DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
2. Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
3. The Information Disclosure Statements filed on June 16, 2025 and January 2, 2026 have been considered. Initialed copies of the Form 1449 are enclosed herewith.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
4. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
5. Claim 2 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b), second paragraph, as failing to set forth the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant regards as the invention.
6. Regarding claim 2, the term “preferentially” renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitations following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
7. The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
8. Claims 1, 3, 4, 5-8, 11, 12, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yokawa (2020/0134957).
With respect to claims 1, 2, and 15, Yokawa illustrates in figure 5, a money depositing device 1 comprising: a first storage unit 18b that stores money received through an inlet 3; a second storage unit 41 that stores a predetermined number of items of money, received through the inlet, in at least one predetermined denomination; a first security structure 16a that restricts access to the first storage unit and removes a restriction on the access to the first storage unit with a first means 16b in order to collect money stored in the first storage unit; and a second security structure 7a that restricts access to the second storage unit and removes a restriction on the access to the second storage unit with a second means 7b different from the first means in order to collect money stored in the second storage unit.
With rejected to claims 3 and 12, Yokawa teaches in paragraph 0126, the money depositing device, wherein the second storage unit stores a combination of multiple denominations of money in a single storage area in a mixed manner, the number of items of the money for each denomination being predetermined (both units hold a combination of multiple denominations of money in a single storage area in a mixed manner).
With respect to claim 4, Yokawa teaches the money depositing device, further comprising: a reception unit that receives a denomination and the number of items of money to be stored in the second storage unit, the denomination and the number being set based on operation by a user. See figures 4 and 5 and paragraph 0036.
With respect to claim 5, Yokawa teaches in paragraph 0073, the money depositing device, wherein money collected from the second storage unit is stored in a storage unit of a money handling device that performs at least a money withdrawing process, the money depositing device further comprises a reception unit that receives a denomination and the number of items of money to be stored in the second storage unit, the denomination and the number being set based on an inventory amount of the storage unit of the money handling device.
With respect to claim 6, Yokawa teaches in paragraphs 0025 and 0030, the money depositing device, wherein the first security structure and the second security structure differ from each other in a key for a lock or a type of lock.
With respect to claim 7, Yokawa illustrates in figures 5 and 6, the money depositing device, further comprising: a housing that houses the first storage unit and the second storage unit and has an opening that is opened for the access to the first storage unit and the second storage unit, wherein the second storage unit is located at a position closer to the opening than the first storage unit.
With respect to claim 8, Yokawa illustrates in figure 6, the money depositing device, wherein the housing further has a door which opens and closes the opening and which has a lock, and the second storage unit is located on the door and moves along with opening and closing of the door (see also paragraphs 0029 and 0039-0041).
With respect to claim 11, Yokawa illustrates in figure 5, the money depositing device, wherein the first storage unit includes storage areas independent of each other.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
9. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
10. Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yokawa in view of Nishida et al (2019/0304233), hereinafter Nishida.
Yokawa’s teachings are discussed above. Yokawa however fails to teach the storage unit being a pouch.
With respect to claim 10, Nishida teaches in paragraph 0098, the storage unit being a storage bag 34 (see figure 1).
In view of Nishida’s teachings, it would have been obvious to an artisan of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have one of the storage units taught by Yokawa be in the form of a pouch as is taught by Nishida. Money is often transported from the banking machine via bag or pouch, therefore one would be motivated to have the storage unit be a bag so that the step of transporting money from a unit to a bag could be avoided.
11. Claims 13 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yokawa in view of Kolinski-Schultz et al (2012/0097738), hereinafter Kolinski.
Yokawa’s teachings are discussed above. Yokawa however fails to teach the
money depositing device, wherein the first storage unit and the second storage unit do not feed out money stored therein and including an issuing unit that issues a valuable medium corresponding to an amount of money received through the inlet.
With respect to claims 13 and 14, Kolinski teaches in claims 1 and 18, an ATM which can receive money input and issue a valuable medium (gift card) corresponding to an amount of money received.
In view of Kolinski’s teachings, it would have been obvious to an artisan of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to include the feature of issuing a valuable medium from the banking machine. One would be motivated to include this feature in order to broaden the functionality of the banking machine.
Allowable Subject Matter
12. Claim 9 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form, including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is an examiner’s reason for allowance: Although Yokawa teaches a money depositing device comprising: a first storage unit that stores money received through an inlet; a second storage unit that stores a predetermined number of items of money, received through the inlet, in at least one predetermined denomination; a first security structure that restricts access to the first storage unit and removes a restriction on the access to the first storage unit with a first means in order to collect money stored in the first storage unit; and a second security structure that restricts access to the second storage unit and removes a restriction on the access to the second storage unit with a second means different from the first means in order to collect money stored in the second storage unit, the above identified prior art of record, taken alone, or in combination with any other prior art, fails to teach or fairly suggest the specific features of claim 9 of the present claimed invention. Specifically, prior art fails to teach the claimed the money depositing device, wherein the second storage unit has a slot used to insert money into the second storage unit, and the second security structure has a shutter that closes the slot in conjunction with unlocking the lock of the door. The above limitations are not disclosed in prior art and moreover, one of ordinary skill in the art would not have been motivated to come to the claimed invention.
Conclusion
13. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure: See attached PTO form 892, Refence Cited.
14. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Allyson N. Trail whose telephone number is (571) 272-2406. The examiner can normally be reached between the hours of 7:30AM to 4:00PM Monday thru Friday.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael G. Lee, can be reached on (571) 272-2398. The fax phone number for this Group is (571) 273-8300.
Communications via Internet e-mail regarding this application, other than those under 35 U.S.C. 132 or which otherwise require a signature, may be used by the applicant and should be addressed to [allyson.trail@uspto.gov].
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/ALLYSON N TRAIL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876
February 3, 2026