Patent Publication Number: US-6213341-B1

Title: Safe for holding and dispensing change

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates in general to safes, and relates in particular to safes for receiving supplies of change and dispensing predetermined amounts of that change on request. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Cashiers and clerks at retail sales locations need a ready and convenient supply of change on hand at all times. “Change” as used herein is not limited to coins, but also includes bills of denominations sufficient to meet change-making requirements for the particular business. Failure to maintain adequate change at a cash register or the cash drawer of a point-of-sale terminal may at times delay completing retail transactions while the cashier obtains a new supply of change, a practice which may reduce the total volume of sales and irritate customers who must wait while the cashier or a supervisor delivers change from a locked safe or some other secure location. 
     The requirement for maintaining an adequate and convenient supply of change is particularly important in certain kinds of retail sales locations such as convenience stores and gas stations, where the amount of each transaction may be relatively low and cash frequently is tendered to pay the transaction. Moreover, some suppliers of merchandise for convenience stores traditionally require payment in cash on delivery of the merchandise, and those cash payments will further deplete the amount of money remaining in the cash register or point-of-sale terminal drawer for making change. 
     Safes intended for storing and dispensing change are known in the prior art. Such safes heretofore have been relatively complex in construction and may lack the flexibility of storing and dispensing change of varying amounts and capacities. Moreover, such change-holding safes of the prior art lack the accounting and audit capabilities desirable to identify amounts of change dispensed and to audit the amounts remaining in the safes. Such known change dispensing safes also lack provisions for temporarily storing and accounting for deliveries of change by an armored-car messenger or other service, so that the change is at hand but remains secured within the safe itself. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Stated in general terms, a change safe according to the present invention has a plurality of columns, each column receiving several units of change so that each unit occupies a predetermined location in the column. The change safe detects the level of units in each column, so that the amount of change in each available denomination is always known. The actual change, whether a predetermined number of wrapped coins or of paper currency, preferably is loaded in cylindrical tubes of predetermined configuration, so that the dispensing mechanism and sensing elements always act on articles of the same predetermined size and shape. The present apparatus on demand vends individual units that contain selected variable amounts of coin or currency so that each tube in each column contains a known amount of change. The denominations of coin or currency in the tubes loaded into each column and dispensed from those columns, and various parameters relating to permitted vending operation for each denomination, are selectable by the user of the safe, providing flexibility for conforming the use of the present safe to the needs of different locations in which the safe is used. 
     Stated somewhat more particularly, sensors are associated with each column detect the tubes at the predetermined locations in the columns. Those sensors determine at all times the number of tubes remaining in the safe for dispensing. In the disclosed embodiment of the safe, tubes are dispensed from the lowermost location of each column, and the tube-dispensing mechanism is selectively operable to determine whether an article is present at that location, so that no article-detecting sensor is required for the lowermost location in each column. 
     Stated in somewhat more detail, the article dispensing mechanism includes an element moveable in a first direction to withdraw the lowermost article from a selected column, thereby dispensing that article from the safe. However, that displacement element is selectably operative to move in a second direction which engages the lowermost article and attempts to displace that article in a direction along which movement is blocked. If an article is present in the lowermost location, that blocked movement of the displacement element in the second direction is detected so that the displacement element indicates the presence of an article at that location. However, if the displacement element moves in the second direction without hindrance, that movement indicates the absence of an article at the lowermost location, corresponding to a condition in which the particular column contains no article to be dispensed. 
     The article dispensing apparatus includes a displacement element moveable on an orbital path that includes the position occupied by the lowermost article present in a selected column. However, the lowermost article is moveable from that position only in a first direction of movement of the displacement element, namely, the direction to dispense that article from the column. When the displacement element is operated to move in the opposite direction along the orbital path, the lowermost article (if present) prevents the displacement element from completing that commanded movement, and that blocked movement is detected to indicate that an article is present at the lowermost location of the particular column. 
     The moveable displacement element is mounted on a carriage that traverses to juxtapose the displacement element with the lowermost location of each selected column in the change-dispensing apparatus. The apparatus responds to a request for change of a particular denomination by traversing the carriage as necessary to align the displacement element with a column holding at least one tube containing change of that denomination, and then operates the displacement element to dispense the selected number of articles from that particular column, whereupon the cashier or other person using the apparatus can retrieve the dispensed tube. A sensor detects the presence of each article being dispensed, to verify the act of dispensing an actual physical article in response to the dispensing command. 
     Tubes are loaded into the columns through separate loading ports at the upper ends of the columns. The loading ports normally are closed by an element that blocks access to the columns, except when change-holding tubes are being loaded into the columns. The control mechanism associated with the change safe selectively unlocks the blocker door, allowing an operator to shift that blocker door to a position opening the ports for loading tubes into the columns. The position of the blocker door is sensed, so that the control mechanism associated with the change safe can provide appropriate operator prompts to close that door after loading a supply of the tubes into one or more columns. 
     The upper end of each column preferably includes apparatus that prevents each newly-inserted tube from dropping into the column until that tube is completely inserted through the loading port into the column. This arrangement prevents newly-inserted tubes from descending nose-first into a column, which might jam a subsequent dispensing effort and would produce a false indication of the quantity of tubes loaded into the column. The lower end of each column preferably has a joggle or similar provision for contacting the first tube dropped into an empty column, so as to break the fall of that tube and prevent the falling tube from bouncing out of position when hitting the bottom of the column. 
     The change dispensing safe according to the present invention also permits selective programming of each column for the denomination of change to be dispensed, and other column-specific variables such as time-of-day use restrictions, maximum number of tubes permitted per dispensing operation, whether prepayment is required from a cash drawer before dispensing change is permitted, and the like. The present safe also monitors patterns of change usage, and uses the information so obtained to forecast amounts of change required for deliveries of change at various times to the particular change safe. 
