A. Field
This invention relates to a method for destroying bank notes, wherein bank notes are checked and sorted by means of at least one bank-note processing machine in at least one decentralized place, whereby unfit bank notes are sorted out in order to be transported to a central place for destruction.
B. Related Art
Methods for destroying bank notes wherein bank notes no longer fit for circulation are sorted out and transported to a central place for destruction are known and have been used for a long time. In such methods, bank notes which are accepted e.g. by commercial banks, security transport companies, etc., are checked and sorted in decentralized fashion by means of bank-note processing machines. Sorting of the bank notes is effected according to their denomination and fitness for circulation, i.e. two stacks are formed per denomination, one stack for fit bank notes of the particular denomination and one further stack for unfit bank notes of the particular denomination. Unfit bank notes are understood to mean bank notes that are so soiled and/or damaged that they should not return to circulation. The unfit bank notes are subsequently transported to a central place, e.g. a central bank, and destroyed by the central bank, normally after a recheck.
It has turned out, however, that the known procedure is very elaborate, since the decentralized checking and sorting involves sorting the accepted bank notes with regard to their denomination and fitness. Two output pockets must therefore be provided for each denomination in the bank-note processing machine used. Since well-known currencies normally have seven or more denominations or emissions, fourteen output pockets must already be provided for processing bank notes of one currency. If bank notes of different currencies are to be processed at the same time, the number of output pockets increases accordingly. Moreover, a sort according to orientation of the bank notes is frequently to be performed, which increases the effort further by up to a factor of four if the bank-note processing machine has no elements for turning over and orienting.
Further problems result in the known procedure for destroying unfit bank notes from the fact that the central banks only receive bank notes that have been classified as unfit by the delivering decentralized places. Since the central banks normally make stipulations on what state bank notes must have to be classified as fit or unfit, it is not possible for the central bank to check whether the delivering decentralized places comply with these stipulations, since only the bank notes classified as unfit by the decentralized places reach the central bank. These notes might be mixed with fit bank notes, or not all unfit bank notes are recognized and/or sorted out.
In addition, for example WO 99/27488 A1 discloses a method wherein destruction is effected in decentralized fashion, that is, not carried out by a central bank. In such methods, a sort is likewise effected in a first step by means of a first bank-note processing machine according to denomination and state of the bank notes, i.e. whether the bank notes are fit or unfit. Unfit bank notes are transferred to a special secure room which can be monitored by the central bank. It is additionally transmitted to the central bank how many bank notes of each denomination have been transferred to the room. Destruction of the bank notes is effected in the secure room under monitoring by the central bank by means of a second bank-note processing machine which determines and checks the denomination and number of the bank notes again prior to their destruction. The determined number and denomination is transmitted to the central bank, which compares it to the previously transmitted information on number and denomination of transferred bank notes.
In this variant of bank-note destruction, there is still effected a division and sorting of all bank notes according to their denomination, so that a multiplicity of output pockets are still required for the bank-note processing machine used. The saving of the required transport of unfit bank notes to the central bank is opposed by considerable effort for creating the secure room. Further effort is required for the monitoring of the destruction of unfit bank notes in the secure room by the central bank. Moreover, there will normally be considerably lower utilization of the bank-note processing machine used for destroying unfit bank notes in the secure room, because only the amount of unfit bank notes arising in one decentralized place is destroyed there. It is therefore necessary to install many bank-note processing machines with secure rooms, which causes considerable investment and operating costs.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to specify a method for destroying bank notes wherein unfit bank notes are sorted out in decentralized places and are transported to a central place for destruction, which can be operated with less effort, and in particular makes lower demands on the bank-note processing machines used in the decentralized places.
It is further the object to specify a method for destroying bank notes wherein unfit bank notes are sorted out in decentralized places and transported to a central place for destruction, which permits the central place to have improved monitoring of the sorting out of unfit bank notes carried out in the decentralized places.