A SECURITY SYSTEM FOR SECURING VALUABLES

This invention relates to security systems for securing valuables such as bank notes.

In cash centres bank notes are filled into specialised cassettes. After a possible storage time at the cash centre cassettes are transported to automatic teller machines, ATM's, where one or more cassettes are installed. The ATM's pay out bank notes from the cassettes, and after a period of time the cassettes are returned to the cash centre for being refilled. ATM's can also be configured to receive bank notes and in the following an ATM should be understood as having either or both of these functions. At any time, and in particular during transition from one location to another, the cassettes and their content must be protected against attacks and theft. At a detected unauthorised event or handling of a cassette or any other component in the system, e.g. an attack or attempt of theft, a security routine is initiated. Several systems and methods for protecting the contents of the cassette are known, such as spraying the content with ink, sounding an alarm or sending a silent message such as a wireless message.

Cassettes containing bank notes are of a size and weight that can be carried and handled by a person. Such cassettes have a security system for protecting the content of the cassettes e.g. by spraying the content with ink in case of a detected unauthorised event or handling of the cassette. The system can be in a passive mode where the security system is turned off. The passive mode can be entered in secure environments, e.g. in a cash centre where cassettes are filled with bank notes. Cassettes can also be in an active mode where their security system is turned on, and detection of an unauthorised event or handling of a cassette will trigger the security system and a security routine is initiated. Cassettes may have several levels of active mode depending e.g. on the environment and the situation. The security system of the cassettes can be autonomous so that it will function in any environment, or its security routine may be initiated e.g. by a remotely generated command transmitted to the cassette, or by an ATM in which the cassette is placed, in case a security system in the ATM or in another cassette in the ATM detects an unauthorised event predetermined to trigger the security routine.

The invention provides several improvements over the known security systems.

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 illustrates a cassette with a security system that will release an adhesive substance;

Figure 2 illustrates a cassette with a redundant security system; and

Figure 3 illustrates a cassette with a security system that can detect fluids such as aqueous and oily liquids and smoke.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Security systems that spray the content of cassettes with ink or other substances are known. FR 2 866 357 discloses a cassette having a security system with a compartment containing a first dehydrating substance such as a strong acid and another compartment containing a second substance which when mixed with the first substance causes generating of heat to accelerate the dehydrating process.

As illustrated in figure 1 the security system of the present invention, a cassette 100 containing valuables such as a stack of bank notes 150 has two compartments or containers 101, 102 containing respective substances that will be released when the security routine is initiated. The substances in the containers may be identical or different. In an embodiment one or both containers contain an adhesive substance that will adhere to the content of the cassette such as bank notes and thereby degrade the bank notes irreversibly. The adhesive substance may comprise a solvent that will evaporate, or the adhesive substance may react with the air or humidity or other substance in the cassette. An example of such adhesive substance is one-component polyurethane (PU) that is kept under pressure in the containers or released by generating high pressure in the container, and when released it will create a rapidly expanding foam which will come into contact with the bank notes in the cassette. In an embodiment the two substances are reactants that will be released and mixed or otherwise brought

into contact with each other and react chemically with each other so as to form a product that indelibly marks and degrades or spoils the content such as bank notes in the cassettes. Each of the two reactants can be optimised for several properties such as storage properties, flow properties, hazards, toxicity, ease and safety of handling etc. The reaction product can be a dye or a product that cures after mixing of the reactants such as an adhesive, an etching product, or the chemical reaction of the reactants may release energy in the form of heat, all of which will irreversibly degrade the content of the cassettes.

When an adhesive substance or product which is released after the security routine has been initiated, comes into contact with the bank notes in the cassette it will penetrate into the stack of bank notes to a certain depth to degrade each of the bank notes. The adhesive substance or product should irreversibly change the visual and/or tactile appearance of the bank notes so that thus degraded bank notes will immediately be detected (and rejected) by humans and can also be detected automatically by cash-receiving devices such as an ATM or a vending machine. Likewise, the adhesive may bind several or all bank notes together so that they cannot be separated without damaging them. Preferably, when returning the thus degraded bank notes to the central bank or other authority it should be possible to detect at least the nominal value of the bank notes, and the adhesive should therefore preferably not penetrate the stack of bank notes completely but only partially.

If a known security system of is suddenly destroyed, e.g. by a gunshot destroying vital parts of the security system, the security system may fail to react and to trigger the security routine, whereby the cassettes and their content are vulnerable and at risk.

As illustrated in figure 2 a cassette 200 has a redundant security system comprising two separate security subsystems 201, 202 each of which is capable of initiating the security routine if unauthorised event or handling of the cassette is detected. The two security subsystems are placed at different locations so that e.g. a gunshot will not destroy both and a wired or wireless communication 203 is established between the two systems.

In case one security subsystem fails due e.g. to a sudden destruction, the other subsystem will react by initiating the security routine. The security routine will thus be initiated if either of the subsystems detects an unauthorised event or handling of the cassette or if either of the subsystems detects that a predetermined event relating to the other has occurred, e.g. that the other subsystem is not functioning properly or that the communication between the subsystems is interrupted.

As long as each subsystem is satisfied that the other is functioning properly, and no unauthorised event or handling is detected, the security routine will not be triggered.

Liquids such as aqueous and oily liquids have been introduced in the cassettes in connection with an attack on cassettes in an attempt to reduce the effectiveness of the security system and in particular of the substances (ink, glue etc.) that are used for degrading the content of containers. In consequence the degradation of some or all valuables such as bank notes may not be satisfactory.

Electrically conductive aqueous liquids (electrolytes) can be detected due to their conductivity, and if e.g. water is detected in the cassette, this may be interpreted as unauthorised event or handling and the security routine is initiated. Nonconducting substances, e.g. oily substances such as diesel fuel, cannot be detected using conductivity sensors, and if such substances are introduced into the cassette or their security system as an unauthorised event or handling, the known security systems may not detect this with the consequence that the security routine is not initiated.

As illustrated in figure 3 a cassette 300 has a security system 301 according to the invention comprising a lamp 302 and a light detector 303. Light emitted from the lamp will be received by the detector. If a fluid such as a liquid or smoke enters in the light path (illustrated by an arrow) from the lamp to the detector, the liquid will change the properties of the transmission path due e.g. to attenuation, scattering, refraction or changes in spectral properties of the light. The security system is capable of detecting such changes and to initiate the security routine upon such detection.

The security system 301 also has a sensor 304 capable of detecting nonconducting substances, in particular oily liquids substances such as diesel fuel. The sensor 304 comprises two electrodes defining a gap therebetween.

Liquids have electrical properties, such as conductivity, that are different from those of air, and when an electrically conducting liquid is introduced in the gap this can be detected. An electrically conductive liquid can be detected by applying a suitable electrical signal such as a voltage (AC or DC) to the electrodes and measuring the resulting current.

An electrically non-conductive liquid has dielectric properties different from those of air, and if the electrodes are in the form of two plates they will form an electric capacitor, the presence of an electrically non-conductive liquid between the plates will change the capacitance of the capacitor. This can be detected by applying a suitable electrical signal such as an AC voltage to the electrodes and measuring the resulting current.

The security system is thus capable of detecting optical and/or electrical properties of a fluid substance, and upon detection of a predetermined value or a predetermined change in value of such property the security system is adapted to initiate the security routine. If the cassette 300 is unauthorisedly immersed in such fluid or liquid, e.g. in connection with an attack, the security system 301 will detect this and the security system will react by initiating the security routine.

A security system according to the invention may comprise the above-disclosed features individually or in any combination.