DEVICE AND METHOD FOR FILLING CONTAINERS WITH VALUE DOCUMENTS, IN PARTICULAR BANKNOTES, AND VALUE DOCUMENT PROCESSING SYSTEM

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device and a method for filling containers with valuable documents, in particular banknotes, as well as a valuable document processing system with such a device.

[0002] In so-called cash centers, such as those at cash transport companies or central banks, where a large number of banknotes are checked, sorted, counted, picked and / or banded, the processed banknotes are often placed in designated containers for storage and / or transport purposes.

[0003] A device for filling containers is known from US patent 2,595,849 A. After filling, the containers are sealed. Both the containers and the lids are stacked and held in place, then removed from the stack for use.

[0004] The object of the present invention is to make the filling of containers with valuable documents, in particular banknotes, more efficient, and in particular uninterrupted.

[0005] This problem is solved by the device, the method, and the document processing system according to the independent claims. The device according to the invention for filling containers with documents of value, in particular banknotes, comprises: a container receiving device configured to receive a stack of containers comprising two or more containers for receiving documents of value; a lid receiving device configured to receive a stack of lids comprising two or more lids for closing the containers; a container removal device configured to remove a container, in particular the bottom container, from the stack of containers; a closing device; and a transport device configured to convey the container removed from the stack of containers to a filling station where the container can be filled with documents of value.and to convey the container filled with valuable documents to the sealing device, which is configured to seal the filled container with a lid taken from the stack of lids. The sealing device may be configured to remove a lid, in particular the bottom lid of the stack of lids, from the stack. However, the removal of the (preferably bottom) lid from the stack of lids can also be carried out by another feature of the device, which is located near the stack of lids for this purpose, in particular at the bottom of the stack. As an alternative to removal from the underside of the stack of lids, the containers or lids can also be automatically removed from the top of the respective stack, which, however, increases the mechanical effort and is disadvantageous for manual refilling of lids or containers.

[0006] The document processing system according to the invention for processing, in particular sorting, counting, and checking, documents of value, especially banknotes, comprises a document processing device configured to dispense processed documents of value into at least one output tray, a device according to the invention for filling containers with documents of value, and a filling device configured to fill a container conveyed to the filling station of the device with the documents of value dispensed in the at least one output tray of the document processing device. The documents of value dispensed into the output tray of the document processing device can be present there as loose stacks of documents of value or in the form of stacks of documents wrapped in bands and / or foil.Stacks of loose or banded and / or foil-wrapped valuables can optionally be used to fill the containers in the device. Preferably, when filling the containers, the valuables are arranged in such a way that one edge of each valuable is on the bottom of the container, i.e., the valuables are arranged upright in the container.

[0007] In the inventive method for filling containers with valuables, in particular banknotes, the bottommost container is preferably removed from a stack of containers comprising two or more containers for holding valuables and transported to a filling station where it is filled with valuables. The container filled with valuables is then transported to a sealing device that seals the container with a lid taken from the stack of lids. The sealing device may, if necessary, also remove the lid used for sealing, in particular the bottommost lid of the stack of lids, from the stack of lids.

[0008] In the preferred embodiment, containers for filling with valuable documents and lids for sealing these containers are provided in stacks, and the bottom container and / or the bottom lid of each stack is removed by a container removal device or sealing device. The individual removed containers are first transported by a transport device to a filling station for filling with valuable documents and from there to the sealing device, where the filled containers are sealed with the individually removed lids.

[0009] The stack of containers is picked up by a container receiving device, and the stack of lids by a lid receiving device. Preferably, both the container and lid receiving devices are configured to be manually or automatically refilled with additional containers or lids, with the newly added containers or lids being placed on top of the respective stack. This ensures that container and lid removal can occur according to the first-in, first-out principle, so that the removal of containers or lids from below is not interrupted by the addition of new containers or lids to the respective stack. This allows for refilling of containers and lids during operation of the device without interrupting the removal, filling, and closing of the containers.

