Automatic processing of the output of a counting sorter

Abstract

A system for processing output from at least one counting sorter, evaluates data regarding moneybox instruments provided to the at least one counting sorter. The system can use the data to determine one or more combinations of moneybox instruments for one or more output receptacles. The system can operate one or more movement mechanisms to move at least a portion of the moneybox instruments from one or more output ports of the at least one counting sorter to the one or more output receptacles based on the combinations.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Non-Provisional Application No. 17 / 027,950, filed September 22, 2020, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 028,697, filed May 22, 2020, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 033,050, filed June 1, 2020, the contents of which are incorporated by reference as if fully disclosed herein. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The described embodiments relate generally to automated casino systems. More specifically, the present embodiments relate to an automated system for processing the output of count sort machines. BACKGROUND

[0004] One or more regulatory agencies, for example, often require casinos to maintain accurate records of all transactions involving one or more electronic gaming machines controlled by the casino. Such transactions can include, for example, ticket in / out transactions, player card transactions, currency and / or other wagering instruments of one or more types or denominations, etc. In many cases, these records can be maintained and transmitted from the electronic gaming machines to a local and / or remote server approved by one or more appropriate regulatory agencies.

[0005] Physical documents received by the electronic gaming machine and / or one or more components associated therewith, such as one or more bill validators, can be stored in a “cash box,” which can be locked. The cash box can be retrieved from a location associated with the electronic gaming machine and transported to a secure location in the casino, often referred to as a “counting room.” The counting room can be overcrowded, leaving little available open space, and can be packed with employees of the casino and / or counting room, cash boxes, carts and / or other equipment used to transport the cash boxes, count sort machines, and / or other accounting and / or counting room equipment, etc.

[0006] Once in the cage, the drop box can typically be unlocked and / or otherwise opened to remove the stack or other configuration of vouchers (e.g., one or more tickets, currency, etc.) stored therein. This can be performed by one or more casino and / or cage employees. The set of vouchers can be counted, sorted, and / or otherwise aggregated, e.g., by providing the set of vouchers to a count sorter, to verify that all currency and / or other transactions reported by the electronic gaming machines and / or related components match the records exactly. Thereafter, the emptied drop box can be locked and / or otherwise closed and replaced for use with one or more electronic gaming machines. SUMMARY

[0007] The present disclosure relates to processing outputs of at least one count sorter. Data regarding drop box vouchers provided to the at least one count sorter is evaluated in determining one or more combinations of drop box vouchers for one or more output containers. One or more movement mechanisms are operated to move at least a portion of the drop box vouchers from one or more output ports of the at least one count sorter to the one or more output containers based on the combinations.

[0008] In various embodiments, a system for processing outputs of at least one count sorter includes at least one movement mechanism, at least one data source, and at least one controller. The at least one controller receives data regarding drop box vouchers provided to the at least one count sorter from the at least one data source, uses the data to determine combinations of drop box vouchers for output containers, and operates the at least one movement mechanism to move at least a portion of the drop box vouchers from the at least one count sorter to the output containers based on the combinations.

[0009] In some examples, the at least one movement mechanism includes a conveyor. In various examples, the at least one movement mechanism includes a linear robot. In some examples, the at least one controller moves the portion of the drop box vouchers after the portion of the drop box vouchers is bundled.

[0010] In several examples, the combinations include a first quantity of a first currency denomination and a second quantity of a second currency denomination. In some examples, the combinations are associated with a total currency value.

[0011] In various examples, the at least one controller communicates the combinations to at least one machine-readable storage medium associated with the output containers.

[0012] In some embodiments, a system for processing output of at least one counting sorter includes at least one moving mechanism, at least one sensor, and at least one controller. The at least one controller uses data regarding money box instruments provided to the at least one counting sorter to determine a combination of money box instruments for an output receptacle using the data, uses the at least one sensor to identify at least a portion of a money box instrument output by the at least one counting sorter, and operates the at least one moving mechanism to move the portion of the money box instrument from the at least one counting sorter to the output receptacle to achieve the combination.

[0013] In various examples, the at least one sensor is a camera. In some implementations of these examples, the at least one controller identifies the portion of the money box instrument using optical character recognition performed on at least one image of the portion of the money box instrument obtained via the camera.

[0014] In some examples, the at least one controller identifies the portion of the money box instrument by identifying at least one currency denomination associated with the portion of the money box instrument. In various examples, the at least one controller identifies the portion of the money box instrument by identifying at least one serial number associated with the portion of the money box instrument.

[0015] In several examples, the at least one controller identifies the portion of the money box instrument by identifying at least one security feature associated with the portion of the money box instrument. In some implementations of these examples, the at least one security feature includes at least one of an infrared band or an ultraviolet band.

[0016] In several embodiments, a system for processing output of at least one counting sorter includes at least one moving mechanism, at least one sensor, and at least one controller. The at least one controller uses the at least one sensor to identify at least a portion of a money box instrument output by the at least one counting sorter and, based on a combination determined using data regarding money box instruments provided to the at least one counting sorter, operates the at least one moving mechanism to move the portion of the money box instrument from the at least one counting sorter to an output receptacle.

[0017] In various examples, after the output receptacle contains the combination, the at least one controller uses at least one locking mechanism to lock the output receptacle. In some examples, the at least one controller identifies the portion of the money box instrument by determining which of a plurality of output ports of the at least one counting sorter outputs the portion of the money box instrument.

[0018] In some examples, the at least one controller identifies the portion of the cashbox document by using the at least one sensor to obtain identification data from at least one machine-readable element associated with at least one band that encloses at least a portion of the portion of the cashbox document. In some implementations of these examples, the at least one machine-readable element comprises at least one barcode.

[0019] In various examples, the combination is associated with a total number of currency denominations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] The present disclosure will be readily understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art with reference to the following detailed description, taken in combination with the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate like structural elements.

[0021] Figure 1A An example system for processing output of at least one counting sorter is depicted.

[0022] Figure 1B A system is depicted after the counting sorter outputs a set of counted and sorted documents via an output portal. Figure 1A A system is depicted after the counting sorter outputs a set of counted and sorted documents via an output portal.

[0023] Figure 1C A system is depicted after the counting sorter outputs a set of counted and sorted documents via an output portal. Figure 1B A system is depicted after the counting sorter outputs a set of counted and sorted documents via an output portal.

[0024] Figure 1D A system is depicted after the counting sorter outputs a set of counted and sorted documents via an output portal. Figure 1C A system is depicted after the counting sorter outputs a set of counted and sorted documents via an output portal.

[0025] Figure 1E An example implementation of an output container of a system is depicted. Figures 1A-1D An example implementation of an output container of a system is depicted.

[0026] Figure 2 An example implementation of an output container of a system is depicted. Figures 1A-1E An example implementation of an output container of a system is depicted.

[0027] Figure 3 An alternative implementation of a system is depicted. Figure 1A An alternative implementation of a system is depicted.

[0028] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a first example method of processing output of at least one counting sorter is depicted. The method can be performed by one or more of a system. Figures 1A-3 A flowchart illustrating a first example method of processing output of at least one counting sorter is depicted. The method can be performed by one or more of a system.

[0029] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a second example method of processing output of at least one counting sorter is depicted. The method can be performed by one or more of a system. Figures 1A-3one or more of the systems of

[0030] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating a first example method for facilitating reconciliation between reported transactions and physical tickets stored in a drop box for accounting for discrepancies caused by virtual tickets and / or other operations is described. The method can be performed by one or more of the casino systems of Figure 2

[0031] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating a second example method for facilitating reconciliation between reported transactions and physical tickets stored in a drop box for accounting for discrepancies caused by virtual tickets and / or other operations is described. The method can be performed by one or more of the casino systems of Figure 2

[0032] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating a third example method for facilitating reconciliation between reported transactions and physical tickets stored in a drop box for accounting for discrepancies caused by virtual tickets and / or other operations is described. The method can be performed by one or more of the casino systems of Figure 2

[0033] Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating a fourth example method for facilitating reconciliation between reported transactions and physical tickets stored in a drop box for accounting for discrepancies caused by virtual tickets and / or other operations is described. The method can be performed by one or more of the casino systems of Figure 2

[0034] Figure 10 A flowchart illustrating a first example method for processing information related to contents of a drop box in a casino environment is described. The method can be performed by one or more of the casino systems of Figure 2

[0035] Figure 11 A flowchart illustrating an example method for reconciling reported transactions and physical tickets stored in a drop box for accounting for discrepancies caused by virtual tickets and / or other operations is described. The method can be performed by one or more of the casino systems of Figure 2

[0036] Figure 12 ​​​​​​A flowchart illustrating a second example method of processing information related to the contents of a money box in a casino environment is described. The method can be performed by one or more of the casino systems of Figure 2 and / or other systems discussed and / or referenced herein.

