Cash processing device, cash processing system, and cash processing method

Abstract

In order to facilitate the transferring of cash between a plurality of users, this cash processing device is configured to comprise: a reception unit that receives, from a payer who pays cash to a recipient, an input of payment information including payer information specifying the payer, recipient information specifying the recipient, and a payment monetary amount to be paid by the payer to the recipient; a cash processing unit that executes a deposit process of identifying and counting cash deposited by the payer, acquires a deposit monetary amount, and internally stores the deposited cash; and a storage unit that stores transfer information in which the payment information and the deposit monetary amount are registered, wherein when the recipient inputs the recipient information into the reception unit, the cash processing device references the transfer information, identifies the payment monetary amount corresponding to the recipient information, and dispenses, from the cash processing unit, cash equal to the payment monetary amount.

Description

Cash processing device, cash processing system, and cash processing method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a cash processing device, a cash processing system, and a cash processing method for transferring cash between multiple users.

[0002] When one wishes to give cash to another person, in addition to directly handing over the actual cash, there are methods of transferring cash value by remittance of electronic money or by transferring money to an account. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a system in which an electronic money account holder allows another person to use the account, thereby allowing the other person to use the electronic money. For example, when a parent asks a child to go shopping, the parent can simply allow the child to use their account without handing over cash, and the child can purchase goods using the parent's account. Transferring cash value by electronic money or account transfer can be performed online, making it easier than directly handing over cash.

[0003] Patent No. 2021-26317

[0004] While electronic money transfers and account transfers are easily implemented, they require both the sender and the receiver of the cash value to be able to use electronic money and to have an account. Furthermore, because electronic money and account transfer transactions are performed using a designated server device, a network environment is required for communication with the server device. For example, when an employer pays employees' salaries, many employees do not have accounts or prefer to be paid in cash, so a cash transfer method may be desirable.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the prior art including the above-mentioned problems, and one of its purposes is to provide a cash processing device, a cash processing system, and a cash processing method for transferring cash between multiple users.

[0006] A cash processing device according to the present disclosure includes a reception unit that receives input of payment information from a payer who pays cash to a recipient, the payment information including payer information identifying the payer, recipient information identifying the recipient, and a payment amount to be paid by the payer to the recipient; a cash processing unit that executes a deposit process to identify and count the cash deposited by the payer to obtain the deposit amount and stores the deposited cash internally; and a storage unit that stores delivery information in which the payment information and the deposit amount are registered, and when the recipient inputs the recipient information to the reception unit, the delivery information is referenced to identify the payment amount corresponding to the recipient information, and cash equivalent to the payment amount is dispensed from the cash processing unit.

[0007] In the above configuration, when the deposit process is executed, the deposited cash is separated into a first cash amount equivalent to the payment amount and the remaining second cash, and the first cash is stored in a first storage unit of the cash processing unit, and the second cash is stored in a second storage unit of the cash processing unit, and when the withdrawal process is executed, the cash in the first storage unit is withdrawn.

[0008] In the above configuration, the payment information may include a withdrawal deadline by which the payment amount of cash can be withdrawn from the cash processing unit, and when the withdrawal deadline arrives, the first cash remaining in the first storage unit without being withdrawn may be moved to the second storage unit.

[0009] In the above configuration, the cash deposited by each payer may be distinguished, the cash deposited by a first payer may be stored in a first storage unit of the cash processing unit, and the cash deposited by a second payer may be stored in a second storage unit of the cash processing unit, and when the withdrawal process is executed, cash may be withdrawn from the first storage unit to a recipient who receives cash from the first payer, and cash may be withdrawn from the second storage unit to a recipient who receives cash from the second payer.

[0010] In the above configuration, the payment information may include a withdrawal deadline by which the payment amount of cash can be withdrawn from the cash processing unit, and when the withdrawal deadline arrives, the cash in the first storage unit and the second storage unit may be stored in a third storage unit of the cash processing unit.

[0011] In the above configuration, the payment information may include a withdrawal deadline by which the payment amount of cash can be withdrawn, and if the withdrawal deadline arrives without the payment amount of cash being withdrawn, a notification process may be executed to notify the payer and the recipient that the cash can no longer be withdrawn.

[0012] In the above configuration, the reception unit may acquire the payment information from a payer terminal operated by the payer, and acquire the payee information from a payee terminal operated by the payee.

[0013] In the above configuration, the reception unit may be a reading device that reads a graphic code including the payment information from the screen of a payer terminal operated by the payer, and reads a graphic code including the recipient information from the screen of a recipient terminal operated by the recipient.

[0014] A cash handling system according to the present disclosure includes: a payer terminal operated by a payer who pays cash to a recipient; a cash processing device that receives, from the payer terminal, input of payment information including payer information that identifies the payer, recipient information that identifies the recipient, and the payment amount that the payer pays to the recipient into a reception section, and that identifies and counts the cash deposited by the payer to obtain the deposited amount and stores it in the device, and stores in a memory section delivery information in which the payment information and the deposited amount are registered; and a recipient terminal operated by the recipient, and when the recipient information is input to the reception section from the cash processing device from the recipient terminal, the cash processing device identifies the payment amount corresponding to the recipient information by referring to the delivery information, and dispenses cash in the amount of the payment from the device.

