PEER TO PEER DIAGNOSTIC TOOL

• US 20120166491A1
• Filed: 12/23/2010
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gordon Walker, Robin Angus
• Original Assignee: Gordon Walker, Robin Angus
• Inventors: Angus, Robin, Walker, Gordon
• Granted Patent: US 9,020,886 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/802
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3089 Monitoring arrangements determined by the means or processing involved in sensing the monitored data, e.g. interfaces, connectors, sensors, probes, agents software debugging using additional hardware using a specific debug interface G06F11/3656; performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring G06F11/3466

Abstract

A diagnostic tool comprises a memory device which stores a database of parametric performance data of a collection of transaction terminals possibly owned by different entities. Each time the tool is authorized to connect to a transaction terminal the database is accessed by a processor and a determination is made whether one or more parameter of the transaction terminal lies within a threshold amount of a statistical measure based upon the parametric performance data of the collection of transaction terminals.

Claims

1. A data collection device arranged to be connected to a transaction terminal, the data collection device comprising a data storage device, the data storage device being arranged to store a database comprising parameter data relating to a plurality of transaction terminals, and the data storage device being arranged to receive parameter data from a processor of a transaction terminal upon connection of the device to said transaction terminal and being further arranged to update the database with parameter data associated with said transaction terminal.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein, the plurality of transaction terminals are operated by more than one entity.

3. The device of claim 1 comprising a processor wherein, the processor is arranged to access the database and to perform a statistical analysis upon at least a sub-set of the entries in the database.

4. A transaction terminal arranged to communicate with a data collection device according to claim 1, and comprising a processor arranged to collate parameter data.

5. The terminal of claim 4 wherein, the processor is arranged to access the database stored on the data collection device and is further arranged to compare at least one piece of parameter data with a corresponding sub-set of the entries in the database.

6. The terminal of claim 5 wherein, the processor is arranged to generate an error report if the at least one piece of parameter data deviates from a statistical measure associated with the sub-set of entries in the database by more than a pre-determined amount.

7. The terminal of claim 6 wherein, the processor is arranged to output the error report to a service panel of the transaction terminal.

8. The terminal of claim 5 wherein, the processor is arranged to add an entry to a field of the database associated with the at least one piece of parameter data and to add an entry to the device identifier field if a comparison of entries in a device identifier field of the database to a device identifier associated with the transaction terminal indicates that there is no entry in the database associated with the parameter of the at least one piece of parameter data.

9. The terminal of claim 5 wherein, the processor is arranged to update an entry in a field of the database associated with the at least one piece of parameter data if a comparison of entries in a device identifier field of the database to a device identifier associated with the transaction terminal indicates that there is an entry in the database associated with the parameter of the at least one piece of parameter data.

10. The terminal of claim 5 wherein, the processor is arranged to update an entry in a field of the database associated with the at least one piece of parameter data if a comparison of entries in a device identifier field of the database to a device identifier associated with the transaction terminal indicates that there is an entry in the database associated with the parameter of the at least one piece of parameter data and the value of the parameter data deviates from the sub-set of entries in the database by more than a pre-determined amount.

11. The terminal of claim 5 wherein, the processor is arranged to update an entry in a field of the database associated with the at least one piece of parameter data if a comparison of entries in a device identifier field of the database to a device identifier associated with the transaction terminal indicates that there is an entry in the database associated with the parameter of the at least one piece of parameter data and more than a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since data associated with the transaction terminal was updated.

12. The terminal of claim 11 wherein, the device identifier may be a serial number.

13. The terminal of claim 4 wherein, the transaction terminal comprises any of the following:

an automated teller machine (ATM), an information kiosk, an electronic funds transfer (EFT) terminal, a financial services centre, a bill payment kiosk, a lottery kiosk, a postal services machine, a check-in and/or check-out terminal, a point-of-sale (POS) barcode scanner, POS terminal.

14. A method of analyzing parameter data from transaction terminals, the method comprising the steps of:

(i) connecting a data collection device containing a database comprising entries associated with at least one parameter from a plurality of transaction terminals to a transaction terminal;

(ii) comparing parameter data corresponding to an operational parameter of the transaction terminal to a statistical analysis of at least a sub-set of the entries in the database at a processor;

(iii) determining if the parameter data of the transaction terminal lies outside a threshold value using the comparison of step (ii);

(iv) generating an error report if the parameter data of the transaction terminal lies outside the threshold value; and

(v) collating the parameter data of the transactional terminal into the database if an update condition is fulfilled.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein, the plurality of transaction terminals are operated by more than one entity.

16. The method of claim 14 comprising adding an entry to a field of the database associated with the at least one piece of parameter data and to add an entry to the device identifier field at a processor if a comparison of entries in a device identifier field of the database to a device identifier associated with the transaction terminal indicates that there is no entry in the database associated with the parameter of the at least one piece of parameter data.

17. The method of claim 14 comprising updating an entry in a field of the database associated with the at least one piece of parameter data at a processor if a comparison of entries in a device identifier field of the database to a device identifier associated with the transaction terminal indicates that there is an entry in the database associated with the parameter of the at least one piece of parameter data.

18. The method of claim 14 comprising updating an entry in a field of the database associated with the at least one piece of parameter data at a processor if a comparison of entries in a device identifier field of the database to a device identifier associated with the transaction terminal indicates that there is an entry in the database associated with the parameter of the at least one piece of parameter data and the value of the parameter data deviates from the sub-set of entries in the database by more than a pre-determined amount.

19. The method of claim 14 comprising updating an entry in a field of the database associated with the at least one piece of parameter data at a processor if a comparison of entries in a device identifier field of the database to a device identifier associated with the transaction terminal indicates that there is an entry in the database associated with the parameter of the at least one piece of parameter data and more than a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since data associated with the transaction terminal was updated.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein, the transaction terminal comprising any of the following:

an automated teller machine (ATM), an information kiosk, an electronic funds transfer (EFT) terminal, a financial services centre, a bill payment kiosk, a lottery kiosk, a postal services machine, a check-in and/or check-out terminal, a point-of-sale (POS) barcode scanner, POS terminal.