     The present safe also includes a separate lockable compartment intended for receiving deliveries of change from an outside source such as an armored-car service or the like. Access to that separate compartment may be limited to supervisory personnel by requiring a particular access code. The operation of the present safe also permits removing quantities of coins from the separate compartment either for loading into the individual change-dispensing columns or into a reserve location within the main compartment of the safe. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus and method for receiving and dispensing change. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide a change-dispensing apparatus and method offering improved flexibility of operation. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a change-dispensing apparatus and method in which the denominations of change and other parameters for individual change-vending column areas are selectably and individually programmable by the user of the apparatus. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a change safe intended for use with a secure depository such as a drop safe used for temporary storage of currency at retail outlets or the like. 
     Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a change safe according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a semischematic pictorial view of the change safe shown in FIG. 1, with the upper door open for illustrative purposes. 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded pictorial view of the change safe shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 4 is a partially-sectioned side elevation view of the change safe shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 5 is a front elevation view, partially-sectioned and broken away, showing details of the upper-door lock mechanism, the blocker door for loading tubes into the columns, and other details of the change safe shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 6 is a detailed view showing the interior of the lower door in the change safe of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 7 is a pictorial view showing rear details of the upper and lower doors, the change dispensing subassembly, and related structure of the change safe shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 8 is a detailed pictorial view showing the lower end of several columns for holding tubes of change in the change safe of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 9 is a detailed pictorial view showing the upper end of several such columns including the tube flaps. 
     FIG. 10 shows a typical tube flap in relation to the wall of a tube column. 
     FIG. 11 is a block diagram of control apparatus for the disclosed embodiment. 
     FIG. 12 is flow charts showing operation of the disclosed embodiment. 
     FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing configuration of the disclosed embodiment for various denominations. 
     FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing delivery of change according to the preferred embodiment. 
     FIG. 15 is a flow chart showing handling of delivered change according to the preferred embodiment. 
     FIG. 16 is a flow chart showing transfer of change from the upper reserve to the columns according to the preferred embodiment. 
     FIG. 17 is a flow chart showing a typical vending operation according to the preferred embodiment. 
     FIG. 18 is a flow chart showing audit functions according to the preferred embodiment. 
     FIG. 19 is a flow chart showing typical audit report functions according to the preferred embodiment. 
     FIG. 20 is a flow chart showing predictive ordering of change according to the preferred embodiment. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     FIGS. 1 and 2 show generally at  20  a safe for holding and dispensing change according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The safe  20  is defined in part by side walls  21 , a top panel  22 , a bottom panel  23  (FIG.  3 ), and a back panel  24  assembled to define the generally boxed-shaped safe  20 . The various panels comprising the outer perimeter of the safe  20  preferably are made of steel or another metal of strength and construction sufficient to withstand at least moderate attempts to force open the change safe. 
     The front of the safe includes an upper door  26  hinged along the bottom to open by swinging outwardly, as shown in FIG. 2. A knob  27  is located on the exterior of the upper door  26  and is connected to actuate a bolt mechanism within the safe, as described below. A number of separate ports  28  are horizontally aligned near the upper edge of the door  26 , for selectively loading change holders into corresponding receptacles within the safe. The ports  28  are selectively blocked or unblocked in unison by a slideable blocker plate located behind the upper door  26  and manipulated by the handle  29  extending through a slot to the left of the ports. As explained below, the blocker associated with the ports  28  normally is locked in the closed position by apparatus within the change safe, preventing anyone from tampering with the safe through the ports. 
     The change safe  20  also has a lower door  32  mounted in a panel  33  located below the upper door  26 . The lower door  32  swings open along a hinge at the left side of that door, providing access to a lower storage compartment  34  (FIG. 3) within the change safe. A knob  35  on the lower door  32  actuates an internal locking mechanism for that door, as described below. 
     The exit of change delivery chute  38  is located on the front panel  33  between the lower door  32  and the bottom of the upper door  26 . Tubes or other articles dispensed from within the change safe drop by gravity to the outer end of the chute  38 , where a cashier or other person may retrieve the articles for use. 
     The various mechanical and functional operations of the present change safe are controlled by a programmable microprocessor  40 , as is described below in greater detail. That processor is associated with a control terminal  41  for entering commands into the safe and displaying messages, and with a printer  42  for printing various reports relating to the operation and contents of the change safe. In a preferred application of the present change safe, that safe is intended for installation and operation in conjunction with a drop safe of a kind disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,038, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by this reference thereto. That drop safe operates under programmed control, and incorporates a data terminal and a printer, and the change safe described herein preferably is connected to the control processor of the drop safe and shares the microprocessor, the data terminal, and the printer associated with the drop safe. It should thus be understood that the control terminal  41  and printer  42  described herein may advantageously be associated with a drop safe as referenced herein, so that only a single data terminal, printer, and programmed processor are required to operate the present change safe and the drop safe as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,038. This common control of both the drop safe and the change safe afford several operational advantages as described below. Of course, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present change safe may alternatively be operated as a free-standing unit equipped with its own control processor, data terminal, and printer, to operate as described herein independently of any other apparatus. 
     FIGS. 2,  3 , and  7  show interior views of the change safe  20 . The upper door  26  is mounted on supports  45  having lower ends pivotally connected at  46  to suitable structure on the inside of the safe  20 . Tension springs  47  attach between the supports  45  and the side walls  21  of the safe to exert a counterbalancing force urging the upper door  26  closed, and buffer cylinders  48  extend in parallel with the springs to inhibit abrupt movement of the upper door when opening or closing that door. The springs  47  and buffers  48  help overcome the significant combined weight of the upper door and the change dispensing subassembly  82  (including coins loaded therein) carried by that door, thereby reducing the risk of personal injury resulting from sudden or uncontrolled movement when the upper door is unlocked. 
