GB2486420A

GB2486420A - ATM security apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2486420A
Application number: GB1021080.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Robert Calder
Original assignee: Scotia Safes Ltd
Current assignee: Scotia Safes Ltd
Priority date: 2010-12-13
Filing date: 2010-12-13
Publication date: 2012-06-20
Also published as: GB201021080D0

Abstract

A security apparatus for use with a secure enclosure of the type typically used on an automated teller machine (ATM), the apparatus comprises a side cladding panel 2 which abuts against a side panel of an ATM in use; a door cladding panel 6 hinged to and supported by the side cladding panel so as to cover the access door 26 to the ATM and a locking mechanism comprising a bolt portion 28 and a keeper portion 24. One of the locking mechanism portions is mounted inside the door cladding panel and the other locking mechanism portion is formed and arranged to be mounted to the access door of the ATM so that the door cladding panel may be locked to the access door of the ATM. The weight of the door cladding panel is supported by the side cladding panel. The cladding panels may be of hollow steel filled with concrete or other anti-theft devices to inhibit grinding, cutting or the like. A further side cladding panel 10 and a front cladding panel may be used. The cladding panels may be fixed to the ATM using bolts. The side cladding panels may be mounted on a plinth.

Description

ATM Security Apparatus The present invention relates to a security apparatus for use in improving the security of automated teller machines (ATMs). ATMs are found in a wide variety of locations including "through the wall" installations in banks and shops and "standalone" installations.

The cash dispensing apparatus of an ATM is enclosed within a secure enclosure which is tested and rated to one of a number of different international standards. The higher the standard, the more expensive (and usually heavier) the ATM becomes. To allow the deployment of more ATMs within budget constraints (and into sites which may have low load-bearing floors) the most commonly deployed ATMs in recent times have been supplied with a secure enclosure certified to UL291. Enclosures certified to UL291 provide a limited degree of protection against unauthorised removal of currency/access to the dispensing apparatus. Whilst this standard provides a degree of protection would-be-thieves can still cut, drill or prise open the plate steel enclosure and recently there has been a move within the banking industry to move to higher rated enclosures which contain concrete within the retainer walls.

There exists an after market requirement to upgrade the security rating of existing ATMs particularly in high risk sites. A particularly effective type of upgrade is to emulate the construction of high security enclosures and fit concrete filled steel cladding panels to the side walls and the door of an ATM.

There are however a number of issues and problems associated with the fitting of concrete cladding panels as follows:-By fitting cladding panels to an existing secure enclosure the weight of the cladding panels has to be supported by the existing enclosure and this can result in the enclosure twisting under the weight of the protective cladding.

* It is not always possible to fit cladding panels to an ATM without removing the ATM from its installed position. Removing an ATM to facilitate the fitting of such cladding is expensive and results in ATM downtime.

o The installation of cladding panels greatly increases the floor loading of the existing machine footprint which rules out the installation of cladding panels for many sites.

* Many ATMs already incorporate after market devices such as alarm sensors, anti ram-raid facilities which are fitting to the door or walls of the ATM enclosure such that the retro-fitting of cladding panels is not economically viable for certain ATM installations.

* Typically the ATM access door is fitted with key or combination locks which requires apertures to be left in the cladding panel resulting in areas that are vulnerable to attack.

* Existing designs of cladding are mounted to the ATM door which places additional weight on hinges which are not designed to support such a weight.

Furthermore the hinge section of the ATM door must be kept clear of cladding so that the door can open and this leaves the hinge sections vulnerable to attack.

* Whilst it is possible to offer secondary locking systems which utilise locking bolts to address any weak areas that can be attacked this increases the cost and may result in an existing access door having to be extensively modified off-site with resultant ATM downtime.

It is an object of the present invention to avoid and minimise one or more of the abovenoted disadvantages.

The present invention relates to a security apparatus for use with a secure enclosure of the type typically used on an automated teller machine (ATM), the apparatus comprises a side cladding panel formed and arranged to abut against a side panel of an ATM in use of the security apparatus; a door cladding panel hingedly mounted to and supported by said side cladding panel so as to cover the access door to the said ATM; a locking mechanism comprising a bolt portion and a keeper portion, one of said locking mechanism portions being mounted inside said door cladding panel and the other of said locking mechanism portions being formed and arranged to be mounted to a said access door of an ATM in use of the apparatus, whereby in use, the door cladding panel may be locked to the access door of an ATM and the weight of the door cladding panel is supported by said side cladding panel.

Thus with a security apparatus according to the present invention an ATM in use of the security apparatus bears none of the additional weight of the cladding panels of the security apparatus.

