Patent Grant
9424705
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a money handling apparatus capable of storing money processed by machine and money processed by hand.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, money handling apparatuses have been used in financial institutions such as banks. For example, in a depositing process for depositing money to a bank account and the like, a money handling apparatus is used to perform processes of recognizing the denomination, authenticity, fitness, and the like of money to be deposited and counting the deposited money. In this process, abnormal money, such as a counterfeit banknote, is discharged to an outside of the apparatus, while normal money is counted on the basis of the denomination and stored in a money storage unit provided inside the apparatus. In a dispensing process for dispensing money from a bank account and a check caching process for encashing checks, money is dispensed by a money handling apparatus from a money storage unit.
For example, in banks, in a state in which the teller faces the customer across the teller counter, the teller performs banking services such as depositing, dispensing, check cashing, and the like according to requests from the customer. In many cases, a drawer is installed in the teller counter that opens on the side of the teller, and the teller uses this drawer to store some money, checks, documents necessary for the banking services, and the like.
It is desired that the teller counter, the drawer, and the money handling apparatus be installed in such a manner that the teller can easily perform banking services. In addition, it is desirable that the money to be handled by the teller be strictly mechanically managed by using the money handling apparatus rather than being manually managed by being stored in the drawer and the like.
One object of the present invention is to provide a money handling apparatus capable of realizing an environment that allows the tellers to easily perform banking services. Another object of the present invention is to provide a money handling apparatus capable of assisting the tellers in performing their banking services and to strictly manage money handled by the tellers.
According to an aspect of the invention, the money handling apparatus includes a mechanical processing unit configured to mechanically process money; and a manually-handled money storage unit configured to manually store money. The mechanical processing unit includes an inlet for receiving money; a recognition and counting unit configured to recognize and count the money received in the inlet; a mechanically-processed money storage unit configured to store the money; an outlet for discharging the money fed from the mechanically-processed money storage unit; and a money transport unit configured to connect the inlet, the outlet, the recognition and counting unit, and the mechanically-processed money storage unit. The manually-handled money storage unit is not connected to the money transport unit, and has a structure that enables to directly store money to be manually managed therein by hand and directly take out the money therefrom by hand. With this configuration, it is enabled to handle some money, which cannot be processed by the mechanical processing unit, by using the manually-handled money storage unit in a manner similar to that in conventional operations that use drawers while processing and strictly managing money by using the mechanical processing unit.
The manually-handled money storage unit further includes a storage amount detection unit configured to detect a storage amount of the money stored in the manually-handled money storage unit, wherein a control unit of the mechanical processing unit is configured to manage the storage amount of the money stored in the mechanically-processed money storage unit on the basis of results of recognition and counting by the recognition and counting unit and manage the storage amount of the money stored in the manually-handled money storage unit on the basis of detection results by the storage amount detection unit. With this configuration, it is also enabled to mechanically manage money to be stored in the manually-handled money storage unit.
According to the money handling apparatus of the present invention, recognition, counting, storage, and dispensing (withdrawal) of money can be mechanically performed, and storage and dispensing (removal) of money can be manually performed. At least either one of banknotes and coins can be set as an object of mechanical processes and at least either one of banknotes and coins can be set as an object of manual handling. Moreover, objects other than money, such as checks, can be set as the object to be stored in the manual handling. In the following description, an example in which the object of the mechanical process is banknotes only and both banknotes and coins are the objects of the manual handling process is explained.
The mechanical process is a process performed while mechanically transporting banknotes by using a banknote transport unit. The mechanical process includes processes for recognizing, counting, and storing banknotes performed inside the apparatus, a process for dispensing banknotes from the inside of the apparatus, and the like. In contrast, the manual handling process is a process by carrying banknotes by hand, but not by a banknote transport unit. The manual handling process includes a process for storing banknotes and coins directly into the apparatus by hand and a process for taking out banknotes and coins directly from inside the apparatus by hand.
