that of FIG. 2b, but adapted to feed and scan bills along their wide dimension;

FIG. 2d is a functional block diagram of a currency scanning and counting device similar to those of FIGS. 2a-2c but including a second type of scanhead for detecting a second characteristic of the currency;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective illustration of the successive areas scanned during the traversing movement of a single bill across an optical sensor according to a preferred embodiment of the primary scanhead;

FIGS. 4a and 4b are perspective views of a bill and a preferred area to be optically scanned on the bill;

FIGS. 5a and 5b are diagrammatic side elevation views of the preferred areas to be optically scanned on a bill according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6a is a perspective view of a bill showing the preferred area of a first surface to be scanned by one of the two scanheads employed in the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6b is another perspective view of the bill in FIG. 6a showing the preferred area of a second surface to be scanned by the other of the scanheads employed in the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6c is a side elevation showing the first surface of a bill scanned by an upper scanhead and the second surface of the bill scanned by a lower scanhead;

FIG. 6d is a side elevation showing the first surface of a bill scanned by a lower scanhead and the second surface of the bill scanned by an upper scanhead;

FIGS. 7a and 7b form a block diagram illustrating a preferred circuit arrangement for processing and correlating reflectance data according to the optical sensing and counting technique of this invention;

FIGS. 8a and 8b comprise a flowchart illustrating the sequence of operations involved in implementing a discrimination and authentication system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating the sequential procedure involved in detecting the presence of a bill adjacent the lower scanhead and the borderline on the side of the bill adjacent to the lower scanhead;

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating the sequential procedure involved in detecting the presence of a bill adjacent the upper scanhead and the borderline on the side of the bill adjacent to the upper scanhead;

FIG. 11a is a flow chart illustrating the sequential procedure involved in the analog-to-digital conversion routine associated with the lower scanhead;

FIG. 11b is a flow chart illustrating the sequential procedure involved in the analog-to-digital conversion routine associated with the upper scanhead;

FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating the sequential procedure involved in determining which scanhead is scanning the green side of a U.S. currency bill;

FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating the sequence of operations involved in determining the bill denomination from the correlation results;

FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustrating the sequential procedure involved in decelerating and stopping the bill transport system in the event of an error;

FIG. 15a is a graphical illustration of representative characteristic patterns generated by narrow dimension optical scanning of a $1 currency bill in the forward direction;

FIG. 15b is a graphical illustration of representative characteristic patterns generated by narrow dimension optical scanning of a $2 currency bill in the reverse direction;

FIG. 15c is a graphical illustration of representative characteristic patterns generated by narrow dimension optical scanning of a $100 currency bill in the forward direction;

FIG. 15d is a graph illustrating component patterns generated by scanning old and new $20 bills according a second method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15e is a graph illustrating an pattern for a $20 bill scanned in the forward direction derived by averaging the patterns of FIG. 15d according a second method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 16a-16e are graphical illustrations of the effect produced on correlation pattern by using the progressive shifting technique, according to an embodiment of this invention;

FIGS. 17a-17c are a flowchart illustrating a preferred embodiment of a modified pattern generation method according to the present invention;

FIG. 18a is a flow chart illustrating the sequential procedure involved in the execution of multiple correlations of the scan data from a single bill;

FIG. 18b is a flow chart illustrating a modified sequential procedure of that of FIG. 18a;

FIG. 19a is a flow chart illustrating the sequence of operations involved in determining the bill denomination from the correlation results using data retrieved from the green side of U.S. bills according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 19b and 19c are a flow chart illustrating the sequence of operations involved in determining the bill denomination from the correlation results using data retrieved from the black side of U.S. bills;

FIG. 20a is an enlarged vertical section taken approximately through the center of the machine, but showing the various transport rolls in side elevation;

FIG. 20b is a top plan view of the interior mechanism of the machine of FIG. 1b for transporting bills across the optical scanheads, and also showing the stacking wheels at the front of the machine;

FIG. 21a is an enlarged perspective view of the bill transport mechanism which receives bills from the stripping wheels in the machine of FIG. 1b;

FIG. 21b is a cross-sectional view of the bill transport mechanism depicted in FIG. 21 along line 21b;

FIG. 22 is a side elevation of the machine of FIG. 1b, with the side panel of the housing removed;

FIG. 23 is an enlarged bottom plan view of the lower support member in the machine of FIG. 1b and the passive transport rolls mounted on that member;

FIG. 24 is a sectional view taken across the center of the bottom support member of FIG. 23 across the narrow dimension thereof;

FIG. 25 is an end elevation of the upper support member which includes the upper scanhead in the machine of FIG. 1b, and the sectional view of the lower support member mounted beneath the upper support member;

FIG. 26 is a section taken through the centers of both the upper and lower support members, along the long dimension of the lower support member shown in FIG. 23;

FIG. 27 is a top plan view of the upper support member which includes the upper scanhead;

FIG. 28 is a bottom plan view of the upper support member which includes the upper scanhead;

FIG. 29 is an illustration of the light distribution produced about one of the optical scanheads;

FIGS. 30a and 30b are diagrammatic illustrations of the location of two auxiliary photo sensors relative to a bill passed thereover by the transport and scanning mechanism shown in FIGS. 20a-28;

FIG. 31 is a flow chart illustrating the sequential procedure involved in a ramp-up routine for increasing the transport speed of the bill transport mechanism from zero to top speed;

FIG. 32 is a flow chart illustrating the sequential procedure involved in a ramp-to-slow-speed routine for decreasing the transport speed of the bill transport mechanism from top speed to slow speed;

FIG. 33 is a flow chart illustrating the sequential procedure involved in a ramp-to-zero-speed routine for decreasing the transport speed of the bill transport mechanism to zero;

FIG. 34 is a flow chart illustrating the sequential procedure involved in a pause-after-ramp routine for delaying the feedback loop while the bill transport mechanism changes speeds;

FIG. 35 is a flow chart illustrating the sequential procedure involved in a feedback loop routine for monitoring and stabilizing the transport speed of the bill transport mechanism;

FIG. 36 is a flow chart illustrating the sequential procedure involved in a doubles detection routine for detecting overlapped bills;

FIG. 37 is a flow chart illustrating the sequential procedure involved in a routine for detecting sample data representing dark blemishes on a bill;

FIG. 38 is a flow chart illustrating the sequential procedure involved in a routine for maintaining a desired readhead voltage level;

FIG. 39 is a top view of a bill and size determining sensors according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 40 is a top view of a bill illustrating multiple areas to be optically scanned on a bill according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 41a is a graph illustrating a scanned pattern which is offset from a corresponding master pattern;

FIG. 41b is a graph illustrating the same patterns of FIG. 41a after the scanned pattern is shifted relative to the master pattern;

FIG. 42 is a side elevation of a multiple scanhead arrangement according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 43 is a side elevation of a multiple scanhead arrangement according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 44 is a side elevation of a multiple scanhead arrangement according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 45 is a side elevation of a multiple scanhead arrangement according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 46 is a top view of a staggered scanhead arrangement according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 47a is a top view of a linear array scanhead according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention illustrating a bill being fed in a centered fashion;

FIG. 47b is a side view of a linear array scanhead according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention illustrating a bill being fed in a centered fashion;

FIG. 48 is a top view of a linear array scanhead according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention illustrating a bill being fed in a non-centered fashion;

