Monitoring apparatus

• US 20070267481A1
• Filed: 05/14/2007
• Published: 11/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Laurel Precision Machines Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Laurel Precision Machines Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Takahashi, Masahiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,091,777 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/10 Mechanical details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/08 by opening, e.g. of door, of window, of drawer, of shutter, of curtain, of blind

Abstract

A monitoring apparatus for monitoring open/close statuses of open/close portions (5) of multiple money processing machines (1) includes: a reader monitoring apparatus (3) which monitors open/close status of the open/close portion (5) of each of the multiple money processing machines (1) by using an RFID inlet (6) and an RFID reader (4); and a control apparatus (2) for monitoring a processing status of each of the multiple money processing machines (1). If the reader monitoring apparatus (3) detects that the open/close portion (5) of the money processing machine (1) is opened, and if the control apparatus (2) determines that the money processing machine (1) is not operating, an alarm signal is output.

Claims

1. A monitoring apparatus for monitoring an open/close status of open/close portions of multiple money processing machines, comprising:

an open/close detection unit which detects the open/close status of the open/close portion of each of the multiple money processing machines and which comprises;

an RFID inlet which stores individually different ID information and which is attached to each of the multiple money processing machines; and

an RFID reader which is independently provided outside the money processing machine;

an operation status monitoring system monitoring an operation status of each of the multiple money processing machines; and

an alarm output unit which outputs an alarm signal if the open/close detection unit detects that the open/close portion is opened and if the operation status monitoring system determines that the money processing machine is not operating.

2. A monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the ID information comprises information for detecting or determining the money processing machine and the open/close portion to which the RFID inlet is provided.

3. A monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 wherein

the open/close portion is a drawer, and

the ID information comprises information indicating or corresponding to the drawer.

4. A monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 wherein

the open/close portion is a door, and

the ID information comprises information indicating or corresponding to the door.

5. A monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a memory unit which stores or records the ID information and a time at which the ID information was received by the RFID reader.

6. A monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a case of the money processing machine and the open/close portion comprise shielding materials.

7. A monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising an alarm unit which raises an alarm based on the alarm signal.

8. A monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a communication unit for transmitting the alarm signal to a monitoring center.

9. A monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the monitoring apparatus includes a plurality of the RFID readers.