Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Title: DROP SAFE SYSTEM
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to computerized drop safes.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a drop safe adapted to
track
deposits and withdrawals of cash into and out of the drop safe.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Business establishments such as convenience stores, and restaurants,
for example, typically handle large amounts of cash, particularly in the form
of
paper money, on a daily basis. To reduce risk of the cash being stolen by
robbers, these establishments tend to maintain only a minimal amount of cash
in a cash register, and periodically transfer accumulated cash to an on-site
safe
or drop safe. A drop safe is preferred because it permits cashiers to deposit
cash into the drop safe without giving the cashiers access to the contents of
the
drop safe. The drop safe is typically fitted with a slot into which the cash
is
either directly deposited, or the cash is first placed into an envelope before
it is
placed into the slot. In either case the cash is deposited into the drop safe
without having to open the drop safe. Transferring the accumulated cash to the
drop safe several times in a day reduces the amount of money present at a
cash register, thereby reducing the potential exposure of the cash to loss due
to robbery.
Some drop safes include electronic bill validation which allows the drop
safes to not only receive cash deposits but to also provide some form of
automation for reconciliation before the safe is opened by a security company
or other intermediaries.
Larger business establishments typically rely on a security company or
other intermediary to withdraw the cash deposited in their drop safes at the
end
of the day or week and transfer it to a bank for safekeeping.
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To help business establishments track the cash deposits into and out
from the drop safe, electronic drop safes have been designed with bill
counting
and validation capabilities, in addition to information recording capabilities
for
tracking specifics of deposits and withdrawals, maintenance/service issues
etc.,
and information networking capabilities for relaying the information off site.
Although advances in electronic drop safes have lead to increased
capabilities and features, they unfortunately come at an increased cost.
Typically, the advances in electronic drop safes require integrated screens,
buttons, and key pads to function. The screens display information, feature
rich
menus, and command prompts to users, while the buttons and key pads
register user selections, instructions, and commands. However, screens,
buttons, and keypads increase the cost of electronic drop safes due to the
additional hardware, the additional complexity of integrating the additional
hardware, and the additional complexity of the software needed to operate the
additional hardware. The additional hardware is also prone to failure which
requires expensive repairs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
What is desired is to provide an electronic drop safe having the
advantages of a conventional electronic drop safe but at a reduced cost by
departing from the conventional screens, buttons, and keypads. Providing the
same or substantially the same functionality of conventional electronic drop
safes without the use of screens, buttons, and keypads requires a novel
approach to prompting the user and to registering the user's instructions and
commands.
Therefore, there is provided according to one aspect of the present
invention a drop safe comprising:
a vault;
a computing means located inside said vault, said computing means
being operatively connected to at least one bill validator for reading paper
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currency, and a code reader for reading codes;
a currency compartment located inside said vault for storing paper
currency, said currency compartment being in communication with said bill
validator;
said bill validator having a means for validating, and determining a
denomination of, paper currency; and
said computing means initially being in an idle mode and configured to
switch between said idle mode and a deposit taking mode;
wherein, upon said code reader detecting a deposit initiation code, the
computing means switches from said idle mode to said deposit taking mode,
and upon said code reader detecting a deposit termination code, the computing
means switches from said deposit taking mode back to said idle mode.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a
method of depositing cash into a drop safe having a vault, a currency
compartment, at least one bill validator for reading said paper currency, said
bill
validator having means for transferring paper currency to said currency
compartment, a code reader for reading codes, and a computing means
operatively connected to said bill validator and said code reader, said method
comprising the steps of:
(i) initiating a
deposit taking mode by presenting a deposit initiation code to
said code reader, said code reader detecting and transmitting the
deposit initiation code to said computing means;
(ii) maintaining said deposit taking mode by inserting a paper currency
into
said bill validator for transfer to said currency compartment, if accepted
by said computing means; and
(iii) ending said deposit taking mode by:
(a) presenting a deposit termination code to said code reader; or
(b) allowing a predetermined amount of time to elapse after said
maintaining step.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided
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a method of removing cash from a drop safe having a vault with a vault door
securable
by an electronic lock, a currency compartment, at least one bill validator
with means to
transfer paper currency from an input end thereof to said currency
compartment, the bill
validator being configured to read said paper currency, code reader for
reading codes,
and a computing means operatively connected to said bill validator, and said
code
reader, said method comprising the steps of:
providing pickup request information to a remote computer, said remote
computer being wiredly or wirelessly linked to said computing means;
when prompted by said remote computer, presenting a code representing at
least one piece of said pickup request information to said code reader, said
code reader
detecting and transmitting said pickup request information code to said
computing
means;
allowing said remote computer to validate the pickup request information code,
in
which case the remote computer sends a signal to the computing means to
deactivate
the electronic lock;
opening said vault door when said electronic lock is deactivated by said
computing means in response to the signal from the remote computer; and
removing the paper currency from said currency compartment.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a drop
safe comprising:
a vault;
a computing means located inside said vault, said computing means being
operatively connected to at least one bill validator for reading paper
currency, and a
code reader for reading codes;
a currency compartment located inside said vault for storing the paper
currency,
said currency compartment being in communication with said bill validator;
