A security system for securing valuables

Description

[0001] This invention relates to security systems for securing valuables such as bank notes.

[0002] In cash centres bank notes are filled into specialised cassettes. After a possible storage time at the cash centre cassettes are transported to automatic teller machines, ATM's, where one or more cassettes are installed. The ATM's pay out bank notes from the cassettes, and after a period of time the cassettes are returned to the cash centre for being refilled. ATM's can also be configured to receive bank notes and in the following an ATM should be understood as having either or both of these functions. At any time, and in particular during transition from one phase to another, the cassettes and their content must be protected against attacks and theft. At a detected unauthorised handling of a cassette or any other component in the system, e.g. an attack or attempt of theft, a security routine is initiated. Several systems and methods for protecting the contents of the cassette are known, such as spraying the content with ink, sounding an alarm or sending a silent message.

[0003] Cassettes containing bank notes are of a size and weight that can be carried and handled by a person. Such cassettes have a protecting system for protecting the content of the cassettes e.g. by spraying the content with ink in case of a detected unauthorised handling of the cassette. The protecting system can be in a passive mode where their protection system is turned off. The passive mode can be entered in secure environments, e.g. in a cash centre where cassettes are filled with bank notes. Cassettes can also be in an active mode where their protection system is turned on, and detection of an unauthorised handling of a cassette will trigger the protection system and a protection routine is initiated. Cassettes may have several levels of active mode depending e.g. on the environment and the situation.

A. When cassettes containing valuables such as bank notes are in a safe environment such as a cash centre they are normally in a passive mode since the safe environment is relied upon for protecting the cassettes and their content. However, if filled cassettes that are in their passive mode and stored in the cash centre are handled in an unauthorised manner, e.g. if the cash centre is attacked, the cassettes and their content are vulnerable and at risk.
According to the invention this problem is solved by providing a wireless transmitter in the safe environment, the transmitter emitting a wireless signal such as an RF signal or an IR signal to be received by a receiver in the cassettes or connected thereto, and by putting stored cassettes in their active mode even when in the safe environment. As long as the wireless signal is properly received by the receiver, and no unauthorised handling is detected, the protection system will not be triggered. On the other hand, absence of proper reception of the wireless signal is interpreted as the corresponding cassette being moved out of reach of the transmitter of the wireless signals, and the protection system is triggered to initiate a protection routine.

B. Protection systems that spray the content of cassettes with ink or other substances are known.
According to the invention the protection system has two or more compartments containing different reactants that will react chemically with each other when mixed or otherwise brought into contact with each other so as to form a product that indelibly marks and degrades or spoils the content such as bank notes in the cassettes. Each of the two reactants can be optimised for several properties such as storage properties, flow properties, hazards, toxicity, ease of handling etc. The reaction product can be a dye or an adhesive that cures after mixing of the reactants, an etching product, or the chemical reaction of the reactants may release energy in the form of heat, all of which will irreversibly degrade the content of the cassettes.

C. Cassettes having a security system are known. If the security system is suddenly destroyed, e.g. by a gunshot destroying vital parts of the security system, the security system may fail to react and to trigger the protection routine, whereby the cassettes and their content are vulnerable and at risk.
According to the invention this problem is solved by providing a redundant security system with two separate security systems each of which is capable of initiating the security routines. The two security systems should be placed at different locations so that e.g. a gunshot will not destroy both. A communication is established between the two systems, and in case one system fails due e.g. to a sudden destruction, the other system will react by triggering the protection system and the protection routine is initiated. As long as each system is satisfied that the other is functioning properly, and no unauthorised handling is detected, the protection system will not be triggered.

D. Water and other liquids in the cassettes or in their security system may reduce the effectiveness of the system and in particular of the substances (ink, glue etc.) that are used for degrading the content of containers. In consequence the degradation of some or all valuables such as bank notes may not be satisfactory. Electrically conductive liquids such as water can be detected due to their conductivity, and if e.g. water is detected in the cassette, this may be interpreted as unauthorised handling and the security routine is initiated. Non-conducting substances, e.g. oily substances such as diesel fuel, cannot be detected using conductivity sensors, and if such substances are introduced into the cassette or their security system as an unauthorised handling, the known security systems may not detect this with the consequence that the security routine is not initiated.
According to the invention the security system comprises a sensor capable of detecting non-conducting substances, in particular liquids or oily substances such as diesel fuel. If the cassette is unauthorised immersed in such substance or liquid the sensor will detect this and the security system will react by triggering the protection system and the protection routine is initiated.

E. In today's ATM's the cassette security system does not communicate to exchange data with the ATM itself. If e.g. the security system in a cassette for some reason has initiated its security routine and has sprayed the bank notes in the cassette with ink, there is a risk that the ATM will issue bank notes that are spoiled by the ink. Also, each cassette has its own security system which is independent of the security systems in other cassettes in the ATM. This also entails that each cassette must independently detect possible unauthorised handling and react accordingly independent on the other cassettes in the ATM.
According to the invention a wired or wireless communication is provided between the ATM and the cassette that enables a full and detailed status report to be transmitted from each cassette to the ATM and further e.g. to a central monitoring station. Such a report can include a service request and reporting that the security routine has been initiated. Remote control signals can be transmitted to the ATM and to some or all of the cassettes in the ATM e.g. instructions to perform certain functions including initiating the security routine. In case of a detected attack on one cassette the ATM or a remote controller can send a control signal causing remaining cassettes to initiate their security routine whereby the valuables contained therein are degraded.

