Patent Application
20240331483
The principals of safe construction have not changed since the 16th century. The current industry standard way of securing cash is to surround the safe in a combination of steel plate and concrete. There are some variations this, using ½″ thick steel plate with thicker layers of concrete and metal additives. Access doors are secured by a series of steel bolts.
There are issues with the current industry standards from both a sustainability and business perspective. Concrete uses a lot of water and energy as does steel. The paining process used to coat sages emits volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which are environmentally damaging. Shipping heavy safes around the world is costly and environmentally damaging. Due to the weight of the safe, the customer needs structure engineering analysis and safety certification for each site. This adds time and significant expense to any business that is setting up a media terminal with a safe.
Safes are purposefully designed so as to not be easy to deconstruct. This makes recycling or reuse of component parts very challenging. For each iteration of new safe designs, the industry does not reuse safes from previous generations as safes are not designed to be adaptable. Landfill costs are rising and are businesses are burdened by these costs.
In various embodiments, a media recycler/dispenser, media recycler/dispenser pressurized apparatuses, and method for detecting a breach in pressurized apparatus of a media recycler/dispenser are presented. In an embodiment, a media recycler/dispenser is provided. The recycler/dispenser includes pressurized air that surrounds a housing of a safe associated with the recycler/dispenser or surrounds a housing of the recycler/dispenser. The pressurized air is monitored for a drop in air pressure below a threshold level. When air pressure is below the threshold, a security alert is sent to a security system to dispatch and undertake security measures at the recycler/dispenser.
Safe designs in the industry and focused on structural strength and increased difficulty for any would be intruder. Safes are common in media terminals, such as automated teller machines, self-service terminals, and/or point-of-sale terminals. Businesses the provided media terminals incur substantial labor and costs associated with obtaining, installing, and monitoring the terminals. Security of media terminals are of the upmost concern of the businesses since the terminals house currency in their safes.
A Media terminal includes a media peripheral device that interfaces to the terminal to permit currency-based transactions. The media peripheral device can be a recycler or a dispenser. For purposes of the discussions herein both the recycler and dispenser are also a media depositor, which is capable of accepting currency as a payment for a transaction or as a deposit into a financial account. The recycler/dispenser includes media cassettes into which the currency is deposited, recycled, and dispensed. In some cases, the cassettes are located within a safe of the recycler/dispenser.
The embodiments discussed herein and below provides a design for the recyclers/dispensers that include either an internal pressurized security apparatus that is integrated into the designs or that include an external portable pressurized security apparatus that is capable of securing the recycler/dispenser without altering an existing design of the recyclers/dispensers. Rather than focusing on strength of the materials, the pressurized security apparatuses focus on tampering detection for purposes of causing security systems and/or alarms to be activated when there is a breach into a recycler/dispenser. Air pressure is monitored in the pressurized apparatus to detect a breach into the safe of the recyclers/dispensers such that when the air pressure is below a configured level, a security system and/or alarm is raised.
The materials used in the pressurized security apparatuses are recyclable, environmentally friendly, and re-usable. Furthermore, by making detection of breaches more sensitive than what has previously been available, designs of safes for recyclers/dispensers can utilize lower cost and lighter weight materials, which can also be environmentally friendly.
Furthermore, the various components (that are identified in
System 100A includes one or more media terminals (hereinafter “terminals”) 110 and optionally a cloud 160 or a server 160 (hereinafter just “cloud 160’). Each terminal 110 includes a processor 111, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which includes executable instructions for a transaction manager 113 and a security manager 114. Each terminal 110 includes a media dispenser/recycler 120 and optionally a portable dispenser/recycler pressurized apparatus 130. Each media dispenser/recycler 120 also includes a safe with media cassettes 126. In an embodiment, the media dispenser/recycler 120 further includes an integrated pressurized apparatus 121, which includes a pressure gauge 122, an optional air pump/vacuum, an optional uninterrupted power supply (UPS) 124, and air bags/blankets 125.
In an embodiment, the media terminal 110 includes a portable dispenser/recycler pressurized apparatus 130. Apparatus 130 includes air bags/blanket 131, an optional housing 133, a pressure gauge 132, an optional UPS 134, an optional printed circuit board (PCB) with an e-lock and corresponding interface 134.
The pressurized apparatus 121 and/or 130 is configured and provided in a variety of different manners. For example and in an embodiment, an internal pressurized apparatus 121 includes air bags/blanket 125 sandwiched inside of a housing of the dispenser/recycler 120 and/or the housing surrounding the safe with media cassettes 126. In this embodiment, the housing of the dispenser/recycler 120 and/or the housing of the safe with media cassettes 126 of the dispenser/recycler 120 is manufactured to include the air bags/blanket 125 within the housing.
In another embodiment, the housing of the dispenser/recycler 120 and/or the housing of the safe with media cassettes of the dispenser/recycler is manufactured with an air tight and sealed gap. A port in the housing permits the internal cavity of the housing to be pressurized with air. In this instance, the housing itself with the features recited above is an internal pressurized apparatus of the dispenser/recycler 120.