[0015] The cash processing method according to the present disclosure includes the steps of: receiving, from a payer who pays cash to a recipient, input of payment information including payer information identifying the payer, recipient information identifying the recipient, and a payment amount to be paid by the payer to the recipient, into a cash processing device; receiving, by the cash processing device, cash deposited by the payer, performing a deposit process to identify and count the cash to obtain the deposit amount, and storing the deposited cash within the device; storing, by the cash processing device, delivery information in which the payment information and the deposit amount are registered; and receiving, by the cash processing device, input of recipient information from the recipient, identifying the payment amount corresponding to the recipient information by referring to the delivery information, and dispensing cash equivalent to the payment amount from the device.

[0016] By using the cash processing device according to the present disclosure, when a payer pays cash to a recipient, the payer can hand over the cash to the recipient via the cash processing device.

[0017] Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the processing executed by a cash processing device according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a cash processing device. Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining processing carried out using the cash processing device. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of delivery information. Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining another example of processing carried out by the cash processing device. Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of transmitting and receiving information between a terminal and a cash processing device by another method.

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of a cash processing device, a cash processing system, and a cash processing method according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. When a payer pays cash to a recipient, the cash processing device according to the present disclosure stores the cash deposited by the payer within the device and can accept the designation of the recipient and the designation of the payment amount to be paid to the recipient from the deposited cash. The cash processing device recognizes that the recipient who comes to collect the cash is the recipient designated by the payer, and can dispense cash in the payment amount designated by the payer. This allows the payer to hand over cash to the recipient via the cash processing device 10.

[0019] <Example 1> Figure 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the processes executed by a cash processing device 10 according to this embodiment. The cash processing device 10 can execute a deposit process in which deposited cash is identified and counted and stored within the device, and a withdrawal process in which cash is withdrawn from the device. The cash processing device 10 can exchange information with a terminal 20 operated by a payer and a terminal 30 operated by a recipient.

[0020] For example, a smartphone or tablet terminal using a touch panel type liquid crystal display device as an operation display unit is used as the terminals 20, 30. The method of exchanging information between the cash processing device 10 and the terminals 20, 30 is not particularly limited. For example, information may be transmitted and received using short-range wireless technology such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). Information may also be exchanged by reading information displayed on the operation display unit with a reading device such as a camera.

[0021] The payer operates the payer terminal 20 to input payment information to the cash processing device 10 (A1). The payment information includes payer identification information that identifies the payer, recipient identification information that identifies the recipient, the payment amount to be paid from the payer to the recipient, and the withdrawal deadline by which the recipient can withdraw cash equivalent to the payment amount from the cash processing device 10. Although one recipient is shown in Fig. 1, the payer can include recipient identification information, payment amount, and withdrawal deadline for each of multiple recipients in the payment information.

[0022] The type of payer identification information is not particularly limited as long as it is information that can uniquely identify the payer. For example, a user ID and password that can identify the payer may be used as the payer identification information. Terminal identification information, such as the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identifier) ​​of the payer terminal 20, may be used as the payer identification information. As with the payer identification information, the type of payee identification information is also not particularly limited as long as it is information that can uniquely identify the payee. In this embodiment, the explanation will continue using an example in which terminal identification information is used.

[0023] The payer deposits cash equivalent to the payment amount to be paid to the recipient into the cash processing device 10 (A2). For example, as shown in FIG. 1 , the payer inputs payment information including payer identification information "ABC...", recipient identification information "XYZ...", payment amount "100,000 yen", and withdrawal deadline "2023..." from the payer terminal 20 into the cash processing device 10, and deposits 100,000 yen in cash into the cash processing device 10. When the payer pays cash to two or more recipients, the payer deposits cash equivalent to the total amount of the payments to each recipient. The cash processing device 10 is a device for depositing sales proceeds from the store to which the payer belongs, and there are cases in which sales proceeds exceeding the payment amount are deposited; an example of this will be described later.

[0024] The cash processing device 10, which has acquired the payment information from the payer terminal 20, executes a deposit process for the cash deposited by the payer and manages delivery information including the deposit amount and the payment information (B1). The delivery information is saved in a storage device within the cash processing device 10. The deposit amount of the cash deposited by the payer and each piece of information included in the payment information are registered in the delivery information. Based on the delivery information, the cash processing device 10 can recognize that the recipient with recipient identification information "XYZ..." can withdraw a payment amount of "100,000 yen" from the cash deposited by the payer with payer identification information "ABC..." until the withdrawal deadline "2023...".

[0025] The recipient operates the recipient terminal 30 to input receipt information into the cash processing device 10 (C1). The receipt information includes recipient identification information that identifies the recipient. The terminal identification information of the terminal 30 is used as the recipient identification information. Therefore, even if the terminal 30 is in a state where it cannot communicate with other terminals, the recipient can input receipt information including the recipient identification information into the cash processing device 10. However, the receipt information and receipt identification information are not particularly limited, and the receipt information may include recipient identification information received via a network or information other than the recipient identification information. For example, the receipt information may include recipient identification information, payer identification information, payment amount, etc. received by the recipient terminal 30 directly from the payer terminal 20 or via a network or an external device.

[0026] The cash processing device 10, which has acquired the receipt information from the recipient terminal 30, dispenses cash based on the recipient identification information (C2). The cash processing device 10 dispenses cash for the payment amount registered in association with the recipient identification information in the delivery information.