[0037] Figure 13 A flowchart illustrating an example method for configuring a money box for use with a gaming machine is described. The method can be performed by one or more of the casino systems of Figure 2 and / or other systems discussed and / or referenced herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Reference will now be made in detail to the representative embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the following description is not intended to limit the embodiments to one preferred embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that can be included within the spirit and scope of the described embodiments as defined by the appended claims.

[0039] The following description includes example systems, methods, apparatus, and computer program products embodying various elements of the present disclosure. It should be understood, however, that the described disclosure can be carried out in a variety of ways beyond those specifically described herein.

[0040] Credents from one or more of the money boxes in the casino environment (e.g., one or more tickets, currency, header cards and / or trailer cards describing transactions involving the credents and / or one or more of the electronic gaming machines and / or other components involved in the transactions, etc.) can be provided to one or more count sorters in one or more cages for counting and / or sorting and / or otherwise aggregating the credents. The count sorter can include at least one input port at which one or more unsorted sets of credents are provided. The count sorter can then sort the provided one or more sets of credents (e.g., sort a set of U.S. dollars into sets of $1 bills, $5 bills, $10 bills, $20 bills, $50 bills, $100 bills, etc.), count the sorted one or more sets of credents, reconcile the counts with records of one or more accounting servers and / or other servers, and / or output the counted and sorted one or more sets of credents. For example, the count sorter can include separate output ports (and / or pairs and / or other combinations thereof) for different sorted sets (e.g., a pair of output ports for $1 bills, $5 bills, $10 bills, $20 bills, $50 bills, $100 bills, etc., respectively). The outputs from the various output ports can be collected into sets via bundling and / or strapping or other securing mechanisms (e.g., via a band around every 100 bills of the respective denomination (and / or strapped sets of the sorted bills)). These strapped bills can be placed into bags and / or other output containers, sent to a bank as a deposit on a particular route, transported to a cashier or other location in the casino for use, etc.

[0041] However, the process of periodically collecting the money boxes, transporting the money boxes to the cage, opening and / or otherwise unlocking the money boxes, removing the one or more sets of credents from the money boxes, providing the one or more sets of credents to one or more count sorters, collecting the counted and sorted (and / or strapped and / or otherwise bundled) one or more sets of credents output by the one or more count sorters, placing the counted, sorted, and / or otherwise aggregated (and / or strapped and / or otherwise bundled) one or more sets of credents into bags and / or other output containers, closing and / or otherwise relocking the money boxes, and distributing the empty money boxes for use with the electronic gaming machines can be time consuming, inefficient, and subject to human error. The cage can also occupy a significant amount of space and involve many employees to handle the money boxes. This can occupy casino space that could otherwise be used for other purposes, such as additional electronic gaming machines, guest services (e.g., shows, restaurants, shops, etc.). The costs associated with such a traditional cage operated by employees can be high.

[0042] Further, the counting and sorting machine is most efficient when the input ports, the various output ports, and the various counting and sorting mechanisms operating therebetween are continuously operating. Interruptions in the operation (e.g., waiting for a teller staff member to remove the sets of vouchers after counting and sorting and / or bundling and / or otherwise bundling, and determining the output pockets or other containers into which they should be placed, waiting for mechanisms to be available, etc.) can result in the counting and sorting machine operating less efficiently, cause the counting and sorting machine to wear, cause the counting and sorting machine to operate at a higher cost than it should, etc.

[0043] The following disclosure relates to processing outputs of at least one counting and sorting machine. Data regarding the moneybox vouchers provided to the at least one counting and sorting machine is evaluated in determining one or more combinations of moneybox vouchers of one or more output containers. One or more movement mechanisms are operated to move at least a portion of the moneybox vouchers from one or more output ports of the at least one counting and sorting machine to the one or more output containers based on the combinations.

[0044] In this way, the at least one counting and sorting machine can be more efficiently operated without interruptions in the operation for a staff member to determine the combinations, collect the sets of vouchers after counting and sorting and / or bundling and / or otherwise bundling from the one or more output ports, move the sets of vouchers after counting and sorting and / or bundling and / or otherwise bundling to the one or more output containers, etc. This can result in the system being more efficiently operated while using fewer components and / or resources.

[0045] These and other embodiments will be discussed below with reference to FIG. 1- Figure 5 However, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the detailed description given herein with respect to these drawings is for explanatory purposes only and should not be construed in a limiting sense.

[0046] Figure 1A An example system 100 for processing outputs of at least one counting and sorting machine is depicted. The system 100 can include one or more controllers 101, movement mechanisms 103 (e.g., one or more conveyor systems, linear robots, robotic arms, etc.), sensors 105 (e.g., one or more cameras and / or other image sensors, bar code readers, radio frequency identifiers and / or other antennas), locking and / or output container manipulation mechanisms 116 (e.g., one or more linear robots, robotic arms, keys, etc.), output container interface mechanisms 106, etc.

[0047] The controller 101 can process the output of the at least one count sorter 102. The controller 101 can evaluate the cashbox voucher data provided to the count sorter 102. The controller 101 can receive and / or otherwise obtain this data from one or more data sources 107. The controller 101 can use this data to determine one or more combinations of cashbox vouchers for one or more output receptacles 104. The controller 101 can use the sensors 105 to detect a portion of the cashbox vouchers at one or more output ports 108A-108N of the count sorter 102. The controller 101 can operate the movement mechanism 103 to move at least a portion of the cashbox vouchers from the one or more output ports 108A-108N of the count sorter 102 to the output receptacle 104 based on the combination.

[0048] In this way, the count sorter 102 can be more efficiently operated without halting operations for an employee to determine combinations, collect cashbox vouchers from the output ports 108A-108N of the count sorter 102, move the cashbox vouchers to the output receptacle 104, etc. Thus, the system 100 can operate more efficiently than previous systems while using fewer components and / or resources.

[0049] The data sources 107 can and / or obtain data from a variety of sources. For example, the cashbox can be a smart cashbox that includes one or more components (e.g., one or more processing units or other processors or controllers, memory or other storage media, communication units, etc.) that receive, store, and / or provide information about the vouchers received by the cashbox and / or transactions associated therewith. For example, this information can include: serial numbers and / or other identifiers associated with the relevant electronic gaming machines or other components, values associated with the received vouchers (e.g., $10 associated with a $10 bill), quantities of different types of vouchers received (e.g., 100 $20 bills received), total values associated with the received vouchers (e.g., $10,000 in U.S. currency received), serial numbers and / or other identifiers associated with the received vouchers (e.g., currency serial numbers, ticket identifiers, etc.), images of the received vouchers, etc. The controller 101 can obtain such data from the smart cashbox and / or one or more intermediaries (e.g., a bookkeeping server, a casino server, an additional service server and / or other server, a cart communicably coupled to the cashbox, a bill acceptor communicably coupled to the cashbox, or other component communicably coupled to the cashbox, etc.). Alternatively and / or additionally, the controller 101 can obtain such data from another component without involving the cashbox (e.g., a bill acceptor that receives the vouchers before providing them to the cashbox). Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0050] Vouchers (e.g., one or more tickets, currency, a head card and / or a tail card describing transactions associated with the vouchers and / or transactions associated with one or more electronic gaming machines and / or other components, etc.) from one or more money boxes in a casino environment can be provided to one or more input ports 113 (e.g., a voucher hopper, a bin, or a similar component) of the count sorter 102. The count sorter 102 can then sort and / or otherwise aggregate (e.g., sort a set of U.S. dollars into groups of $1 bills, $5 bills, $10 bills, $20 bills, $50 bills, $100 bills, etc.), count one or more sets of vouchers after sorting, reconcile the counts with records of one or more accounting servers and / or other servers, and / or output the counts and one or more sets of vouchers after sorting via one or more output ports 108A-108N (e.g., a voucher hopper, a bin, or a similar component). The count sorter 102 can include separate output ports 108A-108N (and / or pairs, and / or other combinations thereof, which can allow the count sorter 102 to continue operating at one of the pairs and / or other combinations thereof when they are busy) for different sorted groups (e.g., a pair of output ports for $1 bills, $5 bills, $10 bills, $20 bills, $50 bills, $100 bills, etc., respectively). The output from each output port 108A-108N can be bundled and / or banded into groups, e.g., by placing a band around every 100 bills of the respective denomination (and / or banded sets of banded bills).

[0051] The controller 101 can then use the sensors 105 and / or the movement mechanism 103 to detect the vouchers (e.g., banded bills) output by the count sorter 102, move the output vouchers to the output container 104 based on the determined combination, etc. Once the controller 101 determines that the combination is complete, the controller 101 can then route the output container 104 as a deposit and / or signal the output container 104 to be routed to a bank, transported to a cashier or other location in a casino for use, etc.