     A switch  49  (FIG. 7) is mounted adjacent one of the supports  45  for the upper door  26 . The switch  49  changes state whenever the upper door is moved from its fully-closed position as illustrated in FIG.  1  and sends that status to the microprocessor  40 . 
     The upper door  26  is locked in the closed position by a pair of bolts  52  mounted on the inside of the upper door, each having an inner end connected to the lock cam  53 . The outer ends of the bolts  52  are slideably mounted in openings at the sides  54  of the upper door. The lock cam  53  connects to a cam shaft (not shown) extending through the upper door  26  and connecting to the knob  27  on the front of the upper door. Rotating the knob  27  in either direction thus turns the lock cam  53  through a degree of rotation selectively extending the bolts  52  into mating recesses supported by side walls  21  of the safe on either side of the upper door  26 , or withdraws the bolts from those recesses. 
     Rotation of the lock cam  53  is selectably blocked or enabled by the upper-door solenoid  57 , having a spring-biased plunger that engages a mating recess in the lock cam  53  when the bolts  52  are extended to lock the upper door. The knob  27  thus cannot turn the lock cam  53  to withdraw the bolts and unlock the upper door unless the upper-door solenoid  57  is energized to withdraw the locking plunger from the lock cam  53 . A switch  59  is mounted adjacent the upper-door solenoid  57  to detect movement of the solenoid plunger to the unlocked position, so that the switch indicates when the upper-door locking mechanism is enabled to unlock that door whether or not the knob  27  has been manipulated to draw the bolts  52 . 
     The lower door  32  is connected to the change safe by a hinge  62  along the left side of the door. As best seen in FIG. 7, an arm  63  connects to the inside of the lower door and actuates the lower-door switch  64  mounted on the inside of the front panel  33 . The lower-door switch  64  indicates whether or not the lower door is fully closed. 
     The locking mechanism for the lower door  32  includes a locking cam  66  on the inside of the lower door, connected by a shaft (not shown) to the knob  35  on the front of that door. The locking cam  66  is mounted in spaced-apart relation to the back of the lower door, and that locking cam includes a cut-away portion  67  providing clearance for the plate  68 , FIG. 3, immediately behind the front panel portion  33   a  at the right of the lower door. When the lower door  32  is closed, the plate  68  is positioned between the back side of the lower door and the portion  69  of the lock cam  66  that is not cut away. Rotating the lock cam  66  with the lower door closed, thus positions that portion of the lock cam  66  behind the plate  68 , thereby locking the lower door closed. 
     A lower-door solenoid  72  is mounted on the back of the lower door  32  and has a spring-loaded plunger urged against the periphery of the lock cam  66 . That solenoid plunger engages a notch on the periphery of the lock cam  66  when the lock cam is positioned to lock the lower door, so that the lower door remains locked unless the lower-door solenoid  72  is energized. A switch  74  is mounted to sense the position of the plunger for the lower-door solenoid  72 , so that the switch indicates an unlocked condition of the lower door whether or not that door is open. 
     The lower door  32  opens to access the lower compartment  34  within the change safe. This lower compartment is available for short-term storage of change delivered by an armored-car service, for example, before accounting for the change within the change safe and adding that change to the dispensing columns or to the reserve location  78  (FIGS. 2 and 3) located in an upper portion of the change safe, behind the upper door  26 . The lock mechanism for the lower door  32  preferably is enclosed within a housing  80  mounted on the inside of the lower door, to protect that mechanism from contacting bags of change or other items placed within the lower compartment  34 . 
     A change dispensing subassembly indicated generally at  82  is mounted on the inside of the upper door  26  and moves outwardly with the upper door as that door is opened. The change dispensing subassembly includes a plurality of adjacent spaced-apart vertical partitions  84  defining vertical columns  83 , with the upper end of each column being juxtaposed with corresponding ones of the loading ports  28  formed in the upper door  26 . The dispensing subassembly  82  also includes an article ejector subassembly  85  mounted below the array of columns  83 , and selectably operative to eject a change tube or other article from any selected column. These two subassemblies are described below. 
     The partitions  84  defining the columns  83  extend upwardly from lower ends adjoining the substantially horizontal surface  89  of a plate  90  extending beneath the partitions. The horizontal portion  89  of the plate forms the bottom  92  of each column  83  and supports the tube at the lowermost position of each column. A slot  93  is formed in each bottom  92  and extends substantially the entire front-back dimension of the bottom. These slots accommodate the ejector member of the ejector subassembly  85 , as described below. 
     The plate  90  includes a downwardly-bent portion  96  extending rearwardly from the slotted bottom surface  92 . That downwardly-bent portion in turn leads to a substantially vertical portion that extends around the back of the traversable ejector assembly  85  as best seen in FIG.  4  and ends a short distance above the inner end  98  of the dispensing chute  38 . As will be seen, tubes dispensed rearwardly from the columns  83  fall along the portion  96  of the plate  90  to land on the inner end  98  of the dispensing chute  38 , from which those tubes descend by gravity to the exit end of the chute. 
     As mentioned above, the preferred embodiment of the present change safe stores and dispenses change contained in cylindrical tubes  102  of predetermined length and diameter. Each such tube typically contains a conventional roll of coins or rolled-up paper money of predetermined denomination and total value. The tubes preferably are made of a rigid material such as plastic or the like, which maintains the predetermined shape of tubes during a vending operation. (It should be understood that items other than money may be contained in the tubes and dispensed by the present apparatus.) 
     One such tube  102  is shown at FIG. 8 located at the bottom of a column  83 . The view in that figure is taken from the back of the change dispensing subassembly  82 , showing the flat end  103  of the tube  102 . The closure at the opposite end of the tube is inset from that end, so that the circumference of the tube forms an annular ring at that opposite end. 
     The adjacent partitions  84  forming each column  83  are mutually spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the diameter of the tubes  102 , so that the tubes will readily fall by gravity when inserted into the upper ends of the columns as described below. Each partition near its lower end is bent to form a joggle  106 , with the joggles having approximately the shape of a broad sideways-V extending from the front to the back of each partition. As best seen in FIG. 8, the peak  107  of the joggle  106  in each partition faces, in spaced-apart complementary fashion, the valley  108  of the joggle in the adjacent partition. These peaks and valleys are spaced above the bottom surface  92  of each column  83  approximately one-half the diameter of the tubes  102 , although that exact spacing is not considered critical. The confronting peak  107  and valley  108  of the joggles in each column locate the lowermost tube  102  in predetermined position on the bottom surface  92 , with the lower side of the horizontal cylindrical tube resting on the slot  93  in the bottom surface of that column. Furthermore, the joggles  106  intercept and break the fall of the first tube  102  dropped into an empty column  83 , reducing the velocity of the tube just before striking the bottom surface  92  of the column and thus reducing the likelihood that the lowermost tube will bounce when dropped onto the bottom surface and become improperly located, leading to problems in a subsequent vending operation. 