FIG. 49 is a top view of a linear array scanhead according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention illustrating a bill being fed in a skewed fashion;

FIGS. 50a and 50b are a flowchart of the operation of a currency discrimination system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 51 is a top view of a triple scanhead arrangement utilized in a discriminating device able to discriminate both Canadian and German bills according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 52 is a top view of Canadian bill illustrating the areas scanned by the triple scanhead arrangement of FIG. 51 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 53 is a flowchart of the threshold tests utilized in calling the denomination of a Canadian bill according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 54a illustrates the general areas scanned in generating master 10 DM German patterns according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 54b illustrates the general areas scanned in generating master 20 DM, 50 DM, and 100 DM German patterns according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 55 is a flowchart of the threshold tests utilized in calling the denomination of a German bill;

FIG. 56 is a functional block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a document authenticator and discriminator;

FIG. 57 is a functional block diagram illustrating a second embodiment of a document authenticator and discriminator;

FIG. 58a is a side view of a document authenticating system utilizing ultraviolet light;

FIG. 58b is a top view of the system of FIG. 58a along the direction 58b;

FIG. 58c is a top view of the system of FIG. 58a along the direction 58c; and

FIG. 59 is a functional block diagram of the optical and electronic components of the document authenticating system of FIGS. 58a-58c.

FIG. 60 is perspective view of a disc-type coin sorter embodying the present invention, with a top portion thereof broken away to show internal structure;

FIG. 61 is an enlarged horizontal section taken generally along line 61--61 in FIG. 60;

FIG. 62 is an enlarged section taken generally along line 62--62 in FIG. 61, showing the coins in full elevation;

FIG. 63 is an enlarged section taken generally along line 63--63 in FIG. 61, showing in full elevation a nickel registered with an ejection recess;

FIG. 64 is a diagrammatic cross-section of a coin and an improved coin discrimination sensor embodying the invention;

FIG. 65 is a schematic circuit diagram of the coin discrimination sensor of FIG. 64;

FIG. 66 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the coils in the coin discrimination sensor of FIG. 64;

FIG. 67a is a circuit diagram of a detector circuit for use with the discrimination sensor of this invention;

FIG. 67b is a waveform diagram of the input signals supplied to the circuit of FIG. 67a;

FIG. 68 is a perspective view of an outboard shunting device embodying the present invention;

FIG. 69 is a section taken generally along line 69--69 in FIG. 68;

FIG. 70 is a section taken generally along line 70--70 in FIG. 68, showing a movable partition in a nondiverting position; and

FIG. 71 is the same section illustrated in FIG. 70, showing the movable portion in a diverting position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

The general operation of the funds processing system is illustrated in FIG. 1a. The customer conducts a transaction at step 10a. The transaction step 10a consists of conducting a coin transaction, bill transaction, a storage media transaction, or a transaction with a financial account, all of which are described in greater detail below. By "coin", it is meant to include not only conventional coin such as quarters, but also other coin-like media such as tokens. By "bill", it is meant to include not only conventional currency such as $1 bills, but also paper media such as checks or various forms of customer script. By a storage media transaction, it is meant to include a transaction which deposits funds from all forms of storage media including all forms of magnetic storage media (e.g., smart cards, debit cards), all forms of optical storage media (e.g., CD disks) and all forms of solid state storage media. Stored on the media is an amount indicating an amount of funds. By an account transaction, it is meant to include depositing money directly from a credit card account, savings account, checking account, store account, or any other similar arrangement.

After the transaction is completed, the amount deposited in the transaction is stored at step 10b, for later use. The values are preferably stored in a computer memory. Next, at step 10c, the customer distributes the deposited amount stored in step 10b. Step 10c is also described in greater detail below and can, for example, consist of receiving the deposited amount in the form of bills, allocating it to a savings account, or receiving part of the deposit back in bills and the remainder in a bank savings account. At step 10d, the customer is given the choice of conducting a new transaction. If the answer is affirmative, the system returns to step 10a which is described above. If the customer answers in the negative, then the machine stops.

Referring now to FIGs. 1b, 1c and 1d, there is shown a funds processing system having a bill deposit receptacle 1 as well as a bill withdrawal or return slot 2. The system has a slot 3 for receiving a customer's identification card so that the data on the card can be automatically read by a media reader. This media reader would be capable of reading from or writing to various types of media which use a variety of information storage technologies such as magnetic storage media, solid state memory devices, and optical devices. A video display 4 provides the customer with a menu of options, and also prompts the customer to carry out the various actions required to execute a transaction, including the use of a keypad 5. The keypad can be attached or remotely operated.

The illustrative funds processing system also has a coin deposit receptacle 6 and a coin return pocket 7. The deposit receptacles 1 and 6 are normally retracted within the machine but are advanced to their open positions (shown in FIG. 1b) when a customer initiates a transaction. Bills and coins can then be deposited by the customer into the deposit receptacles 1 and 6, respectively. The receptacles also include trays (not shown) for removing foreign objects and liquids placed into the receptacles.

After the customer has placed a stack of bills into the receptacle 1, the customer is prompted to push that receptacle into the machine, to its retracted position. This inward movement of the receptacle 1 positions the stack of bills at the feed station of a bill scanning, sorting, and counting module 8 which automatically feeds, counts, scans, authenticates, and sorts the bills one at a time at a high speed (e.g., at least 350 bills per minute). The bills that are recognized by the scanning, sorting, and counting module 8 are delivered to a conventional currency canister 9 (FIG. 1d) which is periodically removed from the machine and replaced with an empty canister. When a bill cannot be recognized by the scanning module, a diverter 10 is actuated to divert the unidentified bill to the return slot 2 so that it can be removed from the machine by the customer. Alternatively, unrecognizable bills can be diverted to a separate currency canister rather than being returned to the customer. Bills that are detected to be counterfeit are treated in the same manner as unrecognizable bills. This module may be housed in a bank-rated vault.

Though not shown in FIGs. 1b-1d, the bill transport system may also include an escrow holding area where the bills being processed in a pending deposit transaction are held until the transaction is complete. Then if the declared balance entered by the customer does not agree with the amount verified by the machine, the entire stack of bills can be returned to the customer. If desired, this decision can be controlled by the customer via the keypad.

When coins are deposited by the customer in the receptacle 6, the customer again is prompted to push that receptacle into the machine. This causes the coins to be fed into the receiving hopper of a coin-sorting and counting module 11 which physically separates the coins by size (denomination) while separately counting the number of coins of each denomination in each separate transaction. The module 11 also includes a coin discriminator which detects coins that are counterfeit or otherwise non-genuine. These unacceptable coins are discharged from the sorter at a common exit, and the coins from that exit are guided by a tube 12 to the coin return slot 7. This module may also be housed in a bank-rated vault. The coin system may also include a escrow holding area as described below.

The funds processing system also preferably includes a conventional loose currency dispensing module 13 for dispensing loose bills, and/or a strapped currency dispensing module 14 for dispensing strapped currency, into a receptacle 15 at the front of the machine, in response to a withdrawal transaction. If desired, a loose coin dispensing module 16 and/or a rolled coin dispensing module 17, may also be included for dispensing coins via the coin return pocket 7. Additional modules that may be included in the system are modules for verifying and accepting checks, food stamps, tokens and/or tickets containing bar codes, smart cards, and other forms of customer script.