A bank terminal 22, which is not connected to the network 13, is installed in the bank branch 1. The bank terminal 22 is connected via a network 23, such as the Internet, to a bank server 21 that is installed in a bank head office 2. The bank server 21 manages bank accounts of customers and banking services performed by branches of the bank. For example, when a customer has requested the teller of the bank branch 1 a depositing process to deposit money into the bank account of the customer, the teller inputs information, such as the bank account number of the customer and the amount of the money to be deposited by the customer, to the bank terminal 22. The inputted information is transmitted from bank terminal 22 to the bank server 21, the information about the bank account of the customer is updated in accordance with the inputted information, and thus the depositing process is completed. In performing the depositing process, banknotes and the coins that the teller has received from the customer are stored in the money handling apparatus 10 in the bank branch 1, and this storage process will be described in detail below.
The management terminal 12, which monitors the status of the money handling apparatus 10, is connected via a network 33, such as the Internet, to a monitoring server 31 installed in a money handling apparatus managing company 3. If any failure has occurred in the money handling apparatus 10, the management terminal 12 detects the failure, and information about the failure is transmitted from the management terminal 12 to the monitoring server 31. The money handling apparatus managing company 3 verifies the information received by the monitoring server 31 and takes measures necessary to return the money handling apparatus 10 to its normal status. For example, depending on the type of the failure that has occurred, the money handling apparatus managing company 3 operates the money handling apparatus 10 by remote control via the management terminal 12 or instructs a person in charge in the bank branch 1 to start recovery operations, or a maintenance worker of the money handling apparatus managing company 3 visits the bank branch 1 to restore the money handling apparatus 10 to the normal state.
Although only one money handling apparatus 10 is illustrated in
The mechanical processing unit 200, provided in the upper portion on the front side of the money handling apparatus 10, includes an inlet 201, a reject unit 202, and an outlet 203 in this order from the upper portion of the apparatus. The inlet 201 receives banknotes to be subjected to a counting process and a depositing process. Rejected banknotes, which are banknotes that cannot be stored into the mechanical processing unit 200 among the banknotes received at the inlet 201, such as counterfeit banknotes, are discharged to the reject unit 202. Banknotes to be dispensed in a dispensing process are discharged into the outlet 203.
The counting process, the depositing process, and the dispensing process are a mechanical process performed by the mechanical processing unit 200. The counting process is a process in which the banknotes that have been received in the inlet 201 are discharged to the outlet 203 after performing only recognition and counting, without storing them in the mechanically-processed banknote storage unit provided in the mechanical processing unit 200. In the counting process, the banknotes received at the inlet 201 are fed into the apparatus sheet by sheet, the denomination and the authenticity of the respective banknotes are recognized, and then rejected banknote are discharged to the reject unit 202 and the other normal banknotes are discharged to the outlet 203. The depositing process is a process for storing the banknotes that have been received at the inlet 201 into the mechanically-processed banknote storage unit provided in the mechanical processing unit 200. In the depositing process, the banknotes that have been received at the inlet 201 are fed into the apparatus one by one, the denomination, the authenticity, and the fitness of the respective banknotes are recognized, and then rejected banknote are discharged to the reject unit 202 and normal banknotes are stored in a corresponding mechanically-processed banknote storage unit on the basis of results of the recognition. The dispensing process is a process in which the banknotes that have been stored in the mechanically-processed banknote storage unit provided in the mechanical processing unit 200 are discharged from the outlet 203 on the basis of the amount and the denomination designated by operating the operation terminal 11. The processes for banknotes, such as the counting process, depositing process, and dispensing process performed by the money handling apparatus 10, are similar to those of prior art, and therefore detailed descriptions thereof are omitted herein. Although the money handling apparatus 10 can also perform a process for depositing an amount shown on a check to a bank account and a process for dispensing money equivalent to an amount shown on a check, the depositing process and the dispensing process of money will be described as an example because the above-described processes of checks can be performed in a manner similar to those in the depositing process and the dispensing process of money.
Between the inlet 201 and the reject unit 202, a display unit 210 is arranged, which is constituted by a liquid crystal display and configured to display information about the money handling apparatus 10. However, the display unit 210 could be omitted and all pieces of information could be displayed on the operation terminal 11.
