Automatic cash transaction apparatus having a main body and an additional unit

• US 5,610,382 A
• Filed: 06/02/1995
• Issued: 03/11/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Hidehiko
• Primary Examiner(s): SHEPPERD, JOHN W
• Application Number:
  US08/459,309
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 902/20, 902/21
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/201 Accessories of ATMs

Abstract

The present invention discloses an automatic cash transaction apparatus having a main body and an additional unit. On the basis of instruction information from the user, an apparatus main body executes processes regarding a cash transaction while communicating with a high-order apparatus. An input/output apparatus having a telephone is provided as an additional unit for the apparatus main body. The input/output apparatus synthesizes audio data on the basis of an instruction from the apparatus main body and outputs an audio message signal to a telephone. The user operates dial buttons of the telephone in accordance with the audio message. Since the telephone has the same dial button arrangement as that of the telephone which is daily used, even a visually handicapped person can easily execute a necessary inputting operation.

Claims

1. An automatic cash transaction apparatus which is constructed by a transaction apparatus main body and an additional unit which is arranged along a side of said transaction apparatus main body, wherein:

said transaction apparatus main body comprises

cash transaction means for executing processes regarding a cash transaction based on a user instruction

first input/output means for displaying a guidance for cash transaction, for inputting information corresponding to the guidance display, and for informing said cash transaction means; and

said additional unit comprises

telephone means for providing an audio sound to the user and for inputting information by the user through a plurality of dial buttons; and

second input/output means for synthesizing audio data of the guidance based on an instruction from said cash transaction means, for generating an audio signal to said telephone means, for detecting information of said plurality of dial buttons depressed by the user in correspondence to said audio guidance, and for notifying the detected information to the cash transaction means.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in said telephone means of said additional unit, a handset has a speaker to provide an audio sound to the user and a total of twelve dial buttons indicative of numerals 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 and symbols # and * are arranged in a matrix form of four rows and three columns in said handset.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second input/output means comprises:

audio data storing means for storing audio data;

audio synthesizing means for synthesizing the audio data based on the instruction from said cash transaction means and for generating an audio instruction;

touch tone differentiating means for differentiating a type of dial button of said telephone means; and

receiver state detecting means for detecting an on-hook state of a receiver of the telephone means.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cash transaction means executes a paying process, a money inputting process, a balance checking process, or a bankbook writing process.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

in a case where a first input by the user is executed from said first input/output means, said cash transaction means sets an ordinary mode and executes an inputting/outputting process,

and in a case where a first input by the user is executed from said telephone means of said additional unit, said cash transaction means sets an audio mode and executes an inputting/outputting process by the audio instruction and the dial buttons via said second input/output means.

6. An automatic cash transaction apparatus which is constructed by a transaction apparatus main body and an additional unit which is arranged along a side of said transaction apparatus main body,

wherein said transaction apparatus main body comprises:

cash transaction means for executing processes regarding a cash transaction based on instruction from a user while communicating with a high-order apparatus; and

first input/output means for displaying a guidance for cash transaction, for inputting information corresponding to the guidance display, and for informing said cash transaction means; and

wherein said additional unit comprises;

telephone means for providing an audio sound to a user and for inputting by using dial buttons,

speaker means for providing the audio sound to the user, and

second input/output means for synthesizing audio data of a guidance based on an instruction from said cash transaction means, for generating an audio signal to said telephone means or said speaker means, for detecting the information of said dial buttons depressed by the user in correspondence to said audio guidance, and for notifying the detected information to the cash transaction means.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein in said telephone means of said additional unit, a handset has a speaker to provide an audio sound to the user and a total of twelve dial buttons indicative of numerals 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 and symbols # and * are arranged in a matrix form of four rows and three columns in said handset.

8. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said second input/output means comprises:

audio data storing means for storing audio data;

audio synthesizing means for synthesizing the audio data in said audio data storing means based on the instruction from said cash transaction means and for generating an audio signal of a guidance;

touch tone differentiating means for differentiating a kind of dial buttons of said telephone means;

receiver state detecting means for detecting an on-hook state of a receiver of said telephone means; and

switching means for switching the audio signal of the guidance from said audio synthesizing means and for outputting the switched audio signal of the guidance to the speaker means or the telephone means.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein in the case where said receiver state detecting means detects that the telephone has been returned in a waiting state of an inputting operation by the dial buttons of said telephone means, said switching means of said additional unit switches an output destination of the audio signal of the audio guidance from said audio synthesizing means from the telephone means to the speaker means.

10. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

in a case where a first input by the user is executed from said first input/output means, said cash transaction means of said transaction apparatus main body sets an ordinary mode and executes an inputting/outputting process,

and in a case where a first input by the user is executed from said telephone means of said additional unit, said cash transaction means sets an audio mode and executes an inputting/outputting process by the audio guidance and the dial buttons via said second input/output means.

11. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said cash transaction means of said transaction apparatus main body executes a paying process, a money inputting process, a balance checking process, or a bankbook writing process.

12. An automatic cash transaction apparatus which is constructed by a transaction apparatus main body and an additional unit which is arranged along a side of said transaction apparatus main body;

said transaction apparatus main body comprises;

cash transaction means for executing processes regarding a cash transaction based on instruction from a user while communicating with a high-order apparatus; and

input/output means for displaying a guidance for cash transaction, for inputting information corresponding to the guidance display or an audio guidance from said speaker means, and for informing said cash transaction means; and

said additional unit comprises;

speaker means for providing an audio sound to the user and

output means for synthesizing audio data of a guidance based on an instruction from said cash transaction means and for outputting an audio signal to said speaker means.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said output means of said additional unit comprises:

audio data storing means for storing audio data; and

audio synthesizing means for synthesizing the audio data in said audio data storing means based on the instruction from said cash transaction means and for generating an audio signal of a guidance.

14. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said cash transaction means of said transaction apparatus main body executes a paying process, a money inputting process, a balance checking process, or a bankbook writing process.

15. An automatic cash transaction apparatus which is constructed by a transaction apparatus main body and an additional unit which is arranged along a side of said transaction apparatus main body;

said transaction apparatus main body comprises;

cash transaction means for executing processes regarding a cash transaction based on instruction from a user while communicating with a high-order apparatus and

first input/output means for displaying a guidance for cash transaction, for inputting information corresponding to the guidance display, and for informing said cash transaction means; and

said additional unit comprises;

telephone means provided with a speaker for communicating an audio sound to the user in a handset thereof, and having in said handset twelve dial buttons representing numerals 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 and symbols # and * arranged in a matrix forming four rows and three columns, and for inputting by using said dial buttons and

second input/output means for synthesizing the contents of the cash transaction and audio data of a guidance instructing an operation of any one of the dial buttons representing the numerals 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 and the symbols # and * among said dial buttons of said telephone means, which forms a response input to said transaction contents based on an instruction from said cash transaction means, for outputting the audio signal of said audio data to said speaker of said telephone means, for detecting information of said dial button pressed by the user in accordance with said audio guidance, and for notifying the detected information to said cash transaction means.

16. An automatic cash transaction apparatus which is constructed by a transaction apparatus main body and an additional unit which is arranged along a side of said transaction apparatus main body;

said transaction apparatus main body comprises;

cash transaction means for executing processes regarding a cash transaction based on instruction from a user while communicating with a high-order apparatus and

first input/output means for displaying a guidance for cash transaction, for inputting information corresponding to the guidance display, and for informing said cash transaction means; and

said additional unit comprises;

telephone means provided with a speaker for communicating an audio sound to the user in a handset thereof, and having in said handset twelve dial buttons representing numerals 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 and symbols # and * arranged in a matrix forming four rows and three columns, and for inputting by using said dial buttons,

speaker means for communicating an audio sound to the user; and

second input/output means for synthesizing the contents of the cash transaction and audio data of a guidance instructing an operation of any one of the dial buttons representing numerals 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 and symbols # and * among said dial buttons of said telephone means, which forms a response input to said transaction contents based on an instruction from said cash transaction means, for outputting the audio signal of said audio data to said telephone means or said speaker means, for detecting information of said dial button pressed by the user in accordance with said audio guidance, and for notifying the detected information to said cash transaction means.

17. An automatic cash transaction apparatus, comprising:

an accessory unit attached on a side of a transaction main body;

the transaction main body comprising;

cash transaction means for executing a cash transaction based on an instruction of a user;

first input/output means for displaying prompts, for inputting responses to the displayed prompts, and for inputting information to the cash transaction means; and

the accessory unit comprising;

telephone means for outputting audio data and inputting data;

second input/output means for synthesizing audio data of the prompts, for generating an audio signal to the telephone means, for detecting the responses of the user, and for notifying the responses to the cash transaction means.

18. An automatic cash transaction apparatus, comprising:

an accessory unit attached to a side of a transaction main body;

the transaction main body comprising;

cash transaction means for executing a cash transaction based on an instruction of a user;

first input/output means for displaying prompts, for inputting responses to the displayed prompts, and for inputting information to the cash transaction means; and

the accessory unit comprising;

telephone means for communicating an audio sound to the user through a handset, the handset has twelve dial buttons representing numerals 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and symbols # and *, arranged in a matrix forming four rows and three columns, for inputting data;

speaker means for communicating an audio sound to the user, and

second input/output means for synthesizing information of the cash transaction and synthesizing audio data of a prompt, for outputting an audio signal to the telephone means, for detecting a response through the dial buttons, and for notifying the response to the cash transaction means.