Cassette staining device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a passive cassette (1) staining device arranged to be placed in a cassette (3) comprising at least one enclosure (4) for storing banknotes arranged between a pusher (9) and an opposite wall of the enclosure (4), characterised in that it is arranged so as to be attached to the pusher between the pusher and the banknotes, and in that it comprises at least: - a front support plate; - a support plate provided with a plurality of compression springs; and - a pouch filled with a neutralising agent, wherein the support plate is free to move, and the compression springs are configured so as to be constrained between the front support plate and the support plate so as to precompress the pouch (2) against the pusher (9).

Description

CASSETTE DECOLOURING DEVICE Technical field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to the general field of protecting cassettes containing banknotes intended for automated teller machines. More specifically, it relates to a passive cassette coloring device (IBNS: Intelligent Banknotes Neutralization System) disposed within said cassettes. State of the art

[0002] In the field of protecting a cassette containing banknotes and intended to be placed in an automated teller machine, it is known to use a passive cassette coloring device such as those described, for example, in US patent applications US 2005 / 051448, US 5,156,272 or US 2021 / 002944.

[0003] This known cassette-based coloring device is generally composed of at least one plastic pouch filled with ink and held between pieces of sheet metal, said pouch being pierced by the blast of an explosion, when a criminal attacks said distributor using explosives, so that the ink stains the banknotes in the cassette.

[0004] This well-known cassette-based coloring device is interesting because it is easy to implement and inexpensive, its operating principle being particularly simple and requiring no electrical or electronic parts, and it allows for the protection of a cassette that could not be equipped with more sophisticated protection systems, while retaining a certain deterrent aspect.

[0005] Regarding its implementation, this well-known cassette-based dyeing device is typically mounted inside the cassette being protected, specifically within its lid. This positioning allows the dyeing device to be placed above the banknotes inside the cassette. Thus, during an explosive attack on the ATM housing the cassette, which is positioned so that its lid extends horizontally over the rest of the cassette, the ink pouch will rupture upon impact. The ink will then flow by gravity onto the banknotes, staining them and rendering them unusable.

[0006] It is clear that the simple physical principle governing the operation of this known cassette-based coloring device, which allows the ink to flow onto the banknotes, is gravity. However, this physical principle also represents the greatest limitation of this known cassette-based coloring device.

[0007] Indeed, it is clear that when the cassette to be protected is placed in the ATM so that its lid extends vertically and along one side of the rest of the cassette, the protection provided by this known cassette-based coloring device is no longer optimal. In fact, the ink flowing by gravity can then only stain a portion of the banknotes: those located in the lower part of the cassette. This problem is further exacerbated when the cassette contains few banknotes or is almost empty.

[0008] The aim of the present invention is to propose a passive cassette coloring device arranged to be placed in a cassette containing banknotes and intended for an automated teller machine, said device being compact, simple to implement and manufacture, and guaranteeing in the event of an attack using an explosive charge on said automated teller machine, a staining of all the banknotes contained in said cassette, regardless of its orientation (horizontal, vertical, …) in the machine and regardless of the number of banknotes it contains.

[0009] According to the invention, a passive cassette-based coloring device is therefore proposed, arranged to be placed in a cassette comprising at least one compartment for storing banknotes arranged between a push button and a wall of said compartment located opposite it. The cassette-based coloring device is notable in that it is arranged to be fixed to said push button between the push button and the banknotes, and in that it comprises, in a direction from the banknotes to the push button, at least: - a front support plate, and - a support plate equipped with a plurality of compression springs, - a pouch filled with neutralizing agent and capable of rupturing under the action of a determined compression force, the support plate being free to move parallel to itself between the front support plate and the push button.and the compression springs being configured to be constrained between the front support plate and the bearing plate so as to exert a force on said bearing plate in the direction of the pusher, to move it so that it remains pressed against the pouch and pre-compresses it against said pusher.

[0010] According to an advantageous embodiment, the front support plate has a cross-section in the general shape of C and comprises a substantially vertical main wall, a lower wall and an upper wall, these lower and upper walls extending substantially horizontally respectively from the lower and upper edges of the main wall towards the pusher.

[0011] Advantageously, the cassette coloring device comprises: - a rear support plate positioned between the pouch and the pusher, and - two side plates connecting said front and rear support plates together.