As will be described in more detail below, each of the modules 8 and 11 accumulates data representing both the number and the value of each separate currency item processed by these modules in each separate transaction. At the end of each transaction, this data and the account number for the transaction may be downloaded to an associated cash accounting system by a modem link, so that the customer's account can be immediately adjusted to reflect both the deposits and the withdrawals effected by the current transaction. Alternatively, the data from the currency-processing modules and the media reader can be temporarily stored within a temporary memory within the system, so that the data can be downloaded at intervals controlled by the computing system on which the cash accounting system is run.

The details of conducting a bill transaction are illustrated in FIG. 1e. The customer loads mixed bills at step 11a into the machine. This can be accomplished, as discussed above, by placing the bills in receptacle 1 on the machine. Next, still at step 11a, the customer initiates the processing of the bills. This can be accomplished, for example, by having the customer press a start button on the machine or use video screen 4 and keyboard 5, as discussed above, to initiate a transaction.

If receptacle 1 is used together with video screen 4 and keyboard 5, the machine can prompt the customer via a message on video screen 4, to push receptacle 6 into the machine, to its retracted position or the machine will automatically retract. The inward movement of the receptacle places the bills in the machine which automatically feeds, counts, scans, and authenticates the bills one at a time at a high speed (e.g., at least 350 bills per minute).

The machine attempts to identify a bill at step 11b. If step 11b fails to identify the bill, several alternatives are possible depending upon the exact implementation chosen for the machine. For example, if it fails to identify the bill, the system can use two canisters and place an unidentified bill in a "no read" currency canister. Alternatively, at step 11d, the machine can be stopped so that the customer can remove the "no read" bill immediately. In this alternative, if a bill can not be recognized by the machine, the unidentified bill is diverted, for example, to a return slot so that it can be removed from the machine by the customer. After completing these steps, the system returns to step 11b to identify the other loaded bills.

In the event that the customer wishes to deposit "no read" bills that are returned to the customer, the customer may key in the value and number of such bills and deposit them in an envelope for later verification. A message on the display screen may advise the customer of this option. For example, if four $10 bills are returned, then re-deposited by the customer in an envelope, the customer may press a "$10" key four times. The customer then receives immediate credit for all the bills denominated and authenticated by the scanner. Credit for re-deposited "no read" bills is given only after a bank picks up the envelope and manually verifies the amount. Alternatively, at least preferred customers can be given full credit immediately, subject to later verification, or immediate credit can be given up to a certain dollar limit. In the case of counterfeit bills that are not returned to the customer, the customer can be notified of the detection of a counterfeit suspect at the machine or later by a written notice or personal call, depending upon the preferences of the financial institution.

If step 11b identifies the bill, next, at step 11e, the machine attempts to authenticate the currency to determine if the bill is genuine. The authentication process is described in greater detail below. If the bill is not genuine, then the system proceeds to one of three steps depending upon which option a customer chooses for their machine. At step 11f, the system may continue operation and identify the suspect currency in the stack. In this alternative, a single canister is used for all bills, regardless of whether they are verified bills, no reads, or counterfeit suspects. On the other hand, at step 11g the machine may outsort the currency, for example, to a reject bin. The machine may also return the suspect currency at step 11h directly to the customer. This is accomplished by diverting the bill to the return slot. Also, the machine maintains a count of the total number of counterfeit bills. If this total reaches a certain threshold value, the operator of the machine will be alerted. This may be accomplished, for example, by turning on a light on the machine.

As mentioned above, the system may use a single canister to hold the currency. If a single canister system is used, then the various bills are identified within the single canister by placing different colored markers at the top of different bills. These bills are inserted into the bill transport path so they follow the respective bills to be inserted into the canister. Specifically, a first marker, e.g., a marker of a first color, is inserted to indicate the bill is a counterfeit suspect that is not to be returned to the customer. A second type of marker, e.g., a marker of a second color, can be inserted to indicate that the bill is a counterfeit suspect. A third type of marker, e.g., of a third color, is inserted to indicate that a marked batch of bills represents a deposit whose verified amount did not agree with the customer's declared balance. Because this third type of marker identifies a batch of bills instead of a single bill, it is necessary to insert a marker at both the beginning and end of a marked batch.

If the currency is authenticated, the total count B.sub.total and bin count B.sub.counti (where "i" is the "ith" bin) are incremented at step 11i. The total count B.sub.total is used by the machine to establish the amount deposited by the customer and the bin counts are used to determine the amount of bills in a particular bin.

The machine then determines whether sorting is required at step 11j. If the answer is affirmative, then the currency is sorted by denomination at step 11k. Rather than using single or double bins, as described above, this option includes a bin for each denomination. Sorting is accomplished by bill scanning, sorting, and counting module 8 which sorts the bills placing each denomination in a specific bin. The sorting algorithm used can be any that is well known in the art.

After sorting at step 11k or if the answer to step 11j is negative, the machine proceeds to step 11l. At step 11l, the machine tests if the currency bin in use is full. That is, the machine compares B.sub.counti to the maximum allowed gfor a bin. If it is full, at step 11m, the machine determines if there is an empty currency bin. If there is no empty currency bin available, at step 11m, the machine stops. The currency is emptied at step 11n. If an empty currency bin exists, the machine switches to the empty bin and places the bill into that bin at step 11p.

At step 11o, the system determines when the last bill in the deposited stack of bills has been counted. If counting is complete, the machine is stopped at step 11q.

The bill transport system may also include an escrow holding area where the bills being processed in a pending deposit transaction are held until the transaction is complete. Thus, from step 11q, the system proceeds to step 11s, to determine if escrow has been enabled. If escrow has not been enabled, the count of the machine is accepted at step 11u and the total amount B.sub.total is posted to the customer at step 11v. If escrow has been enabled, at step 11r, the customer is given the choice of accepting the count. If the customer decides not to accept the count, at step 11t, the currency is returned to the customer. From step 11t, the machine proceeds to step 11a where the customer is given another chance of counting the currency. If the customer decides to accept the count at step 11r, the machine proceeds to step 11u where the count is accepted and step 11v where the total count is displayed to the customer. At this point, the bill counting transaction is complete. The customer next proceeds to step 10c in FIG. 1a to allocate the amount deposited in the bill transaction.

A coin transaction is described in greater detail in FIG. 1f. As shown, a customer loads mixed coins into the system at step 12a. The coins are sorted, authenticated, and bagged one at a time. At step 12b, the machine sorts the coin. The sorting process is described in greater detail below. At step 12c, the machine determines if the coin is authentic. This process is also described in greater detail below. If the coin is not authentic, the machine outsorts the coin to a reject bin at step 12d and then proceeds to step 12i and determines if counting and sorting is complete.

If the coin is authentic, the coin count C.sub.total and bag count C.sub.bagi (where "i" represents the "ith" bag) is incremented by one at step 12e. The system count C.sub.total represents the total value of the coins deposited while the bag count represents the number of coins in a bag. After sorting and authenticating the coin, the system attempts to place the coin in a bag at step 12h. All coins can be placed in one bag or one bag per denomination can be used. At step 12h, the system checks to see if the limit of the bag has been reached. That is, the system compares C.sub.bagi to the predetermined limit for a bag. If the limit has been reached for the bag in current use (e.g., bag A), the machine next checks to see if another bag (e.g., bag B) is full at step 12f. If bag B is full, the machine is stopped and an operator empties the bag at step 12g. If the other bag (e.g., bag B) is not full, then at step 12i the machine switches to this bag and the coin is placed there. The machine then proceeds to step 12j where a test is performed to determine if counting is complete.