     The columns  83  are further defined by the front plate  111  and back plate  112 , best seen in FIGS. 4 and 9. The back plate  112  supports a sensor board assembly having vertical arrays of photosensors  115  mounted on the back plate  112  in alignment with the columns  83  between the back and front plates. Each photosensor  115  on the back plate  112  is aligned with the predetermined vertical location of a tube  102  loaded into the columns. The presence of a tube  102  at a particular vertical location, e.g., three tubes up from the bottom of the column, thus is positively detected by the sensor  115  at that particular vertical location in the particular column. This arrangement provides a rapid inventory of the physical contents in each column  83  of the change safe. 
     Because the ejector subassembly  85  traverses the lowermost locations of the columns  83 , it is not practical to include a photosensor for those lowermost locations. Thus, the number of photosensors  115  mounted for each column on the back plate is one less than the total capacity for tubes in each column. In an actual embodiment of the present change safe, each column holds a maximum of ten tubes and the columns thus each have nine photosensors  115  on the back plate  112 . 
     The presence of a tube  102  at the lowermost location in a column is implied if the photosensor for at least the next vertical location in that column detects a tube. However, a positive check for a lowermost tube in each column also is available as disclosed below. 
     Tube flaps shown generally at  123  in FIGS. 9 and 10 are positioned at the upper end of each column  83  in substantially horizontal alignment with corresponding ports  28  in the front of the safe  20 . Each tube flap  123  is engaged when a tube  102  is first inserted into a port  28  and an aligned port  28   a  in the front plate  111 , and the tube flap  123  prevents a tube from dropping into the corresponding column  83  until the tube is substantially completely inserted through the port. 
     Each tube flap  123  extends generally from front to back at the top of a corresponding column and is mounted for pivoting movement on a horizontal axis  131 . The tube flaps  123  each have a floor plate  124  whose lower edge  125  overlaps and extends slightly below the upper edge  126  of the partition  84  defining one side of the column. The opposite edge of the floor plate  124  joins an upper plate  127  along a bend line  128  extending the length of the tube flap. The bend line  128  is located a short distance beyond the horizontal axis  131  of rotation, on which the tube flap  123  is mounted within the change dispensing subassembly  82 . 
     A guide tab  132  extends outwardly and forwardly from the front edge of the upper plate  127 . The guide tab  132  of each tube flap  123  is positioned immediately behind the corresponding tube-loading port  28 , so that the flat end  103  of a tube immediately contacts the guide tab as the tube is initially inserted through the port. That contact with the guide tab causes the tube flap  123  to rotate counter-clockwise (as seen in FIG. 9 on the axis  131 , thereby raising the floor plate  124  to partially block the upper end of the column  83 . Continued insertion of the tube  102  through the port  28  slides that tube across the floor plate  124 , so that the tube flap  123  temporarily supports the tube. Once the tube  102  is completely inserted through the loading port  28   a  so that the trailing end of the tube moves past the edge of the loading port, the tube flap  123  is free to pivot downwardly about the axis  131  to the initial position shown in FIG. 9 wherein the floor plate  124  returns to engage the upper edge  126  of the partition  84 . That pivoting movement removes the floor plate  124  from its temporary position blocking the upper end of the column  83 , allowing the just-inserted tube  102  to drop within the column until that tube contacts the lowermost end of the column or the last tube previously loaded into the column. In either case, the just-inserted tube cannot fall within the column until substantially fully inserted into the column, thereby preventing the tube from falling head-first into the column after the tube is only partially inserted through the loading port  28 . 
     As previously mentioned, the tube loading ports  28  are selectably closed by a blocker door to prevent unauthorized access to the columns  83 . This blocking is accomplished by the tube blocker  138  (FIGS. 3 and 5) in the form of a horizontal plate extending immediately behind the ports  28  through the upper door  26  of the safe. The actuating handle  29  (FIG. 1) extends forwardly from one end of the tube blocker  38  and projects through the elongated slot in the top door, for manual manipulation of the tube blocker. The tube blocker has an array of ports  138   a  conforming in size and number to the ports  28  in the upper door, and the blocker ports  138   a  either are coaxial with the door ports  28  or are laterally offset to obstruct the door ports, depending on the longitudinal position to which the tube blocker  138  is moved. 
     A solenoid  140  (FIG. 4) is located in relation to the tube blocker  138  so that the spring-biased armature of the solenoid engages and locks the tube blocker in position blocking the ports  28  through the upper door of the change safe. The tube blocker  138  is enabled for sliding movement, in response to the handle  29 , only when the solenoid  140  is operated. A switch  142  is located adjacent the tube blocker  138  to detect the open vs. closed position of the tube blocker. 
     The change ejector subassembly  85  is best understood with regard to FIGS. 4,  5 , and  7  That subassembly is mounted beneath the change dispensing subassembly  82  for selective positioning beneath any column  83  and operates to eject the lowermost tube  102  from that selected column. The carriage  146  is supported by a threaded horizontal lead screw  147  and a parallel, smooth rod  148  extending horizontally beneath the change dispensing subassembly  82 . A lead screw drive mechanism including a stepper motor  150  is located at one end of the lead screw  147  and selectably rotates the lead screw in either direction. The lead screw  147  engages a nut or the like associated with the carriage  146 , so that the carriage is traversed in either direction along the lead screw and the rod  148  depending on the rotational direction of the rotor  150 . 
     The carriage  146  has at one side an extractor plate  153  (FIGS. 3 and 4) that in part defines the path of movement of the extractor  154 , which engages and removes a change tube  102  from the lowermost location in a selected column  83 . The extractor  154 , shown in detail in FIG. 4, is somewhat Y-shaped and has an extractor finger  155  protruding upwardly from an outer end of a first arm  156  which extends from the central body portion  157  of the extractor. A second arm  160  extends downwardly from the central body portion  157  to an outer end  161 , from which extends a transverse pin  162  slideably engaged in the curved slot  163  formed near the lower edge of the extractor plate  153 . 
     A third arm  166  of the extractor  154  extends forwardly and upwardly from the central body portion  157  in a somewhat-symmetric relation to the second arm  160 . A roller pin  167  is rotatably attached near one end of the second arm  166  and attaches to the wheel  170  mounted in the carriage  146  parallel to the extractor plate  153 . An ejector stepper motor  171  mounted with the carriage  146  is coupled to the wheel  170  and selectably rotates that wheel in either direction. 
     The geometry of the extractor  154 , constrained in movement by the pin  162  traveling in the slot  163  of the extractor plate  153 , and by the circular path of the roller pin  167  connected to the wheel  170 , constrains the extractor finger  155  to traverse a closed path somewhat resembling a horizontally-elongated O. The path is parallel to the slot  93  at the bottom  92  of the column  83  beneath which the carriage  146  is positioned. The path  174  has an upper portion  174   u  extending through the slot  93  into the lowermost tube position within that column, and a parallel lower portion  174   l  extending a distance below that slot and thus out of the lower-most tube position within the column. 
