Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02703131 2010-05-12
AN AUTOMATED BANKING SYSTEM
This is a divisional of Canadian Patent Application
No. 2,292,588, filed on May 27, 1998.
Background of the Invention
This invention relates to automated banking
systems and machines including those which employ or are
an improvement on automatic teller machines (ATMs). ATMs
are widely available and receive a considerable amount of
usage, particularly on weekends, for dispensing cash.
For instance, it is not unusual for an ATM to dispense
$250,000 worth of cash over one weekend. The ATM user is
provided with an ATM card as well as a personal
identification number (PIN) or password, so that if the
card is stolen or lost, the finder of the card will not
be able to use it to withdraw funds using the ATM card
because of the lack of the PIN number. Typically, the
ATM user will withdraw cash from the user's checking
account, savings account or as an advance from a credit
card, or transferring money from a savings account to his
checking account. In other instances, the ATM user will
be ascertaining the user's account balances. In a few
instances, some ATMs are now being provided with an
incremental revenue opportunity which includes the
dispensing of stamps rather than cash for the user.
Owners of the ATMs have found them to be
relatively profitable, but there is a need for increasing
the profitability of the ATMs which are principally now
used as cash withdrawal machines. Competing with the
banks and with the ATM machines owned by banks are local
currency exchanges which perform a number of banking type
services for their "profiled customers". Profiled
customers are customers who have signed a signature card
or who otherwise have a confirmed identity entered into
the network of the local currency exchange. These
profiled customers are local to the area and are not part
of a large area or nationwide network. Often, the
currency exchange not only has the profiled customer's
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signature, but the currency exchange agent often
recognizes the customer as being one of his frequent
users. Currency exchanges commonly cash a large volume
of payroll checks for its users. The average fee for
such a transaction is 1.6% of the amount of the payroll
check. This can be a quite substantial income when a
high volume of payroll checks is being cashed. The
currency exchange competes with the ATM machines by
cashing personal checks for its profiled customers. Most
often, a currency exchange will not cash a personal check
for a non-profiled customer of the exchange; but if the
currency exchange decides to assume the risk and cash
such a check, the transaction charges to the customer are
extremely high, e.g., $20.00 or 20% of the value of the
check being cashed.
Another large volume transaction item for a
currency exchange is the issuance of money orders or the
cashing of money orders. The charge for such
transactions is on average about 1.850 of the value of
the money order. Other large revenue generators for
currency exchanges are fees collected when customers pay
bills for utilities, such as telephone, electric, gas,
and water, as well as other bills, such as cable,
television or credit card bills. Typically, there is a
$0.60 per bill service charge for such a bill paying
transaction in a currency exchange. The currency
exchanges operate under contract with the local utilities
and/or credit card companies to provide such a service.
While currency exchanges are relatively
profitable, one of their costs of the operation is that
of the employee theft of money. Also, employees, from
time to time, make mistakes when cashing of checks or
money orders, or when issuing of money orders. Another
shortcoming of the currency exchanges as opposed to ATM
machines is that the exchanges are open for limited
hours, versus the ATM machines which are generally
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available 24 hours each day. In many instances, people
prefer not to let others at a currency exchange or bank
have any knowledge of their personal financial affairs
and would prefer to use the ATM machines, rather than
currency exchanges if the ATM machines provided some or
all of the banking type services now provided by the
currency exchanges.
Often currency exchanges are used by local
residents who do not have a checking or savings account
with a local bank, and who do not use the ATM machines or
have an ATM card. Thus, there is an opportunity to
acquire new customers for automatic banking machines if
they will have many of the functions performed by a
currency exchange or of a full service bank, such as
cashing checks or money orders.
Another banking function that is performed from
one bank to another bank is a wire transfer of funds,
which is not generally available to the general public.
Rather than going to a bank to wire transfer money, most
individuals, as opposed to businesses, commonly wire
money through other companies such as Western Union or
through the American Express Company. Wire transfer
costs are relatively high. There is an average cost of
between $13.00 to send a minimum of $200.00 by wire and
about $200.00 to send $5,000.00 by wire. There are many
instances when people are traveling or when they have a
child at college where it would be desirable to be able
to transfer money by wire to their child's account so
that the child may have immediate access to the money.
If available for use in an automated banking machine,
such a wire transfer service would provide a relatively
inexpensive method of wire transfer for individuals.
A new opportunity available to full service
banks and to currency exchanges is participation in the
United States Federal Government's Electronic Benefit
Transfer Program (EBTP). The Program will be
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distributing smart cards for use by recipients of Social
Security, Veteran's or welfare benefits for which
payments can total as much as one-half trillion dollars
per year. People who have EBTP cards are already in the
government's network. These smart cards are intended to
replace the food stamps, among other things, whose use
may lead to embarrassment by the clients. The currency
exchanges and the full service banks will be receiving a
transactional charge when writing an increase in balance
onto the smart card. Also, the service provider will be
charging the smart card user a fee for each transaction,
for instance, when the smart card's balance is decreased
as it is being used to pay for food, a utility bill, etc.
This represents a large volume usage that could be
available to appropriate electronic automated banking
machines if they offered bill paying services and sale of
items such as telephone cards, lottery tickets, and the
like.
Owners of ATMs are beginning to take advantage
of such incremental revenue opportunities, e.g., by
selling stamps via the ATM machine. This allows the
owner of the ATM to gain more revenue from the ATM. For
example, end user items such as theater tickets, lottery
tickets or stamps can be dispensed from dispensers in an
ATM machine. Many end user items do not require the
additional security that is required for such things such
as cashing checks or money orders.
A number of security problems arise with the
addition to ATMs of functions performed by full service
banks and currency exchanges, such as cashing checks and
money orders. The foremost problem is integrity of the
document being exchanged for cash, in particular,
verification of signatures on checks or money orders
being cashed. Also, the ability to read various types of
documents and to provide the user with a large number of
payment methods requires a relatively sophisticated
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machine beyond that of current ATMs on the market and in
widespread use by the general public. The problem with
checks is not only the signature verification of hard-to-
read handwriting, but also reading the amount, written
usually in cursive, on a legal line of the check. In
addition, the check has a second line which is the
courtesy amount recognition line ("CAR") which is written
in numerals representing the value of the check. Most
checks also identify the bank and the writer's account in
magnetic ink.
Another consideration for transactions such as
cashing checks, paying bills, or other like things from a
remote banking machine is the need to record transaction
and to leave an audit trail for later manual review, if
required, of the transaction.
A semi-automated system has been proposed to aid
in the cashing of checks and which reduces the access of
the teller to the money. This proposed system would
require the user to operate the machine and negotiate the
check while in the electronic presence of a teller, who
being satisfied that the check should be cashed, then
verifies the cashing opportunity and operates the machine
to dispense automatically the funds to the machine user.
Of course, such a machine requires the attendance and the
presence of the teller, and therefore, is still not a
fully automated system for cashing checks.
Among some of the mechanical problems that have
been experienced with the remote ATM-type machines is
that of providing change in coins. Already, over a
single weekend, ATMs are being severely taxed often
completely emptied of their contents, and they do not
have changemakers. The addition of a coin changemaker
adds considerable expense and maintenance problems to the
machine to provide the exact coin change to the user who
is cashing a check or performing some other function.
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Another practical problem with providing a
commercially practical automated banking machine is that
of the time needed for the transactions. Preferably, the
transactions should be relatively brief and simple so
that a minimal number of operator actions, such as touch
screen pushes or keystrokes, are required per
transaction. If a particular transaction takes more than
a minute or two, the system would probably be too slow to
adequately service a line of people waiting to use the
machine at a busy time on a weekend. Also, if the
machine offers a large number of transactions like those
of a full service bank or a currency exchange, the
machine should provide a wide range of funds delivery or
payment options to the user so that the payment can be
made by cash, credit card, smart card, or withdrawal from
a checking or savings account.
There is a need for an automatic banking machine
which includes an ATM-like machine that performs and
allows a number of service options, such as for example
the withdrawing of cash, the depositing of cash, the
cashing of a check, the cashing of a money order, the
buying of a money order, the transferring of funds by
wire, paying a bill and purchasing of end user items.
Summary of the Invention
In accordance with the present invention, there
is provided an automated banking machine system, which
performs the usual ATM functions but which additionally
cashes money orders and checks for the user without the
presence or the assistance of a teller. Additionally,
the preferred and illustrated, automated banking machine
system allows the depositing of cash into the machine and
provides additional functions, such as transferring money
by wire, depositing cash into an account or purchasing
end user items from the machine. The preferred and
illustrated machine provides additional functions, such
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as transferring money by wire, paying bills, or
purchasing end user items from the machine. Preferably,
several denominations are stored in the machine and any
change due for a given transaction is electronically
transferred onto a card thereby reducing the need for
small denominations and change.
