Money processor

Abstract

To provide a money processor capable of performing medium exchange of exchanging a little deterioration medium, the degree of deterioration of which is small, with a micro deterioration medium the degree of deterioration of which is further smaller.SOLUTION: A medium exchange control unit 52 shifts to a medium exchange mode in response to an instruction sent from an operation display part 30 of a POS register apparatus PR which is an upper-level machine or an automatic change machine 1, and discriminates and stores an inserted medium in the medium exchange mode. On the other hand, a medium of the same amount of money is outputted from among media already stored in a storage chamber for payment, and the inserted medium is not outputted but is retained in the automatic change machine 1. Thus, medium exchange is achieved.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a money processing device capable of media exchange, in which a slightly deteriorated medium is exchanged for a slightly deteriorated medium, which is even less deteriorated. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, money processing devices as automatic change dispensers have been installed in stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores. These money processing devices are usually connected to a higher-level device such as a POS register, and perform deposit and withdrawal operations of money such as coins and banknotes in response to instructions from the higher-level device (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-120819 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Sales proceeds from convenience stores and other establishments are transferred using ATMs (Automatic Teller Machines) within the store. However, because these ATMs have higher identification accuracy than the change dispensers connected to POS registers, media accepted as genuine by the change dispensers cannot be used for transfers via the ATM, and it is necessary to exchange them for cash on hand.

[0005] The media that ATMs would not accept were those that had been visually inspected and were in circulation without any problems, but had deteriorated to a degree that created a dilemma: customers could not refuse to accept them, but the media could not be deposited into the ATM when transferring money.Furthermore, even if the media was exchanged for cash that the clerk had on hand and transferred, it had to be brought back to the bank at a later date to be exchanged, which was a hassle.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a money processing device that allows for media replacement, whereby slightly deteriorated media, which have a small degree of deterioration, are replaced with slightly deteriorated media, which have an even smaller degree of deterioration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the money processing device of the present invention is a money processing device that identifies the inserted medium and stores it in a storage cabinet corresponding to the denomination, and when withdrawing money, it feeds out the medium from the appropriate storage cabinet and dispenses it, and is characterized in that it switches to a medium exchange mode in response to an instruction from a host machine or the operation unit of the money processing device, and during this medium exchange mode, it identifies and stores the inserted medium, while dispensing media of the same denomination from media already stored in a storage cabinet for withdrawals, and the inserted medium is not dispensed but is instead evacuated within the money processing device and medium exchange is performed.

[0008] In addition, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, at the time when an instruction to end the medium exchange mode is received, media of the same denomination as the multiple media inserted during the medium exchange mode are dispensed from media already stored in a withdrawal storage cabinet, and the inserted media are not dispensed but are instead stored inside the money processing device to perform medium exchange.

[0009] In the above invention, the media stored in the money processing device may be transported to a cash storage cabinet after the media has been replaced and money has been dispensed.

[0010] In the present invention, in the above invention, the medium saved in the money processing device is dispensed in response to an exchange medium dispensing instruction.

[0011] Furthermore, in the present invention, in the above invention, the money processing device is incorporated into a semi-self-service register where a store clerk registers merchandise and a customer hands over money, and in addition to the medium exchange mode, has a store clerk mode in which the identification accuracy of the validator is lowered below the standard identification accuracy by operation of the store clerk, and when a customer deposits money, the identification accuracy of the validator is raised above the standard identification accuracy, and the medium inserted when the customer deposits money is stored in a storage cabinet separate from the storage cabinet from which change is dispensed.

[0012] In addition, the present invention, in the above invention, further comprises a dirt identification unit that uses the identification data from the identification unit to determine whether the dirt level of the medium is above a predetermined threshold, and a dedicated storage cabinet for dirty media that stores media whose dirt level is above the predetermined threshold, and when media is deposited, media whose dirt level is above the predetermined threshold are stored in the dedicated storage cabinet for dirty media of the corresponding denomination as media for evacuation, and media whose dirt level is below the predetermined threshold are stored in a storage cabinet for the corresponding denomination as media already stored in a storage cabinet for withdrawal, and in the media exchange mode, the deposited media are stored in the dedicated storage cabinet for dirty media or the storage cabinet depending on their dirt level, and media of the same denomination are withdrawn from the storage cabinet. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to exchange a medium that has deteriorated only slightly with a medium that has deteriorated even less. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a money handling device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of a cash register system including a money processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the coin storage unit shown in FIGS. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the banknote storage unit shown in FIGS. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram comparing the sensor arrangement of the validation sensors in the bill validation unit and the validation sensors in the ATM. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a banknote with a chipped corner. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows an example of a banknote repaired with tape. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 shows an example of a banknote with many wrinkles. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a medium exchange operation (part 1). [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of the medium exchange operation (part 2). [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a medium exchange operation (part 3). [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a medium exchange mode processing procedure performed by the medium exchange control unit of the second modification. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the flow of banknotes in the banknote storage unit according to the third modification. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the configuration and operation of a banknote storage unit of an automatic change dispenser according to the fourth modification. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a deposit process procedure for the banknote storage unit of the fourth modification. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a change dispensing process procedure for the banknote storage unit of the fourth modification. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the sales collection process for the banknote storage unit of the fourth modification. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a money processing device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a money processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of a cash register system including the money processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Coins and banknotes may also be collectively referred to as currency, money, or media.

