Apparatus for dispensing money orders

• US 5,021,967 A
• Filed: 03/16/1990
• Issued: 06/04/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Travelers Express Company, Inc. (MoneyGram International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Republic Money Orders Incorporated
• Inventors: Smith, Lawrence G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ruggiero, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US07/494,562
• Time in Patent Office: 445 Days
• Field of Search: 364/400, 364/401, 364/406, 364/408, 364/478, 364/479, 364/519, 364/405, 235/375, 235/379-382.5, 235/432, 235/433, 235/431, 400/121, 400/124, 400/104-106, 400/50, 400/103, 902/1, 902/2
• US Class Current: 705/18
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/42 for ticket printing or like apparatus , e.g. apparatus for dispensing of printed paper tickets or payment cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/203 Dispensing operations within ATMs dispensing in general G07D11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/00 Cash registers alarm indicators G07G3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00

Abstract

An apparatus for dispensing money orders at a plurality of retail establishments is provided, including one or more data collector devices connected to a host device. Preferably, each of the money order dispensers include a digital processor for controlling the overall operation thereof, a keyboard for entering transaction data to request the printing of a money order, a display for displaying the transaction data, and a dot matrix printer for printing the requested money order. Each dispenser further includes an electrically-eraseable programmable read only memory (E² PROM) for storing a security inhibit printing code, this code being automatically changed to prevent actuation of the printer when the security of the dispenser is compromised. The physical dimensions of the money order dispenser are reduced by providing a dot matrix printer for receiving money orders in a transverse fashion, and software routines are provided to control the dot matrix printer to "rotate" the printed characters whereby money orders are dispensed in a readable fashion.

Claims

1. A system for issuing negotiable instruments to a purchaser comprising:

a point-of-sale negotiable instrument dispenser for issuing negotiable instruments at a predetermined location at the request of the purchaser where purchases of items other than negotiable instruments may be made;

a digital processor associated with the dispenser and having a stored program for controlling the operation of the dispenser including the number of instruments issued in a given period of time and a predetermined total dollar value of the negotiable instruments;

a memory associated with the digital processor for storing the dispenser transaction data relating to negotiable instruments issued, for storing a security code that authorizes printing of the negotiable instruments, and for maintaining the program for controlling the digital processor;

a compartment in the dispenser for storing blank negotiable instrument forms;

a printer in the dispenser for receiving negotiable instrument forms from the compartment and printing alphanumeric indicia thereon upon command from the dispenser; and

a cash register coupled to the dispenser at the point-of-sale and having a keyboard for transmitting a security code to the digital processor control program authorizing the printing of the negotiable instrument and for sending negotiable instrument transaction instructions to the dispenser for use by the digital processor control program to cause the printer to print a negotiable instrument as requested by the purchaser;

the cash register further comprising means for receiving stored transaction data from the dispenser.