Patent Application
20230360460
The present invention relates to the technical field of anti-theft storage and transportation of value documents (e.g. banknotes).
In the field of security, it is often necessary to transport large quantities of value documents, in particular banknotes, between different locations. For example, it is common to transport banknotes, e.g. in CIT (“Cash-In-Transit”) vans, from a bank vault to an Automated Teller Machine (“ATM”) situated in a supermarket or shopping center where they can be dispensed. Because said value documents are theft attractive, protective storage devices have been developed to prevent unauthorized access by keeping them inside a locked, secure and tamper-proof portable container.
With the aim of discouraging attempts to break secure containers and to discourage attacks, secure containers have been developed to, in the case of an attempted theft, a theft, violation, or unauthorized act, invalidate the value documents which are contained therein. It has thus been proposed to associate with these containers neutralization units for releasing and dispersing a neutralization agent on the value documents in the event of an attempt to break in, with the aim of rendering them unusable. Neutralization of value documents, in particular banknotes, is a security means occurring due to the activation of anti-theft devices equipped in CIT vans, automated teller machines (ATMs), security cases, safes or safety boxes. For example, banknotes stored or stacked in an enclosure or banknotes transported in bundles are placed into closed and locked containers which also contain a neutralization unit. Upon any unauthorized attempt, breach to open the container, a specific neutralizing agent such as a staining ink (also referred in the art as indelible ink) will be ejected and delivered onto the stored value documents.
In case of an unauthorized attempt or breach of security, the neutralizing agent comes in contact with the value documents thus allowing the migration of the ink (or glue) on and between the documents stored, stacked or piled in the enclosure thus neutralizing them and rendering them worthless and unusable upon tampering of the secure container. Typically, the neutralization with a staining ink allows to permanently and irreversibly marking value documents by obtaining a typical, well visible or recognizable change, and the neutralization with a glue allows to fuse value documents into a solid brick. An important aspect of the neutralization is to clearly distinguish a value document (e.g. a banknote) stained by a specific “secure” neutralizing agent from a document stained or soiled with some standard agent, for example an ink that anybody may purchase commercially without restriction.
In the case of banknotes, the security containers act as anti-theft devices and are known as “Intelligent Banknote Neutralization Systems” (IBNSs), which are activated when criminals open a protected cash container, such as an ATM or a safe in a cash transportation vehicle. These systems make stolen banknotes unusable, unfitted for circulation and worthless, thus reducing the risk for retailers, banks and other professional cash handlers of becoming victims of crime.
However, it might happen that it is difficult to identify a theft/stolen banknote in case said tampered banknote comprises only light or small stains that are not easily visible and recognized by a human or by a machine. It might also happen that it is difficult to distinguish a theft/stolen banknote from a mere soiled one. As a consequence, said tampered banknotes may be put by accident into circulation or it might be difficult to prove a link between criminals and the theft of banknotes.
Tracing technologies have been developed for police investigations and law enforcement authorities. For example, security systems using forensic markers have been used to link criminals to the crime to improve the chances of successfully identifying said criminals. However, such systems rely on the criminal being apprehended by law enforcement authorities such as the police, and those authorities detecting the invisible marker on the criminal’s person.
Police investigations require not only to ensure the note is stained with the neutralizing agent but also to make an indisputable link between the stolen notes, the attack and a potential suspect. Tracing technologies are useful in leading law enforcement authorities to the site where the criminals have tried to open the secure container. In some cases, tracing systems in secure container have led the police to a criminal’s home, leading to the arrest of said criminal.
Therefore, a need remains for secure containers to facilitate detection and identification of a tampered security document at the site of collection (ATMs, shops, counters, etc.), and to facilitate identification of criminals involved in an attack on said security containers by allowing the collection of sufficient evidence to convict the criminals. Furthermore, the solution is required to not only help the man on the street to detect and identify a theft/stolen banknote even if said banknote does not comprise sufficiently visible staining spots but also to facilitate law enforcement.