The cashing of checks or money orders is
achieved by the use of fraud protection measures and
procedures to validate the probability that the document
is valid and can be cashed or the desired transaction can
be completed. The fraud protection procedures can be
varied, but it usually involves a comparison feature,
such as a comparison of the document signatures with a
stored signature, a biometric characteristic of the user
with a stored biometric characteristic special to the
user, a comparison of the LAR and CAR amounts, etc. A
number of procedures are used including the use of the
PIN number by the user to obtain sufficient validity at
the machine to allow the transaction to be completed.
For example, the cursive signature as being that of a
profiled or qualified user who has inserted his ATM card
into the machine, and to read the amount on the cursive
legal line on the check and the dollar amount line (the
CAR line), as well as the bank and account
identifications printed in magnetic ink characters on the
check.
In accordance with the preferred check or money
order cashing machine embodying this invention, an audit
trail for a check or money order cashing transaction is
created by taking storing an image, which may be input
scanning both the front and/or the back of the document,
and for providing a transaction identification tag to
retrieve the stored images of the transaction.
In accordance with another aspect of the
invention, the automated banking system machine not only
can cash checks or money orders for the user but also can
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accept cash from the user for completing a number of
transactions. The machine recognizes the cash inserted
into the machine, totals it, and can provide
communication via a modem or the like connected to a
banking network to deposit the amount of the cash or
portion thereof into the user's account. On the other
hand, the cash being deposited can also be used for
another transaction such as the payment of a bill or the
purchase of a money order. The user will write the
amount into the money order blank within the machine.
After having been written, the machine will dispense the
money order to the user. The automated method and
apparatus provides for the cash purchase by the user of
items being dispensed from the machine such as lottery
tickets, theater tickets, postage stamps or the like.
In accordance with another aspect of the
invention, the method and apparatus provide for the wire
transfer of funds to a transferee over a banking network.
In order to carry out the wire transfer, the user enters
the name of the bank to which the wire transfer is to
made and the account number of the person who is to
receive the wire transfer. After providing payment for
the funds to be wire transferred, the wire transfer is
communicated through a modem of the machine to the
banking network and thence to the recipient's account in
the receiving bank. Preferably, a receipt is issued to
the user showing the sum being wire transferred as well
as the associated transaction cost. In the preferred
embodiment of the invention, the payment for the wire
transfer can be by cash, a credit card, a smart card or
from an account of the user.
In accordance with a still further embodiment of
the invention, the automated banking machine and
apparatus allows the payment of invoices or bills owed by
the user. After having been qualified as a user of the
automated banking machine, the customer will see a
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display of the selection of bills that are payable
through the machine. The user selects the type of bill
to be paid and also selects from the display, one of
several methods of payment, including the payment by
cash. The bill to be paid is inserted into the machine
where it is read along with the identity and account
number of the bill payee. The reading of the amount and
the identification of the payor may be difficult because
of the many different formats of such bills. The machine
automatically communicates over a modem to a bill payment
network. The bill is stored in a bin, and a transaction
tag is provided for the bill payment transaction.
Preferably, the method of payment includes paying by
cash, credit card, smart card or from the user's account.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the user
may pay several bills, and the total for each bill and
its associated transactional charges is accumulated.
Finally, after payment, a receipt is generated showing
the bills paid, the transactional charges, and the total
expense incurred by the user in the payment of these
bills.
It will be seen from the foregoing that the
preferred and illustrated embodiment of the invention
provides increased revenue opportunities for owners of
the automated banking machine to perform many of the
services performed by a currency exchange or by a bank
while charging a transactional fee for each transaction.
Transaction charges may be made for a withdrawal from the
user's account, the payment of a transaction, a deposit
into the user's account, cashing of a check or money
order, transfer of funds by wire, paying bills,
purchasing end user items such as theater tickets,
lottery tickets, etc.
Another aspect of the present invention is to
provide an automated banking system which does not need
to dispense coins or small denomination change to the
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user. Dispensing coins adds complexity and time as well
as frequent maintenance problems and service problems
associated with keeping the coin changer apparatus
functioning properly and filled with coins. The shutting
down of the coin operation due to an empty or broken
dispenser would likely result in the automatic banking
machine being out-of-service despite being able to
perform other non-charge producing transactions. Rather
than dispensing coin change, the machine of the present
invention will transfer the amount of change onto a
credit card or a smart card balance and electronically
dispense the same to the user by storing the credit on
the stored card balance. Alternatively the machine will
deposit the change balance into the user's account.
Thus, the necessity for storing and dispensing bulky
coin-type change is avoided.
Also, in order to limit the amount of servicing
that is needed, the preferred machine need not be
provided with one dollar bills. The lowest dispensable
denomination would be, for example, five dollars.
Preferably, the cash bins within the machine are provided
with $5.00 and $20.00 bills only, so that the amount that
can be dispensed is sufficient for a weekend without
being replenished in most instances.
In accordance with one aspect of the present
invention, there is provided an automated banking system for
receiving payment from a user and for wire transfer of funds
to a transferee in a banking network, the system comprising an
automated machine having a card receiver for receiving a card
which identifies the user as being qualified to use the
banking network, an input device to enter the amount to be
transferred to another, a keypad to enter the identity of the
transferee's account, a payment acceptor for accepting payment
by the user for the wire transfer, a verifier to verify that
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the transferee has an account in the banking network, and a
communication system having a modem in the banking network for
wire transfer through the banking network to the verified
transferee's account.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present
invention, there is provided an automated banking system for
payment of bills through a bills payment network comprising an
automated machine having a card receiver for receiving the
user's card and for identifying the user as being qualified to
use the machine, a display for displaying a selection of bills
payable through a bills payment network, a selector operable
by the user to select a bill to be paid from the bills being
displayed, the display displaying several methods of payment
including payment by cash, a reader for reading the amount of
the bill and an identity of a bill payee, a communications
network including a modem for connection from the machine to a
bills payment network, a bill receiver for receiving and
storing the bill being paid, and a transaction recorder for
recording the bill transaction and payment.
In accordance with a another aspect of the present
invention, there is provided a method of providing an
automated banking system machine with the capability of wire
transfer of funds from a user to a transferee within the
banking network, comprising providing an automated machine
having a card receiver for receiving a card which identifies
the user as being qualified to use the machine and banking
network; and at least one of putting into the machine an
identification of the bank through which the transfer is to be
made along with the account number of the transferee, entering
the amount to be wire transferred to the transferee, providing
the machine with a method of payment for the wire transfer,
and communicating through the bank system over a modem for
wire transfer to the banking network to the verified
transferee's account in the receiving bank.
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In accordance with a still further aspect of the
present invention, there is provided a method for using an
automated banking machine for the payment of bills through a
bill payment network, comprising providing an automated
banking machine having a card receiver for receiving the
user's card and for identifying the user as being qualified to
use the machine, a display for displaying a selection of bill
transactions that are available to be paid through a bills
payment network connected to the automated machine, manually
selecting one of the bill transactions for paying a bill from
those being displayed to the user, displaying to the user
several methods of payment including payment by cash,
inserting the bill into the machine for reading the amount of
the bill and the identity of the bill payee, communicating
over communications network including a modem for connection
from the machine to a bills payment network, transmitting the
information of payment being received from the user for the
bill, and storing the bill being paid in the machine.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the
present invention, there is provided an unattended banking
machine for performing a number of transactions by a user, the
banking system comprising a payment acceptor for accepting
payment from a user, and for determining the amount of payment
received from the user, an interface and display on the
machine operable by the user to select transactions, enter
commands and receive information from the machine, a card
acceptor for receiving and verifying a user's card, a
transaction selector actuatable by the user to operate
interface and display to perform a transaction for which
payment is being made by the user, a calculator for
determining as transactional change the difference between the
amount for the transaction and the payment made by the user,
and change means in the machine for transferring an amount of
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coin or small denominational change to a card or to an account
of the user.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present
invention, there is provided a method of operating an
unattended banking machine for performing a transaction by a
user, comprising providing an automated machine having a card
receiver for receiving a card which identifies a qualified
user for using the machine, inserting the card into the
automated machine and reading the data on the card and
verifying that the user is qualified, inserting a payment into
the automated machine for payment of the transaction,
determining the payment amount received from the user,
selecting a transaction for which payment has been made by the
user, determining the difference between the cost of the
transaction and the amount paid into the machine by the user,
determining as transactional change, the difference between
the amount for the transaction and the payment received from
the user, and electronically dispensing as transactional
change any coin or small denominal change onto a card or into
an account of the user.