At step 12j, the machine determines if sorting is complete. This is accomplished by sensing whether there are additional coins to sort in the coin bin. If sorting is not complete, the system continues at step 12b by counting and sorting the next coin.

If sorting has been completed, at step 12k the machine checks whether the escrow option has been enabled. If it has, at step 121, the machine asks the customer whether they wish to accept the count. If the customer replies in the affirmative, at step 12m the machine accepts the count C.sub.total and posts the total to the customer. If the customer replies with a negative answer at step 12l, then the machine returns the coins to the customer at step 12n and the counting is complete.

If escrow has not been enabled, the machine checks at step 12o to see if stop has been pressed. If it has, the machine stops. If stop has not been pressed, then the machine waits for a certain period of time to time out at step 12p and stops when this time period has been reached.

As mentioned previously, at step 10c of flowchart 1a, the customer allocates the amount deposited, whether the amount deposited is in the form of bills or coin. This step is illustrated in detail in FIGS. 1g, 1h, and 1i.

The machine inputs the funds at step 15k and sets S.sub.total (the total funds to be allocated) equal to either C.sub.total or B.sub.total at step 15l. The customer has the choice of adding more funds at step 15m. If the answer is affirmative, more funds are added. This process is described in detail below. If the answer is negative, the machine proceeds to step 13a with the customer selecting the amount and destination for the distribution of funds. The customer is prompted by video screen 4 to make these selections and can use, for example, a keypad 5 to make the choices.

The customer then has several options for distribution destinations. The customer can choose to proceed to step 13b where an amount is transferred onto a some storage media, for example, a smart card, and the storage media is automatically dispensed to the customer. Another option, at step 13c, is to have an amount distributed to a customer account, for example, an account in a grocery store. Another choice is to distribute an amount in the form of loose currency to the customer at step 13d or loose coin at step 13e. The customer can also choose to distribute the amount to creditors at step 13f or make payment of fees to creditors at step 13g. The customer might make payment of fees to financial institutions at step 13h. These could include mortgage payments, for example. The customer can choose to add the amount to some form of storage media, for example, a smart card, at step 13i. The customer might also choose to dispense strapped currency at step 13j, rolled coin at step 13k, or in the form of tokens, coupons, or customer script at step 13l.

For some of the distribution selections, e.g. distribution of loose bills, the customer may wish to have certain denominations returned to him or may wish to accept a machine allocation. For example, the customer may choose to allocate a $100 deposit as four $20 bills, one $10 bill, and two $5 bills rather than accepting the default machine allocation. Those distributions where the customer has a choice of allocating the deposit themselves or accepting a machine allocation, follow path A. If the machine proceeds via path A, at step 14a the customer is asked whether they wish to allocate the amount. If the answer is affirmative, the customer will then decide the allocation at step 14c. However, if the answer at step 14a is negative, then the machine decides the allocation at step 14b. Machine allocation is appropriate for dispensing all forms of bills, coins, tokens, coupons, customer script and to storage media.

On the other hand, some distributions, e.g. deposits to bank accounts, require the customer to allocate the deposit. For example, for a $500 deposit, a customer may allocate $250 to a savings account and $250 to a checking account. Those distributions where the customer is required to allocate the amount deposited follow path B. If the machine proceeds via path B, at step 14c the customer decides the allocation. The machine then continues at step 14c.

After steps 14c or 14d, the machine proceeds to step 14d where the amount distributed is subtracted from the total amount deposited. At step 14e, the machine determines whether there is anything left to distribute after the subtraction. If the answer is affirmative, the machine proceeds to step 13a where the customer again decides a place to distribute the amount allocated.

At step 14f, the customer decides whether they wish to close the transaction. If they do, the transaction is closed. The closing completes step 10c of FIG. 1a. On the other hand, they may not wish to end the transaction. For example, they may wish to add more cash, coins, or credit from other sources. If this is the case, the machine proceeds to step 15a of FIG. 1i.

At step 15a, the customer decides which additional source of funds is to be used. The customer could choose, at step 15b, to withdraw funds from a credit line, for example, from a credit card or bank. The customer could choose to deposit more coins at step 15c or more bills at step 15d. These steps were discussed above. The customer could also choose to write a check and have this scanned in at step 15e, take a value from a form of storage media, for example, a smart card, at step 15f, add values from food stamps at step 15g, count credit card slips at step 15h or coupon slips at step 15i, or withdraw from a customer account at step 15j.

At step 15k, these additional funds are input into the system. For example, the algorithm illustrated in FIG. 1e is used to input an amount of additional funds from newly deposited bills and the algorithm of FIG. 1f is used to input additional value for newly deposited coin. At step 15l, this amount is added to the total amount of funds. At step 15m, the customer is given the choice of adding more funds. If the answer is affirmative, the system returns to step 15a where the customer declares the source of additional funds. If the answer is negative, the machine returns to step 13a in FIG. 1g where the customer is again asked to determine the distribution of the funds. The machine then proceeds as described above.

As described above, the customer can initiate a transaction by directly depositing funds from some form of storage media including all forms of magnetic, optical, and solid-state media. In the case of a storage media transaction, the customer may insert their media into a media reader so that it may be read. The machine then may prompt the user for the amount to be removed from the media and distributed to other sources. Conversely, the machine might remove all the funds available from the media. In any case, once the deposit amount has been removed from the media, the machine proceeds to step 15k in FIG. 1i. The remaining steps are the same as described above.

Also as described above, the customer can initiate a transaction by depositing funds from an outside source. By outside source, it is meant to include a credit card account, bank account, store account, or other similar accounts. The customer may initiate a transaction by using the keyboard to enter account information, such as the account number and PIN number to access the account. The customer might also initiate the transaction by moving an account identification card through a media reader, then using the keyboard to enter other data such as the amount to be withdrawn from the account. Then, the system proceeds to step 15k of FIG. 1i. The remaining steps are described are the same as described above.

As described above, the funds processing system has the advantage of being able to accept mixed denominations of currency and coin. Furthermore, the system processes the received deposit substantially immediately. In other words, the customer does not have to wait for a long period of time while the deposit is verified as occurs in typical ATM systems. Also, the system is capable of depositing the received amount amongst remote locations and currency to the user. Finally, the system has the advantage of allowing the user to supplement a deposit with additional amounts from remote accounting systems.

As will be described in more detail below, each of the modules 8 and 11 accumulates data representing both the number and the value of each separate currency item processed by these modules in each separate transaction. At the end of each transaction, this data and the account number for the transaction are downloaded to an associated cash accounting system by a modem link, so that the customer's account can be immediately adjusted to reflect both the deposits and the withdrawals effected by the current transaction. Alternatively, the data from the currency-processing modules and the media reader can be temporarily stored within a temporary memory within the system, so that the data can be downloaded at intervals controlled by the computing system on which the cash accounting system is run.

