Drawerless POS Currency Changer Bulk Cash Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing point of sale systems face challenges in securely accepting and dispensing cash, particularly in bulk, due to the need for individual bill and coin insertion, which compromises security and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A drawerless point of sale system with a currency changer device that accepts and sorts coins and bills in bulk, using a housing with separate trays and bins for sorting and dispensing, connected to a point of sale terminal for command-driven change dispensing, enhancing security and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a cash drawer is used to accept and dispense cash, then cash handling is possible, but security is compromised due to exposure of cash to cashiers
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the cash drawer from the system entirely, replacing it with a currency changer device that accepts and dispenses currency through sealed slots. This eliminates the security vulnerability of exposed cash while maintaining cash handling capability through automated mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The currency changer device operates autonomously to accept cash from customers, sort it, and dispense change without requiring a cashier to physically handle or view the cash. The system serves itself by automatically managing the entire cash transaction process.
2Measurement precision
If currency is accepted one bill at a time, then identification and routing is possible, but productivity is reduced due to manual handling
Solution Approach 1:
The bill acceptor is pre-configured with identification mechanisms that automatically recognize and sort bills as they are inserted in bulk. The system performs preliminary sorting and routing actions before the customer completes the transaction, enabling both high-speed bulk processing and accurate currency identification.
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical handling of individual bills is replaced with an automated bill acceptor system that uses optical, magnetic, or other sensing mechanisms to identify and route currency. This substitution enables bulk processing while maintaining precise currency identification through automated detection systems.
3Ease of operation
If a cash drawer is opened for change dispensing, then change can be provided to customers, but security is compromised by exposing cash intake to cashiers
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the traditional cash drawer entirely and replaces it with a currency changer device that dispenses change through a sealed dispensing slot. This extraction eliminates the security risk of cash exposure while maintaining the ability to provide change to customers.
Solution Approach 2:
The currency changer device acts as an intermediary between the customer and the cash storage mechanism. It receives customer input, processes the transaction, and dispenses change through controlled slots without requiring a cashier to manually open drawers or handle cash, thereby preventing cash exposure during the transaction.
Data Source
AI summary
A drawerless point of sale system includes a point of sale terminal and a currency changer device in communication with the point of sale terminal. The currency changer device is adapted to accept cash in bulk for a cash transaction and includes a housing, a coin accepting tray, a coin sorter, a plurality of respective coin bins, and a coin dispenser. The currency changer also includes a bill accepter/dispenser carried by the housing for accepting, sorting and dispensing bills, and a plurality of bill cassettes carried by the housing and in communication with the bill accepter/dispenser for receiving a respective plurality of similar bills from the bill accepter and for dispensing a respective plurality of bills responsive to said point of sale terminal.