[0012] The lower and upper walls are advantageously of the same width as the two side plates and in that the upper wall has at least one cutout.

[0013] Preferably, the rear support plate is provided on its upper edge with at least one deflector positioned opposite the cutout in the upper wall of the front support plate, and oriented outwards from the cassette coloring device and towards the front support plate.

[0014] The front support plate is preferably provided on its upper edge with at least one guide positioned opposite the deflector, and oriented towards the inside of the cassette coloring device and towards the rear support plate.

[0015] The invention also relates to a cassette comprising at least one enclosure defining an internal compartment for the storage of said banknotes arranged between a push button and a wall of said enclosure located opposite, and intended for an automatic ticket dispenser, notable in that it comprises a cassette coloring device according to the invention. Brief description of the figures

[0016] Other advantages and features will become clearer from the following description of an embodiment of the invention, with reference to the accompanying figures in which:

[0017] is an external perspective view of a cassette-based coloring device according to the invention being installed in a partially shown cassette.

[0018] is an enlarged perspective view of the cassette-based coloring device of the,

[0019] is an exploded perspective view of the cassette coloring device.

[0020] With reference to Figures 1 and 3, the invention relates to a passive cassette coloring device 1 consisting of at least one pouch 2 filled with neutralizing product, classically indelible staining ink, and arranged to be placed in a cassette 3 containing fiduciary values, generally banknotes, not shown, and intended to be inserted into an automated teller machine from the rear face of the latter, that is to say the one which is generally located inside the bank and is opposite a user of said automated teller machine.

[0021] The said cassette 3 comprises an enclosure 4 including a lower bottom 5 substantially horizontal and generally rectangular in shape and a perimeter wall 6 extending vertically from the edges of said bottom 5, so as to define an internal compartment 7 for the storage of said banknotes and an opening 8 allowing the internal compartment 7 to be connected to the outside of the enclosure 4.

[0022] The said perimeter wall 6 is classically formed by a front side wall 61, a rear side wall 62 and two longitudinal walls 63 connecting the said front side walls 61 and rear side walls 62 to each other.

[0023] The term "front" refers to any element or part of an element of the cassette coloring device 1 and cassette 3 located on the user side of the automated teller machine, and "rear" refers to any element or part of an element of said cassette coloring device 1 and cassette 3 located on the opposite side, said cassette coloring device 1 and cassette 3 being installed in said automated teller machine.

[0024] The said cassette 3 further comprises a cover not shown which may or may not close said opening 8 so as to permit or prevent access to said internal compartment 4.

[0025] We have represented a cassette 3 in the general shape of a parallelepiped extending horizontally, but it goes without saying that this cassette 3 can also be of a completely different shape and have a different orientation by extending vertically or in an inclined manner, the terms such as, for example, lower, upper, horizontal or vertical will then have to be adapted.

[0026] Furthermore, here we mean "substantially horizontal" or "substantially vertical" any element or part of an element making an angle with the horizontal or vertical respectively between -15° and +15°.

[0027] The said banknotes are then arranged, in a conventional manner on their edge in a row, in the internal compartment 7 of the enclosure 4, between a push button 9 and a wall of the enclosure 4 of the cassette 3 located opposite, corresponding in the embodiment shown to the front side wall 61 of the perimeter wall 6 of the enclosure 4, the latter being a motorized or spring-loaded element moving to keep the row of banknotes constantly pressed against said front side wall 61 of the perimeter wall 6 so as to apply pressure on the banknotes to facilitate their removal, when necessary.

[0028] More specifically, the cassette coloring device 1 according to the invention is arranged to be fixed on said pusher 9, between it and the row of banknotes to be protected and not in the cover of the cassette 3 as for the prior art cassette coloring devices.

[0029] It is clear that this specific mounting configuration of the dyeing device in cassette 1 on the pusher 9 allows the neutralizing agent pouch 2 to be kept as close as possible to the banknotes to be protected, whether cassette 3 is completely full of banknotes or almost empty. Indeed, the pusher 9 moves as the row of banknotes decreases.

