Terminal for libraries and the like

• US 6,857,568 B1
• Filed: 11/15/2000
• Issued: 02/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Nelson, John E., Grunes, Mitchell B., Marsolek, Gerald G., Schwietz, Joseph E. Jr., McLeod, Kathleen M., Fergen, James E., Kieffer, Michael J., Yorkovich, John D.
• Primary Examiner(s): St. Cyr, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US09/713,444
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/379, 235/380, 235/382, 235/385, 235/462.01, 235/492, 235/487, 235/493
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0042 for hiring of objects
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/005 Details or accessories
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/00 Cash registers alarm indicators G07G3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0054 with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles

Abstract

A library terminal permits a user to execute a loan transaction without assistance. The library terminal (i) provides a visible scan line from a bar code reader indicating the correct positioning of the bar code on a circulating item, (ii) leads a user through a loan transaction, (iii) provides an explicit feedback to a user when an article has an improper position on the article receiving area, (iv) both checks out and checks in circulating items, (v) stores fonts in bit maps of screen displays instead of in a separate font memory, (vi) integrates a security marker reader, a printer, and a controller in the same housing, (vii) processes financial transactions related to the borrowing of circulating items, and/or (viii) displays actions for helping the user to correct errors in use of the terminal.

Claims

1. A self-service library terminal comprising:

a reader arranged to read identifications on books involved in library loan transactions;

a payment apparatus arranged to receive payment from a borrower;

a controller, wherein the controller is arranged to process signals from the reader corresponding to the identifications read by the reader, wherein the controller is arranged to interact with the payment apparatus in order to process financial transactions related to the library loan transactions, and wherein the controller is arranged to remind the borrower of the borrower'"'"'s account status; and

,

a display, wherein the controller is arranged to control the display in order to remind the borrower that a loan is a chargeable loan.

2. The self-service library terminal of claim 1 wherein the controller is arranged to control the display in order to request that the borrower pay a fee for the chargeable loan.

3. The self-service library terminal of claim 1 wherein the controller is arranged to control the display in order to request that the borrower pay a fee for the chargeable loan upon return of the book.

4. The self-service library terminal of claim 1 wherein the display is a monitor.

5. The self-service library terminal of claim 1 wherein the display is a printer.

6. A self-service library terminal comprising:

a reader arranged to read identifications on books involved in library loan transactions;

a payment apparatus arranged to receive payment from a borrower;

a controller, wherein the controller is arranged to process signals from the reader corresponding to the identifications read by the reader, wherein the controller is arranged to interact with the payment apparatus in order to process financial transactions related to the library loan transactions, and wherein the controller is arranged to remind the borrower of the borrower'"'"'s account status; and

,

a display, wherein the controller is arranged to control the display in order to remind the borrower of an overdue book chargeable to the borrower, and wherein the controller is arranged to allow the borrower to continue a present loan transaction even though the borrower has not paid for overdue book.

7. A self-service library terminal comprising:

a reader arranged to read identifications on books involved in library loan transactions;

a payment apparatus arranged to receive payment from a borrower;

a controller, wherein the controller is arranged to process signals from the reader corresponding to the identifications read by the reader, wherein the controller is arranged to interact with the payment apparatus in order to process financial transactions related to the library loan transactions, and wherein the controller is arranged to remind the borrower of the borrower'"'"'s account status; and

,

a display, wherein the controller is arranged to control the display in order to remind the borrower of an overdue book chargeable to the borrower, and wherein the controller is arranged to give the borrower the option of continuing a present loan transaction even though the borrower has not paid for an overdue book or of paying immediately for the overdue book.

8. A self-service library terminal comprising:

a reader arranged to read identifications on books involved in library loan transactions;

a payment apparatus arranged to receive payment from a borrower;

a controller, wherein the controller is arranged to process signals from the reader corresponding to the identifications read by the reader, wherein the controller is arranged to interact with the payment apparatus in order to process financial transactions related to the library loan transactions, and wherein the controller is arranged to remind the borrower of the borrower'"'"'s account status; and

,

a display, wherein the controller is arranged to control the display in order to remind the borrower of a hold reserved for the borrower.

9. A self-service library terminal comprising:

a reader arranged to read identifications on books involved in library loan transactions;

a payment apparatus arranged to receive payment from a borrower;

a controller, wherein the controller is arranged to process signals from the reader corresponding to the identifications read by the reader, wherein the controller is arranged to interact with the payment apparatus in order to process financial transactions related to the library loan transactions, and wherein the controller is arranged to remind the borrower of the borrower'"'"'s account status; and

,

a connector, wherein the connector is arranged to couple the self-service library terminal over a link to a circulation system, and wherein the controller is arranged to store loan transactions during periods when the link to the circulation system is down so that the loan transactions can be later transferred to the circulation system.

