Automatic transaction apparatus

• US 5,455,406 A
• Filed: 12/09/1993
• Issued: 10/03/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: American Express International Incorporated (American Express Company), Hitachi-Omron Terminal Solutions Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: American Express International Incorporated (American Express Company), Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Okamoto, Ryuichi, Tanaka, Emiko, Terashima, Hisashi, Goto, Kanzen, Oda, Ikuyo
• Primary Examiner(s): SHEPPERD, JOHN W
• Application Number:
  US08/164,416
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 902/3
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/042 characterized in that the payment protocol involves at least one cheque
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/35 by means of a handwritten signature
• 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 19/201 Accessories of ATMs
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/203 Dispensing operations within ATMs dispensing in general G07D11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/10 together with a coded signal , e.g. in the form of personal identification information, like personal identification number [PIN] or biometric data

Abstract

An automatic transaction apparatus for taking a transaction requiring the acquisition of a signature is provided with a mechanism for acquiring a signature. The signature acquisition mechanism includes a detector for detecting the execution of signature application. At the time of a signature acquisition processing, an advancement to the next processing step is taken when the execution of signature application is detected and information indicative of the completion of signature application is inputted. Thereby, the signature is surely recorded. The transaction requiring the acquisition of a signature includes a process for issuing a traveler'"'"'s check.

Claims

1. An automatic transaction apparatus for processing a check issuance transaction requiring the acquisition of a signature of an operator, comprising:

signature acquiring means for acquiring a signature of an operator, the signature acquiring means including a recording medium for recording a signature thereon, means for supplying said recording medium and means for receiving said recording medium after the signature has been acquired;

detecting means for detecting an execution of an operation to said signature acquiring means;

printing means for printing information generated by the transaction process; and

control means for advancing a transaction process in accordance with a predetermined procedure so that at a time of the acquiring the signature of an operator, an advancement to a next processing step including check issuance is only taken under a condition that an execution of the acquiring the signature of an operation to said signature acquiring means is detected by said detecting means, the control means including means for causing said printing means to print transaction information other than the signature on said recording medium so that the signature and the transaction information other than the signature are recorded together as transaction information.

2. The automatic transaction apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising input means for inputting a completion of signature application and wherein said control means takes, at the time of the acquiring the signature of an operator, the advancement to the next processing step under a condition that the execution of the acquiring the signature of an operator is detected by said detecting means and the completion of signature application is inputted from said input means.

3. The automatic transaction apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising displaying means for displaying a guidance which conducts an operator for an operation to be performed by the operator, and time monitoring means for monitoring the time,

wherein said control means includes means for causing said time monitoring means to monitor the time upon reception of a detection signal from said detecting means and causing said displaying means to make a display for urging an input of information indicative of a completion of signature acquiring when the completion of the signature acquiring is not inputted from said input means, notwithstanding that a fixed time has lapsed.

4. The automatic transaction apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising voice generating means for generating a voice output and wherein said control means includes means for urging the input of information indicative of the completion of signature application by the voice output.

5. An automatic transaction apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising displaying means for displaying a guidance which conducts an operator for an operation to be performed by the operator and wherein as the time of the signature acquiring said control means uses said displaying means to conduct the operator to apply a signature when the input of information indicative of the completion of signature acquiring from said input means is received before a detection signal from said detecting means is received.

6. The automatic transaction apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising voice generating means for displaying a guidance which conducts an operator for an operation to be performed by the operator and wherein as the time of the signature acquiring, said control means uses said voice generating means to conduct the operator to apply a signature in the case where the input of information indicative of the completion of signature acquiring from said input means is received before a detection signal from said detecting means is received.

7. The automatic transaction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detecting means includes means for detecting a depression pressure against said signature acquiring means at the time of signature application.

8. The automatic transaction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detecting means includes a light sensor.

