Apparatus, system, and method for bulk currency note deposits

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12100270-B2
Application number	US-202318125479-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2023
Priority date	Apr 23, 2021
Publication date	Sep 24, 2024
Grant date	Sep 24, 2024

Abstract

A Self-Service Terminal (SST) that provides valuable media deposit features is enhanced with an apparatus fastened to an outside surface of the SST. The apparatus is adapted to receive an externally provided valuable media cassette and connect/interface a port of the cassette to an unload infeed port. A transaction interface is enhanced to identify the cassette as a source device for obtaining valuable media during a deposit transaction. The SST feeds the valuable media from the externally connected cassette through media validation and transport modules of the SST into cassettes of a safe and the SST returns rejected media for the deposit transaction back through the modules to return rejected media to the externally interfaced cassette.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A media cassette apparatus, comprising:
a holding brace affixed to an external surface of a transaction terminal; and
a media cassette holder coupled to the holding brace and configured to facilitate automated bulk note deposit transactions;
wherein when the attachable media cassette is loaded into the media cassette holder a first port of the media cassette aligns to and is adjacent to a second port of a media infeed module of the transaction terminal to create a path for notes to be deposited into the transaction terminal and rejected notes to be returned from the transaction terminal when rejected during a bulk note deposit at the transaction terminal using the notes stored in the media cassette;
wherein the holding brace is a vertical brace affixed to the external surface of the transaction terminal under the second port of the media infeed module of the transaction terminal;
wherein the media cassette holder is affixed to a second brace and the second brace affixed to a first side of an extender while a second side of the extender is affixed to the holding brace.

2. The media cassette apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the media cassette holder is adapted to permit the media cassette to be attached to and removed from the media cassette holder.

3. The media cassette apparatus of claim 1 further comprising, a pivot member adapted to permit the media cassette holder to extend away from the transaction terminal in a direction associated with an operator of the terminal to insert the media cassette into the media cassette holder for the bulk note deposit at the transaction terminal.

4. The media cassette apparatus of claim 3 further comprising, an extender attached along a bottom portion of the holding brace to extend the media cassette holder out away from the external surface of the transaction terminal.

5. The media cassette apparatus of claim 4 further comprising, a second brace attached to the extender along a bottom portion of the second brace, wherein the second brace affixed to the media cassette holder.

6. The media cassette apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first port of the media cassette snaps into alignment with the second port of a media infeed module of the transaction terminal when the media cassette is inserted into the media cassette holder.

7. The media cassette apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the holding brace and the media cassette holder are located under the second port of the media infeed module of the transaction terminal.

8. The media cassette apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the media cassette holder comprises three side walls and a base adapted to receive the media cassette that rest on the base and is in contact with the three side walls when inserted into the media cassette holder.

9. The media cassette apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the transaction terminal is configured to identify the media cassette when the first port is aligned with the second port as a source cassette to obtain the notes from during the bulk note deposit.

10. A transaction terminal, comprising:
a depository or a recycler comprising a media infeed module for receiving and dispensing notes along a media transport and media cassettes into which the notes are stored in or dispensed from;
a computing core for processing deposit transaction and dispense transactions using the depository or the recycler;
a touchscreen display;
a housing comprising computing core, components of the touchscreen display, and the depository or the recycler; and
a media cassette holder affixed to an external surface of the housing underneath the media infeed module and configured to enable automated bulk note deposit transactions;
wherein the media cassette holder adapted to receive a deposit media cassette with a first port of the deposit cassette aligned with a second port of the media infeed module;
wherein the computing core is configured to identify the first port aligned with the second port during a bulk note deposit transaction, urge deposit notes from the deposit media cassette out of the deposit media cassette through the first port, the second port, on to the media transport, into the corresponding media cassettes, maintain deposit details for the deposit notes, and present the deposit details on the touchscreen display to a depositor associated with the bulk note deposit transaction;
wherein the computing core is further configured to identify unfit notes from the deposit notes of the deposit media cassette, maintain unfit note deposit details, present the unfit deposit details on the touchscreen display to the depositor, urge the unfit notes along the media transport through the second port, the first port, and back into the deposit media cassette.

11. The transaction terminal of claim 10 , wherein the computing core is further configured to temporarily store the deposit notes in an escrow along the media transport until each deposit note is identified as being either fit for deposit or identified as being one of the unfit notes.

12. The transaction terminal of claim 10 , wherein the computing core is further configured to present a denomination count for each note denomination to the depositor through the touchscreen display along with a total value determined for the bulk note deposit transaction based on the deposit notes processed from the deposit media cassette.

13. The transaction terminal of claim 12 , wherein the computing core is further configured to separate the deposit notes from checks received from the deposit media cassette, maintain check details and check totals for the checks, and present the check details and check totals to the depositor through the touchscreen display along with a total note value approved for the bulk note deposit transaction and a total check value approved for the bulk note deposit transaction.

14. The transaction terminal of claim 13 , wherein the computing core is further configured to return unacceptable checks and unfit notes determined for the bulk note deposit transaction back through the media transport through the second port, through the first port, and back into the deposit media cassette.

15. The transaction terminal of claim 10 , wherein the computing core is further configured to identify the deposit media cassette as a source for the deposit notes of the bulk note deposit transaction based on an account or an option selected by the depository through the touchscreen display during the bulk note deposit transaction.

16. A method, comprising:
identifying a media cassette loaded into an apparatus externally affixed to a transaction terminal during a deposit transaction being performed by a depositor at the transaction terminal;
automating a bulk note deposit transaction by drawing media items out of the media cassette onto a media transport of the transaction terminal;
tabulating a total amount of the media items received into second media cassettes of the transaction terminal from the media transport;
tabulating a second total amount of the media items unfit for deposit;
presenting on a display of the transaction terminal the total amount and the second total amount to the depository; and
urging the media items associated with the second total amount off of an escrow and back along the media transport and back into the media cassette of the depositor.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein drawing further includes identifying the media items as denominations of cash and checks which the depositor is attempting to deposit at the transaction terminal from the media cassette during the deposit transaction.

Assignees

• Ncr Atleos Corp

Inventors

• Fraser Grant Buchanan
• Mannion John

Classifications

• G07F19/205 Primary

  Housing aspects of ATMs · CPC title

• G07F19/202 Primary

  Depositing operations within ATMs (depositing in general G07D11/00) · CPC title