Brief Description of the Drawings
FIG. 1 is a front view of the apparatus
embodying the novel features of the invention including a
left section, a central section, and a right section;
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the three sections
of the machine shown in FIG. 1;
FIGS. 2A and 23 are views of an imaging station
for scanning a document;
FIG. 3 is a left side view of one section of the
apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
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FIG. 4 is a right side view of the central
section of the apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a right side view of the right section
shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a enlarged view of the front of the
apparatus of FIG. 1 showing the various insertion slots
or receiving slots on the apparatus of FIG. 1 with
identifying indicia thereon;
FIG. 7 is a rear view of the machine shown in
FIG. l;
FIG. 8 is a flow chart for showing the
operations occurring after insertion of the card and for
verification;
FIG. 8A shows the screen with the instruction to
PLEASE INSERT YOUR CARD;
FIG. 8B shows a screen prompting entry of a
user's password;
FIG. 8C shows the progression of the password
verification operation;
FIG. 8D shows the screen when an incorrect
password has been entered;
FIG. 8E shows that the password is not correct
and that the card is being retained;
FIG. 8F shows a screen display prompting the
user to make a touch screen selection of the language in
which the transactions are to be processed;
FIG. 9 shows on the screen the money exchange or
transactions options available for the user;
FIG. 9A is a flow chart which shows the initial
welcoming and the various options available to the user;
FIG. 10 is a screen prompting a checking or
savings step as part of a transaction;
FIG. 11 is a screen showing different amounts
for withdrawal from checking;
FIG. 11A is a flow chart showing the operations
for a withdrawal transaction;
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FIG. 12 is a view showing the screen of having
an amount prompt for a withdrawing from saving
transaction;
FIG. 13 is a flow chart with respect to making a
deposit;
FIG. 13A is a screen showing the prompt for the
source of a deposit into checking;
FIG. 13B shows a screen providing for entry of
the amount of a check to be deposited;
FIG. 13C is a screen showing a prompt to endorse
or sign the back of the check;
FIG. 13D shows the screen with a message of
showing progress in confirming;
FIG. 13E shows a screen prompting the user to
take a transaction receipt;
FIG. 13F is a screen with respect to a
transaction for a deposit into saving;
FIG. 13G is a screen requesting the amount of
cash to be deposited;
FIG. 13H is a flow chart showing machine
operations with respect to a cash deposit;
FIG. 131 is a screen showing the amount of cash
deposited;
FIG. 13J shows a request to deposit the cash
into the cash acceptor slot;
FIG. 13K shows a machine verification of
completion of the cash deposit;
FIG. 14 is a flow chart with respect to the
document scanning and verification operations;
FIG. 15A is a screen that shows an inquiry to
the user requesting a decision as to making a further
transaction;
FIG. 15B is a screen display of a touch screen
version of the screen display shown in FIG. 15A;
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FIG. 16 is a view of the cashing check screen;
FIG. 16A is a flow chart showing the operations
with respect to cashing a check;
FIG. 16B shows a screen for requesting the
manual entry of the amount of the check to be cashed;
FIG. 16C requests the signing of the back of the
check;
FIG. 16D is a screen showing a request to re-
insert the inverted check;
FIG. 16DD is a screen requesting the user to re-
enter the check amount;
FIG. 16E shows a bar graph of the progress with
respect to the reading of the check;
FIG. 16F shows a check cashing and the amount
that is available to be received in cash;
FIG. 16G shows the completion of the check
cashing and the receipt for the amount deposited to the
user's account;
FIG. 16H is a touch screen display version of
the screen shown in FIG. 16B;
FIG. 17 is a flow chart showing the operations
with respect to cashing a money order;
FIG. 17A is a screen shown to the user when
cashing a money order;
FIG. 17B requests the signing of the back of the
money order;
FIG. 17C states that the money order cannot be
cashed;
FIG. 18 shows the screen used when typing in the
name of the payee with respect to a money order being
purchased;
FIG. 18A shows the amount of the money order
being purchased;
FIG. 18B is a flow chart showing the various
operations being performed when buying a money order;
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FIGS. 18C and 18D show the method of payment and
the total transaction at the screen that the money order
is being printed and the request to the user to take her
receipt;
FIG. 19 is a screen display for wiring money;
FIG. 19A shows the account to which the money is
to be wired and the name of the bank having the account;
FIG. 19B shows and requests the entry of the
Federal routing code;
FIG. 19C shows the account number being added;
FIG. 19D shows a screen requesting the amount
and shows a service charge;
FIG. 19E is a flow chart showing the operations
for a wire transfer;
FIG. 19F shows the total of the transaction and
requests a selection of the method of payment;
FIG. 20 is a screen showing a number of bills
that can be paid through the apparatus;
FIG. 20A shows a telephone bill, service charge
and total amount to be charged for payment of the
telephone bill;
FIG. 20B shows a screen requesting entry of the
telephone bill into the scanner slot;
FIG. 20C shows the selection of a gas bill for
payment as well as a telephone bill;
FIG. 20D requests insertion of the gas bill into
the scanner slot;
FIG. 20E shows the payment for a credit card
bill;
FIG. 20F shows the amount of payment with
respect to the telephone, gas and credit card bills; and
the request for the method of payment;
FIG. 20G shows the screen when the bill is to
paid by credit card;
FIG. 20H is a flow chart showing the operations
that occur during a bill payment;
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FIG. 201 shows a screen confirming payment of
the bills;
FIG. 20J is a touch screen display version of
the screen shown in FIG. 20;
FIG. 21 shows a screen for purchase of items
such as stamps, smart cards or telephone cards;
FIG. 21A is a flow chart showing the various
operations that occur during the purchasing transaction;
FIG. 21B shows a screen displaying request for a
purchase of three smart cards and one telephone card;
FIG. 21C shows the total transaction and
requests a selection of the method of payment;
FIG. 21D shows a screen showing a $25.00
transaction and showing how much has been inserted to pay
for the transaction;
FIG. 21E shows that $20.00 has been paid;
FIG. 21F shows that $21.00 has been paid;
FIG. 21G shows that $24.00 has been paid;
FIG. 21H shows that the total of $25.00 has been
paid and shows a message on the screen to take the
merchandise;
FIG. 211 is a touch screen display version of
the screen shown in FIG. 21;
FIG. 22 is a flow chart showing the various
operations with respect to cash payment;
FIG. 23 shows the payment of change either by
credit to a card or by a deposit into a bank account;
FIG. 24 is a block diagram of the apparatus
shown in FIG. 1; and
FIG. 25 is a flow chart of a signature
verification and character recognition process.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment
As shown in the drawings for purposes of
illustration, the invention is embodied in an automated
banking system that includes an apparatus 10 having a
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housing 12 for housing the components of the apparatus
which are to receive an ATM card which can be inserted
through an insert, slot or opening 14 in a front wall 16
of the housing. The insert slot 14 will accept the usual
ATM card, credit cards, IC cards or smart cards. The
card slot 14 is located immediately above a user keyboard
18 and below a user display 20 comprising a touch screen
of the type sold by Dyna-Pro under its Model No. DTFP
95633. The user keyboard 18 supplies command signals to
a microcomputer 21, in this embodiment a 133 Mhz Pentium-
based personal computer having a 2.1 gigabyte hard disk
drive for storing software, a 32 megabyte random access
memory for storing instructions and operands, a 133 Mhz
Pentium microprocessor, an ISA bus, a PCI bus, a serial
interface, and a parallel interface. (FIG. 3). The
microcomputer 21 executes application software under
Windows 95, which among other things, responds to
keystrokes on the user keyboard 18, and signals from
other input devices as set forth below. The
microcomputer 21 drives the output display 20 in response
to the software it is executing and the various signals
it receives from the input devices connected to transfer
signals to it.
Located immediately behind the insert card slot
14 is a magnetic card reader 22 (FIG. 4) which will read
the ATM card, send signals to the microcomputer 21
through a serial communication card 21a, and immediately
cause initialization, via the microcomputer 21, of all
hardware and software parameters for an operation. The
touch screen 20 is provided to assist the user in
identifying for the machine the area of the image
occupied by the account number and dollar amount of a
bill, as will be explained. The illustrated keyboard 18
is a very tough, vandal-resistant, industrial keyboard,
such as the Model 300 manufactured by Everswitch USA of
Silver Springs, Maryland. The preferred display 20 is a
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flat LCD display panel sold by Sony Corporation. The
keyboard and display panels are selected because they are
considered to be tough, strong, easy-to-use, and
difficult for thieves or criminals to vandalize or to
misuse to illicitly obtain funds from the machine. A
backup storage device 23 connected to the computer 21
provides further security for the software and data
stored on the hard drive.
As shown in connection with the flow chart of
FIG. 8 entitled "insert card and verify screen", the user
will see on the screen display 20 the welcome message and
a prompt to insert the banking (or ATM) card and to
verify the password with the banking network. The user
will be prompted to select English or Spanish as the
language for the transactions as shown in FIG 8F. The
user will then touch the screen display to select English
or Spanish for the transaction language.
In the card insert routine 300 a test is made in
a step 302 to determine whether the magnetic striped
identification card has been placed in the card reader.
