GB2459722A - Cash handling device attached to a support so that the device is held above the horizontal counter of the transaction station. - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a cash handling device 10 or cash tray, for use near horizontal counters 16 of the transaction stations. The device has a receptacle for receiving and holding cash 12 and a mount 14 so that it can be attached to a fixed structure 20 to hold the device at a higher level than the counter allowing the device to be moved horizontally when in use. The device may pivot or rotate around the mount about a vertical axis. The device may be mounted with a chip and pin card reader 18 to move together or the card reader may be attached to the mount independently, so that both rotate about the same pillar. The receptacle may have separate compartments for coins, notes and other items. The device may have a touch screen display 50.

Description

Cash Handling Device This invention relates to a device for handling cash and optionally vouchers, cards and/or other small items at a transaction station where items are passed between two parties, such as at a ticket desk or shop counter. It finds particular application at the checkout of a store or supermarket.

The supermarket is a busy environment, especially in "rush hours", and there is pressure to complete transactions as quickly as possible. Customers and checkout operators have to carry out multiple tasks, and whilst these are not difficult individually, it can be stressful to have to perform them all at once, and can lead to inefficiencies and frustration if they are not all carried out as quickly as possible and in the most effective sequence.

For example, a customer may have to pack his or her purchases, which may continue to be delivered to them after the checkout operator has finished checking and is awaiting payment, may have to find their wallet or purse, may have to attend to small children, may have to find the correct money and possibly reward cards or vouchers in part payment, and may have to receive change and possibly cards and/or vouchers, check them and put them away. It often happens that the customer is not ready to hand over payment and other items at the moment that the operator is ready to receive them, or the operator is not ready when the customer is ready, and the same can occur at the time of giving change or returning cards, etc. As a consequence, delays occur, and the customer may be unable to check their change and put it away in their wallet or purse in an orderly manner.

A number of devices are known for passing cash and other items between two parties to a transaction. These range from a simple dish placed on a counter top, to various drawers and turntables, such as may be used in a bank or ticket office.

None of these devices is optimal for use in modern-day transactions such as at a supermarket checkout. It is desirable to increase the speed of transactions, thereby leading to increased sales and reduced costs.

According to the invention, there is provided a device for handling cash for use in the vicinity of a horizontal surface of a transaction station, comprising a receptacle for receiving and holding cash and a mount adapted to be connected to fixed structure and to hold the receptacle at a higher level than the horizontal surface, the receptacle being supported by the mount in such a manner that it may be manually moved horizontally in use.

The horizontal surface may be part of a counter or checkout station and the device may be used for passing cash and other items between a checkout operator and a customer on opposite sides of a checkout goods counter. The fact that the receptacle is raised above the horizontal surface means that the goods counter remains unobstructed.

Preferably the mount supports the receptacle in such a manner as to permit it to be moved around a vertical axis; in this way a requisite defined horizontal movement can be provided with a relatively simple construction.

In one embodiment, the receptacle is mounted together with a chip and pin card terminal for rotation together about a vertical axis. The receptacle could be mounted at a greater radial distance than the terminal, or at a lesser distance. In this way both the card terminal and the receptacle can easily be manually moved together between the parties.

The invention enhances the convenience and speed of transactions by allowing the customer or the operator to place items into the receptacle or to remove them at times when the other party is carrying out other sub-steps in the transaction.

Preferably the receptacle is mounted separately from the card terminal. It may be mounted for horizontal rotation about a vertical axis, for example on a vertical pillar, and the card terminal may be mounted for independent rotation about the same pillar, either at a higher or lower level. Providing independence of movement in this way can further increase convenience and speed up transactions, since one party can be working with the card terminal at the same time as the other is working with the receptacle, and they can be manually moved at different moments in a transaction.

Preferably the receptacle is provided with separate compartments for coins, notes or other items. In this way the parties can more easily count and check the items in the receptacle.

Preferably the receptacle is in the form of a tray or dish and has upstanding side walls; this enhances security by stopping items from falling out, and privacy by preventing bystanders from easily seeing the contents.

Preferably the device is provided with a touch screen interface whereby the customer can be provided with information and instructions and can instigate certain transactions or part transactions which would otherwise be done by the operator, such as requesting cash-back. This can further speed transactions.

Some embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cash handling device according to the invention; and Figure 2 is a vertical section of another embodiment of cash handling device according to the invention.

Referring to Figure 1, a cash handling device 10 comprises a receptacle 12 for receiving and holding cash and a mount 14 adapted to support the receptacle 12 above a horizontal surface, in this case a counter 16 of a transaction station such as a supermarket checkout. The mount is adapted to be connected to fixed structure, such as a counter top. It need not be connected to a horizontal surface, but could extend from any other fixed structure, such as a suitable vertical wall of the checkout equipment.

The mount 14 holds the receptacle 12 at a higher level than the surface 16, and permits the receptacle to be manually moved horizontally. For example, the receptacle 2 can be moved towards and away from a customer or a checkout operator by either of them simply grasping it and pushing or pulling it.

In the arrangement shown in Figure 1, the receptacle 12 is mounted on the same mount as a conventional chip and pin card reader terminal 18, for movement therewith. The receptacle 12 and terminal 18 are mounted as an arm on a vertical pillar 20, for rotation about the vertical axis of the pillar.

The receptacle 12 is shown closer to the rotation axis than the terminal 18; however their positions could be reversed such that the terminal 18 is closer to the axis than the receptacle.

