Communications: electrical – Condition responsive indicating system – Specific condition
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-31
2001-02-20
Hofsass, Jeffery A. (Department: 2736)
Communications: electrical
Condition responsive indicating system
Specific condition
C340S686600, C340S687000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06191690
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a burglary prevention system for protecting and preventing the theft of cash cassettes loaded in automatic transaction apparatuses, such as automated-teller machines (ATMs), which can be used for a variety of transactions.
2. Related Arts
An automatic transaction apparatus, such as an automated-teller machine (ATM), which can be used for a variety of transactions incorporates a cash cassette in which is stored money required for an accounting process performed for cash transactions. The cash cassette is exchanged periodically, or when the supply of money remaining in it becomes low.
Burglaries during which cash cassettes are stolen tend to occur when cassettes are being exchanged. Burglaries may also occur after the door of an automatic transaction apparatus has been opened for the performance of maintenance procedures. In order to prevent such crimes, conventionally, a lockable room is provided adjacently behind the automatic transaction apparatus, and in that room, an operator responsible for the machine can exchange cash cassettes or a maintenance man can service the machine. If no work space is defined behind the automatic transaction apparatus, however, the number of operators or maintenance men who handle cash cassettes is increased to prevent burglaries.
Recently, the tendency is to install automatic transaction apparatuses in restricted spaces. Specifically, in addition to being installed in financial facilities, an increasing number of automatic transaction apparatuses are being installed in stores, such as convenience stores, for which the apparatuses provide not only a cash withdrawal function but are also employed to sell tickets to various events and to function as computer game software vending machines.
In small shops, such as convenience stores, it is difficult to obtain the space necessary for a locked room behind an automatic transaction apparatus. Further, since the customers of a convenience store usually patronize the store at all hours, day and night, when an operator who is responsible for a machine must exchange cash cassettes under these conditions, there is always the danger that a criminal act, a burglary, may take place during which a cash cassette is stolen. In this case, as is described above, to preclude the commission of such a crime the number of responsible operators is increased.
However, an increase in the number of such operators is accompanied by a rise in operating costs. And since it is predicted that the installation of automatic transaction apparatuses in restricted spaces, as is described above, will increase, and that the additional operating costs involved will tend to preclude the implementation of a policy providing for an increase in the number of responsible operators, a corresponding rise is also anticipated in the number of burglaries during which cash cassettes are stolen.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, one objective of the present invention to provide a cash cassette burglary prevention system and a cash cassette burglary prevention method by which automatic transaction apparatus cash cassettes are protected from being stolen during burglaries committed while cassettes are being exchanged, and for which only a minimum number of operators is required to exchange cash cassettes or to perform apparatus maintenance.
To achieve the above objective, according to the present invention, in case of a situation exists wherein the security of a cash cassette is at risk because the possibility is high that a burglary could occur, automatically, the distance between the cash cassette and an operator who is handling the cassette is measured. And when the measured distance equals or exceeds a predetermined distance, it is concluded that a burglary has occurred, and various burglary alarm devices are activated.
With this arrangement, even when only one person is employed to exchange cash cassettes at a location which is easily accessible to other people, a crime involving a cash cassette can be detected immediately, and a burglary during which a cash cassette is stolen can be prevented or the possibility such a criminal act will take place can be reduced. Therefore, the number of operators required to exchange cash cassettes can be reduced, and this, in turn, will contribute to a reduction in operating costs. Furthermore, since to perform a cash cassette exchange no extra space is required, location restrictions governing the installation of automatic transaction apparatuses can be considerably reduced.
For example, according to the present invention, it is provided a burglary prevention system comprising:
a detector for detecting load and unload of the cash cassette in a predetermined location in the automatic transaction apparatus;
a determination device, which is activated in accordance with the results obtained by the detector, for determining the distance between the cash cassette and an operator who is handling said cash cassette; and
a burglary alarm device, which is activated in accordance with the results obtained by the determination device, for executing a predetermined burglary alarm operation.
With the above arrangement, for example, wherein the determination device is activated in case that the detector detects the unload of the cash cassette in the predetermined location; and the burglary alarm device is activated in case that the detector determines that the distance to the operator equals or exceeds a predetermined distance.
Furthermore, to achieve the above objective, it is provided a cash cassette burglary prevention method comprising the steps of:
detecting load and unload of the cash cassette in a predetermined location in the automatic transaction apparatus;
determining the distance between the cash cassette and an operator who is handling the cash cassette in case that the unload of the cash cassette is detected at said detecting step; and
performing a predetermined burglary alarm operation in case that it is determined at the determining step that said distance between said cash cassette and said operator equals or exceeds a predetermined distance.
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patent: 5530426 (1996-06-01), Wilk
patent: 5583486 (1996-12-01), Kersten
patent: 5952920 (1999-09-01), Braddick
patent: 8-66221 (1996-03-01), None
patent: 8-86149 (1996-04-01), None
patent: 8-339482 (1996-12-01), None
patent: 10-55490 (1998-02-01), None
Armstrong, Westerman Hattori, McLeland & Naughton
Fujitsu Limited
Hofsass Jeffery A.
Previl Daniel
LandOfFree
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