If it has not, control is transferred to a step 304
prompting the user to insert the card through the card
slot. The card is then read in a step 306 and the user
is prompted and enters a password in a step 308. A test
is made in a step 310 to determine whether the password
is verifiable with the banking network when communicated
over the modem 29. If the password is not, a test is
made in a step 312 allowing the password to be entered
three more times. Assuming three unsuccessful tries in a
step 314, the incorrect password message is displayed and
process loops back to the step 308. If the password is
found to be correct after step 310 the transaction is
proceeded with in a step 316. If as a result of step 308
the transaction is cancelled, control is transferred to a
step 320 testing for whether another transaction has been
requested. This may be done by screen prompts to be
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answered by the user as exemplified by the screen
displays shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B. The selection may
be made by keypads 26 and 27, as shown in FIG. 15A or by
touch screen contact with the appropriately labelled
portion of the screen display shown in FIG. 15B. If it
is, a service option screen 322 is displayed. If it is
not, a test is made in step 324 to determine whether the
card is in the card reader. If the card reader does not
have a card in it the welcome screen is displayed in a
step 326. If the card is in the card reader it is
ejected back to the customer in a step 328. In the event
that the password is entered more than three times
control is transferred to a step 330 causing the card to
be eaten or retained and placed in a card bin. In a step
332 the message is displayed on the touch screen that the
card has been retained and the touch screen after that
displays the welcome screen in the step 326.
The display shown in FIG. 8A prompts the user to
insert the card. After the insertion of the card, the
display will prompt the user to please enter the PIN or
password number, as shown in FIG. 8B. The processing of
the entered password is shown in FIG. 8C. If an
incorrect password has been used with the card, then the
screen display will display, as shown in FIG. 8D, the
phrase "incorrect password", and prompt the user to
"please try again". If the subsequent or second password
is incorrect, the machine retains the card and the screen
display will show on its face, as shown in PIG. 8E, the
statement that there still is an incorrect password, and
that the card is being retained. The card has been
"eaten" by the machine. The card can be retrieved only
by contacting the financial institution owning the
machine. Having verified the card and having verified
the password or PIN number with the banking network over
a modem 29 or the like, the machine 10 is ready to
proceed with a transaction. The modem 29 communicates
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with the computer 21 through the serial interface 21a to
which it is connected.
The user display screen 20 will then display the
transaction options available to the user, such as those
shown in FIG. 9 which include 1) withdraw; 2) deposit; 3)
cash check; 4) cash money order; 5) buy money order; 6)
wire transfer; 7) bill payments; 8) purchase (lottery
tickets, stamps and telephone cards). The display shown
in FIG. 9 will be on the panel display 20 and adjacent a
pair of flanking additional keypads 26 and 27 (FIGS. 1
and 6), which have arrow keys which are aligned with
these options 1-8. That is, the pressing of the arrow
key 26a opposite the number "1)" "WITHDRAW" on the screen
will initiate a withdrawal. Whereas, the operation of
15 the second arrow key 27a in the right hand bank of keys
will initiate a "BUY MONEY ORDER" operation, 'to be
described hereinafter.
Assuming the user has selected the "1)"
withdrawal option by depressing the arrow key 26a
20 opposite number "1) WITHDRAW", the screen display 20 will
then display a request to an account for a withdrawal,
i.e., from a checking or savings account. This is shown
in FIG. 10 with the display of a "1) CHECKING" and a "2)
SAVINGS" on the screen display opposite the arrow keys
26a and 26b. Assuming that the user wishes to withdraw
money from a checking account, the user will press the
arrow key 26a. The screen display 20 will then show the
display of FIG. 11 with the display labeled "WITHDRAW
FROM CHECKING" and with the monetary amounts "20", "40",
"50", "100", "200" and other listed opposite the
selection arrow keys 26a-26c and 27a-27c, respectively.
By operating one of the particular arrow keys, i.e., the
arrow key $20.00 for withdrawal from checking, will
signal other positions of the apparatus 10 to perform a
number of operations shown on the flow chart entitled
"WITHDRAW screen" shown in FIG. 11A.
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In a step 340 the withdraw screen is engaged and
in a step 342 the user is prompted by the screen to
insert the card and a verify screen is displayed. If the
card is verified control is transferred to a step 344
allowing the user to choose from a present withdrawal
amount. If the user chooses to cancel the transaction
control is transferred to a step 346 testing for another
transaction. If the user chooses not to choose from a
preset withdrawal amount, the user may enter the
withdrawal amount in $5.00 increments in a step 348 or
may cancel the transaction and proceed to the other
transaction test step 346. Assuming that the withdrawal
amount has been entered in $5.00 increments, the
withdrawal transaction is performed in a step 350 via
checking over the banking network. In a step 352 the
cash dispenser dispenses the withdrawn amount and ina
step 354 the receipt is printed by the receipt printed.
Control is then transferred to the step 346 testing for
additional transaction prompts. If there is, the service
option screen is then displayed in a step 360. If not,
the card is ejected from the card reader in a step 362
and the welcome screen is displayed in a step 364.
A connection will then be made by the
electronics network and modem via the banking network to
access the customer's account in the bank; and then there
will be an operation of a cash dispenser 30 (FIGS. 1 and
5) to dispense $20.00 in cash. The cash dispenser
communicates with the computer 21 through the serial
communication device 21a to which it is connected, as
shown in FIG. 24.
The cash dispenser 30 herein is a typical cash
dispenser unit used in an ATM machine. The illustrated
cash dispenser is a G & D America, Inc. Model ACD which
is made by Giestcke and Debrient America, Inc. The
illustrated cash dispenser 30 has four (4) bins. Each
bin can hold four hundred notes. The preferred cash
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dispenser 30 is loaded with four hundred $5.00 notes in
one bin. The other three bins are each loaded with four
hundred $20.00 notes. Manifestly, more or less bins may
be used and also different cash dispensers may be used
than that described herein.
The illustrated and preferred cash dispenser 30,
as shown in FIG. 5, is mounted for sliding horizontally
to the right for reloading, and is slid back into the
position shown in FIG. 5 where it is supported on slide
tracks 32 mounted on the housing 12. The cash being
dispensed drops through a chute 36 into a hopper 38
having a pivoted axis door 40. The pivoted access door
40 allows the dispensed cash to drop into a dispensed
cash bin 42. As shown in FIG. 6, in order to withdraw
dispensed cash the user will reach through a cash bin
window 46 in the front housing wall 16 and remove the
cash from the bin 42. As shown in FIG. 7A, access to the
interior of the housing 12 and to the cash dispenser 30
for the replenishing the cash is through a rear housing
door 44. The rear housing door 44 has a double security
lock 47a and 47b and a handle 48. With the rear housing
door 44 open, the cash bins can be accessed and slid
along the tracks 32. The double security lock 47a and
47b provides security for the cash sections in the normal
manner of an ATM.
If the user had chosen the "SAVINGS ACCOUNT" on
the display 20 for withdrawal transaction (shown in FIG.
10), she would have pressed the arrow key 26b opposite
the "SAVINGS ACCOUNT" prompt on the screen display 20.
As shown in FIG. 10, the display 20 would then show the
withdrawal from savings screen having the prompt
"WITHDRAW FROM SAVINGS." The user is requested to enter
the amount in $5.00 increments of the amount to be
withdrawn. In this instance, the user operates the
keyboard to type in $500.00, the amount to be withdrawn
from savings. In such event, the withdraw screen and
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flow chart shown in FIG. 12 is used to perform the
withdrawal from savings by the modem through the banking
network, and the cash dispenser 30 is then operated to
dispense the cash into the cash bin 42 for removal by the
user.
For either a withdrawal from savings or a
withdrawal from checking, it is preferred to print out a
receipt with a receipt printer 50 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.
The receipt printer is connected to the computer 21
through a parallel communication device 51. The receipt
printer 50 dispenses a printed paper receipt which is fed
therefrom and is issued, in this instance, from a receipt
dispensing slot 52 in the front wall 16 of housing 12.
The user will then receive the receipt which shows not
only the amount being withdrawn but also the transaction
fee. Thus, the total withdrawn from checking or savings
for the transaction will include not only the cash
dispensed but also the transaction fee, i.e., $1.00 per
transaction.
The illustrated receipt printer 50 is preferably
a Model MP342F, manufactured by Star Micronics America,
Inc. of Piscataway, New Jersey. The receipt printer 50
has an automatic cutter for cutting the receipt after
printing. Manifestly, other printers or receipt
generators may be used than the model described herein.
The welcome screen is displayed in a step 220,
as shown in FIG. 9A. In a step 222 all hardware and
software parameters are initialized. In a step 224 the
service options screen is displayed, allowing a choice to
enter. The withdrawal screen 226, the deposit screen
228, the check cashing screen 230, the cashing of money
order screen 232, buy money order screen 234, the wire
transfer screen 236, the bill payment screen 238 or a
make purchase screen 240.
Assuming now that the user had selected the
deposit #2 option as shown in FIG. 9, and wanted to
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deposit into the checking or savings account, the user
would have pressed the arrow key 26b of the keypad 26,
which is opposite "DEPOSIT". This action results in a
request whether to deposit into a checking account or
into a savings account. Assuming the deposit was made
into the checking account, the flow chart of FIG. 13
shows the steps performed by apparatus 10 which will be
described in greater detail hereinafter.