[0027] For example, the cash processing device 10 refers to the delivery information based on the recipient identification information "XYZ..." included in the receipt information acquired from the recipient terminal 30. The cash processing device 10 recognizes from the information previously registered in the delivery information that this recipient can withdraw the payment amount of "100,000 yen" from the cash deposited by the payer with the payer identification information "ABC...". The cash processing device 10 withdraws cash for the payment amount of 100,000 yen based on the recognition result, and the recipient can receive the cash paid by the payer.

[0028] After completing the dispensing process, the cash processing device 10 updates the delivery information so that the recipient knows that the cash has been dispensed (B2). The recipient can either dispense the entire payment amount at once or dispense a portion of the payment amount. This will be described later.

[0029] Even when the payer pays cash to each of multiple recipients, the cash processing device 10 identifies each recipient designated by the payer based on recipient identification information acquired from the recipient terminal 30, and dispenses cash in the amount designated by the payer as the payment amount to each recipient. The payer can have the cash processing device 10 dispense cash in the amount of payment designated in the payment information to each of the multiple recipients designated in the payment information, simply by inputting payment information into the cash processing device 10 and depositing cash.

[0030] The cash processing device 10 determines, based on the recipient identification information, whether the person operating the recipient terminal 30 is the recipient designated by the payer as the cash payment destination. If the recipient identification information is not registered in the delivery information, the cash processing device 10 determines that the person is not the recipient designated by the payer and does not execute the withdrawal process. In this case, the cash processing device 10 notifies the user that the withdrawal process cannot be executed by displaying, for example, on the screen of the recipient terminal 30 or on the screen of an operation display unit provided in the cash processing device 10, information indicating that the cash to be paid by the payer is not in the device.

[0031] Even if the determination result indicates that the person operating the recipient terminal 30 is the recipient designated by the payer as the cash payment destination, the cash processing device 10 will not execute the withdrawal process if the withdrawal deadline designated by the payer has passed. In this case, the cash processing device 10 notifies the recipient that the withdrawal deadline has passed. For example, when receipt information is input from the recipient terminal 30, the cash processing device 10 displays information on the screen of the recipient terminal 30 or the screen of the cash processing device 10 indicating that the withdrawal deadline has passed and cash cannot be withdrawn.

[0032] If the withdrawal deadline has passed, the payer will pay the recipient cash by another method. For example, the cash processing device 10 notifies the payer terminal 20 of the recipient identification information of the recipient who did not withdraw cash by the withdrawal deadline and the payment amount that the recipient was able to withdraw. Furthermore, when notifying the recipient that the withdrawal deadline has passed, the cash processing device 10 can display information on the screen of the recipient terminal 30 or the screen of the cash processing device 10 instructing the recipient to receive cash from the payer by another method. If the cash delivery method is predetermined, information regarding this method may be displayed on the screen. The notification to the payer terminal 20 and the recipient terminal 30 after the withdrawal deadline has passed may be transmitted directly from the cash processing device 10 to the payer terminal 20 and the recipient terminal 30 without going through a network, or may be transmitted via a network, similar to the payment information and the receipt information.

[0033] For example, after the withdrawal deadline has passed, the payer who has received the notice can hand over the cash to the recipient who visits the payer after receiving the notice. If the recipient can use electronic money or account transfer, the payer may make the payment to the recipient by electronic money transfer or account transfer. Payment to the recipient may also be made by charging electronic money equivalent to the withdrawable amount to a mobile terminal owned by the recipient, such as the recipient terminal 30, using the communication function of the cash processing device 10.

[0034] Cash remaining in the cash processing device 10 after the withdrawal deadline is handled in a preset manner. For example, cash remaining in the device is stored within the cash processing device 10 until it is collected outside the device. The remaining cash may also be stored in another collection storage section provided within the cash processing device 10. The remaining cash is collected from the cash processing device 10 at a predetermined time and transported to a financial institution, and the amount of this cash is transferred to the payer's account. For example, the cash processing device 10 may notify a server device used by the financial institution of the amount of cash owned by the payer and information about the payer's account, and the financial institution may then transfer the money to the account. The withdrawal deadline may also be set in conjunction with the period for which cash is collected from the cash processing device 10, as will be described later.

[0035] In this way, the payer can pay cash to the recipient simply by inputting payment information into the cash processing device 10 and depositing cash. The recipient can withdraw and receive the cash paid by the payer from the cash processing device 10 simply by inputting receipt information including recipient identification information into the cash processing device 10. The cash processing device 10 can exchange payment information and receipt information directly with the payer terminal 20 and the recipient terminal 30 without going through a network. Therefore, even if a network failure occurs, for example, cash can be handed over between the payer and recipient via the cash processing device 10.

[0036] <Example 2> A specific example will be described in which the cash processing device 10 installed in a shopping mall including a plurality of stores is used to deposit sales proceeds from each store and to pay salaries in cash from each store to employees.

[0037] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the cash processing device 10. The cash processing device 10 includes a banknote processing unit 100, a coin processing unit 200, a control unit 11, a memory unit 12, an operation and display unit 13, a communication unit 14, and a reading device 15.