[0052] For example, the controller 101 can evaluate the data to determine a set or sets of the currency to be provided to the count sorter 102 (including 1000 $100 bills, 100 $50 bills, 300 $20 bills, and 500 $10 bills, as well as 250 $5 bills and 100 $1 bills). The controller 101 can determine a combination of $110,000 to send as a float on a particular route and a combination of $7350 to provide to a cashier on a particular route. As such, the controller 101 can use the sensors 105 and the movement mechanism 103 to detect and direct the output of the count sorter 102 based on the determined combinations to move 1000 $100 bills, 100 $50 bills, and 500 $10 bills to a first output receptacle 104 for a float and to convey 300 $20 bills, 250 $5 bills, and 100 $1 bills to a second output receptacle 104 for a cashier. It should be appreciated, however, that this is an example. In various implementations, the determined combinations can take into account other factors, such as the number of bills (e.g., 100) that are bundled together, as this can affect the associated value amount that can be moved as output from the count sorter 102. As another example, a particular set of denominations containing a set number of currency can be generated as output to provide a cash register or ATM or kiosk float.

[0053] While the above discusses counting and sorting currency, other currency can be counted, sorted, and / or otherwise aggregated. For example, such currency can include tickets. The count sorter 102 can output tickets separate from other currency, and these output tickets can be bundled, provided to a respective output receptacle 104, stored, destroyed, combined, and / or otherwise processed. Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0054] In various implementations, the sensors 105 can be one or more of a variety of different sensors. Such sensors can include, but are not limited to, one or more cameras and / or other image sensors, barcode readers, radio frequency identifiers and / or other antennas. For example, a camera can capture one or more images of a bundle of bunched vouchers output by the count sorter 102, perform optical character recognition on the images to determine an associated currency denomination (e.g., by identifying a denomination number on the vouchers, a serial number associated with a denomination on the vouchers, etc.), and detect the output accordingly. In another example, a camera can take one or more ultraviolet images and / or infrared images. Vouchers (e.g., US dollars) can include ultraviolet bands, infrared bands, and / or other indicia or security features specific to a particular denomination. Such indicia or security features can be analyzed from the images and used to detect the output accordingly. In yet another example, one or more bands used to bundle vouchers can include machine-readable elements (e.g., quick-read barcodes, matrix barcodes, 2D barcodes, radio frequency identification tags, near field communication elements, etc.), and the sensors 105 can include a reader for reading the machine-readable elements, which can communicate information about the presence of a voucher, a currency denomination or currency value, etc. In yet another example, the controller 101 can use a camera, a proximity sensor, or other sensor 105 to determine which output port 108A-108N outputs a voucher. Each of the output ports 108A-108N can be associated with a particular type of voucher, and the controller 101 can identify an output voucher based on the output port 108A-108N that outputs the corresponding voucher. Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0055] Figure 1B depicts the system 100 after the count sorter 102 outputs a bundle of sorted and counted vouchers 109 via the output port 108C. Figure 1A The controller 101 can use the sensors 105 to detect the output and use the movement mechanism 103 to move the bundle of sorted and counted vouchers 109 to the output container 104, as shown in Figure 1C

[0056] In some implementations, the output container 104 can include a lockable aperture 110 that can be manipulated between an open position and a closed position and / or locked via a lock 111. In such implementations, the controller 101 can use an output container manipulation mechanism 116 to unlock the lock 111, open the lockable aperture 110, close the lockable aperture 110, lock the lock 111 (e.g., by inserting one or more keys into one or more key slots, rotating the keys, etc.), etc. Figure 1D depicts the system 100 after the controller 101 uses the output container manipulation mechanism 116 to close and lock the output container 104.​Figure 1C The system 100.

[0057] As noted above, in some embodiments, the system 100 can include one or more output container interface mechanisms 106. For example, the output container 104 can be a smart container that includes one or more components (e.g., one or more processing units or other processors or controllers, memory or other storage media, communication units, etc.) that receive, store, and / or provide information about the vouchers stored by the output container 104. This information can be communicated to the output container 104 via the output container interface mechanism 106 prior to the vouchers being placed into the output container 104, as the vouchers are being placed into the output container 104, after the vouchers are placed into the output container 104, after the output container 104 is locked, and / or in any other combination thereof. In this way, the output container 104 itself can be configured to store and / or provide a verifiable record of the contents of the output container 104 and / or various information about those contents. For example, in many cases, bags that are transported from a casino cage to a cashier are counted upon arrival to ensure that no errors or thefts have occurred. However, in the case of such embodiments of the system 100, the locked output container 104 can be queried for a verifiable record, and the cashier can trust that no errors or thefts have occurred without counting. Similarly, a bank that receives a locked output container 104 can query the locked output container for a verifiable record and can provide a provisional credit to an account corresponding to the casino for the amount contained prior to and / or instead of re-counting the vouchers.

[0058] Thus, Figure 1E An example embodiment of an output container 104 of the system 100 is depicted. Figures 1A-1D As shown, the output container 104 can include a lockable aperture 110, a memory 114, and a communication unit 115. Also as shown, the output container interface mechanism 106 can also include a communication unit 112. The communication unit 112 can be used to communicate with the communication unit 115 to store information in the memory 114 and / or to query information from the memory 114. The communication units 112 and 115 can be communicably coupled and / or communicate using a variety of different wired and / or wireless communication mechanisms. For example, the communication units 112 and 115 can communicate using WiFi, near field communication, Bluetooth communication, serial connection, universal serial bus connection, capacitive connection, etc. A variety of configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0059] The controller 101 can be any type of electronic device. Examples include, but are not limited to, one or more desktop computing devices, laptop computing devices, mobile computing devices, wearable devices, smartphones, tablet computing devices, and the like. The controller 101 can include one or more processors and / or other processing units and / or control units, one or more communication units, one or more communication units and / or multiple communication devices, one or more non-transitory storage media (which can take the form of, but are not limited to, magnetic storage media; optical storage media; magneto-optical storage media; read-only memory; random-access memory; erasable programmable memory; flash memory, and the like), and / or one or more other components. The processors can execute one or more instructions stored in the storage media to perform various functions. Such functions can include, but are not limited to, processing outputs of the at least one count sorter 102, receiving and / or otherwise obtaining and / or processing data regarding the moneybox instruments provided to the count sorter 102, communicating with the data source 107, determining one or more combinations of moneybox instruments for the one or more output receptacles 104, using the sensors 105 to detect a portion of a moneybox instrument at one or more output ports 108A-108N of the count sorter 102, operating the movement mechanism 103 to move at least a portion of the moneybox instrument from the one or more output ports 108A-108N of the count sorter 102 to the output receptacle 104 based on the combination, and the like.

[0060] Although the system 100 is shown and described above as including particular components configured in a particular arrangement, it should be understood that this is an example, and other configurations of the same, similar, and / or different components can be used. For example, in some implementations, the controller 101 can be operated to move one or more instruments into multiple different output receptacles 104 at the same and / or substantially similar times, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0061] The movement mechanism 103 is shown as a conveyor system involving a single conveyor. However, it should be understood that this is an example. In other implementations, the movement mechanism 103 can be one or more conveyors and / or conveyor systems, robotic arms, linear and / or other robots, pistons, grippers, and / or any other mechanism that can operate to move one or more instruments in various directions. For example, there can be multiple output receptacles 104, each serviced by one or more of the conveyor system components. Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0062] The output receptacle 104 is shown as a lockable bag. However, it should be understood that this is an example. In other implementations, the output receptacle 104 can include any type of bag, box, and / or other lockable, non-lockable, closable, non-closable, and / or other receptacle, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0063] The output container 104 is also described as configured to allow the vouchers to fall from the moving mechanism 103 through the aperture 110 into the output container 104. However, it should be understood that this is an example. In other embodiments, the output container 104 can be coupled to the moving mechanism 103 to prevent access to the vouchers between the output ports 108A-108N and the output container 104. In such embodiments, the output container 104 can be unlocked and / or opened while coupled to the moving mechanism 103, and / or can be closed and / or locked prior to and / or while being removed from the moving mechanism 103. Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0064] Figure 2 An entertainment venue system 200 is depicted, to which a system 100 that processes the output of at least one count sorter 102 can be interfaced. Figures 1A-1E The system 100 that processes the output of at least one count sorter 102 can be interfaced to the entertainment venue system 200. As shown, the entertainment venue system 200 can include one or more electronic gaming cabinets 222. The gaming cabinets 222 can each include one or more electronic gaming machines 224, peripheral adapters 225, paper currency validators 226, and / or other components (e.g., ticket printers, displays, etc.) and / or cashboxes 227.

[0065] Components of casino system 200 can include any devices and / or perform any techniques discussed below: U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 494,629 (filed September 24, 2014, entitled “Electronic Voucher System”), U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 482,615 (filed April 7, 2017, entitled “Bill Validation and Cash Dispensing Device, System and Method for Use in a Casino Context”), U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 216,839 (filed December 11, 2018, entitled “Banknote Handling System for Automated Casino Accounting”), U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 810,307 (filed March 5, 2020, entitled “Drop Cart with Cashbox Data Reader Array and Autonomous Drop Cart Processing System for Automated Casino Accounting”), U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 855,089 (filed April 22, 2020, entitled “Currency Tracking and Accounting Systems”), and U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 719,249 (filed December 18, 2019, entitled “Automatic Bill Handling System”), the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference as if fully disclosed herein.