     Movement of the extractor  154  starts from a home position wherein the second arm  160  of the extractor is at its maximum leftward position and the extractor finger  155  is at the position  155   a  near the bottom-left end of the lower portion  174   l  of the traverse path. This home position of the extractor  154  is detected by the sensor  177 , mounted for actuation by the extractor in that home position. Assuming the stepper motor  171  drives the wheel  170  in the clockwise position as viewed in FIG. 4, the wheel begins raising the outer end of the third arm  166  while simultaneously moving the second arm  160  to the right along the slot  163 . Because the slot curves upwardly from its leftmost end, these movements elevate the first arm  156  and raise the extractor finger along the path  174  to a position  155   b , in which the extractor finger is positioned to enter the front end of the slot  93  and engage the front end of a tube  102  in the lowermost position of the column. Continued clockwise rotation of the wheel  170  moves the finger  155  along the upper path  174   u , traversing the finger through the slot  93  and extracting the lowermost tube  102  from the column. This rearward extractive movement of the finger  155  continues until the finger reaches its rearmost position  155   c , at which time the tube  102  has been fully extracted from the column to drop downwardly along the plate  90  and enter the chute  38  leading to the front of the change safe. 
     As the finger  155  extracts the tube  102  from the column, that tube encounters and displaces the tube ejection flap  178  extending across the back of the change dispensing subassembly  82  to lie immediately behind the lowermost ends of the columns  83 . The tube ejection flap  178  is pivotably mounted along a horizontal hinge  179  and has an arm  180  operatively associated with a sensor  181  mounted on the change dispensing subassembly  182 . The sensor  181  thus detects the actual physical ejection of a tube from any column  83 , in response to a commanded extraction operation of the extractor  154 . 
     After the extractor finger  155  reaches the position  155   c , continued rotation of the wheel  170  draws that finger downwardly to a lower position  155   d , beneath the rearmost position  155   c  and below the slot  93  at the lowermost end of the column. The finger  155  then moves rearwardly along the lower path  174   l  as the wheel  170  continues to rotate, until the extractor  154  arrives at the home position as determined by the sensor  177 . Sensing the home position signals the microprocessor  40  to stop the ejector stepper motor  171 , completing the cycle for extraction from a column, unless the operator had requested more than one tube from that column. 
     To provide a positive check for the presence of a tube at the lowermost location in a column, the ejector stepper motor  171  is operated in a direction opposite to the direction described above to eject a tube from the column. This opposite-direction motion moves the finger  155  in the opposite direction along the path  174  until the finger enters the backend of the slot  93 . If a tube  102  is in the lowermost position of the column, the finger  155  engages the backend of that tube and attempts to move the tube forwardly, but the front plate  111  blocks that attempted forward movement. That blocked movement in the opposite direction thus indicates the presence of a tube at the lowermost location. However, if the finger  155  moves forwardly through the lowermost location without hindrance, that movement indicates the absence of a tube at the lowermost location. 
     A horizontal array of sensors  185  determines the proper location of the carriage  146  with respect to the columns  83  of the change dispensing subassembly. The sensors  185  are arrayed on a board  186  mounted in front of the moveable carriage, as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 7. An element  187  is mounted on the carriage  146  for movement therewith along a horizontal path intersecting each sensor  185 , as the motor  150  traverses the carriage beneath the columns. The fixed sensors  185  and the moveable element  187  are positioned relative to the columns so that the sensor associated with a particular column detects the element when the carriage is positioned with the extractor  154  beneath the slot  93  for that column, signaling the microprocessor  40  to stop the carriage at that location. 
     The change safe preferably operates under programmed control to define denominations of change dispensed by a particular safe, varying levels of access to the safe for dispensing change, for opening the upper and lower doors to receive deliveries of change and to deposit that change into the columns of the safe, and selected other parameters. This system includes the programmable microprocessor  40 , FIG. 11, programmed to function as a central processing unit (CPU) for the system. The processor includes suitable memory and other elements typically associated with such units, and is connected to receive signals from the various switches and sensors, and to deliver operating signals through appropriate drivers to the solenoids and other actuators, as disclosed herein. As mentioned above, the processor  40  may be physically located in a separate drop safe connected via a signal path to the present change safe. 
     In addition to the terminal and printer associated with the microprocessor, a portable microchip memory module preferably is used to input information for accessing the lower compartment of the change safe by a messenger delivering a new supply of change. For that purpose, a touch memory port  43  is connected to the microprocessor. That port interfaces with a memory module chip (not shown) carried by the armored-car messenger. Further details of such memory modules are found in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,038. 
     Operation of the preferred embodiment is now discussed with reference to the operating menu shown in FIG.  12 . Each submenu in that figure shows a principal operational feature of the change safe, and it will be understood that the microprocessor  40  is programmed to deliver appropriate operating signals and to compile and display information on the printer  42  or on a visual display associated with the terminal  41 . Such programming of microprocessors is well within the skill of the art and need not be detailed herein. 
     A change safe according to the present invention has multiple columns  83  for receiving change, and any possible combination of certain variables can be assigned to each column. These variables for each column include the denomination of a particular unit of change (e.g., pennies, nickels, or bills such as tens or twenties) for that column, the value of each tube containing that denomination of change (e.g., pennies are $0.50 per tube) the maximum balance to maintain in the change safe for that denomination, the maximum number of tubes for that denomination to be vended at one time, whether the cashier must prepay (e.g., by inserting at least an equal value of bills in a related drop safe) to cover the change vend, whether the denomination may be vended as a cash payout (e.g., paying a vendor for C.O.D. purchases, lottery payouts, refunding customer money), whether only a supervisor may vend this denomination, the amount of time (if any) which must elapse before another vend of this denomination may be made, and any time-of-day restriction to vending the specified denomination. 
     Selecting principal operations of the change safe is initiated at block  194  in FIG.  12 . Configuring the change safe normally requires approval of a supervisor in the location where the safe is installed, and those skilled in the art will understand that the operation block  194  includes various introductory steps such as requiring entry at the terminal  41  of a proper Personal Identification Number (PIN) for a supervisor. Once the supervisor&#39;s pin is entered, the supervisor can elect to configure the change safe as shown in block  195  and as detailed in FIG.  13 . Turning to that figure, the setup routine allows configuring either the individual columns of the change safe as shown at step  197  or the denominations intended for those columns, as shown at step  196 . A new change safe according to the present invention may have all columns set to an unused status, and a display or printed report at that time will indicate “unused” as the denomination for each column. This allows a store supervisors to set up the columns in a way that best fits the operation of a particular store. A typical configuration might be: 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
             