[0038] The cash processing device 10 can perform deposit and withdrawal processes for banknotes using the banknote processing unit 100. The banknote processing unit 100 includes a banknote deposit unit 110, a banknote withdrawal unit 120, a banknote recognition unit 130, a banknote cassette 141, a banknote storage unit 142, and a banknote transport unit 150. The banknote transport unit 150 transports banknotes along a transport path connecting each unit as shown in FIG. 2 .

[0039] During the deposit process, banknotes received by the banknote deposit unit 110 are taken into the device and transported by the banknote transport unit 150. The banknote recognition unit 130 recognizes the banknotes transported by the banknote transport unit 150. The banknote recognition unit 130 recognizes the denomination of the banknote. The banknote recognition unit 130 may also recognize the authenticity of the banknote and its fitness, which indicates its degree of damage. Based on the recognition result by the banknote recognition unit 130, the amount of the deposit amount in the form of banknotes, i.e., the total amount of the deposited banknotes, is calculated. Of the recognized banknotes, banknotes that cannot be deposited are rejected by the banknote withdrawal unit 120. Depositable banknotes are stored in the banknote storage unit 142. The banknote storage unit 142 can store and dispense banknotes. Although one banknote storage unit 142 is shown in FIG. 2, the number of banknote storage units 142 is not particularly limited. For example, a denomination to be stored is assigned to each of the multiple banknote storage units 142, and the banknotes are stored by denomination. For example, a payer store is assigned to each of the multiple banknote storage units 142, and the banknotes are stored by store. In addition, the multiple banknote storage units 142 may be used separately as a storage unit for withdrawal and a storage unit for collection. They may be used separately as a storage unit for storing cash until a predetermined period has passed since deposit (for example, until the withdrawal deadline), and a storage unit for storing banknotes after the predetermined period has passed since deposit. A banknote cassette 141 that can store banknotes is detachably provided to the cash processing device 10. For example, banknotes to be collected from the cash processing device 10 to the outside are stored in the banknote cassette 141.

[0040] During a dispensing process, banknotes to be dispensed are fed one by one in order from one or more banknote storage units 142 and transported by the banknote transport unit 150. The banknotes transported by the banknote transport unit 150 are dispensed from the banknote dispensing unit 120. Alternatively, the banknotes transported by the banknote transport unit 150 may be identified by the banknote recognition unit 130 and dispensed after recognition.

[0041] The cash processing device 10 can execute coin deposit and withdrawal processes using the coin processing unit 200. The configuration and operation of the coin processing unit 200 that deposits and dispenses coins are conventionally known, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0042] The memory unit 12 is a non-volatile storage device. The memory unit 12 stores delivery information and various information necessary for the operation of the cash processing device 10. The operation and display unit 13 is made up of a touch panel type liquid crystal display device. The operation and display unit 13 functions as an operation unit for inputting various information into the cash processing device 10. The operation and display unit 13 functions as a display unit for displaying various information.

[0043] The communication unit 14 is used to send and receive information to and from an external device. For example, the cash processing device 10 can send and receive information to and from an external device via a network such as the Internet using the communication unit 14. For example, the cash processing device 10 can send information to and from an external device using short-range wireless technology using the communication unit 14. The external device includes the payer terminal 20 and the payee terminal 30.

[0044] The reading device 15 acquires information from an external device. For example, the cash processing device 10 can acquire information from an external device by reading and decoding a graphic code such as a barcode or QR code (registered trademark) displayed on a display unit of the external device with the reading device 15. The external device includes a payer terminal 20 and a payee terminal 30.

[0045] When the cash processing device 10 exchanges information with the payer terminal 20 and the payee terminal 30 using the communication unit 14, the communication unit 14 functions as a reception unit that receives input of information. The cash processing device 10 can also use the reading device 15 as a reception unit to receive input of information from the payer terminal 20 and the payee terminal 30. Below, the explanation will continue using as an example a case where the reading device 15 receives input of information from the payer terminal 20 and the payee terminal 30.

[0046] The control unit 11 controls each unit constituting the cash processing device 10. A program corresponding to the control unit 11 is stored in advance in the memory unit 12 or a dedicated storage device. The functions and operations of the control unit 11 are realized by the program being executed by hardware such as a CPU. The control unit 11 controls the banknote processing unit 100 and the coin processing unit 200 using information acquired from at least one of the memory unit 12, the operation and display unit 13, the communication unit 14, and the reading device 15, thereby processing banknotes and coins as described above. The functions and operations of the cash processing device 10 described in this embodiment are realized by the control unit 11 controlling each unit.

[0047] FIG. 2 is an example and does not limit the configuration of the cash processing device 10. There are no particular limitations on the configuration of the cash processing device 10 as long as it is able to execute each of the processes described in this embodiment. For example, the cash processing device 10 may have only one of the banknote processing unit 100 and the coin processing unit 200, and may process only banknotes or only coins. Since the deposit and withdrawal of banknotes and the deposit and withdrawal of coins in the cash processing device 10 can be performed in the same way, the following description will be given using banknotes as an example. When processing coins with the cash processing device 10, the coins may be processed in the same way as the processing of banknotes described below.

