Patent ID: 7576633

Claim:
An electronic safe locking system comprising: a safe comprising a housing having a door for limiting access to an enclosed space in the housing, and an electronic lock in the housing through which a plurality of transactions can be performed, the electronic lock including a lock control circuit performing locking transactions for selectively locking or unlocking the door, a door sensor for sensing state of the door, a currency processing apparatus for performing currency processing transactions, and a safe control circuit operatively coupled to the lock control circuit, the currency processing apparatus and the door sensor, the safe control circuit commanding operation of the plurality of electronic lock transactions responsive to lock commands and monitoring said transactions and status of the door sensor to develop status information, and a communication circuit operatively coupled to the safe control circuit and comprising a communication port accessible externally of the enclosed space; and a control unit external to the enclosed space having a communication circuit for selectively communicating with the safe control circuit via the communication port, the control unit comprising a processor and memory operating in accordance with a control program to control and monitor transactions of the safe, including determining if a user is an authorized user and responsive thereto transmitting lock commands to the safe control circuit and receiving status information from the safe control circuit relating to operation of the electronic lock responsive to the lock commands.