Method and system for cashbox security and monitoring

• US 9,611,686 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2015
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trapeze Software ULC (Constellation Software Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Trapeze Software ULC (Constellation Software Incorporated)
• Inventors: Barnes, Sharon Ann Irma, Brooks, Marty Charles, Kachemov, Angelo David
• Primary Examiner(s): Ghulamali, Qutbuddin
• Application Number:
  US14/673,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20160290029A1
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 340542-544
• 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: G08B 13/19652 Systems using zones in a single scene defined for different treatment, e.g. outer zone gives pre-alarm, inner zone gives alarm
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/22 Electrical actuation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms

Abstract

There are systems and methods for secure cashbox removal from a transit vehicle and emptying in a vault at a transit site. The cashbox is removably attached to a transit vehicle driven by a transit operator and can be taken to a vault to deposit the cash located in the cashbox. The cashbox has a cashbox tag configured to broadcast a cashbox tag present signal that is received within secure zones and alarm zones, and communicated to a monitoring system to ensure that no cashbox rules are violated in getting the cashbox to the vault for emptying.

Claims

1. A system for secure cashbox removal from a transit vehicle and emptying in a vault at a transit site, the system comprising:

a cashbox, removably attached to a transit vehicle driven by a transit operator, that receives cash from one or more riders during operation of the transit vehicle and can be removed from the transit vehicle and taken to a vault to deposit the cash located in the cashbox, the cashbox comprising a cashbox tag configured to;

broadcast a cashbox tag present signal;

one or more secure zones inside the transit site, created and defined by one or more cashbox signal transceivers, the one or more cashbox signal transceivers defining the one or more secure zones configured to;

receive the cashbox tag present signal if the cashbox is within communicable range of the one or more secure zones; and

communicate the one or more secure zone signals, representing the presence of the cashbox in the one or more secure zones, to a monitoring system if the cashbox tag present signal is received;

one or more alarm zones inside the transit site, created and defined by the one or more cashbox signal transceivers, the one or more cashbox signal transceivers defining the alarm zones configured to;

obtain a cashbox tag present signal if the cashbox is within communicable range of the alarm zone; and

provide one or more alarm zone signals, representing the presence of the cashbox in the alarm zone, to the monitoring system if the cashbox tag present signal is obtained;

the monitoring system for a transit site, the monitoring system configured to;

accept the one or more alarm zone signals and the one or more secure zone signals;

determine, using the one or more alarm zone signals and the one or more secure zone signals, whether any cashbox rules have been violated; and

trigger a cashbox alarm if any of the cashbox rules have been violated; and

a vault, located at the site, for accepting a deposit of the cash from the cashbox.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the cashbox rules comprise cashbox tracking rules and cashbox monitoring rules and the cashbox alarms comprise cashbox tracking alarms and cashbox monitoring alarms.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the secure zone signal includes a cashbox signal transceiver identifier and a timestamp of when the cashbox tag present signal was received by the cashbox signal transceiver.

4. The system of claim 3 further comprising a first secure zone that is a secure pathway and the monitoring system receives a first set of secure zone signals from the cashbox signal transceivers in the secure pathway as the cashbox is moved towards the vault, and determines whether any cashbox tracking rules have been violated based on the cashbox signal transceiver identifiers and timestamps of the first set of secure zone signals.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the cashbox tag further comprises a cash present flag that indicates whether there is cash in the cashbox.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the cash present flag is set to true when cash is received by the cashbox and is set to false when a deposit from the cashbox is received by the vault.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the cashbox alarms are deactivated when the cash present flag is set to false.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the cashbox is removable when one or more cashbox removal conditions are met.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the one or more cashbox removal conditions comprise:

the presence of one or more mechanical keys or one or more electronic keys;

the presence of an authorized handler.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the one or more cashbox removal conditions further comprise:

the cashbox tag does not receive any alarm zone present signal;

and the cashbox tag receives at least one secure zone present signal.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the monitoring system is further configured to:

receive one or more handler signals;

determine, using the one or more handler signals, the one or more alarm zone signals, and the one or more secure zone signals, whether any handler rules have been violated; and

trigger a handler alarm if any handler rules have been violated.

12. A method for securely removing a cashbox from a transit vehicle and emptying in a vault at a transit site, the method comprising:

removing the cashbox from the transit vehicle;

broadcasting a cashbox tag present signal;

receiving the cashbox tag present signal if the cashbox is within a communicable range of a secure zone; and

communicating one or more secure zone signals, representing the presence of the cashbox in the secure zone, to a monitoring system if the cashbox tag present signal is received;

obtaining a cashbox tag present signal if the cashbox is within communicable range of an alarm zone;

providing one or more alarm zone signals, representing the presence of the cashbox in the alarm zone, to the monitoring system if the cashbox tag present signal is obtained;

accepting the one or more alarm zone signals and the one or more secure zone signals;

determining, using the one or more alarm zone signals and the one or more secure zone signals, whether any cashbox rules have been violated; and

triggering a cashbox alarm if any cashbox rules have been violated.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the cashbox rules comprise cashbox tracking rules and cashbox monitoring rules and the cashbox alarms comprise cashbox tracking alarms and cashbox monitoring alarms.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the secure zone signal includes a cashbox signal transceiver identifier of a cashbox signal transceiver that received the cashbox tag present signal and a timestamp of when the cashbox tag present signal was received by the cashbox signal transceiver.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the secure zone is a secure pathway and the one or more secure zone signals comprises a first set of secure zone signals from the cashbox signal transceivers in the secure pathway as the cashbox is moved towards the vault.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising setting a cash present flag to true when cash is received by the cashbox and to false when a deposit from the cashbox is received by the vault.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising deactivating the cashbox alarms when the cash present flag is set to false.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein the removing further comprises checking that one or more cashbox removal conditions are met.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the one or more cashbox removal conditions comprise:

the presence of one or more mechanical keys or one or more electronic keys;

the presence of an authorized handler.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the one or more cashbox removal conditions further comprise:

the cashbox tag does not receive any alarm zone present signal; and

the cashbox tag receives at least one secure zone present signal.

21. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

getting one or more handler signals;

deciding, using the one or more handler signals, the one or more alarm zone signals, and the one or more secure zone signals, whether any handler rules have been violated; and

raising a handler alarm if any handler rules have been violated.