JP6657321B2 - Cash processing system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cash processing system, for example, a cash processing system that transfers cash in a checkout in a store and stores the cash.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a cash settlement apparatus and a POS (Point Of Sale) register have been used at a checkout counter of a store for a clerk to transfer cash with a customer. The cash settlement apparatus has a function of identifying and counting inputted cash to calculate an amount, storing the cash, and paying out the stored cash as change.

  On the other hand, in the back office of a store, a cash accounting device is used to load cash such as change reserves into a cash settlement device installed in the store, or to collect sales etc. of the cash settlement device. ing. The cash accounting apparatus has a function of storing cash collected from the cash settlement apparatus and discharging cash to be loaded into the cash settlement apparatus.

European Patent No. 20331567 European Patent No. 1735575 U.S. Pat. No. 5,83,0054 European Patent No. 2062230

  Usually, at the start of business, a clerk needs to load a change reserve or the like into a cash settlement apparatus. After the business is over, the clerk needs to store the sales and the like stored in the cash settlement apparatus in the cash accounting apparatus in the back office.

  In such change loading or collection processing, manual movement of cash by a clerk is a security problem. Another problem is that the clerk does not know the cash settlement device to which the change reserve is to be loaded.

In order to solve the above problems, a cash processing system of the present invention includes a plurality of cash settlement apparatuses that perform settlement processing by depositing and withdrawing cash, and dispensing cash to be loaded into each of the cash settlement apparatuses. A cash accounting device for depositing cash collected from each cash settlement device, and detachable to each of the cash settlement devices and the cash accounting device, when attached to each cash settlement device or the cash accounting device. A cash processing system comprising: a cash transport cassette for transferring cash between each of the cash settlement apparatuses or the cash accounting apparatuses; and a cash management apparatus for managing the amount of cash in each of the cash settlement apparatuses for each denomination. In the system, the cash accounting apparatus is configured such that, in a state where the cash transport cassette is mounted, at least each of the cash settlement apparatuses managed by the cash management apparatus. Characterized in that it comprises a notifying unit for notifying the loading related information including identification information for identifying the cash settlement apparatus to be filled the determined cash based on the balance of the cash for each denomination in the.

  In the cash processing system of the present invention, the notifying unit may further notify, as the loading-related information, identification information for identifying the cash transport cassette mounted on the cash accounting apparatus.

  In the cash processing system of the present invention, the notification unit further includes, as the loading-related information, denomination information and quantity information of the change reserve stored in the cash transport cassette mounted on the cash accounting apparatus. You may be notified.

  In the cash processing system according to the present invention, the cash transport cassette stores identification information for identifying the cash settlement apparatus to be refilled with cash or information relating to a change fund stored in the cash transport cassette. The cash accounting apparatus may include a reading unit that reads identification information stored in the storage unit or information related to a change fund when the cash transport cassette is mounted.

  The cash processing system according to the present invention is secure in security and allows a clerk to specify a cash settlement apparatus to which a change fund is to be loaded.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a cash management system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an external view showing an example of each cash settlement apparatus 11. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a cash settlement apparatus 11. Sectional drawing which shows an example of an internal structure of the banknote settlement apparatus 12 among the cash settlement apparatuses 11. FIG. Sectional drawing which shows an example of an internal structure of the coin settlement apparatus 13 among the cash settlement apparatuses 11. FIG. The external view which shows an example of the cash accounting apparatus 21. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a cash accounting apparatus 21. Sectional drawing which shows an example of an internal structure of the banknote accounting apparatus 22 among the cash accounting apparatuses 21. FIG. Sectional drawing which shows an example of an internal structure of the coin accounting apparatus 23 among the cash accounting apparatuses 21. FIG. FIG. 3 is an external view illustrating a configuration example of a cash transport cassette 30 that transports coins. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the settlement process in the cash processing system 1 by this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of a loading process in the cash processing system 1 according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of a collection process in the cash processing system 1 according to the embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows an example of an internal structure of the coin settlement apparatus 13 according to the modification of this embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This embodiment does not limit the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a cash management system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The cash management system 1 is a system for processing and managing cash received by a clerk from a customer and cash paid by the clerk to the customer.

  The cash management system 1 is provided in a check-out area in a store, and has a check-out counter 10 for depositing and withdrawing cash exchanged by a clerk with a customer, and a bag for managing cash and products of the check-out counter 10. It comprises an office 20, and a cash transport cassette 30 for transporting cash between the checkout counter 10 and the back office 20.

  The checkout counter 10 is provided with one or a plurality of cash settlement apparatuses 11 for performing settlement processing with a customer by depositing and withdrawing cash. In FIG. 1, the checkout counter 10 is provided with three cash settlement apparatuses 11. The cash settlement apparatus 11 is operated by a clerk or a customer himself, and is used for settlement processing between the clerk and the customer. For example, the cash settlement apparatus 11 deposits the price paid by the customer or dispenses change to be paid to the customer.

  The cash settlement apparatus 11 is communicably connected to, for example, a POS register operated by a clerk or a self-checkout register operated by a customer. The cash settlement apparatus 11 may be integrally formed with a POS register or a self-checkout register.

  The back office 20 is provided with a cash accounting apparatus 21, a cash management apparatus 25, and a POS management apparatus 26. The cash accounting apparatus 21 is communicably connected to the cash settlement apparatus 11. For example, the cash accounting apparatus 21 withdraws a change reserve for loading the cash settlement apparatus 11, or stores sales collected from the cash settlement apparatus 11. Make a deposit. The cash management apparatus 25 is communicably connected to the cash settlement apparatus 11 and the cash accounting apparatus 21 via a LAN (Local Area Network) or the like. The cash management device 25 manages cash stored in the cash settlement device 11 and the cash accounting device 21. For example, the cash management device 25 manages the cash that has been settled in each of the cash settlement devices 11 and the cash that has been transferred between the cash settlement device 11 and the cash accounting device 21. Further, the cash management device 25 may monitor whether or not the cash transport cassette 30 is mounted on the cash settlement apparatus 11 or the cash accounting apparatus 21. The POS management device 26 manages the flow of goods. Since the flow of goods is not directly related to the present invention, a detailed description of the POS management device 26 is omitted here.

  The cash transport cassette 30 is configured to be detachable from the cash settlement apparatus 11 and the cash accounting apparatus 21. When the cash transport cassette 30 is mounted on the cash settlement apparatus 11 or the cash accounting apparatus 21, the cash transport cassette 30 is connected to the cash settlement apparatus 11 or the cash accounting apparatus 21. Cash can be exchanged between them. On the other hand, the cash transport cassette 30 stores therein such that the internal cash cannot be taken out when the user is detached from the cash settlement apparatus 11 and the cash accounting apparatus 21. The clerk uses the cash transfer cassette 30 to transfer cash between the cash settlement apparatus 11 and the cash accounting apparatus 21. For example, the clerk uses the cash transfer cassette 30 to transfer cash between the cash settlement apparatus 11 and the cash accounting apparatus 21 when loading a change fund or collecting sales proceeds. Since the clerk cannot touch the cash in the cash transport cassette 30 when transporting the cash, the clerk can transport the cash in a secure state.

  The cash transport cassette 30 may be configured to transport either a bill or a coin, or may be configured to transport both. The cash transport cassette 30 for banknotes may be a stack type cassette for stacking and storing banknotes, or a tape reel type for winding the tapes together with the banknotes while the banknotes are sandwiched between a plurality of tapes one by one. It may be a cassette. The cash transport cassette 30 for coins may be a cassette for storing coins in a mixed denomination state.

[Configuration of the cash settlement apparatus 11]
Each cash settlement apparatus 11 includes a coin settlement apparatus 13 that performs settlement processing by depositing and dispensing coins, and a bill settlement apparatus 12 that performs settlement processing by depositing and dispensing bills.