[0048] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating processing performed using the cash processing device 10. The cash processing device 10 is installed, for example, in the back office of a shopping mall. Each store operating in the shopping mall deposits its sales proceeds into the cash processing device 10. A security transportation company 40 collects the sales proceeds of each store from the cash processing device 10. For example, the collected sales proceeds of each store are transported to a financial institution, and the sales amount is transferred to the account of each store. Each store can use the cash processing device 10, into which the sales proceeds are deposited, to pay salaries to its employees.

[0049] 3, the manager of store A operates terminal 20 to display a graphic code 21, which encodes payment information, on the operation display unit of terminal 20. The graphic code 21 includes the payer identification information of store A, the recipient identification information of each employee of store A, the salary amount (payment amount) to be paid by store A to each employee, and the salary withdrawal deadline.

[0050] For example, when the manager of store A runs a dedicated application on terminal 20, designates employees to be paid, and inputs the amount of salary to be paid to each employee, the application automatically generates graphic code 21. Alternatively, the application on terminal 20 may generate graphic code 21 by acquiring recipient identification information and salary amount for each employee from another application that manages attendance management for each employee.

[0051] The manager of store A causes the reading device 15 of the cash processing device 10 to read the graphic code 21 on the terminal 20. The cash processing device 10 decodes the graphic code 21 read by the reading device 15, and acquires information about store A and each employee of store A.

[0052] The cash processing device 10, which has acquired the payer identification information of store A, executes a deposit process for the sales proceeds of store A and acquires the sales amount. The banknotes representing the sales proceeds deposited into the cash processing device 10 by the manager of store A are recognized and counted by the banknote processing unit 100 and stored in at least one of the banknote cassette 141 and the banknote storage unit 142.

[0053] The cash processing device 10 recognizes the total amount of wages paid by store A to each employee. The cash processing device 10 can process sales proceeds by separating them into cash to be dispensed, which is to be dispensed to each employee as wages, and other cash. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3 , the cash processing device 10 stores, of the sales proceeds, banknotes to be dispensed in the banknote storage unit 142, and stores banknotes to be collected by the security transportation company 40 in the banknote cassette 141.

[0054] For example, a denomination is assigned to each of the multiple banknote storage units 142, and banknotes are stored according to the denomination. In this case, salary dispensing processing is performed using the banknotes in each banknote storage unit 142. Banknotes that have not been dispensed from the banknote storage unit 142 even after the dispensing deadline have passed are moved from the banknote storage unit 142 to the banknote cassette 141 and are collected outside the device. For example, the cash processing device 10 may store the serial numbers of banknotes for each store in association with each store, and perform each process by recognizing which store the banknote was deposited from.

[0055] A store may be assigned to each of the multiple banknote storage units 142, and banknotes may be stored by store. In this case, banknotes deposited from each store are used to perform a disbursement process for the salaries of employees of each store. For example, the salary of an employee of store A is dispensed from the banknote storage unit 142 in which banknotes from store A are stored, and the salary of an employee of store B is dispensed from the banknote storage unit 142 in which banknotes from store B are stored.

[0056] When storing banknotes by store, banknotes that have not been dispensed from the banknote storage unit 142 even after the withdrawal deadline are moved from the banknote storage unit 142 to the banknote cassette 141 and stored as collection targets, just as when storing banknotes by denomination in the banknote storage unit 142. Banknotes may be stored separately by store within the same banknote cassette 141. After moving the banknotes from the banknote storage unit 142 to the banknote cassette 141, the cash processing device 10 may use the emptied banknote storage unit 142 to store banknotes for another store. This makes it possible to use a single banknote storage unit 142 to process banknotes for multiple stores with different salary payment periods. Even in the case where there is a store where all employees have finished dispensing their salaries before the withdrawal deadline, the cash processing device 10 may use the emptied banknote storage unit 142 after the salary dispensing has finished to store banknotes for another store.

[0057] After the deposit process, the cash processing device 10 registers the amount of sales obtained in the deposit process and each piece of information obtained from the graphic code 21 in the delivery information in the memory unit 12.

[0058] 4 is a diagram showing an example of the delivery information. As shown in FIG. 4, deposit information, salary information, and withdrawal information are registered in the delivery information for each store. The information for each store is distinguished based on the payer identification information included in the graphic code 21 and registered in the delivery information.

[0059] The deposit information includes the deposit date and time, the deposit amount, the total amount, and the salary amount. The deposit date and time is the date and time when the cash processing device 10 executed the deposit process. The deposit amount is the amount of sales proceeds deposited into the cash processing device 10. The total amount is the total of the deposit amounts of each store. For example, if store A performs a deposit process of sales proceeds multiple times, the total amount is registered as the total amount. The salary amount is the total amount of salary paid by each store to its employees.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 4, the payroll information includes an employee number, authentication information, the amount, and a withdrawal deadline. The employee number is an identification number for distinguishing each employee. The authentication information is the employee's recipient identification information. For example, by including the employee number and recipient identification information of each employee in association with each other in the graphic code 21, i.e., the payment information, the employee number and authentication information of each employee are registered as shown in FIG. 4. However, because each employee can be distinguished by the authentication information, i.e., the recipient identification information, the payroll information may include only the authentication information without the employee number.