[0017] The money processing device exemplified here will be described as an automatic change dispenser 1 that forms a register system by being connected to a POS (Point Of Sales) register PR as a higher-level device in a store such as a supermarket or convenience store. The automatic change dispenser 1 is configured to include a device main body 1a, a coin storage unit 10, a banknote storage unit 20, an operation and display unit 30, a communication processing unit 40, a control unit 50, and a memory unit 60.

[0018] The device main body 1a is a box-shaped housing with an opening (not shown) on the front, and houses the coin storage unit 10 and the banknote storage unit 20 adjacent to each other on the left and right, with the front portions of the coin storage unit 10 and the banknote storage unit 20 exposed through the opening.

[0019] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the coin storage unit 10 shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the coin storage unit 10 is configured to include a coin deposit port 11, a coin withdrawal port 12, and a coin transport mechanism 13.

[0020] The coin deposit port 11 is provided on the upper right side of the front portion of the coin storage unit 10 and is an opening for receiving inserted coins. This coin deposit port 11 has the function of temporarily holding deposits from users such as customers.

[0021] The coin outlet 12 is provided on the front left side of the front part. This coin outlet 12 is an opening for dispensing coins stored inside, and dispenses coins into a dispensing tray 17 attached to the front of the front part.

[0022] The coin transport mechanism 13 is connected to the control unit 50 and has a deposit transport unit 31, a temporary holding unit 32, a coin sorting unit 33, a coin storage box 34, a withdrawal transport unit 35, and a switching gate group 36.

[0023] The deposit transport unit 31 transports coins that are inserted through the coin insertion slot 11 and detected by an insertion detection sensor (not shown), and is provided with a coin validation unit 14. The coin validation unit 14 functions as a coin discrimination sensor, discriminating between genuine and counterfeit coins and counting the number of coins of each denomination. The validation results from this coin validation unit 14 are sent to the control unit 50 as a signal.

[0024] The temporary storage unit 32 temporarily stores coins that have been identified as genuine by the coin validation unit 14. The coin sorting unit 33 sorts the coins that have been stored in the temporary storage unit 32 and then transported, by denomination.

[0025] The coin storage cabinets 34 are provided for each denomination and store coins sorted by the coin sorting unit 33. There are six coin storage cabinets 34, arranged in order from the front: a 1-yen coin storage cabinet 34a, a 50-yen coin storage cabinet 34b, a 5-yen coin storage cabinet 34c, a 100-yen coin storage cabinet 34d, a 10-yen coin storage cabinet 34e, and a 500-yen coin storage cabinet 34f. Each coin storage cabinet 34 stores inserted coins individually by denomination. Each coin storage cabinet 34 also has the function of dispensing the stored coins in response to instructions given by the control unit 50.

[0026] A sorting and counting unit S1 (S1a to S1f) is provided between the 1 yen coin storage 34a, the 50 yen coin storage 34b, the 5 yen coin storage 34c, the 100 yen coin storage 34d, the 10 yen coin storage 34e, the 500 yen coin storage 34f and the coin sorting unit 33. The sorting and counting unit S1 counts the number of sorted coins. The counting result in the sorting and counting unit S1 is sent to the control unit 50 as a signal.

[0027] The dispensing transport unit 35 transports coins dispensed from the coin storage box 34 forward. In other words, the dispensing transport unit 35 transports coins dispensed from the coin storage box 34 forward.

[0028] Dispense identification units S2 (S2a to S2f) are provided between the 1 yen coin storage box 34a, the 50 yen coin storage box 34b, the 5 yen coin storage box 34c, the 100 yen coin storage box 34d, the 10 yen coin storage box 34e, the 500 yen coin storage box 34f and the dispensing transport unit 35. The dispense identification unit S2 identifies whether or not the dispensed coin is of its own denomination. The identification result at this dispense identification unit S2 is sent to the control unit 50 as a signal.

