Check-actuated control mechanisms – Control mechanism actuated by check – other than coin – which... – By pliant currency
Patent
1996-02-14
1998-02-17
Bartuska, F. J.
Check-actuated control mechanisms
Control mechanism actuated by check, other than coin , which...
By pliant currency
209534, G07F 704
Patent
active
057183180
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method and apparatus for validating value carriers, such as banknotes, coins or tokens.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The method of the present invention can be applied where value carriers are to be accepted from one person by an automatic machine, such as an automatic teller machine or a vending machine, and passed on to another person. In the following, the description is restricted to use with banknotes, that is to say, where automatic machines accept banknotes in payment and dispense accepted banknotes as money returned, for example, either as change in vending machines or payphones or as banknotes of lower denomination or of a different currency in banknote-changing machines. Thus "dispensing" as used in this specification is intended to be construed accordingly, as opposed to the rerun of a value carrier which is deemed by a machine not to be valid. Furthermore, the term "valid" could, for example, imply that a credit value is established or incremented in respect of the value carrier presented.
Automatic machines that allow banknotes that have been paid in to be re-used, that is to say put into circulation again as dispensed money, are already known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,441. In such automatic machines, the "acceptability", that is, for example, the authenticity, and frequently, in addition, the general condition of the banknotes offered to the automatic machine are also checked. This is done by comparing one or more measurements that can be made of the banknote with corresponding given reference values or tolerance ranges which are normally stored in the automatic machine. The choice of parameters which are measured depends primarily upon the recognition characteristics existing on the banknote. A pre-requisite for this, of course, is that "acceptable" and non-"acceptable" notes can be statistically differentiated by measuring techniques, that is to say that at least the expected values of the measured parameters are different.
If the measurement or measurements of a banknote do not fall within the given tolerance ranges, it is concluded that the banknote is not acceptable, that is to say either is not genuine or is not in a good condition. It is therefore rejected by the automatic machine. Conversely, if the measurement or measurements lie within the tolerance ranges, it is concluded that the banknote is acceptable, that is to say is genuine and in a good condition. It is therefore accepted by the automatic machine in payment for a return service, is stored and is available for re-use, if required, in the form of dispensed money. Such a checking method is subject to two opposing requirements: on the one hand, when checking whether The banknote offered for payment is acceptable, the risk of a "good" banknotes being rejected is to be restricted To a minimum. This is achieved, in an automatic machine that is in itself adjusted correctly, fundamentally by making the acceptance criterion broader. On The other hand, the accepted banknote which is available to the automatic machine as money for change purposes is, with the greatest possible reliability, to be actually "acceptable", that is to say genuine and in a good condition. Although the percentage of "bad" banknotes accepted with a given acceptance criterion naturally depends upon how the "bad" banknotes differ from the "good", it is nevertheless clear that making the acceptance criterion broader basically increases the probability of a "bad" banknote being accepted by the automatic machine. The second requirement, therefore, corresponds to the opposite requirement that the acceptance criterion be made narrower.
In practice, therefore, a compromise is made in which the tolerance value or values are chosen such that both the probability of an acceptable banknote being rejected and the probability of a non-acceptable banknote being re-used are kept within limits. In known automatic machines, an acceptance rate of, for example, 95-99% is chosen, that is to say 95-99% of all "good" ba
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Bartuska F. J.
Mars Incorporated
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