The present invention relates to a machine for filling boxes designed to contain money, for example coins and/or banknotes, which are inserted into the machine for carrying out the filling operation and subsequently removed from it.

More specifically, the machine forming the subject- matter of this invention is of the type normally used in banks, supermarkets and other commercial concerns to allow each authorised operator (for example the cashiers of the commercial concern) to insert, typically at the start of the shift, his own cash box (empty) so that it is filled by the machine with a predetermined quantity of coins and/or banknotes for performing the transactions with the customers (payments, giving change, etc.) .

A depositing operation into the machine can of course be carried out by the operator even in case his relative cash box becomes completely full during the work shift.

The box, or container, for containing coins and/or banknotes to be filled is normally inserted into the machine by the operator, resting it inside a closable drawer, which can be partially extracted from the machine itself. After completing the filling operation, the drawer is again extracted and the filled box is withdrawn by the operator.

These machines are also advantageously equipped with an inlet for the introduction of coins and/or banknotes to be deposited into inner storage containers as a reserve to allow an appropriate filling of the cash boxes of the various operators and with a user interface, which can be used both for managing the introduction of money in the machine through said inlet and for managing the filling operations of the individual boxes by the cashiers .

The machines used in the prior art normally have an essentially vertical extension, wherein the inlet and the user interface are in the upper part, the storage containers are in the intermediate part and the extractable drawer designed to house the cash box to be filled is generally positioned in the lower part of the machine, under the inner storage containers, so as to allow the filling by gravity of the cash box with the coins present in the overlying storage containers.

This arrangement, whilst allowing a reasonable compactness of the machine and an appreciable constructional simplicity, is however extremely poor ergonomically as it forces the operator to bend down just to the ground every time he must insert and extract the cash box from the drawer of the machine. This drawback is particularly critical when the cash box is used mainly for containing coins, so that it can weigh, if full, even several kilograms. In fact, it is necessary to take into account that the operation for inserting/extracting the cash box into/from the machine may also have to be performed several times a day by the same operator.

Moreover, it should be considered that even the operations for opening and closing the drawer that houses the cash box must be carried out by the operator bending down. The general aim of the present invention is to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks by providing a machine for filling cash boxes, for example coins and/or banknotes, which allows the operator to insert and extract the box in an ergonomic manner, without having to bend down to the ground for lifting a container which can even be extremely heavy.

A further aim of this invention is to provide a machine for filling cash boxes, and in particular a device for receiving and moving such cash boxes, which allows a high degree of automation of the operations for withdrawal, filling and delivery of the box to the operator .

In view of these aims, it was thought to devise, according to the invention, a machine for filling cash boxes, said cash boxes being able to be inserted into and extracted from the machine, internally comprising a portion for housing storage containers containing a cash reserve intended to fill said cash boxes, characterised in that laterally to said inner storage containers a device for receiving and moving a cash box is arranged, said device for receiving and moving the cash box being equipped with at least vertical movement means for vertical movement of said cash box between a raised position, adapted for inserting/extracting it into/from the machine, and a lowered position, at a lower height with respect to that of the inner storage containers present in the machine.

According to the invention, it was also devised a device for receiving and moving a cash box, intended to be associated with a machine for filling cash boxes, characterised in that it comprises a fixed frame with at least vertical movement means for vertical movement of said cash box between a raised position, adapted for its insertion/extraction by an operator, and a lowered position, at a height adapted for the filling of the cash box by the machine.

To aid the clarity of the explanation of the innovative principles of the present invention and the advantages thereof with respect to the prior art, a description will be made in the following of a possible embodiment applying those principles, with the aid of the accompanying drawings . In the drawings :

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a machine for filling cash boxes according to the prior art.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a machine for filling cash boxes according to this invention.

Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 2, but with the outer casing partially removed to show the inner parts of the machine.

Figure 4 is a front elevation view of the machine, with the outer casing partially removed, wherein the cash box is in a raised position, suitable for being inserted or extracted by the operator.

Figure 5 is a view similar to that of Figure 4, wherein the cash box is in a lowered position.

Figure 6 is a view similar to that of Figure 5, wherein the cash box is translated under the inner storage containers, in a suitable position for being filled with the cash contained in the storage containers.

Figures 7A and 7B illustrate, respectively in a perspective view from above and from below, the device for moving the cash box under the conditions of Figure Figures 8A and 8B illustrate, by views similar to those of Figures 7A and 7B, the device for moving the cash box under the conditions of Figure 5.

Figures 9A and 9B illustrate, by views similar to those of Figures 7A, 7B and 8A, 8B, the device for moving the cash box under the conditions of Figure 6.

Figure 10 shows an enlarged detail of the system for fixing the cash box to its movable support and of the system for horizontally guiding the support.