[0030] Furthermore, this specific configuration of the mounting on the pusher 9 allows for easy and quick installation of the colouring device in cassette 1 in the internal compartment 7, of the enclosure 4 of cassette 3 without modifying the settings in particular of the banknote guides which must be positioned according to each value and therefore dimensions of the banknotes contained in cassette 3.

[0031] Similarly, this specific configuration of the mounting of the cassette coloring device 1 on the pusher 9 prevents the cover of cassette 3 from being weakened.

[0032] For this purpose, with reference to figures 2 and 3, the cassette colouring device 1 comprises, along a direction D from the row of banknotes to the pusher 9, at least: - a front support plate 10, - a support plate 11 equipped with a plurality of compression springs 12, - the pouch 2, previously described, filled with neutralizing product and capable of breaking under the action of a compression force of a predetermined value, - a rear support plate 13, and - two side plates 14 connecting said front support plate 10 and rear support plate 13 to each other.

[0033] According to the embodiment shown, the front support plate 10 has a cross-section in the general shape of C and comprises a principal wall 15 substantially vertical, a lower wall 16 and an upper wall 17, these lower walls 16 and upper walls 17 extending substantially horizontally respectively from the lower and upper edges of the principal wall 15 towards the rear support plate 13.

[0034] The said lower wall 16 and upper wall 17 are advantageously of the same width as the two side plates 14 so that the latter and the front support plates 10 and rear support plates 13 form a protective casing for the pouch 2 to prevent any untimely tearing of the latter.

[0035] Furthermore, in the previous hypothesis, the upper wall 17 has at least one cutout 18 to allow the projection of the neutralizing product, as explained later.

[0036] The support plate 11 is free to move parallel to itself between the front support plates 10 and rear support plates 13 and the compression springs 12 extend perpendicularly to said support plate 11 and come to rest on the front support plate 10 so as to exert a force on said support plate 11, in the direction of the rear support plate 13, to move it so that it remains in contact with the pouch 2 and pre-compresses it against said rear support plate 13.

[0037] Here, "pre-compress" means that the value of the compression force exerted by the assembly of compression springs 12 - support plate 11 on the pouch 2 is strictly less than the predetermined value of the compression force causing the rupture of said pouch 2.

[0038] The rear support plate 13 is advantageously provided on its upper edge with at least one deflector 19 arranged opposite the cutout 12 of the upper wall 17 of the front support plate 1, and oriented outwards from the cassette coloring device 1 and towards the front support plate 10, so as to direct towards the row of banknotes the neutralizing product projected out of the pouch 2 in the event of the latter breaking, regardless of the orientation of the cassette 3.

[0039] For the same reasons, the front support plate 10 is advantageously provided on its upper edge with at least one guide 20 directed towards the interior of the cassette coloring device 1 and towards the rear support plate 13, said guide 20 being arranged opposite the deflector 1 to channel the neutralizing product projected out of the pouch 2.

[0040] Furthermore, in the embodiment shown in the figures, the two side plates 14 are independent of the front support plates 10 and rear support plates 13, but it is understood that these side plates 14 may be part of either of said front support plates 10 and rear support plates 13, without going out of the scope of the present invention.

[0041] During an attack on an ATM, the perpetrator attempts to blow up the front panel using explosive charges to access the cassette(s) 3 it contains. The detonation of the explosive charges generates a blast effect from the front to the back of the ATM, which exerts a compressive force on the pouch 2 of the cassette coloring device 1 against the rear support plate 13 – push button 9 assembly. This force exceeds the predetermined value of the compressive force, causing the pouch 2 to rupture. The pouch 2 then ruptures and releases the neutralizing agent it contains towards the partially perforated upper wall 17 of the front support plate 10.

[0042] However, this effect of the blast wave on pouch 2 is accentuated by that of the compression springs 12. Indeed, said compression springs 12 are configured to be constrained between the front support plate 10 and the support plate 11 so as to keep pouch 2 permanently compressed against said rear support plate 13.

[0043] It is then clear that the combination of the actions of the blast effect and the compression springs 12 makes it possible to obtain a compression force of the pouch 2 of the cassette coloring device 1 against the rear support plate 13 – pusher 9 assembly, the value of which is much greater than the predetermined value of the compression force causing the rupture of said pouch 2, in order to guarantee an optimal projection of the neutralizing product, i.e. on the whole row of banknotes, and this regardless of the orientation of the cassette 3.