[0010] Overall, the invention thus allows for the efficient filling of containers with valuable documents, especially banknotes.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the containers contained in the container stack received by the container receiving device, and / or the lids contained in the lid stack received by the lid receiving device, are stacked along a stacking direction which, particularly in the area of ​​the container removal or closing device, is essentially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the container transported by the conveying device. The direction of movement is preferably essentially horizontal, and the stacking direction of the containers or lids is essentially vertical. This allows additional containers or lids to be easily added to the corresponding stack from above, while the stack can slide downwards after the removal of the lowest container or lid, for example, by gravity.

[0012] For example, the container removal device is configured so that the container removed from the stack is fed to the transport device by gravity. Alternatively or additionally, the closing device is configured so that the lid removed from the stack of lids is placed on the filled container by gravity. This allows the container to be fed to the transport device reliably and easily, and the lid to be placed on the filled container reliably and easily, particularly without the need for additional, and potentially wear-prone or failure-prone, mechanical devices. Furthermore, this allows the feeding of the container and the placement of the lid to be carried out automatically and without interruption.Alternatively, the container removal device can also be set up in such a way that the container removed from the stack of containers is placed onto the transport device with the help of a lifting element.

[0013] To make the feeding of the container or the placement of the lid even more reliable, the container removal device or the closing device can have one or more guide elements, in particular running essentially along the stacking direction, which are designed to guide the removed container or lid, which falls or slides downwards due to gravity, towards the transport device or onto the filled container.

[0014] In a further preferred embodiment, the closing device comprises a first sliding element configured to move a lid placed on the filled container relative to the container, particularly parallel to the top of the container, from a position in which the lid rests on the container but cannot yet be locked, to a closing position in which the container can be locked with the lid. The container and / or the lid are configured to allow the movement of the lid relative to the container only in a predetermined direction, particularly parallel to the top of the container, so that the lid can be reliably moved into the closing position. For this purpose, the lids and / or containers can, for example, have one or more guides, particularly those running parallel to the top of the container, such as grooves or slots into which a portion of the container or the lid can be inserted.The first sliding element is preferably designed as an eccentrically rotating sliding element, in particular as an eccentrically mounted roller, and is configured to make contact with the lid at a circumferential side surface of the sliding element when rotating about an axis that is essentially perpendicular to a direction defined by the displacement of the lid relative to the container, and to move the lid into the closed position by means of the rotation. These designs enable particularly reliable and time-saving closing of the filled container with the lid.

[0015] In a further preferred embodiment, the closing device has a second sliding element which is configured to lock the lid, which is positioned on the filled container in the closed position, by actuating a locking element located on the lid. The locking element of the lid, which is preferably attached to or integrated into the lid, can be a locking bolt, in particular a rotary bolt. The second sliding element of the closing device can be configured to lock the container by rotating the rotary bolt located on the lid. The second sliding element can be designed as a rotatable sliding element which has an actuating projection extending perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the sliding element, which is configured to interact with the locking bolt on the lid, for example the rotary bolt, when the sliding element rotates.This also makes it possible to close the filled container with the lid in a particularly reliable and time-saving manner.

[0016] In a further preferred embodiment, the closing device has a first support element and a second support element which are arranged on opposite sides of the lids located in the lid stack and are configured to be moved from a starting position of the support elements, in which the support elements are withdrawn from the lid stack, to a support position in which the first and second support elements support the lid stack received by the lid receiving device against gravity.Furthermore, the closing device preferably comprises a first singulation element and a second singulation element, which are arranged on opposite sides of the lids in the lid stack and are configured to be moved from a starting position of the singulation elements, in which the singulation elements are retracted from the lid stack, to a singulation position in which the first and second singulation elements support the lids stacked above the bottom lid against gravity. The closing device is particularly configured to move the first and second support elements from their respective support positions to their respective starting positions when the bottom lid is removed from the lid stack, and preferably simultaneously to move the first and second singulation elements from their respective starting positions to their respective singulation positions.Preferably, the first and second singulation elements slide between the bottom lid of the lid stack and the lids above it. This allows the bottom lid of the lid stack to be removed easily and quickly with very little mechanical effort.

