Accumulating and strapping apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8925448-B2
Application number	US-201414197351-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 5, 2014
Priority date	Mar 22, 2011
Publication date	Jan 6, 2015
Grant date	Jan 6, 2015

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an accumulating and strapping apparatus includes a first accumulation device configured to accumulate paper sheets, a second accumulation device, a strapping device configured to strap a bundle of the accumulated paper sheets by a tape, a base carrier provided movably up and down among a first position, a second position, and a third position, and a sheet carrier movable on the base carrier. The sheet carrier is configured to receive the accumulated paper sheets from the first accumulation device at the first position of the base carrier, move from a standby position to an advanced position at the third position of the base carrier to transfer the accumulated paper sheets to the strapping device, and move from the standby position to the advanced position at the second position of the base carrier to receive the accumulated paper sheets from the second accumulation device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet handling apparatus comprising:
a main module comprising: a supply unit configured to stack a plurality of paper sheets; a takeout mechanism configured to take out the paper sheets from the supply unit; a conveyance path configured to convey the taken out paper sheets; and an inspection device configured to inspect the conveyed paper sheets; and
an accumulating and strapping module comprising:
a first accumulation device comprising a first temporary accumulation unit and a first impeller accumulation device configured to accumulate paper sheets every predetermined number thereof in the first temporary accumulation unit;
a second accumulation device arranged to obliquely shift from the first accumulation device, and comprising a second temporary accumulation unit and a second impeller accumulation device configured to accumulate the paper sheets every predetermined number thereof in the second temporary accumulation unit;
a strapping device configured to strap a bundle of the accumulated paper sheets by a tape;
a base carrier provided movably up and down among a first position facing a downside of the first accumulation device, a second position facing a side of the second accumulation device, and a third position facing the strapping device; and
a sheet carrier provided on the base carrier movably in a direction intersecting with a moving direction of the base carrier between a standby position located on the base carrier and an advanced position projecting from the base carrier.

2. The sheet handling apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first temporary accumulation unit of the first accumulation device comprises a first shutter on which the paper sheets are accumulated, and the first shutter is configured to open so that the accumulated paper sheets are transferred onto the sheet carrier, when the base carrier is moved to the first position.

3. The sheet handling apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the second accumulation device comprises a second shutter movable between an alignment position wherein the second shutter abuts long sides of the paper sheets accumulated in the second temporary accumulation unit, to align the accumulated paper sheets, and an open position wherein the second shutter allows a passage of the sheet carrier.

4. The sheet handling apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the strapping device comprises a support table configured to support the accumulated paper sheets, a tape feed mechanism configured to feed out the tape in a form of a loop, and a clutching/drawing mechanism configured to clutch the accumulated paper sheets and draw the accumulated paper sheets through the loop-shaped tape.

5. The sheet handling apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the strapping device comprises a discharge mechanism including a feed belt supported by the support table, a pressing member attached to the feed belt and configured to abut ends of the accumulated paper sheets mounted on the support table, and a driving section configured to run the feed belt, and the discharge mechanism is configured to discharge, from the support table, the strapped accumulated paper sheets on the support table.

6. The sheet handling apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the strapping device comprises a cutter provided on the support table to cut the tape, a tape clamper movable between an abutment position to press the tape and a position away from the tape, and a tape catcher configured to clutch and rotate a tip of the tape, when the tape is fed out.

7. The sheet handling apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the strapping device comprises a driving mechanism including a rotary shaft, a plurality of cams attached to the rotary shaft and arranged side by side in an axial direction, and a motor configured to rotate the rotary shaft, and the driving mechanism is configured to synchronously drive the cutter, the tape catcher, and the tape clamper by the plurality of cams.

8. The sheet handling apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a display configured to display processing states of the first accumulation device and the second accumulation device.

9. The sheet handling apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a printing device configured to print information on the tape; and
a control unit configured to store printing information including an operator ID, a date/time, a serial number, assignment information, a bank logo, a manager signature image, and each country language font, and supply, to the printing device, the printing information to be printed on the tape.

10. The sheet handling apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the supply unit comprises a support surface inclined with respect to a vertical direction and a stacking surface substantially perpendicular to the support surface, a plurality of paper sheets being stacked on the stacking surface in such a manner that the paper sheets are inclined along the support surface.

11. The sheet handling apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the inspection device is provided at a position higher than the takeout mechanism in the vertical direction, and
the conveyance path extends upward from the takeout mechanism to the inspection device in a diagonal direction with respect to the vertical direction from a bottom to a top.

12. The sheet handling apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the inspection device is provided diagonally along the conveyance path.

13. The sheet handling apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising:
a foreign matter collection unit provided below a lowermost portion of the conveyance path,
wherein the conveyance path includes a discharge opening for discharging a foreign matter taken out of the conveyance path to the foreign matter collection unit.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Sakoguchi Yoshitaka
• Mukai Kazuhiro
• Shinfuku Takahito

Classifications

• B65B27/08

  Bundling paper sheets, envelopes, bags, newspapers, or other thin flat articles · CPC title

• G07D11/0084 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• B65B13/18

  Details of, or auxiliary devices used in, bundling machines {or bundling tools} · CPC title

• G07D11/50 Primary

  Sorting or counting valuable papers · CPC title

• G07D13/00

  Handling of coins or of valuable papers, characterised by a combination of mechanisms not covered by a single one of groups G07D1/00 - G07D11/00 · CPC title