[0029] The switching gate group 36 includes a first switching gate 36a, a second switching gate 36b, and a third switching gate 36c. The first switching gate 36a is provided downstream in the conveying direction of the deposit conveying unit 31. The first switching gate 36a is capable of selectively switching between a state in which coins conveyed by the deposit conveying unit 31 are conveyed to the temporary holding unit 32, and a state in which the coins are conveyed to the coin withdrawal port 12.

[0030] The second switching gate 36b is provided downstream in the transport direction of the temporary storage section 32. This second switching gate 36b is capable of selectively switching between a state in which coins stored in the temporary storage section 32 are sent to the coin sorting section 33 and a state in which the coins are sent to the coin return opening 37. In a normal state, the second switching gate 36b is in a state in which coins stored in the temporary storage section 32 are sent to the coin sorting section 33. The coin return opening 37 is provided on the front right side of the front part of the coin storage unit, and is an opening for returning coins.

[0031] The third switching gate 36c is provided downstream in the transport direction of the dispensing transport section 35. This third switching gate 36c is capable of selectively switching between a transport state in which coins transported by the dispensing transport section 35 are transported to the coin withdrawal port 12, and a circulation state in which the coins are transported to the temporary storage section 32. The third switching gate 36c is normally in the transport state.

[0032] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the banknote storage unit 20 shown in Figures 1 and 2. The banknote storage unit 20 shown here has a banknote deposit port 21 for inserting banknotes and a banknote withdrawal port 22 for dispensing stored banknotes as change formed in the front part. In addition, the front part of a collection box 23 that is provided in a removable state is exposed at the bottom of the front part of the banknote storage unit 20.

[0033] Such a banknote storage unit 20 is configured to include a banknote deposit port 21, a banknote withdrawal port 22, and a collection box 23, as well as a banknote storage box 24, an inspection box 25, a banknote transport mechanism 26, a banknote validation section 27, and a banknote discrimination section 28.

[0034] The banknote storage vault 24 has a 1,000 yen banknote storage vault 24a and a mixing vault 24b. The 1,000 yen banknote storage vault 24a stores 1,000 yen banknotes, which are frequently used. This 1,000 yen banknote storage vault 24a is provided with a motor M71 that dispenses 1,000 yen banknotes. The mixing vault 24b is provided behind the 1,000 yen banknote storage vault 24a, i.e., is located further away from the banknote deposit port 21 and the banknote withdrawal port 22 than the 1,000 yen banknote storage vault 24a. This mixing vault 24b mainly stores 5,000 yen banknotes and 10,000 yen banknotes. This mixing vault 24b is provided with a motor M72 that dispenses 5,000 yen banknotes or 10,000 yen banknotes.

[0035] The reconciliation box 25 is provided further forward than the 1,000 yen banknote storage box 24a, i.e., closer to the banknote deposit port 21 and the banknote withdrawal port 22 than the 1,000 yen banknote storage box 24a. This reconciliation box 25 temporarily stores banknotes during a reconciliation operation in which the banknotes stored in the 1,000 yen banknote storage box 24a and the mixed storage box 24b are temporarily emptied and the number of banknotes stored in each banknote storage box 24 is recounted. The reconciliation box 25 is provided with a motor M73 that feeds out the banknotes that are temporarily stored.

[0036] The banknote transport mechanism 26 connects the banknote deposit port 21, the banknote withdrawal port 22, the collection box 23, the banknote storage box 24, and the inspection box 25, and transports banknotes by driving a transport drive motor M74. This transport drive motor M74 is driven in response to instructions from the control unit 50.

[0037] On the transport path of this banknote transport mechanism 26, a switching gate G75 is arranged at the entrance to the reconciliation storehouse 25, a switching gate G76 is arranged at the entrance to the 1,000 yen banknote storage storehouse 24a, and a switching gate G77 is arranged at the entrance to the mixed storehouse 24b.

[0038] The banknote validator 27 is provided on the transport path of banknotes deposited through the banknote deposit slot 21, and counts the number of deposited banknotes while validating their authenticity and denomination. The validation results from the banknote validator 27 are sent to the control unit 50 as a signal.

[0039] The banknote validator 28 is provided on the transport path between the reconciliation box 25 and the 1,000 yen banknote storage, and counts the number of banknotes while discriminating the denominations of the banknotes dispensed from each banknote storage box 24. The discrimination result by the banknote validator 28 is sent to the control unit 50 as a signal.