According to a first aspect, the invention relates to a secure container for storing value documents having respective value document identification numbers marked thereon, said secure container comprising:
The secure container may have its own container identification number that may be stored in the memory of the alarm unit, and the alert message may further contain the container identification number. Preferably, the value documents are banknotes marked with serial numbers and the respective value document identification numbers are the respective banknote serial numbers.
The secure container may further comprise a geo-tracking unit operable to detect geo-location of the secure container and transmit corresponding geo-location data to the alarm unit upon reception of the intrusion signal; and, upon reception of the intrusion signal, the alarm unit acquires in real time geo-location data from the geo-tracking unit and transmits the acquired geo-location data via the communication unit to the database through the communication network. Preferably, the geo-tracking unit is a GPS sensor.
According to the invention, the communication unit of the secure container may further include a processing unit configured to digitally sign data to be transmitted by the communication unit over the communication network.
Preferably, the neutralization unit of the secure container is configured to receive a staining ink (e.g. stored under pressure in a tank). Thus, in case of emission of an intrusion signal by the intrusion sensor, the indelible ink is released by the neutralizing unit into the storing unit and spoils and defaces the value documents.
According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a system for securing storage and transportation of value documents having respective value document identification numbers marked thereon, the system comprising:
The warning message may further contain the neutralization agent identification number extracted from the alert message. Preferably, in case the alert message contains the secure container identification number, the warning message further contains this container identification number.
In case the secure container is equipped with a geo-tracking unit as described above, the system may have its control module configured to extract geo-location data received via the communication interface from the communication unit of the secure container and store the extracted geo-location data in the database in association with the stored alert data for the secure container; and the warning message may further contain the geo-location data associated with the stored alert data for the secure container.
In the above system:
Preferably, in the system according to the invention:
The present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which prominent aspects and features of the invention are illustrated.
A secure container 10 according to an example of embodiment of the invention, schematically shown on
In order to overcome these security breaches, the secure container 10 further comprises an alarm unit 17 shown on
The alarm unit 17 comprises a memory 18 and a communication unit 19 operable to send data stored in the memory 18 over a communication network 20 to an external database 21 (see
Upon reception of the intrusion signal from the intrusion sensor 13, the alarm unit 17 transmits in real time via the communication unit 19 an alert message to the database 21 through the communication network 20, this alert message containing at least the value document identification numbers and the neutralization agent identification number stored in the memory. Preferably, the alert message also contains the secure container identification number. Information stored in the database 21 can be shared in real time (in whole or in part) by selected stakeholders like, for example, the police, security services of banks, IBNS manufacturers, CIT companies etc. In case of an attack of the secure container, the real time alert allows the authorities having access to the database 21 to quickly implement the appropriate countermeasures in their respective areas of responsibility.
The serial numbers of stolen (or at least stained) banknotes can thus be blacklisted as fast as possible, preventing the criminals to use the notes by putting them back into the cash-cycle(this is mainly done by trying to feed the notes into an ATM). Indeed, a mere reading of a serial number is sufficient to detect a stained banknote by checking an up-to-date blacklist stored in the secure database 21. For example, a cashier in a bank branch can take a decision regarding a suspect banknote (i.e. stained by an IBNS or soiled with standard ink) only by reading the serial number and checking the blacklist stored in the secure database 21. There is no need to conduct the testing with complex and costly devices (e.g. DNA detection) at the bank branch. The same applies to the automatic checking of banknotes carried out in an ATM with a deposit functionality and access to the (up-to-date) blacklist of the serial numbers in the database 21. Banknote handling machines capable to sort out blacklisted notes can now automatically inform the law authorities immediately by indicating the position where these banknotes appear on the market. Cashiers at Central Banks can now easily distinguish a note stained with IBNS ink (which in some countries may not be refunded) from a note accidentally stained with for instance paint, traditional ink, coffee when such a note is presented to them. More globally a cashier in a commercial bank, a shop employee or anyone from the general public in possession of a suspect note with stains could benefit from an application on his smartphone giving access (through the communication network) to the blacklisted serial numbers in the database 21 that can confirm that this note has been stolen just by scanning the serial number of the note and checking whether it is backlisted.
