Enhanced network monitor system for automated banking machines

• US 6,112,983 A
• Filed: 04/17/1998
• Issued: 09/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Diebold Incorporated (Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Diebold Incorporated (Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated)
• Inventors: Stewart, Tom, D'Anniballe, Craig W., Patterson, Terry
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech, Karl D.
• Application Number:
  US09/062,207
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 902/37, 902/39, 705/35, 705/39, 705/42, 705/43
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/211 Software architecture within ATMs or in relation to the ATM network

Abstract

An enhanced network monitor system (30) processes event messages and command response messages from automated banking machines such as ATM terminals (36). Both message types are assigned a single transaction code. The system includes an application program (34) in which the event messages and command response messages are processed in a host computer by parallel message processing regions (52, 54, 56). A modified VTAM communications protocol enables the application to control sequencing of messages generated by the ATM terminals. This enables both event messages and command response messages to be run in a response mode. The transaction processing limit for the parallel message processing regions may be set to a maximum value. The parallel message processing regions run the single transaction repeatedly without reloading which increases the rate at which messages are handled.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an automated banking machine, wherein the machine is operative to generate at least one electronic event message responsive to an event occurring at the machine, and wherein the machine is operative to generate an electronic command response message responsive to an electronic command message received by the machine, wherein the event message and the command response message are adapted to be received by a host computer, and wherein the event message and the command response message each include transaction codes, wherein the transaction codes are operative to address the messages to message processing regions in the host computer, and wherein the event message and the command response message each include a common transaction code.

2. The system according to claim 1 and further comprising:

a host computer, wherein the host computer is in operative communication with the banking machine, and wherein the host computer is operative to issue the command message to the machine and to receive the event message and the command response message, and wherein the host computer includes at least one parallel message processing region operating therein, and wherein the event message and the command response message are processed by the parallel message processing region.

3. The system according to claim 2 wherein the command message received by the banking machine from the host computer includes a beginning indicator and an ending indicator, and wherein the command response message generated by the machine includes only the beginning indicator, and wherein the host computer is operative responsive to receipt of the command response message to generate an end message including the ending indicator.

4. The system according to claim 3 wherein the banking machine and host computer generally communicate in a VTAM protocol and wherein the beginning indicator is a begin bracket (BB) and the ending indicator is an end bracket (EB).

5. The system according to claim 1 wherein the banking machine is operative to generate a plurality of event messages, wherein each event message corresponds to one of a plurality of events occurring at the banking machine and is generated responsive to occurrence of its corresponding event, and wherein the banking machine is further operative to receive a plurality of command messages and to generate a plurality of response messages responsive to the command messages, and wherein each command response message corresponds to one of the command messages, and wherein each event message and each command response message includes the common transaction code.

6. The system according to claim 5 and further comprising a host computer, wherein the host computer is in operative communication with the banking machine, and wherein the host computer is operative to issue the command messages to the machine and to receive the event messages and the command response messages, and wherein the host computer includes a plurality of parallel message processing regions operating therein, and wherein each one of the plurality of parallel message processing regions are enabled to process each of the plurality of event messages and each of the plurality of command response messages.

7. The system according to claim 1 wherein the command message received by the banking machine includes a beginning indicator and an ending indicator, and wherein the command response message generated by the machine includes only the beginning indicator.

8. A system comprising

a host computer;

and

an automated banking machine in operative communication with the host computer, wherein the banking machine is operative to issue an event message to the host computer responsive to an event occurring at the banking machine, and wherein the host computer is operative to issue a command message to the banking machine, and the banking machine is operative to issue a command response message to the host computer responsive to the command message from the host computer, and wherein the host computer is operative to issue an end message to the banking machine responsive to the command response message from the banking machine, wherein when the event occurs after the banking machine issues the command response message and before the banking machine receives the end message responsive thereto, the banking machine is operative to defer issuing the event message until the end message has been received.

9. A system according to claim 8 wherein the host computer includes at least one parallel message processing region operating therein, and wherein the event message and the command response message are processed by the parallel message processing region.

10. A system according to claim 9 wherein the command message received by the banking machine includes a beginning indicator and an ending indicator, and wherein the command response message issued by the banking machine includes a beginning indicator and does not include an ending indicator.

11. A system according to claim 10 wherein the end message issued by the host computer includes an ending indicator.

12. A system according to claim 9 wherein the event message and the command response message each include a common transaction code.

13. A method of operation of a system including at least one automated banking machine and a host computer in communication with the banking machine, comprising the steps of:

a) generating with the host computer a command message to the banking machine;

b) generating with the banking machine responsive to the command message, a command response message to the computer;

c) generating with the host computer responsive to the command response message, an end message to the banking machine;

d) generating with the banking machine responsive to occurrence of an event at the banking machine, an event message to the host computer, wherein when the event occurs between steps (b) and (c) the banking machine defers generating the event message until after step (c).

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein the command response message generated in step (b) and the event message generated in step (d) each include a common transaction code.

15. The method according to claim 13 wherein the host computer includes at least one parallel message processing region operating therein, and further comprising the step of:

e) processing the command response message generated in step (b) and the event message generated in step (d) in the at least one parallel message processing region.

16. The method according to claim 13 wherein the command response message generated in step (b) includes a beginning indicator and not an ending indicator.

17. The method according to claim 16 wherein the end message generated in step (c) includes an ending indicator and not a beginning indicator.