10. A self-service library terminal comprising:

a reader arranged to read identifications on books involved in library loan transactions;

a payment apparatus arranged to receive payment from a borrower;

a controller, wherein the controller is arranged to process signals from the reader corresponding to the identifications read by the reader, wherein the controller is arranged to interact with the payment apparatus in order to process financial transactions related to the library loan transactions, and wherein the controller is arranged to remind the borrower of the borrower'"'"'s account status; and

,

a display, wherein the controller is arranged to control the display in order to remind the borrower of a new charge, and wherein the controller is arranged to control the display in order to remind the borrower that the borrower can accept or reject the new charge.

11. A self-service library terminal comprising:

a reader arranged to read identifications on books involved in library loan transactions;

a payment apparatus arranged to receive payment from a borrower;

a controller, wherein the controller is arranged to process signals from the reader corresponding to the identifications read by the reader, wherein the controller is arranged to interact with the payment apparatus in order to process financial transactions related to the library loan transactions, and wherein the controller is arranged to remind the borrower of the borrower'"'"'s account status; and

,

a book receiving area, wherein the controller is arranged to control the reader so as to project a visible indicator onto the book receiving area and so as to change the visible indicator between first and second visible states.

12. A self-service library terminal comprising:

a reader that reads identifications on books involved in library loan transactions;

a payment receiver that receives payments associated with the loan transactions;

a controller that processes the identifications read by the reader and the payments received by the payment receiver; and

,

a display, wherein the controller controls the display in order to remind the borrower that a loan is a chargeable loan.

13. The self-service library terminal of claim 12 wherein the controller controls the display in order to request that the borrower pay a fee for the chargeable loan.

14. The self-service library terminal of claim 12, wherein the controller controls the display in order to request that the borrower pay a fee for the chargeable loan upon return of the book.

15. A self-service library terminal comprising:

a reader that reads identifications on books involved in library loan transactions;

a payment receiver that receives payments associated with the loan transactions;

a controller that processes the identifications read by the reader and the payments received by the payment receiver; and

,

a display, wherein the controller controls the display to remind the borrower of an overdue book chargeable to the borrower, and wherein the controller allows the borrower to continue a present loan transaction even though the borrower has not paid for overdue book.

16. A self-service library terminal comprising:

a reader that reads identifications on books involved in library loan transactions;

a payment receiver that receives payments associated with the loan transactions;

a controller that processes the identifications read by the reader and the payments received by the payment receiver; and

,

a connector, wherein the connector is arranged to couple the self-service library terminal over a link to a circulation system, and wherein the controller is arranged to store loan transactions during periods when the link to the circulation system is down so that the loan transactions can be later transferred to the circulation system.

17. A self-service library terminal comprising:

a reader that reads identifications on books involved in library loan transactions;

a payment receiver that receives payments associated with the loan transactions;

a controller that processes the identifications read by the reader and the payments received by the payment receiver; and

,

a book receiving area, wherein the controller is arranged to control the reader so as to project a visible indicator onto the book receiving area and so as to change the visible indicator between first and second visible states.

18. A method implemented by a self-service library terminal comprising:

reading an identification on a book involved in a library loan transaction;

reading a payment from a payment card;

processing the identification to determine an identification of the book involved in the loan transaction;

processing the payment in relation to the loan transaction; and

,

displaying a reminder to a patron that a loan is a chargeable loan.

19. A method implemented by a self-service library terminal comprising:

reading an identification on a book involved in a library loan transaction;

reading a payment from a payment card;

processing the identification to determine an identification of the book involved in the loan transaction;

processing the payment in relation to the loan transaction; and

,

displaying a request that a patron pay a fee associated with the loan transaction.

20. A method implemented by a self-service library terminal comprising:

reading an identification on a book involved in a library loan transaction;

reading a payment from a payment card;

processing the identification to determine an identification of the book involved in the loan transaction;

processing the payment in relation to the loan transaction; and

,

displaying a request that a patron pay a fee for a chargeable loan transaction.

21. A method implemented by a self-service library terminal comprising:

reading an identification on a book involved in a library loan transaction;

reading a payment from a payment card;

processing the identification to determine an identification of the book involved in the loan transaction;

processing the payment in relation to the loan transaction;

projecting a visible indicator onto a book receiving area; and

,

changing the visible indicator between first and second visible states.

22. A self-service library terminal comprising:

a reader arranged to read identifications on articles involved in library loan transactions;

a payment apparatus arranged to receive payment from a borrower for fines related to overdue articles;

a controller, wherein the controller is arranged to process signals from the reader corresponding to the identifications read by the reader, and wherein the controller is arranged to interact with the payment apparatus in order to process the fines related to the library loan transactions; and

,

a connector, wherein the connector is arranged to couple the self-service library terminal over a link to a circulation system, and wherein the controller is arranged to store loan transactions during periods when the link to the circulation system is down so that the loan transactions can be later transferred to the circulation system.