Method of monitoring a network kiosk

• US 20020075149A1
• Filed: 11/29/2000
• Published: 06/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Francis, John Brian, Goodwin, John C. III
• Application Number:
  US09/727,331
• Publication Number:
  US 20020075149A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/540
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/207 Surveillance aspects at ATMs
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

A method of monitoring a network kiosk which sends errors to a reporting computer to facilitate quicker repairs. The method includes the steps of determining kiosk components to monitor by the kiosk, determining operating errors for a number of the kiosk components by the kiosk, storing the operating errors in a log, sending the log to a reporting computer by the kiosk, and generating an error report for service personnel from the log by the reporting computer.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring a network kiosk comprising the steps of:

determining kiosk components to monitor by the kiosk;

determining operating errors for a number of the kiosk components by the kiosk;

storing the operating errors in a log;

sending the log to a reporting computer by the kiosk; and

generating an error report for service personnel from the log by the reporting computer.

2. A method of monitoring a network kiosk comprising the steps of:

determining kiosk components to monitor by the kiosk;

determining a schedule for monitoring the kiosk components;

determining operating errors for a number of the kiosk components by the kiosk during scheduled monitoring;

storing the operating errors in a log;

sending the log to a reporting computer by the kiosk; and

generating an error report for service personnel from the log by the reporting computer.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the step of sending comprises the substep of:

emailing the log to the reporting computer by the kiosk.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the step of generating comprises the substep of:

generating a hypertext markup language (HTML) error report for service personnel from the log by the reporting computer.

6. The kiosk as recited in claim 4, wherein the computer emails the log to the reporting computer.

5. A network kiosk comprising:

a plurality of components including a storage medium; and

a computer which determines first components to monitor, determines operating errors for second components of the first components, stores the operating errors in a log in the storage medium, and sends the log to a reporting computer.

7. A network kiosk comprising:

a plurality of components including a storage medium; and

a computer which determines first components to monitor, determines a schedule for monitoring the first components, determines operating errors for second components of the first components during scheduled monitoring, stores the operating errors in a log in the storage medium, and sends the log to a reporting computer.

8. A network kiosk comprising:

a plurality of components including a card reader, a printer, a bar code reader, a touch screen, and a storage medium; and

a computer which monitors the components for operating errors, determines operating errors in a number of the components, stores the operating errors in a log in the storage medium, and sends the log to a reporting computer.

9. A kiosk monitoring system comprising:

a kiosk including a plurality of components including a storage medium, and a computer which determines first components to monitor, determines operating errors for second components of the first components, and stores the operating errors in a log in the storage medium; and

a reporting computer for generating reports containing the operating errors for kiosk service personnel, wherein the reporting computer receives the log from the kiosk in order to generate the reports.