[0066] The peripheral adapter 225 and / or the gaming machines 224, the bill acceptors 226, and / or the cashboxes 227 (in some cases via the peripheral adapter 225) can communicate via one or more networks 223. By way of illustration, the peripheral adapter 225 and / or the gaming machines 224, the bill acceptors 226, and / or the cashboxes 227 (in some cases via the peripheral adapter 225) can communicate with one or more casino management servers 221 (which can include one or more ticket servers, player accounting servers, ticket accounting servers, accounting servers, slot accounting servers, etc.) and / or the additional services server 107A (which can include one or more ticket servers, player accounting servers, ticket accounting servers, accounting servers, slot accounting servers, etc.) via the network 223.

[0067] For example, the bill acceptors 226 can communicate with the cashboxes 227 and the additional services server 107A regarding information for the vouchers received by the bill acceptors 226 and / or stored by the cashboxes 227. This information can include serial numbers and / or other identifiers associated with the relevant electronic gaming machines or other components, values associated with the received vouchers (e.g., $10 associated with a $10 bill), quantities of different types of vouchers received (e.g., 100 $20 bills received), total values associated with the received vouchers (e.g., $10,000 received), serial numbers and / or other identifiers associated with the received vouchers (e.g., currency serial numbers, ticket identifiers, etc.), images of the received vouchers, etc. The cashboxes 227 and / or the additional services server 107A can store such information and / or communicate regarding such information with one or more other devices.

[0068] By way of illustration, the additional services server 107A can communicate with the count sorter 102, taking this information as part of reconciling information and / or one or more accounts or records with the voucher counting and / or sorting performed by the count sorter 102. The bill acceptors 226 can also track, store, and / or communicate information regarding detecting counterfeit vouchers, whether to accept and / or reject vouchers, malfunctions, cashbox 227 capacity, etc. This information can be used, for example, by the additional services server 107A for signal maintenance, cashbox 227 collection, and / or other actions.

[0069] As another example, the additional services server 107A can communicate with the gaming machines 224, peripheral adapters 225, and / or bill validators 226 regarding one or more ticket-in, ticket-out transactions. By way of illustration, the additional services server 107A can instruct one or more of the gaming machines 224, peripheral adapters 225, and / or bill validators 226 to receive a ticket based on a ticket and / or other account (e.g., from an electronic account storing information regarding a virtual ticket, an electronic account associated with a payment account convertible to a virtual ticket, etc.). The virtual ticket can cause the gaming machines 224, peripheral adapters 225, and / or bill validators 226 to behave as if a physical ticket has been received, despite the fact that the corresponding physical ticket can not be stored in the drop box 227. The additional services server 107A can also communicate with the gaming machines 224, peripheral adapters 225, and / or bill validators 224 to credit such an account using such a virtual ticket rather than a printer or other value output device associated with the gaming machines 224 to provide other value output. The additional services server 107A can provide information regarding the virtual ticket operation (e.g., to the count sorter 102, the count sorter output system 100, etc.) to enable, facilitate, and / or otherwise reconcile transaction records with the contents of the drop box 227. The gaming machines 224, peripheral adapters 225, and / or bill validators 226 can report all transactions to the slot accounting server, other accounting servers, and / or other casino management servers 221. The virtual ticket operation can cause the gaming machines 224, peripheral adapters 225, and / or bill validators 226 to report transactions to the slot accounting server, other accounting servers, and / or other casino management servers 221 corresponding to the received tickets. However, because the tickets are virtual, the tickets can not be located in the drop box 227 as expected by the count sorter 102 based on information received from the slot accounting server, other accounting servers, and / or other casino management servers 221. As such, the count sorter 102 and / or other components can use information received from the additional services server 107A regarding the virtual ticket operation to reconcile discrepancies between transactions reported by the gaming machines 224, peripheral adapters 225, and / or bill validators 226 and physical tickets present in the drop box 227. Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0070] The delivery system 107B can be used to process the cashboxes 227 in preparation for counting and sorting of the vouchers from the cashboxes 227 by the counting sorters 102. For example, one or more cashboxes 227 can be removed from one or more gaming cabinets 222 and loaded onto one or more delivery carts. The delivery carts can be configured to communicatively couple with the cashboxes 227 to obtain information stored thereon and / or to communicate such information to one or more other devices (e.g., the casino management server 221, the additional service server 107A, the system 100 (and / or a controller thereof), etc.). The delivery system 107B can include various mobile mechanisms (e.g., one or more conveyor systems, linear robots, robotic arms, etc.) for opening one or more delivery carts, unlocking and / or opening one or more cashboxes 227, removing one or more cashboxes 227 from the delivery carts, loading one or more cashboxes 227 on the delivery carts, removing one or more sets of vouchers from one or more cashboxes 227, providing one or more sets of vouchers from one or more cashboxes 227 to one or more counting sorters 102, communicating data related to the removal of one or more sets of vouchers from one or more cashboxes 227 and / or the provision of one or more sets of vouchers to one or more counting sorters 102 (e.g., to the casino management server 221, the additional service server 107A, the system 100, and / or a controller thereof, etc.). Such data can include any information stored by the cashboxes 227, the bill validators 226, the additional service server 107A, etc.

[0071] The counting sorters 102 can receive one or more sets of vouchers removed from one or more cashboxes 227, sort and / or count the one or more sets of vouchers removed from one or more cashboxes 227, communicate with the additional service server 107A and / or other devices to reconcile the counted and sorted vouchers with one or more transaction records, output the counted and / or sorted vouchers, etc. The outputted counted and / or sorted vouchers can be bundled and / or otherwise processed. The system 100 can process such output as described above.

[0072] The casino system 200 can use various components and / or information communicated between the components to perform various functions. Such functions can include automatic reconciliation, fault tracking, fault analysis, theft prevention, counterfeiting prevention measures, casino system 200 traffic adjustment and traffic efficiency adjustment, etc.

[0073] While the above-described casino system 200 is shown and described above as including particular components configured in particular arrangements, it should be understood that this is an example and that other configurations of the same, similar, and / or different components can be used. For example, in some embodiments, the additional service server 107 can operate as a controller of the system 100 without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0074] Figure 3 Depicting Figure 1A An alternative implementation of system 100, 300. With Figure 1A Compared to system 100, a linear robot and / or other robotic arm 303 can be used instead of a conveying system. Multiple sets of vouchers can be provided to the input port 113 of at least one counting and sorting machine 102, and the counted and sorted vouchers can be output via one or more of the output ports 108A-108N. Controller 101 can use data from data source 107 to determine one or more combinations. Controller 101 can then use sensor 105 to detect the output vouchers, control the robotic arm 303 to grasp the output vouchers based on the combination and move them into the hole 110 of output container 104, transmit data about the combination and / or vouchers to output container 104 via output container interface mechanism 106, close and lock the lock 111 of output container 104 via output container manipulation mechanism 116, etc.

[0075] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a first example method 400 for processing the output of at least one counting sorting machine is shown. Method 400 can be... Figures 1A-3 One or more of the systems can be used to execute this.

[0076] In operation 410, electronic equipment (e.g., controller 101 of Figure 1) can receive data about vouchers to be sent to and / or provided to the counting and sorting machine. The electronic equipment can receive such data from the cash drawer, from a delivery vehicle or delivery system communicatively connected to the cash drawer, or from one or more servers communicatively connected to the cash drawer and / or one or more delivery vehicles or delivery systems.

[0077] In operation 420, the electronic equipment can determine the combination of vouchers for the output of the counting sorter based on this data. The electronic equipment can determine the combination based on the total value, the total number of vouchers, the total number of vouchers of a specific type (e.g., currency denomination), deposit requirements, and / or other parameters or requirements.

[0078] In operation 430, the electronic equipment can operate one or more conveying mechanisms to move bundled credentials from one or more outputs of the counting sorter to one or more containers based on the combination. Such conveying mechanisms may include one or more conveyor systems, linear and / or other robots, robotic arms, etc.

[0079] In various examples, this example method 400 can be implemented as a set of interrelated software modules or components that perform the various functions discussed herein. These software modules or components may be located within a cloud network and / or comprised of one or more electronic devices (e.g., Figure 1A The controller 101) executes.

[0080] While the example method 400 is shown and described as including particular operations performed in a particular order, it should be understood that this is an example. In various implementations, various orders of the same, similar, and / or different operations can be performed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0081] For example, the operation 430 is shown and described as causing the electronic device to operate one or more transport mechanisms to move the bunched vouchers. However, in some implementations, the vouchers can not be bunched. In other implementations, the bunching can occur during transport and / or in the direction of the electronic device. Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0082] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a second example method 500 for processing output of at least one count sorter is depicted. The method 500 can be performed by one or more of the systems of Figures 1A-3 FIG. 1.