The deposit screen, which is displayed in a step
380, requests insertion of the card and displays a verify
screen in a step 382. If the card is not inserted
control is transferred to a step 384 testing for whether
any other transaction is to be carried out. If it is, in
a step 386 the service option screen is displayed. If
not, in a step 388 the card is ejected and the welcome
screen is displayed in a step 390. In the event that the
card has been verified a prompt is made to the user in
the step 392 as to the type of deposit. If the user
elects to cancel the transaction, control is transferred
to the step 384. If the user selects "Cash", a cash
deposit screen is displayed in a step 394. If they
select "Checking", a check deposit screen is displayed in
a step 396 and if they choose "Money Order," a money
order deposit screen is displayed in a step 398. Control
is then transferred to a step 400, causing the selected
transaction to be performed by a modem 29 through the
banking network. In a step 402 the receipt is printed
out and control is then transferred to the other
transaction test step 384.
The deposit into checking screen display (FIG.
13A) prompts the user with the statement: "WHAT WOULD
LIKE TO DEPOSIT IN YOUR CHECKING ACCOUNT 1) cash; 2)
check; or 3) money order". Assuming that the user has
elected to deposit a check, the check transaction will be
selected by pressing the arrow key 26b of the keypad 26.
As shown in FIG. 13B, a request then will appear on the
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screen display 20 labeled " DEPOSIT CHECK" opposite a
window 52 for the amount of the check. In the window 52,
the operator will then use the keyboard 18 to enter the
deposit amount of $675.52. In this instance, a service
charge in the amount of $1.00 will also be displayed, as
shown in FIG. 13B to the user. If the user has not
endorsed the check, the user will see, upon entering the
amount, will be that shown in FIG. 13C, which will
request the user to "sign the back of the check", and
"when ready to insert the check into a scanner slot". A
scanner slot 54 is located above the user display 20, as
shown in FIGS. 1 and 6. In this instance, the check will
be inserted vertically. The illustrated slot 54 is
approximately 4" x 9", and the inserted check will be
scanned while it is in this vertical position, as will be
described hereinafter. As the check enters the slot 54,
it is gripped by feed rollers and moved along a feeding
track 56 (FIG. 2). The check feeds directly into and
stops at an imaging station 55 where the check is scanned
or images of the front and the back sides of the check
are captured. A scanning and confirm flow chart is shown
at FIG. 14. It will be described in greater detail
hereinafter with respect to the software control and
operations of the machine. As shown in this flow chart,
an optical character recognition (OCR) scanner scans the
document. A magnetic ink (MICR) reader reads the
magnetic ink data on the check, which will include the
bank's identification number as well as the user's
checking account number with the bank. Also, while the
check is in this stopped position, its legal line will be
scanned, and the CAR line will be scanned to verify that
the check is for the correct amount, in this instance
$675.52. Also, while in the vertical stopped position,
it is preferred to have a camera unit 58 and 60 (FIG. 2)
disposed on opposite sides to capture images of both
sides of the check and connected through a SCSI device 59
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to the computer 21. The images are stored on a magnetic
recording medium in TIFF format and are provided with a
tag so that the image file, as shown in FIG. 14, can be
later accessed if so desired.
At the beginning of the scanning operation, the
check image is processed to ascertain if the check has
been inserted correctly. In the scanning operation 420
the document is inserted in the scanner slot in a step
422. The scanner using the camera 58 and 60 scans both
sides of the documents and reads the magnetic ink via a
magnetic transducer in a step 424. The document is
placed in the holding area in a step 426 and a
determination is made in a step 428 as to whether the
document is a check or money order on the basis of the
presence or absence of the magnetic ink data. A check is
also made in a step 430 to determine whether the document
is inserted correctly. If it is not, the document is
ejected from the document slot in a step 432 and the
touch screen displays if the document is inserted
incorrectly in a step 434 following which control is
transferred back to the step 422. If the document is not
a check or money order as determined in a step 428,
control is transferred to a step 440 causing both sides
of the document to be saved in a tagged image file
format. If the document was inserted correctly as tested
for in step 430, both sides of the document are saved in
a step 440. In a step 442, the images are analyzed by
amount recognition software of the types supplied by
Mitek of San Diego, California, in particular its
Quickstrokes Version 2.5 software. Control is
transferred to that software from step 442 and as may
best be seen in FIG. 25, in a step 450 the software is
run. In a step 452, the software recognition device is
created and initialized. The form files are read in a
step 454, which form files include the positions where
the courtesy amount recognition and where the signatures
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are likely stored in the fields within the document. In
a step 456 the scanned image file is read and in a step
458 the neural network contained within the Quickstrokes
software recognizes the characters written in the
signature line as well as the characters written in the
courtesy amount recognition space and in the amount
recognition line. The recognized characters are then
evaluated from the standpoint of a present confidence
level in a step 460, and character strings representative
of those characters are returned to the software set
forth in FIG. 14 for further evaluation. Referring now
to FIG. 14 in a step 470, the strings representing the
signature verification as well as the amount on the
document are forwarded to the bank network by the modem
29 for confirmation for payout. If there is no
confirmation control is transferred to a step 472 causing
the document to be ejected from the document slot and in
a step 424 a document rejection message is displayed. In
a step 476 the current transaction is denied. In the
event that the documents are confirmed in a step 470, the
check or money order is stacked in an accepted documents
bin in a step 478 and confirmation on the current
transaction is sent to the banking network in a step 480.
If the images are not stored, the check is
carried around the U-shaped feed path 61 back to an eject
slot 61a in the housing wall 14 for retrieval by the
user. The eject slot 61a is parallel with and to the
left of the insert slot 54. Assuming that the check has
been re-inserted correctly and images of both the front
and back have been captured, then the check is sent to an
escrow or holding area 64 in the check feed track. The
holding area 64 communicates through the serial
communication device 21a with the computer 21, as shown
in FIG. 24. As best seen in FIG. 4 at the escrow area
64, the check is held for either depositing into a store
bin 66 if the check has been qualified and accepted, or
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the check depositing transaction, the check will be fed
from the escrow area back to the eject slot 61a for
removal by the user if failure to verify the signature
causes the check to be rejected for deposit. Assuming
that the banking network has been connected by the modem
29 to other portions of the apparatus 10 and that the
check has been verified, the amount deposited is sent
over the banking network to the identified bank and
identified account of the user for deposit. The receipt
printer 50 is then operated to provide a written receipt
to the user showing the amount deposited minus the
transaction charge of $1.00.
Referring now to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the document
handling of a money order or a check will now be
described in greater detail. The check is inserted
vertically through the scanner slot 54 and passes in
front of a pair of first infrared sensors 101 and 102,
which sense that the check has been inserted. These
sensors are on opposite sides of a guide or feed track
100 which includes a pair of spaced parallel plates 103
and 103a extending inwardly to the imaging station 55.
Immediately beyond the infrared sensors 101 and 102,
which detect the insertion of the document, is a pressure
roller 105 to push the check against the plate 103. The
check is pushed forwardly past a set of infrared sensors
110 and 112, which will detect when the check is fully
inserted into the scanner slot and is gripped by a
feeding belt 112 that runs through an entry slot 114
between the image scanners 58 and 60 at the imaging
station 54. The feeding belt 112 extends through imaging
station to a large diameter roller 121 (FIG. 2B). The
check pauses in its travel at the imaging station 54,
where the image taking video or other scanners 58 and 60
take images of the front and back of the check. Optical
character recognition readers read the magnetic ink
recognition characters for the bank and for the
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customer's account. Electronic signals from the image
takers 58 and 60 provide information concerning the
signature for the check, the legal line and the amount
written thereon, and the CAR line and the amount written
thereon, all of which are stored magnetically, in this
instance, and provided with tag number for later
recapture.
As best seen in FIG. 2B, a U-shaped track 120 is
provided around the large diameter roller 121 to guide
the check to reverse its direction of travel and to move
into a slot between plates 122 and 123 of the check guide
track 100 to a pair of inlet infrared sensors 125 and
126, which sense the check coming into the inlet of the
escrow area 64. The feeding belt 112 is a cogged timing
belt which carries the checks about the drum 121 and
between the plates 122 and 123 to the inlet to the escrow
area. The cogged feeding belt is driven by a stepper
motor and travels about guide rollers 127.
At the escrow or holding area 64, there is
provided a large belt driving drum 130 which drives a
cogged feeding belt 131 for conveying the check first
upwardly and to the left into the holding area and from
the latter into the deposit bin 66 above the holding area
64. If the check is to be rejected, the feeding belt 131
reverses its direction of travel to eject the check
through the eject slot 62. The driving roller 130
includes a stepper motor 132, which is mounted on the top
of the roller 130. The stepper motor 132 is reversible
in its rotation for rotating a drum 130 and the feeding
belt 131 in opposite directions and through a controlled
distance.
Infrared sensors 125 and 126 sense the passage
of the check from the imaging station 55 into the escrow
area 64. The feeding belt 131 is guided along and
travels past a series of guide rollers 134a, 134b, 134c
and 134d to the top of the holding area. The endless
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timing belt 131 turns about the top guide roller 134d and
travels downwardly and to the right past a roller 136 to
return to a side of the drum 130, as seen in FIG. 2A.
