Technical Field

The present invention relates to an apparatus for transporting or storing valuable items.

Background to the Invention

To deter would-be thieves of bank notes in transit, it has become commonplace for bank notes to be stored and transported in secure containers which release an indelible dye or ink onto the bank notes in the event that the secure container is stolen or otherwise interfered with, to mark and stain the bank notes, thus rendering them worthless and unusable.

Despite these measures, secure containers containing cash or other valuable items remain an attractive target for criminals. Identifying an individual involved in an attack (e.g. a theft or attempted theft) on such a secure container has historically been difficult without catching the individual in the act.

Some security systems use invisible markers such as DNA sprays to link the criminal to the crime to improve the chances of successfully identifying the criminal. However, such systems rely on the criminal being apprehended by law enforcement authorities such as the police, and those authorities detecting the invisible marker on the criminal's person.

Tracking technologies used in some secure containers have also proved useful in leading law enforcement authorities to the site where the criminal has tried to open the secure container, allowing the secure container to be recovered and examined for forensic evidence. In some cases tracking systems in secure containers have led the police to a criminal's home, leading to the arrest of the criminal. Whilst these systems can be effective if deployed in large enough quantities, arrests and recovery rates are lower than expected due to the speed with which criminals work and the ferocity of attacks in some cases.

Accordingly, a need exists for a secure container with additional security features to facilitate identification of criminals involved in an attack on the secure container, to assist in providing sufficient evidence to convict the criminals.

Summary of Invention

The present application relates to an apparatus such as a secure container for transporting or storing valuable items such as bank notes. The apparatus includes an image capture device, a processor and a memory for storing images captured by the image capture device. To reduce power consumption, the apparatus includes control means operative to cause the processor to commence storing images captured by the image capture device in response to a trigger signal received by the control means, to ensure that the processor is not constantly active and consuming power.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided apparatus for transporting or storing valuable items, the apparatus comprising: an image capture device; a processor; and a memory, the processor being operative to receive images captured by the image capture device and to store the received images in the memory; and control means for causing the processor to commence receiving and storing the images captured by the image capture device in response to a trigger signal received by the control means.

The apparatus of the present invention provides an additional security feature in the form of the image capture device, by means of which images of or associated with an incident such as an attack on the apparatus can be recorded. Such images can assist in the identification of criminals involved in the attack on the apparatus. The apparatus may further comprise a microphone, in which case the processor may be operative to receive signals representing sounds captured by the microphone and to store the received signals in the memory.

The image capture device may comprise a charge coupled device (CCD) or a CMOS image capture device.

The apparatus may further comprise an infra-red light source.

The apparatus may further comprise a light sensor which is operative to generate a trigger signal to cause the infra-red light source to be activated if the level of ambient light falls below a predetermined threshold.

The apparatus may further comprise a tracking device that is configured to generate a signal representing a position of the apparatus from signals received from a wireless network.

The processor may be configured to transmit images captured by the image capture device and/or audio captured by a microphone of the apparatus to the tracking device for transmission to a remote server over the wireless network.

Additionally or alternatively, the processor may be configured to transmit images captured by the image capture device and/or audio captured by a microphone of the apparatus to a local receiver using an RF transmitter of the apparatus.

The apparatus may further comprise an image enhancer which is configured to improve the quality of images captured by the image capture device.

The apparatus may further comprise an image encoder for compressing images captured by the image capture device.

The apparatus may further comprise a sensor for detecting interference with the apparatus, in which case the control means may be configured to cause the processor to commence receiving and storing the images captured by the image capture device in response to a signal received from the sensor indicating that interference with the apparatus has been detected.

The control means may be configured to cause the processor to commence receiving and storing the images captured by the image capture device in response to a signal received from a radio transmitter that is external to the apparatus.

The apparatus may further comprise a connector for connecting the apparatus to an external device to permit downloading of images or sounds stored in the memory of the apparatus.

The apparatus may be a secure container. Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, strictly by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Figure 1 is a representation of a secure container, viewed from above;

Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a processing system of the secure container of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a schematic representation of a composite image generated by an audiovisual recording sub-system of the processing sub-system of Figure 2.

Description of the Embodiments

Referring first to Figure 1, a secure container for storing or transporting valuable items such as cash is shown generally at 10, and comprises a lower part and an upper part connected by means of a hinge 12, such that the secure container can be opened to permit access to an interior compartment 14 which is configured to receive valuable items such as bank notes to be stored or transported in the secure container 10.

The secure container includes a security system having a plurality of sensors that are configured to detect an attack on, or unauthorised interference with, the secure container (e.g. attempts to force the secure container 10 open, to breach the secure container 10 etc.). On detection of an attack on, or unauthorised interference with, the secure container 10, the security system triggers a spoiling agent dispensing system, which is configured to dispense a spoiling or degrading agent such as an indelible ink or dye, or an adhesive onto the contents of the interior compartment, to permanently spoil the contents, thereby rendering them worthless and unusable. The security system will not be described in detail here, as it is not relevant to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a processing system 20 of the secure container 10. It is to be understood that the functional blocks illustrated in Figure 2 do not necessarily represent physical components used in a "real world" embodiment of the secure container 10, but are instead intended to represent functions performed by the processing system 20.