[0083] At operation 510, the electronic device (e.g., the controller 101 of FIG. 1) can use data about the vouchers that are to be fed into and / or provided to the cashbox of the count sorter to determine a combination of the vouchers output by the count sorter based on the data. The electronic device can obtain such data from the cashbox, from a delivery cart or delivery system communicably connected to the delivery bin, from one or more servers communicably connected to the cashbox and / or one or more delivery carts or delivery systems, etc. The electronic device can determine the combination based on a total value, a total number of vouchers, a total number of a particular type of voucher (e.g., a currency denomination), a deposit requirement, and / or other parameters or requirements.

[0084] At operation 520, the electronic device can identify the output of the count sorter. For example, the electronic device can use one or more cameras or other sensors to detect that the count sorter has output the counted and / or sorted vouchers and identify which vouchers the count sorter has output. By way of illustration, the electronic device can use a camera to obtain an image and process the image to determine that the count sorter has output a bundle of bunched $100 bills.

[0085] At operation 530, the electronic device can operate one or more transport mechanisms to move the vouchers from the output of the count sorter to one or more containers based on the combination. Such transport mechanisms can include one or more conveyor systems, linear and / or other robots, robotic arms, etc.

[0086] At operation 540, the electronic device can determine whether the combination is complete. For example, if all of the credentials included in the combination have been moved to the container, the combination is complete. If the combination is complete, the flow proceeds to operation 550. Otherwise, the flow returns to operation 520 in which the electronic device again identifies the output of the counting sorter.

[0087] At operation 550, the electronic device causes the container to complete. This can include directing one or more devices to close the container, lock the container, transfer data about the contents of the container to a memory of the container, signaling one or more mobile mechanisms to begin sending the container on a particular route to a destination, etc.

[0088] In various examples, the example method 500 can be implemented as a set of interrelated software modules or components that perform the various functions discussed herein. These software modules or components can be implemented within a cloud network and / or by one or more electronic devices (e.g., the controller 101 of the casino system 100) executing software instructions. Figure 1A

[0089] While the example method 500 is illustrated and described as including particular operations performed in a particular order, it will be appreciated that this is an example. In various implementations, various orders of performing the same, similar, and / or different operations can be performed without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

[0090] For example, in some implementations, the electronic device can omit determining whether the combination is complete. In such implementations, the electronic device can move the appropriate credentials to the container, and then the container can complete after all of the appropriate credentials have been moved without any particular determination by the electronic device. Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

[0091] Returning to Figure 2 , the casino system 200 is illustrated and described above in connection with processing the output of at least one counting sorter. It will be appreciated, however, that this is an example. As described above, the casino system 200 can be used for other operations in addition to processing the output of at least one counting sorter without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Examples of such operations can include, but are not limited to, facilitating a reconciliation between reported transactions and physical tickets stored in a cashbox to account for discrepancies caused by virtual tickets and / or other operations, processing information related to the contents of a cashbox in a casino environment, configuring a cashbox for use with a gaming machine, etc. Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

[0092] ​As an illustration, as described above, the additional service server 107A can instruct one or more of the gaming machines 224, peripheral adapters 225, and / or bill validators 226 to receive a ticket based on a ticket and / or other account (e.g., from an electronic account storing information about a virtual ticket, an electronic account associated with a payment account convertible to a virtual ticket, etc.). The virtual ticket can cause the gaming machines 224, peripheral adapters 225, and / or bill validators 226 to behave as if a physical ticket has been received despite the corresponding physical ticket not being stored in the drop box 227. The additional service server 107A can also communicate with the gaming machines 224, peripheral adapters 225, and / or bill validators 224 to credit such an account using such a virtual ticket rather than a printer or other value output device associated with the gaming machines 224 to print a physical ticket and / or provide other value output. The additional service server 107A can provide information about the virtual ticket operation (e.g., to the count sorter 102, the count sorter output system 100, etc.) to enable, facilitate, and / or otherwise reconcile transaction records with the contents of the drop box 227. The gaming machines 224, peripheral adapters 225, and / or bill validators 226 can report all transactions to the slot accounting server, other accounting servers, and / or other casino management servers 221. The virtual ticket operation can cause the gaming machines 224, peripheral adapters 225, and / or bill validators 226 to report transactions to the slot accounting server, other accounting servers, and / or other casino management servers 221 corresponding to the received tickets. However, because the tickets are virtual, the tickets can not be located in the drop box 227 as expected by the count sorter 102 based on information received from the slot accounting server, other accounting servers, and / or other casino management servers 221. As such, the count sorter 102 and / or other components can use information received from the additional service server 107A about the virtual ticket operation to reconcile discrepancies between transactions reported by the gaming machines 224, peripheral adapters 225, and / or bill validators 226 and physical tickets present in the drop box 227. Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0093] For example, Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating a first example method 600 for facilitating reconciliation between reported transactions and physical tickets stored in a drop box to account for discrepancies that can result from virtual ticket and / or other operations is depicted. The method 600 can be performed by one or more of the casino system 200 of Figure 2 FIG. 1, and / or other systems discussed and / or referenced herein.

[0094] At operation 610, an electronic device (e.g., the count sorter 102, the count sorter output system 100, etc.) receives information about a virtual ticket operation from an additional service server 107A. Figure 2The data can be received by one or more components of the delivery processing system 107B (e.g., the electronic device 107A) in association with the virtual ticket transactions. For example, the data can indicate that a paper currency identifier associated with the cashbox was instructed to behave as if it received a number of virtual tickets.

[0095] At operation 620, the electronic device can generate one or more head and / or tail cards using the data. Such head and / or tail cards can indicate information to the count sorter about the contents of the cashbox. The information can include a number of the reported to be located inside the vouchers, a serial number of the reported to be located inside the vouchers, a total value of the reported to be located inside the vouchers, an identifier of the cashbox, a paper currency identifier of the cashbox, and / or an identifier associated with the electronic gaming machine, etc. The generated head and / or tail cards can indicate a number of the virtual ticket transactions associated with the cashbox such that the count sorter can reconcile the reported number of tickets associated with the cashbox with the lesser number of physical tickets in the contents of the cashbox.

[0096] At operation 630, the electronic device can provide the cashbox contents with the head / tail cards to the count sorter. For example, the electronic device can open the cashbox, remove a stack of vouchers from the cashbox, generate one or more head and / or tail cards, add the one or more head and / or tail cards to the stack of vouchers, and provide the stack of vouchers to the count sorter.

[0097] In various examples, the example method 600 can be implemented as a set of interrelated software modules or components that perform the various functions discussed herein. These software modules or components can be implemented as software instructions stored in memory and executed by one or more electronic devices (e.g., the electronic device 107A) within a cloud network. Figure 2 In various examples, the example method 600 can be implemented as a set of interrelated software modules or components that perform the various functions discussed herein. These software modules or components can be implemented as software instructions stored in memory and executed by one or more electronic devices (e.g., the electronic device 107A) within a cloud network.

[0098] While the example method 600 is illustrated and described as including particular operations performed in a particular order, it will be appreciated that this is an example. In various implementations, various orders of performing the same, similar, and / or different operations can be performed without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

[0099] For example, operation 620 is illustrated and described as generating one or more head and / or tail cards. However, it will be appreciated that this is an example. In some implementations, one or more head and / or tail cards can exist in the stack of vouchers but can not reflect the virtual ticket transactions. As such, the one or more head and / or tail cards can be removed from the stack of vouchers, read, and a revised set of one or more head and / or tail cards (updating the previous set with the virtual ticket data) can be generated in place of the previous set before being inserted into the stack of vouchers. Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

[0100] As another example, Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating a second example method 700 for facilitating reconciliation between reported transactions and physical tickets stored in a drop box for accounting for discrepancies that can result from virtual tickets and / or other operations is depicted. The method 700 can be performed by one or more of the casino system 200 of Figure 2 and / or other systems discussed and / or referenced herein.

[0101] At operation 710, an electronic device (e.g., the additional services server 107A of Figure 2 ) can receive data regarding virtual tickets associated with a drop box. The electronic device can receive such data as part of an indication of a virtual ticket operation associated with the drop box, can receive the data from a device indicating such a virtual ticket operation, etc. At operation 720, the electronic device can provide the drop box contents to a count sorter.