[0040] The operation and display unit 30 is provided on the left side of the top front surface of the coin storage unit 10. This operation and display unit 30 covers the entire automatic change dispenser 1 including the coin storage unit 10 and the banknote storage unit 20, and is equipped with a display unit 30a and an operation unit 30b. The display unit 30a is used to display various information to the operator and is configured, for example, by a liquid crystal display. The operation unit 30b is used by the operator to input various instructions and is configured, for example, by a plurality of push button switches. The communication processing unit 40 performs communication control processing with the POS register device PR.

[0041] The control unit 50 comprehensively controls the operation of each unit of the automatic change machine 1 in accordance with the programs and data stored in the memory unit 60. The control unit 50 includes a money deposit / withdrawal control unit 51 and a medium exchange control unit 52.

[0042] The deposit / withdrawal control unit 51 performs a money deposit operation in accordance with the deposit permission instruction when money (coins or banknotes) is inserted after receiving a deposit permission instruction from the POS register PR, and performs a money withdrawal operation in accordance with the withdrawal instruction when receiving a withdrawal instruction from the POS register PR. While performing these deposit and withdrawal operations, the deposit / withdrawal control unit 51 also performs a process of sequentially storing the details of the performed deposit and withdrawal operations as deposit / withdrawal information 61 in the memory unit 60. Note that the reconciliation information 62 is information resulting from the reconciliation operation that reconciles the amount of money stored in the storage vaults (coin storage vault 34 and banknote storage vault 24) in accordance with a reconciliation start instruction from the POS register PR.

[0043] The medium exchange control unit 52 enters a medium exchange mode in response to an instruction from the POS register device PR or the operation display unit 30 of the automatic change machine 1, and during this medium exchange mode, it identifies and stores the inserted medium, while dispensing media of the same denomination from media already stored in the dispensing storage cabinet, and stores the inserted medium inside the automatic change machine 1 without dispensing it, thereby performing a medium exchange.

[0044] When a deposit permission instruction is received from the POS register PR via the communication processing unit 40, the deposit / withdrawal control unit 51 of the control unit 50 transitions the automatic change dispenser 1 from a standby state to a deposit permission state, and monitors the deposit into the coin deposit port 11 and the banknote deposit port 21 via an insertion detection sensor (not shown). When a deposit is made through the coin deposit port 11 or the banknote deposit port 21, the deposit / withdrawal control unit 51 validates the inserted money via the coin validation unit 14 or the banknote validation unit 27, transports the money to the corresponding coin storage box 34 or banknote storage box 24 in accordance with the validation result, and monitors whether or not there is a deposit amount request from the POS register PR via the communication processing unit 40. When there is a deposit amount request, the deposit / withdrawal control unit 51 transmits information regarding the current deposit amount to the POS register PR via the communication processing unit 40, and then determines whether or not there is a deposit end instruction from the POS register PR. When a deposit end instruction is received from the POS register PR, the deposit / withdrawal control unit 51 sets the automatic change dispenser 1 to a deposit prohibition state, and then monitors whether or not a withdrawal instruction is received from the POS register PR.

[0045] When a withdrawal instruction is given from the POS register device PR, the deposit / withdrawal control unit 51 transports the money stored in the coin storage box 34 or the banknote storage box 24 to the coin withdrawal port 12 or the banknote withdrawal port 22 as change and dispenses it, completing the deposit / withdrawal operation and transitioning to a standby state.

[0046] <Medium exchange mode> Fig. 5 is a diagram comparing the sensor arrangement of the discrimination sensor S11 of the banknote discrimination unit 27 and the discrimination sensor S12 of an ATM. Fig. 5(b) shows the sensor arrangement of the discrimination sensor S11 of the banknote discrimination unit 27, and Fig. 5(c) shows the sensor arrangement of the discrimination sensor S12 of an ATM. The discrimination sensor S12 of the ATM is arranged at a high density over the entire surface, whereas the discrimination sensor S11 of the banknote discrimination unit 27 is arranged at a selective low density. As a result, the discrimination sensor S11 of the banknote discrimination unit 27 has a high discrimination accuracy for banknote B1, while the discrimination sensor S11 of the ATM has a low discrimination accuracy for banknote B1.