  Hereinafter, in order to distinguish between the components of the bill settlement apparatus 12 and the components of the coin settlement apparatus 13, reference numerals of the components of the bill settlement apparatus 12 are denoted by “a”, and the components of the coin settlement apparatus 13 are referred to as “a”. "B" is appended to the reference number. The coin settlement device 13 and the bill settlement device 12 have different specific configurations since the objects to be handled are different for coins and bills, but may have the same basic block configuration shown in FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of an example of each cash settlement apparatus 11. The cash settlement apparatus 11 includes a bill settlement apparatus 12 and a coin settlement apparatus 13. The bill settlement apparatus 12 includes a housing 100a, a deposit unit 110a, and a dispensing unit 120a. The depositing unit 110a is provided for inserting a bill received from a customer. The dispensing unit 120a is provided for dispensing change bills. When the front cover 101a of the housing 100a is opened, a cassette mounting portion (see 160a in FIG. 4) for mounting the cash transport cassette 30 is provided.

  The coin settlement apparatus 13 includes a housing 100b, a deposit unit 110b, and a dispensing unit 120b. The depositing unit 110b is provided for inserting coins received from customers. The dispensing unit 120b is provided for dispensing change coins. When the front cover 101b of the housing 100b is opened, a cassette mounting portion (see 160b in FIG. 5) for mounting the cash transport cassette 30 is provided.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the cash settlement apparatus 11. The cash settlement apparatus 11 includes a transfer section 130, an identification section 140, a storage section 150, a read / write section 157, a cassette mounting section 160, a memory 170, It further includes a unit 180 and a control unit 190.

  The transport unit 130 transports the cash input to the depositing unit 110 to the storage unit 150, or transports the cash to be discharged from the dispensing unit 120 from the storage unit 150. In addition, the transport unit 130 transports the cash in the cash transport cassette 30 mounted on the cassette mounting unit 160 to load the cash into the storage unit 150, or collects the cash from the storage unit 150. Therefore, the cash stored in the storage unit 150 can be transported to the cash transport cassette 30.

  The identification unit 140 is configured to detect the denomination, true / false, fitness, new / old, quantity, and the like of the cash carried by the carrying unit 130. For example, the identification unit 140 includes a sensor such as an image sensor or a magnetic sensor.

  The storage unit 150 is configured to store the cash identified by the identification unit 140 for each denomination. When storing the banknotes, the storage unit 150 may be a stack type storage unit that stacks and stores each banknote for each denomination, or the tape in a state where each banknote is sandwiched between a plurality of tapes for each denomination. It may be a plurality of tape-reel-type storage units wound up together with banknotes.

  The cassette mounting section 160 is configured so that the cash transport cassette 30 can be attached and detached. The cassette mounting section 160 is configured to be able to deposit cash from the cash transport cassette 30 or to dispense cash to the cash transport cassette 30.

  The read / write unit 157 is configured to be able to read information stored in a storage unit 35 provided in the cash transport cassette 30 described later or write information to the storage unit 35.

  The memory 170 includes a read only memory (ROM) or a hard disk drive (HDD) for storing various programs and data for controlling the cash settlement apparatus 11, and a RAM (Random) serving as a program load area and a work area when executing the program. Access Memory). The memory 170 also stores information (denomination, quantity, etc.) of the cash stored in the storage unit 150 and the cash transport cassette 30. Further, the memory 170 may store the amount of cash identified by the identification unit 140 for each denomination.

  The communication unit 180 is communicably connected to other devices (the cash accounting apparatus 21, the cash management apparatus 25, and the POS management apparatus 26) that configure the cash processing system 1.

  The control unit 190 is an arithmetic processing device configured to execute a program in the memory 170 and control the entire cash settlement apparatus 11.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of an internal configuration of the banknote settlement apparatus 12 of the cash settlement apparatus 11. The banknote settlement apparatus 12 includes a depositing unit cover 111a, and a clerk opens the depositing unit cover 111a and deposits bills into the depositing unit 110a at the time of depositing. The depositing unit 110a is configured to feed out the inserted bills one by one to the transporting unit 130a. The transport unit 130a is configured to pass the fed banknotes through the identification unit 140a, and then transport the banknotes to the storage unit 150a, the cash transport cassette 30, or the dispensing unit 120a. The identification unit 140a identifies the denomination, authenticity, validity, new / old, quantity, and the like of the bill being transported. The transport unit 130a stores the banknotes in the storage unit 150a for each denomination based on the identification result by the identification unit 140a.

  The transport unit 130a may transport the banknotes to the cash transport cassette 30 as needed, for example, when the storage unit 150a is full. In addition, when the banknotes cannot be identified in the identification unit 140a or when a false banknote is identified, the transport unit 130a throws out the banknotes to the dispensing unit 120a.

  On the other hand, in order to pay out bills, the storage unit 150a is configured to feed out bills one by one to the transport unit 130a. The transport unit 130a transports the fed bill to the dispensing unit 120a. The bill settlement apparatus 12 includes a dispensing unit shutter 121a, and opens the dispensing unit shutter 121a to dispense a bill when dispensing.

  As described above, the banknote settlement apparatus 12 can store the banknotes inserted into the depositing unit 110a in the storage unit 150a, and conversely, can discharge the banknotes stored in the storage unit 150a to the dispensing unit 120a. That is, the bill settlement apparatus 12 is configured so that the deposited bill can be reused for dispensing.

  When the cash transport cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting section 160a, the banknote settlement apparatus 12 loads banknotes from the cash transport cassette 30 into the storage section 150a, or collects banknotes from the storage section 150a into the cash transport cassette 30a. can do. When loading banknotes, the cash transport cassette 30 feeds out banknotes one by one to the transport unit 130a. The transport unit 130a loads the fed bill into the storage unit 150a. When collecting bills, the storage unit 150a feeds the bills one by one to the transport unit 130a. The transport unit 130a collects the fed bills into the cash transport cassette 30.

  Thus, the bill settlement apparatus 12 is configured to be able to load and collect bills using the cash transport cassette 30.

  FIGS. 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views illustrating an example of the internal configuration of the coin settlement apparatus 13 of the cash settlement apparatus 11. FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the coin settlement apparatus 13 as viewed from the side, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of the coin settlement apparatus 13 as viewed from the front. In FIG. 5B, illustration of the cash transport cassette 30 and the payout unit 137b is omitted, and the storage unit 150b is illustrated.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the coin settlement apparatus 13 includes a deposit unit 110b, and a clerk puts coins into the deposit unit 110b when depositing. At this time, coins of a plurality of denominations may be inserted in a mixed state. The disc-shaped feeding section 133b is configured to feed coins inserted into the deposit section 110b one by one to the transport section 130b. The transport unit 130b transports the fed coin to the storage unit 150b, the cash transport cassette 30, or the dispensing unit 120b after passing the fed coin through the identification unit 140b. The identification unit 140b identifies the denomination, true / false, damage, new / old, and quantity of the coin being transported. The transport unit 130b sorts coins for each denomination based on the identification result by the identification unit 140b, and stores the coins in the corresponding denomination storage unit 150b.

  The transport unit 130b may transport the coins to the cash transport cassette 30 or the collection box 135b as necessary, for example, when the storage unit 150b is full. If the coin is identified as a reject coin by the identification unit 140b, the transport unit 130b throws out the reject coin to the dispensing unit 120b.

  On the other hand, in order to dispense coins, the storage unit 150b is configured to feed coins one by one to the transport unit 131b. The plurality of storage sections 150b store money for each denomination, and each includes a disk-shaped feeding section 153b. The feeding section 153b is configured to feed coins one by one to the transport section 130b. The transport unit 130b transports the fed coin to the dispensing unit 120b. Thereby, the coin settlement apparatus 13 ejects the coin to the dispensing unit 120b.

  As described above, the coin settlement apparatus 13 can store the coin inserted into the depositing unit 110b in the storage unit 150b, and conversely, can discharge the coin stored in the storage unit 150b to the dispensing unit 120b. That is, the coin settlement apparatus 13 is configured such that the deposited coin can be reused for dispensing.