[0061] The amount included in the salary information is the salary amount paid by each store to each employee. The withdrawal deadline is a date and time indicating the deadline by which each employee can withdraw cash equivalent to their salary from the cash processing device 10. The withdrawal deadline may be specified by the manager of each store, i.e., the payer, or may be automatically set by the cash processing device 10. For example, if the security transportation company 40 periodically collects cash from the cash processing device 10, the cash processing device 10 may automatically set the withdrawal deadline based on the date and time of the next collection by the security transportation company 40. For example, if the security transportation company 40 collects cash every Friday, the cash processing device 10 may automatically set the withdrawal deadline to Thursday of the week following the week in which the deposit process was performed.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 4 , the withdrawal information includes a withdrawal date and time, an amount, and a remaining amount. The withdrawal date and time is the date and time when each employee executed a withdrawal process to withdraw their salary from the cash processing device 10. The amount is the amount withdrawn by the cash processing device 10 at the time of the withdrawal process. The remaining amount is the amount that each employee can withdraw from the cash processing device 10. An employee can withdraw only a portion of the salary paid by the store from the cash processing device 10 until the withdrawal deadline arrives. When an employee withdraws a portion of their salary from the cash processing device 10, the withdrawal amount is registered in the amount field of the withdrawal information, and the amount obtained by subtracting the withdrawal amount from the salary amount is registered in the balance field. The amount registered in the amount field of the salary information is the sum of the amount registered in the amount field of the withdrawal information and the amount registered in the balance field.

[0063] As shown in Figure 3, an employee of store A operates terminal 30 to display a graphic code 31, which encodes the receipt information, on the operation display unit of terminal 30. The graphic code 31 includes recipient identification information for identifying the employee. For example, the employee runs a dedicated application on terminal 30, which automatically generates the graphic code 31 using the recipient identification information and displays it on the operation display unit.

[0064] The employee causes the graphic code 31 on the terminal 30 to be read by the reading device 15 of the cash processing device 10. The cash processing device 10 decodes the graphic code 31 read by the reading device 15 to obtain the recipient identification information.

[0065] Based on the acquired recipient identification information, the cash processing device 10 refers to the delivery information shown in Figure 4 and identifies the salary amount that the employee can withdraw and the withdrawal deadline. The cash processing device 10 displays the identified salary amount and withdrawal deadline on the screen of the operation display unit 13. After confirming the salary amount and withdrawal deadline, the employee can operate the operation display unit 13 of the cash processing device 10 to withdraw the entire salary, or can specify the withdrawal amount and withdraw only a portion of the salary. After executing the withdrawal process, the cash processing device 10 registers each piece of information in the withdrawal information of the delivery information and updates the delivery information.

[0066] In the example shown in Figure 4, the employee with employee number "A01" at store A has not performed a withdrawal process, so no date and time is registered in the withdrawal date and time field of the withdrawal information. The amount field of the withdrawal information, which indicates the amount withdrawn, is 0 (zero), and the balance field is the same amount as the amount field of the salary information.

[0067] For the employee with employee number "A02", the entire salary has been withdrawn in one withdrawal process, so the date and time is registered in the withdrawal date and time field of the withdrawal information. The same amount as in the amount field of the salary information is registered in the amount field of the withdrawal information, and the balance field is 0 (zero). When the balance becomes 0 (zero) in this way, no cash will be dispensed from the cash processing device 10 even if the employee has the cash processing device 10 read the graphic code 31 containing the receipt information.

[0068] For employee number "A03," the entire salary has been withdrawn in two installments, so the withdrawal date and time and amount fields of the withdrawal information are registered with the withdrawal amounts for each of the two withdrawal processes, and the remaining amount field is set to 0 (zero).

[0069] For employee number "A04", only a portion of his / her salary has been withdrawn in one withdrawal process, so the withdrawal date and amount are registered in the withdrawal information's withdrawal information fields, and the amount obtained by subtracting the amount already withdrawn from the salary amount is registered in the balance field. If the balance is not 0 (zero) and it is before the withdrawal deadline, the employee can have the cash processing device 10 read the graphic code 31 containing the receipt information and withdraw cash by specifying an amount up to the amount registered in the balance field.

[0070] The cash processing device 10 also accepts payment information for other stores including store B, registers it in the delivery information, and dispenses cash equivalent to the salary to each employee, in the same manner as in the case of store A. As shown in Fig. 4, the cash processing device 10 manages information on each employee of each store in the delivery information, and can thereby execute the dispensing process of the salary paid in cash by each of the multiple stores to each of the multiple employees.

[0071] When the withdrawal deadline registered in the delivery information has passed, the employee will no longer be able to withdraw his / her salary from the cash processing device 10. When the withdrawal deadline arrives, the cash processing device 10 executes a process to collect, from the device, any banknotes for salary withdrawal remaining in the banknote storage unit 142.

[0072] When banknotes for payroll withdrawal are stored in the banknote storage units 142 by denomination, the cash processing device 10 moves the banknotes for payroll withdrawal remaining in each banknote storage unit 142 to the banknote cassette 141. When banknotes for payroll withdrawal are stored in the banknote storage units 142 by store, the cash processing device 10 moves all banknotes in the banknote storage units 142 assigned to stores whose withdrawal deadlines have passed to the banknote cassette 141.

