SECURING A CASH SAFE WITH A CIRCUIT

• US 20110298584A1
• Filed: 06/04/2010
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Biggs, Kent, Provencher, Michael A., Higham, Stephen J.
• Application Number:
  US12/793,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20110298584A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.73
• CPC Class Codes: E05G 5/006 Cashier's counters or receptables for holding valuables readily accessible for handling, with safeguard mechanisms for the valuables in case of hold-up
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00912 for safes, strong-rooms, vaults or the like

Abstract

Disclosed embodiments relate to a method for opening a cash safe secured with a circuit. For example, the method may comprise receiving a key by a circuit connected to a locking mechanism for securing a cash safe closed and retrieving, by the circuit, a stored key. The method may further comprise comparing, by the circuit, the received key to the stored key, determining, by the circuit, whether to release the cash safe based on the comparison, and sending, by the circuit, a signal to release the locking mechanism securing the cash safe closed if determined to release the cash safe.

Claims

1. An electronic cash safe system, comprising:

a cash safe;

a locking mechanism positioned to secure the cash safe closed;

a storage; and

a circuit configured to;

store a key in the storage; and

send a signal to the locking mechanism to release the cash safe if the circuit receives a key corresponding to the key stored in the storage.

2. The electronic cash safe system of claim 1, further comprising an input device for instructing the circuit that an updated key may be stored in the storage.

3. The electronic cash safe system of claim 1, further comprising a communication interface connected to the circuit, wherein the circuit receives a key via the communication interface.

4. The electronic cash safe system of claim 3, further comprising:

an electronic device in communication with the circuit via the communication interface; and

a network,

wherein the electronic device receives a key via the network and communicates the received key to the circuit via the communication interface.

5. The electronic cash safe system of claim 1, wherein the storage stores an identifier associated with the cash safe.

6. The electronic cash safe system of claim 1, wherein the storage stores multiple keys and permissions information associated with each key.

7. A method for securing a cash safe with a circuit, comprising:

receiving a key by a circuit connected to a locking mechanism for securing a cash safe closed;

storing, by the circuit, the received key; and

securing, by the circuit, the cash safe closed by refraining from sending a signal to the locking mechanism to release the cash safe.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising transmitting, by the circuit, a signal to release the locking mechanism securing the cash safe closed if determined that a received key corresponds to the stored key.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, by the circuit, permissions information associated with the received key; and

storing, by the circuit, the permissions information.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, by the circuit, an instruction indicating that the stored key may be updated;

receiving, by the circuit, an updated key; and

storing, by the circuit, the updated key.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein storing the received key comprises storing a portion of the received information in a volatile storage and storing a portion of the received information in a non-volatile storage.

12. A method for opening a cash safe secured with a circuit, comprising:

receiving a key by a circuit connected to a locking mechanism for securing a cash safe closed;

retrieving, by the circuit, a stored key;

comparing, by the circuit, the received key to the stored key;

determining, by the circuit, whether to release the cash safe based on the comparison; and

sending, by the circuit, a signal to release the locking mechanism securing the cash safe closed if determined to release the cash safe.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

retrieving, by the circuit, an identifier associated with the cash safe; and

sending, by the circuit, the identifier to an electronic device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein determining whether to release the cash safe comprises:

decoding, by the circuit, the received key; and

comparing, by the circuit, the decoded key to the stored key.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein determining whether to release the cash safe further comprises:

receiving, by the circuit, permissions information associated with a stored key corresponding to the received key; and

determining, by the circuit, whether to release the cash safe based on the received permissions information.