System for displaying information on distributed automated transaction machines

• US 6,489,935 B1
• Filed: 01/24/2000
• Issued: 12/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: OETR Oekonomisk Transaksjons Reklame As
• Original Assignee: OETR Oekonomisk Transaksjons Reklame As
• Inventors: Amundsen, Finn Viggo
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Nitin
• Application Number:
  US09/463,884
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 345/2, 345/333, 345/357, 345/329, 395/200, 707/513, 725/112-120, 709/206, 709/207
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like

Abstract

A system for displaying information on distributed automated transaction devices (2) is described. The information which is to be displayed is stored in a central unit (4), and is transferred to a local unit (1) for display on a screen (11) in an automated transaction device (2) under the control of the local unit (1). Which of a plurality of information messages should be displayed is decided on the basis of a number of criteria determined by the person who wishes to distribute the information message. By means of the system pauses are detected in the automated transaction devices (2), and a message is displayed on the automated transaction device'"'"'s screen (11) for the duration of the pause. The local unit (1) updates the central unit (4) frequently with regard to the number of exposures, and criteria such as the priority given to the various messages are altered as a result of these updatings. For their part the local units (1) are updated by the central unit (4) when new priorities are calculated, or when new messages or criteria are specified.

Claims

1. A system for displaying a message on automated transaction devices with a screen, where in periods of time or areas of the screen which are not used in connection with any ongoing transaction. the screen is employed for displaying a message, comprising:

one or more central units and one or more local units, and wherein each local unit includes means for controlling display of information messages on one or more automated transaction devices and is permanently or connectably coupled to at least one central unit,

wherein

at least one central unit comprises an information database which contains the information messages that are to be displayed, said information messages being independent of the ongoing transaction,

at least one central unit contains specified conditions for when and how each information message in the information database should be displayed,

at last one central unit comprises means for transferring said information messages,

the local units comprise means for retrieving context information comprising means for determining the identity of a user of the automated transaction device, or at least for retrieving pre-defined information about said user, and optionally means for retrieving other data concerning the surroundings, together with means for recording and storing statistical data concerning the use of the automated transaction devices and the presentations of the messages,

the local units comprise means for transferring such data to one or more central units, and

means for selecting which of the available information messages should be displayed at any time by comparing said retrieved data with said specification for each individual information message.

2. A system according to claim 1,

wherein said information on said user includes at least sex and/or age.

3. A system according to claim 1 or 2,

wherein said information on the surroundings includes at least one of the following:

the geographical location of the automated transaction device, time of day, day of the week, week number and for what kind of service the automated transaction device is being used.

4. A system according to claim 1,

wherein said specified conditions for when and where an information message should be displayed comprises at least some of the types of data which may be determined by the local units, possibly together with how many times a given information message should be displayed.

5. A system according to claim 1,

wherein a plurality of central units, each of which controls local units in its own region, are linked together via a common central unit, thus forming an additional hierarchical level for administration of the system.

6. A system according to claim 1,

wherein the local unit comprise a computer which, every time an information message has to be displayed, selects from the messages it has received from the central unit on the basis of conditions received from the central unit and available information on the extent to which these conditions have been fulfilled.

7. A system according to claim 1,

wherein a local unit is connected to a plurality of automated transaction devices in a geographically relatively limited area, such as, for example, a shopping centre, and supplies information messages to the automated transaction devices connected thereto when they signal that they are ready to receive and display such messages.

8. A system according to claim 1,

wherein a given automated transaction device comprises equipment for detecting pauses in its own screen signal and for signaling to the connected local unit that it is in a pause, thus enabling the information system to take over control of the screen and display a message for the duration of the pause.

9. A system according to claim 7,

wherein one or more of the automated transaction devices which are linked to the same local unit comprise equipment for detecting pauses in their own screen signal, and further comprise an interface for communicating with the connected local unit via a data network, this communication comprising signals to the local unit informing it that the automated transaction device is ready to receive and display an information message, possible context information from the automated transaction device to the local unit, and an information message from the local unit to the automated transaction device.

10. A system according to claim 8 or 9,

wherein the detection of pauses is carried out by means of a unit which monitors the automated transaction device'"'"'s screen interface.

11. A system according to claim 8 or 9,

wherein the detection of pauses is carried out by programming the automated transaction device'"'"'s control system to signal when the automated transaction device is in a pause.

12. A system according to claim 8 or 9,

wherein the detection of pauses is carried out by means of a unit which monitors the analog screen signal in the automated transaction device in order to detect a pattern therein which indicates that the automated transaction device is in a pause.

13. A system according to claim 1,

wherein the local units are linked to more than one central unit, said more than one central unit either being identical in order to increase the system'"'"'s reliability, or different in order to give the local units access to different databases.

14. A system according to claim 1 wherein the central unit may comprise means for selecting on the basis of the statistical data received from the local unit which information messages should be transferred to the local units and/or for altering the specified conditions for when and where the individual information message in the information database should be displayed.