ITFI20130044A1 - A SAFETY DEVICE FOR THE TRANSPORT OF VALUES AND MONEY - Google Patents

Description

A SAFETY DEVICE FOR THE TRANSPORT OF VALUES E

MONEY

Scope of the invention

The present invention refers to the technical sector relating to devices suitable for transporting values and money.

In particular, the invention refers to an innovative safety device that allows the withdrawal and transfer of money taken from arcades and in particular from gaming equipment.

Brief notes on the known art

Nowadays the use of gaming machines in tobacconists, bars and in the premises (for example bingo halls) is more and more widespread.

These machines work with coins or paper money and return cash winnings according to the law. The same, operating mainly with coins, are often flanked by special coin changing machines designed to change money into paper with the relative coins.

These machines are therefore in fact containers of money which, periodically, must be withdrawn by security personnel.

Clearly, the money withdrawal operation involves a certain risk for the persons in charge of the operation, as these may be subject to robbery, with serious risk for their own safety.

In fact, at the current state of the art, no particular safety devices are envisaged to discourage the robbery itself to protect the operator.

Generally, the operator is in fact provided with a simple bag or safety deposit box in which he places the money withdrawn and which is then loaded onto a security van which generally waits for the operator outside the shop together with supervisory staff.

Security is therefore in fact obtained at present through armed personnel in charge, with serious risks of being able to incur armed conflicts and assaults. In fact, cases of even an assault on armored vans as if it were a real guerrilla action are not rare.

In this way, this procedure certainly encourages the criminal to theft who, with the threat of weapons, can easily withdraw all the money and run away. In addition to the risk of life for the operators, it is also difficult to recover the stolen goods.

Summary of the invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an innovative safety device which solves the aforementioned technical drawbacks.

In particular, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an innovative security device which, on the one hand, discourages the criminal against theft, thus making the activity of withdrawing money more secure, and on the other that guarantees good security. own burglar alarm for the money in question.

These and other purposes are therefore achieved with the present safety device (1) of the type that can be transportable manually by an operator and suitable for transporting valuables, as per claim 1.

The device includes:

∠’A containment chamber (3) for the safekeeping of valuables;

∠’A connection device (101) designed to connect to the internet;

∠’A geo-localization device (110) in such a way as to be able to transmit the occupied position via the internet.

In this way all the aforementioned technical problems are easily solved.

The containment chamber, suitably anti-burglary, protects the values while, at the same time, the connection to the internet allows remote monitoring of the device itself. In particular, through the geo-localization device, it is now possible to check its position in â € œReal Timeâ €. Even in the event of theft, the thief is aware of the fact that the device itself is providing its location and this is obviously a great deterrent to theft, as well as resulting in greater safety for the operator.

Furthermore, these safety systems mean that the operator can now abandon the device itself in the hands of the criminal, avoiding risks for his life and, at the same time, having equally many chances of a recovery, for example due to abandonment of the device itself by of the criminal in order to avoid his own interception.

Advantageously, a central server (103) is further provided to which said safety device (1) can be connected, via the Internet, through the connection device (101).

In this way we have an assembly (central server combined with the aforementioned safety device) which together creates a very effective system of transport and custody of valuables.

Connection to the central server from any remote location, for example a central control unit, allows continuous monitoring of the device itself.

Advantageously, the connection device (101) comprises an electronic card (101) and a GSM system with SIM card.

The GSM system with SIM makes the internet connection while the electronic card controls all the operations, therefore the sending of information over the network or the reception of commands received from the network.

Advantageously, the geo-localization device (110) comprises a receiving device (110).

Advantageously, the geo-localization device (110) is in communication with the connection device (101) in order to be able to transmit the occupied position via the internet.

Advantageously, one or more movement sensors and / or a banknote staining device can be further provided.

Advantageously, communication via the internet is bidirectional. In this way an operator can give commands, such as for example the activation of the aforementioned banknote staining device, as well as receiving and monitoring data (such as the geographical position).

Advantageously, the safety device (1) provides at least one wheel (20) and a handle (15) for its dragging.

Advantageously, the connection device (101) to the internet and the geo-localization device (110) are housed inside the containment chamber (3).

In this way they are preserved from tampering or shocks and therefore can be kept intact.