[0102] At operation 730, the electronic device can provide data to reconcile the contents. In some examples, the electronic device can provide the data to a count sorter to reconcile the contents. This can avoid having a cage person have to manually compare a discrepancy report to a shortage that can be found in the cage. In other examples, the electronic device can provide the data to a slot accounting server, other accounting server, and / or other casino management server to reconcile the contents. This can also avoid having a cage person have to manually compare a discrepancy report to a shortage that can be found in the cage. In other examples, the electronic device can provide the data to one or more other electronic devices to reconcile the contents, which can also avoid having a cage person have to manually compare a discrepancy report to a shortage that can be found in the cage. Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0103] For example, the electronic device can notify the count sorter of the number of virtual tickets that a paper currency identifier associated with the drop box has been instructed. The count sorter can use this data to reconcile the number of reported received tickets with the number of physical tickets present in the drop box. In this way, an operator of the count sorter is able to reconcile the reported count with the count results provided by the count sorter in real-time, rather than waiting for all counts to complete to find and explain any discrepancies.

[0104] As another example, the electronic device can notify the slot accounting server, other accounting servers, and / or other casino management servers of the number of virtual tickets that the paper currency identifier associated with the drop bucket has been instructed to dispense. The slot accounting server, other accounting servers, and / or other casino management servers can also have received information from one or more paper currency identifiers and / or other components regarding transactions corresponding to the received physical and / or virtual tickets. The slot accounting server, other accounting servers, and / or other casino management servers can use the data provided by the electronic device to reconcile the reported number of received tickets with the number of physical tickets that actually exist in the drop bucket. Thus, the slot accounting server, other accounting servers, and / or other casino management servers can adjust the reported count of virtual tickets that do not actually exist before providing the reported count to the count sorter and / or its operator for comparison to the count sorter results. Thus, comparing the reported count to the count sorter results does not result in a discrepancy for virtual tickets because the reported count used for such comparison has been adjusted for such discrepancies. This results in fewer detected discrepancies and does not require time and / or resources to find and explain such discrepancies.

[0105] In various examples, the example method 700 can be implemented as a set of interrelated software modules or components that perform the various functions discussed herein. These software modules or components can be executed on a cloud network and / or by one or more electronic devices (e.g., the additional services server 107A of FIG. 1) of the example system 100. Figure 2

[0106] While the example method 700 is shown and described as including particular operations performed in a particular order, it should be understood that this is an example. In various implementations, various orders of performing the same, similar, and / or different operations can be performed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0107] For example, the method 700 is shown and described as the electronic device providing the contents of the drop bucket to the count sorter at operation 720. However, it should be understood that this is an example. In various implementations, the electronic device can receive and provide data without providing the contents of the drop bucket to the count sorter. In such implementations, another device or system can provide the contents of the drop bucket to the count sorter. As such, operation 720 can be omitted. Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0108] In another example, the electronic device can provide the contents of the drop bucket to the count sorter at operation 720. However, it should be understood that this is an example. In various implementations, the electronic device can receive and provide data without providing the contents of the drop bucket to the count sorter. In such implementations, another device or system can provide the contents of the drop bucket to the count sorter. As such, operation 720 can be omitted. Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Figure 8 ​A flowchart illustrating a third example method 800 for facilitating reconciliation between reported transactions and physical tickets stored in a cashbox to account for discrepancies that can be caused by virtual tickets and / or other operations is depicted. The method 800 can be performed by one or more of the casino system 200 and / or other systems discussed and / or referenced herein. Figure 2

[0109] At operation 810, an electronic device (e.g., the additional services server 107A and / or the count sorter 102) can receive data regarding virtual tickets associated with a cashbox. At operation 820, the electronic device can receive results of a count sort of the contents of the cashbox. For example, the results can indicate a number of vouchers, a number of each type of voucher (e.g., a number of tickets, a number of each denomination of currency, etc.), a total value of vouchers, serial numbers of vouchers in the cashbox, a total value of each voucher, a discrepancy between any vouchers from the cashbox and any reported vouchers, etc. Figure 2 At operation 830, the electronic device can reconcile the results with the data. For example, the electronic device can reconcile a discrepancy between an expected number of tickets and an actual number of tickets from the results using the data (which indicates a discrepancy corresponding to a virtual ticket and thus does not actually indicate a discrepancy).

[0110] At operation 840, the electronic device can provide a final reconciliation report. The final reconciliation report can reconcile the expected contents with the actual contents, indicate any discrepancies that cannot be explained using the data, indicate discrepancies that are explained using the data, etc.

[0111] In various examples, the example method 800 can be implemented as a set of interrelated software modules or components that perform the various functions discussed herein. These software modules or components can be within a cloud network and / or executed by one or more electronic devices (e.g., the additional services server 107A and / or the count sorter 102).

[0112] Figure 2 While the example method 800 is shown and described as including particular operations performed in a particular order, it should be understood that this is an example. In various implementations, various orders of performing the same, similar, and / or different operations can be performed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0113] For example, operation 820 is shown and described as receiving results of a count sort. However, it should be understood that this is an example. In some implementations, the method 800 can be performed using a count sorter. As such, operation 820 can be replaced by performing a count sort of the cashbox vouchers. Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0114] For example, operation 820 is shown and described as receiving results of a count sort. However, it should be understood that this is an example. In some implementations, the method 800 can be performed using a count sorter. As such, operation 820 can be replaced by performing a count sort of the cashbox vouchers. Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.​​

[0115] In another example, Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating a fourth example method 900 for facilitating reconciliation between reported transactions and physical notes stored in a cashbox to account for discrepancies that can result from virtual notes and / or other operations is depicted. The method 900 can be performed by one or more of the casino systems 200 discussed herein and / or other systems discussed and / or referenced herein. Figure 2 The method 900 can be performed by one or more of the casino systems 200 discussed herein and / or other systems discussed and / or referenced herein.

[0116] At operation 910, the electronic device (e.g., the count sorter 102 of the casino system 200) can receive the cashbox contents at docking. For example, the electronic device can receive the cashbox contents at docking of the cashbox contents to the electronic device, the count sorter, the delivery cart, and / or other components of the delivery processing system (e.g., the delivery processing device 107B of the casino system 200), etc. Figure 2 At operation 910, the electronic device (e.g., the count sorter 102 of the casino system 200) can receive the cashbox contents at docking. For example, the electronic device can receive the cashbox contents at docking of the cashbox contents to the electronic device, the count sorter, the delivery cart, and / or other components of the delivery processing system (e.g., the delivery processing device 107B of the casino system 200), etc. Figure 2 At operation 910, the electronic device (e.g., the count sorter 102 of the casino system 200) can receive the cashbox contents at docking. For example, the electronic device can receive the cashbox contents at docking of the cashbox contents to the electronic device, the count sorter, the delivery cart, and / or other components of the delivery processing system (e.g., the delivery processing device 107B of the casino system 200), etc.

[0117] At operation 920, the electronic device can count the contents. The flow can then proceed to operation 930, in which the electronic device can determine whether any discrepancies are detected between the counted cashbox contents and the reported contents of the cashbox. If no discrepancies are detected, the flow can proceed to operation 940, in which the electronic device can generate a report of the count results. Otherwise, the flow can proceed to operation 950.

[0118] At operation 950, for any discrepancies, the electronic device can reconcile with a server (e.g., the additional services server 107A of the casino system 200). For example, the electronic device can reconcile with the server to see whether there are any discrepancies related to virtual note transactions that would result in a larger number of expected notes than the number of physical notes counted in the contents of the cashbox. Figure 2 At operation 960, the electronic device can reconcile the counted contents with any discrepancies reported by the server. The flow can then proceed to operation 940, in which the electronic device can generate a report of the count results.

[0119] In various examples, the example method 900 can be implemented as a set of interrelated software modules or components that perform the various functions discussed herein. These software modules or components can be executed on a cloud network and / or by one or more electronic devices (e.g., the count sorter 102 of the casino system 200).

[0120] Figure 2 In various examples, the example method 900 can be implemented as a set of interrelated software modules or components that perform the various functions discussed herein. These software modules or components can be executed on a cloud network and / or by one or more electronic devices (e.g., the count sorter 102 of the casino system 200).

[0121] ​While the example method 900 is shown and described as including particular operations performed in a particular order, it should be understood that this is an example. In various implementations, various orders of the same, similar, and / or different operations can be performed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0122] For example, operation 920 is shown and described as counting the contents of the cashbox. However, it should be understood that this is an example. In various implementations, other operations can be included in the method 900. For example, in addition to counting, the contents of the cashbox can be sorted. Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0123] Figures 6-9 The methods 600-900 are shown and described as facilitating reconciliation between reported transactions and physical tickets stored in cashboxes to account for discrepancies that can result from virtual tickets and / or other operations. However, it should be understood that this is an example. As shown and described above, the casino system 200 can be used to facilitate reconciliation between reported transactions and physical tickets stored in cashboxes to account for discrepancies that can result from virtual tickets and / or other operations in addition to other operations.

[0124] For example, Figure 10 A flowchart illustrating a first example method 1000 for processing information related to the contents of a cashbox in a casino environment is depicted. The method 1000 can be performed by one or more of the casino system 200 Figure 2 and / or other systems discussed and / or referenced herein.