The machine may also have a "verify mode" in which it simply denominates and totals all the currency (bills and/or coins) deposited by the customer and returns it all to the customer. If the customer agrees with the amount and wishes to proceed with an actual deposit, the customer selects the "deposit mode" and re-deposits the same batch of currency in the machine. Alternatively, the "verify mode" may hold the initially deposited currency in an escrow area until the customer decides whether to proceed with an actual deposit.

In the event that the machine jams or otherwise malfunctions while currency is being processed, the message display screen advises the customer of the number and value of the currency items processed prior to the jam. The customer is instructed to retrieve the currency not yet processed and to manually deposit it in a sealed envelope which is then deposited into the machine for subsequent verification. The machine malfunction is automatically reported via modem to the home office.

Referring now to FIG. 2a, there is shown a preferred embodiment of a currency scanning, sorting, and counting module 8. The module 8 includes a bill accepting station 12 for receiving stacks of currency bills from the deposit receptacle 1. A feed mechanism functions to pick out or separate one bill at a time for transfer to a bill transport mechanism 16 (FIG. 2a) which transports each bill along a precisely predetermined transport path, between a pair of scanheads 18a, 18b where the denomination of the bill is identified. In the preferred embodiment, bills are scanned and identified at a rate in excess of 350 bills per minute. In the preferred embodiment depicted, each scanhead 18a, 18b is an optical scanhead that scans for characteristic information from a scanned bill 17 which is used to identify the denomination of the bill. The scanned bill 17 is then transported to a cassette or bill stacking station 20 where bills so processed are stacked for subsequent removal. The bills are stacked such that they are sorted by denomination at the stacking station 20.

Each optical scanhead 18a, 18b preferably comprises a pair of light sources 22 directing light onto the bill transport path so as to illuminate a substantially rectangular light strip 24 upon a currency bill 17 positioned on the transport path adjacent the scanhead 18. Light reflected off the illuminated strip 24 is sensed by a photodetector 26 positioned between the two light sources. The analog output of the photodetector 26 is converted into a digital signal by means of an analog-to-digital (ADC) converter unit 28 whose output is fed as a digital input to a central processing unit (CPU) 30.

While the scanheads 18a, 18b of FIG. 2a are optical scanheads, it should be understood that the scanheads and the signal processing system may be designed to detect a variety of characteristic information from currency bills. Additionally, the scanheads may employ a variety of detection means such as magnetic, optical, electrical conductivity, and capacitive sensors. Use of such sensors is discussed in more detail below (see, e.g., FIG. 2d).

Referring again to FIG. 2a, the bill transport path is defined in such a way that the transport mechanism 16 moves currency bills with the narrow dimension of the bills being parallel to the transport path and the scan direction. Alternatively, the system may be designed to scan bills along their long dimension or along a skewed dimension. As a bill 17 traverses the scanheads 18a, 18b, the coherent light strip 24 effectively scans the bill across the narrow dimension of the bill. In the preferred embodiment depicted, the transport path is so arranged that a currency bill 17 is scanned across a central section of the bill along its narrow dimension, as shown in FIG. 2a. Each scanhead functions to detect light reflected from the bill as it moves across the illuminated light strip 24 and to provide an analog representation of the variation in reflected light, which, in turn, represents the variation in the dark and light content of the printed pattern or indicia on the surface of the bill. This variation in light reflected from the narrow-dimension scanning of the bills serves as a measure for distinguishing, with a high degree of confidence, among a plurality of currency denominations which the system is programmed to handle.

A series of such detected reflectance signals are obtained across the narrow dimension of the bill, or across a selected segment thereof, and the resulting analog signals are digitized under control of the CPU 30 to yield a fixed number of digital reflectance data samples. The data samples are then subjected to a normalizing routine for processing the sampled data for improved correlation and for smoothing out variations due to "contrast" fluctuations in the printed pattern existing on the bill surface. The normalized reflectance data represents a characteristic pattern that is unique for a given bill denomination and provides sufficient distinguishing features among characteristic patterns for different currency denominations.

In order to ensure strict correspondence between reflectance samples obtained by narrow dimension scanning of successive bills, the reflectance sampling process is preferably controlled through the CPU 30 by means of an optical encoder 32 which is linked to the bill transport mechanism 16 and precisely tracks the physical movement of the bill 17 between the scanheads 18a, 18b. More specifically, the optical encoder 32 is linked to the rotary motion of the drive motor which generates the movement imparted to the bill along the transport path. In addition, the mechanics of the feed mechanism ensure that positive contact is maintained between the bill and the transport path, particularly when the bill is being scanned by the scanheads. Under these conditions, the optical encoder 32 is capable of precisely tracking the movement of the bill 17 relative to the light strips 24 generated by the scanheads 18a, 18b by monitoring the rotary motion of the drive motor.

The outputs of the photodetectors 26 are monitored by the CPU 30 to initially detect the presence of the bill adjacent the scanheads and, subsequently, to detect the starting point of the printed pattern on the bill, as represented by the thin borderline 17a which typically encloses the printed indicia on U.S. currency bills. Once the borderline 17a has been detected, the optical encoder 32 is used to control the timing and number of reflectance samples that are obtained from the outputs of the photodetectors 26 as the bill 17 moves across the scanheads.

FIG. 2b illustrates a modified currency scanning and counting device similar to that of FIG. 2a but having a scanhead on only a single side of the transport path.

FIG. 2c illustrates another modified currency scanning and counting device similar to that of FIG. 2b but illustrating feeding and scanning of bills along their wide direction.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2b-2c, the transport mechanism 16 moves currency bills with a preselected one of their two dimensions (narrow or wide) being parallel to the transport path and the scan direction. FIGS. 2b and 4a illustrate bills oriented with their narrow dimension "W" parallel to the direction of movement and scanning, while FIGS. 2c and 4b illustrate bills oriented with their wide dimension "L" parallel to the direction of movement and scanning.

Referring now to FIG. 2d, there is shown a functional block diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment of a currency discriminating and authenticating system. The operation of the system of FIG. 2d is the same as that of FIG. 2a except as modified below. The system includes a bill accepting station 12 where stacks of currency bills that need to be identified, authenticated, and counted are positioned. Accepted bills are acted upon by a bill separating station 14 which functions to pick out or separate one bill at a time for transfer to a bill transport mechanism 16 which transports each bill along a precisely predetermined transport path, across two scanheads 18 and 39 where the currency denomination of the bill is identified and the genuineness of the bill is authenticated. In the preferred embodiment depicted, scanhead 18 is an optical scanhead that scans for a first type of characteristic information from a scanned bill 17 which is used to identify the bill's denomination. A second scanhead 39 scans for a second type of characteristic information from the scanned bill 17. While the illustrated scanheads 18 and 39 are separate and distinct, they may be incorporated into a single scanhead. For example, where the first characteristic sensed is intensity of reflected light and the second characteristic sensed is color, a single optical scanhead having a plurality of detectors, one or more without filters and one or more with colored filters, may be employed (U.S. Pat. No. 4,992,860 incorporated herein by reference). The scanned bill is then transported to a bill stacking station 20 where bills so processed are stacked for subsequent removal.

The optical scanhead 18 of the embodiment depicted in FIG. 2d comprises at least one light source 22 directing a beam of coherent light downwardly onto the bill transport path so as to illuminate a substantially rectangular light strip 24 upon a currency bill 17 positioned on the transport path below the scanhead 18. Light reflected off the illuminated strip 24 is sensed by a photodetector 26 positioned directly above the strip. The analog output of photodetector 26 is converted into a digital signal by means of an analog-to-digital (ADC) converter unit 28 whose output is fed as a digital input to a central processing unit (CPU) 30.