Advantageously, a separator septum (6) can also be provided, arranged inside the containment chamber (3) in such a way as to leave a passage opening (10) for the values entered and a plate (7) rotatably mounted with respect to the septum separator in such a way as to be able to rotate into a closed position in which it obstructs said opening (10).

This prevents the money from escaping from the insertion slot following the overturning of the device 1.

Brief description of the drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the present safety device, according to the invention, will become clearer with the following description of some of its embodiments, given by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

∠’Figures 1 to 7 structurally show the safety device in accordance with the invention;

∠’Figures 8 to 14 show the electronic components supplied and their functionality that allows remote monitoring via the internet, geo-localization of the device itself in real time and its possible remote control.

Description of some preferred embodiments With reference to Figure 1, a safety device 1 according to the invention is described.

The safety device 1 provides a central body 2 with a substantially box-like shape and which forms inside it a containment chamber 3 for the money.

The shapes of the central body can be any and in the preferred configuration of the invention, see top view of figure 4, it is in parallelepiped shape with hexagonal cross section.

Naturally, other shapes can be selected, for example always parallelepiped with a square, rectangular or cylindrical section, without thereby departing from the present inventive concept.

The preferred shape with hexagonal section has the advantage of being easy to make, as it is obtained by combining two half-shells with each other, without the need for molds, as in the case, for example, of cylindrical shape.

As shown in the top view of figure 4, an opening 5 is then highlighted which is used for the insertion of the money and therefore provides access to the internal containment chamber 3 (shown in the section of figure 2).

Figure 2 therefore shows a section of the safety device 1 according to the section A-A indicated in Figure 1.

The section therefore highlights the containment chamber 3 for the money and a separator 6 which forms a slide 6 for the inserted money, so that the money, sliding through it, falls towards the bottom of the chamber 3 where it is collected.

The function of the separator baffle 6 is important as it allows you to mount a closing plate 7 in a rotatable way, for example through a pivot pin.

In this way, when the safety device 1 is standing in a vertical position as shown in figure 2, the plate is rotated downwards by force of gravity, leaving open a passage 10 through which the money falls into the bottom of the chamber 3, a finished sliding along the separator partition 6. On the other hand, when the safety device 1 is rotated in a horizontal position (in this example clockwise - see for example the section in figure 3) or even placed upside down, then the force of gravity causes the closing plate 7 to rotate against the internal wall which forms the containment chamber 3, thus obstructing the passage 10.

This solution is structurally very simple but particularly effective in preventing the money from being emptied through the opening 5 used for its insertion.

Again figure 2 shows an appendix 7â € ™ whose function is that of a balance wheel, in the sense that it favors rotation due to the additional weight. It also prevents the plate from rotating completely close to the separator partition 6, avoiding the risk of accidental blocking.

The section of figure 2 naturally highlights the thickening of the walls 3 'which, with technical notes, can be made of any anti-burglary material and reinforced at will to make forced opening more difficult possible (for example through the ™ use of hydroxyl flames).

Continuing in the structural description of the invention, both figure 1 and the overall view of figure 6 show other structural elements for the present device 1.

In particular, figure 1 shows a handle 15 through which the operator can comfortably drag the safety device 1 through the wheels 20 placed at its base.

The handle 15 could be fixed to the structure but is preferably mounted sliding with respect to the structure through two guides 16.

The handle has a U shape and therefore provides two vertical legs 17 which join a horizontal part 18 which constitutes the grip. In fact, it is therefore a U-folded tubular. The vertical legs 17 are mounted slidingly within the lateral guides 16 into which they are inserted. The guides 16 are integral with the central body 2.

A stop to block the maximum extraction of the handle can be easily obtained through a pin 25 (see also figure 6) arranged in a selected point of the vertical legs 17 placed under the guide 16. The guide 16 actually forms a channel within which the vertical leg 17 of generally tubular shape slides. The pin 25 which exceeds outside the vertical leg 17, for example inserted by screwing or fixed by welding, goes against the guide 16 itself, thereby preventing the vertical legs 17 from coming out of the guide 16.

Again as shown in Figure 1, two wheels 20 are then provided for transporting the safety device 1 by dragging it, pulling it by the handle 15.

As shown in figure 6 there are two wheels and each one is mounted rotating with respect to the external structure of the central body 2 through an L-shaped plate 21 which connects to two consecutive sides of the hexagon (see figure 5).

