Pressurized security enclosures for media terminals
AssigneeNCR Atleos Corporation
InventorsSteven James Birnie, Ian McFarlane Denny
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Air is pressurized in a pressurized security apparatus which surrounds a housing for a safe of a media recycler/dispenser or a housing for the media recycler/dispenser. Air pressure is monitored for the pressurized security apparatus. Air pressure that drops below a configured amount causes a security event to be sent to a security system as an indication that the safe and/or recycler/dispenser has been tampered with by unauthorized individuals. The security system initiates security actions that can include dispatching authorities to a location associated with the recycler/dispenser.
Claims9
A media recycler or dispenser, comprising:
- a pressurized security apparatus;
- a pressure gauge to obtain air pressures from pressurized air held by the pressurized security apparatus and;
- a sensor coupled to the pressure gauge and to determine when a given air pressure is below a first air pressure by a configured amount;
- wherein the pressurized security apparatus comprises:
- the pressurized air maintained at the first air pressure within air bags or an air blanket inserted into a hollow cavity located between an exterior wall and an interior wall of a housing for a safe or a housing for the media recycler or the dispenser, the air bags or air blanket forming a sealed pressurized enclosure within the hollow cavity from which a drop in air pressure below the first air pressure is detectable by the pressure gauge via a port connecting the pressure gauge to the air bags or air blanket;
- wherein the media recycler or dispenser is capable of accepting currency as a payment for a transaction or as a deposit into a financial account.
A pressurized security apparatus, comprising:
- an air retention apparatus comprising air bags or an air blanket inserted into a hollow cavity located between an exterior wall and an interior wall of a housing of a safe or a media recycler or dispenser, the air bags or air blanket forming a sealed pressurized enclosure within the hollow cavity;
- and
- an air port to pressurize air within the air retention apparatus;
- a pressure gauge connected to the air port to monitor air pressure within the sealed pressurized enclosure of the air retention apparatus;
- wherein the air retention apparatus surrounds an interior of the housing of the safe or the media recycler or dispenser;
- wherein air pressure within the air retention apparatus is monitored to indicate whether a breach was attempted on the housing of the safe or the media recycler or the dispenser;
- wherein the media recycler or dispenser is capable of accepting currency as payment for a transaction or as a deposit into a financial account.
A method, comprising:
- detecting, via a pressure gauge connected to a port of air bags or an air blanket that are inserted into a hollow cavity located between an exterior wall and an interior wall of a housing associated with a safe or a media recycler or dispenser, the air bags or air blanket forming a sealed pressurized enclosure within the hollow cavity, a loss in air pressure below an expected air pressure within the sealed pressurized enclosure of the air bags or the air blanket inserted into the hollow cavity;
- and
- sending a security alert to a security system as an indication that the safe or the media recycler or dispenser is being actively tampered with responsive to the loss in air pressure being below the expected air pressure in the air bags or the air blanket.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.