System and method for processing value units

• US 7,487,909 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2004
• Issued: 02/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient (Giesecke & Devrient GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
• Inventors: Eberhardt, Jens, Fiedler, Werner, Geβler, Hermann, Nattmann, Henning, Kochbeck, Heinz, Schwartz, Udo, Thorbjörnson, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Labaze; Edwyn
• Application Number:
  US10/562,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20060212372A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,688 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/375, 235/483, 235/485, 235/487, 902 12- 17, 902 7- 9, 705/43
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/042 characterized in that the payment protocol involves at least one cheque
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/40 Device architecture, e.g. modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0047 using checkcodes, e.g. coded numbers derived from serial number and denomination

Abstract

The invention relates to a system and method for processing value units, such as bank notes, coins or checks. A system and method for processing deposits of value units are provided by which bank notes of the deposit are checked successively in two bank note processing machines, and the data of both the first and second checking operations are supplied to an evaluation device in order to perform an evaluation of the deposit on the basis of both the first and second checking operations. This two-stage processing provides the possibility of carrying out the processing of deposits in cash centers considerably more efficiently than with hitherto used methods.

Claims

1. A system for processing deposits of bank notes, comprising:

a first bank note processing machine with at least one input pocket, at least one checking device and at least one output pocket for subjecting the bank notes of a deposit to a first checking operation;

a second bank note processing machine with at least one input pocket, at least one checking device and at least one output pocket, the second bank note processing machine arranged to subject bank notes of the deposit that were previously checked by the first bank note processing machine to a second checking operation, the bank notes of the second checking operation including all bank notes qualifying as authentic or reject bank notes in the first checking operation and excluding bank notes categorized as being false or suspicious in the first checking operation; and

an evaluation device to which data of both the first and second checking operations are supplied for performing an evaluation of the deposit on the basis of both the first and second checking operations.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second bank note processing machine differs with regard to functionality and/or efficiency in comparison with the first bank note processing machine.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the functionality and/or efficiency of the second bank note processing machine differs from the first bank note processing machine by performing different checking operations and/or having a higher maximum hourly throughput.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein both the first and second bank note processing machines are connected to the evaluation device via signal lines to enable data on the checking operations to be transferred automatically to the evaluation device.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein different types of deposits, such as deposits of different size or different customers, are checked automatically by different bank note processing machines and/or with different processing sequences.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein when checking the same deposit the second bank note processing machine performs different checking operations or the same checking operations, optionally with different accuracy and/or different acceptance criteria, from the first bank note processing machine.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein in the second checking operation in the second bank note processing machine only certain bank notes (BN) of the deposit are checked for certain check criteria, in dependence on a check result of the first checking operation in the first bank note processing machine.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein for carrying out the second checking operation of the second bank note processing machine, data on the result of the first checking operation of the first bank note processing machine are supplied by the first bank note processing machine and/or by the evaluation device.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first bank note processing machine performs an authenticity check without a fitness check, and the second bank note processing machine performs a fitness check optionally without an authenticity check.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first bank note processing machine performs an authenticity check, determination of denomination and orientation sorting of the bank notes of the deposit, and the second bank note processing machine performs a fitness check of the authentic bank notes (BN) of the same deposit sorted according to orientation.

11. The system according to claim 1, including a reader unit for reading a unique bank note feature, such as unique measuring features of the bank notes, and/or a reader for the serial number of the bank notes is integrated in the first bank note processing machine.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein, for inserting cassettes of different constructions, the first and/or the second bank note processing machine has a plurality of different, firmly mounted adapters or at least one replaceable adapter.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein data on deposits to be processed in a future processing operation are transmitted from an external device to the evaluation device, together with or independently of the transport of the deposits to the assigned bank note processing machines.

14. The system according to claim 1, including a surveillance camera installed in a room where the bank notes of the deposit are processed, and data on a deposit instantaneously processed within a range of the surveillance camera are linked with image data.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein a data output of the first and/or second bank note processing machine is coupled with the surveillance camera and/or an associated supervising unit in such a way as to transfer data that relate to the instantaneously processed deposit and that are delivered by the bank note processing machine or machines.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first checking operation in the first bank note processing machine comprises a fitness check of the bank notes, and bank notes with different fitness are processed further in different second bank note processing machines.

17. The system according to claim 1, wherein upon a successive check of the bank notes of a deposit in two bank note processing machines, the accounting of the deposit is already effected after the first checking operation in the first bank note processing machine.

18. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one output pocket of the first bank note processing machine is connected to at least one input pocket of the second bank note processing machine via a dispatch tube connection.

19. The system according to claim 1, wherein the bank notes are stacked in the first bank note processing machine in a dispatch tube container, and are singled out of the dispatch tube container in the second bank note processing machine connected to the first bank note processing machine via a dispatch tube connection.

20. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least the first and/or second bank note processing machines are connected via signal lines to a computer which has access to the data on deposits incoming and to be processed, and the computer transmits deposit-related data to all or at least some of the bank note processing machines connected by data line to said computer, so that said machines are preconfigured for deposits to be subsequently processed thereon.

21. A method for processing deposits of notes, comprising:

processing notes of a deposit successively in two bank note processing machines, and

supplying the data of both the first and second checking operations to an evaluation device in order to perform an evaluation of the deposit on the basis of both the first and second checking operations;

wherein the second checking operation includes processing all notes qualifying as authentic or reject notes in the first checking operation and excludes notes categorized as being false or suspicious in the first checking operation.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein different types of deposits, such as deposits of different size or different customers, are checked automatically by different bank note processing machines and/or with different processing sequences, specifically e.g. alternatively a one-stage or a two-stage processing operation with one or two bank note processing machines is selected.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein the evaluation device receives data from an external device on deposits to be processed in a future processing operation, together with or independently of the transport of the deposits to the assigned bank note processing machines.

24. The method according to claim 21, wherein only the bank notes of a single deposit are processed in a processing operation in the first bank note processing machine, and optionally the bank notes of a plurality of deposits are processed in a processing operation in the second bank note processing machine.

25. The method according to claim 21, wherein the first checking operation in the first bank note processing machine comprises a fitness check of the bank notes, and bank notes with different fitness are processed further in other second bank note processing machines.

26. The method according to claim 21, wherein, upon a successive check of the bank notes of a deposit in two bank note processing machines, the accounting of the deposit is already effected after the first checking operation in the first bank note processing machine.

27. The method according to claim 21, including using transport containers for the deposits, said containers including, and/or have added to them a chip with a memory, and wherein one part of the data to be passed on to the evaluation device and relating to the particular deposit is already prestored in said chip, and for compiling deposits to be processed only a remaining part of the data to be passed on to the evaluation device and relating to the particular deposit is stored in the chip.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein, upon delivery of a deposit in a plurality of, in particular also different kinds of, transport containers, the bank notes of the plurality of transport containers are first brought together and then, as a common deposit, processed further and checked in the first and/or second bank note processing machine.

29. The method according to claim 21, wherein a handheld unit with a scanner is used, with which data for compiling a deposit to be processed are scanned e.g. from a screen or the like.

30. A method for processing deposits of bank notes, comprising:

processing notes of a deposit successively in two bank note processing machines, and

supplying the data of both the first and second checking operations to an evaluation device in order to perform an evaluation of the deposit on the basis of both the first and second checking operations;

wherein a check is made as to whether there are deviations between the actual data of the deposit which were determined by the evaluation device on the basis of the checking operations of the first and/or second bank note processing machines, and the target data of the deposit which were already fixed before the carrying out of the checking operations.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein a warning signal is emitted when the deviations satisfy a given criterion.