TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a system for transferring at least the value of
valuable documents quickly and reliably to a central monetary institution, and more
specifically for such transfer from a plurality of mutually dispersed terminals to
central equipment assigned to a monetary institution, said transfer being effected
with the aid of cassettes of particular construction.
BACKGROUND PRIOR ART
[0002] US Patent Specification Serial No 4 283 097 for instance teaches a cassette which
is so constructed that when withdrawn from a casing the cassette is in a closed and
locked mode, but in which a locking device is moved from a locking to a non-locking
position when inserting the cassette into the casing, so as to enable the contents
of the cassette to be removed therefrom.
[0003] A system for handling valuable documents within a monetary institution with the use
of cassettes is previously known to the art, e.g., from European Patent Specification
0030413. The system is constructed so that when a cassette is inserted into a device
or banknotes are inserted into the cassette, information to this effect is transmitted
to a data processor, thereby providing information at a central station information
concerning the location and contents of the cassettes, the account balance of the
customer, etc.
[0004] Although cassettes and systems of this kind function satisfactorily per se, there
is a general desire to manage such cassettes and systems more effectively and in a
more rational manner, so as to improve the interest earned by the valuable documents
involved, both on the part of the monetary institutions and their customers, and also
to reduce the personnel required for routine work in, e.g., banks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] In a system for transferring the value of valuable documents from a plurality of
terminals to a central monetary institution, each terminal is provided with means
for reading into cassettes information or data relating to the identity and the contents
of said cassettes. The monetary institution is provided with means for registering
and recording information or data previously read into cassettes. Cassettes intended
for the monetary institution concerned are intended to be unlocked solely within the
confines of the monetary institution. The terminals may be relatively simple in the
case of small customers and more complex in the case of large customers, e.g. chain
stores, large purchasing bodies and the like.
[0006] The characteristic features of a system constructed in accordance with the invention
are set forth in the following claims.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0007] The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the
accompanying drawing, which illustrates schematically an exemplifying embodiment of
an inventive system.
[0008] The illustrated system comprises a multiple of mutually dispersed teminals 11, 12,
13, 14, 15, 16, and centrally located master equipment 10 assigned to a monetary institution.
[0009] Each terminal is provided with means for writing into cassettes electronically information
relating to the valuable-document content of the cassettes. Thus, the terminal 13,
by way of example, has a write-in means 133 for automatically writing information
into cassette 131 in conjunction with the insertion of banknotes into the cassette,
and the terminal 14 has means in the form of a keyboard 142 for writing information
in the cassette 141 (relating to the number of banknotes and their identification)
subsequent to charging and locking the cassette. The master equipment 10 includes
registering means 101 which are operative in registering the information previously
written into the cassettes. As will be described in more detail hereinafter, this
registration can be effected in two ways, either through data transmission from the
terminal, e.g. the terminal 13, or by direct transfer from cassette (161) located
in its intended position in the equipment 10. The information may also be inserted
manually into the main equipment, subsequent to being told the information over the
telephone from the terminal in question.
[0010] At least some of the terminals, e.g., the terminals 11, 12, 13, are intended for
large businesses and are provided with infeed means 130 for feeding valuable documents
(banknotes) through an opening 135 in a cassette 131 connected to the infeed means,
and also with transfer means 134 for transferring to the main master equipment 10
of the monetary institution information concerning the identity of the cassette and
its content of banknotes subsequent to termination of the infeed process.
[0011] The infeed means 130 comprises, in a known manner, rollers and guide rails for transporting
the banknotes singly passed identifying and counting means 136, to the infeed opening
of the cassette. Information-concerning the number of banknotes and their denomination
from the means 136 and cassette identification either punched-in through the keyboard
or entered directly from the cassette concerned (broken-line conductor) - is collected
in a register 133 and transmitted via transmission means 134, which may be connectable
to data channels on telephone subscriber lines. This information arrives at the registering
means 101 and is stored in said means for future processing.