Generally, existing databases like EUSISS (“EUropean Smock and Ink Staining System”), containing information on staining ink references and corresponding taggants (neutralization agent), allow authorities to perform forensic analysis of suspect soiled banknotes. However, they provide no link between banknote serial numbers of an attacked secure container and taggant identification number or neutralization agent identification number used for soiling the banknotes stored in this container. In order to link a taggant-ID to a crime, authorities must perform a comparison of the taggant ID and possible crimes scenes, resulting often in more than one result. Further they have to collect manually all the data from the taggant and ink suppliers. The invention eliminates such operations by linking in real time a crime (i.e. an attack of the secure container) to the serial numbers of the stained banknotes and the identification number of the specific neutralization agent used for staining these banknotes, and possibly the identification number of the secure container, and allows detection, identification and traceability of the stolen banknotes back to the crime scene. This demotivates thieves since the stolen banknotes can easily be removed from circulation and legal actions and enforcement are facilitated. Thus, in case of detection of a stained banknote by merely checking its serial number with respect to blacklisted ones, and performing a subsequent material-based identification of the staining agent corresponding to the blacklisted serial number, legal authorities can establish a link between the identified staining agent and a specific crime. This forensic identification can be used in a court to establish a link between the identified spoiling agent and a specific crime.
According to a preferred variant, the secure container 10 further comprises a geo-tracking unit 22 (e.g. a GPS receiver of the “Global Positioning System”) connected to the alarm unit 17 and capable to receive an intrusion signal from the intrusion sensor 13 and, upon reception of the intrusion signal, detect (in real time) a geo-location of the secure container. The geo-tracking unit 22 is configured to transmit the detected geo-location to the alarm unit 17, and the communication unit 19 of the alarm unit then sends the detected geo-location to the database 21 via the communication network 20 (alternatively, the geo-location data may be part of the alert message). Thus, in case of an attack of the secure container 10, the database receives in real time both the alert message and the geo-location of the attack event: a link can be quickly established between the location of the attack and at least the serial numbers of the neutralized banknotes in the attacked secure container and the specific neutralization agent used to soil these banknotes. The police, having access to the database 21, can quickly act more efficiently due to the real-time location of the attack. As the blacklisted serial numbers are provided in real time to the concerned authorities, and the corresponding (soiled) banknotes can then hardly circulate, a person found in possession of a blacklisted banknote can be considered as a suspect of the attack. Moreover, a cash handling machine reading a serial number of a banknote fed into it by a depositor, and detecting that it is blacklisted (by having access to the blacklist in the database 21), will refuse to credit the depositor account while retaining the banknote for investigation together with the identity of the depositor.
In order to improve security of the transmission of data between the communication unit 19 and the database 21, the communication unit may further include a processing unit configured to digitally sign data that is to be transmitted by the communication unit 19 over the communication network 20 via a private key (e.g. a 256-bit number) of a symmetric or asymmetric cryptographic system. Of course, a corresponding decryption key must be used to read the encrypted data received by the database. In case of an asymmetric encryption system, a public key is used to authenticate the data received by the database (i.e. prove that this data has been encrypted via a corresponding authorized private key, and thus provide a digital proof of data integrity). Moreover, the data received by the database 21 may be blockchained in order to prevent falsification of data. Also, the public keys of the different stakeholders may be stored in a blockchain.
The database 21 has a communication interface 23 configured to receive data from the communication unit 19 of the secure container 10 via the communication network 20. The database 21 has also a control module 24 equipped with a memory module 25 and a processing module 26. The control module 24 is configured to extract alert data contained in an alert message (i.e. at least the banknote serial numbers and neutralization agent ID number, and possibly also the secure container ID number) received from the communication unit 19 of the secure container 10, and store the extracted alert data in the database 21. The memory module 25 contains a list of electronic communication addresses of selected stakeholders that are accessible via the communication network 20. The control module 24, upon reception of the alert message by the communication interface 23, is further configured to deliver a warning message to a stored electronic address via the communication interface 23 through the communication network 20, the warning message containing (at least) the banknote serial numbers extracted from the alert message. The warning message may further contain the neutralization agent identification number extracted from the received alert message, and possibly also the secure container identification number (if it was contained in the received alert message).
