Security apparatus for an automated teller machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10249150-B1
Application number	US-201715723584-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Oct 3, 2017
Priority date	Oct 3, 2017
Publication date	Apr 2, 2019
Grant date	Apr 2, 2019

Abstract

A cash capture operation defeating assembly for an automated teller machine and a method for detecting insertion of a cash capture device into the automated teller machine. The assembly includes a first sensor, a second sensor, and control circuitry for receiving object detection signals from the first and second sensors. When the first sensor detects a first object: (i) if the second sensor previously detected a second object within a predetermined time period before the first object was detected, then the control circuitry determines that a normal paper currency dispense has occurred and that the first and second objects each comprise the paper currency; (ii) if the second sensor has not previously detected the second object within the predetermined time period before the first object was detected, then the control circuitry determines that the first object is potentially a cash capture device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cash capture operation defeating assembly for an automated teller machine, said assembly comprising:
a first sensor mounted outside a plane of paper currency dispense and between a currency dispenser shutter and presenter belts of a presenter area of the automated teller machine and mounted in a same vertical plane as a pair of presenter belts, said first sensor being operable for detecting a first object inserted between presenter belts of a pair of presenter belts;
a second sensor mounted outside the plane of paper currency dispense in the presenter area and not mounted in the same vertical plane as the pair of presenter belts, said second sensor being operable for detecting paper currency as the paper currency passes in a paper currency dispense operation; and
control circuitry for receiving object detection signals from the first and second sensors; said assembly operable in such a way that, when the first and second sensors are mounted in the automated teller machine and the first sensor detects a first object:
if the second sensor has previously detected a second object within a predetermined time period before the detecting of the first object by the first sensor, the time period being determined so as to encompass the time for traverse of paper currency from the second to the first sensor during a paper currency dispense operation, then the control circuitry determines that a normal paper currency dispense has occurred and that the first and second objects each comprise the paper currency; and
if the second sensor has not previously detected the second object within the predetermined time period before the detecting of the first object by the first sensor, then the control circuitry determines that the first object detected by the first sensor is a cash capture device, and the control circuitry initiates an alarm state of the assembly.

2. The cash capture operation defeating assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first and second sensors comprise infrared sensors.

3. The cash capture operation defeating assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor is mounted in the same vertical plane as the center pair of presenter belts of the presenter area.

4. The cash capture operation defeating assembly of claim 3 , wherein an additional first sensor is mounted in the same vertical plane as each other pair of presenter belts of the presenter area between a cash dispenser shutter and the presenter belts of a presenter and operable for detecting an object inserted between their respective pair of presenter belts.

5. The cash capture operation defeating assembly of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry comprises outputs for sending control signals to, and inputs for receiving signals from, components of an automated teller machine when installed on the automated teller machine.

6. The cash capture operation defeating assembly of claim 1 , wherein the automated teller machine control circuitry comprises the control circuitry for receiving object detection signals from the first and second sensors.

7. A cash capture operation defeating assembly for an automated teller machine, said assembly comprising a kit of parts comprising:
a first part comprising a first sensor for mounting outside a plane of paper currency dispense and between a currency dispenser shutter and presenter belts of a presenter area of the automated teller machine and for mounting in a same vertical plane as a pair of presenter belts, said first sensor being operable for detecting a first object inserted between presenter belts of a pair of presenter belts;
a second part comprising a second sensor for mounting outside the plane of paper currency dispense in the presenter area and not for mounting in the same vertical plane as the pair of presenter belts, said second sensor being operable for detecting paper currency as the paper currency passes in a paper currency dispense operation; and
a third part comprising control circuitry for receiving object detection signals from the first and second sensors so that when the kit of parts is installed on an automated teller machine, the assembly is operable in such a way that, when the first sensor detects a first object:
if the second sensor has previously detected a second object within a predetermined time period before the detecting of the first object by the first sensor, the time period being determined so as to encompass the time for traverse of paper currency from the second to the first sensor during a paper currency dispense operation, then the control circuitry determines that a normal paper currency dispense has occurred and that the first and second objects each comprise the paper currency; and
if the second sensor has not previously detected the second object within the predetermined time period before the detecting of the first object by the first sensor, then the control circuitry determines that the first object detected by the first sensor is a cash capture device, and the control circuitry initiates an alarm state of the assembly.

8. The cash capture operation defeating assembly of claim 7 , wherein the first and second sensors comprise infrared sensors.

9. The cash capture operation defeating assembly of claim 7 , wherein the first sensor is for mounting in the same vertical plane as the center pair of presenter belts of the presenter area.

10. The cash capture operation defeating assembly of claim 9 , wherein the kit comprises one or more additional parts, an additional part comprising an additional first sensor for mounting in the same vertical plane as one other pair of presenter belts of the presenter area between a cash dispenser shutter and the presenter belts of a presenter.

11. The cash capture operation defeating assembly of claim 7 , wherein the control circuitry comprises outputs for sending control signals to, and inputs for receiving signals from, components of an automated teller machine when installed on the automated teller machine.

12. The cash capture operation defeating assembly of claim 7 , wherein the third part comprises a housing for the control circuitry.

13. An automated teller machine, comprising a cash capture operation defeating assembly, said assembly comprising:
a first sensor positioned outside a plane of paper currency dispense and between a currency dispenser shutter and presenter belts of a presenter area of the automated teller machine and mounted in a same vertical plane as a pair of presenter belts, said first sensor being operable for detecting a first object inserted between presenter belts of a pair of presenter belts;
a second sensor positioned outside the plane of paper currency dispense in the presenter area and not mounted in the same vertical plane as the pair of presenter belts, said second sensor being operable for detecting paper currency as the paper currency passes in a paper currency dispense operation; and
control circuitry for receiving object detection signals from the first and second sensors; said assembly operable in such a way that, when the first sensor detects a first object:
if the second sensor has previously detected a second object within a predetermined time period before the detecting of the first object by the first sensor, the time period being determined so as to encompass the time for traverse of paper currency from the second to the first sensor during a paper currency dispense operation, then the control circuitry determines that a normal paper currency dispense has occurred and that the first and second objects each comprise the paper currency; and
if the second sensor has not previously detected the second object within the predetermined tim

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Blower Dave
• Forsdyke Simon James
• Tombs Luke

Classifications

• G07F19/209

  Monitoring, auditing or diagnose of functioning of ATMs · CPC title

• G07F19/207 Primary

  Surveillance aspects at ATMs · CPC title

• G07F19/206

  Software aspects at ATMs · CPC title

• G07F19/203 Primary

  Dispensing operations within ATMs (dispensing in general G07D11/00) · CPC title

• G07D11/225

  for detecting or indicating tampering · CPC title