Three drawers 111 to 113 are provided in the manually-handled money storage unit 100, which is arranged on the front side of the money handling apparatus 10 and below the outlet 203. The drawers 111 to 113 are provided with handles 121 to 123 and locking mechanisms 131 to 133 that lock the drawers so that they may not be opened, respectively. In the upper portion of the right side surface of the manually-handled money storage unit 100, a handle 120 and a locking mechanism 130 for locking the manually-handled money storage unit 100 are provided.
As shown in
In the money handling apparatus 10, the inlet 201 is arranged above and in front of the counter table 40 when viewed from the teller, and the display unit 210, the reject unit 202, and the outlet 203 are arranged subsequently to and below the inlet 201. Accordingly, the teller can easily carry out an operation for putting the banknotes received from the customer in the inlet 201, an operation for visually verifying the information displayed on the display unit 210, an operation for taking out the rejected banknotes returned to the reject unit 202, an operation for taking out the banknotes discharged in the outlet 203, and the like, while servicing the customer at the teller counter with a standing posture maintained.
The manually-handled money storage unit 100 can be slid and moved laterally below the outlet 203.
The manually-handled money storage unit 100 is usually locked by a locking mechanism 130 in the state illustrated in
A rail 140 provided on the top surface of the manually-handled money storage unit 100 and a rail 240 of the mechanical processing unit 200 constitute an upper slide rail. A rail 150 provided in a lower portion of the back side of the manually-handled money storage unit 100 and a rail 250 of the mechanical processing unit 200 constitute a lower side rail. The upper slide rail is provided on the top surface of the manually-handled money storage unit 100 and the lower slide rail is provided on the back side of the manually-handled money storage unit 100, and thereby the manually-handled money storage unit 100 is enabled to slide in the left-right direction in relation to the mechanical processing unit 200 and moving of the manually-handled money storage unit 100 in a direction other than the lateral direction is restricted.
The slide rails, which are provided on the side surfaces of the drawer and used in supporting the drawer when the drawer is opened and closed, have been produced so as to have a high strength and a high positional accuracy in a direction perpendicular to the direction of sliding on the side surface on which the rails are installed, so that the drawer would not be tilted or damaged even if the weight of the stored objects in the drawer has increased. In the manually-handled money storage unit 100, the upper slide rail and the lower slide rail are installed so that the direction of high strength and a high positional accuracy may be different for respective rails. Specifically, the upper slide rail and the lower slide rail are installed so that a rail surface of the upper slide rail and a rail surface of the lower slide rail form an angle of 90 degrees.
With the upper slide rail installed on the top surface of the manually-handled money storage unit 100, the high strength and the high positional accuracy are realized in the longitudinal direction of the upper portion of the manually-handled money storage unit 100. With this configuration, the top surface of the manually-handled money storage unit 100 would not be misaligned in the front-rear direction, and thus the front surface of the mechanical processing unit 200 below the outlet 203 and the front surface of the manually-handled money storage unit 100 form the same plane. In addition, with the lower slide rail installed on the back side of the manually-handled money storage unit 100 in its lower portion, the high strength and the high positional accuracy are realized in a vertical direction of the manually-handled money storage unit 100 in its lower portion. With this configuration, the manually-handled money storage unit 100 would not be misaligned in the vertical direction and would not be inclined in the left-right direction when viewed from the front side. The number of the rails is not particularly limited, and for either one or both of the upper slide rail and the lower slide rail, a plurality of rails may be provided.
Referring to
Referring to
An example is illustrated in
The upper portion and the lower portion are partitioned from each other by a partition having an opening. The upper portion and the lower portion are connected to each other by the banknote transport unit 280 in the opening of the partition so that the banknotes in the inlet 201 can be stored in the mechanically-processed banknote storage units 231 to 236 and that the banknotes are discharged from the mechanically-processed banknote storage unit 231 to the outlet 203.
In the money handling apparatus 10, the lower portion of the mechanical processing unit 200 can be used as a safe. For example, only the lower portion, in which the mechanically-processed banknote storage units 231 to 236 are installed, is constituted by a steel housing, and a lockable door is provided to the front opening, which appear when the manually-handled money storage unit 100 is slid, of the mechanical processing unit 200 to realize the safe. With this configuration, the security of the mechanically-processed banknote storage units 231 to 236 that store a large quantity of banknotes can be secured. The detailed description of the configuration of the mechanical processing unit 200 and the mechanical processes carried out by the mechanical processing unit 200 is omitted herein because prior art can be used therefor.