In another embodiment, a portable pressurized apparatus 130 provides security to the dispenser/recycler 120 and/or the safe with media cassettes 126 of the dispenser/recycler 120. In an embodiment, a portable air bags/blanket 131 are draped and zipped around and the external housing of the dispenser/recycler 120 and/or safe with media cassettes 126 a port permits the bags/blanket 131 to be inflated and pressurized, another port or the same port permits a pressure gauge 122 to monitor the pressure. In an embodiment, a pressure gauge is included with a kit associated with the portable dispenser/recycler apparatus 130. In an embodiment, the media terminal 110 includes the pressure gauge.
In yet another embodiment, a portable apparatus 130 is packaged with a housing 113 or a shell that snaps around and outside of the housing associated with the dispenser/recycler 120 and/or safe with media cassettes 126. The portable apparatus is packaged with air bags/blanket 131. The air bag/blanket 131 is draped around the housing of the dispenser/recycler 120 and/or safe with media cassettes 126 and the housing 131 snaps around it. Points on the air bag/blanket 131 include glue patches to adhere to inside surfaces of housing 113. In this matter, if housing 113 is attempted to be separated and removed from the housing associated with the dispenser/recycler 120 and/or safe with media cassettes 126, the bag/blanket 131 ruptures and a drop in pressure is detected via a pressure gauge.
In an embodiment of the last referenced embodiment, the bags/blanket include a seam with a zipper for access to the safe with media cassettes 126 by authorized personnel. The seam is held in place by a magnet. Additionally, the bags/blanket 131 and/or housing 133 includes an access panel that is magnetized to hold in place or open and attached to a second and e-lock. An e-lock interface display is opened to gain access to the cassettes 126 via a properly authenticated a code is properly which allows the bags/blanket 131 to be unzippered and/or within allows access to the cassettes 126.
In an embodiment, the pressurized apparatus 121 and/or 130 includes an air retention apparatus. The air retention apparatus is the hollow cavity between exterior walls 126A and interior walls 126B of the housing for the safe 126 or dispenser/recycler 120, air bags or blanket 125 maintained in the hollow cavity of the housing, or air bags or blanket 131.
The above-discussed pressurized apparatuses 121 and/or 130 and other pressurized apparatuses 121 and 130 are now discussed with reference to
In an embodiment, shown in the bottom right illustration, a magnetic strip keeps a seam of bag/blanket 131 in place and permits an e-lock display with interface 135 to provide access to cassettes 126. A code is entered by service personnel to deactivate and remove a panel to gain authorized access to the cassettes 126. The e-lock may also be attached to a sensor 132 such that if it is removed without a code, security manager 114 raises an alert or a security event to security system 143. Additionally, the bottom right illustration shows the housing 133 that snaps around the bag/blanket 131 to seal the bag/blanket around the housing of the dispenser/recycler 120. In an embodiment, a magnetic door is included with the housing or shell 133 to allow entry to the bag's e-lock display and interface 135.
A plinth 140 is also shown in the bottom illustrations. A plinth is a post secured in the ground or to a floor surface that extends up within an interior of the safe 126 and the safe 126 is fastened to the plinth 140. Diagram 100E shows that the existing mechanisms used to secure the safe 126 can remain unchanged and the portable apparatus 130 is completely compatible with this security measure used with some safes 126, particularly outdoor media terminals 110.
In an embodiment, the housing 133 and/or bag/blanket 131 is shipped with the plinth 140. Bag/Blanket 131 is deflated and stored on the inside of the plinth during transit to the site of install. In this way, no additional space is required to transport the bag/blanket 131.
The above-referenced embodiments and other embodiments will now be discussed with reference to
In an embodiment, the device that executes the media terminal security manager is media terminal 110. In an embodiment, terminal 110 is an ATM, an SST, or a POS terminal. In an embodiment, the media terminal security manager is executed on a combination of different devices 110 and/or 120. In an embodiment, the media terminal security manager is 114.
At 210, the media terminal security manager detects a loss in air pressure below an expected air pressure in air bags or an air blanket. The air bags or air blanket surrounds a housing associated with a safe or a media recycler or dispenser of a media terminal.
In an embodiment, at 211, the media terminal security manager monitors current air pressures associated with a pressurized security apparatus. The pressurized security apparatus is located external to the housing or located between exterior walls and interior walls within the housing.
At 220, the media terminal security manager sends a security alert to a security system. This is an indication that the safe or the media recycler or dispenser is being actively tampered with. The security system can activate security measures and/or dispense authorities to a location associated with the media terminal in response to the security alert.
The above description is illustrative, and not restrictive. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of embodiments should therefore be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
In the foregoing description of the embodiments, various features are grouped together in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting that the claimed embodiments have more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Description of the Embodiments, with each claim standing on its own as a separate exemplary embodiment.
