Automated banking machine apparatus and system

• US 6,970,845 B1
• Filed: 11/17/1998
• Issued: 11/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Diebold Incorporated (Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated)
• Inventors: Drummond, Jay Paul, Blackson, Dale, Smith, Mark D., Weis, David W., Cichon, Bob A., Moales, Mark A., Ess, Joseph C., Church, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Millin, Vincent
• Assistant Examiner(s): Colbert, Ella
• Application Number:
  US09/193,791
• Time in Patent Office: 2,569 Days
• Field of Search: 705/43, 705/39, 705/42, 705/26, 902/14, 902/13, 902/8, 707/513, 707/500, 235/379, 715/500, 715/513
• US Class Current: 705/43
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• 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: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

An automated banking machine (12) is operative to conduct transactions in response to HTML documents and TCP/IP messages exchanged with a local computer system (14) through an intranet (16), as well as in response to messages exchanged with foreign servers (20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 96) in a wide area network (18). The banking machine includes a computer (34) having an HTML document handling portion (76, 80, 82). The HTML document handling portion is operative to communicate through a proxy server (88), with a home HTTP server (90) in the intranet or the foreign servers in the wide area network. The computer further includes a device application portion (84) which interfaces with the HTML document handling portion and dispatches messages to operate devices (36) in the automated banking machine. The devices include a sheet dispenser mechanism (42) which dispenses currency as well as other transaction devices. The device application portion communicates with a device interfacing software portion (64) in the banking machine through a device server (92) in the intranet. The device server maintains local control over the devices in the banking machine including the sheet dispenser. The banking machine operates to read indicia on the user'"'"'s card corresponding to a system address. The computer is operative to connect the banking machine to the home or foreign server corresponding to the system address, which connected server operates the banking machine until the completion of transactions by the user.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising:

an automated transaction machine including;

an output device;

a currency sheet dispenser;

a computer in operative connection with the output device and the currency sheet dispenser; and

software executable in the computer, wherein the software includes a browser, and wherein during operation of the currency sheet dispenser the software is operative to provide an output through the output device responsive to a document accessed by the browser.

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

at least one server;

a plurality of HTML documents accessible through the server, wherein the document comprises a first HTML document and is accessible through the server; and

wherein the browser is operative to access the first HTML document through the server.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the output includes a promotional message.

4. Apparatus comprising:

an automated transaction machine including;

an output device;

a sheet dispenser;

a computer in operative connection with the output device and the sheet dispenser;

software executable in the computer, wherein the software includes a browser, and wherein during operation of the sheet dispenser the software is operative to provide an output through the output device responsive to a first document accessed by the browser;

wherein the first document includes instructions which are operative when processed by the browser to provide the output through the output device, and to cause the computer to operate the sheet dispenser to dispense a sheet.

5. Apparatus comprising:

at least one server;

a plurality of documents accessible through the server, wherein a first document is accessible through the server;

an automated transaction machine including;

an output device;

a sheet dispenser;

a computer in operative connection with the output device and the sheet dispenser;

software executable in the computer, wherein the software includes a browser, wherein the browser is operative to access the first document through the server, and wherein during operation of the sheet dispenser the software is operative to provide an output through the output device responsive to the first document accessed by the browser;

wherein the documents accessible through the at least one server includes a dispense document including a dispense instruction, and wherein the computer is operative responsive to processing the dispense document with the browser to operate the sheet dispenser responsive to the dispense instruction, and wherein the machine is operative to access the first document with the browser responsive to the dispense instruction.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the machine comprises at least one additional transaction function device, and wherein the plurality of documents accessible through the at least one server includes an additional device document, wherein the additional device document includes an additional device instruction, and wherein the plurality of documents further includes a second document, and wherein the computer is operative responsive to processing the additional device document with the browser to operate the additional transaction function device responsive to the additional device instruction, and wherein the computer is operative to access the second document with the browser responsive to the additional device document.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the dispense document includes a first document access instruction, and wherein the browser processes the first document responsive to the first document access instruction.

8. A method comprising the steps of:

accessing a transaction device operation document with a browser in an automated transaction machine, the transaction device operation document including at least one transaction device instruction;

automatically operating a transaction device in the machine responsive to processing the transaction device operation document with the browser; and

automatically outputting with an output device on the machine an output responsive to processing the transaction device operation document with the browser.

9. The method according to claim 8 and further comprising the step of:

accessing a first document with the browser responsive to processing the transaction device operation document accessed in the accessing step, wherein in the outputting step the output is generated responsive to processing the first document by the browser.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein the transaction machine includes a first transaction function device and a second transaction function device, and wherein a transaction device operation document is operative to cause the operation of the first transaction function device in the operating step, and further comprising the steps of:

further accessing a further transaction machine operation document with the browser;

further operating the second transaction function device in the machine responsive to accessing the further transaction machine document with the browser;

further accessing a second document with the browser responsive to receipt of the further transaction machine operation document; and

further outputting a further output with the output device of the machine responsive to processing the second document with the browser.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein the output includes a first promotional message and the further output includes a second promotional message.

12. The method according to claim 8 wherein the output includes a promotional message.

13. The method according to claim 9 and prior to the accessing step further comprising the steps of:

inputting user data corresponding to a first user into an input device of the automated transaction machine;

and prior to the step of accessing the first document, further comprising the step of determining an address of a first document to access responsive to the user data input in the inputting step.

14. The method according to claim 8 wherein the transaction device includes a currency note dispenser device operative to dispense at least one currency note.

15. The method according to claim 8 wherein the outputting step occurs during at least a portion of the operating step.

16. A method comprising the steps of:

a) accessing at least one document with a browser in an automated transaction machine;

b) executing a series of transaction steps with an automated transaction machine wherein between at least two consecutive transaction steps a device in the machine automatically operates in response to an accessed document;

c) automatically providing an output through an output device on the machine responsive to an accessed document during at least a portion of the device operation.

17. The method according to claim 16 wherein step (b) includes a transaction step including a request to dispense at least one currency sheet, wherein a currency sheet dispenser device operates responsive to the request transaction step, and wherein output in step (c) is provided during at least a portion of the time the currency sheet dispenser device operates.

18. The method according to claim 16 wherein the output includes a promotional message.

19. The method according to claim 16 wherein the device includes a currency note dispenser device operative to dispense at least one currency note, and the output device includes a display device.

20. The method according to claim 16 wherein the document accessed in step (b) differs from the document accessed in step (c).