The three drawers 111 to 113 provided to the manually-handled money storage unit 100 have the same structure, and by installing a tray suitable for the object to be stored therein, various types of objects to be stored can be appropriately stored. In addition, by using a tray suitable for the storage method, it is enabled to store the same type objects by different storage methods. The trays have different configurations for different objects to be stored and for different storage methods.
A plurality of openings with an elongated-hole shape, into which a predetermined number of wrapped coin rolls can be entirely inserted, is provided by denomination on the upper surface of a wrapped coin storage tray 174 illustrated in
A plurality of openings with a rectangular-hole shape, into which a predetermined number of wrapped coin rolls can be entirely inserted, is provided by denomination on the upper surface of a wrapped coin storage tray 175 illustrated in
Because the drawers 111 to 113 have the same structure, the respective drawers 111 to 113 provided in vertically three stages can be used by any method selected from those illustrated in
The manually-handled money storage unit 100 can be used in a manner similar to that of a drawer provided in a conventional teller counter. For example, at the start of a day's services in the bank branch 1, the total amount of the banknotes and the coins that have been stored in the manually-handled money storage unit 100 and the mechanical processing unit 200 of the money handling apparatus 10 is verified, and the verified amount is recorded in the operation terminal 11 and/or the mechanical processing unit 200.
After the services have been started in the bank branch 1, the teller, in response to a request from a customer, can perform a process by using the mechanical processing unit 200 of the money handling apparatus 10 and/or by using the manually-handled money storage unit 100. Processes performed by using the mechanical processing unit 200 are similar to processes performed by using a conventional money processing apparatus as described above.
In performing a process by using the manually-handled money storage unit 100, for example, if the teller has received money and has been requested to deposit the received money to the customer's bank account, the teller performs the processing for depositing the money to the customer's bank account by operating the bank terminal 22 illustrated in
As described above, the banknotes and coins stored in the drawers 111 to 113 of the manually-handled money storage unit 100 and the banknotes and the coins taken out from the drawers 111 to 113 can be excluded from the object of mechanical management by the money handling apparatus 10, and thereby the drawers 111 to 113 can be used in a manner similar to that of conventional drawers provided to the teller counter.
After a day's services have been completed, the amount deposited by the teller into the money handling apparatus 10 and the amount dispensed by the teller from the money handling apparatus 10 can be calculated by using the bank terminal 22 on the basis of the history of the day's transactions. The total amount of the banknotes and the coins that should be stored in the money handling apparatus 10 after the day's services are completed can be calculated on the basis of the amount determined in the above-described manner and the total amount of the banknotes and the coins that have been stored in the mechanical processing unit 200 and the manually-handled money storage unit 100 of the money handling apparatus 10 at the time of start of the day's services. Further, because the denomination and the number of the banknotes that have been stored in the mechanical processing unit 200 are mechanically managed, the amount that should be stored in the manually-handled money storage unit 100 after the day's services are completed can be calculated. With this configuration, the teller can verify, after the day's services are completed, whether the services have been done without any problem by merely verifying the total amount of the banknotes and the coins stored in the manually-handled money storage unit 100. In addition, in this verification, because mechanically receivable banknotes, among the banknotes that have been stored in the manually-handled money storage unit 100, can be counted by depositing them in the mechanical processing unit 200, the teller is only required to verify the banknotes and coins that cannot be processed by the mechanical processing unit 200 only.
As described above, the money handling apparatus 10 can be used independently from a network constituted by the bank terminal 22 and the bank server 21 whereby the money handling apparatus 10 can be introduced while the systems conventionally used in the bank branches 1 are maintained as conventional as they are. In addition, while good banknotes are processed by using the mechanical processing unit 200, banknotes that are in so poor states that they cannot be mechanically received and coins that cannot be processed by the mechanical processing unit 200 can be processed by using the manually-handled money storage unit 100. In addition, in the manually-handled money storage unit 100, the drawers 111 to 113 can be used for the banknotes and the coins that have been stored in the respective drawers 111 to 113 without mechanically managing the banknotes and the coins. Because the drawers 111 to 113 can be used in the same manner as to the conventional drawers installed to the teller counter, it is enabled to flexibly respond to the desire and the state in the bank branch 1. For example, even after installation of the money handling apparatus 10, a part of transactions and operations performed before the installation can be kept as they are, or the drawers 111 to 113 can be used until the teller becomes accustomed to operation of the money handling apparatus 10.