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said bill validator having a means for validating, and determining a
denomination
of, the paper currency; and
said computing means initially being in an idle mode and configured to switch
between said idle mode and a deposit taking mode;
wherein, upon said code reader detecting a deposit initiation code identifying
a
user, the computing means switches from said idle mode to said deposit taking
mode to
enable the bill validator to accept the paper currency without requiring
additional control
input from the user, and upon said code reader detecting a deposit termination
code,
the computing means switches from said deposit taking mode back to said idle
mode.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
drop
safe comprising:
a vault;
a computing means located inside said vault, said computing means being
operatively connected to at least one bill validator for reading paper
currency, and a
code reader for reading codes;
a currency compartment located inside said vault for storing the paper
currency,
said currency compartment being in communication with said bill validator;
said bill validator having a means for validating, and determining a
denomination
of, the paper currency; and
said computing means initially being in an idle mode and configured to switch
between said idle mode and a deposit taking mode;
wherein, upon said code reader detecting a deposit initiation code, the
computing
means switches from said idle mode to said deposit taking mode and upon said
code
reader detecting a deposit termination code, the computing means switches from
said
deposit taking mode back to said idle mode; and
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wherein said code reader is an optical code reader and said deposit
termination
code is an optical code.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided
a drop
safe comprising:
a vault;
a computing means located inside said vault, said computing means being
operatively connected to at least one bill validator for reading paper
currency, and a
code reader for reading codes;
a currency compartment located inside said vault for storing the paper
currency,
said currency compartment being in communication with said bill validator;
said bill validator having a means for validating, and determining a
denomination
of, the paper currency, and a means for transferring valid paper currency to
said
currency compartment; and
said computing means initially being in an idle mode and configured to switch
between said idle mode and a deposit taking mode;
wherein, upon said code reader detecting a deposit initiation code, the
computing
means switches from said idle mode to said deposit taking mode and upon said
code
reader detecting a deposit termination code, the computing means switches from
said
deposit taking mode back to said idle mode;
wherein when said computing means switches to said deposit taking mode, said
computing means monitors said bill validator and said code reader for (a)
detection of a
deposit of said valid paper currency in said bill validator, (b) detection of
a deposit
termination code by said code reader, and (c) a time-out condition; and
wherein said computing means is configured to cause said transfer means to
transfer said valid paper currency to said currency compartment in response to
a signal
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from a remote computer acknowledging particulars of said deposit were received
or
validated by said remote computer.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Reference will now be made to the preferred embodiments of the present
invention with reference, by way of example only, to the following drawings in
which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a drop safe according to an embodiment of the
present invention with a vault and a vault door in a closed configuration;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the drop safe of Fig. 1 with the vault door in
an
open configuration;
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a bill validator and currency compartment
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
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Fig. 4a is a linear barcode encoding the word "Wikipedia" in Code 128;
Fig. 4b is a 2D optical code encoding Lorem ipsum boilerplate text in four
segment DataMatrix 2D;
Fig. 4c is a 2D optical code encoding the sentence "This is an example
Aztec symbol for Wikipedia" in Aztec Code;
Fig. 4d is a 2D optical code encoding the Wikipedia URL in OR Code;
Fig. 5 is a flow chart showing the steps in a method of depositing paper
currency into a drop safe in a default deposit process according to another
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 6 is front view of a coupon containing an imprint of a barcode
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 7 is a flow chart showing the steps in a method of depositing paper
currency into a drop safe in a batch deposit process according to another
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 8 is a flow chart showing the steps in a method of removing cash
from a drop safe according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a drop safe according to another
embodiment of the present invention showing a user presenting an optical code
on a printed sheet to an optical code reader positioned on the vault door
separate from the bill validator;
Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a drop safe according to another
embodiment of the present invention showing a user presenting a smart card
code on a smart card to a smart card reader positioned on the vault door
separate from the bill validator;
Fig. ills a perspective view of a drop safe according to yet another
embodiment of the present invention showing a user presenting a RFID code
on a RFID tag to a RFID tag reader positioned on the vault door separate from
the bill validator;
Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a drop safe according to yet another
embodiment of the present invention showing a user presenting a magnetic
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code on a magnetic strip to a magnetic strip reader positioned on the vault
door
separate from the bill validator; and
Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a drop safe according to yet another
embodiment of the present invention having a RFID tag reader, an optical
reader, a smart card reader, and a magnetic strip reader positioned on the
vault
door separate from the bill validator.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention is described in more detail with reference to
exemplary embodiments thereof as shown in the appended drawings. While
the present invention is described below including preferred embodiments, it
should be understood that the present invention is not limited thereto. Those
of ordinary skill in the art having access to the teachings herein will
recognize
additional implementations, modifications, and embodiments which are within
the scope of the present invention as disclosed and claimed herein. In the
figures, like elements are given like reference numbers. For the purposes of
clarity, not every component is labelled in every figure, nor is every
component
of each embodiment of the invention shown where illustration is not necessary
to allow those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention.