[0047] For this reason, the banknote validator 27 will distinguish, for example, banknote B2 with a chipped corner 101 shown in Fig. 6, banknote B3 repaired with tape 102 shown in Fig. 7, and banknote B4 with many wrinkles 103 shown in Fig. 8 as genuine notes, but the validation sensor of the ATM will distinguish banknotes B2 to B4 as counterfeit notes. Therefore, even if you collect the media in the automatic change dispenser 1 for use in sales remittance and try to remit them from the ATM, banknotes B2 to B4 will not be accepted and you will not be able to remit them from the ATM.

[0048] Typically, the banknote storage vault 24 stores in advance surplus banknotes (slightly deteriorated banknotes) that are even less deteriorated than banknotes with a small degree of deterioration such as banknotes B2 to B4 (slightly deteriorated banknotes), and these surplus banknotes are deteriorated to the extent that they can be transferred via ATM.

[0049] Therefore, in this embodiment, when a medium exchange mode instruction is received, the medium exchange control unit 52 transitions to the medium exchange mode as described above. During the medium exchange mode, the inserted medium is identified and stored, while a medium of the same denomination is dispensed from the media already stored in the dispensing storage, and the inserted medium is not dispensed but is instead retreated into the automatic change dispenser 1 to perform a medium exchange. Through this medium exchange, for example, a slightly deteriorated banknote is exchanged for a slightly deteriorated banknote. Although slightly deteriorated banknotes may become mixed in the banknote storage 24 during deposit and withdrawal processes, there is a high probability that they can be exchanged for a slightly deteriorated banknote. Note that if the exchanged banknote cannot be retransmitted at the ATM, the medium exchange can be repeated.

[0050] <Example of media exchange operation> 7 to 9 are explanatory diagrams illustrating an example of the medium exchange operation. Note that banknote B10 is a slightly deteriorated banknote (thousand-yen banknote) that has been inserted, and banknote B20 is a slightly deteriorated banknote (thousand-yen banknote) that has been stored in the banknote storage vault 24.

[0051] First, as shown in FIGS. 7(a) to 7(c), when banknote B10 is inserted through the banknote deposit slot 21, it is validated by the banknote validator 27 and stored in the reconciliation box 25 via the banknote transport mechanism 26. Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b), banknote B20 of the same denomination that has been stored in the 1000 yen banknote storage box 24a is fed to the banknote transport mechanism 26 and dispensed from the banknote withdrawal port 22. Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 8(c), 9(a), and 9(b), banknote B10 that has been saved in the reconciliation box 25 is fed to the banknote transport mechanism 26 and stored in the 1000 yen banknote storage box 24a of the same denomination. This completes the medium exchange between banknote B10 and banknote B20.

[0052] <Medium exchange mode processing> Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the medium exchange mode processing procedure by the medium exchange control unit 52. As shown in Fig. 10, the medium exchange control unit 52 determines whether or not a medium exchange mode instruction has been given (step S101). If a medium exchange mode instruction has not been given (step S101: No), this determination process is repeated. On the other hand, if a medium exchange mode instruction has been given (step S101: Yes), the inserted banknotes are identified and stored (step S102), and further, previously stored banknotes of the same denomination are dispensed (step S103).

[0053] Thereafter, it is determined whether or not an instruction to end the medium change mode has been given (step S104). If an instruction to end the medium change mode has not been given (step S104: No), the process proceeds to step S102, and the processes of steps S102 and S103 are repeated. On the other hand, if an instruction to end the medium change mode has been given (step S104: Yes), this process ends.

[0054] <Variation 1> Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing the medium change mode processing procedure by the medium change control unit 52 of Modification 1. As shown in Fig. 11, the medium change control unit 52 determines whether or not a medium change mode instruction has been given (step S201). If a medium change mode instruction has not been given (step S201: No), this determination process is repeated. On the other hand, if a medium change mode instruction has been given (step S201: Yes), the inserted banknote is identified and stored (step S202).

[0055] Thereafter, it is determined whether or not an instruction to end the medium change mode has been given (step S203). If an instruction to end the medium change mode has not been given (step S203: No), the process proceeds to step S202 and repeats the processing of step S202. On the other hand, if an instruction to end the medium change mode has been given (step S203: Yes), already-stored banknotes of the same denomination corresponding to all banknotes inserted up until the instruction to end the medium change mode is given are dispensed (step S204), and this processing ends.

[0056] In this first modification, the medium exchange of a plurality of inserted banknotes can be performed all at once by issuing an instruction to end the medium exchange mode.

[0057] <Variation 2> 12 is a flowchart showing the medium exchange mode processing procedure by the medium exchange control unit 52 of Modification 2. First, the processing of steps S301 to S304 corresponding to steps S201 to S204 of Modification 1 is performed. As a result, all inserted banknotes undergo medium exchange.