  When the cash transport cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting section 160b, the coin settlement apparatus 13 loads coins from the cash transport cassette 30 into the storage section 150b, or collects coins from the storage section 150b into the cash transport cassette 30b. can do. When loading coins, the cash transport cassette 30 ejects the coins to the pay-out section 137b shown in FIG. At this time, the cash transport cassette 30 may eject coins to the feeding unit 137b in a state where the denominations are mixed. The feeding section 137b feeds coins to the transport section 131b. The transporting unit 131b transports the fed coins to the feeding unit 133b, and the feeding unit 133b feeds the coins one by one to the transporting unit 130b. The transport unit 130b is configured to pass the fed coins through the identification unit 140b, and then transport the coins to the storage unit 150b or the dispensing unit 120b. The identification unit 140b identifies the denomination of the coin being transported. The transport unit 130b stores coins in the storage unit 150b for each denomination based on the identification result by the identification unit 140b.

  When collecting coins, the coin settlement apparatus 13 pays out coins one by one from the storage section 150b to the transport section 131b. The transport unit 131b collects the fed coins into the cash transport cassette 30.

  As described above, the coin settlement apparatus 13 is configured so that coins can be loaded and collected using the cash transport cassette 30.

[Configuration of the cash accounting apparatus 21]
The cash accounting apparatus 21 dispenses coins to be loaded into the coin settlement apparatus 13 and deposits and withdraws coins collected from the coin settlement apparatus 13, and dispenses bills to be loaded into the bill settlement apparatus 12. And a bill depositing / dispensing device 22 for depositing bills collected from the settlement device 12. The banknote accounting apparatus 22 and the coin accounting apparatus 23 are configured as a set of cash accounting apparatuses 21.

  Hereinafter, in order to distinguish between the components of the banknote accounting apparatus 22 and the components of the coin accounting apparatus 23, reference numerals of the components of the banknote accounting apparatus 22 are denoted by “a”, and the components of the coin accounting apparatus 23. "B" is appended to the reference number. The banknote accounting apparatus 22 and the coin accounting apparatus 23 have different specific configurations since the objects to be handled are different between coins and banknotes, but the basic block configuration shown in FIG. 7 may be the same. However, the operation display unit 295 is provided in either the banknote accounting apparatus 22 or the coin accounting apparatus 23, and is commonly used to display information of both of them.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of an example of the cash accounting apparatus 21. The cash accounting apparatus 21 includes a bill accounting apparatus 22 and a coin accounting apparatus 23. The banknote accounting apparatus 22 includes a housing 200a, a deposit unit 210a, a dispensing unit 220a, and an operation display unit 295a. The deposit part 210a is provided for inserting bills. The dispensing unit 220a is provided for dispensing bills. The depositing unit 210a is configured so that the loose money feeding unit 211a or the cash transport cassette 30 that feeds loose banknotes can be selectively mounted. Therefore, the depositing unit 210a can deposit loose banknotes without using the cash transport cassette 30, and can also deposit banknotes from the cash transport cassette 30. The dispensing unit 220a can dispense loose paper without using the cash transport cassette 30. When the front cover 201a is opened, a collection unit 255a and a storage unit 250a shown in FIG. 8 are provided.

  The operation display unit 295 is configured to display the status and the like of the cash accounting apparatus 21, the cash settlement apparatus 11, and the cash transport cassette 30, and allow a clerk to input data. The operation display unit 295 may be, for example, a touch panel display.

  The coin accounting apparatus 23 includes a housing 200b, a deposit unit 210b, and a drawer mounting unit 260 functioning as a dispensing unit 220b. The depositing unit 210b is provided for inserting coins. The drawer loading section 260 is provided for ejecting coins. The depositing unit 210b is configured so that a loose coin can be inserted as it is or the cash transport cassette 30 can be mounted. Therefore, the depositing unit 210b can deposit loose coins without using the cash transport cassette 30, and can also deposit coins from the cash transport cassette 30. The drawer mounting section 260 is configured to selectively mount a storage drawer 258b or a cash transport cassette 30 that stores coins for each denomination. Therefore, the drawer mounting section 260 can dispense coins without using the cash transport cassette 30, and can dispense coins to the cash transport cassette 30. When the front cover 201b is opened, a storage section 250b shown in FIG. 9 is provided.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the cash accounting apparatus 21. The cash accounting apparatus 21 includes a transfer unit 230, an identification unit 240, a storage unit 250, a collection unit 255, a read / write unit 257, a machine, in addition to the depositing unit 210, the dispensing unit 220, and the operation display unit 295. An external reject unit 222, an in-machine reject unit 224, a memory 270, a communication unit 280, and a control unit 290 are further provided.

  The depositing unit 210 of the cash accounting apparatus 21 is configured so that the loose money feeding unit 201 or the cash transport cassette 30 can be selectively mounted. For example, when a clerk deposits loose money into the cash accounting apparatus 21, the loose money feeding section 201 is attached to the deposit section 210. When the clerk deposits cash into the cash accounting apparatus 21 using the cash transport cassette 30, the cash transport cassette 30 is mounted on the depositing unit 210 instead of the loose money feeding unit 201. That is, the cash accounting apparatus 21 is configured so that the cash transport cassette 30 can be attached to and detached from the depositing unit 210 instead of the loose money feeding unit 201.

  The transport unit 230 transports the cash input to the depositing unit 210 to the storage unit 250, or transports the cash to be dispensed from the dispensing unit 220 from the storage unit 250. The transport unit 230 is configured to transport cash from the storage unit 250 to the cash transport cassette 30 or to transport cash from the cash transport cassette 30 to the storage unit 250.

  The identification unit 240 is configured to detect the denomination, true / false, damage, new / old, quantity, and the like of the cash carried by the carrying unit 230. For example, the identification unit 240 includes sensors such as a magnetic sensor, a fluorescent sensor, a metal thread sensor, a thickness sensor, and an image sensor. The identification unit 240 counts the amount of cash for each denomination.

  The storage unit 250 is configured to store the cash identified by the identification unit 240 for each denomination. When storing bills, the storage section 250 may be a stack type storage section or a tape reel type storage section.

  The read / write unit 257 is configured to be able to read information stored in a storage unit 35 provided in the cash transport cassette 30 described later or write information to the storage unit 35.

  The memory 270 includes a ROM or HDD for storing various programs and data for controlling the cash accounting apparatus 21, a RAM serving as a program load area and a work area when executing the program, and the like. The memory 270 also stores information (denomination, quantity, etc.) of cash stored in the storage section 250 and the cash transport cassette 30. Further, the memory 270 may store the amount of cash identified by the identification unit 240 for each denomination.

  The communication unit 280 is communicably connected to other devices (the cash settlement apparatus 11, the cash management apparatus 25, and the POS management apparatus 26) included in the cash processing system 1.

  The control unit 290 is an arithmetic processing device configured to execute a program in the memory 270 to control the entire cash accounting apparatus 21.

  FIGS. 8A and 8B are cross-sectional views illustrating an example of the internal configuration of the banknote accounting apparatus 22 of the cash accounting apparatus 21. FIG. FIG. 8A shows a state in which a loose bill feeding unit 211a is attached to the depositing unit 210a, and FIG. 8B shows a state in which the cash transport cassette 30 is attached to the depositing unit 210a. The operation display unit 295 is not shown in FIG.

  When the clerk deposits loose banknotes, as shown in FIG. 8A, the clerk attaches the loose banknote payout section 211a to the deposit section 210a. When the clerk throws the bills into the loose bill feeding section 211a, the loose bill feeding section 211a feeds the inserted bills one by one to the transport section 230a. The transport unit 230a is configured to pass the fed banknotes through the identification unit 240a, and then transport the banknotes to the storage unit 250a, the collection / collection unit 254a, or the external reject unit 222a. The identification unit 240a identifies the denomination, authenticity, validity, new / old, quantity, and the like of the bill being transported. The transport unit 230a stores banknotes in the storage unit 250a for each denomination based on the identification result by the identification unit 240a.