With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown a drop safe 10 according
to an embodiment of the present invention. The drop safe 10 has a vault 12
enclosing an interior chamber 14. A door 16 is attached to the vault 12 via
hinges 18. The interior chamber 14 is selectively accessible when the vault
door 16 is in an open position as shown in Fig. 2. In Fig. 1 the door 16 is
shown
in a closed position. The door 16 is fitted with a handle 20 which facilitates
opening and closing of the door 16. The handle 20 also operates a bolt 20 for
securing the door 16 in the closed configuration.
Referring now to Fig. 2, the drop safe 10 is shown with the door 16 in an
open position revealing the interior chamber 14. Housed in the interior
chamber
14 is a computing means 24, at least one bill validator 26 and a network
module
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28. Preferably, an optical code reader 30 and a currency compartment 32 are
integrated into the bill validator 26. Good results have been obtained with
integrated bill validators manufactured by MEI (Mars Electronic Incorporated ,
Dallas, Texas, U.S.A.), which is shown in Fig. 3. More than one bill validator
may be provided with the drop safe 10 to provide redundancy, increased paper
currency storage capacity, and the ability to sort paper currency at source
(i.e.
small denominations in one bill validator and large denominations in a second
bill validator). The bill validator may also be provided with a bulk note
feeder
to auto-feed currency into the bill validator.
The integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32 is capable of reading paper
currency, having means for validating paper currency as well as for
determining
a denomination of the paper currency. The optical code reader 30 is capable
of reading optical codes presented to it by a user. Examples of possible
optical
codes include linear barcodes such as the Code 128 depicted in Fig. 4a, or 2D
matrix codes, such as those depicted in Figs. 4b to 4d. For example, Fig. 4b
is a 2D optical code encoding Lorem ipsum boilerplate text in four segment
DataMatrix 2D. Fig. 4c is a 2D optical code encoding the sentence "This is an
example Aztec symbol for Wikipedia" in Aztec Code. Fig. 4d is a 2D optical
code encoding the Wikipedia URL in QR Code. The currency compartment 32,
which is in communication with the bill validator 26 portion of the integrated
bill
validator 26, 30, 32, is capable of storing the paper currency it receives
from the
bill validator 26 portion of the integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32.
A slot 34 is positioned on the door 14 in alignment with the mouth 35 of
the integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32 when the door 16 is in the closed
position
allowing a user to insert paper currency directly into the integrated bill
validator
26, 30, 32 through the slot 34 when the door 16 is in the closed position and
locked.
An electronic lock 36 is attached to an inside part of the door 16 as
shown in Fig. 2, and is positioned to engage and disengage the handle 20. The
lock 36, when activated, engages the handle 20 thereby preventing its
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movement, which in turn prevents withdrawal of the deadbolt 22 maintaining the
door 16 secured in the closed position. The activation/deactivation of the
lock
36 is controlled by the computing means 24. Preferably the lock 36 is an
electromechanical solenoid-type lock which when activated moves a slug into
engagement with the handle 20 to prevent it from turning. When deactivated
the slug moves out of engagement with the handle 20 permitting it to turn. As
mentioned above, turning the handle 20 permits withdrawal of the deadbolt 22
which maintains the door 16 secured in the closed position.
The network module 28 is configured to connect the computing means
24 to a remote computer 11 such as a webserver, via a wired or wireless
connection or link 13. Although the network module 28 is shown in Fig. 2 as
being a separate component from the computing means 24, it will be
appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the network module 28 may be
integrated with the computing means 24, so that both the computing means 24
and the network module 28 will for example reside on the same circuit board.
The computing means 24 includes a programmable microprocessor
programmed to function as a central processing unit (CPU). The computing
means 24 also includes a memory for storing the microprocessor operating
program for the drop safe 10, and particulars of deposits into and withdrawals
out of the drop safe 10, as well as other information collected. As well the
computing means 24 includes connectors for input and output. The computing
means is operatively connected to the integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32,
the
lock 36, and the network module 28.
The remote computer 11 is preferably a webserver, a computer, or any
other platform that can be used to operate interactive software which can be
accessed via a web site through the internet. The remote computer 11 can be
housed in a secure area of the business establishment, or off site at the
premises of a third party. Storage space and computing resources of a remote
computer 11 operated by a third party may also be rented from the third party.
As will be more clear later, the drop safe 10 is preferably a web-enabled cash
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deposit safe that is used by cashiers in a retail store. Each safe is
preferably
connected to, and communicates with, the remote computer 11 in real time.
Furthermore, in some embodiments of the invention the remote computer 11
may be set up to centrally manage and control retail store operations
including
till creation, balancing, bank deposits, change orders and reporting. Thus the
remote computer 11 may be important for centralizing information collected
from a large number of drop safes located in a number of retail outlets.
Preferably, the drop safe 10 will also include a signal means for emitting
either an auditory or visual signal, alerting the user to one or more specific
conditions of the drop safe. The signal means will also be operatively
connected to, and controlled by, the computing means 24. Examples of
preferred signal means include sound emitting devices such as a speaker 38,
and light emitting devices such as a bulb or light emitting diode (LED) 40. A
speaker 38 for example may be integrated with the computing means 24,
and/or an LED 40 may be provided on the vault door, or any part of the
exterior
of the drop safe 10 visible by a user in the ordinary course.
