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 .
Amendment
2. Receipt is acknowledged of the Amendment filed May 4, 2026.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
3. 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.
4. Claims 1, 3, 4, 5-8, 11, and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yokawa (2020/0134957) in view of Schwartz (2019/0279454).
With respect to claim 1, Yokawa illustrates in figure 5, a money depositing device 1 comprising: a first storage 18b that stores money received through an inlet 3; a second storage 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 and removes a restriction on the access to the first storage with a first means 16b in order to collect money stored in the first storage; and a second security structure 7a that restricts access to the second storage and removes a restriction on the access to the second storage with a second means 7b different from the first means in order to collect money stored in the second storage .
With rejected to claims 3 and 12, Yokawa teaches in paragraph 0126, the money depositing device, wherein the second storage 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 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 that receives a denomination and the number of items of money to be stored in the second storage, 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 is stored in a storage of a money handling device that performs at least a money withdrawing process, the money depositing device further comprises a reception (user interface) that receives a denomination and the number of items of money to be stored in the second storage, the denomination and the number being set based on an inventory amount of the storage 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 and the second storage and has an opening that is opened for the access to the first storage and the second storage, wherein the second storage is located at a position closer to the opening than the first storage.
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 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 includes storage areas independent of each other.
Although Yokawa’s the amount of storage space in the storage has a maximum volume, thereby the number of items of money in at least one predetermined denomination must be set in advanced, Yokawa fails to specifically recite this limitation.
With respect to claim 1, Schwartz teaches in paragraph 0004, an ATM which includes storage (cassettes), each designed to hold up to a specified maximum number of twenty dollar bills.
In view of Schwartz’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 the storage/cassette be a specific size expected to hold a set number of items. One would be motivated to choose a set size so that the corresponds to the expected cash flow of the ATM, thereby making the storage size efficient.
5. Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yokawa in combination with Schwartz and in further view of Nishida et al (2019/0304233), hereinafter Nishida.
Yokawa’s teachings in combination with the teachings of Schwartz are discussed above. The combination however fails to teach the storage being a pouch.
With respect to claim 10, Nishida teaches in paragraph 0098, the storage 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 s 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 be a bag so that the step of transporting money from a to a bag could be avoided.
6. 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 and the second storage do not feed out money stored therein and including an issuing 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. Paragraphs 0039 and 0060-0061 discloses printing.
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
7. Claims 2 and 16 are 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. Claims 9 and 15 are allowable over prior art.
The following is an examiner’s reason for allowance: Although Yokawa teaches a money depositing device comprising: a first storage that stores money received through an inlet; a second storage 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 and removes a restriction on the access to the first storage with a first means in order to collect money stored in the first storage; and a second security structure that restricts access to the second storage and removes a restriction on the access to the second storage with a second means different from the first means in order to collect money stored in the second storage, 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 claims 2, 9, and 15 of the present claimed invention. Specifically, prior art fails to teach the claimed money depositing device, further comprising: a transporter that transports money received through the inlet to the second storage such that the predetermined number of items of money of the at least one predetermined denomination is stored in the second storage, and that transports money received through the inlet other than the predetermined number of items of money of the at least one predetermined denomination to the first storage. Prior art additionally fails to teach the claimed money depositing device, wherein the second storage has a slot used to insert money into the second storage, 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.
Response to Arguments
8. Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 2, 4, 5, and 13 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to any of the references being used in the current rejection.
Conclusion
9. Applicant’s amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
10. 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 2876
June 10, 2026
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