The method of using the drawers 111 to 113 is not limited to a configuration in which they are used in a manner similar to that of conventional drawers installed to the teller counter, and in the money handling apparatus 10, the money stored in the drawers 111 to 113 can also be subjects of mechanical management.
The first to the third drawer open/close state detection units 181a to 183a detect the difference in the brightness level inside the drawer between the brightness level in the drawer-opened state and that in the drawer-closed state to detect the open/close state of the drawers 111 to 113. Alternatively, for example, the first to the third drawer open/close state detection units 181a to 183a may be configured to detect the open/close state of the drawers 111 to 113 by detecting the positional change of the drawer between the position of the drawer in the drawer-opened state and that in the drawer-closed state.
The first to the third drawer storage amount detection units 181b to 183b determine, for example, the weight of the support tray 171 provided in the drawer 111, the banknote storage tray 172 provided in the drawer 112, and the wrapped coin storage tray 173 provided in the drawer 113 by using a load cell and the like to detect the storage amount of the money. By previously registering the denomination, the weight, and the like of the money to be stored by using the trays 171 to 173, the storage amount of the money can be detected on the basis of the weight. Alternatively, for example, the first to the third drawer storage amount detection units 181b to 183b may be configured to capture images of the banknotes and the coins deposited to and dispensed from the drawers 111 to 113 by using a camera and manage the storage amount of the money by analyzing the obtained images. Further alternatively, for example, the first to the third drawer storage amount detection units 181b to 183b may be configured, for loose coins and wrapped coin rolls, so that the detection units optically scan the inside of the storage unit from above to determine the height of the storage unit, and that if the determined height is equal to or lower than the height of the coin counter 300 or equal to or lower than the height of the wrapped coin storage tray 173, then the detection units determine that no object has been stored, and if the determined height is higher than the height of the coin counter 300 and the height of the wrapped coin storage tray 173, then the detection units determine that stored objects have been present therein. By previously registering and using information about the loose coins and the wrapped coin rolls to be stored such as the denomination, the storage amount of the coins can be detected based on the determination results. Because the denomination of coins can be determined by optically detecting the diameter of the coins in the case of loose coins and wrapped coin rolls, the storage amount of the coins can also be detected on the basis of the results of determination of the presence or absence of stored objects and on the basis of the determination results of the denomination of the coins.
The first to the third drawer notification units 191 to 193 are respectively constituted by a light emitting device such as a light-emitting diode (LED), and are configured to notify information on the basis of changes in the state of a monochromatic LED such as an OFF state, a flashing state, and an ON state. Alternatively, the first to the third drawer notification units 191 to 193 may be configured to notify the information on the basis of changes of colors by using a multicolor LED capable of emitting multicolor lights.
The denomination and the like of the money to be stored in the drawers 111 to 113 are previously set. By previously inputting and using information such as the denomination of the money to be stored in the respective drawers 111 to 113 and the weight of the money with this denomination by operating the operation terminal 11, on the basis of the inputted information, the control unit 290 detects the storage amount of the money stored in the respective drawers 111 to 113 by carrying out determination of the weight and the like by using the first to the third drawer storage amount detection units 181b to 183b. At a timing at which the denomination of the money to be deposited or dispensed is recognized, the control unit 290 controls the first to the third drawer notification units 191 to 193 to notify the location of the drawer 111, 112, or 113 that corresponds to the money to be deposited or dispensed. The notification process is performed by lighting or flashing the LED, which is normally in an OFF state, for example.
