Electronic transmission and tracking of deposit information
View Patent ↗A cash control system for a business establishment having one or more cash registers includes a safe assembly. The safe assembly includes a safe for securing cash and a currency reader coupled to the safe for determining the amount of cash received in the safe. A central control unit is configured to receive deposit information from the safe assembly and to generate and transmit deposit reports. Preferably, the central control unit also transmits identifiers that distinguish deposit information accumulated during an accounting period before a predetermined event and deposit information accumulated during the accounting period after the predetermined event. The cash information server is configured to receive the deposit information and the identifiers from the central control unit and to identify the amount of cash collected by the business establishment during the accounting period. Preferably, the cash information server is located off-site from the safe assembly.
1. A method of monitoring cash deposited and removed at a business establishment having one or more cash registers and using a cash control system comprising a processing device, the method comprising:
utilizing said processing device to determine deposit information based on cash collected at a business establishment during an accounting period;
utilizing said processing device to generate unique identifiers based on the accounting period and the cash collected;
electronically transmitting the deposit information and the unique identifiers to an off-site location; and
receiving the deposit information and the unique identifiers at the off-site location to distinguish an amount of cash collected by a business establishment during the accounting period and an amount of cash retrieved from the business establishment;
wherein the unique identifiers comprise a sequence number and an alternative sequence number, wherein the alternate sequence number is adjusted when the cash collected has been removed, and wherein the sequence number is adjusted to match the alternate sequence number at the end of the accounting period.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the accounting period is a business day as identified by a store manager.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sequence number and the alternate sequence number distinguish the deposit information accumulated during the accounting period before the cash collected has been removed and the deposit information accumulated during the accounting period including a period after the cash collected has been removed.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmitted deposit information and the unique identifiers include a first report for the accounting period up to a time when the cash collected has been removed and wherein the sequence number and the alternate sequence number are different on the first report, and a second report for the accounting period including a period after the cash collected has been removed and wherein the sequence number and the alternate sequence number are the same on the second report.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unique identifiers distinguish the deposit information accumulated during the accounting period before the cash collected has been removed from the deposit information accumulated during the accounting period after the cash collected has been removed.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unique identifiers further comprise an identification number for identifying the business establishment associated with the cash collected.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unique identifiers further comprise an identifying code for associating a cash register or a corresponding safe assembly with the cash collected.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the unique identifiers further comprise status indicators for reporting errors associated with operation of the cash register or the corresponding safe assembly.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unique identifiers further comprise an identification number for associating a cashier with the cash collected.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the deposit information is further based on checks collected at the business establishment during the accounting period.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the deposit information based on the checks collected comprises MICR line information associated with the checks collected.