As will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art, the vault is preferably
built using materials and construction techniques to make it burglar proof and
optionally fireproof. Accordingly, the vault will preferably be built of, or
lined,
with steel. However, other materials may also be found to be adequate.
Suitable safes have been obtained from Armor Safe Technologies, The Colony,
Texas, U.S.A.
Having described a preferred embodiment of the drop safe 10 according
to the present invention, its operation will now be described.
Referring now to the flow chart in Fig. 5, the steps of the default deposit
process for making a deposit into the drop safe 10 will be described.
At step 60 a user, typically a cashier, will find the drop safe 10 in an idle
mode in which the computing means 24 is set to receive information from the
optical code reader 30 part of the integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32, when
a
coupon 42 containing an optical code representing a deposit initiation code,
is
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presented thereto. The coupon 42 is preferably a sheet of paper, cardboard,
film, plastic, or fiber sheets, with the optical code printed thereon. The
deposit
initiation code is preferably a personnel identifier (i.e. an employee number)
unique to the user, in this case the cashier, who initiated, and is
responsible for,
the deposits.
Accordingly, a user starts a deposit taking process by inserting a coupon
42, such as the one shown for example in Fig. 6, into the integrated bill
validator
26, 30, 32, through slot 34 in vault door 16. Preferably the coupon 42
contains
an optical code, most preferably a barcode 44, representing the deposit
initiation code. As discussed in more detail below, when the deposit taking
process is initiated, the computing means 24 switches from the idle mode to
the
deposit taking mode. While in the deposit taking mode, the computing means
24 monitors the bill validator 26 and the optical code reader 30 parts of the
integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32 for (a) detection of a deposit of a valid
paper
currency in the bill validator 26, (b) detection of a deposit termination code
by
the optical code reader 30, and (c) a time-out condition.
At step 62, the integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32 will attempt to read the
barcode on the coupon 42 with the optical reader 30 and send the information
to the computing means 24. If the computing means fails to recognize the
barcode 44, because the integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32 misreads the
coupon 42, the barcode 44 code is invalid, or the barcode 44 does not contain
the deposit initiation code, the computing means 24 will cause the integrated
bill validator 26, 30, 32 to eject the coupon 42. Preferably, the computing
means 24 will also cause the signal means to issue an alert indicating to the
user that the coupon 42 was not accepted. In any event the user will be forced
back to step 60 in the flow chart.
On the other hand, if at step 62 the computing means 24 detects via the
optical code reader part 30 of the integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32 the
deposit
initiation code, then the computing means 24 will switch from the idle mode to
a deposit taking mode. Preferably the user will be alerted to this by the
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computing means 24 causing the integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32 to eject
the
coupon 42 together with the signal means issuing an alert indicating to the
user
that the coupon 42 was accepted, and that the computing means is in the
deposit taking mode, permitting the user to progress to step 64. Preferably,
the
computing means 24 will alert the user through the speaker 38 by issuing the
message "Transaction Started" or the like. Optionally, the computing means 24
may be programmed to transmit the deposit initiation code to the remote
computer 11 for verification in real time. This enables an operator to disable
a
cashier's code instantly before allowing the computing means 24 to switch to
the deposit taking mode. However, since the deposit initiation code merely
grants the cashier the ability to deposit paper currency, and not to withdraw,
paper currency it is not critical to cancel a cashier's deposit initiation
code in the
event that the cashier's coupon 42 is lost or stolen. In any event if the
cashier's
coupon 42 is lost or stolen, the cashier's deposit initiation code can be
instantly
disallowed by the remote computer 11.
At step 64, the user inserts a first paper currency into the mouth 35 of the
integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32.
At step 66, the integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32 will attempt to read the
paper currency with the bill validator part 26 to obtain information on its
validity,
and denomination, and send the information to the computing means 24. If the
bill validator part 26 detects an invalid paper currency, or fails to read the
paper
currency for whatever reason, the computing means 24 will cause the
integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32 to eject the paper currency, which will
signal
to the user that the paper currency was not deposited. Optionally the
rejection
of the paper currency may be accompanied by an alert from the signal means.
In any event, the user will have an option at step 68 to retry depositing
the paper currency at step 64, depositing another paper currency at step 76,
or
ending the deposit process at step 70 by inserting a coupon 42 containing a
barcode 44, representing a deposit termination code into the mouth 30 of the
integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32, which when detected will cause the
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computing means 24 to switch back to the idle mode in step 60. Preferably, the
deposit initiation code is the same as the deposit termination code, meaning
that the same coupon 42 can be used to start and end the deposit process.
