Mobile bulk depositor
AssigneeGiesecke & Devrient America, Inc.
InventorThedfred E. Franks, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A free-standing bulk depositor includes wheels or other mechanical contrivances that enable the unit to be moved from place to place, for example to different tables on the floor of a casino, and includes various currency and/or document processing devices, including a transport mechanism that feeds a stack of documents past at least one sensing/imaging device, a logic unit that sends the documents to appropriate cassettes or drop boxes depending on the type of document and whether the document can be authenticated, and an escrow spool that holds suspect documents while images of the suspect documents are being reviewed in case the logic unit cannot determine whether a document is authentic. The documents may be banknotes, tickets, vouchers, coupons, or other documents having an identifiable value.
Claims20
A mobile bulk depositor, comprising:
- a secure casing;
- mechanical contrivances for enabling the casing to be moved;
- an input hopper for receiving documents including currency and other documents of value;
- at least one sensor;
- a logic device connected to the at least one sensor;
- at least one secure cassette;
- a drop box;
- a communications interface for transmitting data captured by the at least one sensor to an external location for review by an external reviewer;
- a transport mechanism, including an escrow spool for temporarily holding documents, said transport mechanism being arranged for:
- a. transporting a document from the input hopper past the at least one sensor,
- b. in response to a determination of validity or authenticity by the logic device, transporting the document either to the at least one secure cassette in case the document is determined to be valid or to the escrow spool in case a validity or authenticity determination cannot be made, and
- c. transporting a document being held in the escrow spool pending review to the at least one secure cassette, the drop box or a reject slot depending on the determination by the external reviewer as to whether the document is valid or authentic.
A method of accepting documents in a mobile bulk depositor including a secure casing;
- mechanical contrivances for enabling the casing to be moved;
- an input hopper for receiving documents including currency and other documents of value;
- at least one sensor;
- a logic device connected to the at least one sensor;
- at least one secure cassette;
- a drop box;
- a communications interface for transmitting data captured by the at least one sensor to an external location for review by an external reviewer;
- and a transport mechanism, including an escrow spool for temporarily holding documents, comprising the steps of:
- a. transporting a document from the input hopper past the at least one sensor,
- b. in response to a determination of validity or authenticity by the logic device, transporting the document either to the at least one secure cassette in case the document is determined to be valid or to the escrow spool in case a validity or authenticity determination cannot be made, and
- c. transporting a document being held in the escrow spool pending review to the at least one secure cassette, the drop box, or a reject slot depending on the determination by the external reviewer as to whether the document is valid or authentic.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.