The check is pushed against the timing belt 131
to travel with the timing belt by four sets of pressure
rollers 140a, 140b, 140c and 140d. At the top of the
holding area is another pair of infrared sensors 141 and
142, which sense the arrival of the upper edge of the
check and they signal that the check has been moved
completely into the holding area with the lower end of
the check being at or above the rollers 140a and 134a at
the bottom of the holding area and aligned with the eject
slot 62. Once the check has been accepted, the stepper
motor 132 is turned to drive the drum 130 and the feeding
belt 131 to cause the check to travel upwardly into the
overhead deposit bin 66. On the other hand if the check
is rejected as being unacceptable, the feeding belt
travels in the opposite downward direction to push the
lower edge of the check through the eject slot 62 and
return it to the user. A lower end of the guide plate and
a spring guide finger 147 guide the outgoing ejected
check to slide and travel along a short guide plate 148
to the aligned eject slot 62. Infrared sensors 150 and
151 (FIG. 2A) at the bottom of the holding track sense
when the check has been removed from the eject slot by
the machine user.
During the deposit transaction, the screen
display 20 will show a confirming message, such as shown
in FIG. 13D, in the form of a bar that progresses from
left to right in window 69 being viewed by the user. As
the receipt is generated by receipt printer 50, the
screen display 20 (FIG. 13E) will show that $674.52 "WILL
BE DEPOSITED INTO YOUR ACCOUNT. PLEASE TAKE THE RECEIPT
WITH YOU."
If, rather than depositing the check into a
checking account, the user had selected deposit into a
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savings account, the screen will display the deposit into
savings account shown in FIG. 13F. Then, the user would
press the arrow key 26b for the "CHECK"; and the check
would have been deposited the same as described above
with respect to deposit into the checking. A cash
receipt would have been provided to the user, as was the
cash receipt generated for the deposit into the checking
account.
Assuming that the user had decided to deposit
cash into checking and had pushed the #1 cash button 26a
of the keypad for the display screen of FIG. 13A or had
pressed the same button for a cash deposit into savings
(FIG. 13F), the processor would follow the steps of the
cash deposit flow chart shown in FIG. 13H.
In the cash deposit process 500 as set forth in
FIG. 13H the cash acceptor is initialized in a step 502.
Money is inserted in the cash acceptor in a step 504 and
is accepted thereby. The bills are read and are
transferred to a cash bin in a step 506 and the total of
the bills presented in added up in a step 508. If the
user elects to deposit more bills in the cash deposit in
a step 510 control is transferred back to step 504. If
not, control is transferred to a step 512 where the
deposit transaction is proceeded with.
The user display 20 as shown in FIG. 13G for
deposit cash would display the prompt "PLEASE INSERT YOUR
BILLS INTO THE ACCEPTOR SLOT 60, WHICH IS SHOWN IN THE
RIGHTHAND SECTION ABOVE THE CASH DISPENSER." As may best
be seen in FIG. 5, the cash dispenser accepting slot 60
leads into a cash acceptor module 62, which accepts cash,
specifically bills in denominations of $1.00, $5.00,
$10.00 or $20.00. As shown in FIG. 24, the cash acceptor
module 62 is connected to the computer 21 via a resistor
network 62a having a plurality of current limiting
resistors. The resistor network is connected to a
digital I/O board 62b, in this embodiment a National
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Instruments PC-DIO-96. The digital I/O board 62b is
coupled to the computer 21. The cash acceptor module 62
counts the deposited bills and has a bin in a hopper 64
to receive the counted bills. The cash acceptor module
62 is pivotally mounted at 66 to be swung to a dotted
line position for emptying deposited bills therefrom.
The preferred cash acceptor module 62 merely stacks the
inserted bills and counts the same. The cash acceptor
module 62 is preferably a Mars Electronic International
Cash Acceptor Model AL4-L1-U1M, which is one of several
available cash acceptors. It will not only stack the
bills and retain them in a machine, but will add up the
total amount of cash. The cash flow chart shown in FIG.
13H will be described in greater detail hereinafter in
connection with the software and overall control of the
machine. The deposit transaction proceed from the flow
chart of FIG. 13H back to the flow chart of FIG. 13 to
proceed through the modem and banking methods to make the
deposit into the user's checking or savings account. The
machine 10 will operate the receipt printer 50 to print a
receipt to be dispensed to the user through the receipt
slot 52, showing the amount deposited less the
transaction fee, which is illustrated as $1.00 in this
instance.
When depositing cash, the illustrated cash
acceptor 62 will total the cash received and show this
cash being deposited, as shown on the screen 20 which
shows that the $20.00 has been deposited after $45.00
more dollars have been deposited, making for a total
deposit of $65.00, as shown in FIG. 13J. A receipt will
then be printed by the receipt printer 50, and the user
will be notified that $65.00 will be deposited in the
user's account (FIG. 13K).
Assuming that the user, when prompted by the
options screen of FIGS. 3 and 9, has elected to press the
arrow key 26c to initiate the check cashing transaction,
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the user display 20 will prompt the user to enter the
amount of the check into the window 68 (FIG. 16). The
flow chart, with respect to cashing a check, is shown in
FIG. 16A.
The cash check process is entered at a point 520
and as a result, the magnetic card reader accepts a
magnetic identification card in a step 522 and displays a
verify screen. The user can exit the transaction by
transferring to a step 524 where he or she is prompted
for another transaction. If not, the amount of the check
is entered in a step 526 and the check is scanned and
confirmed in a step 528 as set forth previously. The
user then enters an amount in a step 530 to be received
in cash and the banking network is accessed in a step 532
to determine whether the check has a balance from which
the check may be cashed. If so, in a step 534 the cash
dispenser dispenses cash in the cash amount and in a step
536 the receipt is printed by the receipt printer.
Control is then transferred to a step 524 and if another
transaction is desired, the service option screen is
accessed in a step 526. If another transaction is not
wanted, control is transferred to a step 528 causing the
card to be ejected from the card reader and in a step 530
the welcome screen is displayed.
The user enters through the keyboard 18 the
amount, such as $90.00, shown in FIG. 16B, the amount
will be scanned and confirmed, and the service charge of
$1.00 is shown on the screen display of FIG. 16. The
user may select to continue the transaction or to cancel
it by pressing the appropriate button of keypads 26 or
27. The touch screen display shown in FIG. 16H allows
the user to make the selection by touching the portions
of the display labelled either CONTINUE or CANCEL. If
the user has not signed the back of the check, the user
will be requested to do so (FIG. 16C). If the check was
inserted backwards, as it is viewed by the scanner, the
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check will be returned through the rejected material
outlet slot 62. The user will invert the check and
insert it now in the correct vertical position into the
insert slot 54. From there the check will be carried
into the scanning imaging station where cameras 58 and 60
will capture the images of opposite sides of the check.
The processor by executing document verification software
will then analyze the signature image and compare it with
the profile signature of the user. Likewise, the
processor, by using the verification software, will also
read the cursive legal amount line and the written
numerical amount at the CAR line, as will be described
hereinafter in connection with the document verification
software in greater detail.
After re-insertion of the check, the user will
be requested to re-enter the amount of $90.00 (FIG. 16D).
The check image will again be processed and if the
amounts match the keyed-in amount the user display will
show an "OK" for the amount (FIG. 16D). During the
scanning and the verification operations with
communication to the user's account, through the banking
modem, the screen will display "OCR" with a movable bar,
as shown in FIG. 16E. The next prompt shown on this
screen will be to enter the portion of the check amount
that the user wants to receive in cash. The cash is
selected in $5.00 increments. The machine then informs
the user any remaining amount of the check will be
received in cash (FIG. 16F). With reference to the
specific example given herein as shown in FIG. 16F, the
user's screen display 20 will show that there has been a
$90.00 check scan with a service charge of $1.00, leaving
a balance of $89.00. The operator will have used the
keyboard to enter the request for $40.00 cash, in $5.00
increments, as shown in window 70. As will be explained
in greater detail in connection with check cashing flow
chart of FIG. 16A, the cash dispenser 30 will then be
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operated to dispense $40.00 into the cash bin 56, which
the user will then remove. As shown in FIG. 16G, the
amount of $40.00 will be deposited in the user's account
through the banking network; and the receipt printer 50
will print a receipt for the deposit of $40.00.
The cashing of the money order is much like
cashing a check. It will be described hereinafter in
connection with the flow chart shown in FIG. 17, and in
connection with the screen of FIG. 17A.
The cash money order process is accessed in a
step 570. The magnetic card is prompted to be inserted
in a step 522 and a verify screen is raised. If the user
decides to exit the transaction, she may so signal and
control is transferred to a step 574, testing for whether
another transaction is desired. Assuming that the card
is verified and that the transaction is to proceed, the
amount of the money order to be paid out is entered in a
step 576. In a step 578 the money order is inserted and
scanned and confirmed, and in a step 580, assuming the
confirmation occurs, the user enters the amount for the
money order to receive in cash. In a step 580 a query is
generated by a modem to the banking network to determine
whether the amount of the money order is backed by funds.