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 Column 
                 Denomination 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
                 1 
                 Pennies 
               
               
                   
                 2 
                 Pennies 
               
               
                   
                 3 
                 Pennies 
               
               
                   
                 4 
                 Nickels 
               
               
                   
                 5 
                 Nickels 
               
               
                   
                 6 
                 Nickels 
               
               
                   
                 7 
                 Dimes 
               
               
                   
                 8 
                 Quarters 
               
               
                   
                 9 
                 Ones 
               
               
                   
                 10  
                 Fives 
               
               
                   
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     This step is indicated at  198  in FIG.  13 . If the supervisor desires to leave a particular column unassigned or to deselect a column previously assigned a particular denomination, that step is shown at  199  in FIG.  13 . After assigning each available column of the change safe a particular denomination, the supervisor may return to the main menu to select other operations, as indicated by the “End” block in FIG.  13 . 
     Configuring the change safe to identify possible denominations of change for vending, and to set the various attributes available for each denomination, is shown in FIG. 13 starting with the block  200 . The supervisor may elect to change any denomination previously selected for the change safe, as shown at step  201 . Changing denominations can include adding a new denomination, changing an existing denomination, or simply deleting an existing denomination without substituting a new one. The name of each new denomination is entered at  202 , after the supervisor selects whether this denomination is new or a change of a previous one. If a new denomination, the supervisor enters its name in the terminal  41 . Next, the new unit value of that denomination is entered as shown at  203 . If the denomination is nickels, the unit value is $0.05; the unit value of a column being set to vend “20s” is $20.00. The cashier then enters the total value of each tube containing that denomination, as indicated at  204 . 
     After entering the basic information for a particular denomination, the supervisor then enters the maximum balance to maintain in the safe for that particular denomination, as shown at  205 , followed by the maximum number of tubes to be vended at one time for that denomination as shown at  206 . If a cashier must prepay enough currency to cover a change vend for the particular denomination, this option is selected at block  207 . (“Prepayment” means the cashier must transfer at least enough currency from the cash drawer to a drop safe or other depository at the store and connected to the change safe as mentioned above, before the change safe can accept a request to vend change of the particular denomination. 
     The supervisor also may select certain denominations for use as a cash payout, as shown at  208 . This means the money in a column containing that denomination may be vended to pay for C.O.D. purchases at a store containing the change safe, for customer refunds, payout of winning lottery tickets, and so on. Typically, supervisory approval would be required for such payouts. 
     Any denomination can be selected for vending only with supervisory approval, i.e., by entering a supervisor&#39;s PIN. This designation is shown at block  209  and usually applies to denominations having a relatively high tube value. 
     The supervisor may also enter the amount of time, if any, which must elapse after vending a particular denomination, before another vend of this denomination may be made. Selecting the delay feature, and entering the amount of time which must elapse, are shown at block  210  in FIG.  13 . 
     Lastly, for each denomination the supervisor may restrict the time during which this denomination may be vended. This restriction, shown at  211 , allows entering the time of day at which the change safe can vend the specified denomination, and the time of day after which the change safe cannot vend that denomination. This step, as well as the other steps indicated from  197  through  211 , is selected for each denomination to be vended for a particular change safe, and a supervisor may later change those settings for any denomination of the change safe. 
     Delivering change to the change safe is now described with reference to FIG.  14 . In a typical application, change is delivered by an armored-car messenger either at designated dates and times as described below, or in conjunction with scheduled content removal from a drop safe at the same location as the change is safe. A typical change delivery contains a predetermined value of preselected denominations, packaged for placement in the tubes  102  for loading into the columns of the change safe as previously described. The delivery messenger places the change delivery in the lower compartment  34  of the change safe, which is the only part of the change safe accessible to the messenger. To access the lower compartment, the messenger carries an electronic touch key compatible with the key port  43  and programmed with information and the messenger&#39;s PIN, required for unlocking the door to the lower compartment, to initiate access as shown at  216  in FIG.  14 . The change delivery is in a bag or other container sealed with a numbered bag seal. The messenger is prompted at  217  to enter the number of the seal, and the amount of the change delivery as shown at  218 , into the terminal  41 . The microprocessor then activates the lower door solenoid  72  as indicated at step  219 , allowing the messenger to unlock and open the lower door by turning the knob  35 . The messenger places the change into the lower compartment  34  as indicated at  220 , and then closes and rebolts the lower door. The lower door switch  64  verifies that closure, and the spring-loaded plunger of the lower door solenoid  72  relocks the bolt assembly of the lower door. The switch  74  associated with the lower-door solenoid confirms that the lower door solenoid has indeed secured the locking mechanism to prevent unauthorized reopening of that door. The terminal  41  then displays a delivery message for verification by the messenger, as indicated at  224  in FIG.  14 . After the messenger makes a verifying entry, the printer  42  prints a confirmation of the delivery. 
     After the messenger has delivered a supply of change to the lower compartment of the change safe, a supervisor can remove that delivery either for loading the change-holding tubes into the columns of the change safe, or adding part or all of the delivered change to the reserve amount stored on the shelves in the upper compartment  78  of the change safe. These operations as discussed with reference to FIG.  15 . After entering a supervisory PIN number at step  228  and selecting the appropriate entry on the terminal  41  to remove the change delivery from the lower compartment, the microprocessor again unlocks the lower door and the supervisor can remove the change delivery from the lower compartment. The supervisor is then prompted to close and rebolt the lower door as at  229 , whereupon the lower door is relocked as mentioned above. The supervisor then may choose to load tubes from the delivery into the columns, as shown by the decision block  230 . By responding “yes”, the microprocessor actuates the tube blocker solenoid  140  to unlock the tube blocker  138 , as indicated at  232  in FIG.  15 . The supervisor then actuates the handle  29  (FIG. 1) to slide the tube blocker to the position where the ports  138   a  align with the ports  28 , permitting access to the upper ends of the columns  83 . The desired amount of change then is loaded into columns of the change safe by inserting the appropriate tubes into the ports  28  in the upper door of the safe; each port preferably is labeled with the denomination previously selected for that port. The tubes drop within the respective columns, and the tubes in each column (excepting the lowermost tubes) are sensed by the array of photosensors  115  associated with that column. This information is used in reporting the contents of a particular column, as discussed below. 
     After the columns are loaded with tubes, the operator moves the handle  29  to close the tube blocker, as indicated at  236  on FIG.  15 . The tube blocker switch  142  senses that closure, causing operation of the tube blocker solenoid  140  to lock the tube blocker closed so as to prevent tampering with the columns of the change safe. The terminal  41  now displays the amount of change initially delivered to the safe by the messenger, the amount the supervisor transferred to the columns, and the balance if less than all the delivered change was loaded into the columns. This display is indicated at  232 , prompting the operator to select one of the options shown at  233 . The first option allows loading more tubes into columns of the change safe, if any column is not already full. Another option allows adding the balance of change to the reserve location within the change safe. A third option is to apply the 33 unused balance to delivery adjustments, which will subsequently print out on the end-of-day report prepared by the change safe or by a drop safe operatively associated with the change safe. 
     The secure area within the upper compartment  78  behind the upper door  26 , is called the reserve area of the change safe. This reserve area has one or more shelves on which change may be stored before being loaded into the tubes. Only a supervisor&#39;s PIN can open the upper door  26  to access this area. The particular amount of change transferred to the reserve area to await loading into the columns is accounted for by the change safe and is reported as discussed below. 