From the front part of the safety device 1, that is the opposite part to the wheel assembly part, there is then a further reinforcement tube 30 which forms two vertical legs 31 which guarantee a stable vertical position of the entire safety device. 1.

The tubular in fact becomes a second handle useful for lifting the device 1 and protects the front part of the device 1 from impacts exactly in the area where, as explained below, specific electronic components are placed.

An additional 32 L-shaped plate can also be provided to further improve stability when placed in an upright or vertical position.

From figure 6 it is therefore evident the method of transporting this safety device 1.

In particular, it is evident that the operator can comfortably grasp it by the handle and rotate it clockwise with reference to figure 6 in such a way that it weighs its weight entirely on the wheels and can be dragged comfortably exactly like a trolley suitcase.

In this way, despite the high weight of the structure in order to make it burglar-proof, the operator is not forced to make otherwise impossible efforts.

The dimensions of the safety device 1 can be any but preferably it is such as to be easily dragged by a person, exactly like a trolley suitcase. For example, a height of about 90cm or 1m can be foreseen for a diameter of about 60cm. These measures are of course only indicative and not limiting.

As further shown in Figure 7, access to the containment chamber 3 can be made for example from the side of the base 4 (see also Figure 2) by removing a cover 27 which gives access to the chamber 3 through an opening. The lid can be locked by means of a safety lock 200 (not shown in figure 7 but schematized in figure 2) whose key, for safety reasons, can be entrusted to a third person other than the person making the withdrawal.

This solution, that is in fact the preparation of a transportable safe with key, therefore allows an organizational possibility of the withdrawal such that the criminal is aware of the fact that, even when carrying out the robbery, the transporter has no way to open the device 1 This results either in a deterrent to theft or in any case, in the case of theft, an incentive for the criminal to immediately take away the entire device 1 without however carrying out violent acts on the operators and then forcing it later.

This solution is therefore very functional in terms of safety for the personnel.

As an alternative to the key, a combination of safe, mechanical or electronic type or other equivalent solutions can be provided.

As mentioned, figure 7 shows an opening for accessing the containment chamber 3 in such a way as to be able to withdraw the money. The same figure 7 therefore shows inside a box-like element 100 which is used to contain further electronic components immediately described below.

Therefore, according to the invention, the safety device 1 can be monitored and controlled in â € œReal Timeâ € via the Internet, being able to connect continuously to the network and, moreover, being able to provide its geographical position continuously. In this way the operator of a fixed station, through a PC, can check the position and status of the device.

In particular, figure 8 shows how the safety device 1 is internally equipped with an electronic board 101 (installed precisely inside the box 100 in such a way as to protect it from knocks).

Figure 9 schematises how, according to the invention, the safety device 1 equipped with this electronic card 101 can be monitored and therefore accessible via Web with a connection to a central server 103. Figure 9 therefore schematises the central server 103 which it generates a web page 104. The web page is accessible to one or more users 105 via the internet using any computer suitable for surfing the internet (therefore also a mobile phone or palmtop in addition to the classic computer). The server is therefore connected via the Internet to one or more safety devices 1 which can thus be monitored and controlled by the operators in charge.

For this purpose, the 101 electronic board is equipped with a 101â € ™ microprocessor. The microprocessor can be of the PSoC 1 type which has the advantage of allowing a good configurability of the device card in a very low consumption.

Alternatively, it would also be possible to use other microprocessors, such as a PSoC 3 and one with an x86 architecture microprocessor as in PCs, where much higher computing power is required. The card, in particular the microprocessor, is therefore able to read and store predetermined data from the machine where it is installed and make them usable remotely via the Internet.

The card can therefore be equipped with a RAM memory for temporary data storage and a persistent ROM memory.

The ROM memory, as known, is the permanent memory where the software resides, but on which the software itself cannot write. The data ends up on a third type of memory which is generically defined as mass memory.

The 101 card therefore provides a GSM system with telephone â € œSIMâ € so as to be able to connect to the internet exactly like normal cellular phones.

It can also be envisaged to integrate a wireless communication system that connects to a fixed router. This is if the safety device is intended for a closed environment where its range of action is limited to that of the router.

The GSM system can therefore be combined with the Wireless communication system or both can be individually implemented independently of each other.

Naturally, one or more batteries are foreseen which allow the electric power supply and therefore the continuous operation of all the electronic components present.

Also inside the safety device 1 is further integrated a geo-localization system 110 schematized in Figure 10 and known in the state of the art per se individually.