  The transport unit 230a may transport the banknote to the collection and accumulation unit 254a as needed, such as when the storage unit 250a is full. When the number of bills accumulated in the collection and accumulation unit 254a exceeds a predetermined number, the bills are stored in the collection unit 255a. In addition, when the banknote cannot be identified by the identification unit 240a or a fake banknote is identified, the transport unit 230a ejects the banknote to the external reject unit 222a.

  On the other hand, when dispensing banknotes, the storage unit 250a is configured to feed banknotes one by one to the transport unit 230a. The transport unit 230a transports the fed bill to the dispensing unit 220a and discharges the bill. When the sensor 242a detects a transport abnormality such as double feeding, chaining, skew, or the like during the transport of the bill, the transport unit 230a transports the bill to the in-machine reject unit 224a.

  As described above, the banknote accounting apparatus 22 can store the banknotes inserted into the depositing unit 210a in the storage unit 250a, and conversely, can discharge the banknotes stored in the storage unit 250a to the payment unit 220a. That is, the banknote accounting apparatus 22 is configured so that the deposited banknote can be reused for withdrawal.

  As shown in FIG. 8 (B), when the loose banknote payout unit 211a is rotated upward and retracted, and the cash transport cassette 30 is mounted on the depositing unit 210a instead of the loose banknote payout unit 201a, the banknote receipt / payment is performed. The device 22 can deposit banknotes from the cash transport cassette 30 into the storage unit 250a, or dispense banknotes from the storage unit 250a to the cash transport cassette 30a. When the banknotes are loaded into the cash settlement apparatus 11, the storage unit 250a feeds the banknotes one by one to the transport unit 230a in order to transport the banknotes to the cash transport cassette 30. The transport unit 230a dispenses the fed bill to the cash transport cassette 30. Thereby, the banknote accounting apparatus 22 can dispense the banknotes loaded in the cash settlement apparatus 11 to the cash transport cassette 30.

  When collecting bills from the cash settlement apparatus 11, the bills collected from the cash settlement apparatus 11 are already in the cash transport cassette 30. Accordingly, the cash transport cassette 30 feeds out the banknotes therein one by one to the transport unit 230a, and the transport unit 230a stores the fed banknotes in the storage unit 250a. When the sensor 242a detects a conveyance abnormality such as double feeding, chaining, or skew during the conveyance of the bill, the conveyance unit 230a stores the bill in the in-machine reject unit 224a.

  As described above, the banknote accounting apparatus 22 can dispense the banknotes loaded in the cash settlement apparatus 11 to the cash transport cassette 30, and deposit the banknotes collected from the cash settlement apparatus 11 from the cash transport cassette 30. It is configured to be able to.

  9A and 9B are cross-sectional views illustrating an example of the internal configuration of the coin accounting apparatus 23 of the cash accounting apparatus 21. FIG. 9A is a sectional view of the coin accounting apparatus 23 as viewed from the side, and FIG. 9B is a sectional view of the coin accounting apparatus 23 as viewed from the front.

  The coin accounting apparatus 23 includes a deposit unit 210b, and is configured to be able to deposit coins collected from the cash settlement apparatus 11 from the cash transport cassette 30. Further, the coin accounting apparatus 23 includes a drawer mounting section 260 to which the collection section 255b and the cash transport cassette 30 can be mounted. By mounting the cash transport cassette 30 on the drawer mounting section 260, coins to be loaded into the cash settlement apparatus 11 can be dispensed into the cash transport cassette 30 by denomination.

  When depositing loose coins, the clerk puts the coins into the depositing section 210b at the time of deposit. At this time, coins of a plurality of denominations may be inserted in a mixed state. The disc-shaped feeding section 233b is configured to feed coins inserted into the deposit section 210b one by one to the transport section 230b. The transport unit 230b is configured to allow the fed coin to pass through the identification unit 240b and then transport the coin to the temporary storage unit 235b. The temporary storage unit 235b is provided for each denomination, and is configured to temporarily store coins.

  The identification unit 240b identifies the denomination, authenticity, damage, new / old, and quantity of the coin being transported. The transport unit 230b sorts coins for each denomination based on the identification result by the identification unit 240b, and puts the coins into the temporary holding unit 235b of the corresponding denomination.

  Each escrow unit 235b communicates with a corresponding denomination storage unit 250b via a chute 236b, and after all the inserted coins are held in the escrow unit 235b, the coins are stored in the corresponding denomination. Stored in the section 250b.

  The transport unit 230b may transport the coins to the overflow box 259b as needed, such as when the storage unit 250b is full. When the temporary holding unit 235b is full, the transport unit 230b may transport the coins to the overflow box 259b. Further, even when the coin is identified as a reject coin by the identification unit 240b, the transport unit 230b may transport the reject coin to the reject unit 234b.

  On the other hand, when dispensing loose coins, the storage unit 250b is configured to feed out the coins one by one to the transport unit 231b. The plurality of storage sections 250b store coins for each denomination, and each includes a disk-shaped feeding section 253b. The feeding unit 253b feeds out coins one by one, and conveys the coins to the drawer 258b via the chute 256b. The drawer 258b as a coin dispensing unit is configured to store money for each denomination, and the chute 256b is also configured to discharge money for each denomination. Thereby, the coin accounting apparatus 23 can dispense coins to the drawer 258b for each denomination. The coins collected by the collection unit 255b may be in a state where denominations are mixed.

  As described above, the coin accounting apparatus 23 can store the coins inserted into the depositing unit 210b in the storage unit 250b, and conversely, can discharge the coins stored in the storage unit 250b to the drawer 258b. That is, the coin accounting apparatus 23 is configured such that the deposited coin can be reused for withdrawal.

  The POS register may be provided with a drawer for manually storing cash transferred during the settlement process. In such a case, the storage drawer 258b is used when loading coins into the drawer of the POS register of the checkout counter 10. The clerk loads the coins dispensed to the storage drawer 258b of the coin accounting apparatus 21 into the drawer of the POS register. When collecting coins from the drawer of the POS register, the clerk may insert coins into the depositing unit 210b. The drawer of the POS register may be the same as the storage drawer 258b of the coin accounting apparatus 21, or may be different.

  When the drawer of the POS register is the same as the storage drawer 258b of the coin accounting apparatus 21, the storage drawer 258b is mounted on the coin accounting apparatus 21 at the time of loading processing, and is mounted on the POS register at the time of payment processing. In this case, the clerk does not need to transfer coins from the storage drawer 258b of the coin accounting apparatus 21 to the drawer of the POS register. Further, since the coin accounting apparatus 21 sorts coins into denominations and dispenses them to the storage drawer 258b, the clerk can immediately execute the settlement process after attaching the storage drawer 258b to the coin accounting apparatus 21.

  When the drawer of the POS register is different from the storage drawer 258b of the coin accounting apparatus 21, the storage drawer 258b is mounted on the coin accounting apparatus 21 during the loading process. The clerk transfers the cash paid out to the storage drawer 258b to the POS register at the time of payment processing. In this case, the configuration of the storage drawer 258b of the coin accounting apparatus 21 may be different from the configuration of the drawer of the POS register.

  When the cash transport cassette 30 is mounted on the depositing unit 210b, the coin accounting apparatus 23 can deposit coins collected from the cash settlement apparatus 11 from the cash transport cassette 30. When the clerk attaches the cash transport cassette 30 to the depositing unit 210b, the cash transport cassette 30 inserts coins into the payout unit 233b. At this time, the money may be inserted in a denomination mixed state. The subsequent operation is the same as when a loose coin is inserted. Thus, the coins are stored in the storage unit 250b for each denomination.

  When the cash transport cassette 30 is mounted in place of the collection unit 255b, the coin accounting apparatus 23 can dispense coins to be loaded into the cash settlement apparatus 11 to the cash transport cassette 30. In this case, as in the case of dispensing loose coins, the coins are ejected from the storage section 250b to the cash transport cassette 30 via the chute 256b. At this time, the coins ejected to the cash transport cassette 30 may be in a denomination mixed state.