The control module 24 (see
In case the data received by the communication interface 23 is signed (as explained above), the control module 24 of the database 21 is configured to read the received signed data. If the received data is encrypted with an (authorized) encryption key, the processing module 26 is configured to decrypt the data with a corresponding decryption key stored in the memory module 25. If an asymmetric encryption is used, the memory module stores the corresponding public key and the control module 24 is configured to check, via its processing module 26, with the stored public key that the received signed data has been signed with an authorized private key (thus making sure that the received data indeed comes from a secure container).
According to an embodiment of the invention, the above system for securing storage and transportation of value documents according to the invention, comprising the secure container 10 and the database 21, may be more specifically adapted to the security of an automatic cash dispenser (e.g. an ATM, or an ATM having cash deposit facility, or more generally a cash handling machine). The cash dispenser has a communication module that is configured to receive from the control module 24, in real time through the communication network 20, the banknote serial numbers extracted from the alert message received by the database 21 from the communication unit 19 of the alarm unit 17 of the secure container 10. The cash dispenser then updates a file (stored in a memory of the cash dispenser) containing a list of blacklisted serial numbers. In this case, the list of electronic communication addresses stored in the memory module 25 of the control module 24 includes an electronic communication address of the communication module of the cash dispenser. Upon reception of the banknote serial numbers via its communication module, the cash dispenser is configured to refuse any transaction operation with a banknote of which serial number corresponds to one of the value document identification numbers received from the control module via the communication module. Thus, the invention allows to prevent any attempt to recycle the cash stolen by criminals in the attack of the secure container, immediately after said attack.
In case the container 10 is equipped with a geo-tracking unit 22, and the above system has a control module 24 operable to extract geo-location data of the secure container received (together with an alert message) via the communication interface 23, and the list of electronic communication addresses stored in the memory module 25 includes electronic communication addresses of respective communication modules of a plurality of cash dispensers, and the memory module 25 stores geo-localization data of the respective cash dispensers of the list, then the processing module can find the respective geo-locations of cash dispensers that are closest to the received geo-location of the secure container. Indeed, each communication module of the plurality of cash dispensers is configured to receive from the control module through the communication network the banknote serial numbers extracted from the alert message together with the associated geo-localization data stored in the database 21 that were received with the corresponding warning message delivered by the control module 24. Upon reception of the banknote serial numbers via its communication module, each cash dispenser is also configured to refuse any transaction operation with a banknote of which serial number corresponds to one of the banknote serial numbers received from the control module 24. The processing module 26 of the control module 24 can calculate the respective locations of cash dispensers that are closest (according to a given distance threshold) to the secure container geo-location data, by comparing the geo-localization data of the cash dispensers and geo-location data of the secure container (stored in the database 21). Once this calculation is performed, the control module 24 can send, via the communication interface 23 through the communication network 20, to the communication modules of the cash dispensers closest to the secure container a warning message containing the banknote serial numbers extracted from the alert message received from the secure container and thus prevent, in real time from reception of the alert message, any cash recycling operation even when performed quickly after an attack via any close cash dispenser.
The system for securing storage and transportation of value documents according to the invention, comprising the secure container 10 and the database 21, allows detection and identification, traceability of theft/stolen banknotes back to the crime scene. This system provides a means to:
In case of the detection of a stained banknote by reading the serial number, a subsequent material-based identification of the staining agent can be carried out to establish a link between the identified agent and a specific crime. This forensic identification can be used in a court to establish a link between the identified spoiling agent and a specific crime.
The above disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, and not restrictive, and serves to provide a better understanding of the invention defined by the independent claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20183032.0 | Jun 2020 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2021/067528 | 6/25/2021 | WO |