9. An automatic transaction apparatus for processing a check issuance transaction requiring the acquisition of a signature of an operator comprising:

signature acquiring means for acquiring a signature of an operator;

detecting means for detecting an execution of an operation of said signature acquiring means;

control means for advancing a transaction process in accordance with a predetermined procedure so that at a time of the acquiring the signature of said operator, an advancement to a next processing step including check issuance is taken only under a condition that an execution of the acquiring the signature of an operator to said signature acquiring means is detected by said detecting means; and

printing means for printing information generated by the transaction process,

and wherein said signature acquiring means includes a recording medium for recording a signature thereon, means for supplying said recording medium and means for receiving said recording medium after the signature has been acquired and said control means causes said printing means to print transaction information other than the signature on said recording medium so that the signature and the transaction information other than the signature are together recorded as transaction information.

10. The automatic transaction apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said control means includes means, in the case where the input of information indicative of the rewriting of a signature from said input means is received, for transporting said recording medium so that a signature can be newly applied.

11. The automatic transaction apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising input means for inputting a completion of signature application and wherein said control means includes means for, at a time of the signature acquiring, advancing the apparatus to the next processing step under the condition that the execution of the signature acquiring is detected by said detecting means and the completion of signature application is inputted from said input means.

12. A transaction information recording method in an automatic check issuance transaction apparatus which takes a check issuance transaction requiring an acquisition of a signature of an operator, wherein the apparatus includes means for inputting information necessary for a transaction process, displaying means for conducting an operation to be performed by an operator and signature acquiring means for recording the signature of the operator, comprising the steps of:

advancing the transaction process in accordance with a predetermined procedure;

monitoring, when a signature acquisition processing is to be performed, whether or not an operation to said signature acquiring means is executed and whether or not an input of acknowledge information indicative of a completion of the signature acquisition processing is present;

conducting the operator to apply a signature in the case where the input of said acknowledge information is not detected with the execution of the operation to said signature acquiring means;

urging the operator to input the acknowledge information in a case where the input of said acknowledge information is not made after a lapse of a fixed time after the execution of the operation to said signature acquiring means has been detected; and

leaving as a transaction information record the signature together with information for specifying a transaction subjected to signature application in the case where both the operation to said signature acquiring means and the input of said acknowledge information are made.

13. The transaction information recording method according to claim 12, wherein after the detection of both the execution of the operation to said signature acquiring means and the input of said acknowledge information, the execution of the operation to said signature acquiring means is monitored again so that when no operation is performed for fixed time, an advancement to the next processing including check issuance is taken regarding the signature acquisition processing as being completed.

14. The transaction information recording method according to claim 12, wherein a time until the operation to said signature acquiring means is performed is monitored at the time of start of the signature acquiring so that the transaction process is stopped to make a communication to monitor device when the operation to said signature acquiring means is not performed after a lapse of a fixed time.

15. The automatic transaction apparatus for taking a check issuance transaction recruiting an acquisition of a signature, comprising:

signature acquiring means for acquiring a signature of an operator on a recording medium other than on a check to be issued, the signature acquiring means including a recording medium for recording the signature thereon, means for supplying said recording medium, and means for receiving said recording medium after the signature has been acquired;

detecting means for detecting whether a signature operation to said signature acquiring means is executed;

control means for advancing a transaction process in accordance with a predetermined procedure so that at a time of a signature acquisition processing, an advancement to a next processing step including check issuance is taken under a condition that the execution of the signature acquiring to said signature acquiring means is detected by said detecting means; and

,

printing means for printing information generated by the transaction process, wherein said control means includes means for causing said printing means to print transaction information other than the signature on said recording medium so that the signature and the transaction information other than the signature are together recorded as transaction information.

16. The automatic transaction apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising input means for inputting a completion of signature application and wherein said control means includes means for advancing the apparatus, at a time of the signature acquiring, to the next processing step under the condition that the execution of the signature acquiring is detected by said detecting means and the completion of signature application in inputted from said input means.