[0017] In a further preferred embodiment, the first support element is mechanically coupled to the first singulation element, and the second support element is mechanically coupled to the second singulation element, such that when the first and second support elements are removed from their support positions to remove the bottommost lid from the lid stack, the mechanical coupling simultaneously moves the first and second singulation elements into the singulation position. Preferably, the mechanical coupling acts as a lever and reliably prevents the simultaneous removal of more than one lid from the lid stack. In particular, the mechanical coupling minimizes the risk of a malfunction of the closing device, in which the lid stack would no longer be held in the lid holding device and the filling of the containers would be interrupted.

[0018] In a further preferred embodiment, the transport device comprises a transport element for conveying the container and at least one lifting element for vertically moving the respective container, wherein the lifting element is arranged, for example, in the area of ​​the container removal device and / or in the area of ​​the filling station and / or in the area of ​​the closing device and is configured to feed the container removed from the container stack to the transport element and to lift it upwards from the transport element or to place the respective container onto the transport element from above. For example, a lifting element is arranged in the area of ​​the filling station and is configured to lift the respective container upwards from the transport element in the area of ​​the filling station and, by lifting it, to position it so that valuable documents can be inserted into the respective container from above using a filling device.Alternatively or additionally, a lifting element is arranged in the area of ​​the sealing device and configured to lift the respective container upwards from the transport element and, by lifting, position it so that the sealing device can close it with a lid. Alternatively or additionally, a lifting element is arranged in the area of ​​the container removal device and configured to support the respective bottommost container at the time it is removed from the stack, lower the removed container, and place it onto the transport element. The transport element is preferably designed as a conveyor belt and / or has a plurality of transport rollers. The lifting element can, for example, be designed as a hydraulically, pneumatically, or electromechanically actuated lifting table.

[0019] Preferably, the at least one lifting element is configured to lift the container in the area of ​​the filling station in such a way that the container is guided by one or more positioning elements of the filling station and positioned, in particular aligned, in a filling position. This allows the container, which is in a defined position in the filling station, to be filled with valuable documents with particular reliability, thereby reducing the risk of a malfunction that would interrupt the filling process.

[0020] Preferably, the closing device also includes one or more positioning elements designed to position, and in particular align, the filled container in a lid-receiving position when lifted by the at least one lifting element. This allows the lid to be reliably and precisely placed on the filled container, moved into the closing position, and / or the closing element on the lid to be actuated, thereby reducing the risk of a malfunction that would interrupt the filling of containers.

[0021] In a further preferred embodiment, the device includes a dispensing unit configured to place the container filled with valuable documents and sealed with its lid at the bottom of a container dispensing stack (at the lowest position of the container dispensing stack), wherein the transport unit is configured to convey the filled and sealed container from the sealing unit to the dispensing unit. This ensures that the filled and sealed containers are reliably stacked according to the first-in, first-out principle and made available for further processing, such as transport. For example, the containers filled with valuable documents can be manually removed from the container dispensing stack. However, the dispensing unit can also be configured to automatically remove the filled containers from the container dispensing stack and, for example,to be made available for manual or automatic removal.

[0022] In a further preferred embodiment, the device includes a container transport device, particularly a transport cart, which can be moved up to the device and docked to it. This transport cart is designed to receive the stack of containers being dispensed. The dispensing device is configured to dispense or transfer the containers, filled with valuables and sealed with their lids, one after the other to the moved or docked container transport device. Preferably, the container transport device, particularly the transport cart, is designed to receive several stacks of containers being dispensed side by side. This allows the valuables contained in the containers to be easily transported and / or stored.

[0023] The container transport device preferably has at least one stacking guide for receiving containers stacked in container dispensing stacks, which are filled with valuable documents and sealed with a lid. Preferably, the container transport device is designed to be open in the area below the at least one stacking guide in such a way that it allows the container transport device to approach the device in such a way that the containers can be transported into the area below the at least one stacking guide by means of transport elements of the device and can be pushed into the at least one stacking guide from below by means of lifting elements of the device.