In the money handling apparatus 10 having a configuration shown in
When storing the money into the manually-handled money storage unit 100, the teller can operate the operation terminal 11 and input the denomination and the amount of the money to be stored. For example, if the teller has inputted the denomination and the amount of the money to be stored into the manually-handled money storage unit 100 to the operation terminal 11, then the control unit 290 controls the first to the third drawer notification units 191 to 193 to notify the location of the drawers 111 to 113 in which the money is to be stored to the teller. The teller opens the notified drawer 111, 112, or 113 and stores the money therein. When the control unit 290 detects that the drawer 111, 112, or 113 has been opened and closed on the basis of the detection results by the first to the third drawer open/close state detection units 181a to 183a, after the money has been already stored therein, the control unit 290 detects the amount of the money stored in the drawer by using the storage amount detection unit provided to the drawer of which the opened and the closed state has been detected.
For example, an LED provided as the first, the second or the third drawer notification unit on the drawers 111, 112, or 113, which is to store the money to be deposited therein, is turned on. After the money has been stored, the control unit 290 carries out a comparison between the information, which has been previously inputted to the operation terminal 11 and includes the denomination and the amount of the money to be deposited, and the detection result for the money that has been actually stored. Tf the inputted information and the detection result do not match as a result of the comparison, the control unit 290 displays information that indicates the comparison result on the operation terminal 11. In addition, the control unit 290 performs notification by using the first to the third drawer notification units 191 to 193. Specifically, the LED that has been turned on to notify the location of the drawer is turned off if the information and the detection result match one another as a result of the comparison, while if they do not match one another, the LED flashes. After the teller corrects the previously inputted information about the money to be deposited and performs the operations for verifying the money to be stored in the drawers 111 to 113, if the corrected information and the stored money match one another, the control unit 290 recognizes this comparison result, displays information indicating the comparison result on the operation terminal 11, and turns off the LED. The notification of the location of the drawers 111 to 113 and the comparison result can be performed also by using the display unit 210 in addition to or instead of the operation terminal 11 and the first to the third drawer notification units 191 to 193.
Alternatively, either one of the denomination and the amount of the money, which is to be deposited and stored in the drawers 111 to 113, can be input to the operation terminal 11. If only the denomination has been inputted to the operation terminal 11, the control unit 290 notifies the location of the drawer 111, 112, or 113 in which the money is to be stored to the teller by controlling the first to the third drawer notification units 191 to 193. Then, the control unit 290 performs the process for comparing the denomination of the money to be deposited, which has been previously inputted, with the denomination of the money that has been actually stored. In contrast, if only the amount of the money to be deposited has been inputted to the operation terminal 11, the notification of the location of the drawer 111, 112, or 113 in which the money is to be stored is not performed, and the process for comparing the previously inputted amount and the amount of the money that has been actually stored is performed. The control unit 290 displays the comparison result on the operation terminal 11. If the comparison result indicates that the amounts do not match, the control unit 290 controls the first to the third drawer notification units 191 to 193 to notify the location of the drawer 111, 112, or 113 that require re-verification for the stored money. When the comparison result indicates that the amounts match due to the verification and other operation performed by the teller, the notification is canceled.
If the teller has been requested by the customer to dispense money from the customer's bank account, the teller operates the bank terminal 22 illustrated in
When taking out the money from the manually-handled money storage unit 100, the teller can also operate the operation terminal 11 to input the denomination and the amount of the money to be dispensed. For example, if the teller has inputted the denomination and the amount of the money to be dispensed to the operation terminal 11, the control unit 290 notifies the location of the drawer 111, 112, or 113, in which the money to be taken out has been stored, to the teller by controlling the first to the third drawer notification units 191 to 193. The teller opens the notified drawer 111, 112, or 113 and takes out the money to be dispensed. The control unit 290 detects that the drawer 111, 112, or 113 has been opened and closed on the basis of the detection results by the first to the third drawer open/close state detection units 181a to 183a and detects the storage amount of the money in the drawer after the money to be dispensed has been already taken out therefrom by using the storage amount detection unit provided to the drawer. The control unit 290 determines the amount of money that has been taken out as the money to be dispensed on the basis of the detection result. Further, similarly to the case of the depositing process, the control unit 290 compares the denomination and the amount of the money to be dispensed that have been previously inputted to the operation terminal 11 and the denomination and the amount of the money that has been actually taken out. If they do not match one another, the control unit 290 displays the information on the operation terminal 11 and controls the first to the third drawer notification units 191 to 193 to flash so as to notify this status to the teller. After the teller corrects the previously inputted information about the money to be dispensed and performs the operations for verifying the money to be taken out from the drawers 111 to 113, if the corrected information and the money that has been taken out match one another, the control unit 290 recognizes this comparison result, displays information indicating the comparison result on the operation terminal 11, and turns off the LED.
