Registers – Systems controlled by data bearing records – Banking systems
Reexamination Certificate
1991-12-27
2003-02-25
Dixon, Thomas A. (Department: 2161)
Registers
Systems controlled by data bearing records
Banking systems
C705S043000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06523742
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a cash processing system that automatically performs cash handling operations associated with banking services and so forth. More specifically, the invention relates to a cash processing system that performs automatic stacking of cash in a safe, manages the said safe, dispenses cash from the safe and holds cash that the user has inadvertently not retrieved and other banking associated operations.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, cash handling apparatuses such as automatic teller's machines (ATM), cash dispensers and so forth have been widely used in banking services and so forth. Such cash handling apparatuses include a detachable cash safe that feeds cash from the safe set therein to a cash stacker for dispensing the same. Filling of the cash safe is labor intensive work and requires very high security. Furthermore, because of manual operation, there is the possibility of errors or theft occurring during placement of the cash in the cash safe. Therefore, there is the need for the reduction of labor and the maintenance of a high level of security.
The conventional practice for placing cash in the cash safe for access to the cash handling apparatus involves a responsible worker obtaining the necessary amount of cash from a cashier, manually setting the cash in the cash safe and then performing a key input (through a key array of the cash handling apparatus) for the set amount of cash.
Similarly, for recovering cash, the said worker manually withdraws the cash from the cash safe, performs a counting operation, issues a receipt and returns the cash to the cashier.
Because of the nature of handling the cash, complete security and error free operation is desired. In the prior art, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 2-21393 proposes a cash safe incorporating a memory. The cash safe is connected to a computer for inputting an amount of money set in the safe thus making the amount of cash in the safe definite to prevent theft or error from occurring. However, even in the proposed system, management of the safe is still performed by the responsible person having a key. In other words, the person possessing the key still has access to the cash in the safe thereby maintaining the possibility of error or theft, occurring. Especially, in view of the current trend for holiday banking services that require authorization of the management of the cash safe to a third party, such as security services, the possibility of the above problems occurring has increased.
On the other hand, from the viewpoint of service to customers, manual operation of placing cash in the safe, and setting the cash safe in the cash handling apparatus can cause inconvenience during service time. Namely, when the safe and cash handling apparatus are empty, the apparatus becomes inoperative until additional cash is placed within the same. Resetting the filled cash safe is performed by a process identical to that set forth above. Such process is clearly time consuming and thus can cause unnecessary inconvenience for the customer.
Also, when customer forgets retrieve the cash from the cash handling apparatus, it is the current practice to restore the cash in the apparatus and place the unretrieved cash in cash storage with identification of the customer. However, in current practice, checking identification is very cumbersome and time consuming work when the customer returns to retrieve the money.
In addition, it is also possible that the cash safe will be set to the incorrect cash handling apparatus. When the cash safe is set to incorrect cash handling apparatus a discrepancy between the existing cash in the safe and the recorded amount can result in confusion, and, when management of the cash safe is authorized to a third party, such as security services, incorrect placement of a safe in a cash handling apparatus having different banking services is a strong possibility.
In view of the various inconveniences associated with the currently available cash processing systems in the banking services and so forth, improvement measures ensuring greater efficiency, higher security and enhanced services are clearly required.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cash processing system that can reduce manual operation in placing and collecting cash from a cash handling apparatus, such as ATM's, cash dispensing machines and so forth and thus can eliminate the possibility of error or theft occurring.
Another object of the invention is to provide a cash processing system that can assure security even when cash placement and cash collection are authorized to the third party, such as security services without error and/or theft occurring.
A further object of the invention is to provide a cash processing system that can prevent incorrect placement of funds in the cash handling apparatus by enabling a check to take place to determine if the funds are properly placed in the intended cash handling apparatus.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a cash processing system that enables efficient setting of cash in the cash handling apparatus for reducing customer waiting time during restoring operations during service hours.
A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a cash processing system that facilitates the return of cash inadvertently left in the cash handling apparatus.
According to one aspect of the invention, a cash processing system comprises:
a detachable safe;
a cash processing apparatus that receives the detachable cash safe for automatically placing a commanded amount of cash therein; and
a cash handling apparatus that receives the safe, in which the commanded amount of cash is placed for performing services including a cash dispensing service.
In the preferred construction, the cash processing apparatus comprises a personnel accessible input and output unit, through which a command for cash processing is entered, and an automatic cash processing unit (also termed a setting (i.e., placing) and recovery unit) in response to the command from the personnel accessible input and output unit for automatically placing cash in the cash safe. In this case, the personnel accessible input and output unit may check the content of a person's card and a secret code entered by the personnel for permitting entry for the cash processing command only if the result of the check confirms the authenticity of the personnel. Also, the cash handling unit may be responsive to a cash recovering command from the personnel accessible input and output unit to perform cash recovery from the cash safe. In addition, the personnel accessible input and output unit may permit entry of kinds of and number of bills to be set in the cash safe, and the cash processing unit may be responsive to the entered kinds of and amount of each kind of bill for placing the commanded number of bills in the cash safe. In this case, the automatic cash processing unit (also termed a setting (i.e., placing) and recovery unit) may initially recover funds remaining in the cash safe, if any, and subsequently performs placement of the commanded amount of cash therefor. In the preferred process, the automatic cash processing unit (also termed a setting (i.e., placing) and recovery unit) alternatively places different bills of given denommation when a plurality of bills are to be placed in the cash safe.
It is also possible for the automatic cash processing unit (also termed a setting (i.e., placing) and recovery unit) to store the content of cash processing in the personnel accessible input and output unit after completion of the commanded cash processing. Furthermore, the personnel accessible input and output unit preferably issues a receipt upon completion of cash processing of the cash processing unit.
In the preferred construction, the cash safe comprises a memory for storing cash safe information, the cash processing apparatus reads out the said safe informatio
Awatsu Kiyotaka
Oda Akemi
Shibata Yasuko
Wada Masahiko
Dixon Thomas A.
Staas & Halsey , LLP
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