[0024] In a further preferred embodiment, the device includes a control unit configured to link the identification data of the valuables used to fill the container from the filling station with the container's identification data in a database. The identification data of the valuables is transmitted to the control unit, for example, by the valuables processing device from whose storage compartment the valuables are taken and which processes, in particular checks, the valuables before they are placed in the container. The container's identification data can be, for example, printed on the container in a machine-readable format, such as a sequence of numbers or a barcode, or stored on a wirelessly readable transponder, such as an RFID tag.Preferably, the device includes a reading unit configured to capture the container's identification data, located in the area of ​​the container dispensing device, the filling station, or the sealing device. This allows the valuable documents containing the containers to be easily and reliably identified and / or traced, particularly at a later time, for example, in a warehouse.

[0025] According to the invention, the device has a filling device which has a gripping device and is configured to grip a stack of valuable documents with the gripping device and place them in the container transported to the filling station.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment of the document processing system, the filling device has a gripping device and is configured to grasp a stack of documents issued in at least one output tray with the gripping device and place it in the container transported to the filling station, wherein the documents in the stack of documents may be loose or banded and / or wrapped with foil.

[0027] In both of the aforementioned embodiments of the device or document processing system, the filling unit is preferably designed as a robot or robot arm. In both embodiments, the container can be filled quickly and precisely with valuable documents, which are then dispensed by the document processing device, for example, in a loose stack, banded, or packaged.

[0028] Further advantages, features and applications of the present invention will become apparent from the following description in conjunction with the figures. The figures show: Fig. 1 is an example of a system for processing valuable documents with a device for filling containers; Fig. 2 is an example to illustrate the removal of a lid from a stack of lids; Fig. 3 is an example of a closing device; and Fig. 4 is an example of a container transport device.

[0029] Figure 1Figure 1 shows an example of a system 100 for processing, in particular sorting, counting, and / or checking, valuable documents 2, especially banknotes. The system comprises a valuable document processing device 30, a device 1 for filling containers 3 with valuable documents 2, and a filling unit 41. In the device 1, individual containers 3 are provided at a filling station 40, where they can be filled with valuable documents 2 processed by the valuable document processing device 30 using the filling unit 41. The filled containers are then sealed with a lid and finally dispensed. This is explained in more detail below.

[0030] The device 1 particularly includes a container receiving device 4, which is configured to receive a stack of containers 5. The containers 3 are preferably designed, in particular shaped, such that they can be stacked on top of each other. For example, the containers can have features on their underside, such as ribs, which, when stacked on top of each other, engage in corresponding recesses on the top or opening of the containers 3, so that the stack of containers 5 is stable and the containers 3 are aligned relative to each other within the stack of containers 5.

[0031] In the example shown, the container receiving device 4 is formed by container guides 4a, which guide and support or hold the lowest container 3 of the container stack 5. Thus, further containers 3 can be added to the container stack 5 by a user, particularly even during operation of the device 1, by simply placing them on top of the container stack 5.

[0032] In the area of ​​the container guides 4a, a container removal device 6 is arranged, which is configured to remove the lowest container 3 of the container stack 5 from the stack. The container removal device 6 can, for example, have holding elements that support the lowest container 3 of the stack against gravity. When the lowest container 3 is removed from the container stack 5, the holding elements are pivoted such that the lowest container 3 is released and can slide out of the container receiving device 4 and / or be lowered downwards with the aid of a lifting element 9.

[0033] The device 1 further comprises a transport unit 7, which includes a transport element 8 and several lifting elements 9 and is configured to transport the container 3 removed from the container stack 5 to the filling station 40. In the example shown, the transport element 8 is formed by several conveyor belts on which the containers 3 are placed and can be moved to the right and left in a substantially horizontal direction from the container removal device 6. The lifting elements 9 are preferably designed as hydraulically, pneumatically, or electromechanically actuated lifting tables, which can lift the containers 3 from the transport element 8 or place them onto it.For example, the container 3, transported from the container removal device 6 to the filling station 40, is lifted from the transport element 8 by a lifting element 9 and positioned in a filling position by positioning elements of the filling device 41, such as guide rails.