[0012] The cassettes (e.g. 131) used in conjunction with these terminals 11, 12, 13, are
so constructed that when a cassette is connected to a terminal (e.g. terminal 13)
and insertion of banknotes and subsequent removal from the terminal is completed the
cassettes can be unlocked solely within the confines of the monetary institution,
e.g. by positioning the cassette in an intended location in the master equipment 10,
or by manually unlocking the cassette by an authorized person.
[0013] At least some of the terminals, e.g. the terminals 14, 15, 16, are intended for smaller
businesses, the information write-in means of these terminals having the form of a
keyboard. Thus, the terminal 14 is provided with a keyboard 142 by means of which
information can be written into a cassette 141, said cassette being of the kind which
can be opened solely within the confines of the monetary institution. The cassette
may either be opened automatically by electronic means or with the aid of a key by
an authorized person.
[0014] A business-account owner who wishes to make a deposit places valuable documents (banknotes)
into the cassette and inserts information into the cassette memory 1410 (circuit card)
relating to the value of the deposit with the aid of the keyboard 142, and then phones
the monetary institution concerned and informs the institution of the magnitude of
the deposit and the account number, and closes the cassette, which is therewith locked
automatically and cannot later be opened by the account owner and is either deposited
temporarily in a night safe or sent to the monetary institution concerned. When the
cassette is received at the monetary institution, the cassette is unlocked electronically
and emptied while, at the same time, counting (veryfying) the contents of the cassette
and comparing these contents with the information stored in the cassette memory 1410.
Depending on the design of the equipment installed in the monetary institution, this
emptying of the cassette and verification of its contents can be carried out by the
account owner himself (customer operated equipment) or by a cashier (cashier operated
equipment).
[0015] The drawing shows in broken lines one end of a cassette 111 positioned in the master
equipment 10, this cassette originating from the terminal 11 and which, when placed
in the equipment 10, is automatically unlocked and connected mechanically to dispenser
means 103 for emptying the cassette, and connected electronically to registering
means 101 for identifying the cassette. Subsequent to emptying the cassette, the cassette
is removed by the account owner, the cassette thus being relocked and ready for use
for a new deposit.
[0016] It can be agreed between account owner and the monetary institution that, when an
account owner has removed a cassette from its terminal and the cassette therewith
locked (the case with, e.g., the terminal 13) or has closed a cassette subsequent
to having inserted banknotes therein, checks manually (the case of, e.g., the terminal
14) and, furthermore, has informed the monetary institution of the deposit, either
electronically or in some other way, the valuable documents are then the property
of the monetary institution, which can thus in reality work with the documents despite
the fact that they are not physically in the possession of the institution. Consequently,
the account owner can be credited with interest for his deposit from an earlier date
than would otherwise be possible, while handling of the documents by the monetary
institution is quicker and simpler.
[0017] In the case of the aforedescribed embodiment of the inventive system cassettes are
emptied of their contents in the master equipment 10 of the monetary institution (the
bank). It is conceivable, however, for cassettes which are delivered to the monetary
institution not to be emptied immediately, but instead to be utilized in banknote
dispensing devices assigned to the monetary institution, subsequent to recording the
information written into the cassettes. This is made possible by the accuracy and
reliability with which available banknote infeed devices, banknote identifying devices
and banknote counting devices now operate. This enables the time-consuming task of
manually counting, sorting and feeding banknotes to be avoided, and the time normally
spent in such tasks to be utilized more than efficiently in carrying out more qualified
bank tasks. The drawing illustrates the manner in which a cassette 161 arriving from
the terminal 16 is placed in its intended position in the equipment 10 of the monetary
institution, where information read from the circuit card of the cassette 161 by read-out
means 104 is recorded in the registering means 101. This cassette can then be used
in a banknote dispenser, or cash dispenser, intended for the public without needing
to first empty the cassette of its banknote content.
[0018] It will be understood that the described and illustrated exemplifying embodiment
of the inventive system can be modified in various ways within the scope of the invention
as defined in the following claims. Certain of these conceivable modifications will
be described briefly in the following passages.
