# US 10,373,447 B1 · Item depository apparatus operated responsive to data bearing records > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,373,447 B1 - Document ID: US10373447B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 16/174,387 - Filed: 2018-10-30 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2015-01-07 - Assignees: Nautilus Hyosung America, Inc. - Applicants: Nautilus Hyosung America, Inc. - Inventors: Michael Leigh Sears; Joseph Militello - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10373447B1 ## CPC - G07F 19/202: {Depositing operations within ATMs (depositing in general G07D11/00)} - G06Q 20/1085: {involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]} - G06Q 20/208: {Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing} - G06Q 20/209: {Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output} - G07D 7/004: using digital security elements, e.g. information coded on a magnetic thread or strip - G07D 7/0043: using barcodes - G07D 7/121: Apparatus characterised by sensor details - G07D 11/009: {Depositing devices} - G07F 17/10: for means for safe-keeping of property, left temporarily, e.g. by fastening the property - G07F 19/203: {Dispensing operations within ATMs (dispensing in general G07D11/00)} - G07G 1/0063: {with means for detecting the geometric dimensions of the article of which the code is read, such as its size or height, for the verification of the registration} - G07G 5/00: Receipt-giving machines - G07B 2017/00717: {Reading barcodes} - G07F: COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS (coin sorting G07D3/00; coin testing G07D5/00; {handling coins or paper currencies apart from payment activated apparatus G07D; payment architectures, schemes or protocols G06Q20/00}) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G07D: HANDLING OF COINS OR VALUABLE PAPERS, e.g. TESTING, SORTING BY DENOMINATIONS, COUNTING, DISPENSING, CHANGING OR DEPOSITING - G07G: REGISTERING THE RECEIPT OF CASH, VALUABLES, OR TOKENS - G07B: TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS ## Abstract A depository system operates in response to data bearing records. Information regarding planned future deposits is recorded, at least one record visible appearance feature is stored or generated, and data corresponding to the at least one record appearance feature is stored in associated relation with deposit data. The at least one record appearance feature is made visible on a deposit item. The deposit item is subsequently presented to a depository that includes an image sensor. The image sensor operates to read the at least one record appearance feature. At least one controller in the depository causes a determination to be made that at least one record appearance feature corresponds to a pre-registered deposit and such determination enables the deposit item to be received in the depository. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A tangible medium including non-transitory processor executable instructions operative to cause an apparatus in operative connection with at least one processor executing such instructions to carry out a method comprising: a) operating at least one illumination device external of an item accepting depository, to illuminate at a first illumination level, b) during at least a portion of (a), operating at least one image sensor on the depository to detect item movement external of the depository and adjacent to the at least one image sensor, c) responsive at least in part to detecting item movement in (b), operating the at least one illumination device at a second illumination level higher than the first illumination level, d) during at least a portion of (c), capturing at least one image of at least one appearance feature associated with a deposit item positioned external of the depository, through operation of the at least one image sensor, e) generating appearance data which corresponds to the at least one appearance feature captured in (d), f) determining that the appearance data generated in (e) corresponds to a financial deposit authorized to be accepted by the depository, g) responsive at least in part to the determination in (f), operating a lock associated with the depository, to change from a locked condition to an unlocked condition, wherein in the unlocked condition the depository is enabled to accept the deposit item into an interior area of the depository. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The medium according to claim 1, wherein the method further includes h) prior to (d), operating a target projector on the depository to project a target marking, wherein the target marking is indicative of a location to position the at least one appearance feature on the deposit item to enable the at least one image sensor to capture the at least one image of the at least one appearance feature. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The medium according to claim 2, wherein in (h), the target projector operates to project the target marking responsive at least in part to the item movement detected in (b). ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The medium according to claim 1 wherein the depository includes a pocket, and wherein when the lock is in an unlocked condition the pocket is enabled to be externally accessible on the depository such that the deposit item may be received therein, wherein the method further includes i) subsequent to (g), operating at least one inspection camera to produce at least one internal depository image including an image of at least a portion of the pocket, j) determining from the at least one internal depository image, that the deposit item received in the pocket includes the at least one appearance feature. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The medium according to claim 1 wherein the depository includes a pocket, and wherein when the lock is in an unlocked condition the pocket is enabled to be externally accessible on the depository such that the deposit item may be received therein, wherein the method further includes i) subsequent to (g), operating at least one inspection camera to produce at least one internal depository image including an image of at least a portion of the pocket, j) determining from the at least one internal depository image, that the deposit item was received in the pocket. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The medium according to claim 5 wherein the depository includes a movable structure, wherein the pocket is positioned in the movable structure, and wherein the depository further includes a safe, wherein the safe has a safe interior area positioned below the movable structure, wherein items in the pocket are enabled to fall into the safe interior area when the movable structure is moved so that the pocket is not externally accessible on the depository, the method further including: k) subsequent to (j), capturing at least one further internal depository image through operation of the at least one inspection camera after the movable structure has been moved to a position in which the deposit item is enabled to fall out of the pocket and into the safe interior area, l) determining from the at least one further internal depository image that the deposit item is no longer in the pocket. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The medium according to claim 5 wherein the method further includes: k) operating the at least one image sensor to read visible program indicia from a program item, wherein the visible program indicia includes program instructions, l) changing the non-transitory processor executable instructions stored on the medium in response to the program instructions read in (k), m) subsequent to (l), operating the apparatus in accordance with the changed processor executable instructions. