Security system having ad hoc networking of individual components

• US 7,696,871 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2007
• Issued: 04/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Peter Villiger
• Original Assignee: Peter Villiger
• Inventors: Villiger, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl; Daniel
• Application Number:
  US11/732,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20070229258A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: 340/540, 340/541, 340/550, 340/571, 340/568.1, 340/539.1, 340/531, 340/691.1, 340/693.5, 340/568.7
• US Class Current: 340/540
• CPC Class Codes: E05G 1/005 Portable strong boxes, e.g. which may be fixed to a wall or the like E05G1/08, E05G1/14 take precedence; devices to prevent theft or loss of bags, trunks, baskets, or the like A45C13/18; coin boxes for coin freed apparatus G07F9/06
• CPC Class Codes: E05G 1/14 with means for masking or destroying the valuables, e.g. in case of theft
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/66 Wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/125 Secure containers

Abstract

A security system (100) for storing and transporting valuables, the security system (100) comprising at least one security container (20) for receiving valuables having a protection mechanism for protecting the valuables. Furthermore, the security system (100) comprises a storage container (30) or receiving and storing the security container (20). An electrical protection circuit is provided in the security container (20), which comprises an infrared receiver, the protection mechanism of the security container (20) being able to be put into a first protection mode and a second protection mode. An electrical control circuit is provided in the storage container (30), which comprises an infrared receiver. A communication protocol is implemented in the circuit which automatically establishes an ad hoc, point-to-point communication link from the infrared transmitter to the infrared receiver as soon as the security container (20) arrives in direct proximity to the storage container (30). The protection mechanism changes automatically from the first into the second protection mode when it is located in proximity to the storage container (30).

Claims

1. A security system (100) for storing and transporting valuables, the security system (100) comprising:

at least one security container (20) for receiving valuables, each security container (20) comprising a protection mechanism (40) comprising an electrical protection circuit (41) for protecting the valuables,

at least one storage container (30) for receiving and storing the at least one security container (20) and at least transport container (10) for separately receiving and transporting the at least one security container (20), characterized in that

the electrical protection circuit (41) is provided in the security container (20), which comprises an infrared receiver (46), the protection mechanism (40) of the security container (20) being able to be put into a first protection mode and a second protection mode for protecting the security container (20) and its contents,

an electrical control circuit (50), which comprises an infrared transmitter (51), is provided in the at least one storage container (30) and the at least one transport container (10),

an optical window element (21) is provided in a wall of the security container (20) so that a communication link may be established between the infrared receiver (46) of the security container (20) and the infrared transmitter (51) of the storage container (30) or transport container (10),

a communication protocol being implemented in the circuit (41, 50), which automatically establishes said communication link as an ad hoc, point-to-point communication link from the infrared transmitter (51) through the optical window (21) to the infrared receiver (46) as soon as the security container (20) arrives in direct proximity to the at least one storage container (30) or the at least one transport container (10), and the protection mechanism (40) is placed in the first protection mode when it is located in proximity to a transport container (10) as determined from the communication link, and changes automatically from the first into the second protection mode when it is located in proximity to a storage container (30).

2. The security system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, a communication protocol is implemented, which automatically establishes an ad hoc, point-to-point communication link from the infrared transmitter (51) to the infrared receiver (46) as soon as the security container (20) arrives in direct proximity to the transport container (10), in order to perform a mode change.

3. The security system (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the protection mechanism (40) comprises one or more of the following sensors:

movement sensor,

position sensor (42),

impact sensor,

pressure sensor,

temperature sensor,

light sensor,

gas sensor.

4. The security system (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the protection mechanism (40) comprises one or more of the following virtual protection mechanisms:

transport time monitoring,

check time circuit,

sidewalk monitoring,

strongbox monitoring.

5. The security system (100) according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the security container (20) automatically enters the first protection mode as soon as the security container (20) is inserted into the transport container (10) and the security container (20) may then be transported in the transport container (10), the security container (20) being secured against impact and/or opening in the first protection mode.

6. The security system (100) according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the security container (20) automatically enters the second protection mode as soon as the security container (20) is inserted into the storage container (30) and the security container (20) is stored in the storage container (30), the security container (20) being secured against impact and/or opening and/or movement in the second protection mode.

7. The security system (100) according to claim 6, characterized in that the electrical control circuit (50) of the storage container (30) is connected to other electrical elements of the storage container (30) via an interface (52) in order to activate the protection mechanism (40) of the security container (20) in one or more of the following cases:

unauthorized opening of a door, flap, or shutter on the storage container (30),

unauthorized manipulation of the storage container (30),

movement of the storage container (30),

heat or light or gas activity on the storage container (30).

8. The security system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the security container (20) is a case, preferably a hardside case, or a currency cassette, preferably an ATM currency cassette.

9. The security system (100) according to claim 8, characterized in that the protection mechanism (40) automatically devalues the valuables after activation, this preferably being performed by the use of staining or etching liquid.

10. The security system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the communication protocol is an IrDA protocol.

11. The security system (100) according to claim 10, characterized in that the communication protocol is designed in such a way that the ad hoc, point-to-point communication link from an infrared transmitter (51) to an infrared receiver (46) is encrypted, a customer-specific encryption preferably being predefinable.

12. The security system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that both the security container (20) and also the storage container (30) comprise infrared receivers (46) and infrared transmitters (51), to be able to communicate with one another bidirectionally.

13. The security system (100) according to claim 12, characterized in that the infrared transmitter (51) is operated at a low transmission power, in order to limit the operating distance between infrared transmitter (51) and infrared receiver (46) to less than 50 cm, preferably less than 30 cm.

14. The security system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the electrical control circuit (50) has one or more of the following interfaces in addition to the infrared transmitter (51):

a serial interface (44), for example, for connecting a computer (60) or PDA,

a configurable input/output (43) for connecting sensors (42) or peripheral circuits.

15. The security system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that a display is provided to display which protection mode the security container (20) is currently in.

16. A security container (20) for receiving valuables and for use in a security system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the security container (20) comprises an integrated protection mechanism (40) for protecting the valuables, having an electrical protection circuit (41), which has an infrared receiver (46), the protection mechanism (40) of the security container (20) changing automatically and autonomously from a first protection mode into a second protection mode and/or vice versa depending on the situation.

17. The security container (20) according to claim 16, characterized in that the protection mechanism (40) comprises one or more of the following sensors:

movement sensor,

position sensor (42),

impact sensor,

pressure sensor,

temperature sensor,

light sensor,

gas sensor.

18. The security container (20) according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that the protection mechanism (40) comprises one or more of the following virtual protection mechanisms:

transport time monitoring,

check time circuit,

sidewalk monitoring,

strongbox monitoring.

19. The security container (20) according to claim l6, characterized in that the security container (20) is a case, preferably a hardside case, or a currency cassette, preferably an ATM currency cassette.