Field of the invention

This invention relates to a security device for use with money items, for example to provide security during transport.

Background

Hitherto, money items such as banknotes are typically transported from a commercial organisation such as a shop or other outlet to a remote, secure location such as a bank, in a secure, hand-held box of a size corresponding to a small suitcase, typically to an armoured vehicle which then securely transports the banknotes to the bank. The containers are of a substantial, secure, robust construction to make them difficult to open and remove the contents, in order to reduce the risk of robbery. Also, the containers may include a security system that stains the banknotes with a bright coloured dye in the form of a powder or ink, in the event that the box is stolen, so that the banknotes are easily recognisable as having been stolen, thereby rendering them worthless. A pyrotechnic device similar to those used with automobile airbags or a pressurised gas may be used to propel the ink within the container in the event of a security breach, under the control of an electronic system integral with the container.

If the container is snatched from a guard who carries it to the vehicle, the powder or ink is released and the "firing" of the pyrotechnic device or the gas within the container destroys packaging in which the bank notes may be received, such that the ink or powder contaminates the money items. A device of this nature is manufactured by Spinnaker Systems of Plymouth UK and others.

However, the prior staining methods are not always reliable because the packaging of the banknotes frequently does not allow full access of the ink or powder to banknotes themselves and so not all of the bills will necessarily be stained. This problem arises because a wide range of different packaging is used for money items and also because it is difficult to ensure that the packages of money items are disposed within the secure container in such a manner as to provide optimum penetration of the dye between the individual banknotes as they are often packed either too densely or loosely for this purpose.

As an example, a packaging system for banknotes described in our WO05/054055, in which a stack of bank notes is tightly compressed within a tamper-evident plastics container with a sealed lid. The container is so designed as to resiliently compress the stack of banknotes. Generally, stacks of banknotes in hermetically sealed plastics containers in a tight stack are difficult to penetrate by either pyrotechnics or compressed gas in the manner described above in order to contaminate all of the bills, due to the banknotes being clamped together in a solid block and the closeness of the fit between the stack of bank notes and the surrounding plastics packaging.

Summary of the invention

According to the invention there is provided a security device comprising a self contained unit for insertion into an inflatable bag, inside which money items are transported, the device being operable to propel a spray into the bag in response to a detected security breach, so to at least partially inflate the bag and at least partially separate the money items to allow the spray to pass between and onto the money items.

The device can be used with an inflatable bag that has at least one resiliently deformable sidewall which when the bag is filled with money items in a stack, compresses the stack, and which when the spray is propelled into the bag, is deformed to release the compression of the stack and allow the spray to come in contact with money items in the stack. To this end, the sidewalls of the bag may be corrugated.

The device can be used with an inflatable bag comprising a first separating wall having one or more openings through which a first spray enters a first portion of the bag and a second separating wall having one or more openings through which a second spray enters the first portion of the bag; wherein the first and second sprays combine to form an adhesive which adheres to the money items thereby providing a permanent or semi-permanent indication of a security breach thereon.

The invention also includes a method of transporting banknotes comprising: forming a stack of money items in the inflatable bag containing the device, sealing the bag closed, transporting the closed bag, and in the event of a security breach, operating the device so as to inflate the bag and propel a spray into the bag and to allow the spray to pass between and onto the money items.

However, in the absence of a security breach, the method can include opening the sealed, closed bag at a secure location and retrieving the money items, and the device may be retrieved for re-use.

As used herein, the term money item includes items such as banknotes, coins and other items of value such as tokens and the term "banknote" means a sheet item of value, particularly but not exclusively a promissory note especially from a central bank or other governmental organisation payable to the bearer on demand for use as money, also known as "paper money" and in the USA as "currency" or a "bill".

Brief description of the drawings

In order that the invention may be fully understood an embodiment thereof will now be described by way of illustrative example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a bank note container;

Figures 2A, B & C illustrate the filling of the container of Figure 1 with a security device and a stack of banknotes

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a security device according to the invention;

Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of the interior contents of the device shown in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the electrical circuitry of the device shown in

Figure 3 and 4; - A -

Figure 6 is a sectional view of the container shown in Figure 2C when inflated in response to a security alert;

Figure 7 is a sectional view of an alternative container according to the invention when inflated in response to a security alert; Figure 8 is a perspective view of an alternative security device according to the invention;

Figure 9 is a plan view of the container shown in Figure 7; and

Figure 10 illustrates a security guard holding a secure case that holds containers that each include a security device according to the invention.

Detailed description of the drawings

Referring to Figure 1, a generally rectangular container 1 is configured to receive a stack of banknotes and comprises a rectangular base 2, major sidewalls 3, 4 and minor sidewalls 5, 6. The sidewalls extend from respective edges of the base to a generally rectangular opening 7 that is closed by a planar plastics lid 8 heat or otherwise sealed onto the opening 7. As shown in Figure 1, the sidewalls of the container 1 are corrugated in such a manner as to act as a tension spring when the container is elongated by pulling downwardly on the base 2.