[0125] At operation 1010, an electronic device (e.g., the additional service server 107A of the casino system 200 Figure 2 may receive a notification of a cashbox switch. For example, a cashbox associated with a paper currency identifier and / or an electronic gaming machine can be removed, sent on a particular route to a cage to empty and process its contents, and replaced with another cashbox. The electronic device can receive a notification that the removal of the cashbox has been detected and / or that the cashbox has been replaced with another cashbox.

[0126] At operation 1020, the electronic device can receive data regarding the contents of the replaced cashbox. For example, the data can be received from a server, such as the additional service server 107A of the casino system 200 Figure 2 that monitors transactions related to the cashbox. By way of another example, the data can be received from a drop car and / or other component of a drop processing system, such as the drop processing device 107B of the casino system 200 Figure 2 As yet another example, the data can be received from a storage medium of the cashbox, which can be configured to store and / or communicate data regarding transactions related to the cashbox and / or the instruments received and / or stored therein.

[0127] At operation 1030, the electronic device can provide count sorting software information regarding the replacement cashbox being sent to the count sorting machine on a particular route. This information can include some or all of the data received in operation 1020. Such information can enable the count sorting software to prepare for the count sorting operation, predict operations to be performed as part of the reconciliation, organize the performance of the count sorting operation, allocate resources and / or personnel for performing the count sorting operation, send the replacement cashbox on a particular route, schedule the cashbox in and out of the cage, etc.

[0128] In various examples, the example method 1000 can be implemented as a set of interrelated software modules or components that perform the various functions discussed herein. These software modules or components can be executed on a cloud network and / or by one or more electronic devices (e.g., the additional services server 107 of the casino system 200). Figure 2

[0129] While the example method 1000 is shown and described as including particular operations performed in a particular order, it should be understood that this is an example. In various implementations, various orders of performing the same, similar, and / or different operations can be performed without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

[0130] For example, operation 1020 is shown and described as receiving data regarding the contents of the replacement cashbox. However, it should be understood that this is an example. In some implementations, the electronic device can already store data regarding the contents of the replacement cashbox. In such implementations, operation 1020 can be omitted. Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

[0131] As another example, Figure 11 An example method 1100 of reconciling reported transactions and physical tickets stored in a cashbox to account for discrepancies that can be caused by virtual tickets and / or other operations is described. The method 1100 can be performed by one or more of the casino system 200 of Figure 2 and / or other systems discussed and / or referenced herein.

[0132] At operation 1110, an electronic device (e.g., the count sorting machine 102 of the casino system 200) can receive the contents of the cashbox. At operation 1120, the electronic device can receive virtual ticket data related to the cashbox. At operation 1130, the electronic device can count the contents of the cashbox. At operation 1140, the electronic device can reconcile the count with the virtual ticket data. Figure 2

[0133] ​​For example, electronic devices can receive data indicating the number of virtual tickets that have been identified as relating to transactions associated with a cash box, or indicating that the number of tickets reported as received and / or stored in the cash box does not correspond to the number of physical tickets counted from the cash box. The reported number of tickets can be reconciled with the counted number of physical tickets by subtracting the number of virtual tickets. Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0134] In various examples, this example method 1100 can be implemented as a set of interrelated software modules or components performing the various functions discussed herein. These software modules or components may be located within a cloud network and / or comprised of one or more electronic devices (e.g., Figure 2 (Performed by one or more components of the counting and sorting machine 102).

[0135] Although example method 1100 is shown and described as including specific operations performed in a particular order, it should be understood that this is an example. In various embodiments, various orders in which the same, similar, and / or different operations may be performed without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0136] For example, operation 1130 is shown and described as counting the contents of the cash drawer. However, it should be understood that this is an example. In some embodiments, the electronic device may receive the result of counting the contents of the cash drawer, rather than counting the contents of the cash drawer itself. Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0137] In another example, the storage medium associated with cash box 227 and Figure 2 The additional service server 107A can monitor and store information about the contents of the cash drawer 227. However, the additional service server 107A and / or peripheral adapter 225 (and / or network 223 and / or other components) may be unavailable at different times. This can lead to inconsistencies between the information stored in the storage medium associated with the cash drawer 227 and the information stored in the additional service server 107A about the contents of the cash drawer 227. In some implementations, the cash drawer 227 can be disabled when the additional service server 107A and / or peripheral adapter 225 is unavailable (e.g., by being disabled itself when it cannot communicate with the additional service server 107A and / or peripheral adapter 225, by receiving a disable instruction when the additional service server 107A and / or peripheral adapter 225 is unavailable, etc.).

[0138] In other embodiments, the cashbox 227 can continue to operate when the additional service server 107A and / or the peripheral adapter 225 are unavailable. In such embodiments, the information stored in the storage medium associated with the cashbox 227 can be more accurate than the information stored by the additional service server 107A because the information stored in the storage medium associated with the cashbox 227 records transactions associated therewith that were not recorded by the additional service server 107A due to the additional service server 107A and / or the peripheral adapter 225 being unavailable. As such, the information stored in the storage medium associated with the cashbox 227 can be used to correct the information stored by the additional service server 107A.

[0139] By way of illustration, Figure 12 A flowchart illustrating a second example method 1200 for processing information related to the contents of a cashbox in a casino environment is depicted. The method 1200 can be performed by one or more of the casino system 200 of Figure 2 and / or other systems discussed and / or referenced herein.

[0140] At operation 1210, an electronic device (e.g., the additional service server 107A of Figure 2 can interface with a cashbox for counting and / or transport to a cage. This can include detecting that the cashbox has been interfaced, instructing components to perform the interfacing, etc. At operation 1220, the electronic device can receive cashbox data regarding the contents of the cashbox. At operation 1230, the electronic device can receive server monitoring data regarding transactions involving the cashbox. At operation 1240, the electronic device can correct the server monitoring data using the cashbox data.

[0141] For example, the server monitoring data can lack information present in the cashbox data related to transactions performed while the server was unavailable. As such, the server monitoring data can be corrected by adding the missing information from the cashbox data to the server monitoring data. Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0142] In various examples, the example method 1200 can be embodied as a set of interrelated software modules or components that perform various functions discussed herein. These software modules or components can be executed within a cloud network and / or by one or more electronic devices (e.g., the additional service server 107 of Figure 2 ).

[0143] While the example method 1200 is illustrated and described as including particular operations performed in a particular order, it will be appreciated that this is an example. In various embodiments, various orders of performing the same, similar, and / or different operations can be performed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0144] For example, operation 1210 is shown and described as an electronic device that docks with the cash drawer. However, it should be understood that this is an example. In some implementations, operation 1220 may be omitted. Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0145] As another example, method 1200 is shown and described as using cash box data to correct server monitoring data. However, it should be understood that this is an example. In other implementations, server monitoring data may be used instead to correct the cash box data. Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0146] As usable Figure 2 Another example of the functionality performed by the casino system 200 is that the cash drawer can be associated with and / or unassociated with a specific gaming machine 224, a banknote reader 226, and / or a gaming cabinet 222 and / or other components. In many systems, the cash drawer can be manually paired with gaming machines, banknote readers, and / or other components. The cash drawer may require manual unpairing and / or maintenance before it can be used with another machine.

[0147] However, in various implementations, asset identifiers and / or other identifiers may be associated with cash drawer 227 (stored in the storage medium of cash drawer 227 via an add-on service server 107A, etc.) and game console 224, game cabinet 222, peripheral adapter 225, banknote reader 226, etc. These asset identifiers may be assigned, stored, and / or associated when cash drawer 227 is connected to and / or otherwise associated with banknote reader 226 and / or other components. During cash drawer 227 processing, the asset identifier may be erased (e.g., by erasing the asset identifier from the storage medium of cash drawer 227 and / or via add-on service server 107A) and / or deassociated with cash drawer 227 (e.g., by connecting to other components of delivery vehicle and / or delivery processing system 107B, delivering the contents of cash drawer 227 to counting and sorting machine 102, etc.). Then, the cash box 207 can be used with another game console 224, game cabinet 222, peripheral adapter 225, banknote reader 226, etc., so that another asset identifier can be assigned (which can be stored in the storage medium of the cash box 227 by an additional service server 107A, etc.). Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0148] As an explanation, Figure 13 A flowchart illustrating an example method 1300 for configuring a money box to be used with a game console is described. Method 1300 can be... Figure 2 The casino system 200 and / or one or more of the other systems discussed and / or referenced herein shall be used to perform this.

[0149] At operation 1310, an electronic device (e.g. Figure 2 The delivery processing system 107B, the bill acceptor 226, the additional service server 107A, and / or one or more components of the count sorter 102) can dock the cashbox. Docking can involve obtaining cashbox data from the cashbox. At operation 1320, the electronic device can erase the cashbox data. At operation 1330, the electronic device can detect a connection between the cashbox and the bill acceptor. At operation 1340, the electronic device can assign an asset identifier and / or other identifier or asset number to the cashbox to associate which cashbox with the bill acceptor and / or related gaming machine or component.