For simplicity of explanation and description, reference will be made hereinafter to boxes for containing coins and, more generally, to the management and movement of boxes for containing coins, even though it is clear that the innovative principles of this invention can also be applied to machines for the management and movement of boxes designed to contain other types of cash, for example banknotes for cashiers desks of commercial concerns, or boxes designed to contain both coins and banknotes.

With reference to the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a machine 11 for filling cash boxes according to the prior art.

The machine 11 comprises generically an upper portion 12 which has an inlet 13 for the introduction of coins (and/or banknotes) which are to be deposited in inner storage containers as a reserve to allow an appropriate filling of the boxes of the various operators and a user interface 14, which can be used both for managing the introduction of the cash in the machine through the inlet 13 and for managing the filling operations of the individual boxes by the cashiers.

The machine 11 also comprises an intermediate portion 15 designed to house the above-mentioned inner storage containers (not visible in the figures) and a lower portion 16 in which there is an extractable drawer 17 designed to house the cash box in such a way that, when the drawer 17 is closed, the cash box is positioned under said inner storage containers to allow the filling by gravity of the cash box by the coins present in the overlying storage containers.

When the operator needs to fill the respective cash box, he/she must open the lower drawer 17, insert the cash box inside it and then close the drawer itself. After completion of the filling operation by the inner storage containers, the operator opens the lower drawer 17 again, extracts the cash box full of coins and closes definitively the drawer.

As mentioned, such a machine configuration for the filling of cash boxes is extremely poor ergonomically as it forces the operator to bend down almost to the ground every time it is necessary to insert and extract the cash box (weighing, when full, even several kilograms) from the drawer of the machine.

Figure 2 illustrates a machine 20 for filling cash boxes according to this invention.

The machine 20 comprises a main body 21, with an upper portion 22 which has an inlet 23 for the introduction of coins (and/or banknotes) which are to be deposited in inner storage containers as a reserve to allow a correct filling of the boxes of the various operators and, advantageously, also a user interface 24, which can be used both for managing the introduction of the cash in the machine through the inlet 23 and for managing the filling operations of the individual boxes by the cashiers.

As mentioned, for simplicity of explanation and description, reference is made to boxes for containing coins, even though it is clear that the innovative principles of this invention can also be applied to machines for the management and movement of boxes designed to contain banknotes or both types of cash (coins and banknotes) .

The main body 21 of the machine 20 also comprises an intermediate portion 25, designed to house the inner storage containers 27 (visible in Figure 3) containing the reserve of coins to allow the filling of the boxes, and a lower portion 26 the function of which is described in detail below. Advantageously, the storage containers 27 are configured in terms of number and size so as to be suitable to each contain and dispense a specific coin denomination.

The machine 20 also comprises, laterally, an auxiliary body 28, designed to house a device 29 for receiving and moving the cash box. Said device for receiving and moving the cash box is therefore arranged laterally relative to the inner storage containers 27 present in the intermediate portion 25 of the machine.

In Figures 4-6 and 7-9 the cash box 30 is illustrated in different positions relative to the receiving and moving device 29 (Figures 7-9) and relative to the main body 21 of the machine (Figures 4-6) .

As is well know to the technical expert, the cash box 30 (shown here schematically) may be equipped with a plurality of compartments, each designed to contain a specific coin denomination and, advantageously, intended to be associated, for filling, with a corresponding storage container 27 dedicated to that specific denomination.

As may be seen clearly in Figures 7, 8 and 9, the device 29 for receiving and moving the cash box 30 comprises a fixed frame 31 equipped with at least vertical movement means 32 for vertical movement of said cash box between a raised position, adapted for its insertion/extraction by the operator, and a lowered position, at a lower height with respect to that of the inner storage containers 27 present in the intermediate portion 25 of the main body 21 of the machine and, thus, adapted for the filling of the cash box, advantageously by gravity, by the machine.

Advantageously, the fixed frame 31 of the device 29 for receiving and moving the cash box 30 is also equipped with horizontal movement means 33 for horizontal movement of the cash box between said lowered position at the auxiliary body 28 of the machine and a position distanced from said auxiliary body 28, arranged at the lower portion 26 of the main body 21 under the inner storage containers 27.

According to a preferred embodiment, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the device 29 for receiving and moving the cash box 30 also comprises an element 34 for housing and supporting the box itself. Such housing and supporting element 34 can advantageously be interchangeable for adapting the machine to different types and dimensions of the cash box 30, thereby constituting an adapter element for the box itself. The vertical movement means 32 comprise, in particular, a first movable frame 35 connected to a slide 36 designed to slide vertically along a guide 37 fixedly connected to the fixed frame 31.

Appropriate motor-driven means (not shown in detail, since they can be easily deduced by a person skilled in the art) for driving the slide 36 along the guide 37 are naturally provided for actuating the vertical movement of said first movable frame 35.

