The present invention refers to an equipment for introducing paper documents, in particular banknotes, into a disposable bag, which is then sealed after being filled with the banknotes.

Such equipment is intended to be used in machines for storing banknotes, usually present in banks, supermarkets, shopping malls or the like.

In the prior art, the banknotes are introduced into these machines through an inlet port and then they are inserted into boxes or into plastic bags removably housed in the machine.

In case of use of plastic bags, they can advantageously be of the disposable type, i.e. bags which, after being filled, are sealed by appropriate sealing blades at the edges of the their mouth so that, once opened, they cannot be used again.

Obviously, the use of plastic bags instead of rigid boxes implies various difficulties both as regards fixing the bag to the machine, and introducing the banknotes into the bag up to its correct filling, these difficulties essentially being due to lack of rigidity of the bag and in particular to the flexibility of its walls. On the other hand, the disposable plastic bags are simple and inexpensive to be made, they are light and easy to be handled and they do not require any maintenance .

US-A-2011/0052363 discloses a system in which a banknote is introduced one at a time, through a roller feeding device, into the bag, which is placed horizontally and fixed to a support frame provided with a seat within which the bag is initially rolled. Each banknote is introduced into the bag oriented vertically and, as the banknotes are progressively introduced into the bag, the pack that is thus formed is translated horizontally along a conveyor belt which supports it, thus causing an extension of the bag which unrolls from its seat. The pack of banknotes is laterally accompanied by a support plate at the bottom of the bag, while a pressing element on the opposed side of the pack with respect to the aforementioned support contributes to keeping the banknotes constantly compact in the bag.

The solution described in this prior art document however implies a considerable structural complexity and, thus, even high implementation costs.

WO-A-02/19289 provides for a piston for facilitating the entry of the banknotes into the box or into a bag. A general object of the present invention is to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks by providing an equipment for filling and closing disposable bags for containing paper documents, in particular banknotes, capable of allowing an orderly depositing of the banknotes into the bag and that is simple and inexpensive to be obtained and easy to be used, without requiring complex and cumbersome mechanisms for moving the banknotes and the bag.

With the aim of attaining such object it was conceived to provide, according to the invention, an equipment for filling and closing disposable bags for containing banknotes, comprising:

- a supporting plane for the temporary housing of one or more banknotes, provided with an opening,

a pushing piston for pushing said one or more banknotes towards the opening of the supporting plane,

- a bag made of flexible material intended to be filled with the banknotes temporarily housed on the supporting plane,

- a support for the bag, placed below the supporting plane of the banknotes and having side walls, an upper surface and an inner space below said upper surface, the bag being externally fitted onto the support around its side walls and its upper surface, and

-sealing elements placed below the upper surface of the support for the bag.

With the aim of providing a better description of the innovative principles and advantages of the present invention, a description of a possible embodiment applying such principles will be made with reference to the attached drawings .

Figures 1-5 schematically illustrate an equipment, partially sectioned, according to the invention, represented in subsequent operating steps, starting from the beginning of the loading of the banknotes up to the sealing of the bag.

The equipment is intended to be contained in known machines (not shown in the drawings attached herein) for storing banknotes, usually present in banks, supermarkets, shopping malls or the like. For the sake of description simplicity, herein reference shall be made to banknotes, but the equipment according to the invention may be equally used for treating and handling other paper documents in form of sheets.

Figures schematically show an equipment 10, partially sectioned, essentially consisting of a supporting plane 11 on which the banknotes 12, intended to be introduced into a bag 13, are temporarily placed, of a pushing piston 14 for pushing the banknotes towards the plane 11, of a support 15 of the bag intended to contain the banknotes, placed below the plane 11 and having side walls 16 and an upper surface 17, and of sealing elements 18, placed below the surface 17 and intended to seal the inlet of the bag once filling is completed. Advantageously, the plane 11 for supporting the banknotes may be the bottom of a container 19 within which the banknotes, coming from a storage compartment inside the machine or directly from the entry port from outside, may be introduced singularly or by groups of several banknotes, using feeding means well known to the person skilled in the art and thus not shown in the drawings .