[0150] For example, the system can dock a cashbox with a delivery cart of a delivery processing system (e.g. Figure 2 The delivery processing system 107B) of the delivery processing system 107B. The system can read the cashbox data, remove the contents in the cashbox, erase the cashbox data from the cashbox, and deliver the cashbox for use by another gaming machine. When the cashbox is connected to a bill acceptor associated with the new gaming machine, a new asset identifier can be associated with the cashbox, stored in the cashbox data of the cashbox, and / or updated in records stored by the additional service server 107A. Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0151] In various examples, the example method 1300 can be implemented as a set of interrelated software modules or components that perform various functions discussed herein. These software modules or components can be executed within a cloud network and / or by one or more electronic devices (e.g. Figure 2 The delivery processing system 107B, the bill acceptor 226, the additional service server 107A, and / or one or more components of the count sorter 102).

[0152] While the example method 1300 is shown and described as including particular operations performed in a particular order, it should be understood that this is an example. In various implementations, various orders of performing the same, similar, and / or different operations can be performed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0153] For example, the method 1300 is shown as including operations 1310 and 1320. However, it should be understood that this is an example. In some implementations, another electronic device can perform operations 1310, 1320, and / or similar operations, and the method 1300 can omit operations 1310 and / or 1320. Various configurations are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0154] In various implementations, a system for processing output of at least one counting sorter can include at least one movement mechanism, at least one data source, and at least one controller. The at least one controller can receive data regarding moneybox instruments provided to the at least one counting sorter from the at least one data source, use the data to determine a combination of moneybox instruments for an output container, and operate the at least one movement mechanism to move at least a portion of the moneybox instruments from the at least one counting sorter to the output container based on the combination.

[0155] In some examples, the at least one movement mechanism can include a conveyor. In various examples, the at least one movement mechanism can include a linear robot. In some examples, the at least one controller can move the portion of the moneybox instruments after the portion of the moneybox instruments is bundled.

[0156] In several examples, the combination can include a first quantity of a first currency denomination and a second quantity of a second currency denomination. In some examples, the combination can be associated with a total currency value.

[0157] In various examples, the at least one controller can communicate the combination to at least one machine-readable storage medium associated with the output container.

[0158] In some embodiments, a system for processing output of at least one counting sorter can include at least one movement mechanism, at least one sensor, and at least one controller. The at least one controller can determine a combination of moneybox instruments for an output container using data regarding moneybox instruments provided to the at least one counting sorter using the data, use the at least one sensor to identify at least a portion of the moneybox instruments output by the at least one counting sorter, and operate the at least one movement mechanism to move the portion of the moneybox instruments from the at least one counting sorter to the output container to achieve the combination.

[0159] In various examples, the at least one sensor can be a camera. In some implementations of these examples, the at least one controller can identify the portion of the moneybox instruments using optical character recognition performed on at least one image of the portion of the moneybox instruments obtained via the camera.

[0160] In some examples, the at least one controller can identify the portion of the moneybox instruments by identifying at least one currency denomination associated with the portion of the moneybox instruments. In various examples, the at least one controller can identify the portion of the moneybox instruments by identifying at least one serial number associated with the portion of the moneybox instruments.

[0161] In some examples, the at least one controller can identify the portion of the moneybox document by identifying at least one security feature associated with the portion of the moneybox document. In some implementations of these examples, the at least one security feature can include at least one of an infrared band or an ultraviolet band.

[0162] In some embodiments, a system to process outputs of at least one counting sorter can include at least one moving mechanism, at least one sensor, and at least one controller. The at least one controller can use the at least one sensor to identify at least one portion of a moneybox document output by the at least one counting sorter and operate the at least one moving mechanism to move the portion of the moneybox document from the at least one counting sorter to an output receptacle based on a combination determined using data about moneybox documents provided to the at least one counting sorter.

[0163] In various examples, after the output receptacle contains the combination, the at least one controller can use at least one locking mechanism to lock the output receptacle. In some examples, the at least one controller can identify the portion of the moneybox document by determining which of a plurality of output ports of the at least one counting sorter output the portion of the moneybox document.

[0164] In some examples, the at least one controller can identify the portion of the moneybox document by using the at least one sensor to obtain identification data from at least one machine-readable element associated with at least one strip that wraps at least a portion of the portion of the moneybox document. In some implementations of these examples, the at least one machine-readable element includes at least one barcode.

[0165] In various examples, the combination can be associated with a total number of currency denominations.

[0166] While the foregoing describes a number of different embodiments, it should be understood that various techniques from the different embodiments can be combined in other embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Various implementations are possible and contemplated.

[0167] As described above and as shown in the accompanying drawings, the present invention relates to processing outputs of at least one counting sorter. In determining one or more combinations of moneybox documents of one or more output receptacles, data about moneybox documents provided to the at least one counting sorter is evaluated. One or more moving mechanisms are operated to move at least a portion of the moneybox documents from one or more output ports of the at least one counting sorter to the one or more output receptacles based on the combinations.

[0168] In this disclosure, the disclosed methods can be implemented as sets of instructions or software readable by a device. Further, it is to be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed are examples of sample methods. In other embodiments, the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the method can be re-arranged while remaining within the scope of the disclosed subject matter. The accompanying method claims present elements of the various steps in a sample order, and are not necessarily meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0169] The described disclosure can be provided as a computer program product, or software, that can include a non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that can be used to program a computer system (or other electronic device) to perform a process according to the present disclosure. A non-transitory machine-readable medium includes any mechanism for storing information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). The non-transitory machine-readable medium can take the form of, but is not limited to, magnetic storage medium (e.g., floppy disks); optical storage medium (e.g., CD-ROM); magneto-optical storage medium; read only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); erasable programmable memory (e.g., EPROM and EEPROM); flash memory; and the like.

[0170] For the purposes of explanation, specific nomenclature has been used in the preceding description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments described. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the specific nomenclature is not required in practice of the embodiments described. Thus, the foregoing description of specific embodiments presented herein is presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.

Claims

1. A system for processing output of at least one counting sorter, comprising: at least one moving mechanism; at least one data source; and at least one controller that: receives data from the at least one data source regarding a number of banknotes of respective currency denominations provided to the at least one counting sorter; determines, using the data, a combination of numbers of banknotes of respective currency denominations that satisfies a total currency value for an output container; bundles the combination of numbers of banknotes; operates the at least one moving mechanism to move a portion of the bundled banknotes from the at least one counting sorter to the output container, transmits the combination to at least one machine-readable storage medium associated with the output container. The at least one moving mechanism comprises a conveyor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein, The at least one moving mechanism comprises a linear robot that moves at least a portion of the banknotes to the output container.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein, The at least one controller moves the portion of the banknotes after the portion of the banknotes is bundled.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein, The combination comprises:

5. The system of claim 1, wherein, a first number of a first type of currency denomination; and a second number of a second type of currency denomination.

6. A system for processing output of at least one counting sorter, comprising: at least one moving mechanism; at least one sensor; and at least one controller that: determines, using data regarding a number of banknotes of respective currency denominations provided to the at least one counting sorter, a combination of numbers of banknotes of respective currency denominations that satisfies a total currency value for an output container using the data; bundles the combination of numbers of banknotes; identifies, using the at least one sensor, a portion of the combination of banknotes output by the at least one counting sorter; and operates the at least one moving mechanism to move the portion of the bundled banknotes from the at least one counting sorter to the output container. The at least one sensor comprises a camera. The at least one controller identifies the portion of the banknotes using optical character recognition performed on at least one image of the portion of the banknotes obtained via the camera. The at least one controller identifies the portion of the banknotes by identifying at least one currency denomination associated with the portion of the banknotes.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein, The at least one controller identifies the portion of the banknotes by identifying at least one serial number associated with the portion of the banknotes.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein, The at least one controller identifies the portion of the banknotes by identifying at least one security feature associated with the portion of the banknotes.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein, The at least one security feature comprises at least one of:

10. The system of claim 6, wherein, an infrared band; or 11. The system of claim 6, wherein, an ultraviolet band.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein, 13. A system for processing output of at least one counting sorter, comprising: at least one moving mechanism; at least one sensor; and at least one controller that: ​ ​ ​ ​ identifying a portion of currency notes output by the at least one counting sorter by using at least one sensor to obtain identification data from at least one machine-readable element associated with at least one band that wraps at least a portion of the portion of the currency notes, operating the at least one moving mechanism to move the portion of the currency notes from the at least one counting sorter to an output receptacle based on a combination determined using data regarding a number of currency notes of respective currency denominations that satisfy a total currency value provided to the at least one counting sorter.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein, locking the output receptacle using at least one locking mechanism after the output receptacle contains the combination.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein, identifying the portion of the currency notes by determining which of a plurality of output ports of the at least one counting sorter outputs the portion of the currency notes.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein, the at least one machine-readable element comprises at least one barcode.

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