[0058] Thereafter, it is determined whether or not an exchange medium withdrawal instruction has been received (step S305). If there is no exchange medium withdrawal instruction (step S305: No), this process ends. If there is an exchange medium withdrawal instruction (step S305: Yes), the inserted stored banknotes (slightly deteriorated banknotes) are dispensed as change (step S306), and this process ends.

[0059] As a result, slightly deteriorated banknotes with a bad degree of damage are discharged as change, and therefore the probability that the banknotes stored in the automatic change dispenser 1 will be slightly deteriorated banknotes with a good degree of damage is increased.

[0060] In step S306, instead of dispensing the bills as change and handing them over to the customer, the bank may collect all of the slightly deteriorated bills in response to an exchange medium dispensing instruction. All of the collected bills can be exchanged for slightly deteriorated bills at the bank.

[0061] <Variation 3> 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the flow of banknotes in the banknote storage unit 20 according to Modification 3. First, in Modification 3, the automatic change dispenser 1 is incorporated into a semi-self-service register where a store clerk registers merchandise using a POS register device PR and where a customer gives and receives money.

[0062] In addition to the medium exchange mode, the banknote validator 27 has a clerk mode that can be operated by a clerk to lower the recognition accuracy of the banknote validator 27 below a preset standard recognition accuracy. This clerk mode is intended for a clerk to specify the clerk mode and deposit banknotes that were not accepted as deposits by a customer, and for this reason the recognition accuracy is lowered. On the other hand, when a customer deposits banknotes without specifying the clerk mode, the recognition accuracy of the banknote validator 27 is set higher than the standard recognition accuracy. Furthermore, banknotes inserted by customers are stored in a storage cabinet (for example, the reconciliation cabinet 25) separate from the storage cabinet that dispenses banknotes inserted in the clerk mode.

[0063] Specifically, as shown in Figure 13, banknotes inserted by a customer are validated with high identification accuracy, stored in the reconciliation box 25, and then removed without being dispensed. On the other hand, banknotes deposited by a store clerk specifying the store clerk mode are stored in the banknote storage box 24, and then dispensed as change. Note that when the storage box (banknote storage box 24) to be dispensed as change runs out of banknotes, media stored in another storage box (reconciliation box 25) (media that have passed high identification accuracy and are not badly soiled) may be moved to the storage box (banknote storage box 24) to be dispensed as change.

[0064] As a result, slightly damaged banknotes that are not severely soiled are stored in the reconciliation box 25, and the slightly damaged banknotes that are severely soiled stored in the banknote storage box 24 are dispensed as change, and the number of slightly damaged banknotes that are not severely soiled increases in the automatic change machine 1. When the machine switches to the medium replacement mode in this state, the inserted banknotes are stored in the banknote storage box 24, and the banknotes that are not severely soiled and that have been stored in the reconciliation box 25 (slightly damaged banknotes) are dispensed.

[0065] <Variation 4> FIG. 14 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the configuration and operation of a banknote storage unit 120 of an automatic change dispenser 1 according to Modification 4. As shown in FIG. 14, the banknote storage unit 120 corresponds to the banknote storage unit 20, but has a larger number of storage compartments. The storage compartments include storage compartments 131 and 141 for storing banknotes of each denomination whose degree of contamination is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, and storage compartments 132 and 142 as dedicated storage compartments for dirty media that store banknotes of each denomination whose degree of contamination is less than the predetermined threshold. The storage compartments 131 and 132 are a pair of storage compartments each for storing 1,000 yen banknotes, and the storage compartments 141 and 142 are a pair of storage compartments each for storing 5,000 yen banknotes. Although not shown, pairs of storage compartments for other denominations, such as a pair of storage compartments for storing 10,000 yen banknotes, may also be provided.

[0066] The banknote storage unit 120 also has a banknote validator 127 corresponding to the banknote validator 27, and further has a dirt detector 128 that uses validation data to determine whether the dirt level of the medium is above a predetermined threshold. The deposit unit 121 has a banknote deposit port 21 and transports inserted banknotes to the banknote validator 127 side. The withdrawal unit 122 has a banknote withdrawal port 22 and transports banknotes to be withdrawn to the banknote withdrawal port 22 side.

[0067] When banknotes are deposited, the control unit 50 that controls this banknote storage unit 120 stores media whose degree of contamination of the banknotes is above a predetermined threshold in a storage container dedicated to dirty media of the corresponding denomination as banknotes to be withdrawn, and stores media whose degree of contamination of the banknotes is below the predetermined threshold in a storage container of the corresponding denomination as banknotes already stored in a storage container for withdrawal.