Referring to Figure 2A, a security device 9 that will be described in more detail hereinafter with reference to Figures 3-5, is placed as a platen within the container 1 on its base 2, and a stack 10 of banknotes 11 is formed within the container e.g. by being fed into the mouth 7 of the container from a banknote counting machine (not shown). Whilst being filled, the container 1 may be stretched longitudinally.

Thereafter, as shown in Figure 2b, the lid 8 is heat-sealed onto the lip 7 of the container, so as to produce a closed, tamper-evident arrangement. The tamper proof advantages of a sealed, plastics container are described in some detail in our WO05/054055. After the lid 8 has been sealed in place, the longitudinal stretching of the container 1 is discontinued with a result that the spring-like corrugations of the sidewalls 3-6, pull the lid 8 and base 2 towards one and other in the direction of arrows X-X thereby compressing the stack 10 of bank notes within the container as illustrated in Figure 2C. The security device 9 will now be described in more detail with reference to Figure 3, 4 and 5. The device 9 acts as an independent dye dispenser and comprises a reusable, self-contained unit with an exterior housing 12 having an upper surface 13 that acts as a platen to receive the stack 10 of banknotes as shown in Figure 2. Lower surface 14 of the device rests on the interior surface of the base 2 of container 1 when placed therein. Aerosol spray nozzles 15 protrude through the upper surface 13 of the housing 12 to propel an aerosol dye into the container to stain the banknotes in the event of a security alarm.

Referring to Figure 4, the device 9 includes a container 16 with compressed fluid for example carbon dioxide or nitrogen, and a canister 17 containing ink either in liquid or powder form. A needle valve 18 operable by an electric motor 19 releases compressed gas from the container 16 through the valve 18 along conduit 20 into the canister 17 so that ink is projected as an aerosol through conduits 20 to the nozzles 15 in response to a security alarm condition. The nozzles 15 may each have a protective cover (not shown) configured to be blown off when the valve is opened to release the marker material.

The electrical circuitry that controls the motor 19 is illustrated in more detail in Figure 5. The motor 19 is powered by a battery 21, which may be rechargeable, under the control of a microprocessor 22. A security alarm condition is signalled to the device 9 over a wireless link 23 which, in this example, comprises an RF link from a remote controller 24 to a RF receiver 25 mounted within the housing 12 of the device. The remote controller 24 has an operating control 26 which may be used by a security guard to transmit a security alarm signal over the RF link 23 to the RF receiver 25 in the device 9. Upon detecting the alarm signal, the RF receiver sends an alarm signal to the microprocessor 22 which in turn operates the motor 19 to open needle valve 20 so that the aerosol dye spray is emitted from the nozzles 15.

Figure 6 illustrates the condition of the container 1 when the aerosol dye is emitted from nozzles 15 into the container 1. The aerosol spray is indicated by dotted lines 27. The compressed gas from container 16 not only propels the ink from the canister 17 into the container 1 but also inflates the container 1 against the resilience of the corrugations of the sidewalls 3, 4 so that the container 1 becomes extended as a result of the inflation and also the individual bank notes 11 are no longer held in a tight stack and can move apart from one and other within the inflated container 1. This enables the aerosol spray 27 to pass between the major surfaces of the banknotes 11 and stain them indelibly. Furthermore, the dye will remain within the container 1 and thereby increase the chance of staining all of the bills by flowing between them rather than escaping from the container 1.

Figure 7 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the container 1 in the condition when a spray 28 is emitted by the nozzles 15 into the container 1. The container 1 is configured to inflate in a manner similar to that described in the foregoing description with reference to Figure 6, upon detecting an alarm signal. The container 1 in this embodiment is separated into a central region 29 and vertically extending side channels 30, 31 situated on opposite sides of the central portion 29. The banknotes 11 are stored in the central region 29. The central region 29 is separated from side channels 30, 31 by separating walls 32, 33, respectively, that contain a series of periodically spaced openings 32A, 33A or gaps. The spray 28 is emitted by the nozzles 15 such that it travels upwardly through the side channels 30, 31 and passes through the periodic gaps in the separating walls 32, 33 into the central region 29. Allowing the spray 28 to enter the central region 29 through the gaps in the separating walls 32, 33 ensures an even distribution of the spray 28 over the banknotes 11. In this embodiment, the spray 28 may be formed from the same material as the aerosol spray 27 shown in Figure 6. Alternatively, the spray 28 emitted by the left hand nozzle and the spray 28' emitted by the right hand nozzle may be formed from different materials that, when combined, form an adhesive substance that adheres the banknotes 11 to each other and prevents their separation. In the foregoing description it should be understood that terms such as left and right refer only to positions in Figure 7 and have no limiting effect on this or any other embodiment falling within the scope of the invention.

Figure 8 shows an embodiment of the device 9, that is compatible with the embodiment of the invention hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 7. Nozzles 15 are located at opposite ends of the device 9 such that when the spray 28 is emitted it travels into the side channels 30, 31 shown in Figure 7. The device 9 may be supported by a handling tray 34. The nozzles may curve upwardly such that when the spray 28 is emitted, as shown in Figure 7, it is directed in a direction substantially parallel to the extent of the side channels 30, 31.