Figure 2 shows an alternative arrangement in which a terminal 18 and a receptacle 12 are mounted for independent horizontal movement about the same vertical axis. The mount 14 compriss a threaded metal rod 22 which is secured vertically to fixed structure, counter 16, by passing it through a hole in the counter and securing it with nuts 24 and washers 26. Receptacle 12 is carried by an arm 28 attached to an apertured disc 30, and terminal 18 is carried by an arm 32 attached to an apertured disc 34. Discs 30 and 34 are held in position but allowed to rotate by washers 36 and nuts 38. A decorative cylirider 40 surrounds the lower part of the rod 22 and a decorative cap 42 covers the top of the rod and the upper nut and washer.

Alternatively the cylinder 40 could be load-bearing and the lower nut 38 and washer 36 omitted.

Whilst the receptacle 12 is shown at a higher level than the terminal 18, these relative positions could be reversed.

In an alternative embodiment, the receptacle 12 is mounted for horizontal movement on its own and is not in any way associated with a chip and pin card terminal.

The receptacle 12 may be provided with separate compartments (not shown) for e.g. coins, notes, cards and vouchers, or for coins or notes of different denominations.

The receptacle may be in the form of a tray or dish with upstanding side walls 46; this enhances security by stopping items from falling out, and also enhances privacy by preventing bystanders from easily seeing the contents.

In alternative embodiments, the receptacle 12 (either in combination with a terminal 18 or not) can be provided with a touch screen interface whereby the customer can be provided with information and instructions and can instigate certain transactions or part transactions which would otherwise be done by the operator, such as requesting cash-back or a receipt. Upstanding walls could provide privacy as is conventional. The touch screen interface could be provided in any convenient location, such as on a generally horizontal surface of the receptacle 12 as very schematically indicated at 50 in Figure 1.

The device of the invention can increase sales at a retail payment terminal and represents an efficient way for shoppers to check and collect their transactions.

The device provides quicker transactions at' the retail payment terminal as the shopping attendant places the customer's transaction onto a receptacle, which may be transparently designed, rather than into the customer's hand. It is well established that numerous seconds of sales are lost when the attendant has to wait for the customer to acknowledge their change. However, the device reduces the lost time and increases sales; as soon as the transaction of the existing customer is placed onto the receptacle, the attendant is able to deal with the next customer.

The device of the invention also enables the attendant to count change back to the customer whilst placing the transaction onto the receptacle. This process highlights the efficiency of the product and enables the customer to see their change in an appealingly visual and transparent manner rather than receiving a pile of crumpled-up change into one hand.

The device is designed for both cash-only shopping tills and those that require credit card transactions. In addition, this invention can either be integrated into the cash counter platform as an accessory to a fixture or designed as a mini accessory attached o a chip and pin device. The receptacle is designed for items such as credit cards, notes, coins, reward cards, coupons, gift tokens, receipts and finally cash-back, which is a request many shoppers continue to demand, especially as the alternative could be using an unsafe side street cash point terminal.

In relation to procedure, the customer places their money onto the receptacle which is then moved to the shop attendant, resulting in the shop attendant collecting the money and dealing with the transaction. As soon as the shop attendant has dealt with the transaction, the attendant places any change, including coins andlor notes back onto the receptacle. It is an option for the retailer as to whether the receptacle should consist of compartments relating to cards, coins, notes and receipts.

The device is versatile in that the attendant is able to rotate it manually between themselves and the customer. The rotation is similar to that of the new chip and pin device. After the receptacle has been manually rotated to the customer, any transactions are collected accordingly.

It is further noted that the receptacle can be adapted by the retailer to incorporate any technological features such as request buttons for cash-back and receipts as well as swiping features for reward cards. Such functions, which can be presented as a touch screen surface on the receptacle, would place an empowering responsibility on the customer rather than the attendant thus saving the retailer valuable time. This procedure means that the attendant would not have to handle further items such as reward cards, thereby increasing both the transaction speed at the payment terminal and sales, in addition, customers are not always asked whether they wish to request cash-back, which given the busy nature of the retail environment can have a negative effect on profits. On the other hand, the customer is more likely to request cash-back and use their reward card if they are presented with features on an integrated receptacle attached to a chip and pin device or a cash point fixture directed at themselves, thus increasing profits and data collecting, which in turn assists sales.

In terms of security, there are no issues of concern. The device is constructed in a secure manner sothat only the shopper and the shopping attendant are in direct control, in the same way as the chip andpin device. In addition, this procedure is far more efficient than the present system in that it allows the customer to collect their change in a manageable fashion as well as facilitating the process of checking and securing change.

Claims (7)

1. CLAIMS1. A device for handling cash for use in the vicinity of a horizontal surface of a transaction station, comprising a receptacle for receiving and holding cash and a mount adapted to be connected to fixed structure and to hold the receptacle at a higher level than the horizontal surface, the receptacle being supported by the mount in such a manner that it may be manually moved horizontally in use.
2. 2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mount supports the receptacle in such a manner as to permit it to be moved around a vertical axis.
3. 3. A device as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the receptacle is mounted together with a chip and pin card terminal for rotation together about a vertical axis.
4. 4. A device as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the receptacle is mounted for horizontal rotation about a vertical axis, and a chip and pin card terminal is mounted for independent rotation about the same pillar.
5. 5. A device as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 wherein the receptacle is provided with separate compartments for coins, notes or other items.
6. 6. A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the receptacle is in the form of a tray or dish and has.upstanding side walls.
7. 7. A device as claimed in any preceding claim further provided with a touch screen interface.