Currency container tracking system and a currency container for use therewith

• US 20020063035A1
• Filed: 09/21/2001
• Published: 05/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mineral Lassen LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: VendingData Corporation (Melco International Development Limited)
• Inventors: Blad, Steven J., Dickinson, Kenneth R.
• Granted Patent: US 6,845,905 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 194/350
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1085 involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/12 Containers for valuable papers
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/30 Tracking or tracing valuable papers or cassettes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof

Abstract

The present invention features a tracking system for currency containers in a gaming casino. Currency is received in removable containers having a memory chip for storing information such as the container ID, the ID of the gaming machine, the date and time the container was placed in a gaming machine. A mobile cart or a hand-carried unit is provided to store and transport the containers to a counting room. Data in each container'"'"'s memory is verified and continuously monitored by the cart. A docking station verifies, reads, and transmits data to a remote computer and also provides a printout. All temporary data is erased from memory, and the containers are ready for reuse. Each time a container is inserted into a machine or other apparatus, a date and time is written to memory so that a complete adit trail is available.

Claims

1. ) A system for tracking currency containers in a gaming casino, comprising:

a) a currency container adapted for removable insertion in a gaming machine and adapted to receive currency therefrom, said currency container comprising a memory device having means for electrically communicating with said gaming machine, whereby data may be stored in said memory device by said gaming machine;

b) receiving means adapted to receive said currency container once removed from said gaming machine, said receiving means being adapted for electrical communication with said memory device and also adapted to read and verify at least a portion of said data stored in said memory device; and

c) monitoring means operatively connected to said receiving means for substantially continuously monitoring the presence of said currency container within said receiving means and substantially continuously monitoring the validity of at least a portion of said data.

2. The system for tracking currency containers as recited in claim 1, wherein said means for electrically communicating between said gaming machine and said memory device comprises an electrical contact.

3. The system for tracking currency containers as recited in claim 1, wherein said means for electrically communicating between said gaming machine and said memory device comprises a contactless interconnection therebetween.

4. The system for tracking currency containers as recited in claim 1, wherein said contactless interconnection comprises at least one method from the group:

infrared link, radio frequency link and inductively coupled link.

5. The system for tracking currency containers as recited in claim 1, wherein said gaming machine comprises an ID/Data Unit adapted for communicative interaction with said currency container for reading data from and writing data to said currency container.

6. The system for tracking currency containers as recited in claim 1, wherein said memory device comprises a non-volatile memory device.

7. The system for tracking currency containers as recited in claim 6, wherein said memory device comprises a non-volatile memory device from the group:

EPROM and flash memory device.

8. The system for tracking currency containers as recited in claim 5, wherein said data written by said ID/Data Unit into said memory device comprises data representative of at least a gaming machine ID, a date and a time.

9. The system for tracking currency containers as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

d) indicator means proximate and operatively connected to said receiving means and responsive thereto for indicating a result of said verification of at least a portion of said stored data.

10. The system for tracking currency containers as recited in claim 9, wherein said receiving means comprises at least one from the group:

mobile unit adapted to receive a plurality of said currency containers;

a portable, hand-carried receiving unit adapted to receive at least one of said currency containers; and

a fixed, temporary storage unit adapted to receive a plurality of said currency containers.

11. The system for tracking currency containers as recited in claim 10, wherein said mobile unit comprises a wheeled cart configured to receive a plurality of said currency containers.

12. The system for tracking currency containers as recited in claim 11, wherein said plurality of said currency containers comprises a quantity of said currency containers range of approximately 10 to 1000.

13. The system for tracking currency containers as recited in claim 10, wherein said portable, hand-carried receiving unit is configured to receive in the range of approximately one to four currency containers.

14. The system for tracking currency containers as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

d) a docking station for receiving said currency container and adapted for electrical communication with said memory device to read and verify at least a portion of said data stored in said memory device, said docking station comprising a computer interface for facilitating communicative connection to a computer.

15. The system for tracking currency containers as recited in claim 14, wherein said docking station comprises:

i) a keyboard adapted for entering data;

ii) indicators for displaying status information regarding said data in said memory device; and

iii) a printer adapted for printing at least a portion of said data from said memory device.

16. The system for tracking currency containers as recited in claim 14, wherein said docking station is adapted to selectively erase portions of said data in said memory device.

17. The system for tracking currency containers as recited in claim 15, wherein said printer comprises bar code printing means.

18. The system for tracking currency containers as recited in claim 8, wherein said data comprises a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) number and wherein said receiving means further comprises means to verify said CRC number.

20. The system for securely receiving, tracking and transporting currency from a currency-operated machine as recited in claim 19, wherein said data includes at least one of the data items:

a unique ID of said currency container, a unique ID of said currency operated machine, a unique ID of said transport apparatus, a unique ID of said docking station, a date, and a time.

