Sheet-holding device in sheet-dispensing machine

Claim 1

A sheet-dispensing machine for dispensing sheets selected from a plurality of groups of sheets of different kinds such as a plurality of groups of monetary sheets of different monetary kinds and comprising: a plurality of sheet-containers each for containing sheets of a specific monetary kind and having a sheet-dispensing end from which the sheets contained therein may be dispensed up to a pre-determined limited quantity, said sheet-containers having dimensions corresponding to the dimension of the sheet of a respective monetary kind to be contained therein; holding means operatively disposed in each container for continuously holding the sheets contained therein in a closely contacting parallelly-arranged stack and being adapted to follow the movements of said stack in a direction toward the dispensing ends of each container as sheets are successively dispensed therefrom to a completion position when said predetermined limited quantity of dispensed sheets has been attained; support means for supporting said sheet-containers in a substantially angular array so that successive containers in the array contain sheets having a monetary value of a preselected sequence of monetary values; rotatable driving means for rotating said support means so as to bring the sheet-dispensing ends of sequentially selected ones of said sheet-containers to a sheet-dispensing position where a desired number of sheets container therein can be dispensed; detecting means for detecting the decrease in the number of sheets contained in each of said sheet-containers as sheets are successively dispensed therefrom, said detecting means including magnetic means operatively associated with each of said sheet-containers and being adapted to move in accordance with the following movements of said holding means disposed therein, and switch means operatively associated with each of said containers so that as said holding-means completes a following movement to said completion position consequent upon the decrease of number of sheets contained in their respective one of said containers position that a sheet-dispensing position, said magnetic means is brought into operative association with said switch means and actuates the same to generate a signal representative of the fact that said predetermined limited quantity has been attained; adjustable support means for supporting said switch means and operatively associated with said rotatable driving means, whereby said switch means is automatically adjusted in response to the different dimensions of said sheet-containers so that said signal may be correctly generated irrespective of which one of said containers is disposed adjacent said sheet-removing position; sheet-dispensing means operatively associated with said sheetcontainers for dispensing sheets from respective sequentially selected ones of said sheet-containers when the sheetdispensing ends thereof are brought to said sheet-dispensing positions; and sheet-receiving means for receiving the sheets dispensed from said sheet-dispensing means.