However, it is also contemplated that the deposit initiation code and the
deposit
termination code may be different. At step 70, the user will also have the
option
of doing nothing, in which case the computing means 24 will detect a time-out
condition after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed and neither a
paper currency is inserted into the bill validator 26, nor a coupon 44
containing
the deposit termination code is detected by the optical code reader 20. The
consequence of the computing means 24 detecting the time-out condition, will
also be the computing means 24 switching from the deposit taking mode back
to the idle mode. The period of time before a time-out condition is detected
can
be any time, however, good results have been obtained with the period of time
being set to at least 5 seconds, and preferably between 10 and 30 seconds.
If at step 66 the bill validator 26 read the paper currency, validated it, and
determined its denomination, the computing means 24 would at step 72
transmit particulars of the deposit to the remote computer 11 via the wired or
wireless link 13. Preferably, the particulars of the deposit will be
transmitted by
the computing means 24 through the internet via the network module 28. The
particulars of the deposit may include one or more of a safe identifier or a
safe
location number, a date of the deposit, a time of the deposit, the deposit
initiation code, the deposit termination code, a personnel identifier, etc.
After the particulars of the deposit are transmitted to the remote
computer 11 at step 72, the computing means 24 waits at step 74 for a
predetermined period of time for a signal from the remote computer 11
confirming or acknowledging that the particulars were received and recorded.
If the signal is received the computing means 24 accepts the paper currency
and directs the bill validator 26 to transfer the valid paper currency to the
currency compartment 32 via a transfer means preferably integrated with the
integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32. Preferably, every time the computing
means
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24 accepts the paper currency and directs the bill validator 26 to transfer
the
valid paper currency to the currency compartment 32 it will alert the user by
stating the denomination of the accepted paper currency via speaker 38. These
verification steps occur in real time and are typically instantaneous. The
computing means 24 also permits the user at step 76 to either proceed to step
64 to deposit another paper currency which maintains the computing means 24
in the deposit taking mode, or to end the deposit taking mode by inserting the
coupon 42 containing the deposit termination code at step 70, causing the
computing means 24 to return to the idle mode at step 60. Preferably, the
computing means 24 will also issue an auditory alert through speaker 38
stating
"Transaction Ended" followed by an indication of the total of the accepted
deposits (i.e. "Deposit totals $5").
At step 70, the user will also have the option of doing nothing, in which
case the computing means 24 will detect a time-out condition after a
predetermined amount of time has elapsed and neither a paper currency is
inserted into the bill validator 26, nor a coupon 44 containing the deposit
termination code is detected by the optical code reader 20. The consequence
of the computing means 24 detecting the time-out condition, will also be the
computing means 24 switching from the deposit taking mode back to the idle
mode. Preferably, the computing means 24 will also issue an auditory alert
through speaker 38 stating "Transaction Ended" followed by an indication of
the
total of the accepted deposits (i.e. "Deposit totals $5"). The period of time
before a time-out condition is detected can be any time, however, good results
have been obtained with the period of time being set to at least 5 seconds,
and
preferably between 10 and 30 seconds, as mentioned above.
The drop safe 10 preferably also comprises a memory means associated
with the computing means 24 which is adapted to record and store the
particulars of the deposit locally.
However, if no acknowledgement or confirmation of recordal of the
particulars of the deposit is received from the remote computer 11 at step 74,
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the computing means 24 will cause the bill validator to reject the last paper
currency at step 78 and terminate the deposit taking mode and revert to the
idle
mode in step 60. The rejection of the last paper currency will preferably be
accompanied by either an aural or visual alert from the signal means.
Preferably, the alert is an aural alert through speaker 38 stating
"Transaction
Ended" followed by an indication of the total of the accepted deposits (i.e.
"Deposit totals $5").
The likely reason for a failure to receive acknowledgment or confirmation
of recordal of particulars of the deposit from the remote computer 11 at step
74
will be that the wired or wireless link 13 with the remote computer 11 has
been
temporarily lost. Essentially this will mean that the drop safe 10 is
temporarily
out of order.
The computing means 24 preferably keeps track of the number of
consecutive times acknowledgement was not received from the remote
computer 11 at step 74. Once a certain limit is reached, for example 5, the
computing means 24 will follow a batch deposit process for making a deposit
into the drop safe 10, which is outlined in Fig. 6. The batch deposit process
is
intended for use in cases where the wired or wireless connection to the remote
computer 11 is temporarily interrupted, or where a continuous link 13 is
impractical or unreliable.
The batch deposit process, records and stores particulars of all deposits
occurring in a time span of minutes, to hours, days weeks and even longer,
locally, and transmits the recorded particulars of all of the deposits to the
remote computer 11 at once, when a reliable wired or wireless connection with
the remote computer 11 is established.
Referring now to the flow chart in Fig. 7, the steps of the batch deposit
process will now be described.
As in the case of the default deposit process, the cashier will find the
drop safe 10 in an idle mode at step 80. The user starts the deposit taking
process by inserting a coupon 42, into the integrated bill validator 26, 30,
32,
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through slot 34 in vault door 16, as before.
At step 82, the integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32 will attempt to read the
barcode on the coupon 42 with the optical reader 30 and send the information
to the computing means 24. If the computing means fails to recognize the
barcode 44, the computing means 24 will cause the integrated bill validator
26,
30, 32 to eject the coupon 42. Preferably, the computing means 24 will also
cause the signal means to issue an alert indicating to the user that the
coupon
42 was not accepted. In any event the user will be forced back to step 80 in
the
flow chart. That is the computing means 24 will remain in the idle mode.