[0034] The filling device 41 can, for example, be designed as a robot or robot arm and has a gripping device 42, which is configured to grip several valuable documents 2, in particular a stack of loose or banded and / or foil-wrapped valuable documents 2. Using the gripping device 42, the processed valuable documents 2 dispensed from an output tray 31 of the valuable document processing device 30 are removed from the output tray 31 and placed in the container 3 positioned in the filling position. As soon as the container is completely or partially filled with valuable documents, the filled container 3 is placed back onto the transport element 8 by the lifting element 9 and conveyed by the latter to a sealing device 10.

[0035] The closing device 10 is arranged in the area of ​​a lid receiving device 11 of the device 1 and is configured to remove the lowest lid 12 from a stack of lids 13, which is held by the lid receiving device 11, and thus to close the filled container 3. This is done in connection with Figure 2 More details below.

[0036] In this example, the lid receiving device 11 has lid alignment elements 11a, which are designed to align the lids 12 in the lid stack 13 relative to one another and, as they slide down, to guide them by gravity towards the closing device 10. A user can add further lids 12 to the lid stack 13 at any time, in particular also during operation of the device 1, by simply inserting them at the upper end of the lid receiving device 11 and / or placing them on the upper end of the lid stack 13.

[0037] The lids 12 are preferably designed, and in particular shaped, such that they can be stacked stably and precisely on top of one another. For example, the lids 12 have coordinated protrusions or recesses, such as ribs, on their upper and lower surfaces, which interlock when stacked and enable space-saving stacking, in which, for example, each lid 12 occupies only about 10 mm of stack height, and a predetermined orientation of the lids 12 relative to each other. If a lid is in the wrong orientation within the stack, this is immediately noticeable to an operator, as the stack will then shift at that point and become less stable.

[0038] The filled and sealed containers 3 are conveyed by the transport element 8 to a dispensing device 14, which is configured to dispense the containers 3 into a container dispensing stack 15. The dispensing device 14 preferably has locking elements 14a that support the container 3, which has been lifted upwards by a lifting element 9 from the transport element 8, against gravity, so that the container 3 remains in the dispensing device 14 when the lifting element 9 moves downwards back towards the transport element 8. The locking elements 14a are configured so that a container 3 approaching the container dispensing stack 15 can be pushed through the locking elements 14a from bottom to top, but the container dispensing stack 15 above it is supported against gravity by the locking elements 14a. At least two locking elements 14a are required for each container dispensing stack 15, e.g.Four locking elements 14a are present on opposite sides of the container output stack 15. An example of such locking elements 14a is shown in . Fig. 4 shown.

[0039] In this way, the dispensing device 14 can add further filled and sealed containers 3 from below to the container dispensing stack 15, so that the containers 3 or the valuable documents 2 contained in them can be removed from the top of the container dispensing stack 15 in the order of processing by the valuable document processing device 30.

[0040] The device 1 preferably includes a control unit 27, which is configured to link identification data of the security documents 2, which were processed by the security document processing device 30 and filled into the containers 3 at the filling station 40, with identification data of the respective containers 3 in a database (not shown). For this purpose, the control unit 27 is connected to the security document processing device 30 via a suitable data connection (wireless or wired), through which the identification data, for example serial numbers or an identification of the depositor of the respective security document batch or the depositor of the respective security document batch, of the security documents 2 issued in the output tray 31 are transmitted to the control unit 27.The identification data of the containers 3, for example identification numbers, can be sensorily detected, for example, when the lowest container 3 is removed from the container stack 5 at the container removal device 4 or when the containers 3 are positioned in the filling position at the filling station 40, for example by reading a barcode or RFID tag attached to the containers 3 using a reading device that is connected to the control unit 27.

[0041] The database can preferably be part of a cash center, so that specific securities 2, e.g., securities belonging to a particular deposit, can be easily identified and / or located by assigning them to the respective container 3. Alternatively or additionally, the identification data of the securities 2 can also be stored on a readable and writable chip attached to the respective container 3.

