Method and apparatus for a lockable, removable cassette, for securely

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a lockable, removable cassette for attachment to a bill validator is disclosed. The cassette is removed from a bill validator by service personnel and transported to a central office, where an authorized person unlocks a hinged door with a separate key to remove stored bills. A lever is turned to a predetermined position which unlocks the cassette from the bill validator, and locks a pusher plate to prevent unauthorized bill removal. The lever is prevented from being turned clockwise and from further rotation past the predetermined position. When the hinged door of the secured cassette is opened by authorized personnel, the lever is released from its locked position arming the cassette. The emptied cassette can now be returned to the service person who can now reconnect it to a bill validator by further rotating the lever, which locks the cassette in place and unlocks the pusher plate to prepare the cassette to receive bills accepted by the validator. The cassette is easy to use, compact, tamper resistant, durable, and may use only mechanical parts. Further, the cassette can be modified to store a larger or smaller amount of bills, and works with existing bill pushers with only minor modifications required.