In the situation where the spray 28 emitted by the left hand nozzle is formed from a different material from the spray 28' emitted by the right hand nozzle the device 9 shown in Figure 4 may be configured to comprise two separate canisters 17.

Alternatively, a single canister 17 may be partitioned into two portions, each portion containing one of the materials that, when combined, form an adhesive substance. In either of these configurations, each of the canisters (or partitioned section of a single canister) may be individually connected to the container 16 containing compressed fluid in a manner substantially similar to the foregoing description with reference to Figure 4 showing the single canister configuration. Each canister 17 would be connected to one of the nozzles 15. The sprays 28, 28' are propelled upwardly through respective side channels 30, 31, move through separating walls 32, 33 and into the central region 29. In the central region 29 the sprays 28, 28' combine to form an adhesive which acts to bind together the banknotes 11.

The container 1 may be formed from a plastics material such as polyethylene or from any other suitable plastics material. Such a material has the property that it is possible to weld together two or more sheets of the material by heat sealing or by another suitable sealing process. The separating walls 32, 33 may be formed by 'pinching' two of the side walls 5, 6 of the container 1 to form the side channels 30, 31 as shown in Figure 9. The welding process is performed intermittently along the length of the separating walls 32, 33 so as to provide the openings 32A, 33A or gaps therein.

Figure 9A shows a cross sectional view from the line 9A shown in Figure 7, taken through the separating wall 32. Figure 9B shows a cross sectional view from the line 9B, taken through an opening 33A or gap in the separating wall 33. The manner in which the separating walls 32, 33 are formed, by intermittent welding along the length thereof, is shown.

Figure 10 illustrates schematically a secure case, in the form of a hand holdable suitcase 35 which securely carries one or more containers 1 have been filled with banknotes in a stack 10 as per Figure 2C. This arrangement is compatible with the embodiments hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1-9. In the example of Figure 10, four such containers 1 are included within the suitcase 35. The containers 1 may have been filled with banknotes 11 at a retail outlet such as a supermarket or other facility that uses cash. The sealed containers 1 may need to be transported to a bank or other accounting station remotely through the use of a secure, armoured vehicle or the like. A security guard 36 loads and locks the sealed containers 1 in the case 35 and carries it across a pavement or sidewalk to the secure vehicle (not shown). The remote unit 24 may be mounted within the case 35 and provided with a sensor to detect opening that constitutes a security breach, for example in the event that the case 35 is stolen from the guard 36 and an attempt is made to open it by the robber. Alternatively, the remote controller 24 may be located on the security guard, for example in a garment pocket as illustrated at 24' so that if the case 35 is stolen and is carried by a robber away from the security guard, the radio signal from the controller 24' will no longer be received by the security devices 9 in the case 35 and as a result, a security alarm condition is triggered in which the containers 1 are inflated with aerosol dye and the banknotes 11 within them are indelibly stained or adhered together by an adhesive such as glue, rendering them useless for the criminal.

However, in the event that the case 35 is taken to a bank or the like without the occurrence of a security alert, the case 35 can be opened under secure conditions and the containers 1 removed and opened. The plastics containers 1 can then be sent to a recycling facility for recycling. The security devices 9 however, which are self contained, can be re-used in a further packaging operation.

To this end, the battery 21 shown in Figures 4 and 5 may be rechargeable and an external socket 37 may be provided to allow battery recharging and also to permit external text equipment to be connected to the device 9 to check that it is fully functional.

Many modifications and variations to describe the device 9 can be made within the scope of the claimed invention. For example instead of using a pressurised gas to form the aerosol spray, a pyrotechnic device of the kind used in automobile airbags can be utilises to create a rapid, explosive gas discharge. For example, a block of sodium azide can be ignited using an electrical igniter device to create a rapid discharge of nitrogen gas. The ink may be provided in a frangible vessel that is ruptured by the explosive discharge of the device so as to create an aerosol which both inflates the container 1 and indelibly dyes the bank notes on their major surfaces.

Furthermore although the radio link is described as an RF link, other wireless techniques could be used including infrared. Also, a remote control device 24 may be included in an establishment which utilises containers 1 so that the security devices 9 will trigger a security alert upon being removed from the building. Also, a further R.F. trigger may be provided for a second security guard so that the alarm is only triggered when either the second guard or both the first and second guard signal an alarm condition.

In another modification, the device 9 may include a programmable device such as a RFID tag that may be programmed with information about the banknotes within the sealed container as described in WO05/054055.

The device can be used with money items other than banknotes for example a stack of coins in a inflatable container and can be used to apply a non visible marker fluid rather than a visible dye, for example that can be detected under a UV light. Also a DNA marker may be included in the aerosol which will rub off on the robber to assist in detection of the criminal. A foaming agent, such as sodium laureth sulphate, may optionally be included in the aerosol although other foaming agents may also be used. Sodium laureth sulphate is also known to act as a detergent and may be used to assist in the wetting of money items.

Whilst in the described examples, the containers 1 are made of a plastics material such as polyethylene, other containers could be used, for example made of paper.