[0019] In the aforegoing it has been disclosed that information relating to cassettes and
their contents can be transmitted to the master equipment, by data transmission from
respective terminals, by direct transmission from cassettes positioned in their respective
intended locations in the master equip ment, or by passing this information onto
the monetary institution from the terminal concerned and manually inserting said
information into the master equipment in response to a telephone message from the
terminal.
[0020] In addition hereto, it is also conceivable to transfer information by activating
(inquiry) from the master equipment, by telephone or data link, preferably a plurality
of terminals in a predetermined sequence and at given times. This would result in
savings in material costs and enhance security on the part of the monetary institution.
[0021] It is also stated in the aforegoing that the cassettes can only be unlocked within
the confines of the monetary institution. Positioning of cassettes in their respective
intended locations in the master equipment 10 and manual unlocking of the cassettes
by authorized personnel have been given as examples of how such cassettes can be unlocked.
[0022] This latter alternative can be carried out by providing a terminal, e.g. the terminal
13, with an internal safe which will accommodate a plurality of cassettes and which
can be opened solely by authorized personnel (e.g. bank personnel/security personnel)
as distinct from other personnel managing the terminal. This provides further security
against robbery.
[0023] It is also stated in the aforegoing that a cassette arriving at the monetary institution
need not necessarily be emptied immediately in said institution, but can be utilized
later in a banknote dispensing machine (e.g. a cash-point dispenser). It is also conceivable,
however, for an account holder to transmit to the master equipment 10, via his terminal,
e.g. the terminal 13, information relating to the identity of the cassette and the
contents thereof, and then to place the closed and locked cassette in a banknote dispensing
machine, optionally belonging to the account holder himself, this machine being connected
electronically to the master equipment.
[0024] This will reduce the number of occasions where the banknotes need to be transported,
which in turn reduces transportation and administration costs and enhances security
against robbery, while maintaining the aforesaid benefit of early interest on the
part of the account owner and also making cash available to the monetary institution
(through the information concerning the value of the cash available).
1. A system for reliably transferring at least the value of valuable documents from
a plurality of dispersed terminals to a centrally located equipment assigned to a
monetary institution, this transfer being effected with the aid of cassettes of particular
construction, characterized in that each terminal (11, 12, ...16) is provided with
means (133, 142) for writing electronically into cassettes (131, 141) information
relating to the valuable document content of the cassettes; in that the centrally
located equipment (10) is provided with registering means (101) for registering information
previously written in to cassettes connected to the registering means (101); and in
that cassette (131, 141) intended for transfer within the institution are constructed
in a manner which enables the cassettes to be unlocked solely in connection with the
monetary institution.
2. A system according to Claim 1, characterized in that at least some of said terminals
(e.g. 13) are provided with infeed means (130) for feeding valuable documents into
a cassette (131) connected to the infeed means (130), and with transfer means (134)
for transferring to the monetary institution (10) information relating to the identity
of the connected cassette (131) and the valuable-document content of the cassette
upon completion of the infeed process; and in that said at least some terminals (13)
and associated cassettes (131) are so constructed that a cassette (131) which is connected
to a respective terminal (13) is automatically closed and locked upon its removal
from the terminal (13).
3. A system according to Claim 1, characterized in that the means for writing-in information
in at least some of said terminals (e.g. 14) has the form of a keyboard (142); and
in that cassettes (e.g. 141) intended for use in said at least some terminals are
constructed to be locked automatically when closing the cassettes.
4. A system according to any of Claims 1-3, characterized in that the centrally located
equipment (10) is provided with dispensing means (103) for dispensing valuable documents
from a cassette (e.g. 111) connected to the dispenser (103) and for identifying the
value of the valuable documents dispensed from said cassette and comparing the result
of this identification with information written into the cassette (111) by the registering
means (101).
5. A system according to Claim 2, characterized in that said at least some terminals
(e.g. the terminal 13) is provided with an internal safe which will accomodate one
or more cassettes and which can be unlocked solely by persons other than the ordinary
managing personnel of the respecitve terminals.