The second scanhead 39 comprises at least one detector 41 for sensing a second type of characteristic information from a bill. The analog output of the detector 41 is converted into a digital signal by means of a second analog-to-digital converter 43 whose output is also fed as a digital input to the central processing unit (CPU) 30.

While the scanhead 18 in the embodiment of FIG. 2d is an optical scanhead, it should be understood that the first and second scanheads 18 and 39 may be designed to detect a variety of characteristic information from currency bills. Additionally these scanheads may employ a variety of detection means such as magnetic or optical sensors. For example, a variety of currency characteristics can be measured using magnetic sensing. These include detection of patterns of changes in magnetic flux (U.S. Pat. No. 3,280,974), patterns of vertical grid lines in the portrait area of bills (U.S. Pat. No. 3,870,629), the presence of a security thread (U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,607), total amount of magnetizable material of a bill (U.S. Pat. No. 4,617,458), patterns from sensing the strength of magnetic fields along a bill (U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,184), and other patterns and counts from scanning different portions of the bill such as the area in which the denomination is written out (U.S. Pat. No. 4,356,473).

With regard to optical sensing, a variety of currency characteristics can be measured such as density (U.S. Pat. No. 4,381,447), color (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,490,846; 3,496,370; 3,480,785), length and thickness (U.S. Pat. No. 4,255,651), the presence of a security thread (U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,607) and holes (U.S. Pat. No. 4,381,447), and other patterns of reflectance and transmission (U.S. Pat. No. 3,496,370; 3,679,314; 3,870,629; 4,179,685). Color detection techniques may employ color filters, colored lamps, and/or dichroic beamsplitters (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,841,358; 4,658,289; 4,716,456; 4,825,246, 4,992,860 and EP 325,364). Prescribed hues or intensities of a given color may be detected. Reflection and/or fluorescence of ultraviolet light may also be used, as described in detail below. Absorption of infrared light may also be used as an authenticating technique.

In addition to magnetic and optical sensing, other techniques of detecting characteristic information of currency include electrical conductivity sensing, capacitive sensing (U.S. Pat. No. 5,122,754 [watermark, security thread]; 3,764,899 [thickness]; 3,815,021 [dielectric properties]; 5,151,607 [security thread]), and mechanical sensing (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,381,447 [limpness]; 4,255,651 [thickness]), and hologram, kinegram and moviegram sensing.

The detection of the borderline 17a realizes improved discrimination efficiency in systems designed to accommodate U.S. currency since the borderline 17a serves as an absolute reference point for initiation of sampling. When the edge of a bill is used as a reference point, relative displacement of sampling points can occur because of the random manner in which the distance from the edge to the borderline 17a varies from bill to bill due to the relatively large range of tolerances permitted during printing and cutting of currency bills. As a result, it becomes difficult to establish direct correspondence between sample points in successive bill scans and the discrimination efficiency is adversely affected. Accordingly, the modified pattern generation method discussed below is useful in discrimination systems designed to accommodate bills other than U.S. currency because many non-U.S. bills lack a borderline around the printed indicia on their bills. Likewise, the modified pattern generation method may be important in discrimination systems designed to accommodate bills other than U.S. currency because the printed indicia of many non-U.S. bills lack sharply defined edges which in turns inhibits using the edge of the printed indicia of a bill as a trigger for the initiation of the scanning process and instead promotes reliance on using the edge of the bill itself as the trigger for the initiation of the scanning process.

The use of the optical encoder 32 for controlling the sampling process relative to the physical movement of a bill 17 across the scanheads 18a, 18b is also advantageous in that the encoder 32 can be used to provide a predetermined delay following detection of the borderline 17a prior to initiation of samples. The encoder delay can be adjusted in such a way that the bill 17 is scanned only across those segments which contain the most distinguishable printed indicia relative to the different currency denominations.

In the case of U.S. currency, for instance, it has been determined that the central, approximately two-inch (approximately 5 cm) portion of currency bills, as scanned across the central section of the narrow dimension of the bill, provides sufficient data for distinguishing among the various U.S. currency denominations. Accordingly, the optical encoder can be used to control the scanning process so that reflectance samples are taken for a set period of time and only after a certain period of time has elapsed after the borderline 17a is detected, thereby restricting the scanning to the desired central portion of the narrow dimension of the bill.

FIGS. 3-5b illustrate the scanning process in more detail. Referring to FIG. 4a, as a bill 17 is advanced in a direction parallel to the narrow edges of the bill, scanning via a slit in the scanhead 18a or 18b is effected along a segment S of the central portion of the bill 17. This segment S begins a fixed distance D inboard of the borderline 17a. As the bill 17 traverses the scanhead, a strip s of the segment S is always illuminated, and the photodetector 26 produces a continuous output signal which is proportional to the intensity of the light reflected from the illuminated strip s at any given instant. This output is sampled at intervals controlled by the encoder, so that the sampling intervals are precisely synchronized with the movement of the bill across the scanhead. FIG. 4b is similar to FIG. 4a but illustrates scanning along the wide dimension of the bill 17.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3, 5a, and 5b, it is preferred that the sampling intervals be selected so that the strips s that are illuminated for successive samples overlap one another. The odd-numbered and even-numbered sample strips have been separated in FIGS. 3, 5a, and 5b to more clearly illustrate this overlap. For example, the first and second strips s1 and s2 overlap each other, the second and third strips s2 and s3 overlap each other, and so on. Each adjacent pair of strips overlap each other. In the illustrative example, this is accomplished by sampling strips that are 0.050 inch (0.127 cm) wide at 0.029 inch (0.074 cm) intervals, along a segment S that is 1.83 inch (4.65 cm) long (64 samples).

FIGS. 6a and 6b illustrate two opposing surfaces of U.S. bills. The printed patterns on the black and green surfaces of the bill are each enclosed by respective thin borderlines B.sub.1 and B.sub.2. As a bill is advanced in a direction parallel to the narrow edges of the bill, scanning via the wide slit of one of the scanheads is effected along a segment S.sub.A of the central portion of the black surface of the bill (FIG. 6a). As previously stated, the orientation of the bill along the transport path determines whether the upper or lower scanhead scans the black surface of the bill. This segment S.sub.A begins a fixed distance D.sub.i inboard of the borderline B.sub.1, which is located a distance W.sub.i from the edge of the bill. The scanning along segment S.sub.A is as described in connection with FIGS. 3, 4a, and 5a.

Similarly, the other of the two scanheads scans a segment S.sub.B of the central portion of the green surface of the bill (FIG. 6b). The orientation of the bill along the transport path determines whether the upper or lower scanhead scans the green surface of the bill. This segment S.sub.B begins a fixed distance D.sub.2 inboard of the border line B.sub.2, which is located a distance W.sub.2 from the edge of the bill. For U.S. currency, the distance W.sub.2 on the green surface is greater than the distance W.sub.1 on the black surface. It is this feature of U.S. currency which permits one to determine the orientation of the bill relative to the upper and lower scanheads 18, thereby permitting one to select only the data samples corresponding to the green surface for correlation to the master characteristic patterns in the EPROM 34. The scanning along segment S.sub.B is as described in connection with FIGS. 3, 4a, and 5a.