F. Cassettes for containing bank notes are usually fitted with a lid containing the security system including sensors, a controller and e.g. an ink spraying system. The lid has, or can have, a grid or mesh of closely spaced electrically conductive wires between the outer side of the lid and the security system. The grid has a layout that ensures that even if a small hole made in an attempt to get unauthorised access to the interior of the cassette the wire will be broken at least one place which is detected by the security system, and a protection routine can be in initiated. Whereas the lid with the security system has or can have such a grid or mesh the walls of the remaining of the cassette do not have such a system, which makes them vulnerable. Other methods are therefore used for detecting unauthorised openings being made in the walls of the cassette other than the lid.
According to the invention cassettes are provided with a grid or mesh of closely spaced electrically conductive wires not only in the lid but in some or all of the remaining walls of the cassette. Thereby the same security system which is used for watching the lid can be used for watching all the walls of the cassette.

G. Cassettes with an ink spraying system in the lid perform better when the lid and the spraying system are above the valuables in the cassette than when turned upside down, in particular if the valuables are bank notes. This is due to the combined effect of the capillary effect and gravity. If the cassette is turned upside down, the ink will be sprayed onto the bank notes from below, and gravity will counteract the capillary effect resulting in poorer performance.
According to the invention the cassette has at least two sets of spraying nozzles, preferably on opposite sides of the cassette or possibly surrounding the cavity of the cassette. The sets of spraying nozzles may be activated together by the same system so that ink is sprayed simultaneously from two or more sides onto the bank notes, or the security system can have a gravity direction detector and depending on the detected direction of gravity at least the uppermost set of spraying nozzles will be activated. It is hereby ensured that the content in the cassette will always be sprayed with in at least from above, i.e. the side where gravity will assist in distributing the ink.

Claims

1. A security system for securing valuables comprising

- one or more cassettes for holding the valuables,

- an enclosure (cash centre) for storing the one or more cassettes,

- a wireless transmitter in the enclosure, the transmitter being arranged to emit a wireless signal,

the cassettes having a receiver for receiving the signals transmitted by the transmitter, the cassettes comprising a security system for performing a degradation of content in the cassettes, where

- the degradation is prevented in case of proper reception of the signal and

- the degradation is performed in case of improper reception of the signal.

2. A security system for securing valuables, the system comprising a cassette for accommodating the valuables, and a compartment containing a substance to be ejected from the compartment in case of a detected unauthorised handling of the cassette, so that the ejected substance comes in contact with the valuables,
characterized in that the system comprises two compartments containing different reactants that will react chemically with each other when mixed or otherwise brought into contact with each other so as to form a product to come in contact with the valuables to render the valuables useless.

3. A security system for securing valuables, the system comprising a container for accommodating the valuables and a security system for initiating a security routine in case of a detected unauthorised handling of the container,
characterized in that the security system comprises a first and a second subsystem each of which is capable of initiating the security routine, where each subsystem is arranged to initiate the security routine in case of a predetermined condition in the other subsystem.

4. A security system for securing valuables, the system comprising a container for accommodating the valuables and a security system for initiating a security routine in case of a detected unauthorised handling of the container,
characterized in that the security system comprises a sensor capable of detecting non-conducting liquid substances, in particular oily substances or liquids such as diesel fuel and that the security system is arranged to initiate the security routine in case a non-conducting liquid substance is detected.

5. A system for handling bank notes, the system comprising

- a container for accommodating the bank notes,

- an apparatus (ATM) for containing one or more containers and for paying out or receiving bank notes, and

- a security system for initiating a security routine in case of a detected unauthorised handling of the system,

characterized in that a wired or wireless communication is provided between the apparatus and the container enabling data to be exchanged between the apparatus and the container.

6. An apparatus (ATM) for use in a system according to claim 5 and for containing one or more containers with bank notes and for paying out bank notes from the container or for receiving bank notes,
characterized in that the apparatus has means for communicating with the container enabling data to be exchanged between the apparatus and the container.

7. A container for containing bank notes and for use with an apparatus according to claim 6
characterized in that the container has means for communicating with the apparatus enabling data to be exchanged between the container and the apparatus.

8. A security system for securing valuables, the system comprising a container for accommodating the valuables, the container having a lid containing a security system for initiating a security routine in case of a detected unauthorised handling of the container, a grid or mesh of one or more closely spaced electrically conductive wires being arranged between the outer side of the lid and the security system, the security system being arranged to initiate the security routine in case one of the electrically conductive wires being interrupted,
characterized in that one or more walls of the cassette have a grid or mesh of one or more closely spaced electrically conductive wires, and that the security system being arranged to initiate the security routine in case one of the electrically conductive wires in the walls of the cassette is interrupted.

9. A security system for securing valuables, the system comprising a container for accommodating the valuables and a security system for initiating a security routine in case of a detected unauthorised handling of the container, the security system comprising a first set of one or more nozzles arranged on the inner side of a first wall of the cassette, the security routine comprising spraying a liquid on the valuables in the cassette,
characterized in that the security system comprises a second set of one or more nozzles arranged on the inner side of a second wall of the cassette, and that the security routine comprises spraying a liquid on the valuables in the cassette through at least the uppermost of the first and second set of nozzles.