[0068] For example, as shown in Fig. 14(a), when a 5,000 yen banknote is inserted and its state of contamination is less than a predetermined threshold, it is stored in storage 142. Also, as shown in Fig. 14(b), when an instruction is given to dispense a 5,000 yen banknote as change, it is dispensed from storage 142 via dispensing unit 122.

[0069] That is, in normal deposit and withdrawal processing, if the degree of contamination is below a predetermined threshold, the item is stored and accumulated in storage cabinets 131 and 141, and if the degree of contamination is above the predetermined threshold, the item is stored in storage cabinets 132 and 142, which are dedicated storage cabinets for dirty media, and then dispensed as change.

[0070] Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing the deposit processing procedure for the banknote storage unit 120 of Modification 4. As shown in Fig. 15, the control unit 50 acquires a sensor value from the banknote validator 127 (step S401), and performs denomination determination processing (step S402), insertion direction determination processing (step S403), and authenticity determination processing (step S405) based on the validation data indicated by the sensor value. Thereafter, the stain detector 128 performs stain identification processing based on the validation data (step S406).

[0071] Then, as a result of the stain identification process, it is determined whether the stain state is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (step S407). If the stain state is not equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold (step S407: No), the inserted coin is transported to and stored in the storage cabinet (storage cabinet 131, 141) corresponding to the denomination (step S408), and this process ends. On the other hand, if the stain state is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold (step S407: Yes), the inserted coin is transported to and stored in the storage cabinet 132, 142, which is a dedicated storage cabinet for dirty media corresponding to the denomination (step S409), and this process ends.

[0072] Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing the change dispensing process procedure for the banknote storage unit 120 of Modification 4. As shown in Fig. 16, the control unit 50 determines whether or not there is a dirty coin (banknote stored in a storage dedicated to dirty media) among the denominations to be dispensed as change (step S501).

[0073] If there are no dirty coins in the dispensing denomination (step S501: No), the coins are dispensed from the storage 131, 141 corresponding to the denomination and dispensed (step S502), and this process ends. On the other hand, if there are dirty coins in the dispensing denomination (step S501: Yes), the coins are dispensed from the storage 132, 142 dedicated to dirty media corresponding to the denomination and dispensed (step S503), and this process ends.

[0074] Fig. 17 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the sales collection process for the banknote storage unit 120 of Modification 4. As shown in Fig. 17, when collecting sales, the control unit 50 determines whether or not there are soiled coins (banknotes stored in a dedicated storage for soiled media) corresponding to the denomination (step S601).

[0075] If there are no dirty coins (step S601: No), the coins are dispensed from the storage 131, 141 corresponding to the denomination and dispensed (step S602), and this process ends. On the other hand, if there are dirty coins (step S601: Yes), the coins are dispensed from the storage 132, 142 dedicated to dirty media corresponding to the denomination and dispensed (step S603), and this process ends.

[0076] In this way, in this fourth modification, when depositing, dirt is identified, and banknotes whose degree of dirt is less than a predetermined threshold are stored in storage boxes 131, 141 that store banknotes whose degree of dirt is less than a predetermined threshold, and banknotes whose degree of dirt is more than the predetermined threshold are stored in storage boxes 132, 142 that store banknotes whose degree of dirt is more heavily damaged, so that separate storage is performed, and when withdrawing, banknotes whose degree of dirt is more heavily damaged are withdrawn. In other words, banknotes whose degree of dirt is more heavily damaged are preferentially discharged to the outside.

[0077] Here, in variant example 4, when the system switches to medium replacement mode, the inserted banknotes are stored in storage cabinets 132, 142 or 131, 141, which are dedicated storage cabinets for dirty media, depending on their degree of soiling, and banknotes of the same denomination are withdrawn from storage cabinets 131, 141 whose degree of soiling is below a predetermined threshold to perform medium replacement.

[0078] In the above-described embodiment and modified examples, a medium exchange can be performed by switching to the medium exchange mode to exchange a lightly soiled medium (slightly deteriorated banknote) for an even less soiled medium (slightly deteriorated banknote). Therefore, if a slightly deteriorated banknote cannot be remitted via an ATM, the medium exchange of the slightly deteriorated banknote for a slightly deteriorated banknote allows remittance via an ATM. As a result, the effort of exchanging the slightly deteriorated banknote for a banknote of one's own and then exchanging the exchanged banknote at a bank can be eliminated. Furthermore, inserted slightly deteriorated banknotes can be dispensed as change, reducing the probability of slightly deteriorated banknotes being present when remitting sales via an ATM. Furthermore, by accumulating slightly deteriorated banknotes, it becomes possible to exchange them collectively at a bank.