The supporting plane 11 is provided with an opening 20 aligned with the piston 14. The opening 20 has a passage section smaller than the surface of the banknotes, so that the banknotes not pushed by the piston 14 are held on the plane 11 by resting the peripheral portions thereof at the sides of the opening 20.

The upper surface 17 of the support 15 of the bag is in turn provided with an opening 21 aligned with the opening 20 of the supporting plane 11 and, advantageously, having the same passage section.

According to the invention, the bag 13 (advantageously made of flexible plastic film) is externally fitted onto the support 15 around its side walls 16 and its upper surface 17 and it initially (Fig. 1) covers above and closes its opening 21.

Fig. 1 illustrates the equipment according to the invention in a first operating step, wherein a bundle of banknotes 12 is temporarily received on the supporting plane 11, resting thereon at the sides of the opening 20.

Though the operations of introducing the banknotes into the bag are herein described with reference to several banknotes stacked in bundles on the supporting plane 11, however, the same operating principles may also apply in cases where a single banknote is handled at a time so as to be introduced into the bag 13.

In the condition of Fig. 1 the piston 14 is advantageously pushed downwards to maintain the banknotes pressed against the supporting plane 11.

Fig. 2 illustrates a subsequent operating step of the equipment according to the invention, in which the piston 14 exerts on the banknotes 12 a greater downward pressure, such to push the banknotes to be inserted with a central portion thereof in the opening 20 of the supporting plane 11 up to coming into contact with the plastic film that initially covered the opening 21 of the upper surface 17 of the support 15 of the bag. In this step the banknotes are deformed as illustrated in the figure so as to be able to exit from the opening 20 of the supporting plane 11.

As observable from the figures, the piston 14 has a transversal dimension smaller than the passage section of the opening 20, so as to be able to be inserted therein accompanying the banknotes towards the underlying support 15 of the bag.

Fig.3 illustrates a subsequent operating step, in which a plurality of bundles (or single banknotes) has passed from the supporting plane 11 to the bag 13, in a space 22 within the support 15 below its upper surface 17, through a sequence of operations like those described regarding Fig. 2. As the banknotes enter into the bag 13, their weight, alongside the resistance that the plastic film fitted on the support 15 exerts against its side walls 16, keeps the bag suitably stretched, thus allowing it to gradually slip off along the side walls 16 even due to the force exerted by the piston on the banknotes.

In particular, Fig. 3 shows the equipment when the piston 14 accompanies the last banknote (or bundle of banknotes) into the bag 13.

Fig. 4 illustrates an operating step of the equipment in the rest condition, immediately after the introduction of the last banknote into the bag 13, where the piston 14 is receded upwards without exerting pressure on the banknotes in the bag any more.

From a static point of view, the rest condition illustrated in Fig. 4 is the same that occurs in intermediate loading steps, awaiting the new banknotes to reach the supporting plane 11 so as to be introduced into the bag.

Fig. 5 illustrates the equipment 10 during the step of closing and sealing the bag. The sealing elements 18, movable horizontally and placed in the inner space 22 of the support 15, are drawn up close together and brought to mutual contact with the plastic film which forms the bag interposed therebetween.

The heat sealing may be advantageously obtained by passing electrical current in the sealing bar 18a present on one of the two sealing elements while it is pressed against the counter-bar 18b present on the other sealing element.

Then, the sealing elements 18 are moved away and the bag containing the banknotes can be picked up.

At this point it is clear that, according to the invention, it has been possible to obtain an equipment for filling a bag with banknotes and its sealing, the device not being cumbersome, being easy and inexpensive to be obtained as well as easy to be used.

Obviously, the above description outlining an embodiment applying the innovative principles of the present invention is provided by way of exemplifying such innovative principles and thus shall not be deemed to be a restriction of the scope of protection claimed herein .

For example, the figures show a wall 23 in the space 22 for protecting the sealing elements 18, so as to prevent portions of the bag different from the mouth intended to be sealed from inadvertently coming inappropriately into contact with the sealing elements. This protection wall could obviously be omitted, if deemed suitable, or replaced with similar devices.