     If the supervisor decides to add change to the reserve, the terminal  41  prompts entry of the amounts for each denomination being added to the reserve, as shown at  235  in FIG.  15 . When the supervisor completes those entries, the microprocessor operates the upper door solenoid  57  and prompts the user to open the upper door as indicated at  236 . The amount of change previously entered into the terminal then is placed into the reserve location in the upper compartment  78  of the change safe, after which the supervisor closes the upper door as indicated at  238 . Closure of the upper door is detected by the upper door switch  49 , causing the upper door solenoid to return to the locked position as verified by the upper door solenoid switch  59 . The terminal  41  produces a reminder to the operator if the upper door is not closed and locked. The terminal  41  then produces the display  239  indicating the amount transferred to the reserve, the reserve balances, and gives the operator another opportunity to load tubes into the columns as indicated at  240 . An affirmative answer causes the change safe to unlock the tube blocker door, allowing the operator to repeat the tube loading operation. 
     Returning to the decision blocks  230  and  231 , the operator upon removing a change delivery from the lower compartment  77  may bypass loading any change into the columns at that time. Instead, the operator may apply the entire amount to the reserve, or to a delivery adjustment, as indicated at  231 . Adding that entire amount to the reserve bypasses the tube-loading steps previously described, and instead presents the operator with the instructions as at  235  to enter the amounts by denomination being added to the reserve in the upper compartment  78  of the change safe. 
     A supervisory operator can transfer change from the upper reserve to one or more columns of the change safe. This transfer is described with reference to FIG.  16 . The supervisor initiates that transfer by the appropriate menu selection on the terminal  41  and enters a supervisory PIN when prompted. The microprocessor then actuates the upper door solenoid  57 , whereupon the supervisor can unlock and open the upper door to remove change in a desired amount from the shelf in the upper reserve. The operator must then close and relock the upper door, and that condition enables the tube blocker solenoid  140  and prompts the operator to open the tube blocker as shown at  248  at FIG.  16 . The operator then loads the withdrawn change tubes into the columns of the safe, followed by closing the tube blocker door when transfer is completed, as shown at  250 . The terminal  41  then produces a display as shown at  251 , indicating the amount of money in the reserve location before the transfer, the amount transferred into the columns of the change safe (determined by sensing the tubes dropped into each column and from the predetermined value for each tube), and the amount of any remaining reserve balance. The transfer process is now complete, and control of the change safe is returned to the cashier. 
     A typical vending operation for the change safe is illustrated at  255  with respect to FIG.  17 . The cashier selects the appropriate entry from the main menu and is prompted to enter his or her PIN into the terminal  41  as indicated at  256 . The terminal then presents the cashier with options to vend change of any denomination previously defined for the particular change safe. For example, to vend two rolls of pennies, one roll of nickels, and one roll of dimes, the cashier would twice press the key designated for pennies, then press the key for nickels, and then press the key for dimes. These steps are indicated at  257 ,  257   a , and  257   b . After entering the correct information, the cashier then presses an appropriate key to commence the vend process. However, before vending commences, the microprocessor compares the cashier&#39;s request with the attributes previously entered into the change safe for the various denominations chosen for that safe. For example, if the cashier requested a denomination of change during a time of day restricted for that denomination, or requested a denomination vendable only to a supervisor, the terminal  41  displays an appropriate error message as indicated at  259 . The cashier then presses a key to clear the previous entries and reenters a new request for change. Alternatively, a cashier can terminate the vending operation and seek assistance from a supervisor, whose PIN will permit the appropriate operation. 
     Once the requested vend is approved, microprocessor  40  operates the ejector subassembly  85  to perform the requested vend. In the example given, the carriage  146  must be positioned beneath a column previously designated for pennies and presently containing at least one tube of that denomination. The sensor array  185  signals the position of the carriage  146  at the start of the requested vend. If the carriage is not positioned beneath a column containing pennies, the microprocessor  40  signals the carriage position motor  150  to turn the lead screw  147  in the direction required to traverse the carriage to a pennies column holding at least one tube of pennies. The carriage position motor  150  stops when the sensor array  185  indicates the carriage has arrived beneath a pennies column. The microprocessor then operates the ejector motor  171 , causing the extractor arm  155  to travel along a complete cycle of movement as previously described, so that the extractor finger  155  engages and rearwardly displaces the tube in the lowermost position of a pennies column. That tube trips the ejector flap  178  and then falls downwardly along the plate  90  to land on the inner end  98  of the ejection chute, from which the tube rolls forwardly to the outer end of the chute  38  for access by the cashier. 
     The vertical arrays of sensors  115  for each column  83  respond to tubes loaded into the columns at each position except the lowermost position. It is thus possible that a selected vend from a particular column may cause the extractor  154  to cycle through a complete movement path and return to the home position, as detected by the sensor  177 , without actually vending anything. However, that absence of a requested vend will be detected by the absence of a signal from the sensor  181  associated with the tube ejection flap  178 . Accordingly, if the extractor traverses a complete movement path without vending a tube from a particular column, the microprocessor will traverse the carriage  146  to another available column, if any, for the selected denomination. If no such column presently exists, the terminal  41  indicates the failure of that particular vending operation. 
     The foregoing mechanical steps of vending are repeated until the change safe completes the vend operations previously requested by and authorized to the cashier. For the requested two tubes of pennies, the carriage remains stationary while the extractor  154  again traverses its predetermined path, ejecting a second tube from the pennies column beneath which the carriage is positioned. When the extractor returns to the home position, the carriage then traverses to a tube containing nickels, and the vending operation is repeated to extract the lowermost tube in that column. The vend operation is complete when the last tube of change requested by the cashier is vended by the change safe. 
     The audit function  266  performs a partial or complete audit for the contents of the change safe. A complete audit consists of checking the money in the tubes loaded into the delivery columns, and in the lower compartment and the upper reserve area of the change safe. This process is started by choosing the audit function as outlined in FIG.  18 . That function is selected from the appropriate menu at the terminal  41  and requires entering a supervisor PIN. The operator then is prompted as at  267  to state whether or not to audit the tube columns. An affirmative answer unlocks the tube blocker door and prompts the operator at  268  to open that door. The change safe then asks the operator in turn whether to audit each denomination set for that safe, as indicated at  269 . For example, if the operator wants to audit pennies, the microprocessor commands the change dispensing assembly to vend all tubes in the pennies column(s). The operator then removes those vended tubes, enters the currency amount of the pennies thus vended, and then reloads the pennies tubes into the corresponding column(s) of the change safe, as indicated at  272 . The same sequence continues as shown at  273  for the rest of the denominations in the safe, until all columns have been audited or an audit refused for those columns. When this process is complete, the operator is prompted as at  274  to close the blocker door. 
     The change safe then asks the operator whether to audit the change contained in the upper reserve, as shown at the step  275 . A negative answer causes the microprocessor to print a report as described below, detailing the results of the audit for the tube columns. 
     If the operator requests auditing the reserve, the microprocessor unlocks the upper door to the safe and prompts the operator to open that door as at  277 . The operator then removes the change in the reserve, and enters the amount of that change by denomination into the terminal  41 . After completing that entry, the operator replaces that change into the reserve as shown as  280  and recloses the upper door. That closure causes the microprocessor to deliver a message asking whether to audit any change delivery remaining in the lower compartment  34  of the safe, as at  277 . A negative answer prompts the microprocessor to print a report of the reserve audit and tube-column audit. An affirmative answer results in unlocking the lower door as at  278 , and prompting the operator to remove any change delivery in the lower compartment. The operator then is asked to enter the amount of each denomination in that delivery, and then replace that change into the delivery bag and return it to the lower compartment, after which the operator is prompted to close the lower door as at  283 . That closure initiates printing a report on the complete audit of the change safe. 
     A typical printed report  284  for an audit is shown below: 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 Tube 
                   