The processing system 20 includes a data logger sub-system 22, which includes a first microprocessor 24 that receives inputs from sensors 26 of the security system of the secure container 10. The first microprocessor 24 also receives an input from a realtime clock 28, which is powered by its own battery 30. The first microprocessor is connected via a two-way bus to a first memory 32.

The purpose of the data logger sub-system is to record the normal operation of the secure container 10 to facilitate identification of misuse of the case, or to confirm the reason why the security system was triggered and activated the spoiling agent dispensing system. For example, the first microprocessor 24 processes signals received from the sensors 26 and records information relating to these signals as discrete entries in the memory 32, with each memory entry being time and date stamped with a time and date generated by the real time clock 28.

In addition to the data logging sub-system 22, the processing system 20 of the secure container 10 includes an audio visual recording sub-system 40, which can be activated to commence recording of sound and images which may subsequently be used to assist in the identification of criminals involved in an attack on the secure container 10.

The audio visual recording sub-system 40 includes, in the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2, first and second cameras 42, 44 which are mounted in or on the secure container 10. The first and second cameras 42, 44 are covertly mounted (i.e. are hidden or disguised) to make it difficult from them to be detected and attacked by a criminal attacking the secure container 10. The first and second cameras 42, 44 are preferably mounted on opposite ends of the secure container 10, so as to capture as much footage of or related to an attack as possible. The use of two separate cameras 42, 44 in this way also provides the benefit of redundancy, in that it is unlikely that both cameras will fail at the same time, meaning that in the event of failure of one of the cameras 42, 44, the other camera 44, 42 will likely continue to function. Nevertheless, in other embodiments only a single camera may be provided. Alternatively, more than two cameras my be used, to provide additional images.

The first and second cameras 42, 44 may be, for example, CMOS or CCD image capturing devices, each coupled to a respective lens 46, 48, which may be a wide angle lens, to maximise the field of vision of each camera 42, 44, thereby maximising the size of the scene that can be captured by each camera 42, 44.

Outputs of the cameras 42, 44 are fed to an image enhancer 50, which is operative to improve the quality of images captured by the first and second cameras 42, 44, for example by adjusting parameters such as contrast and brightness. The image enhancer 50 outputs streams of enhanced images from the two cameras 42, 44 to a compression encoder 52, which is operative to compress the enhanced images to reduce their size. The compression encoder 52 may be operative to compress the images using the H.264 compression standard, for example. The H.264 standard is particularly suitable for use by the compression encoder 52, as this standard provides a high level of compression with minimal loss in picture quality.

The compression encoder 52 outputs streams of the compressed images from the two cameras 42, 44 to a second microprocessor 54, which is operative to receive the streams of compressed images and combine them to create a single stream of compressed images, in which each frame of the stream consists of a composite image comprising an enhanced and compressed image from the first camera 42 concatenated or otherwise combined with an enhanced and compressed image taken by the second camera 44 at the same time as the image taken by the first camera 42.

Each composite image is associated by the second microprocessor 54 with a time and date received by the second microprocessor 54 from the real time clock 28 at the time that the images were captured by the first and second cameras 42, 44.

The secure container 10 may be provided with a standalone positioning system receiver 56, such as a GPS (global positioning system) receiver. Additionally or alternatively, a tracking device 58 may be provided in the secure container 10 to facilitate tracking of the secure container 10 in the event of an attack, theft or other incident. The tracking device 58 may be configured to connect to a wireless network such as a GSM or 3G mobile telephone network and, from the signals received from the network, generate a signal representing the position of the secure container 10. Alternatively, the tracking device 58 may be based on a positioning system such as GPS. If data from either or both a positioning system receiver 56 or a tracking device 58 is available, this data, indicating the geographical location at which the images making up the composite image of the stream of compressed images, may also be recorded and associated with the composite image by the second microprocessor 54. An identifier such as the serial number of the secure container 10 is also associated with each composite image of the stream of images.

Each composite image of the single stream of composite images, and its associated time, date, container identifier and positioning data (if available) are written to a second memory 60 by the second microprocessor 54 in a single stream of images. Generating a single stream of composite images and their associated data in this way minimises the processing burden on the second microprocessor 54, as only one stream of data need be written to the second memory 60 at one time, whilst also facilitating playback of the stream of composite images.

Figure 3 is a representation of a composite image 80, which is made up of a first image 82 taken by the first camera 42 arranged to be adjacent to a second image 84 taken by the second camera 44. Overlaid on the composite image 80 are the time 86 and date 88 as provided by the real time clock 28, positioning data 90 as provided by the positioning system receiver 56 or tracking device 58, the serial number 92 of the secure container 10 from which the images were taken and a watermark 94. By overlaying these data on the composite image 80 all of the available information associated with the composite image is presented together.

