MONETARY PACKAGE SECURITY DURING TRANSPORT THROUGH CASH SUPPLY CHAIN

• US 20090309729A1
• Filed: 10/31/2008
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Nichols, Michelle, Mon, Felix, Atwood, Todd, Heddleson, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,094,021 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/568.700
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 1/10 Money-bags for conductors or like people; Money-bags with rigid coin-holders
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/24 Devices for sound-producing, piercing, gas-discharging, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• 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: G08B 13/2417 having a radio frequency identification chip
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2462 Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/002 Generating a prealarm to the central station

Abstract

An armored carrier or other transport entity may scan a remotely-readable identification tag, such as a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag, of each monetary package being picked up and/or delivered. The scanner used by the armored carrier may notify the armored carrier if one of the monetary packages goes out of range without being checked out, such as within a period of time. Also, if that monetary package is not returned within range within a particular period of time, the scanner may automatically notify a centralized system. The scanner may further be aware of scheduled monetary packages to be picked up. If not all of the monetary packages as expected are picked up, then the scanner may also notify the armored carrier.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

wirelessly detecting a presence of a monetary package;

responsive to a subsequent loss of detected presence of the monetary package, generating a first alert; and

determining whether the presence of the monetary package is again detected, and if not, then generating a second alert.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the first alert comprises generating an audible alert, and generating the second alert comprises wirelessly transmitting data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving data representing an identifier of the monetary package that distinguishes the monetary package from other monetary packages.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein generating the second alert comprises wirelessly transmitting data representing the identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein wirelessly detecting comprises detecting the monetary package using radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining comprises determining whether the presence of the monetary package is again detected within a predetermined period of time, and if not, then generating the second alert.

7. An apparatus, comprising:

a radio frequency receiver configured to receive radio frequency transmissions from an identification tag of a monetary package;

a radio frequency transmitter;

an audio output device; and

a controller configured to;

determine whether the radio frequency transmissions are continuing to be detected by the radio frequency receiver,

responsive to determining that the radio frequency transmissions have discontinued as detected by the radio frequency receiver, cause the audio output device to emit sound,

determine whether the radio frequency transmissions as detected by the radio frequency receiver have begun again, and if not, cause the radio frequency transmitter to transmit first data.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, the radio frequency transmissions comprise second data representing an identifier of the monetary package that distinguishes the monetary package from other monetary packages.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured such that the first data also represents the identifier.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to transmit the first data responsive to determining that the radio frequency transmissions as detected by the radio frequency receiver have not begun again within a predetermined period of time.

11. A method, comprising:

wirelessly detecting identities of each of a plurality of monetary packages;

comparing the identities of each of the detected monetary packages with a predetermined set of identities; and

responsive to determining that at least one of the predetermined set of identities does not correspond to one of the detected monetary packages, generating an alert.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein generating the alert comprises generating an audible alert.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein generating the alert comprises wirelessly transmitting data.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the data represents the at least one of the predetermined identities.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising wirelessly transmitting data representing the detected identities.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving user input after the generating of the alert, wherein wirelessly transmitting is performed responsive to the user input.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

a radio frequency receiver configured to receive radio frequency transmissions from an identification tag of each of a plurality of monetary packages, the radio frequency transmissions representing identities of each of the plurality of monetary packages;

an audio output device; and

a controller configured to;

compare the identities represented by the radio frequency transmissions with a predetermined set of identities; and

responsive to determining that at least one of the predetermined set of identities does not correspond to one of the detected monetary packages, cause the audio output device to emit sound.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a radio frequency transmitter, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the radio frequency transmitter to wirelessly transmit data representing the at least one of the predetermined identities.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a radio frequency transmitter, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the radio frequency transmitter to wirelessly transmit data representing the detected identities.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

a radio frequency transmitter; and

a user input device configured to receive user input,

wherein the controller is further configured to, responsive to receiving the user input after the audio output device begins emitting the sound, cause the radio frequency transmitter to wirelessly transmit data.