  As described above, the coin accounting apparatus 23 can store coins from the cash transport cassette 30 in the storage section 250b, and, on the contrary, can discharge coins stored in the storage section 250b to the cash transport cassette 30.

  FIGS. 10A and 10B are external views showing a configuration example of the cash transport cassette 30 for transporting coins. The cash transport cassette 30 for transporting coins has an upper opening 31 and a lower opening 32.

  For example, when collecting coins from the coin settlement apparatus 13 shown in FIG. 5A, when the cash transport cassette 30 is attached to the cassette attachment section 160b, an actuator (not shown) provided in the coin settlement apparatus 13 Opens the upper opening 31 of the cash transport cassette 30. At this time, the lower opening 32 remains closed. Thereby, the coin settlement apparatus 13 can put the collected coins into the cash transport cassette 30 through the upper opening 31.

  When loading coins into the coin settlement apparatus 13, the actuator provided in the coin settlement apparatus 13 opens the lower opening 32 of the cash conveyance cassette 30 when the cash transport cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting section 160 b. As a result, the coins in the cash transport cassette 30 are ejected from the lower opening 32 to the feeding section 137b.

  When loading coins into the cash transport cassette 30 from the coin accounting apparatus 23 shown in FIG. 9A, the cash transport cassette 30 is mounted instead of the drawer 258b. At this time, an actuator provided in the coin accounting apparatus 23 opens the upper opening 31 of the cash transport cassette 30. The lower opening 32 maintains the closed state. Thereby, the coin accounting apparatus 23 can insert coins from the upper opening 31.

  When collecting coins collected from the coin accounting apparatus 13 using the cash transport cassette 30 to the coin accounting apparatus 23, the cash transport cassette 30 is attached to the depositing unit 210b. At this time, the actuator provided in the coin accounting apparatus 23 opens the lower opening 32 of the cash transport cassette 30. The upper opening 31 maintains a closed state. As a result, the coins in the cash transport cassette 30 are ejected from the lower opening 32 to the feeding section 233b.

  The cash transport cassette 30 includes a storage unit 35 that stores at least cassette ID information for specifying the cash transport cassette 30. When there are a plurality of cash transport cassettes 30 in the cash processing system 1, each cash transport cassette 30 has different cassette ID information. Thereby, the cash settlement apparatus 11 and the cash accounting apparatus 21 can specify the cash transport cassette 30. The cassette ID information may be, for example, a unique number set for each of the plurality of cash transport cassettes 30. In addition, the storage unit 35 may store information such as a denomination and a quantity of cash stored in the cash transport cassette 30 as necessary.

  The cash settlement apparatus 11 may not be connected to the cash accounting apparatus 21 and the cash management apparatus 25 by communication. In such a case, the storage unit 35 of the cash transport cassette 30 stores not only its own cassette ID information but also denomination information and quantity information of the cash to be loaded or collected, and a cash settlement target to be loaded or collected. The ID information of the device 11 may be stored. Thereby, the cash settlement apparatus 11 can know that it is a target of the loading process, and can also know the denomination and quantity of the loaded cash. Further, the cash accounting apparatus 21 can know which cash in the cash transport cassette 30 has been collected from which cash settlement apparatus 11 and can know the denomination and the quantity of the collected cash. . Therefore, even if the cash settlement apparatus 11 is not connected to the cash accounting apparatus 21 and the cash management apparatus 25 by communication, the storage unit 35 of the cash transport cassette 30 stores the denomination information and the quantity information of the cash to be loaded or collected, and the cash If the ID information of the cash settlement apparatus 11 to be loaded or collected is stored, cash loading processing and cash collection processing can be executed.

(Operation of cash processing system 1)
Next, a specific operation of the cash processing system 1 will be described. The cash balance of each cash settlement apparatus 11, the cash balance of the cash accounting apparatus 21, the amount of cash deposited or withdrawn in each cash settlement apparatus 11, the loading between the cash accounting apparatus 21 and each cash settlement apparatus 11. Alternatively, the amount of the collected cash is all managed by the cash management device 25. The plurality of cash settlement apparatuses 11 have unique ID information so that they can be distinguished from each other, and each memory 170 of the plurality of cash settlement apparatuses 11 stores the ID information. The cash management device 25 also knows the ID information of each cash settlement device 11. In each of the following processes, communication between the cash settlement apparatus 11 and the cash accounting apparatus 21 is performed via the cash management apparatus 25. However, it goes without saying that the cash settlement apparatus 11 and the cash accounting apparatus 21 may directly communicate with each other.

  In the settlement processing, loading processing, and collection processing shown in FIGS. 11 to 12, the cash processing system 1 can be applied to both banknotes and coins. For example, when processing bills, the bill settlement apparatus 12 of the cash settlement apparatus 11 may be used, and the bill settlement apparatus 22 of the cash accounting apparatus 21 may be used. The cash transport cassette 30 may be a banknote cash transport cassette (either a stack type or a tape reel type).

  On the other hand, when processing coins, the coin settlement apparatus 13 of the cash settlement apparatus 11 may be used, and the coin accounting apparatus 23 of the cash accounting apparatus 21 may be used. As the cash transport cassette 30, a cash transport cassette for coins shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B may be used. Hereinafter, banknotes and coins are collectively referred to as “cash” for convenience, but “cash” may be replaced with either “banknote” or “coin”.

[Payment processing]
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the settlement process in the cash processing system 1 according to the present embodiment. First, at the time of settlement, a clerk at the checkout counter 10 puts cash received from a customer into the deposit unit 110 of the cash settlement apparatus 11 (S10). When the checkout counter 10 adopts the self-checkout method, the customer puts cash into the depositing unit 110 of the cash settlement apparatus 11.

  The identification unit 140 identifies the denomination, the fitness, the authenticity or the like of the cash during the transportation of the inserted cash, and counts the identified amount of cash (S20). The cash settlement apparatus 11 stores the inserted cash in the storage unit 150 corresponding to each denomination (S30). The counterfeit or unidentifiable ones are thrown out to the withdrawal unit 120 and returned to the clerk or customer.

  Cash deposit information identified and counted by the identification unit 140 (information such as denomination, quantity, fitness, and authenticity) is stored in the memory 170. The control unit 190 calculates the actually paid amount based on the payment information in the memory 170 (S40). For example, the control unit 190 multiplies the value and quantity of the inserted cash denomination for each denomination. Then, the control unit 190 can calculate the total amount of the inserted cash by adding the multiplication results of the respective denominations. Next, the control unit 190 calculates the change amount by subtracting the price of the product from the amount of cash actually inserted (S50). This change information (denomination and quantity) may also be stored in the memory 170.

  The cash settlement apparatus 11 dispenses change to the dispensing unit 120 according to the change amount calculated by the control unit 190 (S60). At this time, the cash to be dispensed is preferentially selected and dispensed in descending order of denomination. However, when a denomination with a higher price is insufficient, the cash settlement apparatus 11 may substitute a denomination with a lower price than the denomination. For example, when there are not enough 5,000-yen bills, the cash settlement apparatus 11 may throw out five 5,000-yen bills instead of one 5,000-yen bill. The denomination of cash to be dispensed as change is determined by the control unit 190 or the cash management device 25.

  The cash settlement apparatus 11 transmits the deposit information and change information stored in the memory 170 together with its own ID information to the cash management apparatus 25 (S70). When the cash management device 25 receives the deposit information, the change information, and the ID information of the cash settlement device 11, the cash management device 25 specifies the cash settlement device 11 that has performed the settlement process, and based on the deposit information and the change information, the cash settlement device 11 The balance is updated for each denomination (S80).

  For example, assume that a customer has handed a 10,000-yen bill to a clerk to purchase a product for 5,200 yen. In this case, the denomination of cash to be inserted is a 10,000-yen bill, and the quantity is one. The input amount is 10,000 yen (10,000 yen bill x 1). On the other hand, the change amount is 4,800 yen. Therefore, the banknote settlement apparatus 12 of the cash settlement apparatus 11 pays out four thousand-yen bills from the storage unit 150a and discharges them to the dispensing unit 120a. The coin settlement apparatus 13 pays out one 500-yen coin and three 100-yen coins from the storage part 150b and discharges them to the dispensing part 120b.

