ATM operation supporting system

• US 6,014,649 A
• Filed: 10/22/1996
• Issued: 01/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Norio, Kawada, Hiroshi, Ohshima, Junko, Takahashi, Hiroko, Ishijima, Hiroyuki, Tsubura, Syuichi, Tsuchihashi, Hiroe, Chigira, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): MacDonald, Allen R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kanof, Pedro R.
• Application Number:
  US08/734,789
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 705/43, 705/42, 705/7
• US Class Current: 705/43
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1085 involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/24 Managing the stock of valuable papers
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/245 Replenishment
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/201 Accessories of ATMs

Abstract

An ATM operation supporting system for managing the number of bills in a plurality of ATMs. The system includes a mobile cart, a counting section, and a control section. The mobile cart has a handling mechanism capable of installing a bill cassette into each ATM and removing the bill cassette from each ATM. The mobile travels to each ATM and installs and removes the bill cassette using the handling mechanism, thereby performing bill replenishment/collection operation for each ATM. The counting section counts the number of bills stored in the bill cassette which is directly or indirectly loaded onto the mobile cart by a clerk in charge. The control section controls the bill replenishment/collection operation performed by the mobile cart such that the numbers of bills in the ATMs are balanced. The ATM operation supporting system can manage the number of bills in an ATM, thereby realizing efficient utilization of cash as well as easing the operational burden on a clerk in charge.

Claims

1. An ATM operation supporting system for managing the number of bills in a plurality of ATMs, said system comprising:

a mobile cart movable to each ATM and having a handling mechanism installing a bill cassette into each ATM in a bill replenishment operation and removing said bill cassette from each ATM in a bill collection operation;

a counting section generating a count of the number of bills stored in said bill cassette; and

a control section generating a control signal to said mobile cart, based on the number of bills in each ATM and the count of the number of bills stored in said bill cassette generated by said counting section, the control signal causing said mobile cart to perform at least one of the bill replenishment and collection operations so that the number of bills in said ATMs are balanced.

2. The ATM operation supporting system according to claim 1, wherein said counting section is disposed within each of said plurality of ATMs.

3. The ATM operation supporting system according to claim 1, wherein said control section generates the control signal to said mobile cart to perform at least one of the bill replenishment and collection operations so that the numbers of bills in said ATMs are collectively balanced, when said bill cassette is set on said mobile cart and when at least one of a preset collective replenishment time and a collection time is reached.

4. The ATM operation supporting system according to claim 1, wherein said control section periodically estimates the demanded number of bills of each ATM based on variations in the number of bills in each ATM, and generates the control signal to said mobile cart to perform at least one of the bill replenishment and collection operations in accordance with the demanded number of bills so that the number of bills in ATMs are balanced.

5. The ATM operation supporting system according to claim 1, wherein said control section generates the control signal to said mobile cart to perform at least one of the bill replenishment and collection operations for an ATM in which the number of bills currently being stored has reached at least one of a near-end number of bills and a near-full number of bills.

6. The ATM operation supporting system according to claim 5, wherein when the number of bills in said bill cassette has reached at least one of the near-end number of bills and the near-full number of bills, said control section generates the control signal to said mobile cart to perform at least one of the bill replenishment and collection operations so that the number of bills in said bill cassette falls within a range between the near-end number of bills and the near-full number of bills.

7. The ATM operation supporting system according to claim 1, wherein the number of bills in said bill cassette loaded onto said mobile cart is a preset number and said control section generates the control signal to said mobile cart to perform at least one of the bill replenishment and collection operations so that the number of bills in said bill cassette becomes equal to the preset number.

8. The ATM operation supporting system according to claim 1, wherein said control section, in generating the control signal, determines the order in which said mobile cart carries out at least one of the bill replenishment and collection operations for said ATMs, based on a determination of whether to execute the bill replenishment operation or the bill collection operation, the number of bills to be used in the bill replenishment operation or collected in the bill collection operation, and the type of bills to be used in the bill replenishment operation or collected in the bill collection operation.