[0073] The banknotes stored in the banknote cassette 141 are collected by the security transportation company 40. The collected banknotes are transported to a financial institution, where they are processed and transferred to the account of each store that owns the banknotes. For example, the cash processing device 10 may transmit, via a network, the amount of the banknotes moved to the banknote cassette 141 and information that can identify the account of the store that owns the banknotes to a server device of the financial institution, and the financial institution may then execute the transfer process.

[0074] The cash processing device 10 notifies the terminal 20 of the store manager of the amount of banknotes moved from the banknote storage unit 142 to the banknote cassette 141, i.e., the amount of the salary amount that the store instructed to dispense has not been dispensed. The notification may be transmitted from the cash processing device 10 to the terminal 20 via a network, or may be displayed on the screen of the terminal 20 or the screen of the operation display unit 13 of the cash processing device 10 when the store manager next executes a deposit process.

[0075] Even if the employee displays a graphic code 31 containing receipt information on the screen of the terminal 30 and has the cash processing device 10 read it after the withdrawal deadline, the cash processing device 10 does not execute the withdrawal process, but instead displays a notification on the screen of the terminal 30 or the screen of the operation display unit 13 of the cash processing device 10. The notification includes the remaining amount of salary that the employee has not withdrawn and information instructing the employee to receive the remaining amount in cash at the store where the employee works. A notification may be sent from the cash processing device 10 to the terminal 30 via a network without waiting for the employee to complete the withdrawal process. For salary that has passed the withdrawal deadline, cash may be handed over in person between the store manager who received the notification and the employee. If the employee can use electronic money or bank transfer, the store may transfer the money to the employee via electronic money or bank transfer. The employee may perform a withdrawal operation on the cash processing device 10, and based on the operation, the cash processing device 10 may charge electronic money to the employee's terminal 30 instead of dispensing cash.

[0076] In the present embodiment, an example has been described in which cash remaining in the cash processing device 10 is processed after the withdrawal deadline has passed, but the method of processing the remaining cash is not limited to this. For example, when a predetermined amount of cash is withdrawn from the amount of cash deposited by the payer, the remaining amount of cash may be moved from the storage unit 142 to the collection cassette 141 to restrict withdrawal.

[0077] In this embodiment, an example of transferring cash between two parties, a payer and a recipient, has been described. However, cash may be transferred between three or more parties. For example, as shown in FIG. 5( a), a first user P01 inputs payment information, including authentication information (recipient identification information) "Q..." of a second user P02 to whom the cash is to be paid, into the cash processing device 10 from the terminal 20, and deposits 100,000 yen in cash to be paid to the second user P02 into the cash processing device 10. The second user P02 operates the terminal 30a to input payment information, including authentication information "R..." of a third user P03 and a portion of the cash paid by the first user P01, "30,000 yen," to be paid to the third user P03, into the cash processing device 10. Upon receiving the payment information, the cash processing device 10 changes the delivery information shown on the left side of FIG. 5( b) to that shown on the right side. Specifically, transfer information for 100,000 yen, with first user P01 as the payer and second user P02 as the recipient, is divided into transfer information for 70,000 yen, with first user P01 as the payer and second user P02 as the recipient, and transfer information for 30,000 yen, with second user P02 as the payer and third user P03 as the recipient. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5( a), second user P02 can input authentication information "Q..." from terminal 30a to the cash processing device 10 to withdraw 70,000 yen of the 100,000 yen deposited by first user P01 into the cash processing device 10. Third user P02 can input authentication information "R..." from terminal 30b to the cash processing device 10 to withdraw 30,000 yen of the 100,000 yen deposited by first user P01 into the cash processing device 10.

[0078] In this embodiment, an example has been described in which one payer pays cash to multiple recipients, such as when an employer pays salaries to multiple employees. However, the cash processing device 10 can also handle processing in which multiple payers pay cash to one recipient. For example, if multiple payers P01, P11, P12, etc. each input payment information including authentication information "Q..." of one recipient P02 into the cash processing device 10 and deposit cash, the delivery information will be as shown in FIG. 5(c). In this case, recipient P02 can input authentication information "Q..." into the cash processing device 10 and withdraw the total amount of cash paid by each payer P01, P11, P12, etc. from the cash processing device 10 all at once.

[0079] For example, a charity organizer collecting donations prints a graphic code including the organizer's authentication information on a charity invitation and distributes or sends it to a large number of people. Each of the people who receive the invitation deposits a donation into the cash processing device 10 and inputs payment information including the recipient's authentication information obtained from the graphic code on the invitation into the cash processing device 10. The cash processing device 10 manages the delivery information by associating the recipient's authentication information, i.e., the organizer's recipient identification information, with the deposited amount. The organizer can input his or her own authentication information into the cash processing device 10 and withdraw some or all of the donations collected from multiple people from the cash processing device 10. For example, cash can be collected and received from multiple people in the cash processing device 10 in various situations, such as when collecting wedding gifts.

[0080] In the present embodiment, an example has been described in which terminal identification information such as the IMEI of the recipient terminal 30 is used as recipient identification information, i.e., authentication information, and the authentication information is input from the payer terminal 20 to the cash processing device 10, and then the cash processing device 10, which has acquired the authentication information from the recipient terminal 30, executes the dispensing process, but the method of using the authentication information is not limited to this.