  Therefore, the cash settlement apparatus 11 uses its own ID information, the denomination of cash (10,000 yen bill) and quantity (one piece) (deposit information), and the denomination and quantity of change (thousand yen bill: 4 coins: 500 yen coins: 1 coin, 100 yen coins: 3 coins (change information) are transmitted to the cash management apparatus 25.

  The cash management apparatus 25 adds the deposit amount (denomination × quantity) obtained from the deposit information to the cash information of the cash settlement apparatus 11 specified by the ID information. In the above example, among the money amount information of each denomination of the banknote settlement apparatus 12, the money amount of the 10,000 yen bill is added by 10,000 yen. Alternatively, when the cash management apparatus 25 manages the amount of money of the cash settlement apparatus 11 by the quantity of each denomination, the cash management apparatus 25 adds the quantity of the deposit information to the quantity information of the cash settlement apparatus 11. May be added. For example, the cash management apparatus 25 may add 1 to the quantity of the 10,000-yen bill in the quantity information of the bill settlement apparatus 11.

  Further, the cash management device 25 subtracts the change amount (denomination × quantity) obtained by the change information from the money amount information of the cash settlement apparatus 11 specified by the ID information. In the above example, the money information of the banknote settlement device 12 is subtracted by 4,000 yen from the money amount of the 1,000 yen bill, and the money information of the coin settlement device 13 is subtracted by 500 yen from the money information of the 500 yen coin. In addition, 300 yen is subtracted from the money amount information of the 100 yen coin. Alternatively, when the cash management device 25 manages the cash amount of the cash settlement apparatus 11 by the quantity of each denomination, the cash management apparatus 25 calculates the quantity of change information from the quantity information of the cash settlement apparatus 11. May be subtracted. In the above example, the number of 1,000-yen bills in the quantity information of the bill settlement apparatus 12 is subtracted by 4, the quantity of 500-yen coins in the quantity information of the coin settlement apparatus 13 is subtracted by 5, and The quantity may be subtracted by three.

  As described above, the cash settlement apparatus 11 executes the settlement processing at the checkout counter 10 of the store, and the cash management apparatus 25 updates the cash amount of the cash management apparatus 11 according to the deposit information and the change information. Thus, a series of settlement processing is completed.

[Loading process]
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the loading process in the cash processing system 1 according to the present embodiment.

  Before opening the store, the clerk needs to load a change reserve into each cash settlement apparatus 11. In the present embodiment, the clerk uses the cash transfer cassette 30 to transfer the change reserve from the cash accounting apparatus 21 to the cash settlement apparatus 11.

  Since the cash management device 25 manages the amount of money of each cash settlement device 11 for each denomination, the cash settlement device 11 that requires loading of cash and the denomination to be loaded can be determined in advance. . The cash settlement apparatus 11 which requires loading of cash (for example, change funds) and the denomination to be loaded are displayed on the operation display unit 295 of the cash accounting apparatus 21. Thereby, the clerk can know the cash settlement apparatus 11 that requires the loading process and the denomination that requires the loading.

  First, the clerk selects the start of the loading process in the cash accounting apparatus 21 or the cash management apparatus 25, and attaches the cash transport cassette 30 containing no cash to the cash accounting apparatus 21 (S100). When transporting bills, the clerk attaches the cash transport cassette 30 for transporting bills to the bill accounting apparatus 22. When transporting coins, the clerk attaches the cash transport cassette 30 for transporting coins to the coin accounting apparatus 23. When the cash transport cassette 30 is mounted, the cash accounting apparatus 30 notifies the cash management apparatus 25 that the cash transport cassette 30 is mounted (S102).

  Further, when the cash management device 25 receives the attachment notification of the cash transport cassette 30, the cash management device 25 stores the ID information of the cash settlement apparatus 11 which needs to be loaded with cash, and the denomination information and the quantity information to be loaded into the cash accounting apparatus 21. (S105).

  When the cash transport cassette 30 is mounted on the cash accounting apparatus 21, the read / write unit 257 of the cash accounting apparatus 21 reads the cassette ID information from the storage unit 35 of the cash transport cassette 30 (S110). The cash accounting apparatus 21 pays out the cash to be loaded into the cash settlement apparatus 11 (hereinafter, referred to as a selected cash settlement apparatus 11s) to which the change reserve is to be loaded from the storage section 250 to the cash transport cassette 30 (S120).

  The cash accounting apparatus 21 associates the ID information of the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s received from the cash management apparatus 25, the cassette ID information of the cash transport cassette 30 with the change reserve, the denomination information of the change reserve, and the quantity information in association with each other. Is transmitted to the cash settlement apparatus 11 and the cash management apparatus 25 installed in the checkout counter 10 (S130). The read / write unit 257 of the cash accounting apparatus 21 stores the ID information of the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s, the cassette ID information of the cash transport cassette 30 containing the change reserve, and the denomination information and quantity information of the change reserve in cash. The data may be written in the storage unit 35 of the transport cassette 30. For example, when the cash settlement apparatus 11 is not communicatively connected to the cash accounting apparatus 21 and the cash management apparatus 25, the storage unit 35 of the cash transport cassette 30 stores the ID information of the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s and the change reserve. It is necessary to store the cassette ID information of the cash transport cassette 30 and the denomination information and the quantity information of the change reserve.

  Hereinafter, the ID information of the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s, the cassette ID information of the cash transport cassette 30 in which the change reserve is put, and the denomination information and the quantity information of the change reserve are referred to as “loading-related information”.

  The cash management apparatus 25 and the cash settlement apparatus 11 receive the loading-related information and store the loading-related information (S133).

  When the cash transport cassette 30 is a tape reel type cassette, the storage unit 35 may store the denominations of the stored banknotes in the winding order. In this case, when the bill is loaded into the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s, the bill is paid out in the reverse order of the winding order. Therefore, the selected cash settlement apparatus 11 s can specify the denomination of the bill to be dispensed without identifying the bill in the identification unit 140. Therefore, the selected cash settlement apparatus 11 s can store bills from the cash transport cassette 30 by denomination in accordance with the winding order stored in the storage unit 35. This can speed up the loading of cash into the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s. Information on the winding order of bills may be transmitted to the cash settlement apparatus 11 and the cash management apparatus 25 via the communication unit 280. Of course, even if the cash transport cassette 30 is a tape reel type cassette, the identification unit 140 of the selected cash settlement apparatus 11 s may identify the bill to be loaded. Thus, the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s can confirm the denomination and the quantity of the bill to be loaded.

  Next, the cash accounting apparatus 21 displays the loading-related information on the operation display unit 295 (S140). Thus, the clerk can specify the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s into which the change reserve is to be loaded, and can convey the cash transport cassette 30 to the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s.

  Next, the clerk releases the cash transport cassette 30 from the cash accounting apparatus 21 (S150). Then, the clerk transports the cash transport cassette 30 to the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s to load the change reserve.

  The control units 190 of the plurality of cash settlement apparatuses 11 installed in the checkout counter 10 each compare their own ID information stored in the memory 170 with the received ID information of the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s (S170). . If the own ID information matches the ID information of the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s (YES in S170), the cash settlement apparatus 11 recognizes that the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s is used, and enables the loading process. (S180). If the own ID information does not match the ID information of the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s (NO in S170), the cash settlement apparatus 11 recognizes that it is not selected as a target of the loading processing, and executes the cash loading processing. It is determined to be impossible (S181). When the clerk attaches the cash transport cassette 30 to the cash settlement apparatus 11 (S182), the cash settlement apparatus 11 determines whether or not loading is possible (S183).

  If the cash transport cassette 30 is to be mounted on the non-selected cash settlement apparatus 11, the non-selected cash settlement apparatus 11 does not start the loading process and notifies the store clerk of an error (S184). The notification of the error may be performed by, for example, monitor display, lighting of a warning lamp, output of a warning sound, and the like. In this case, the clerk needs to remount the cash transport cassette 30 to the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s.