21. The system for securely receiving, tracking and transporting currency from a currency-operated machine as recited in claim 20, wherein at least one of said currency accepting machine, said mobile transport apparatus and said docking station is adapted to verify at least one of said data items.

22. The system for securely receiving, tracking and transporting currency from a currency-operated machine as recited in claim 21, wherein said data comprises a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) value and wherein said verification of said data comprises checking said CRC value.

23. The system for securely receiving, tracking and transporting currency from a currency-operated machine as recited in claim 19, wherein said docking station further comprises at least one of the devices:

a keyboard adapted for entering data, display means for displaying status information regarding said data in said memory device, and a printer adapted for printing at least a portion of said data from said memory device, and a computer interface adapted for communicatively connecting said docking station to an external computer.

24. The system for securely receiving, tracking and transporting currency from a currency-operated machine as recited in claim 23, wherein said display means comprises at least one from the group:

at least one LED, CRT display, LCD display, other text display, and other graphic display.

25. The system for securely receiving, tracking and transporting currency from a currency-operated machine as recited in claim 23, wherein said docking station is adapted to selectively erase portions of said data in said memory device thereby initializing said currency container.

26. The system for securely receiving, tracking and transporting currency from a currency-operated machine as recited in claim 23, wherein said printer is adapted to print at least a portion of said data in said non-volatile memory device.

27. The system for securely receiving, tracking and transporting currency from a currency-operated machine as recited in claim 26, wherein said printer is further adapted to print a bar code representative of a at least a portion of said data in said non-volatile memory device.

29. The method for utilizing a currency container in a currency container tracking system as recited in claim 28, the steps further comprising:

l) after said verifying step (i), transmitting at least a portion of said data in said memory device to a remote computer.

30. The method for utilizing a currency container in a currency container tracking system as recited in claim 28, wherein said removing and inserting step (f) comprises the sub-step:

upon insertion of said currency container in said receiving apparatus, verifying at least a portion of the data in said non-volatile memory device and, while said currency container remains in said receiving apparatus, monitoring at least a portion of said data.

31. The method for utilizing a currency container in a currency container tracking system as recited in claim 28, the steps further comprising:

m) temporarily storing said currency container in a temporary storage apparatus.

32. The method for utilizing a currency container in a currency container tracking system as recited in claim 28, wherein said receiving apparatus comprises at least one from the group:

mobile unit adapted to receive a plurality of said currency containers and portable, hand-carried receiving unit adapted to receive at least one of said currency containers.

33. The method for utilizing a currency container in a currency container tracking system as recited in claim 28, the steps further comprising:

n) after said removing step (k), reinitializing said currency container by erasing all non-permanent data from said memory device.

19. A system for securely receiving, tracking and transporting currency from a currency-operated machine, comprising:

d) a currency container adapted to receive and store currency from a currency operated machine, said currency container comprising a non-volatile memory device;

e) at least one currency operated machine adapted to removably receive said currency container, said machine comprising first interface means adapted to communicate with said non-volatile memory device and selectively read data from and write data to said non-volatile memory device;

f) a transport apparatus adapted to removably receive a currency container and comprising second interface means adapted to communicate with said non-volatile memory device of said currency container and selectively read data from and write data to said non-volatile memory device;

g) a docking station for removably receiving said currency container, said docking station means comprising third interface means adapted to communicate with said non-volatile memory device and selectively read data from and write data to said non-volatile memory device.

28. A method for utilizing a currency container in a currency container tracking system, the steps comprising:

h) providing an initialized currency container adapted for receiving currency from a currency receiving machine, said currency container comprising a nonvolatile memory device adapted to electronically store data therein;

i) providing at least one currency receiving machine adapted for receiving currency from a user thereof and depositing said currency into said currency container, said currency receiving machine being adapted to communicate with said non-volatile memory device of said currency container thereby facilitating reading data from and writing data to said non-volatile memory device;

j) initiating a valid life cycle by inserting said initialized currency container into said currency receiving machine and writing data representative of at least one of;

a unique ID of said currency receiving machine, a date, and a time into said nonvolatile memory device;

k) receiving currency from said currency receiving machine and depositing said currency in said currency container;

l) periodically writing data representative of at least one of;

a unique ID of said currency receiving machine, a date, and a time into said non-volatile memory device;

m) removing said currency container from said currency receiving machine and inserting said currency container into a receiving apparatus;

n) transporting said currency container in said receiving apparatus to a secure space;

o) removing said currency container from said receiving apparatus and inserting said currency container into a docking station;

p) verifying at least a portion of said data in said memory device;

q) printing at least a portion of said data along with a bar code representative of at least a portion of said data thereby creating a printed document; and

r) removing said currency from said currency container and uniting said printed document with said removed currency.