METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REDUNDANCY IN AN ATM USING HOT SWAP HARDWARE UNDERLYING A VIRTUAL MACHINE

• US 20160132405A1
• Filed: 01/18/2016
• Published: 05/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Munson, Nicholas J., Twigg, David W., Farinella, Daniel J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,095,593 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1402 Saving, restoring, recovering or retrying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/203 using migration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/805 Real-time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual middleware or OS functionality using virtual machines to implement generic software techniques for error detection or fault masking G06F11/1484
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/211 Software architecture within ATMs or in relation to the ATM network

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing redundancy in an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) is provided. Application software may be run on top of a virtual environment such as a virtual machine and/or a virtual disk environment. Should a software component fail, the virtual environment will “crash” but the ATM hardware and operating system will remain intact. If the software is fatally flawed—e.g., due to a faulty “upgrade” the older version may be “rolled back” from a previously stored virtual environment.

Claims

1. An automatic teller machine comprising:

at least one computer comprising;

at least one central processing unit;

at least one memory;

at least one device interface;

at least one device connected to the device interface; and

at least one software program running on the at least one computer, the at least one software program running on the at least one computer comprising at least two virtual environments;

wherein a failure in the at least one of the at least two virtual environments does not cause a failure of the automatic teller machine;

wherein at least one of the at least two virtual environments comprises at least one virtual machine;

wherein a failure in at least one of the at least two virtual environments triggers replacement of the at least one of the at least two virtual environments by another of the at least two virtual environments; and

wherein the computer tolerates the removal of a portion of the computer and/or of the at least one device.

2. The automatic teller machine of claim 1 wherein the at least one computer tolerates the attachment of at least one device to the automatic teller machine.

3. The automatic teller machine of claim 2 wherein the at least one software program tolerates the attachment of the at least one device to the automatic teller machine.

4. The automatic teller machine of claim 2 wherein the at least one software program allows the attachment and incorporates the at least one device to the automatic teller.

5. The automatic teller machine of claim 2 wherein the at least one softwares program acknowledges the attachment of the at least one device to the automatic teller machine.

6. The automatic teller machine of claim 5 wherein the at least one software program acquires at least one driver in response to the attachment of the at least one device to the automatic teller machine.

7. The automatic teller machine of claim 2 wherein the at least one software program signals at least one other software program concerning the attachment of the at least one device to the automatic teller machine.

8. The automatic teller machine of claim 1 wherein the at least one computer tolerates the attachment of at least one additional portion of the computer to the at least one computer.