  When the cash transport cassette 30 is mounted on the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s (YES in S183), the read / write unit 157 of the selected cash settlement apparatus 11 stores information stored in the storage unit 35 of the cash transport cassette 30. Is read (S185).

  Then, the control unit 190 of the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s compares the cassette ID information read from the storage unit 35 with the cassette ID information transmitted from the cash accounting apparatus 21 or the cash management apparatus 25 (S187).

  For example, when loading a change reserve into the plurality of cash settlement apparatuses 11 at the same time, the plurality of cash settlement apparatuses 11 may be selected cash settlement apparatuses 11s. In such a case, the same number of cash transfer cassettes 30 as the number of the selected cash settlement apparatuses 11s are transferring cash at the same time. Therefore, as shown in step S187, by comparing the cassette ID information read from the storage unit 35 with the cassette ID information transmitted from the cash accounting apparatus 21, the cash transport cassette 30 is transferred to the wrong selected cash settlement apparatus 11s. It can be prevented from being mounted. As a result of the comparison in step S187, when both the cassette ID information matches (YES in S187), it is understood that the cash transport cassette 30 is mounted on the correct selected cash settlement apparatus 11s into which cash is to be loaded. Accordingly, the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s deposits cash from the cash transport cassette 30, and stores the cash in the storage unit 150 (S190).

  If the two cassette ID information do not match (NO in S187), the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s to which the cash transport cassette 30 is mounted is not the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s to which the cash transport cassette 30 is to be loaded with cash. Means that. That is, it means that the cash transport cassette 30 is mounted on another selected cash settlement apparatus 11s. Therefore, the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s does not start the loading process, and notifies the error to the clerk (S193, S194). The clerk receiving the error notification re-attaches the cash transport cassette 30 to the corresponding selected cash settlement apparatus 11s (S181).

  When the cash transport cassette 30 is mounted on the cash transport cassette 30 in which cash is to be loaded (YES in S187), the error is resolved.

  When depositing cash from the cash transport cassette 30 in step S190, the identification unit 140 may count the amount of cash loaded for each denomination. In this case, the control unit 190 compares the quantity of each denomination of the actually loaded change reserve with the quantity information for each denomination of the change reserve received from the cash accounting apparatus 21 or the cash management apparatus 25. . Since the clerk cannot touch the cash in the cash transfer cassette 30 during the transfer of the cash, usually the quantity of each denomination of the actually loaded change reserve and the change reserve received from the cash accounting apparatus 21 are usually set. And the quantity information for each denomination. If the two match, the cash settlement apparatus 11 stores the change reserve in the storage unit 150. However, if the two do not match, the loading process is interrupted, and the cash settlement apparatus 11, the cash accounting apparatus 21, or the cash management apparatus 25 notifies the error. In this case, since an investigation by the administrator is required, the error notification is continued until the error is released by the administrator. The change fund is returned to the cash transport cassette 30 as needed.

  When the cash loading is completed, the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s transmits a loading completion notification to the cash management apparatus 25 (S195). Thereafter, the cash settlement apparatus 11 can start the settlement processing. During the checkout process, the cash transport cassette 30 may be mounted on the cash checkout device 11. Thus, the cash transport cassette 30 can collect cash when the storage unit 150 becomes full.

  Upon receiving the loading completion notification, the cash management apparatus 25 updates the cash balance of the cash accounting apparatus 21 and the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s (S197). The cash management device 25 can update the amount of money of the cash accounting apparatus 21 based on the denomination information and the quantity information of the change reserve received from the cash accounting apparatus 21. In addition, the cash management device 25 updates the balance of the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s based on the ID information of the selected cash settlement apparatus 11s, the denomination information of the change reserve, and the quantity information received from the cash accounting apparatus 21. Can be. Thus, a series of loading processing is completed.

  If the cash settlement apparatus 11 is not connected for communication with the cash accounting apparatus 21 and the cash management apparatus 25, the read / write unit 157 of the selected cash settlement apparatus 11 stores the storage unit 35 of the cash transport cassette 30 in step S185. Read loading related information from. Thereafter, if the operation after step S170 is executed, the cash processing system can execute the loading process.

[Recovery processing]
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the collection process in the cash processing system 1 according to the present embodiment.

  When the store is closed (closed) or at a predetermined intermediate stage, the clerk needs to collect the sales stored in each cash settlement apparatus 11 into the cash accounting apparatus 21. In the present embodiment, the clerk uses the cash transport cassette 30 to collect sales proceeds from the cash settlement apparatus 11 to the cash accounting apparatus 21.

  First, when the clerk selects the start of the collection process in the cash settlement apparatus 11, the cash accounting apparatus 21, or the cash management apparatus 25, the cash settlement apparatus 11 pays out the cash stored in the storage unit 150 and outputs the cash to the cash transport cassette 30. Money (S200). At this time, the cash settlement apparatus 11 leaves a predetermined amount of cash required as a change reserve in each of the denomination storage units 150, and dispenses surplus cash to the cash transport cassette 30. When the amount of cash stored in the storage unit 150 of a certain denomination is equal to or less than a predetermined amount required as a change fund, the cash settlement apparatus 11 does not need to collect cash of the denomination. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of cash transported during the loading process. Since the cash balance of the cash settlement apparatus 11 is managed by the cash management apparatus 25, the denomination of cash collected by the cash management apparatus 25 from the cash settlement apparatus 11 may be set.

  The cash settlement apparatus 11 associates its own ID information, the cassette ID information of the cash transport cassette 30 containing cash to be collected (hereinafter referred to as “collected money”), the denomination information and the quantity information of the collected money, and associates the back office 20 Is transmitted to the cash accounting apparatus 21 and the cash management apparatus 25 (S210). Hereinafter, the ID information of the cash settlement apparatus 11, the cassette ID information of the cash transport cassette 30 containing the collected money, the denomination information of the collected money, and the quantity information are referred to as “collection-related information”.

  The cash accounting apparatus 21 and the cash management apparatus 25 installed in the back office 20 receive the collection-related information from the cash settlement apparatus 11 and store the collection-related information (S220). The read / write unit 157 of the cash settlement apparatus 11 may write the collection-related information in the storage unit 35 of the cash transport cassette 30.

  When the cash transport cassette 30 is a tape reel type cassette, the storage unit 35 may store the denominations of the stored banknotes in the winding order. In this case, when collecting the bills in the cash accounting apparatus 21, the bills are paid out in the reverse order of the winding order. Accordingly, the cash accounting apparatus 21 specifies the denomination of the banknote to be fed out without identifying the banknote in the identification unit 240, and sorts the banknote from the cash transport cassette 30 into the denomination according to the winding order stored in the storage unit 35. Can be stored. Thereby, the speed of collecting cash from the cash settlement apparatus 11 can be increased. The information on the winding order of the banknotes may be transmitted to the cash accounting apparatus 21 and the cash management apparatus 25 via the communication unit 180.

  Next, the clerk releases the cash transport cassette 30 from the cash settlement apparatus 11 (S240). Then, the clerk transports the cash transport cassette 30 to the cash accounting apparatus 21. Normally, since one cash accounting apparatus 21 is provided in the cash processing system 1, a clerk may transport the cash transport cassette 30 to the cash accounting apparatus 21 without hesitation. However, when a plurality of cash accounting apparatuses 21 are provided in the cash processing system 1, as long as the cash management apparatus 25 manages the amount of money of all the cash accounting apparatuses 21, the clerk can use the cash transport cassette 30. It may be transported to any cash accounting apparatus 21.

  When the clerk attaches the cash transport cassette 30 to the cash accounting apparatus 21 (S245), the read / write unit 257 of the cash accounting apparatus 21 reads information (cassette ID and collection related information) stored in the storage unit 35 of the cash transport cassette 30. Information) is read (S250).