On the other hand, if at step 82 the computing means 24 detects the
deposit initiation code via the optical code reader part 30, then the
computing
means 24 will switch from the idle mode to the deposit taking mode. Preferably
the user will be alerted to this by the computing means 24 causing the
integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32 to eject the coupon 42 accompanied by the
signal means issuing an alert. Preferably, the computing means 24 alerts the
user through the speaker 38 by issuing the message "Transaction Started" or
the like. The user will then be permitted to progress to step 84.
At step 84, the user inserts the first paper currency into the mouth 35 of
the integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32.
At step 86, the integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32 will attempt to read the
paper currency with the bill validator part 26 to obtain information with
respect
to its denomination and validity, and send the information to the computing
means 24. If the bill validator part 26 detects an invalid paper currency, or
fails
to read the paper currency for whatever reason, the computing means 24 will
cause the integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32 to eject the paper currency,
which
will signal to the user that the paper currency was not deposited. Optionally
the
rejection of the paper currency may be accompanied by an alert from the signal
means.
In any event, the user will have an option at step 88 to retry depositing
the paper currency at step 84, depositing another paper currency at step 92,
or
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ending the deposit process at step 90 by inserting a coupon 42 containing a
barcode 44, representing a deposit termination code into the mouth 30 of the
integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32, which when detected will cause the
computing means 24 to switch back to the idle mode in step 80. As discussed
above, the deposit initiation code is preferably the same as the deposit
termination code, meaning that the same coupon 42 can be used to start and
end the deposit process. However, it is also contemplated that the deposit
initiation code and the deposit termination code may be different. At step 90,
the user will also have the option of doing nothing, in which case the
computing
means 24 will detect a time-out condition after a predetermined amount of time
has elapsed and neither a paper currency is inserted into the bill validator
26,
nor a coupon 44 containing the deposit termination code is detected by the
optical code reader 20. The consequence of the computing means 24
detecting the time-out condition, will also be the computing means 24
switching
from the deposit taking mode back to the idle mode. The period of time before
a time-out condition is detected can be any time, however, good results have
been obtained with the period of time being set to at least 5 seconds, and
preferably between 10 and 30 seconds.
If at step 86 the bill validator 26 reads the paper currency, validates it,
and determines its denomination, the computing means 24 will preferably
record the particulars locally in a memory means associated with the computing
means 24 which is adapted to record and store the particulars of the deposit
locally. After the particulars of the deposit are recorded locally, the
computing
means 24 preferably waits at step 86 for a predetermined period of time for a
signal from the memory means confirming or acknowledging that the particulars
were recorded. If the signal is received the computing means 24 accepts the
paper currency and directs the bill validator 26 to transfer the valid paper
currency to the currency compartment 32 via the transfer means preferably
integrated with the integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32. Preferably, every
time the
computing means 24 accepts the paper currency and directs the bill validator
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26 to transfer the valid paper currency to the currency compartment 32 it will
alert the user by stating the denomination of the accepted paper currency via
speaker 38.
The computing means 24 also permits the user at step 92 to either
proceed to step 84 to deposit another paper currency which maintains the
computing means 24 in the deposit taking mode, or to end the deposit taking
mode by inserting the coupon 42 containing the deposit termination code at
step 90, causing the computing means 24 to return to the idle mode at step 70.
Preferably, the computing means 24 will also issue an auditory alert through
speaker 38 stating "Transaction Ended" followed by an indication of the total
of
the accepted deposits (i.e. "Deposit totals $5").
At step 90, the user will also have the option of doing nothing, in which
case the computing means 24 will detect a time-out condition after a
predetermined amount of time has elapsed, as mentioned above. However,
before the computing means 24 reverts back to the idle mode at step 80, the
computing means 24 preferably stores the particulars of the last deposit
locally
at step 94, and if a reliable wired or wireless connection to the remote
computer
11 is established, the computing means 24 transmits the whole batch of stored
particulars to the remote computer 11 at once in step 96. The computing
means may also be set to transmit the stored particulars to the remote
computer 11 at one or more predetermined timers or when one or more
predetermined parameters are met, and a wired or wireless link 13 to the
remote computer 11 is present.
The flow chart in Fig. 8, shows the steps of a method of removing paper
currency from the drop safe 10 according to the present invention. It is
contemplated that the paper currency stored in the currency compartment(s) 32
in the drop safe 10 will be removed and collected by an armed guard or carrier
and transferred to a bank for safe keeping on behalf of the owner of the
business establishment. Accordingly, the following describes how a carrier
interacts with the drop safe 10 to remove paper currency from the currency
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compartment 32. However, the drop safe 10 need not be used with an armed
guard or carrier service, as the business owner may be assigned access, or the
business owner may designate another to obtain access to the drop safe 10.