FIGS. 6c and 6d are side elevations of FIG. 2a. FIG. 6c shows the first surface of a bill scanned by an upper scanhead and the second surface of the bill scanned by a lower scanhead, while FIG. 6d shows the first surface of a bill scanned by a lower scanhead and the second surface of the bill scanned by an upper scanhead. FIGS. 6c and 6d illustrate the pair of optical scanheads 18a, 18b disposed on opposite sides of the transport path to permit optical scanning of both surfaces of a bill. With respect to United States currency, these opposing surfaces correspond to the black and green surfaces of a bill. One of the optical scanheads 18 (the "upper" scanhead 18a in FIGS. 6c-6d) is positioned above the transport path and illuminates a light strip upon a first surface of the bill, while the other of the optical scanheads 18 (the "lower" scanhead 18b in FIGS. 6c-6d) is positioned below the transport path and illuminates a light strip upon the second surface of the bill. The surface of the bill scanned by each scanhead 18 is determined by the orientation of the bill relative to the scanheads 18. The upper scanhead 18a is located slightly upstream relative to the lower scanhead 18b.

The photodetector of the upper scanhead 18a produces a first analog output corresponding to the first surface of the bill, while the photodetector of the lower scanhead 18b produces a second analog output corresponding to the second surface of the bill. The first and second analog outputs are converted into respective first and second digital outputs by means of respective analog-to-digital (ADC) converter units 28 whose outputs are fed as digital inputs to a central processing unit (CPU) 30. As described in detail below, the CPU 30 uses the sequence of operations illustrated in FIG. 12 to determine which of the first and second hdigital outputs corresponds to the green surface of the bill, and then selects the "green" digital output for subsequent correlation to a series of master characteristic patterns stored in EPROM 34. As explained below, the master characteristic patterns are preferably generated by performing scans on the green surfaces, not black surfaces, of bills of different denominations. According to a preferred embodiment, the analog output corresponding to the black surface of the bill is not used for subsequent correlation.

The optical sensing and correlation technique is based upon using the above process to generate a series of stored intensity signal patterns using genuine bills for each denomination of currency that is to be detected. According to a preferred embodiment, two or four sets of master intensity signal samples are generated and stored within the system memory, preferably in the form of an EPROM 34 (see FIG. 2a), for each detectable currency denomination. According to one preferred embodiment these are sets of master green-surface intensity signal samples. In the case of U.S. currency, the sets of master intensity signal samples for each bill are generated from optical scans, performed on the green surface of the bill and taken along both the "forward" and "reverse" directions relative to the pattern printed on the bill. Alternatively, the optical scanning may be performed on the black side of U.S. currency bills or on either surface of foreign bills. Additionally, the optical scanning may be performed on both sides of a bill.

In adapting this technique to U.S. currency, for example, sets of stored intensity signal samples are generated and stored for seven different denominations of U.S. currency, i.e., $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100. For bills which produce significant pattern changes when shifted slightly to the left or right, such as the $2, the $10 and/or the $100 bills in U.S. currency, it is preferred to store two green-side patterns for each of the "forward" and "reverse" directions, each pair of patterns for the same direction represent two scan areas that are slightly displaced from each other along the long dimension of the bill. Accordingly, a set of 16 [or 18] different green-side master characteristic patterns are stored within the EPROM for subsequent correlation purposes (four master patterns for the $10 bill [or four master patterns for the $10 bill and the $2 bill and/or the $100 bill] and two master patterns for each of the other denominations). The generation of the master patterns is discussed in more detail below. Once the master patterns have been stored, the pattern generated by scanning a bill under test is compared by the CPU 30 with each of the 16 [or 18] master patterns of stored intensity signal samples to generate, for each comparison, a correlation number representing the extent of correlation, i.e., similarity between corresponding ones of the plurality of data samples, for the sets of data being compared.

According to a preferred embodiment, in addition to the above set of 18 original green-side master patterns, five more sets of green-side master patterns are stored in memory. These sets are explained more fully in conjunction with FIGS. 18a and 18b below.

The CPU 30 is programmed to identify the denomination of the scanned bill as corresponding to the set of stored intensity signal samples for which the correlation number resulting from pattern comparison is found to be the highest. In order to preclude the possibility of mischaracterizing the denomination of a scanned bill, as well as to reduce the possibility of spurious notes being identified as belonging to a valid denomination, a bi-level threshold of correlation is used as the basis for making a "positive" call. If a "positive" call can not be made for a scanned bill, an error signal is generated.

According to a preferred embodiment, master patterns are also stored for selected denominations corresponding to scans along the black side of U.S. bills. More particularly, according to a preferred embodiment, multiple blackside master patterns are stored for $20, $50 and $100 bills. For each of these denominations, three master patterns are stored for scans in the forward and reverse directions for a total of six patterns for each denomination. For a given scan direction, black-side master patterns are generated by scanning a corresponding denominated bill along a segment located about the center of the narrow dimension of the bill, a segment slightly displaced (0.2 inches) to the left of center, and a segment slightly displaced (0.2 inches) to the right of center. When the scanned pattern generated from the green side of a test bill fails to sufficiently correlate with one of the green-side master patterns, the scanned pattern generated from the black side of a test bill is then compared to black-side master patterns in some situations as described in more detail below in conjunction with FIGS. 19a-19c.

Using the above sensing and correlation approach, the CPU 30 is programmed to count the number of bills belonging to a particular currency denomination as part of a given set of bills that have been scanned for a given scan batch, and to determine the aggregate total of the currency amount represented by the bills scanned during a scan batch. The CPU 30 is also linked to an output unit 36 (FIGS. 2a and FIG. 2b) which is adapted to provide a display of the number of bills counted, the breakdown of the bills in terms of currency denomination, and the aggregate total of the currency value represented by counted bills. The output unit 36 can also be adapted to provide a print-out of the displayed information in a desired format.

Referring again to the preferred embodiment depicted in FIG. 2d, as a result of the first comparison described above based on the reflected light intensity information retrieved by scanhead 18, the CPU 30 will have either determined the denomination of the scanned bill 17 or determined that the first scanned signal samples fail to sufficiently correlate with any of the sets of stored intensity signal samples in which case an error is generated. Provided that an error has not been generated as a result of this first comparison based on reflected light intensity characteristics, a second comparison is performed. This second comparison is performed based on a second type of characteristic information, such as alternate reflected light properties, similar reflected light properties at alternate locations of a bill, light transmissivity properties, various magnetic properties of a bill, the presence of a security thread embedded within a bill, the color of a bill, the thickness or other dimension of a bill, etc. The second type of characteristic information is retrieved from a scanned bill by the second scanhead 39. The scanning and processing by scanhead 39 may be controlled in a manner similar to that described above with regard to scanhead 18.

