AUTOMATIC BANKING SYSTEM

• US 3,833,885 A
• Filed: 05/24/1973
• Issued: 09/03/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fred J. Gentile, Jack Chu-Wang Chang
• Original Assignee: Fred J. Gentile, Jack Chu-Wang Chang
• Inventors: Gentile, Fred J., Chang, Jack Chu-Wang
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitts, Harold I.
• Application Number:
  US05/363,665
• Time in Patent Office: 467 Days
• Field of Search: 340/152R,149A
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/201 Accessories of ATMs
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/211 Software architecture within ATMs or in relation to the ATM network

Abstract

Acentral processing unit coupled to one or more remote automatic dispensing terminal banking machines provides fully automatic stations for completing banking functions in response to a coded credit card presented to any one of the remote dispensing stations. After the credit card presented to one of the remote terminals has been initially checked to determine if the card has the proper format, coded information thereon is evaluated to check the users identity prior to authorizing them to complete a selected banking transaction. When each of several standard checks of the credit card code have been completed, a user is instructed to enter a transaction selection, comprising one of four banking functions, along with the amount of the banking transaction. At this point the remote terminal assembles an authorization request message and, upon receipt of a poll command from the central processing unit, transmits this inquiry message to a central computer. The central computer interrogates account files as appropriate and replies by transmitting an authorization reply message to the remote terminal. An authorization code included in this message by the central computer instructs the remote terminal how to complete the selected transaction. Following completion of the selected transaction, the remote terminal assembles a completion status message, and upon receipt of a poll command from the central processing unit, transmits this completion message to the central computer. Communications between the central processing unit and each of the remote terminals is thus completed only upon a poll command from the central computer.

Claims

1. The method of authorizing financial transactions in response to coded data on a document in an automatic banking system including a central processing unit and a plurality of remote terminals, comprising the steps of:

polling each of the remote terminals in sequence to ascertain the condition thereof to transmit an authorization request for the use in response to document coded data, transmitting an authorization request for a polled remote terminal to the central processing unit, generating an authorization code to the remote terminal transmitting an authorization request, polling each terminal in sequence to ascertain the condition thereof to accept a specific generated authorization code, transmitting the authorization code to the remote terminal, and completing a financial transaction in the remote terminal in response to the authorization code.

2. The method of authorizing financial transactions as set forth in claim 1 including the step of interrogating the central processing unit to evaluate an authorization request for a financial transaction.

3. The method of authorizing financial transactions as set forth in claim 2 wherein the step of interrogating the central processing unit includes:

comparing an expiration date code read from the document with a document expiration date code stored in the central processing unit for verification of the document validity.

4. The method of authorizing financial transactions as set forth in claim 3 wherein the step of interrogating the central processing unit further includes:

comparing a code of uses per day read from the document with the number of uses per day allowed stored in the central processing unit for verification of the document validity and transaction authorization.

5. The method of authorizing financial transactions as set forth in claim 4 wherein the step of interrogating the central processing unit further includes:

comparing a total number of uses for the prEsented document as read therefrom with a total allowed uses code stored in the central processing unit for transaction authorization.

6. The method of authorizing financial transactions as set forth in claim 5 wherein the step of interrogating the central processing unit further includes:

comparing an account number code read from the document with a list of account number codes stored in the central processing unit for verification of a particular account number.

7. The method of authorizing financial transactions as set forth in claim 1 including the step of generating an authorization request at a specific remote terminal in response to a document presented thereto.

8. The method of authorizing financial transactions as set forth in claim 7 wherein the step of generating the authorization request includes:

reading coded data from the presented document, and comparing the coded data with a verification code inserted and stored in the remote terminal for verification of the validity of the presented document.

9. The method of authorizing financial transactions as set forth in claim 8 wherein the step of comparing the read code data with a verification code includes the step of comparing a read bank code with a stored bank code for verification of the document validity.