Assuming that it is, in a step 584 the cash dispenser
dispenses the cash amount and a receipt is printed in a
step 586. Control is then transferred to the other
transaction test step. If another transaction is desired
the service option screen is displayed in a step 588. if
not, the card reader is ejected in a step 590 and the
welcome screen is displayed in a step 592.
Assuming that the user, when viewing the options
available (FIG. 9) had pressed the arrow 26d opposite
"cash money order", to institute this transaction, a
prompt is then made of the user, as shown in FIG. 17A, to
operate the keyboard 18 to enter the amount of the money
order, which, in this instance, is $750.00. The screen
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will also show the transaction service charge of $1.00
and the available amount of $100.00 in cash.
The cash money order screen displays $100.00 in
a window 71 and prompts the operator to enter from the
keyboard 18 the amount of cash that the user would like
to receive in $5.00 increments. In this instance, the
user has entered $100.00 into the window 71. In a manner
similar to that used for the scanning of the check, the
cameras 58 and 60 photograph both sides of the cash money
order and locate the indicia showing the amount of the
money order and read the amount indicia. The magnetic
ink indicia identifying the issuer and the account of the
issuer are read; and the signature on the back of the
money order is scanned and confirmed. Then a
communications network via a modem is connected to the
issuer's account, indicating that the authenticity of the
money order is being checked. When the machine 10
receives signals that the money order is authentic, the
cash dispenser 30 is then operated to transfer $100.00
cash into the cash bin 46 for removal by the user. If
the user had not signed the back of the money order, he
would have been informed to reinsert the money order, as
shown in FIG. 17B. If the money order could not be
processed, it would be returned through the reject slot
62. The user display 20 would state that the money order
could not be processed and that the user should check
with his financial institution, as shown in FIG. 17C.
Assuming the user had selected, in FIG. 9, the
#5 option of buying a money order by pressing the right
hand button 27a on the keypad, then the buy money order
screens and flow chart would have been operative, as will
now be described. The first prompt shown on the purchase
money order display 20 (FIG. 18), requests the name of
the person to whom the money order is to be paid. In
this instance, the name is John Doe, as shown in FIGS. 18
and 18A. Having operated the user keyboard 18 to enter
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the payee's name, i.e., "John Doe," the operator will
next enter the amount of $500.00, as shown in window 72
in FIG. 18A. The service charge of $0.50 is shown so
that the total amount needed for the purchase of the
money is $500.50. As may best be seen in FIG. 18B, it is
preferred to provide the purchaser of the money order
with a number of options for payment including by cash,
by credit card withdrawal from an account of the user,
and by a smart card. Or the user may return to the money
order, if he so desires. The flow chart for buying a
money order is shown in FIG. 18B.
In a buy money order transaction, the process is
entered via step 600 and the money order recipient's name
is entered in a step 602 or if cancellation is desired,
control is transferred to another transaction test step
604. Assuming that the recipient's name has been
entered, the amount of the money order is entered in a
step 606 and in a step 608 a method of payment is chosen
causing prompts to occur via a cash payment screen 610, a
credit card screen 612, a smart card payment screen 614
or a balance withdrawal screen 616. The particular
transaction for payment is then processed in a step 618
and the money order is printed out in a step 620. A
receipt is printed in a step 622 and the transaction test
604 is then made. If further transactions are to occur,
the service option screen is displayed in a step 624. If
not, a test is done in a step 626 to determine if the
card is in the card reader. If it is, the card is
ejected in a step 628 and the welcome screen is displayed
in a step 630.
The buy money order transaction will be tagged
and through the banking network, the printer 76 (FIG. 1)
will print the money order. The money order printer 76
is disposed, in this instance, side-by-side with the
receipt printer 50, as is shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 and is
connected to the computer 21 through the parallel
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communication device 51, as shown in FIG. 24. The
printed money order is dispensed from a money order
dispensing slot 78, which is adjacent to the receipt
printing slot 72 in the front housing wall 16 of the
apparatus 10. The illustrated money order printer may be
similar to the receipt printer 50 and is available from
Star Micronics America, Inc., Model MP3342F. It includes
an automatic cutter.
As shown in FIG. 18C, the user screen display 20
will then display that $500.50 has been withdrawn from
the user's account, and that the money order is being
printed. Both a money order and a receipt will be issued
from the money order slot 78 and the receipt slot 52,
respectively.
If the user had selected the wire transfer
option in FIG. 9 and had depressed the arrow key 27a for
wire transfer, the screen of FIG. 19 would be displayed
on the user's display 20 prompting the user to use the
keyboard 18 to enter the name of the person to whom the
money is to be wired. Then the screen display 20 would
request the name of the bank, as shown in FIG. 19A, which
will be entered, such as First American. The next
request of the user is shown in FIG. 19B and that is for
the Federal routing code or the routing for the bank for
the transfer. The routing is to be typed in by the user
using the keyboard. The number "7896654" has been typed
in as the federal routing code in FIG. 19B. The account
number of the receiver is then requested, as shown in
FIG. 19C. The account number in this instance is shown
as "987-87654" and has been typed in by the user using
the keyboard 18.
Having entered the information for the wire
transfer to a specific account, the screen display 20
requests the amount to be sent, which in this instance,
as shown in window 78 is $850.00. A service charge of
10%, or $85.00 of the $850.00 amount charged is shown to
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the user bringing the transaction total to $935.00, as
shown in window 78a. The flow chart for a wire transfer
of money is shown in FIG. 19E.
The wire transfer process 640 is started with a
step 642 for entering information related to the transfer
related to the bank the transfer is to be made to as well
as the account. In a step 644 the amount to be
transferred is entered. In a step 646 the method of
paying for the wire transfer is selected, causing control
to transfer to a cash payment screen 648, to a credit
card screen 650, to a smart card payment screen 652 or to
a withdrawal screen 654. Following that, in a step 656
the selected payment transfer occurs and the wire
transfer occurs via the modem over the banking network.
In a step 658 a receipt is printed and in a step 660 a
test is made for whether another transaction is to occur.
If it is, a service option screen is displayed in a step
662. If it is not, a test is made in a step 664 to
determine if the card is in the reader. If so, the card
is ejected in a step 666 and the welcome screen is
displayed in a step 668.
A request for the method, of payment which can
be any of four different payment methods, is shown in
FIG. 19F. In this instance, the options of cash, credit
card, withdrawal from my account, or smart card may be
selected by operating the appropriate keypads 26 and 27
along the display 20, shown in FIG. 19F. After selecting
the appropriate method of payment, the machine is then
connected over the banking network (FIG. 19E) to the bank
to deposit $850.00 in John Doe's account no. 987-87654.
The printer will cause a printout of the receipt showing
a payment and wire transfer to John Doe of $850.00 and a
total transaction fee of $935.00, the latter may be
charged by credit card, smart card, or withdrawal from my
account, as shown in FIG. 19E. On the other hand, the
user could have deposited cash of $935.00 to the cash
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acceptor slot 60, which would then count and hold the
cash in the cash acceptor 34. Having finished the
transaction, the charge card (if used for payment) would
be ejected, as shown in FIG. 19E.
Returning again to the options available as
shown in FIG. 9, if the operator had pressed the key 47c
on the keypad 47 to select the "bill payments" option,
then a bill option screen (FIG. 20) would have been shown
on the user display 20. The bills which may be paid are
listed on the display 20, viz., telephone, electric, gas,
cable, water and credit cards. The operator will use one
of the keypad buttons on keypads 46 and 47 to select from
the screen of FIG. 4 the particular bill to be paid. In
the alternative the bill payment selection may be made by
touching the appropriately labelled region of the menu
display on the touch screen display shown in FIG. 20J.
It will be requested on the user display, as shown in
FIG. 20A, to enter the amount for the bill selected, such
as $129.67 for the telephone bill. Then, the telephone
bill may be inserted into the scanning material insert
slot 54 where the images of both sides of the bill will
be captured. The particular bill payments have to be
qualified with the user's account beforehand, and the
particular bill has to be recognized so that the amount
of the bill and the field of the money can be located as
well as the identity of the company--the telephone
company, in this instance. The verifier will read the
customer's account number, the payee's account number,
and the amount of the bill. The position of this data on
the bill as well as the script, font, etc. will vary
greatly. To aid in reading the bill, a keypad may be
provided for operation by the user. Having manually
identified for the processor all of the fields on the
image of bill, the interpretation of the field image is
done in the same manner as analyzing a check or money
order. The bill is verified, and if OK, the request is
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then stated as to the total amount to be paid for the
transaction. The user then will receive the request to
enter the amount to pay on the telephone bill, as shown
in FIG. 20A, which in this instance, is $129.67. The
service charge of $0.60 will be also displayed to the
user on the user display 20 along with the total, which
is shown in the window at the bottom of the screen. For
instance, the total charge of $130.27 (FIG. 20A) to pay
the particular telephone bill.