In addition to the sets of stored first characteristic information, in this example stored intensity signal samples, the EPROM 34 stores sets of stored second characteristic information for genuine bills of the different denominations which the system 10 is capable of handling. Based on the denomination indicated by the first comparison, the CPU 30 retrieves the set or sets of stored second characteristic data for a genuine bill of the denomination so indicated and compares the retrieved information with the scanned second characteristic information. If sufficient correlation exists between the retrieved information and the scanned information, the CPU 30 verifies the genuineness of the scanned bill 17. Otherwise, the CPU generates an error. While the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2d depicts a single CPU 30 for making comparisons of first and second characteristic information and a single EPROM 34 for storing first and second characteristic information, it is understood that two or more CPUs and/or EPROMs could be used, including one CPU for making first characteristic information comparisons and a second CPU for making second characteristic information comparisons. Using the above sensing and correlation approach, the CPU 30 is programmed to count the number of bills belonging to a particular currency denomination whose genuineness has been verified as part of a given set of bills that have been scanned for a given scan batch, and to determine the aggregate total of the currency amount represented by the bills scanned during a scan batch.

Referring now to FIGS. 7a and 7b, there is shown a representation, in block diagram form, of a preferred circuit arrangement for processing and correlating reflectance data according to the system of this invention. The CPU 30 accepts and processes a variety of input signals including those from the optical encoder 32, the sensor 26 and the erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM) 60. The EPROM 60 has stored within it the correlation program on the basis of which patterns are generated and test patterns compared with stored master programs in order to identify the denomination of test currency. A crystal 40 serves as the time base for the CPU 30, which is also provided with an external reference voltage V.sub.REF 42 on the basis of which peak detection of sensed reflectance data is performed.

According to one embodiment, the CPU 30 also accepts a timer reset signal from a reset unit 44 which, as shown in FIG. 7b, accepts the output voltage from the photodetector 26 and compares it, by means of a threshold detector 44a, relative to a pre-set voltage threshold, typically 5.0 volts, to provide a reset signal which goes "high" when a reflectance value corresponding to the presence of paper is sensed. More specifically, reflectance sampling is based on the premise that no portion of the illuminated light strip (24 in FIG. 2a) is reflected to the photodetector in the absence of a bill positioned below the scanhead. Under these conditions, the output of the photodetector represents a "dark" or "zero" level reading. The photodetector output changes to a "white" reading, typically set to have a value of about 5.0 volts, when the edge of a bill first becomes positioned below the scanhead and falls under the light strip 24. When this occurs, the reset unit 44 provides a "high" signal to the CPU 30 and marks the initiation of the scanning procedure.

The machine-direction dimension, that is, the dimension parallel to the direction of bill movement, of the illuminated strip of light produced by the light sources within the scanhead is set to be relatively small for the initial stage of the scan when the thin borderline is being detected, according to a preferred embodiment. The use of the narrow slit increases the sensitivity with which the reflected light is detected and allows minute variations in the "gray" level reflected off the bill surface to be sensed. This ensures that the thin borderline of the pattern, i.e., the starting point of the printed pattern on the bill, is accurately detected. Once the borderline has been detected, subsequent reflectance sampling is performed on the basis of a relatively wider light strip in order to completely scan across the narrow dimension of the bill and obtain the desired number of samples, at a rapid rate. The use of a wider slit for the actual sampling also smoothes out the output characteristics of the photodetector and realizes the relatively large magnitude of analog voltage which is desirable for accurate representation and processing of the detected reflectance values.

The CPU 30 processes the output of the sensor 26 through a peak detector 50 which essentially functions to sample the sensor output voltage and hold the highest, i.e., peak, voltage value encountered after the detector has been enabled. For U.S. currency, the peak detector is also adapted to define a scaled voltage on the basis of which the printed borderline on the currency bills is detected. The output of the peak detector 50 is fed to a voltage divider 54 which lowers the peak voltage down to a scaled voltage Vs representing a predefined percentage of this peak value. The voltage Vs is based upon the percentage drop in output voltage of the peak detector as it reflects the transition from the "high" reflectance value resulting from the scanning of the unprinted edge portions of a currency bill to the relatively lower "gray" reflectance value resulting when the thin borderline is encountered. Preferably, the scaled voltage Vs is set to be about 70-80 percent of the peak voltage.

The scaled voltage Vs is supplied to a line detector 56 which is also provided with the incoming instantaneous output of the sensor 26. The line detector 56 compares the two voltages at its input side and generates a signal LDET which normally stays "low" and goes "high" when the edge of the bill is scanned. The signal LDET goes "low" when the incoming sensor output reaches the pre-defined percentage of the peak output up to that point, as represented by the voltage Vs. Thus, when the signal LDET goes "low", it is an indication that the borderline of the bill pattern has been detected. At this point, the CPU 30 initiates the actual reflectance sampling under control of the encoder 32, and the desired fixed number of reflectance samples are obtained as the currency bill moves across the illuminated light strip and is scanned along the central section of its narrow dimension.

When master characteristic patterns are being generated, the reflectance samples resulting from the scanning of one or more genuine bills for each denomination are loaded into corresponding designated sections within a system memory 60, which is preferably an EPROM. During currency discrimination, the reflectance values resulting from the scanning of a test bill are sequentially compared, under control of the correlation program stored within the EPROM 60, with the corresponding master characteristic patterns stored within the EPROM 60. A pattern averaging procedure for scanning bills and generating characteristic patterns is described below in connection with FIGS. 15a-15e.

The interrelation between the use of the first and second type of characteristic information can be seen by considering FIGS. 8a and 8b which comprise a flowchart illustrating the sequence of operations involved in implementing a discrimination and authentication system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Upon the initiation of the sequence of operations (step 1748), reflected light intensity information is retrieved from a bill being scanned (step 1750). Similarly, second characteristic information is also retrieved from the bill being scanned (step 1752). Denomination error and second characteristic error flags are cleared (steps 1753 and 1754).

Next the scanned intensity information is compared to each set of stored intensity information corresponding to genuine bills of all denominations the system is programmed to accommodate (step 1758). For each denomination, a correlation number is calculated. The system then, based on the correlation numbers calculated, determines either the denomination of the scanned bill or generates a denomination error by setting the denomination error flag steps 1760 and 1762). In the case where the denomination error flag is set (step 1762), the process is ended (step 1772). Alternatively, if based on this first comparison, the system is able to determine the denomination of the scanned bill, the system proceeds to compare the scanned second characteristic information with the stored second characteristic information corresponding to the denomination determined by the first comparison (step 1764).

For example, if as a result of the first comparison the scanned bill is determined to be a $20 bill, the scanned second characteristic information is compared to the stored second characteristic information corresponding to a genuine $20 bill. In this manner, the system need not make comparisons with stored second characteristic information for the other denominations the system is programmed to accommodate. If based on this second comparison (step 1764) it is determined that the scanned second characteristic information does not sufficiently match that of the stored second characteristic information (step 1766), then a second characteristic error is generated by setting the second characteristic error flag (step 1768) and the process is ended (step 1772). If the second comparison results in a sufficient match between the scanned and stored second characteristic information (step 1766), then the denomination of the scanned bill is indicated (step 1770) and the process is ended (step 1772).

An example of an interrelationship between authentication based on first and second characteristics can be seen by considering Table 1. The denomination determined by optical scanning of a bill is preferably used to facilitate authentication of the bill by magnetic scanning, using the relationship set forth in Table 1.

                  TABLE 1
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             Sensitivity
    Denomination
               1        2      3      4    5
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    $1         200      250    300    375  450
    $2         100      125    150    225  300
    $5         200      250    300    350  400
    $10        100      125    150    200  250
    $20        120      150    180    270  360
    $50        200      250    300    375  450
    $100       100      125    150    250  350
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