[0079] In the above embodiment and modified example, because paper money is mainly used in ATM remittance, the exchange of paper money as a medium has been described, but the exchange of coins as a medium can also be performed in the same way.

[0080] Furthermore, although the medium exchange involves exchanging media of the same denomination, if there is no media of the corresponding denomination in the storage unit, exchange may be performed by exchanging the media for banknotes of a smaller denomination. For example, if the inserted banknote is a 10,000 yen banknote, and there are no 10,000 yen banknotes in the storage unit but there are two 5,000 yen banknotes, two 5,000 yen banknotes may be dispensed.

[0081] Note that the configurations illustrated in the above-described embodiments are merely functional schematics and are not necessarily physically configured as shown. In other words, the distribution and integration of each device and component is not limited to that illustrated, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit depending on various usage situations, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 1 Automatic change dispenser 1a Device body 10 Coin Storage Unit 11 Coin deposit slot 12 Coin withdrawal slot 13 Coin transport mechanism 14 Coin Validation Department 17. Dispensing tray 20,120 bill storage units 21 Bill deposit slot 22 Bill withdrawal slot 23 Collection Depot 24 Banknote storage 24a 1,000 yen bill storage cabinet 24b Mixing storage 25 Inspection warehouse 26 Banknote transport mechanism 27,127 Banknote Validation Department 28 Banknote discrimination section 30 Operation display section 30a Display section 30b Operation section 31 Deposit transport section 32 Temporary Holding Department 33 Coin sorting section 34 Coin Storage 35 Dispensing and transporting section 36 Switching Gates 37 Coin return slot 40 Communication processing unit 50 control section 51 Deposit and Withdrawal Control Unit 52 Media exchange control unit 60 Storage section 61 Deposit and Withdrawal Information 62 Scrutiny Information 102 Tape 103 wrinkles 121 Deposit Department 122 Withdrawal Department 128 Dirt detection unit 131,132,141,142 Storage B1~B4,B10,B20 banknotes G75~G77 Switching gate M71~M73 motors M74 Conveyor drive motor PR POS register device S1 Sort counting unit S2 Dispense identification unit S11, S12 Identification sensors

Claims

1. A money processing device that identifies inserted media, stores them in a storage unit corresponding to the denomination, and dispenses the media from the corresponding storage unit when dispensing money, The device switches to media change mode in response to an instruction from the host machine or the operation unit of the cash processing device. This money processing device is characterized in that during the medium exchange mode, the inserted medium is identified and stored, while a medium of the same denomination is dispensed from among the media already stored in the dispensing storage cabinet, and the inserted medium is stored inside the money processing device without being dispensed, thereby performing a medium exchange.

2. A money processing device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, when an instruction to end the medium exchange mode is received, media of the same denomination as the multiple media inserted during the medium exchange mode are dispensed from media already stored in a withdrawal storage cabinet, and the inserted media are not dispensed but are instead evacuated within the money processing device to perform medium exchange.

3. 3. The money processing device according to claim 1, wherein the medium stored in the money processing device is transported to a money storage cabinet after money is dispensed by the medium exchange.

4. 3. The money processing device according to claim 1, wherein the medium stored in the money processing device is dispensed in response to an exchange medium dispensing instruction.

5. 3. The money processing device according to claim 1, wherein the money processing device is incorporated into a semi-self-service register where a store clerk registers merchandise and where customers exchange money, and in addition to the medium exchange mode, has a store clerk mode in which the identification accuracy of the validator is lowered below the standard identification accuracy by operation of the store clerk, and when a customer deposits money, the identification accuracy of the validator is raised above the standard identification accuracy, and the medium inserted when the customer deposits money is stored in a storage cabinet separate from the storage cabinet from which change is dispensed.

6. a dirt identification unit that uses the identification data from the identification unit to determine whether the dirt state of the medium is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold; a dirty media storage cabinet for storing media whose soiling level is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold; Equipped with When a medium is deposited, the medium whose soiling level is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold is stored in the dedicated storage for soiled media of the corresponding denomination as a medium for evacuation, and the medium whose soiling level is less than the predetermined threshold is stored in the storage for the corresponding denomination as a medium already stored in the storage for withdrawal, A money processing device as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in the media replacement mode, the inserted media is stored in the dirty media storage cabinet or the storage cabinet depending on the state of contamination, and media of the same denomination is dispensed from the storage cabinet.

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