Money depositing apparatus and checkout system

Abstract

A speedy and efficient checkout process at a checkout counter in a store is realized by a deposit machine that receives deposited money from a customer and issues a pre-deposit receipt with which a pre-deposit amount is associated, and a POS register that scans a barcode of a commodity to calculate a checkout amount and reads a pre-deposit receipt to specify a pre-deposit amount. The POS register performs a checkout process for the checkout amount by using the pre-deposit amount, calculates, as change, a difference between the pre-deposit amount and the checkout amount, and causes a change machine to dispense money corresponding to the change.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A money depositing apparatus comprising:
 a money receiving unit configured to receive money;   a money storing unit configured to store the money received by the money receiving unit; and   an association unit configured to associate a negotiable value corresponding to an amount of the money received by the money receiving unit with a predetermined medium used for checkout for purchasing a commodity.   
     
     
         2 . The money depositing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the negotiable value is available for the checkout performed by using a predetermined money handling apparatus. 
     
     
         3 . The money depositing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the negotiable value is available for the checkout performed by using a predetermined money handling apparatus in a day when the amount of money is associated with the predetermined medium. 
     
     
         4 . The money depositing apparatus according to  claim 1  further comprising
 a reading unit configured to read information stored in a storage medium possessed by a customer, 
 wherein the association unit is configured to associate the negotiable value and the information read by the reading unit with the predetermined medium. 
 
     
     
         5 . The money depositing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the association unit comprises:   a code generation unit configured to generate a code of the negotiable value; and   a printing unit configured to print the code generated by the code generation unit, on a predetermined receipt used for the checkout.   
     
     
         6 . The money depositing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the association unit comprises:   a data generation unit configured to generate data of the negotiable value; and   a control unit configured to perform control so as to store the data of the negotiable value generated by the data generation unit, in a predetermined storage medium used for the checkout.   
     
     
         7 . A checkout system in which a POS device and a money handling apparatus are communicably connected, the money handling apparatus being configured to recognize and count money, store the money in a storing unit, and dispense change, the checkout system comprising
 a money depositing apparatus comprising:
 a money receiving unit configured to receive money; 
 a money storing unit configured to store the money received by the money receiving unit; and 
 an association unit configured to associate a negotiable value corresponding to an amount of the money received by the money receiving unit, with a predetermined medium used for checkout performed by using the money handling apparatus for purchasing a commodity, 
   wherein the POS device is configured to instruct the money handling apparatus to dispense money corresponding to a difference between the amount of money associated with the predetermined medium and the amount of money to be paid for the checkout when an amount of money corresponding to the negotiable value associated with the predetermined medium is more than an amount of money to be paid for the checkout.   
     
     
         8 . The checkout system according to  claim 7  further comprising a management device communicably connected to the money depositing apparatus and the money handling apparatus,
 the management device comprising a memory unit configured to store identification information that uniquely identifies the predetermined medium, in association with the negotiable value. 
 
     
     
         9 . The checkout system according to  claim 8 , wherein
 the money depositing apparatus further comprises
 a notification unit configured to notify the management device of association information which comprises the identification information that uniquely identifies the predetermined medium, and the negotiable value associated with the predetermined medium on condition that association by the association unit has been performed, and 
   the money handling apparatus comprises:
 an acquisition unit configured to acquire the identification information of the predetermined medium; 
 a request unit configured to request the management device to notify a negotiable value corresponding to the identification information acquired by the acquisition unit; and 
 a control unit configured to, when an amount of money corresponding to the negotiable value, which corresponds to the identification information of the predetermined medium and is notified from the management device, is more than an amount of money to be paid for the checkout, perform control so as to dispense, as change, money corresponding to a difference between the amount of money associated with the predetermined medium and the amount of money to be paid for the checkout. 
   
     
     
         10 . The checkout system according to  claim 7 , wherein the POS device is configured to, when an amount of money corresponding to the negotiable value associated with the predetermined medium is less than an amount of money to be paid for the checkout, instruct the money handling apparatus to receive additional money, and perform the checkout with a total of the amount of money corresponding to the negotiable value and an amount of the additional money received by the money handling apparatus.