[0081] For example, the payer terminal 20 may generate authentication information using a predetermined method and transmit it to the payee terminal 30 and the cash processing device 10 directly or via a network, as shown in Fig. 6(a). The payer terminal 20 may transmit the authentication information to either the payee terminal 30 or the cash processing device 10 via a network, and transmit the authentication information to the other directly without via a network.

[0082] For example, as shown in Fig. 6(b), the payer terminal 20 may transmit the generated authentication information to the payee terminal 30 and the cash processing device 10 via the network and the management server 50. The payer terminal 20 may transmit the authentication information to either the payee terminal 30 or the cash processing device 10 via the network and the management server 50, and may transmit the authentication information directly to the other without going through the network and the management server 50.

[0083] As long as the payee designated by the payer can be uniquely identified based on the authentication information, the content of the authentication information and the method for exchanging the authentication information are not particularly limited. In order to avoid the effects of network failures, it is preferable to exchange information directly between devices using short-range wireless technology or graphic codes, but even when a network or the management server 50 is used, the payer can pay cash to the payee via the cash processing device 10 in the above-mentioned manner.

[0084] As described above, by using the cash processing device according to this embodiment, when a payer wishes to transfer cash to a recipient, the payer can transfer the cash via the cash processing device. If the payer deposits cash into the cash processing device and specifies information that can identify the recipient and the amount to be transferred to the recipient, the cash processing device dispenses the specified amount of cash to the specified recipient. This makes it easy to transfer cash even when one payer transfers cash to multiple recipients or when multiple payers transfer cash to one recipient.

Claims

1. A cash processing device comprising: a reception unit that receives input of payment information from a payer who pays cash to a recipient, the payment information including payer information identifying the payer, recipient information identifying the recipient, and a payment amount to be paid by the payer to the recipient; a cash processing unit that executes a deposit process to identify and count the cash deposited by the payer, obtains the deposited amount and stores the deposited cash internally; and a memory unit that stores delivery information in which the payment information and the deposit amount are registered, wherein when the recipient inputs recipient information to the reception unit, the delivery information is referenced to identify the payment amount corresponding to the recipient information, and cash equivalent to the payment amount is dispensed from the cash processing unit.

2. The cash processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the deposit process is executed, the deposited cash is separated into a first cash amount equivalent to the payment amount and a second cash amount remaining therein, the first cash is stored in a first storage unit of the cash processing device, and the second cash is stored in a second storage unit of the cash processing device, and, when the withdrawal process is executed, the cash in the first storage unit is withdrawn.

3. The cash processing device according to claim 2, characterized in that the payment information includes a withdrawal deadline by which the payment amount can be withdrawn from the cash processing unit, and when the withdrawal deadline arrives, the first cash remaining in the first storage unit without being withdrawn is moved to the second storage unit.

4. The cash processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the cash deposited by each payer is distinguished, the cash deposited by a first payer is stored in a first storage unit of the cash processing device, and the cash deposited by a second payer is stored in a second storage unit of the cash processing device, and when the withdrawal process is performed, cash is dispensed from the first storage unit to a recipient who receives cash from the first payer, and cash is dispensed from the second storage unit to a recipient who receives cash from the second payer.

5. The cash processing device according to claim 4, characterized in that the payment information includes a withdrawal deadline by which the payment amount can be withdrawn from the cash processing unit, and when the withdrawal deadline arrives, the cash in the first storage unit and the second storage unit is stored in a third storage unit of the cash processing unit.

6. The cash processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the payment information includes a withdrawal deadline by which the payment amount of cash can be withdrawn, and if the withdrawal deadline arrives without the payment amount of cash being withdrawn, a notification process is executed to notify the payer and the recipient that the cash can no longer be withdrawn.

7. A cash processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the reception unit acquires the payment information from a payer terminal operated by the payer, and acquires recipient information from a recipient terminal operated by the recipient.

8. A cash processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the reception unit is a reading device which reads a graphical code including the payment information from a screen of a payer terminal operated by the payer, and reads a graphical code including the recipient information from a screen of a recipient terminal operated by the recipient.

9. A cash processing system comprising: a payer terminal operated by a payer who pays cash to a recipient; a cash processing device which accepts input of payment information from said payer terminal, including payer information identifying the payer, recipient information identifying the recipient, and a payment amount to be paid by the payer to the recipient, in a reception section, and which identifies and counts the cash deposited by the payer, obtains the deposited amount and stores it in the device, and stores in a memory section delivery information in which the payment information and the deposited amount are registered; and a recipient terminal operated by the recipient, wherein when the recipient information is input to the reception section from the recipient terminal, the cash processing device identifies the payment amount corresponding to the recipient information by referring to the delivery information, and dispenses cash in the amount of the payment from within the device.

10. A cash processing method comprising the steps of: accepting, from a payer who pays cash to a recipient, input of payment information including payer information identifying the payer, recipient information identifying the recipient, and a payment amount to be paid by the payer to the recipient, into a cash processing device; the cash processing device accepting cash deposited by the payer and executing a deposit process to identify and count it to obtain the deposited amount, and storing the deposited cash within the device; the cash processing device storing delivery information in which the payment information and the deposited amount are registered; and the cash processing device accepting input of recipient information from the recipient, referring to the delivery information to identify the payment amount corresponding to the recipient information, and dispensing cash equivalent to the payment amount from within the device.

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