  The control unit 290 of the cash accounting apparatus 21 searches the cassette ID information of the attached cash transport cassette 30 from the cassette ID information received from the cash settlement apparatus 11 or the cash management apparatus 25 (S260). For example, when the cash accounting apparatus 21 receives a plurality of cassette ID information, it is necessary to specify which cash transport cassette 30 is the mounted cash transport cassette 30. Accordingly, the cash accounting apparatus 21 specifies the mounted cash transport cassette 30 by comparing the cassette ID information of the mounted cash transport cassette 30 with all the received cassette ID information.

  In step S260, the cash transport cassette 30 may be specified using the ID information of the cash settlement apparatus 11 together with or instead of the cassette ID information. When the cash transfer cassette 30 is specified using the ID information of the cash settlement apparatus 11, the ID information of the cash settlement apparatus 11 stored in the storage unit 35 of the cash transfer cassette 30 and the ID of the cash settlement apparatus 11 received in step S220. What is necessary is just to compare with information. Thus, it is possible to determine from which cash settlement apparatus 11 the collected money in the cash transport cassette 30 is the collected money.

  When the cash transport cassette 30 is specified (YES in S265), the denomination information and the quantity information of the collected money associated with the cassette ID information of the attached cash transport cassette 30 are found. The cash accounting apparatus 21 collects the cash stored in the cash transport cassette 30 (S270). The collected cash is stored in the storage section 250 of the cash accounting apparatus 21.

  As a result of the search, when the cassette ID information read from the storage unit 35 does not match any of the cassette ID information transmitted from the cash settlement apparatus 11 or the cash management apparatus 25 (NO in S265), the cash accounting apparatus 21 transfers the cash. Without collecting the cash in the cassette 30, an error is notified to the clerk (S275). The error may be displayed on the operation display unit 295. The clerk receiving the error notification eliminates the error by taking appropriate measures such as mounting the correct cash transport cassette 30.

  When depositing cash from the cash transport cassette 30 in step S270, the identification unit 240 may count the amount of cash to be collected for each denomination. In this case, the control unit 290 compares the quantity of each denomination of cash actually collected with the quantity information of each denomination of the collected money received from the cash settlement apparatus 11 or the cash management apparatus 25. When cash is transferred, the clerk cannot touch the cash in the cash transfer cassette 30, so that the amount of cash actually collected and the amount of collected money received from the cash settlement apparatus 11 or the cash management apparatus 25 are usually determined. The information matches. When both match, the cash accounting apparatus 21 stores the collected money in the storage unit 250. However, if the two do not match, the cash accounting apparatus 21 interrupts the collection process, and the cash accounting apparatus 21 or the cash management apparatus 25 notifies an error. In this case, since an investigation by the administrator is required, the error notification is continued until the error is released by the administrator. The collected money is returned to the cash transport cassette 30 as necessary.

  When the cash collection is completed, the cash accounting apparatus 21 transmits a collection completion notification to the cash management apparatus 25 (S280).

  Upon receiving the collection completion notification, the cash management device 25 updates the cash balance of the cash accounting device 21 and the cash settlement device 11 (S285). The cash management device 25 updates each cash amount of the cash settlement device 11 and the cash accounting device 21 based on the ID information of the cash settlement device 11, the denomination information of the collected money, and the quantity information received from the cash settlement device 11. . Thereby, a series of collection processing is completed.

  If the cash settlement apparatus 11 is not communicatively connected to the cash accounting apparatus 21 and the cash management apparatus 25, the read / write unit 257 of the cash accounting apparatus 21 reads the data from the storage unit 35 of the cash transport cassette 30 in step S250. Read collection-related information. Thereafter, if the operation after step S260 is executed, the cash processing system can execute the loading process.

  When there are a plurality of cash transport cassettes 30 used in the collection process, the plurality of cash transport cassettes 30 may be continuously mounted on the cash accounting apparatus 21. The cash accounting apparatus 21 can continuously collect cash from the plurality of cash transport cassettes 30 by repeating steps S200 to S285.

  As described above, the cash processing system 1 according to the present embodiment performs the loading process from the cash accounting apparatus 21 to the cash settlement apparatus 11 and the collection processing from the cash settlement apparatus 11 to the cash accounting apparatus 21 by the cash transport cassette 30. Done through. When the cash transport cassette 30 is mounted on the cash settlement apparatus 11 or the cash accounting apparatus 21, cash can be exchanged with the cash settlement apparatus 11 or the cash accounting apparatus 21. However, when detached from the cash settlement apparatus 11 or the cash accounting apparatus 21, the cash transport cassette 30 stores cash so that the cash inside cannot be touched. Therefore, even if only the clerk performs the loading process and the collecting process, the loading process and the collecting process can be performed in a security-safe state. In other words, the management and permission of the administrator can be omitted in the loading process and the collection process, and the user does not have to do much work.

  The cash transport cassette 30 is managed by unique cassette ID information. Therefore, change loading or collection can be performed accurately.

(Modification)
FIGS. 14A and 14B are cross-sectional views illustrating an example of the internal configuration of the coin settlement apparatus 13 according to a modification of the present embodiment. FIG. 14A is a sectional view of the coin settlement apparatus 13 as viewed from the side, and FIG. 14B is a cross-sectional view of the coin settlement apparatus 13 as viewed from the front.

  In the present modification, the cash transport cassette 30 is configured to be attachable to the depositing unit 110b. During the loading process, the cash transport cassette 30 is mounted on the depositing unit 110b. During the collection process, the cash transport cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting section 160b.

  During the loading process, the lower opening 32 of the cash transport cassette 30 is opened, and coins are inserted into the depositing unit 110b. After that, the inserted coins are stored in the storage unit 150b for each denomination in the same manner as when a loose coin is inserted by the clerk.

  During the collection process, the upper opening 31 of the cash transport cassette 30 is opened, and coins are inserted into the cash transport cassette 30.

  As described above, even if the cash transport cassette 30 is mounted on the depositing unit 110b during the loading process, the effect of the present invention is not lost.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cash management system 10 Checkout counter 11 Cash settlement device 20 Back office 21 Cash accounting device 25 Cash management device 26 POS management device 30 Cash transport cassette 110 Deposit section 120 Deposit section 130 Transport section 140 Identification section 150 Storage section 157 Lead / Write unit 160 Cassette mounting unit 170 Memory 180 Communication unit 190 Control unit 210 Deposit unit 220 Outgoing unit 222 External reject unit 224 Internal reject unit 230 Transport unit 240 Identification unit 250 Storage unit 255 Collection unit 257 Read / write unit 270 Memory 280 Communication unit 290 Control unit 295 Operation display unit

Claims (4)

A plurality of cash settlement devices that perform settlement processing by depositing and withdrawing cash,
Withdrawing cash to be loaded into each of the cash settlement devices, a cash accounting device for depositing cash collected from each of the cash settlement devices,
It is detachable from each of the cash settlement devices and the cash accounting devices, and transfers cash between each of the cash settlement devices or the cash accounting devices when attached to each of the cash settlement devices or the cash accounting devices. A cash transport cassette,
A cash management device that manages the amount of cash in each cash settlement device for each denomination ,
A cash processing system comprising:
The cash accounting apparatus, in a state where the cash transport cassette is mounted, at least cash determined based on the amount of cash for each denomination in each cash settlement device managed by the cash management device. A cash processing system comprising: a notifying unit that notifies loading related information including identification information for identifying the cash settlement apparatus to be refilled.   The cash processing system according to claim 1, wherein the notifying unit further notifies, as the loading-related information, identification information for identifying the cash transport cassette mounted on the cash accounting apparatus.   3. The notification unit further notifies, as the loading-related information, denomination information and quantity information of change reserves stored in the cash transport cassette mounted on the cash accounting apparatus. 4. Cash processing system. The cash transport cassette has a storage unit for storing identification information for identifying the cash settlement apparatus to be replenished with cash or information on change funds stored in the cash transport cassette.
The cash dispensing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cash accounting apparatus includes a reading unit that reads identification information or information related to a change fund stored in the storage unit when the cash transport cassette is mounted. Cash processing system according to the paragraph.

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