Alternatively either one of the denomination and the amount of the money, which is to be dispensed and taken out from the drawers 111 to 113, can be input to the operation terminal 11. If only the denomination has been inputted to the operation terminal 11, the control unit 290 notifies the location of the drawer 111, 112, or 113 from which the money is to be taken out to the teller by controlling the first to the third drawer notification units 191 to 193. Then the control unit 290 performs the process for comparing the denomination of the money to be dispensed, which has been previously inputted, with the denomination of the money that has been actually taken out. If only the amount has been inputted to the operation terminal 11, the notification of the location of the drawer 111, 112, or 113 from which the money is to be taken out is not performed, and the process for comparing the previously inputted amount and the amount of the money that has been actually taken out from the drawer 111, 112, or 113 is performed. The control unit 290 displays the comparison result on the operation terminal 11. If the comparison result indicates that the amounts do not match, the control unit 290 controls the first to the third drawer notification units 191 to 193 to notify the location of the drawer 111, 112, or 113 that require re-verification for the taken out money. When the comparison result indicates that the amounts match due to the verification and other operations performed by the teller, the notification is canceled.
As described above, the manually-handled money storage unit 100 is capable of notifying the location of the drawers 111 to 113 in which the money for the deposit process is to be stored and the location of the drawers 111 to 113 from which the money for the dispensing process is to be taken out. Therefore the teller can easily perform the deposit process and the dispensing process by using the manually-handled money storage unit 100. In addition, by detecting the open/close state of the drawers 111 to 113 of the manually-handled money storage unit 100 and the amount of money stored therein, the deposited money to be stored in the manually-handled money storage unit 100 and the dispensing money to be taken out from the manually-handled money storage unit 100 can be recognized and managed mechanically. With this configuration, the money to be deposited and the money to be dispensed can be strictly mechanically managed by using the drawers 111 to 113.
Via the screen illustrated in
In the money handling apparatus 10, when mechanically managing the banknotes and the coins that have been stored in the manually-handled money storage unit 100 in the manner described above with reference to
When the “CASH IN” button has been pressed on the main menu screen illustrated in
After it has been detected by the third drawer open/close state detection unit 183a and the third drawer storage amount detection unit 183b that five $20 banknotes have been stored in the drawer 113, the information about the storage amount of the $20 banknotes stored in the manually-handled money storage unit 100 is updated. Also, the storage amount of the banknotes in the mechanical processing unit 200 is updated on the basis of the denomination and the number of the banknotes that have been stored in the mechanical processing unit 200.
Banknotes other than the banknotes necessary for adjusting the storage amount in the manually-handled money storage unit 100 are stored in either one of the corresponding mechanically-processed banknote storage units 231 to 236. For example, if five $20 banknotes are to be deposited and if eighteen $20 banknotes have been stored in the drawer 113, then the amount of stored $20 banknotes is controlled to be twenty, the previously set storage amount, by storing three $20 banknotes into either one of the corresponding mechanically-processed banknote storage units 231 to 236, and two $20 banknotes only are discharged to the outlet 203.
In the above-described manner, on the basis of the denomination and the number (amount) of the money previously set to be stored into the respective drawers 111 to 113 and the denomination and the number (amount) of the money having been actually stored in the respective drawers 111 to 113, the control unit 290 determines which of the mechanically-processed banknote storage units 231 to 236 in the mechanical processing unit 200 and the drawers 111 to 113 of the manually-handled money storage unit 100 the banknotes having been recognized by the banknote recognition unit 270 are to be stored in. With the above-described configuration, the denomination and the number (amount) of the money stored in the drawers 111 to 113 of the manually-handled money storage unit 100 can be controlled to match the previously set content.