[0042] Figure 2Figure 1 shows an example illustrating the removal of the bottommost lid 12 from a stack of lids 13 in the sealing device 10, which has a first support element 16a and a second support element 16b, as well as a first singulation element 17a and a second singulation element 17b. When the bottommost lid 12 is removed from the stack of lids 13, the container 3 filled with valuable documents is moved by a lifting element 9 into a lid-receiving position. Positioning elements 18 of the sealing device 10 enable precise positioning or alignment of the filled container 3 under the stack of lids 13 or the sealing device 10.

[0043] In Figure 2aFigure 1 shows how the bottom cover 12 of the cover stack 13, and thus the entire cover stack 13, is supported against gravity by the first and second support elements 16a, 16b. To remove the bottom cover 12, the first and second support elements 16a, 16b are moved out of the support position, and simultaneously the first and second singulation elements 17a, 17b are moved into a singulation position, i.e., inserted between the bottom cover 12 of the cover stack 13 and the cover 12 above it. This is shown in Figure 1. Figure 2bThe movements of the support elements 16a, 16b out of the support position and the movements of the singulation elements 17a, 17b into the singulation position are preferably performed synchronously. For this purpose, in the example shown, the first support element 16a is mechanically coupled to the first singulation element 17a via a first coupling element 19a. Similarly, the second support element 16b is mechanically coupled to the second singulation element 17b via a second coupling element 19b. By pivoting the coupling elements 19a, 19b, the support elements 16a, 16b and the singulation elements 17a, 17b can thus be moved in opposite directions.

[0044] In Figure 2cThe support elements 16a, 16b have released the lowest lid 12 of the lid stack 13, so that the lowest lid 12 can fall by gravity, typically about 20 mm to 30 mm deep, onto the filled container 3 positioned in the lid receiving position. The falling lid 12 can be guided by appropriate lid guides (not shown).

[0045] In Figure 3 Figure 10 is an example illustrating the closing of a container 3 filled with valuable documents with a lid 12 by the closing device 10.

[0046] As in Figure 3a As shown, the filled container 3 was lifted by a lifting element (see below). Fig. 1 ) transferred from the lid receiving position back to the transport element 8 after the lid 12 has been placed on the filled container 3.

[0047] In the example shown, the closing device 10 has a first sliding element 20, which is configured to move the lid 12, e.g., horizontally, into a closed position. In the closed position, the lid 12 closes laterally, preferably flush with the container 3. For this purpose, the first sliding element 20 has an eccentrically mounted contact roller 20a, which is mounted eccentrically offset on a first disc-shaped base plate 20b. When the first base plate 20b is rotated by a first pneumatic rotary cylinder 20c, the circumferential surface of the contact roller 20a interacts with the lid 12 and moves it relative to the container 3 into the closed position. Fig. 3a To the right).

[0048] In Figure 3bA second sliding element 21 of the locking device 10 is shown, which is configured to lock the container 3 to the lid 12 by means of a locking element, for example a rotary latch, arranged on the lid 12. A second pneumatic rotary cylinder 21c sets a second disc-shaped base plate 21b, on which an actuating projection 21a is mounted, into rotation. Preferably, the rotation of the base plate 21b brings the actuating projection 21a into interaction with the locking element and actuates it to securely lock the lid 12 to the container 3.

[0049] Figure 4 shows an example of a container transport device 22, which is preferably used together with the one described above in connection with Figure 1The described device 1 can be used. In the example shown, the container transport device 22 is designed as a transport trolley and has a frame 23 in which several stacking guides 24 are arranged for receiving containers 3 stacked in container dispensing stacks 15, which are filled with valuable documents and closed with a lid. In order to support the bottommost container 3 of a dispensing stack 15, and thus the entire dispensing stack 15, against gravity, the stacking guides 24 preferably have locking elements 14a, which allow another container 3 to be fed to the respective dispensing stack 15 from below, but prevent the bottommost container 3 of the dispensing stack 15 from sliding out of the dispensing stack 15 due to gravity.