Preferably the side cladding pane! and door cladding panel are in the form of hollow steel box sections which may optionally be filled with concrete either partially or completely and which optionally may include other anti-theft devices which inhibit attack by grinding, cutting or the like. Such anti-theft devices will be known to those skilled in the art As the side cladding panel formed and arranged to abut against the side of an ATM is free standing, preferably the cladding panel may be secured by a simple bolt fixing through the existing ATM secure enclosure. A hole may be drilled through, from the inside out, of the side wall of the ATM secure enclosure such that the side cladding panel can be fixed to the ATM secure enclosure. It will be understood that fixing the cladding panel in this way is for the purposes of location only and the side cladding S panel is not supported by the ATM secure enclosure.

Optionally there may be provided a second side cladcLng panel formed and arranged to abut against the other side panel of an ATM in use of the security apparatus. Here again such a second side panel may be free standing and may be fixed to the ATM secure enclosure as described above.

Preferably said side cladding panel and said optional second side cladding panel may be mounted on to and supported by the plinth upon which the ATM in use of the security apparatus is supported.

Optionally there may be provided a further front cladding panel to cover over the front side of an ATM in use of the security apparatus. Alternatively there may be used a tie bar formed and arranged for tying together, across the front of an ATM in use of the security apparatus, the first side cladding panel and the optional second side cladding panel.

Typically an ATM access door panel will have additional features such as alarms, locks and the like and thus preferably the door cladding panel of the security apparatus has recessed portions therein to allow for the space such features take up and to allow the door cladding panel to "close" thereover. This is particularly advantageous as it does not require the removal and modification of the ATM access door panel.

Preferably the keeper portion of the locking mechanism is formed and arranged to be secured and fixed to the access door panel of an ATM in use of the apparatus and the bolt portion of the locking mechanism secured and fixed to the inside of the door cladding panel. It will be understood that by securing the door cladding panel to the S access door panel of an ATM in use of the device that the weight of the door cladding panel is supported by the side cladding panel abutting against the side of the ATM in use of the apparatus and is not supported on the hinges of the ATM access door.

Furthermore as the door cladding and side cladding panel are hinged together even an attack on these hinges does not prejudice the integrity of the security apparatus as the door cladding panel remains secured to the access door panel of the ATM in use of the apparatus by the locking mechanism, The door cladding panel may be hinged to the left or the right depending upon the required installation.

Where the aforesaid optional side cladding panel is installed there is provided a further IS locking means formed and arranged to lock and secure the door panel to the optional second side cladding panel.

The present invention also relates to a method of upgrading the security of an ATM which comprises the steps of providing a security apparatus according to the invention and installing same to an ATM.

Further preferred features and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following detailed description given by way of example of some preferred embodiments illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: -Figure 1 is a perspective rear view of an ATM to which is fitted a security apparatus according to the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view similar to that in figure 1 with the door cladding panel closed; Figure 3 is a perspective view similar to that in figure 1 with the security apparatus mounted on supporting legs; and Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the security apparatus of figure 3 from the front.

A security apparatus, generally indicated by reference number I is shown in figure 1 in use around an automated teller machine (ATM). The apparatus is in the form of claddfng which. comprises a left hand side cladding panel 2 which abuts against the left side panel of the ATM (when viewed from the rear), in use of the security apparatus, to which is hingedly 4 mounted a door cladding panel 6 which covers over the access door panel 8 of the ATM. A right hand side panel 10 abuts against the right hand side of the ATM thereby cladding the ATM on both sides and at the rear.

The left hand side cladding panel 2 and the right hand side cladding panel 10 are simply secured to the ATM enclosure 8 by bolts (not shown) which fix through from the inside of the ATM enclosure into the inward facing side of each of the left 2 and right hand side cladding panels. The left and right hand side cladding panels are mounted on the ground upon which the ATM is instalted and thus the weight of these panels is supported by the ground and not by the ATM itself. Furthermore, as the door cladding panel 6 is hingedly mounted to and supported by the left hand side cladding panel 2, then the weight thereof is supported by the left hand side cladding panel and not the ATM.

The left hand side cladding panel is dimensioned so as to be wider than that left hand side of the ATM to such an extent that the door cladding panel which it is supporting may close over completely the access door to the ATM (and as shown in figure 2).

The door cladding panel has an extended portion 12 distal from the hinge 4 side which wraps around the right hand corner 14 of the ATM and abuts against the side face 16 of the right hand cladding panel 10. The right hand side cladding panel itself is dimensioned so as to be slightly narrower than the right hand side of the ATM and the door panel and the right hand side panel are configured in this way so that it is not possible to access the locking mechanism (described below) through the small gap (identified by reference number 18 shown in figure 2).