10. The method of authorizing financial transactions as set forth in claim 9 wherein the step of generating the authorization request further includes:

generating a financial transaction selection code representing a banking function from a selection consisting of;

a withdrawal transaction, a deposit transaction, a transfer transaction and a payment transaction.

11. The method of authorizing financial transactions in response to coded data on a document in an automatic banking system including a central processing unit and a plurality of remote terminals, comprising the steps of:

polling each remote terminal in sequence to ascertain the condition thereof to accept a generated authorization code from the central processing unit, transmitting the authorization code to the individual remote terminal, completing a financial transaction in the remote terminal in response to an authorization code, and polling each of the remote terminals in sequence to ascertain the condition thereof to transmit completion status data reflecting completion of a financial transaction in a remote terminal.

12. The method of authorizing financial transactions as set forth in claim 11 including the step of generating completion status data in a remote terminal for transmission to the central processing unit in response to a specific poll therefrom.

13. The method of authorizing financial transactions as set forth in claim 12 including the step of polling each of the remote terminals in sequence to ascertain the condition thereof to transmit an authorization request for use in response to the document coded data.

14. The method of authorizing financial transactions as set forth in claim 13 including the step of transmitting an authorization request for a polled terminal to the central processing unit.

15. The method of authorizing financial transactions as set forth in claim 14 including the step of generating an authorization code to the remote terminal transmitting an authorization request.

16. The method of authorizing financial transactions in response to coded data on a document in an automatic banking system including a central processing unit and a plurality of remote terminals, comprising the steps of:

generating bad account update data in the central processing unit for each of the intended remote terminals, polling each intended remote terminal in sequence to ascertain the condition thereof to accept bad account update data, and transmitting the updated bad account data to a remote terminal.

17. The method of authorizing financial transactions as set forth in claim 16 including the steps of:

generating an authorizatioN code to a remote terminal transmitting an authorization request, transmitting the authorization code to the individual remote terminals, and completing a financial transaction in the remote terminal in response to the authorization signal.

18. The method of authorizing financial transactions as set forth in claim 17 including the step of polling each terminal in sequence to ascertain the condition thereof to accept a specific authorization code.

19. The method of authorizing financial transactions as set forth in claim 18 including the step of polling each of the remote terminals in sequence to ascertain the condition thereof to transmit an authorization request for the use in response to document coded data.

20. The method of authorizing financial transactions as set forth in claim 19 including the step of transmitting an authorization request for a polled remote terminal to the central processing unit.

21. Apparatus for authorizing financial transactions in response to coded data on a document in an automatic banking system including a central processing unit and a plurality of remote terminals, comprising in combination:

first means as part of the processing unit polling each of the remote terminals in sequence to ascertain the condition thereof to transmit an authorization request for use in response to document coded data, means for transmitting an authorization request for a polled remote terminal to the central processing unit, second means as part of the processing unit for generating an authorization code for the remote terminal transmitting an authorization request, third means as part of the processing unit for polling each terminal in sequence to ascertain the condition thereof to accept a specific generated authorization code, means for transmitting the authorization code to the individual remote terminals, means as part of each remote terminal for completing a financial transaction in the remote terminal in response to the authorization code, fourth means as part of the processing unit for polling each of the remote terminals in sequence to ascertain the condition thereof to transmit transaction completion status data, means as part of each remote terminal for generating transaction completion status data at the completion of a financial transaction at the remote terminal, fifth means as part of the processing unit for polling each intended remote terminal in sequence to ascertain the condition thereof to accept bad account update data, and means for transmitting updated bad account data from the central processing unit to a remote terminal.

22. Apparatus for authorizing financial transactions as set forth in claim 21 including sixth means as part of the processing unit for generating bad account update data.

23. Apparatus for authorizing financial transactions as set forth in claim 21 including means at each remote terminal for generating an authorization request at a specific remote terminal.

24. Apparatus for authorizing financial transactions as set forth in claim 21 including seventh means as part of the processing unit for interrogating the unit to evaluate an authorization request for a financial transaction.