As will be clear, the carrier provides pickup request information to the
remote computer 11 in response to prompts from the autoattendant, and
verifies the information by comparing it against records stored in the remote
computer 11. Preferably the pickup request information collected by the remote
computer 11 includes one or more of a safe serial number, a safe location
number, a carrier identification number, a password, and numbers or letters
printed on a coupon 42 (i.e. last 3 digits on the coupon) which the carrier
will
insert into the drop safe 10 at the appropriate time as discussed more fully
below.
Accordingly, at step 100, the carrier arrives at the business
establishment or safe site where the drop safe 10 is located based on a pre-
arranged schedule, or on receiving an indication from the remote computer 11
that the currency compartment 32 is full. Once at the safe's location the
carrier
places a telephone call to the remote computer 11 and interacts with the
remote
computer 11 autoattendant to obtain pick-up authorization.
The autoattendent produces a voice prompt at step 102 requesting the
carrier to enter a safe identifier or safe location number (i.e. "Please enter
safe
serial number followed by the # sign"). This may be a unique number assigned
to a particular drop safe 10 or associated with a location of the drop safe
10.
The carrier enters the number using the keypad on the telephone and at step
104 the remote computer 11 compares the carrier's entry against its database
to determine whether the entry is a valid safe identifier or location number.
If
not, the carrier will be so informed and the autoattendant will ask the
carrier at
step 106 whether he wishes to re-enter the safe identifier or location number.
If the carrier selects the option to re-enter the safe identifier or location
number
he will move back to step 102. If the carrier selects the option to not re-
enter
the safe location number the autoattendant will hang up and the computing
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means 24 will return to idle mode at step 107. The auto attendant will also
hang up it fails to receive any response from the carrier in a predetermined
period of time. The carrier can also choose to hang up the telephone at any
time.
However, if at step 104 the carrier enters a valid safe identifier or location
number the autoattendant will produce a voice prompt requesting the carrier to
enter his carrier identifier number (i.e. employee number or other number
associated with the carrier) at step 108. For example the voice prompt may be
the phrase "Please enter your employee identification number followed by the
# sign". The carrier enters the carrier identifier number using the keypad on
the
telephone and at step 110 the remote computer 11 compares the carrier's entry
against its database to determine whether the entry is a valid carrier
identifier
number based on the safe identifier or location number. If not, the carrier
will
be so informed and the autoattendant will ask the carrier at step 112 whether
he wishes to re-enter the safe location number. If the carrier selects the
option
to re-enter the carrier identification number he will move back to step 108.
If the
carrier selects the option to not re-enter the safe location number the
autoattendant will hang up and the computing means 24 will return to idle mode
at step 107. The auto attendant will also hang up it fails to receive any
response from the carrier in a predetermined period of time. The carrier can
also choose to hang up the telephone at any time.
However, if at step 110 the carrier enters a valid carrier identification
number the autoattendant will produce a voice prompt requesting the carrier to
enter his personal password at step 114 (i.e. "Please enter password followed
by the # sign"). The carrier enters the password using the keypad on the
telephone and at step 116 the remote computer 11 compares the carrier's entry
against its database to determine whether the entry is a valid password. If
not,
the carrier will be so informed and the autoattendant will ask the carrier at
step
118 whether he wishes to re-enter the password. If the carrier selects the
option to re-enter the carrier identification number he will move back to step
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114. If the carrier selects the option to not re-enter the safe location
number
the autoattendant will hang up and the computing means 24 will return to idle
mode at step 107. The autoattendant will also hang up it fails to receive any
response from the carrier in a predetermined period of time. The carrier can
also choose to hang up the telephone at any time.
If at step 116 the carrier enters a valid personal password the
autoattendant will at step 120 instruct the carrier to proceed to the drop
safe 10
and present a coupon 42 to the optical code reader 30 part of the integrated
bill
validator 26, 30, 32, and hang up. At the drop safe 10, the carrier present
the
coupon 42 containing a printed barcode representing one piece of the pickup
request information, such as for example the carrier identification number, to
the optical code reader 30 part of the integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32.
Preferably, the integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32 will receive the coupon
42 and
at step 122 it will read the barcode 44. If the integrated bill validator 26,
30, 32
fails to read the barcode 44, the carrier will be so informed, the coupon 42
will
be ejected, and the signal means will issue an alert, such as an aural alert,
ask
the carrier at step 124 to re-try the coupon 42 or another coupon. If the
carrier
selects the option to re-try the coupon or another coupon he will move back to
step 120. If the carrier selects the option to not re-try the coupon 44 the
computing means 24 will return to idle mode at step 125 after a predetermined
timeout period expires.
However, if at step 122 the integrated bill validator 26, 30, 32 reads the
barcode 44, it will transfer the coupon 42 to the currency compartment 32 via
the transfer means and at step 126 the computing means 24 will transmit the
barcode to the remote computer 11 via the network module 28. The remote
computer 11 checks that the barcode represents a valid piece of the pickup
request information, preferably the carrier identifier number, and if so
verifies
and stores at step 128 all of the pickup request information, preferably
including
caller ID information of the phone call by the carrier when calling into the
remote
computer 11 telephone autoattendant.