The security apparatus is provided with a locking mechanism 20 which is mounted to the inside face 22 of the door cladding pane!. A keeper portion 24 is mounted and fixed to the access door 26 of the ATM and cooperates with a bolt portion 28 such that when the door cladding panel is closed the bolt portion 28 slides into the keeper portion 24 on the ATM door 26 thereby securing the cladding door to the ATM. For the avoidance of doubt it will be understood that in the closed position the weight of the ATM door is supported by the left hand side cladding panel and not by the door of the ATM.

The bolt portion 28 and keeper portion 24 of the locking mechanism 20 may be configured in a number of ways but in the present embodiment the bolt portion is slidedly mounted to the inside face of the door cladding panel and has a number of bolts' formed and arranged to cooperate with corresponding keepers on the ATM door.

As will be seen from figure 1 the door cladding panel 6 has a recess section within its inner face 22 to accommodate the space of the locking mechanism and any additional locks or alarm features (as indicated by reference number 30) mounted to the ATM door 8.

Figure 1 also shows a chain anchor 32 which is mounted through the right hand side panel into the ATM enclosure.

As will be seen from figure 2 with the door cladding panel in the closed position the vulnerable hinge and lock areas of the ATM access door are not accessible to attack.

Figure 2 also shows the user interface 34 for the locking mechanism of the security apparatus. Once a user unlocks the door cladding panel locking mechanism a user may then slIde the bolt portion to the left (indicated by arrow A) to disengage the bolt portion from the keeper portion on the door so as to allow the door cladding panel to be swung open into the position shown in figure 1.

Figure 3 is generally similar to the embodiment shown in Figure 2 except that the cladding panels (left and right) are mounted on support legs. This application may be required in certain applications where the height of the ATM requires to be raised, for example in a "through wall" installation. Furthermore the weight of the side cladding panels and door cladding panel is supported by the supporting legs and not the ATM body.

Figure 4 shows the front view of the ATM (the side that an ATM user would interface with) and shows a front facing cladding panel 38 which offers protection to attack to the front of the machine in ATM installations where the front could be vulnerable. This panel is free standing and is simply located to the ATM body by bolts which bolt through from the inside of the ATM body into the cladding panel.

The cladding panels themselves! including the door cladding panel are in the form of box sections which include between the inner and outer faces of the cladding panels support members so as to define a multiplicity of voids. Same or all of the voids are filled with concrete or other materials which resist attack by grinding! burning or the like.

Various modifications may be made to the above described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention thus! for example, there may be included secondary locking systems which throw locking bolts in various directions within or between the cladding panels should the cladding panels come under attack.

Claims

CL1I MS 1. A security apparatus for use with a secure enclosure of the type typically used on an automated teller machine (ATM), the apparatus comprises a side cladding panel formed and arranged to abut against a side panel of an ATM in use of the security apparatus; a door cladding panel hingedly mounted to and supported by said side cladding panel so as to cover the access door to the said ATM; a locking mechanism comprising a bolt portion and a keeper portion, one of said locking mechanism portions being mounted inside said door cladding panel and the other of said locking mechanism portions being formed and arranged to be mounted to a said access door of an ATM in use of the apparatus, whereby in use, the door cladding panel may be locked to the access door of an ATM and the weight of the door cladding panel is supported by said side cladding panel.
2. A security apparatus as claimed in claim I wherein the side cladding panel and door cladding panel are in the form of hollow steel box sections which may optionally be filled with concrete either partially or completely.
3. A security apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the panels include other anti-theft devices which inhibit attack by grinding; cutting or the like.
4. A security apparatus as claimed in any one of claims I to 3 wherein the cladding panel may be secured by a simple bolt fixing through the existing ATM secure enclosure.
5. A security apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein there is provided a second side cladding panel formed and arranged to abut against the other side panel of an ATM in use of the security apparatus.
6. A security apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein said side cladding panel and said second side cladding panel may be mounted on to and supported by the plinth upon which the ATM in use of the security apparatus is supported.
7. A security apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein there may be provided a further cladding panel to cover over the front side of an ATM in use of the security apparatus.
8. A security apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the keeper portion of the locking mechanism is formed and arranged to be secured and fixed to the access door panel of an ATM in use of the apparatus and the bolt portion of the rocking mechanism secured and fixed to the inside of the door cladding panel.
9. A method of upgrading the security of an ATM which comprises the steps of providing a security apparatus according to claim 1 and installing same to an ATM.