The geo-location system therefore comprises a receiving device 110 which connects to the satellite and receives a signal from it. Generally, the connection takes place on at least three or more satellites in such a way that the receiving system 110 implements a triangulation of the points received to uniquely determine a position. A continuous implementation obviously determines the path from time to time.

The calculated position is therefore sent by the receiving device 110 to the electronic card 101 (see figure 10) which, in turn, transmits the data via the internet to the server 103 so that the connected user can follow â € œreal timeâ € displacement when accessing web page 104 dedicated to the specific safety device 1.

Figure 14 shows an example of a very similar display to the â € œgoogle mapâ € system.

The geo-localization system, together with the internet connection, can be active in a continuous cycle thanks to the batteries (which must be recharged periodically).

In this way, in any instate it is possible to monitor the position of a safety device 1.

Furthermore, one or more movement sensors (for example accelerometers) can be integrated, calibrated in such a way that, following anomalous movements, they command the sending through the microprocessor 101â € ™ of an alarm signal through for example a telephone message , a phone call and / or an email message.

In this way the operator can take action to check the path of the stolen device from the Internet.

This is easily activated thanks to the telephone SIM implemented in the microprocessor which therefore allows not only the connection to the internet but, as mentioned, the sending of a telephone message, the forwarding of the call or the sending of a mail to pre-defined addresses or numbers.

Alternatively, the alarm can be manually controlled by means of a remote control which can be activated by the operator in charge of withdrawing the money, for example.

Therefore, in the event of theft, even when the criminal tries to escape taking device 1 with him, this can be traced at any time. This solution not only offers an excellent chance of recovering the money but is obviously a disincentive to theft.

Always inside the safety device 1 a well-known banknote staining device can be set up which, for example, can activate automatically when the movement sensors detect a movement anomaly or in any case when a theft alarm is triggered. The sensors in this case therefore send an activation signal.

The communication that the microprocessor implements on the internet is of the bidirectional type so that not only the safety device sends information to the server (for example the position) but also the user who monitors a predetermined safety device has the right to control some of them. its features.

The aforementioned staining devices, as well as any alarm sirens, can therefore be remotely controlled in the sense that the operator who for example receives an alarm message can, from a PC, control the path but can also simultaneously activate the sirens and any such staining devices.

Obviously, all this not only makes the device flexible and effective but, moreover, makes the theft operation risky if not even useless.

Figures 11 to 13 show, by way of example, some possible screens of the control WEB page.

By entering identification data, you have Remote access to the specific safety device 1 of which, for example, an alarm signal has been received.

In this way it is easy to create a dedicated operational monitoring center.

Claims (10)

CLAIMS 1. A safety device (1) of the type transportable manually by an operator and suitable for the transport of valuables comprising: ∠’A containment chamber (3) for the safekeeping of valuables; ∠’A connection device (101) to the internet; ∠’A geo-localization device (110) in such a way as to be able to transmit, via the internet, the position occupied. 2. A safety device (1), according to claim 1, wherein a central server (103) is further provided to which said safety device (1) can be connected, via the internet, through said connection device ( 101). A safety device (1), according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connection device (101) comprises an electronic card (101) and a GSM system with SIM card. A safety device (1), according to claims 1 or 1 and 2, wherein the geo-location device (110) comprises a receiving device (110). 5. A safety device (1), according to one or more preceding claims, in which the geo-localization device (110) is in communication with the connection device (101) in order to be able to transmit the occupied position via the internet. 6. A safety device (1), according to one or more preceding claims, in which at least one or more of the following additional components are further optionally provided: ∠’One or more movement sensors; ∠’A banknote staining device. 7. A safety device (1), according to one or more preceding claims, in which communication via the internet is bidirectional. 8. A safety device (1), according to one or more preceding claims, in which the safety device (1) provides at least one wheel (20) and a handle (15) for its dragging. 9. A safety device (1), according to one or more preceding claims, in which the connection device (101) to the internet and the geo-localization device (110) are housed inside the containment chamber ( 3). 10. A safety device (1), according to one or more preceding claims, in which a separator partition (6) is provided, arranged inside the containment chamber (3) in such a way as to leave a gap (10) of passage for the entered values and a plate (7) rotatably mounted with respect to the separator baffle so as to be able to rotate in a position in which it obstructs said opening (10).