[0044] The person skilled in the art will have no difficulty in sizing the springs 12 to pre-compress the pouch 2 and ensure optimal projection of the neutralizing product.

[0045] Furthermore, it is clear that this configuration secures the entire cassette 1 - cassette 3 coloring device by preventing any untimely rupture of pouch 2, as the springs 12 do not allow for such rupture to occur on their own.

[0046] Furthermore, according to an extreme embodiment, the cassette coloring device 1 does not include the rear support plate 13, nor the two side plates 14 connecting said front support plates 10 and rear support plate 13. In this case, the pusher 9 acts as the rear support plate, and the pouch rests against and is pre-compressed against it. In this configuration, it is clear that, when the front support plate (10) has a generally C-shaped cross-section and comprises a substantially vertical main wall (15), a lower wall (16), and an upper wall (17), the lower (16) and upper (17) walls then extend substantially horizontally from the lower and upper edges of the main wall (15), respectively, towards the pusher (9).This extreme embodiment is certainly interesting because it is more economical, but the embodiment with at least the rear support plate 13 positioned between the pouch 2 and the pusher 9 and, where applicable, the two side plates 14 allows for a single-piece cassette 1 coloring device that is easier to install in cassette 3.

[0047] Finally, the invention also relates to a cassette 3 containing banknotes and intended for an automatic ticket dispenser, said cassette 3 receiving in the internal compartment 7 of its enclosure 4 a cassette coloring device 1 as described previously.

[0048] The cassette coloring device 1 and cassette 3 according to the invention are more particularly applicable to the secure storage of banknotes intended for an automated teller machine.

[0049] Finally, it goes without saying that the examples of cassette 1 and cassette 3 coloring devices according to the invention that have just been described are only particular illustrations, in no way limiting of the invention.

Claims

A passive cassette-based staining device (1) arranged to be placed in a cassette (3) comprising at least one enclosure (4) for storing banknotes arranged between a push button (9) and a wall of said enclosure (4) located opposite it, said cassette-based staining device (1) being characterized in that it is arranged to be fixed on said push button (9) between the push button and the banknotes, and in that it comprises, in a direction from the row of banknotes to the push button (9), at least: - a front support plate (10), - a support plate (11) provided with a plurality of compression springs (12), and - a pouch (2) filled with neutralizing agent and capable of rupturing under the action of a determined compression force, the support plate (11) being free to move parallel to itself between the front support plates (10) and the push button (9),and the compression springs (12) being configured to be constrained between the front support plate (10) and the support plate (11) so as to exert a force on said support plate (11), in the direction of the pusher (9), to move it so that it remains in contact with the pouch (2) and pre-compresses it against said pusher (9). Cassette coloring device (1) according to claim 1 characterized in that the front support plate (10) has a cross-section in the general shape of C and comprises a principal wall (15) substantially vertical, a lower wall (16) and an upper wall (17), these lower (16) and upper (17) walls extending substantially horizontally respectively from the lower and upper edges of the principal wall (15) in the direction of the pusher (9). Cassette coloring device (1) according to any one of claims 1 or 2 characterized in that it comprises: - a rear support plate (13) disposed between the pouch (2) and the pusher (9), and - two side plates (14) connecting said front (10) and rear (13) support plates together. Cassette coloring device (1) according to claims 2 and 3 characterized in that the lower (16) and upper (17) walls are of the same width as the two side plates (14) and in that the upper wall (17) has at least one cutout (18). Cassette coloring device (1) according to claim 4 characterized in that the rear support plate (13) is provided on its upper edge with at least one deflector (19) arranged opposite the cutout (18) of the upper wall (17) of the front support plate (10), and oriented outwards from the cassette coloring device (1) and towards the front support plate (10). Cassette coloring device (1) according to claim 5 characterized in that the front support plate (10) is provided on its upper edge with at least one guide (20) arranged opposite the deflector (19), and oriented towards the inside of the cassette coloring device (1) and towards the rear support plate (13). Cassette (3) comprising at least one enclosure (4) defining an internal compartment (7) for storing said banknotes arranged between a push button (9) and a wall of said enclosure (4) located opposite, and intended for an automatic cash dispenser, characterized in that it comprises a cassette coloring device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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