[0050] The container transport device 22 can be moved towards the device 1 and, if necessary, docked, being positioned, for example, by means of appropriate guides or docking elements in the area of ​​the dispensing device 14 of the device 1. This ensures a specific relative position between the container transport device and the device, in which (filled and lidded) containers 3 can be transferred individually and successively from the transport device 7 of the device 1 to the container transport device 22. In order to be able to feed further filled containers from below to the container dispensing stacks 15 located in the container transport device 22, the container transport device 22 is preferably configured to be positioned in this way in the area of ​​a part of the transport device 7 of the device 1, in particular on a conveyor belt 8 and several lifting elements 9 of the device 1 (see Figure 1). Figure 1The output stacks 15 of the container transport device 22 are positioned such that each stack is arranged above a lifting element 9 of the transport device 7 belonging to the device 1. Advantageously, the actuators required for transferring the containers 3 (e.g., cylinders, lifters, etc.) are part of the device 1, and the container transport device 22 itself does not require any actuators or transport means for moving the containers 3. Therefore, a simple and cost-effective container transport device 22 can be used.

[0051] Alternatively, this can be done in Figure 4The transport element and lifting elements located under the container dispensing stacks 15 may also be parts of the container transport device 22, and the container transport device 22 may be positioned on the transport element 8 of the device 1 such that the filled containers can be transferred from the transport element 8 of the device 1 to the transport element of the container transport device 22. In this case, a dispensing device 14 can be omitted in the device 1.

[0052] The container transport device 22 has several wheels 25, for example so-called Castor wheels, for positioning purposes, which allow the container transport device 22 to be easily maneuvered and positioned on the device 1. In the example shown, support legs 26 are also provided, which spatially fix the transport device 7 to the device. The container transport device 22 can be moved manually. However, it can also be designed as a transport vehicle, in particular an automated guided vehicle (AGV), or be configured to be moved by a transport vehicle, in particular an automated guided vehicle (AGV).

Claims

1. Apparatus (1) for filling containers (3) with value documents (2), comprising - a container-receiving device (4), which is designed to receive a container stack (5) comprising two or more containers (3) for receiving value documents (2), - a cover-receiving device (11), which is designed to receive a cover stack (13) comprising two or more covers (12) for closing the containers (3), - a container-removal device (6), which is designed to remove a container, preferably the lowermost container (3) in each case, from the container stack (5) received by the container-receiving device (4), - a closing device (10) for closing the respective container (13) with a cover (12), - an output device (14), and - a transport device (7), which is designed - to convey the container (3) removed from the container stack (5) to a filling station (40) in which the container (3) can be filled with value documents (2), and - to convey the container (3), which is filled with value documents (2), to the closing device (10), which is designed to close the filled container (3) with a cover (12) removed from the cover stack, and - to convey the container (3), which is filled with value documents (2) and closed with a cover (12), from the closing device (10) to the output device (14), the output device (14) being designed to output the containers (3), which are filled with value documents (2) and are closed with a cover (12), in a container output stack (15), and - a filling device (41), which has a gripping device (42) and is designed to grip a stack of value documents (2) with the gripping device (42) and to deposit same in the container (3) conveyed to the filling station (40).

2. Apparatus (1) according to Claim 1, wherein the containers (3), which are contained in the container stack (5) received by the container-receiving device (4), and / or the covers (12), which are contained in the cover stack (13) received by the cover-receiving device (11), are stacked along a stacking direction which is substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement along which the containers are conveyed by the transport device (7).

3. Apparatus (1) according to either of the preceding claims, wherein the closing device (10) is designed to remove a cover (12), in particular the lowermost cover (12) in each case, from the cover stack (13) and to close the container (3), which is filled with value documents (2), with the cover (12) removed from the cover stack (13), the closing device (10) being designed in particular in such a way that the lowermost cover (12) removed from the cover stack (13) is deposited on the filled container (3) by gravity.

4. Apparatus (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the closing device (10) has a first push element (20), which is designed to move a cover (12), which is deposited on the filled container (3), relative to the container (3), in particular parallel to the upper side of the container, into a closure position in which the container (3) is lockable with the cover (12), and wherein the closing device (10) preferably has a second push element (21), which is designed to lock the cover (12), which is arranged on the filled container (3) in the closure position, by actuation of a closure element located on the cover (12).