                 Column 
               
               
                 Column 
                 Denomination 
                 Value 
                 Level 
                 Value 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 1 
                 Pennies 
                 .50 
                 9 
                 4.50 
               
               
                 2 
                 Nickels 
                 2.00 
                 10 
                 20.00 
               
               
                 3 
                 Dimes 
                 5.00 
                 10 
                 50.00 
               
               
                 4 
                 Quarters 
                 10.00 
                 10 
                 100.00 
               
               
                 5 
                 Ones 
                 20.00 
                 10 
                 200.00 
               
               
                 6 
                 Fives 
                 20.00 
                 10 
                 200.00 
               
               
                 7 
                 Tens 
                 50.00 
                 10 
                 500.00 
               
               
                 8 
                 Twenties 
                 100.00 
                 10 
                 1,000.00 
               
               
                 9 
                 Fifties 
                 100.00 
                 10 
                 1,000.00 
               
               
                 10  
                 Hundreds 
                 100.00 
                 10 
                 1,000.00 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                 Tube Contents Value 
                 4,074.50 
               
               
                   
                 Reserve 
                 655.00 
               
               
                   
                 Change Delivered 
                 2,510.00 
               
               
                   
                 Change Safe Total Value 
                 7,229.50 
               
               
                   
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     The present change safe produces various reports on demand, as indicated by the function  290  in FIG. 12, in addition to reports as part of specific functions such as auditing the contents of the safe. FIG. 19 outlines typical reporting functions for the change safe, and these functions usually are supervisory and thus require entering a supervisor&#39;s PIN in the terminal  41 . 
     The operator can obtain a quick display of the number of tubes in each column, or a printed report showing those tube levels, as indicated at  291  in FIG.  19 . By selecting tube levels, the terminal produces a display beginning with the first column (X), showing the number of tubes (Y), the denomination (Denom.) for that tube, and the amount of money in that column, all as indicated at  292 . Thus, the first column (usually pennies) might read: 
     Column One Level is 5, Tubes of Pennies, Value: $2.50. 
     Each column configured for a particular denomination is displayed in order, and then the total value of all tubes in the columns is displayed as indicated at  293 . The display then shows the total amount in the reserve part of the safe, as at  294 , followed by the amount of any change delivery for the lower compartment as shown at  295 . The total amount in the column and the reserve is then displayed as at  296 . 
     If the operator instead selects a printed copy of the tube levels, the printer produces a report of the column levels and other information as noted at  292 - 296 . That printed report may resemble the audit report reproduced above, but it should be understood that the present report or display of column levels is based on information from the sensor arrays associated with the columns; the change safe in producing the present report does not vend all tubes from the columns and then require reloading of those tubes as when performing an audit of the safe contents. 
     The operator also can request a report as at  300  showing actual usage of the funds in the safe, or as at  301  showing average usage of those funds. These reports are printed for all denominations configured to the change safe, showing the usage of each denomination for each day of the week. Reports on actual usage preferably are prepared for the seven days last preceding the date of the requested report, while average-usage reports show average usage of each denomination per day, averaged over a predetermined number of weeks last preceding the requested report. 
     The change safe is also programmed to print reports of change vended during each operating shift of the safe location, as indicated at  304 , and for each business day of the store as indicated at  305 . A “business day” for a particular store may not coincide with a calendar day, depending on accounting practices for that store. The reports of change usage by shift and by day are sorted by the cashiers requesting the vends and the denominations vended to each cashier during the time covered by the report. 
     The supervisor may print a report showing the complete configuration details presently set for the denominations and columns of the change safe. This activity is shown at  310  in FIG. 19. A configuration report lists each denomination configured for the particular change safe, the values and tube values set for those denominations, and the amount of change on hand for each denomination. Moreover, the configuration report indicates the parameters previously set for each denomination, such as the parameters identified above with respect to FIG. 15. A typical configuration report also indicates, by column, the denomination set for each column, and any unused columns presently not configured for a particular denomination. Lastly, the configuration report identifies the schedule of delivery days set for the particular change safe, listed by day of delivery, an earlier day by which change for that delivery must be ordered, and the cutoff time of day for placing that change order. 
     Ordering supplies of change for the change safe is an operation detailed at  320  on FIG.  20 . The dates and times for change delivery in a typical installation are performed by an armored-car messenger service in accordance with the store supervisor. Knowing those delivery dates and the earlier order-by dates, the supervisor can manually request deliveries of change as indicated at  322 , for the next scheduled delivery to that store. As an alternative to manual ordering based on the supervisor&#39;s personal estimate of change needs for the day of delivery and the following days until the next scheduled delivery, the change safe can predict the change needs based on historical change usage by day for the particular safe. This predictive ordering is indicated at  325  in FIG.  20 . With the delivery days already set as indicated at  326 , the microprocessor  40  is programmed to remember the amount of change vended for each denomination, by day, for a predetermined number of weeks in a rolling window of time immediately preceding the present date. The microprocessor calculates average change vends for each denomination per day during that window of time. Based on those average change requirements for each denomination, the known date for the next scheduled delivery of change, and the days between that delivery and the next subsequent scheduled delivery, the microprocessor sums the average usages on those days, for each denomination, and prepares a report of the predicted requirements for the next change delivery. This step is shown at  328  in FIG.  18 . The supervisor may then order the amount of change predicted by the change safe as indicated at  330 , or may vary that order based on other factors such as anticipated abnormal change requirements for a major holiday occurring between the next two scheduled deliveries of change. 
     It should be understood that the foregoing relates only to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and that numerous changes and modifications thereto may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the following claims.