Depositing items of value

• US 7,757,939 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2007
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Talaris Holdings Limited (Glory Limited)
• Original Assignee: Talaris Holdings Limited (Glory Limited)
• Inventors: Cunningham, Karen Joan, Armanini, Pietro, Ireland, Philip Michael William, James, Alexander Charles Harold, Calverley, Simon George
• Primary Examiner(s): Walsh; Daniel
• Application Number:
  US11/822,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20090121010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/380, 705/43, 902/8, 902/9, 902/17, 232/7, 109/24.1, 194/215, 194/218
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/36 comprising polyesters
• 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 1/10 with alarm, signal or indicator E05G1/14 takes precedence; burglar, theft or intruder alarm per se G08B13/00; fire or explosion alarm per se G08B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: E05G 7/001 Bank depositories automatic safe-deposit box systems E05G1/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/0096 Accepting paper currency or other valuables in containers, e.g. in code-marked envelopes
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/12 Containers for valuable papers
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/125 Secure containers
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/225 for detecting or indicating tampering
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/30 Tracking or tracing valuable papers or cassettes

Abstract

A method of depositing items of value, the method comprising

• • 1) receiving a temper evident and coded container holding the items of value, the code relating to the content of the container;
  • 2) verifying that the package has been received in an acceptable manner, and, if it has,
  • 3) either incrementing an account with the value of the items of value in the container by reference to the code and without opening the container, or, if the account has previously been incremented, leaving the account unchanged.

Claims

1. A deposit apparatus for receiving a sealed, tamper evident container includes financial items of value, the container carrying a machine readable code related to the content of the container, the apparatus comprising a tamper detection system for determining if the container has been tampered with;

a code reader for reading the code on the container; and

a receptacle for storing accepted containers, wherein the tamper detection system includes a radiation source and detector adapted to monitor the luminescent response of a container to radiation from the source, and a processor responsive to the luminescent response of the container to determine if the container has been tampered with, and the container material exhibits a particular pattern of luminescence when untampered with and subjected to radiation, and the container material exhibits a different pattern of luminescence when tampered with and subjected to the radiation.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the receptacle is secure, for example a safe.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a memory for storing details relating to the expected content of the container.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor monitors radiation sensed by the detector to determine if all the received radiation relates to radiation expected from a non-tampered container.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transmitter for transmitting the code to a host processor.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the transmitter is adapted to transmit the code only if the tamper detection system indicates that the package has not been tampered with.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the host processor is located remote from the rest of the deposit apparatus.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the host processor is located on the premises of a financial institution, such as a bank.

9. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising an escrow store in which containers can be temporarily stored prior to being inspected by the tamper detection system.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reject outlet to which containers are supplied if the tamper detection system determines that a container has been tampered with.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the reject outlet is inaccessible to the container depositor.