Similarly, when the total amount and the like of the banknotes to be dispensed have been set after the dispensing process has been started by pressing the “CASH OUT” button on the main menu screen illustrated in
After it has been detected by the third drawer open/close state detection unit 183a and the third drawer storage amount detection unit 183b that ten $10 banknotes have been taken out from the drawer 113, the information about the storage amount of the $10 banknotes having been stored in the manually-handled money storage unit 100 is updated. Also, the storage amount of the banknotes in the mechanical processing unit 200 is updated on the basis of the denomination and the number of the banknotes that have been discharged from the mechanical processing unit 200.
Banknotes other than the banknotes necessary for adjusting the storage amount in the manually-handled money storage unit 100 are discharged from either one of the corresponding mechanically-processed banknote storage units 231 to 236. For example, if five $10 banknotes have been designated as the banknotes to be dispensed and if twelve $10 banknotes have been stored in the drawer 113, then the amount of stored $10 banknotes is controlled by the control unit 290 to be ten by performing a control for taking out two $10 banknotes from the drawer 113, and three $10 banknotes are discharged from the storage unit of either one of the corresponding mechanically-processed banknote storage unit 231 to 236 to the outlet 203.
In the above-described manner, on the basis of the breakdown of the banknotes to be dispensed, the denomination and the number (amount) of the money previously set to be stored into the respective drawers 111 to 113, and the denomination and the number (amount) of the money having been actually stored in the respective drawers 111 to 113, the control unit 290 determines which of the mechanically-processed banknote storage units 231 to 236 in the mechanical processing unit 200 and the drawers 111 to 113 of the manually-handled money storage unit 100 the banknotes to be dispensed are to be dispensed from. With the above-described configuration, the denomination and the number (amount) of the money stored in the drawers 111 to 113 of the manually-handled money storage unit 100 can be controlled so as to match the previously set content.
If the banknotes in the drawers 111 to 113 of the manually-handled money storage unit 100 have been mechanically managed and if the “EMPTY” button displayed in the management menu illustrated in
In
As illustrated in
Which of the drawer-type storage units and the opening/closing door type storage units are to be provided to the manually-handled money storage unit 100; which of the storage unit of a type in which money is stored by drawing the drawer to the front and the storage unit of a type in which money is stored by deposition through the inlet hole while the drawer is being closed is to be employed; the number of the storage units; the dimension (width, height, and depth) of the storage unit; whether to provide the storing unit with the drawer open/close state detection unit to detect the open/close state of the storage unit; whether to provide the storage unit with the drawer storage amount detection unit to detect the amount of money stored in the storage unit; whether to provide the drawer notification unit to notify the location of the storage unit; whether to mechanically manage the storage amount of the money in the manually-handled money storage unit 100; and whether to adjust the amount of the money stored in the manually-handled money storage unit 100 are appropriately determined in accordance with the modes of use.
In the example illustrated in
For the method of the mechanical management, alternatively to the method configured to manage the money storage amount by using the sensors for detecting the storage amount that are provided to the drawers 111 to 113, a method of the mechanical management by the mechanical processing unit 200 may be used. Also by managing the money to be stored in the drawers 111 to 113 by using the mechanical processing unit 200, the money to be stored in the drawers 111 to 113 can be mechanically managed without providing any sensors for detecting the open/close state and the storage amount of money in the drawers 111 to 113.
Specifically, when performing a depositing process in which the money is to be stored in the drawers 111 to 113, the money to be deposited is placed on the inlet 201 and the counting process is carried out for the money. After the denomination and the number (amount) of the money is recognized and counted, the money is discharged to the outlet 203, and the money is then stored in the drawers 111 to 113. The “COUNT” button corresponding to the normal counting process is included in the main menu shown in
In
Although the invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments for a complete and clear disclosure, the appended claims are not to be thus limited but are to be construed as embodying all modifications and alternative constructions that may 25 occur to one skilled in the art that fairly fall within the basic teaching of the claims.
The present application claims priority to the U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/024,007, filed on Jul. 14, 2014, which is incorporated herein entirely by reference.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7731008 | Peart | Jun 2010 | B2 |
| 7766146 | Nakatsuka | Aug 2010 | B2 |
| 8905220 | Yokote | Dec 2014 | B2 |
| 20090017740 | Oie | Jan 2009 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62024007 | Jul 2014 | US |