The first movable frame 35 constitutes a support for the element 34 for housing and supporting the cash box 30 (for example by means of a pair of brackets 42) when the cash box 30 is in the raised position illustrated in Figures 4, 7A and 7B and during the vertical movement of it.

The horizontal movement means 33 comprise, in turn, a second movable frame 38 equipped with a pair of side sliding blocks 39 designed to slide horizontally in respective guides 40 fixedly connected to the fixed frame 31.

Appropriate motor-driven means (for example a transmission belt 41) are provided to move the pair of side sliding blocks 39 of the second movable frame 38 along the respective horizontal guides 40.

The second movable frame 38 in turn constitutes a support for the element 34 for housing and supporting the cash box 30 when the cash box 30 is in the lowered position illustrated in Figures 5, 8A and 8B and during the horizontal movement of it.

The support of the element 34 for housing and supporting the cash box on the second movable frame 38 is carried out by engagement of grooved seats 43, made integral with said housing and support element 34, with respective pins 44 fixed to the sliding blocks 39 of the second movable frame 38, as shown in Figures 7A, 7B Advantageously, said grooved seats 43 are formed in a pair of handles 45 applied laterally to the element 34 for housing and supporting the cash box.

A brief description is given below of the operation of a machine for filling cash boxes according to this invention .

When an operator must fill a cash box 30, the device 29 for receiving and moving the cash box is controlled in such a way as to arrange the element 34 for housing and supporting the cash box 30 in the raised position, illustrated in Figures 4, 7A and 7B. In this condition, the operator can insert the empty cash box in the above-mentioned housing and supporting element 34 through a suitable opening provided in an appropriate position in the upper portion of the auxiliary body 28 of the machine, at a height such that it is not necessary for the operator to bend down.

Once the cash box 30 has been rested in the housing and supporting element 34, the receiving and moving device 29 vertically lowers the housing and supporting element 34 and the box 30 contained in it, by means of the vertical movement means 32 described above, to the lowered position illustrated in Figures 5, 8A and 8B. Upon completion of the lowering stroke, the housing and supporting element 34 and the box 30 contained in it stop being supported by the first movable frame 35 which has allowed the lowering thereof along the vertical guide 37 and they rest, by means of the grooved seats 43, on the pins 44 protruding from the sliding blocks 39 of the second movable frame 38 which constitutes part of the horizontal movement means 33. At this point, starting from the lowered position identified by the vertical movement means 32, the receiving and moving device 29 horizontally translates the housing and supporting element 34 and the box 30 contained in it, by the sliding of the side sliding blocks 39 of the second movable frame 38 in the respective horizontal guides 40, to the position illustrated in Figures 6, 9A and 9B, which is suitably distanced from the starting position of Figures 5, 8A and 8B in such a way as to be at the lower portion 26 of the main body 22 of the machine, under the inner storage containers 27. In particular, the arrangement of the various storage containers 27 in the main body 21 of the machine will be such that each of them will be associated with a corresponding compartment of the cash box, each designed to be filled with a specific coin denomination.

After filling of the cash box 30, the receiving and moving device 29 translates the housing and supporting element 34 and the box 30 contained in it in the reverse direction, moving them first horizontally to the position illustrated in Figures 5, 8A and 8B and then vertically to the raised position illustrated in Figures 4, 7A and 7B, where the operator can extract the full cash box from the machine, again without the need to bend down.

It is now clear how the machine and, in particular, the device for receiving and moving a cash box according to this invention allows the preset aims to be achieved. Moreover, it should be considered that the receiving and moving device per se can be made in a structurally self-supporting and modular manner, in such a way that it can be applied separately even to existing machines for filling cash boxes.

Naturally the foregoing description of an embodiment applying the innovative principles of the present invention is made by way of exemplifying such innovative principles and must therefore not be taken as a limitation of the scope of the protection as claimed herein.

For example, the device 29 for receiving and moving the cash box 30 could comprise only the vertical movement means 32 for transferring the cash box 30 from the raised position illustrated in Figures 4, 7A and 7B, adapted for the receiving and for the return of the box to the operator, to the lowered position illustrated in Figures 5, 8A and 8B and vice versa. In this case, the machine 20 may be equipped with appropriate pipes (not illustrated in the accompanying drawings) for conveying coins from the inner storage containers 27 to the cash box 30 arranged in the above-mentioned lowered position.

Moreover, the means for actuating the movable frames 35, 38 of the vertical and horizontal movement means 32, 33 could be different from those described and illustrated here, as each time it is possible to use, according to the specific requirements, actuators consisting of belts, slides, racks, etc., as is well known to the technical expert.

Lastly, the directions of movement of the means 32, 33 for transferring the cash box could also be not strictly vertical and horizontal, but have a slightly different inclination, however with a main vertical and horizontal component, respectively.