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If the remote computer 11 determines that the pickup request information
is not valid at step 130, and the computing means 24 will return to idle mode
at
step 125. Preferably, the signal means will issue an aural alert via the
speaker
38 apprising the carrier of this. The computing means 24 will also return to
idle
mode if it fails to receive a signal from the remote computer 11 to deactivate
the
electronic lock in a predetermined period of time.
However, if the remote computer 11 determines that the pickup request
information is valid at step 130 it will send a signal to the computing means
24
at step 132 to deactivate the electronic lock 36. Preferably, as mentioned
above, the lock 36 is an electromechanical solenoid-type lock which when
deactivated the slug is moved out of engagement with the handle 20 permitting
it to turn. The deactivation of the lock 36 may be accompanied by an alert
from
the signal means (i.e. "Safe Unlocked"). Preferably, the lock is disengaged
for
a predetermined amount of time such as 5 to 30 seconds. When the carrier
hears or sees the alert, or hears the lock 36 being disengaged he will turn
the
handle 20 to withdraw the deadbolt 22, and open the door 16.
Once the door 16 is opened, the carrier will at step 134 remove the
currency compartment 30 containing paper currency, and preferably replace it
with an empty currency compartment. However, it is also contemplated that the
carrier may remove the paper currency from the currency compartment 30 and
reuse the now empty currency compartment 30 in the integrated bill validator
26, 30, 32.
Next the carrier will, at step 136, close the vault door 16, turn the handle
until the slug of the lock 26 engages the handle 20 and the deadbolt 22 is
extended to maintain the door 16 secured in the closed position.
The carrier finishes up at step 138 by tagging the retrieved currency
compartment 30 with site location and date information as will be known to
persons skilled in the art.
As will now be understood, to gain access to the interior chamber 14 of
the drop safe 10, via the door 16, the carrier first provides pickup request
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information to the remote computer 11 in response to voice prompts by the
autoattendant. The pickup request information can include one or more of a
drop safe location number, a carrier identifier, and a password. The remote
computer 11 validates the pickup request information and the autoattendant
prompts the carrier to present a code representing at least one piece of the
pickup request information to a code reader on the drop safe 10, which in the
above example is an optical barcode reader. The remote remote computer 11
validates the pickup request information code and sends a signal to the
computing means to deactivate the electronic lock. When the electronic lock
is deactivated by the computing means 24 in response to the signal from the
remote computer 11, the carrier can open the vault door 16 and remove the
paper currency from the currency compartment 30.
According to another embodiment of the present invention the carrier will
be asked by the autoattendent at step 114 for a code associated with his
personal RFID tag in place of a personal password, and at step 120 the carrier
will be prompted to present his personal RFID tag to be read at step 122 by an
RFID tag reader associated with the bill validator 26 or separate from the
RFID
tag reader.
While reference has been made to various preferred embodiments of the
invention other variations, implementations, modifications, alterations and
embodiments are comprehended by the broad scope of the appended claims.
Some of these have been discussed in detail in this specification and others
will
be apparent to those skilled in the art. Those of ordinary skill in the art
having
access to the teachings herein will recognize these additional variations,
implementations, modifications, alterations and embodiments, all of which are
within the scope of the present invention and intended to be covered by the
appended claims, without limitation.
For example, the optical code reader 30 may be separate from the bill
validator 26, as shown in Fig. 9. Also, the optical code reader may be
replaced
by another code reader, such as for example a smart card reader 46 for reading
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smart card codes 48, as shown in Fig. 10. A smart card, also known as a chip
card or integrated circuit card (ICC), is any pocket-sized card with embedded
integrated circuits. There are two broad categories of ICCs, memory cards
containing only non-volatile memory storage components, and perhaps
dedicated security logic, and microprocessor cards containing volatile memory
and microprocessor components. A drop safe 10 with a radio frequency
identification (RFID) tag reader 50 for reading RFID codes 52 is shown in Fig.
11. A drop safe 10 with a magnetic strip reader 54 for reading magnetic codes
56, as shown in Fig. 12.
Other code readers are contemplated as well, all of which may be
integrated with the bill validator 26 or separate from the bill validator 26.
For
example, the drop safe 10 may be provided with a biometric code reader for
reading biometric codes. Examples of biometric code readers include retina
scanners, iris scanners, and fingerprint readers.
It is also contemplated that more than one code reader may be included
on the drop safe 10 as shown in Fig. 13, where the drop safe 10 includes a
RFID tag reader 52, an optical code reader 30, a smart card reader 46, and a
magnetic strip reader 54 on the vault door 16.
Furthermore, although the drop safe 10 is described above with
reference to one bill validator 26 and one currency compartment 30, it will be
understood that more than one bill validator 26 and currency compartments
may be provided in the drop safe 10.
Furthermore, the pickup request information can include other
information known only to the carrier, such as for example a specific sequence
of numbers and/or letters on the coupon 42. Accordingly, the autoattendant
may be programmed to include one or more further prompts for further pickup
request information (i.e. "Please enter the last three digits on the pickup
ticket").
Furthermore, the drop safe 10 may optionally include a printer for printing
receipts containing a summary of the deposit.