To permit the cameras 42, 44 to capture images in low light conditions, the audiovisual recording sub-system 40 may include one or more infra-red emitters such as infra-red LEDs 62 positioned near to the cameras to illuminate the area in the vicinity of the secure container 10. The infra-red LEDs 62 may be associated with a light sensor 64 such as a phototransistor which is configured to transmit a signal to the second microprocessor 54 when the ambient light level falls below a predetermined threshold. The second microprocessor 54 in turn switches the infra-red LEDs 62 on. The CCD or CMOS imaging sensors of the cameras 42, 44 are able to detect infra-red light, which is not visible to the human eye. Thus, the use of infra-red light to illuminate the area in the vicinity of the secure container 10 allows the audio-visual recording sub-system to continue capturing images even in low light conditions, without alerting criminals to the operation of the audio visual recording sub-system 40 or the presence of the cameras 42, 44.

In addition to the cameras 42, 44, the audio visual recording sub-system 40 may include a microphone 62 for capturing sound in the vicinity of the secure container 10. Sound captured by the microphone 62 is added to the data stream written to the second memory 60 by the second microprocessor 54, and may be used subsequently to assist in identifying and convicting criminals involved in an attack on the secure container 10, e.g. by permitting identification of the criminals by their voices.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the capture and processing of image and audio data requires considerable processing resources, which implies the use of a high-performance processor, with the associated high power consumption. However, size, weight and cost constraints of the secure container 10 restrict the capacity of any battery that can be used to power the audio-visual recording sub-system 40. To meet these competing demands, the audio-visual recording sub-system 40 is not active continuously. Instead, the processing system 20 of the secure container 10 is configured to trigger the audio-visual recording sub-system when predetermined conditions are fulfilled.

For example, the first microprocessor 24 may be configured to trigger the second microprocessor 54 to activate the audio-visual recording sub-system 40 when an attack on the secure container 10 is detected by one of the sensors 26.

Additionally or alternatively, the first microprocessor 24 may be configured to trigger the second microprocessor 54 to activate the audio-visual recording sub-system 40 when a signal is received by tracker 58 of the secure container 10 from a remote monitoring centre.

Additionally or alternatively, the first microprocessor 24 may be configured to trigger the second microprocessor 54 to activate the audio-visual recording sub-system 40 when an external control signal is received by the secure container from a source external to the secure container 10. The control signal may be received, for example, from an RF transmitter carried by a delivery guard responsible for delivery of the secure container 10, or from an RF transmitter operated by a police officer within range of the secure container 10.

It will be appreciated that other trigger conditions may be employed to activate the audio-visual recording sub-system 40. For example, the audio-visual sub-system 40 may be triggered at predetermined times or time intervals. The composite images and their associated audio, time, date, container identifier and positioning data (if available) may be downloaded to a remote device such as a laptop computer, PC or the like from the second memory 60 by means of a connector 68 such as a serial (RS232) or USB connector that is connected to the second memory 60. Alternatively, a wireless connection such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi may be used to connect to the second memory 60 to download its contents to a remote device.

As well as storing the captured images, audio and associated data in the second memory 60, the second microprocessor 54 may also be configured to stream some or all of the captured images, audio and associated data to the tracking device 58 for transmission to a remote server over the wireless network to which the tracking device 58 is connected. Alternatively, some or all of the captured images, audio and associated data may be streamed over a shorter distance by an RF transceiver 70 (e.g. a transceiver operating in accordance with a communications protocol such as Zigbee, IEEE802.1 1 or the like) to a more local receiver being operated by a recovery team or the police. Streaming the captured data in this way allows the images, audio and associated data to be retrieved from the secure container 10 without having to recover the secure container 10 itself.

Alternatively, the second microprocessor 54 may be configured to stream only the captured audio to the tracking device 58 for transmission to the remote server to which the tracking device 58 is connected, and/or to the RF transceiver 70 for streaming to the more local receiver operated by the recovery team or the police. The second microprocessor 54 may be configured to commence streaming the captured audio to the tracking device 58 and/or the RF transceiver 70 in response to a signal received from a sensor of the secure container 10, or when an external control signal is received by the secure container 10, for example a control signal received via the wireless network to which the tracker 58 is connected or received via the RF transceiver 70.

It will be appreciated that numerous minor modifications may be made to the processing system illustrated in Figure 2. For example, the image enhancer 50 and the compression encoder 52 may be implemented in a single integrated circuit (IC), or may each be implemented as a separate IC. Alternatively, the image enhancement and compression functions may be implemented as part of the second microprocessor 54, or in software executed by the second microprocessor 54.

Similarly, the processing system 20 may include a second real-time clock which provides a clock signal to the second microprocessor 54. In this case, the first and second microprocessors 24, 54, may use a sequential numbering system to record events in the first and second memories 32, 60 respectively, to facilitate synchronisation of events stored in the respective memories in the event of any drift between the two real-time clocks.

Although the invention has been described herein by reference to a secure container 10, it will be appreciated that the principles of the invention are equally applicable to other containers that are vulnerable to attack by criminals, such as safes, point of sale devices such as tills or cash registers and the like.