When paying a telephone bill the screen will
then interrogate the user as to whether she wishes to pay
another bill via an inquiry, such as the inquiry shown in
FIG. 20C wherein it is desired to pay a gas bill of
$45.22. The sum of $45.22 is entered by the user using
the keyboard 18. As shown in FIG. 20D, the user is then
prompted to load the gas bill into the scanner slot. The
gas bill will be read in the same manner as the telephone
bill was read by the cameras 58 and 60. The magnetic or
the other optical character recognition information on
the bill will be analyzed to connect the payment of
$45.22 to the appropriate account to the bill paying
network. If the user also decides to pay a gas bill, the
user will press "continue". Herein, the user decided to
pay a credit card bill of $96.82 as shown in FIG. 20E for
a third service charge of $0.60, which will bring the of
the total service charges to $1.80.
The total amount of the three bills, the
telephone bill, the gas bill and the credit card bill
plus the service charge will be $273.51.
Next, the method of payment is requested (FIG.
20F); and if the user elects to pay with credit card, he
will press the keypad button 26b and cause the screen
FIG. 20G to be shown on the user panel 20, requesting
that the user insert the credit card bill into the slot.
The bill payments have been made over the bills payment
network and the bills will have been collected in the
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receiver bin. This process is set forth as shown in FIG.
20H.
The bill payment process 720 is entered by
selecting the type of bill such as telephone bill,
electric bill, to be paid in a step 722. The bill is
scanned and verified in a step 724 and the amount to be
paid is entered manually in a step 726. A test is made
in a step 728 to determine whether other bills are to be
paid. If so, control is transferred to step 722. If
not, control is transferred to a step 730, testing for
other transactions. A method of payment inquiry is made
in a step 732 and in response thereto, a cash screen is
displayed in a step 734 or a credit card payment screen
is displayed in a step 736. A smart card payment screen
is displayed in a step 738 or a withdrawal screen is
displayed in a step 740. After selecting the payment
method, the funds are then transferred so that the bill
is paid via modem connection in a step 742 and a receipt
is printed out in a step 744. If another transaction is
desired from step 730, the service option screen is
displayed in a step 746. Otherwise, a test is made to
determine if the card is in a card reader in a step 748.
The card is ejected in a step 750 and the welcome screen
is displayed in a step 752.
When finished with the bill payment, the screen
display shows that $273.51 has been withdrawn from the
account in FIG. 20H with a notation that "your bills are
paid". As flow chart for the bill payment shows in FIG.
20H, the receipt is printed by the receipt printer 50
which then ejects the receipt through the slot 52 to the
user. The ATM card is then ejected from the card reader
back to the user.
If the user had elected in FIG. 9 to buy lottery
tickets, stamps or telephone calling cards, the purchase
option would be selected by depressing the keypad button
47d to cause the purchase display screen of FIG. 21 to be
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present on the user display 20, which shows the option of
buying stamps at $6.50 a booklet, a smart card at $5.00 a
card, or a telephone card at $10.00 a card. Obviously,
the number of items to be purchased could be enlarged to
include lottery tickets or other end user items, which
could be dispensed easily through purchasing goods
dispensing slots 84, 85 and 86 shown in FIGS. 1 and 6
below three goods dispenser units comprising a lottery
ticket dispenser 87, a stamp dispenser 88, a telephone
calling card dispenser 89 and a smart card transaction
vendor or handler 89a, all connected to the digital I/O
board 62b via the resistor network 62a for communication
with the computer 21. The dispenser receiving slots are
located in the front wall 16 of the housing 12, and the
dispensers for the stamps, telephone cards or smart card
are mounted on rails 90, as best seen in FIG. 3. The
rails 90 allow for sliding movement so that they can be
accessed through a rear service door 94 (FIG. 7). The
rear service door 94 has its own security lock 96 for
denying unauthorized access to the interior of the
housing 12 and to the goods dispensers 87, 88 and 89. A
central door 97 having a security lock 98 can be opened
to access the central portion of the machine 10 having
the checks and the bills 66, the cameras 58 and 60, etc.
While a variety of dispensers could be used, the
illustrated dispensers are card dispensers which are made
by Asahi Seiko USA, Inc., Model CD1000. Manifestly,
dispensers may be used other than those card dispensers
herein described by way of example.
As shown in FIG. 21, the user may select one or
more of the various items to be purchased. A telephone
card may be selected by pushing the key 46c to select one
$10.00 card. By pressing the "continue" button, the user
is then provided with a screen display, as shown in FIG.
21B for buying smart cards or stamps. In the alternative
the touch screen display shown in FIG. 211 can be used to
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make the selection by touching the appropriately labelled
region of the screen display. In this instance, three
smart cards at $5.00 a card have been selected by
operating keypad button 46b to result in a grand total of
$25.00 in purchases. The next screen to be shown on the
display 20 prompts the user to select the method of
payment for the $25.00 purchase. The user will then
operate one of the keypads to select by cash, credit,
withdrawal from account or smart card as a payment mode,
as shown in FIG. 21C.
In this instance, the operator has decided to
pay with cash and has punched the arrow key 26a on the
keypad 26. The screen shown in FIG. 21D will then be
provided on the display 20 requesting the insertion of
the cash into the cash acceptor slot 60. The cash is
then verified as counted, FIG. 21E shows that the user
has inserted only $20.00, which has been accepted by the
cash acceptor 64 and counted. The screen will then show
to the user in FIG. 21F that the payment of $21.00 is
insufficient for the total transaction of $25.00. If the
user only inserts another $3.00, the transaction screen
will show that the payment is still $1.00 short, as shown
in FIG. 21G wherein the transaction is $25.00. If
another dollar bill is inserted into the machine, then
the user will see the screen shown in FIG. 21H, which
will inform the user to take his merchandise with him.
Dispensing of the merchandise occurs as shown in the flow
chart of FIG. 21A, and the machine control operates the
receipt printer 50 to print a receipt for the user which
will be dispensed at the dispensing receipt slot 52.
In order to make a purchase, the purchase
process is entered in a step 770. The item to be
purchased, such as smart card balance, telephone calling
card, stamps or lottery tickets are selected in a step
772, or if desired, the transaction can be cancelled,
causing control to be transferred to another transaction
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test step 774. Assuming that an item is chosen to
purchased such as a lottery ticket, the quantity of the
item is prompted for in a step 776 and entered, and a
test is made in a step 778 as to whether another purchase
is to be made. If it is, control is transferred back to
step 772. If not, in a step 780 the method of payment is
selected, causing a cash payment screen to be displayed
in a step 782 or a credit card screen to be displayed in
a step 784, or a smart card payment screen to be
displayed in a step 786 or a withdrawal screen to be
displayed in a step 778, following which the funds are
accepted and the merchandise, such as the lottery ticket,
is dispensed, in a step 790. The receipt is printed in
the step 792 and another transaction is tested for in
step 774. If another transaction is desired, the service
options display screen is displayed in step 794. If it
is not, a test is made to determine if the card is in the
card reader in a step 796. The card is ejected in step
798 and the welcome screen is displayed in step 800.
As above described herein, it is preferred not
to have any coins or coin changers in the machine; and to
provide $5.00 bills as the lowest denomination bills that
will be paid out in change. Usually, the cash payment
process will follow the flow chart shown in FIG. 22.
In order to effect a cash payment for one of the
transactions such as the purchase of lottery tickets,
transfer of a balance into the smart card or into a
checking account or the like, the process is entered in a
step 810 and the cash acceptor is initialized in a step
812. The currency is accepted in a step 814 and is
totaled in a step 816. The accepted bills are stacked in
the holding area in step 818 and a test is made to
determine whether the total covers the transaction amount
in a step 820. If it does not, more money is accepted in
a step 814. If the transaction is covered a step is made
in a step 822 to determine if change is due. If change
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is due, it is given in $5.00 increments with the
remainder credited to the smart card in a step 824 and
the transaction proceeds in a step 826.
The $5.00 and $20.00 dollar bills available for
change are stacked in the four cash bins. If the payment
calculation shows that cash tendered covers the
transaction, and that change is due, the change will be
in cash in $5.00 increments by operation of the cash
dispenser. Alternatively, any remaining change of less
than $5.00 will be credited to a smart card or to a bank
account to avoid the necessity of storing and handling
small denomination bills and coins. The option will be
exercised by the user with respect to change as shown on
the screen display (FIG. 23). The user can insert a
smart card into the card slot 14, and the smart card
writer 89a (FIG. 1) will write the change by increasing
the balance on the smart card, and then return the smart
card to the user. If the user wants to deposit the
change into his account, the user will operate arrow key
26b to cause the deposit transaction to occur over the
banking network.
It will be appreciated that although various
aspects of the invention have been described with respect
to specific embodiments, alternatives and modifications
will be apparent from the present disclosure, which are
within the spirit and scope of the present invention as
set forth in the following claims.