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The medium according to claim 7 wherein in (l) the instructions are changed to prevent at least some subsequent changes responsive to visible program indicia read from further program items. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The medium according to claim 7 wherein in (d) the at least one captured appearance feature includes at least one of a bar code, a visible feature on a currency bill, a visible feature on a financial check, and a display on a mobile wireless device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The medium according to claim 1 wherein in (d) the at least one captured appearance feature includes at least one of a bar code, a visible feature on a currency bill, a visible feature on a financial check, and a display on a mobile wireless device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The medium according to claim 9 wherein the depository further includes a display and a manual input device, wherein the method further includes n) determining that item movement has been repeatedly detected in (b) without an image of an appearance feature being captured in (d), o) responsive to the determination in (n), operating the display to provide an output indicating that the manual input device must be manually operated to capture at least one image of at least one appearance feature associated with a deposit item, p) subsequent to (o), operating the at least one illumination device at the second illumination level responsive at least in part to manual actuation of the manual input device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The medium according to claim 1 wherein the depository further includes a display and a manual input device, wherein the method further includes h) determining that item movement has been repeatedly detected in (b) without an image of an appearance feature being captured in (d), i) responsive to the determination in (h), operating the display to provide an output indicating that the manual input device must be manually operated to capture at least one image of at least one appearance feature associated with a deposit item, j) subsequent to (i), operating the at least one illumination device at the second illumination level responsive at least in part to manual actuation of the manual input device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The medium according to claim 11 wherein the method further includes q) subsequent to (j), causing a financial account to be credited with an amount associated with the financial deposit. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The medium according to claim 1 wherein the method further includes h) operating an internal inspection camera to capture at least one image of an area internal of the depository, i) determining from the at least one image captured in (h) that the deposit item was received in the depository, j) responsive to the determination in (i), causing a financial account to be credited with an amount associated with the financial deposit. ### Claim 15 A tangible medium including non-transitory processor executable instructions operative to cause an apparatus in operative connection with at least one processor executing such instructions to carry out a method comprising: a) operating a target projector on an exterior of an item accepting depository, to project a target marking indicative of a location to position at least one appearance feature on a deposit item outside the depository so that the at least one appearance feature is readable by at least one image sensor of the depository, b) during at least a portion of (a), capturing at least one image of at least one appearance feature associated with the deposit item through operation of the at least one image sensor, c) generating appearance data which corresponds to the at least one appearance feature captured in (b), d) determining that the appearance data generated in (c) corresponds to a financial deposit authorized to be accepted by the depository, e) responsive at least in part to the determination in (d), operating a lock associated with the depository, to change from a locked condition to an unlocked condition, wherein in the unlocked condition the depository is enabled to accept the deposit item into an interior area of the depository. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The medium according to claim 15 wherein the method further includes (f) prior to (a), operating the at least one image sensor to detect item movement in proximity to the depository, wherein the target marking is projected in (a) responsive at least in part to the detected item movement in (f). ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The medium according to claim 16 wherein the depository includes at least one illumination device, wherein in (f) the at least one illumination device is operated to illuminate at a first illumination level, and wherein responsive at least in part to the detection of item movement in (f), the at least one illumination device is operated at a second illumination level higher than the first illumination level, wherein in (b) the at least one image is captured while the at least one illumination device is operated at the second illumination level. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The medium according to claim 15 wherein in (b) the at least one captured appearance feature includes at least one of a bar code, a visible feature on a currency bill, a visible feature on a financial check, and a display on a mobile wireless device. ### Claim 19 A tangible medium including non-transitory processor executable instructions operative to cause an apparatus in operative connection with at least one processor executing such instructions to carry out a method comprising: a) operating at least one external image sensor on an item accepting depository to capture at least one image of at least one appearance feature associated with a deposit item positioned external of the depository, b) generating appearance data which corresponds to the at least one appearance feature captured in (a), c) determining that the appearance data generated in (b) corresponds to a financial deposit authorized to be accepted by the depository, d) responsive at least in part to the determination in (c), operating a lock associated with the depository to change from a locked condition to an unlocked condition, wherein in the unlocked condition a pocket of the depository is enabled to be accessible from outside the depository, wherein the pocket is configured to accept the deposit item therein, e) subsequent to (d), operating at least one pocket inspection camera to capture at least one pocket inspection image including an image of at least a portion of the pocket, f) subsequent to (e), determining that the deposit item was placed in the pocket responsive at least in part to the at least one pocket inspection image. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The medium according to claim 19 prior to (a) operating at least one illumination device on the depository at a first illumination level, while the at least one illumination device is illuminated at the first illumination level, detecting movement externally adjacent to the depository with the at least one image sensor, responsive at least in part to the detected movement, operating the at least one illumination device at a second illumination level that is higher than the first illumination level, wherein in (a), the at least one image of at least one appearance feature is captured while the at least one illumination device is operated at the second illumination level.