5. Apparatus (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the closing device (10) has a first support element (16a) and a second support element (16b), which are arranged on mutually opposite sides of the covers (12) located in the cover stack (13) and which are designed to be brought from a starting position of the support elements, in which the support elements (16a, 16b) are pulled back from the cover stack (13), into a supporting position, in which the first and second support elements (16a, 16b) support the cover stack (13), which is received by the cover-receiving device (11), against gravity.

6. Apparatus (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the closing device (10) has a first separation element (17a) and a second separation element (17b), which are arranged on mutually opposite sides of the covers (12) located in the cover stack (13) and are designed to be brought from a starting position of the separation elements, in which the separation elements (17a, 17b) are pulled back from the cover stack (13), into a separation position, in which the first and second separation elements (17a, 17b) support the covers (12), which are stacked above the lowermost cover (12), against gravity.

7. Apparatus (1) according to Claims 5 and 6, wherein the first support element (16a) is mechanically coupled to the first separation element (17a) and the second support element (16b) is mechanically coupled to the second separation element (17b) in such a way that, when the lowermost cover (12) in each case is removed from the cover stack (13), the first and second support elements (16a, 16b) are removed from the supporting position and returned to their starting position and at the same time the first and the second separation elements (17a, 17b) are brought from their starting position into the separation position.

8. Apparatus (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the transport device (7) has a transport element (8) for conveying the container (3), and at least one lifting element (9) for vertically moving the respective container, which lifting element is arranged in the region of the container-removal device (6) and / or in the region of the filling station (40) and / or in the region of the closing device (10) and is designed to supply the container (3) removed from the container stack (5) to the transport element (8), in particular to lift the respective container upwards from the transport element (8) or to deposit the respective container onto the transport element (8) from above.

9. Apparatus (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the output device (14) is designed to arrange the respective container (3), which is filled with value documents (2) and closed with the cover (12), at the very bottom of the container output stack (15).

10. Apparatus (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, having a container transport device (22), which is designed to receive the container output stack (15), wherein the output device (14) and the container transport device (22) can be positioned with respect to each other and are designed in such a way that the containers (3), which are filled with value documents (2) and closed with the cover (12), can be output from the output device (14) to the container transport device (22).

11. Value document processing system (100) for processing, in particular sorting, counting and / or checking, value documents (2), in particular banknotes, comprising - a value document processing apparatus (30), which is designed to output processed value documents (2) in at least one output compartment (31), and - an apparatus (1) for filling containers (3) with value documents (2) according to any one of Claims 1 to 10, wherein the filling device (41) is designed to fill a container (3), which is conveyed to the filling station (40) of the apparatus (1), with the value documents (2) output in the at least one output compartment (31) of the value document processing apparatus (30).

12. Value document processing system (100) according to Claim 11, wherein - the apparatus (1) has a control device (27) and a reading device, which is designed to detect identification data of the respective container (3), and - the value document processing apparatus (30) is designed to transmit identification data of the processed value documents (2) to the control device (27) of the apparatus (1), and - the control device (27) of the apparatus (1) is designed to assign the identification data of the processed value documents (2), which identification data are transmitted by the value document processing apparatus (30) to the control device (27) and with which the respective container (3) has been filled by the filling station (40), to the identification data, detected by the reading device, of the respective container, in particular to link identification data of the value documents (2) with identification data of the container (3) in a database.

13. Method for filling containers (3) with value documents (2) by means of the apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 10, comprising the following steps: - removing a container (3), in particular the lowermost container (3) in each case, from a container stack (5) comprising two or more containers (3) for receiving value documents (2); - conveying the removed container (3) to the filling station (40), in which the container (3) is filled with value documents (2); - conveying the container (3), which is filled with value documents (2), to the closing device (10), in which the container (3), which is filled with value documents (2), is closed with a cover (12), which is removed from a cover stack (13) comprising two or more covers (12) for closing the containers (3).