CODED SECURITY VAULT

• US 3,665,160 A
• Filed: 12/18/1970
• Issued: 05/23/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Herman Lopata
• Original Assignee: Herman Lopata
• Inventors: Lopata, Herman
• Primary Examiner(s): Cook, Daryl W.
• Application Number:
  US05/099,596
• Time in Patent Office: 522 Days
• Field of Search: 194/.020,.003,.009 235/61.12R,61.12M,61.12N,61.12C,61.7B,.11R,.11C,.11A,.11D,.11H 340/149A
• US Class Current: 235/382
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/06 Coin boxes

Abstract

A vault into which cash, such as coins and tokens are deposited, is provided with a self-locking enclosure to be opened only by authorized personnel in preferably supervised facilities at which the contents are counted and accounted for. The vault is generally of a parallelapiped form adapted for slidable insertion in a drawer provided with an access port for conveying the cash therein. Mechanical, magnetic, optical or electronic means are provided as an adjustable code for identification of the vault. Means to sense the identification code on the vault are provided in the drawer housing and are so arranged as to prevent access by unauthorized personnel. A control circuit responsive to signals representative of the coded vault are processed by appropriate scanning and comparator circuits and, depending upon the code used, conversion matrices to develop a print-out of the identified vault at a remote location upon the occurrence of certain actions such as the insertion, removal of the vault from the drawer or at some programmed interval on the hour or the like. In a preferred application the coded self-locking vault is included in a toll collection system for toll roads and toll bridges wherein the output is punched into a tape for translation at accounting centers in any desired printed form.

Claims

1. Control means for preventing unauthorized access to a depository of cash comprising in combination:

a. a sealed vault having an access port for depositing cash therein;

b. coded means on said vault for uniquely identifying the vault;

c. a housing into which said vault is inserted;

d. said housing having sensing means responsive to said coded means for determining the identification means on said vault;

e. means responsive to said sensing means for recording the identification of said vault.

2. A control means according to claim 1 wherein said vault includes a self-locking cover that fully closes the vault by an automatic lock when said vault is removed from said housing to prevent access to the interior of said vault without authorized opening of said lock.

3. A control means according to claim 1 wherein said coded identification means is a series of protuberances representative of a coded identification character;

said sensing means in said housing comprising a plurality of apertures for receiving said protuberances and electric switches in said apertures which are operative when a protuberance is received in said aperture.

4. A control according to claim 3 wherein said protuberances are adjustable to any one of a plurality of different vault identification indicia.

5. A control means according to claim 1 wherein said coded identification means is an array of excitation lamps and said sensing means is an array of photo-electric cells responsive to said lamps, said array of lamps being representative of a selected code corresponding to an indicia of a unique vault.

6. A control means according to claim 1 wherein said coded identification means is an array of permanent magnetic slug members and said means is an arraY of magnetic-responsive switches, said array of magnetic members being representative of a selected code corresponding to an indicia of a unique vault.

7. A control means according to claim 1 wherein said recording means is a tape punch responsive to signals from said sensor to punch holes in a tape corresponding to the identification of said vault.

8. A control means according to claim 1 including means for recording simultaneously with the recordation of the identification of the cash vault data corresponding to the location, time, date and identification of the person manipulating the vault relative to the housing.

9. Control means for preventing unauthorized access to a depository of cash comprising in combination:

a. a sealed vault having an access port for depositing cash therein;

b. coded means on said vault for uniquely identifying the vault;

c. a housing into which said vault is inserted;

d. said housing having sensing means responsive to said coded means for determining the identification means on said vault;

e. means responsive to said sensing means for generating a signal corresponding to the identification of said vault.