Apparatus and method for indicating the status of transaction function devices in an automated banking machine

• US 7,003,492 B1
• Filed: 11/17/1998
• Issued: 02/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Diebold Incorporated (Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Diebold Incorporated (Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated)
• Inventors: Drummond, Jay Paul, Blackson, Dale, Smith, Mark D., Cichon, Bob A., Moales, Mark A., Covert, Mark S., Church, James, Joyce, Shawn D., Moore, Phillip S., Swingler, Steven C., Lepper, Bradrick Q., El-Kaissi, Omar, Lemley, Robert J., Chen, Lilei, Califf, Michael E. Jr., Usner, Robert E., Griswold, Glenda K.
• Primary Examiner(s): ELISCA, PIERRE E
• Application Number:
  US09/193,647
• Time in Patent Office: 2,653 Days
• Field of Search: 705/42, 705/43, 705/35, 705/39, 705/44, 705/45, 705/41, 902/8
• US Class Current: 705/39
• 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 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• 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 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 at least one transaction function device, a server in operative connection with the transaction function device, at least one HTML document accessible through the server, wherein at least one first document includes indicia corresponding to a status of the transaction function device.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the transaction function device is operative responsive to an HTTP message received by the server.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the status is representative of a fault which has occurred in the transaction function device.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the machine includes a plurality of transaction function devices, and wherein the HTML document accessible through the server include indicia corresponding to a status of each of a plurality of transaction function devices.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the machine is an ATM.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 and further comprising a portable terminal, wherein the portable terminal includes a browser, wherein the terminal is operative to access documents through the server.

7. A method comprising:

operating a transaction function device in an automated transaction machine, the transaction function device having an associated status; and

generating at least one first HTML document including first instructions corresponding to the status of the transaction function device.

8. The method according to claim 7 and further comprising the step of accessing the first document with a terminal including a browser.

9. The method according to claim 8 wherein the accessing step includes accessing the first document with a portable terminal adjacent to the automated transaction machine.

11. The method according to claim 7 and further comprising the steps of:

receiving a second HTML document with the machine, the second document including second instructions; and

operating the transaction function device responsive to the second instructions.

10. A method comprising:

operating a transaction function device in an automated transaction machine, the transaction function device having an associated status;

generation at least one first HTML document including first instructions corresponding to the status of the transaction function device;

accessing the first document with a terminal including a browser, including accessing the first document though at network with a terminal located remotely from the automated transaction machine.

12. Apparatus comprising:

an automated transaction machine including a plurality of transaction function devices, wherein each of the transaction function devices has an associated status, wherein the status is indicative of an operative condition of the transaction function device;

a transaction machine computer in operative connection with the transaction function devices, and further comprising machine software executable in the computer, wherein the software is operative to cause the computer to generate at least one HTTP record including indicia representative of the status of at least one transaction function device, and wherein the software further includes a server, wherein the first HTTP record is accessible through the server.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the HTTP record comprises an HTML document.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the HTTP record comprises a data object.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 and further comprising a terminal computer outside the automated transaction machine, a communications connection operatively connecting the transaction machine computer and the terminal computer, and further comprising terminal software in the terminal computer, wherein the terminal software and the machine software are operative to transfer the data object from the transaction machine to the terminal computer.

16. Apparatus comprising:

An automated transaction machine including;

a plurality of transaction function devices, wherein at least one note dispensing device is included among the plurality of transaction function devices,

at least one computer operative in the machine, wherein the at least one computer is in operative connection with the plurality of transaction function devices, and wherein the at least one computer is operative to cause the at least one note dispensing device to dispense at least one note from the machine,

wherein the at least one computer is operative responsive to the occurrence of a malfunction of one of the transaction function devices to include indicia in at least one HTTP record representative of the malfunction,

a communications connection in operative connection with the at least one computer in the machine, wherein the at least one HTTP record is accessible by a computer external of the machine through the communications connection.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16 wherein the automated transaction machine comprises at ATM.

18. A method comprising:

operating a plurality of transaction function devices in an automated transaction machine, wherein the machine is operative to dispense at least one note;

responsive to a malfunction of at least one of the transaction function devices, including indicia in at least one HTTP record representative of the malfunction;

accessing the HTTP record with an external computer through a communications connection to the machine.

19. Apparatus comprising:

An automated transaction machine including;

a plurality of transaction function devices,

a server in operative connection with the plurality of transaction function devices,

at least one HTTP record including indicia representative of an operational status of at least one of the plurality of transaction function devices,

a communications connection in operative connection with the server, wherein the communications connection is adapted to communicate the at least one HTTP record to a computer outside the machine.