Moveable Guide Member for Flat, Jam-Resistant Media Storage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Media items such as banknotes and cheques often become crumpled or folded during transport in Self Service Terminals (SSTs), leading to storage inefficiencies, malfunctions, and increased downtime due to jamming and trapping within the transport pathway.

Innovation Solution

A movable guide member that urges media items towards a desired location in the storage zone, moving laterally and rotationally to align and stack media items neatly, preventing crumpling and trapping.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If media items are transported through a fixed transport pathway, then the transport structure is simple and reliable, but media items become crumpled or folded during transport

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemedia item integrityVSAvoidtransport pathway structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The guide member is made movable rather than fixed, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position to accommodate media items of varying sizes and shapes during transport, preventing crumpling and folding while maintaining transport pathway functionality

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The guide member's position parameter is changed during transport operations, allowing it to move between different locations to adapt to different media item characteristics, thereby maintaining media item integrity without requiring a completely complex transport pathway structure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Quantity of substance

If media items are stored in a fixed storage zone, then the storage structure is simple, but storage density is reduced due to crumpled and misaligned items

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage densityVSAvoidstorage zone structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The guide member moves to different positions during the storage process, dynamically adjusting to align and stack media items neatly in the storage zone, thereby increasing storage density without requiring a complex fixed storage structure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The guide member performs preliminary alignment and positioning actions on media items before they are fully stored, ensuring they are properly oriented and stacked, which increases storage density while keeping the storage zone structure relatively simple

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If media items are transported at high speed, then productivity is improved, but jamming and trapping incidents increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransport speedVSAvoidtransport reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The guide member's movable nature allows it to dynamically respond to media items during high-speed transport, adjusting its position to prevent jamming and trapping incidents while maintaining high transport speeds and productivity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses sensor feedback to detect media item position and characteristics, allowing the guide member to adjust its position in real-time during high-speed transport, preventing jamming and maintaining both productivity and reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS20250304400A1Apparatus and method for moveable guide

Publication Date: 2025.10.02 NCR ATLEOS CORP

AI summary

In a method and apparatus for storing media items at a storage zone, the apparatus has a storage zone for storing media items, a port region proximate to the storage zone for receiving at least one media item, and a guide member for urging the media items towards a desired location in the storage zone. The guide member is movable to urge the media items towards the desired location of the storage zone.