9. The ATM operation supporting system according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of bill cassettes, and

wherein said control section, in generating the control signal, identifies one of the plurality of bill cassette to be used for the bill replenishment and collection operations for each ATM, based on a determination of whether the number of bills in each bill cassette has already been counted, a determination of whether said one of the plurality of bill cassettes has already been loaded onto said mobile cart, and the number of bills in each of the plurality of bill cassettes.

10. The ATM operation supporting system according to claim 1,

wherein each of said plurality of ATMs includes a door on a rear side, and

wherein after said bill cassette has been installed into one of the plurality of ATMs subjected to at least one of the bill replenishment and collection operations, the door on the rear side of said one ATM is closed by said mobile cart simultaneously with said counting section generating the count.

11. The ATM operation supporting system according to claim 10, wherein said control section simultaneously generates the control signal to said mobile cart to perform at least one of the bill replenishment and collection operations for another one of said plurality of ATMs.

12. The ATM operation supporting system according to claim 2,

further comprising a cassette station having a plurality of bill cassettes,

wherein said handling mechanism transfers said bill cassettes between said mobile cart and said cassette station when said mobile cart is positioned with said cassette station, and

wherein said control section determines whether the number of bills in each bill cassette retained in said cassette station has been determined, as well as, whether the number of bills in each bill cassette loaded onto said mobile cart has been determined, and when there exists a bill cassette holding bills the number of which has not been determined yet, said control section generates the control signal to said mobile cart to load that bill cassette into one of said plurality of ATMs and to cause said counting section of the one ATM to determine the count of the number of bills in said bill cassette.

13. The ATM operation supporting system according to claim 12, wherein when the count of the number of bills in said bill cassette is being determined by said counting section, said control section control generates the signal to said mobile cart to perform the bill replenishment and collection operations for said ATM simultaneously.

14. The ATM operation supporting system according to claim 1,

wherein said control signal includes a movement instruction,

wherein said mobile cart includes position detecting means for detecting an arrival of said mobile cart at a target ATM according to the movement instruction,

wherein each of the plurality of ATMs includes an arrival sensor which detects the arrival of said mobile cart at the rear side of said ATM, and

wherein said control section, in generating the control signal, determines whether said mobile cart has arrived at said target ATM based on said position detecting means detecting the arrival of said mobile cart and said arrival sensor of said target ATM detecting the arrival of said mobile cart.

15. The ATM operation supporting system according to claim 1,

wherein each of said plurality of ATMs includes a door on a rear side,

wherein said mobile cart includes a timer clocking a predetermined time, said timer being activated when said mobile cart opens the door on the rear side of one of said plurality of ATMs which is subject to at least one of the bill replenishment and collection operations, and

wherein said mobile cart closes the door when said timer has clocked out the predetermined time.

16. The ATM operation supporting system according to claim 15, wherein each of said plurality of ATMs includes a charging mechanism which charges said mobile cart when said door of said one of said plurality of ATMs which is subject to at least one of the bill replenishment and collection operations by said mobile cart is closed and which does not charge said mobile cart when said door is open.

17. The ATM operation supporting system according to claim 1, wherein said control section manages the number of bills currently stored in each ATM and the number of bills stored in said bill cassette held on said mobile cart and outputs the numbers.

18. The ATM operation supporting system according to claim 1, wherein said control section manages, for each ATM, the total number of bills used for replenishing said plurality of ATMs using said mobile cart and the total number of bills collected from said plurality of ATMs using said mobile cart, and outputs the total numbers.

19. The ATM operation supporting system according to claim 1, wherein said control section manages a history of variations in the number of bills used for replenishing said plurality of ATMs using said mobile cart and in the number of bills collected from said plurality of ATMs using said mobile cart, and outputs the history.

20. The ATM operation supporting system according to claim 1, wherein said control section manages a history of variations in the number of bills loaded into said mobile cart through said bill cassettes and outputs the history.

21. The ATM operation supporting system according to claim 1, wherein said control section generates the control signal to said mobile cart to perform at least one of the bill replenishment and collection operations on a subset of said plurality of ATMs which are not being subjected to maintenance.

22. The ATM operation supporting system according to claim 21, wherein said subset of ATMs includes ATMs for which maintenance has been completed.