ATM customer marketing system

• US 7,246,082 B1
• Filed: 12/27/2002
• Issued: 07/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Diebold Incorporated (Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated)
• Inventors: Koran, Ken, Lee, Anthony, DiFrango, Ron, Shimek, Gregory, Gill, Robert Bradley, McCoy, Donald, St.George, Peter, MEEK, JAMES, Singer, Irek, Symonds, Robert D., Jiang, Changning, Hemlick, William
• Primary Examiner(s): CUFF, MICHAEL A
• Application Number:
  US10/330,877
• Time in Patent Office: 1,663 Days
• Field of Search: 705/16, 705/26, 705/14, 235/379
• US Class Current: 705/14.73
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1085 involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/201 Accessories of ATMs
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/211 Software architecture within ATMs or in relation to the ATM network

Abstract

A marketing system includes a plurality of automated transaction machines (74, 76, 78, 80, 82, 84, 86). The automated transaction machines operate to carry out financial transactions with associated host computers (90, 94, 100, 104). Marketing presentations are stored on and output from the transaction machines responsive to messages exchanged with a market message server (110) which is connected to the automated transaction machines through a network (108). The connection to the automated transaction machines, which provides delivery of the market presentation materials and which causes the output of presentations, is generally independent of the messages associated with authorizing financial transactions. Some described embodiments of the invention enable presenting marketing campaigns to users of the transaction machines. The marketing campaigns may include sequences of presentations that are output on a targeted basis to particular users.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a) developing a first marketing campaign including a predetermined sequence comprising a plurality of ordered marketing presentations adapted to be presented in a predetermined order to respective ATM users during a plurality of transaction sessions at least one ATM;

b) storing in data stores located at a plurality of ATMs, data corresponding to the marketing presentations included in the predetermined sequence, wherein each ATM includes a cash dispenser operative to dispense cash;

c) storing in at least one data store, data linking a first user to the first marketing campaign;

d) presenting at least one marketing presentation from the predetermined sequence to the first user during each of a plurality of transaction sessions conducted by the first user at least one of the plurality of ATMs, wherein each presentation follows correlation of the first user to the first marketing campaign during each of the transaction sessions, and wherein each presented marketing presentation precedes in the predetermined sequence a next-presented marketing presentation.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein step (d) comprises communicating first user identifying data received during a first ATM transaction session at a first ATM, to a marketing computer remotely located from the first ATM, and communicating from the marketing computer to the first ATM first presentation identifying data corresponding to at least one first marketing presentation in the sequence to present to the first user, wherein the at least one first marketing presentation is presented to the first user during the first ATM transaction session.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein step (d) further comprises communicating first user identifying data during a second ATM transaction session subsequent to the first ATM transaction session at the first ATM, to the marketing computer, and communicating to the first ATM second presentation identifying data corresponding to at least one second marketing presentation next in the sequence after the at least one first marketing presentation, to present to the first user, wherein the at least one second marketing presentation is presented to the first user during the second ATM transaction session.

4. The method according to claim 2 wherein in step (d) the first ATM is operative to conduct a first financial transaction for the first user during the first transaction session by communication between the first ATM and a financial transaction computer, the financial transaction computer being a computer other than the marketing computer.

5. The method according to claim 2 wherein step (d) further comprises:

communicating first user identifying data during a second ATM transaction session subsequent to the first ATM transaction session at a second ATM other than the first ATM, to the marketing computer, and communicating to the second ATM second presentation identifying data corresponding to at least one second marketing presentation next in the sequence after the at least one first marketing presentation, to present to the first user, wherein the at least one second marketing presentation is presented to the first user during the second ATM transaction session.

6. The method according to claim 2 and subsequent to presentation of the at least one first marketing presentation at the first ATM during the first transaction session, receiving at the marketing computer at least one acknowledgment message from the first ATM indicative that the at least one first marketing presentation has been presented to the first user.

7. The method according to claim 6 and further comprising, determining with the marketing computer responsive to the acknowledgment message, at least one second marketing presentation next in the sequence subsequent to the at least one first marketing presentation.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the at least one second marketing presentation is determined prior to commencement of a second ATM transaction session subsequent to the first ATM transaction session by the first user.

9. The method according to claim 7 wherein in step (d) the first marketing campaign includes at least two paths taken in presenting the plurality of marketing presentations responsive to responses input by ATM users to marketing presentations;

and wherein the at least one first marketing presentation includes at least one user query;

and wherein the acknowledgment message includes data corresponding to the response of the first ATM user to the user query, and wherein the at least one second marketing presentation is determined responsive to the first ATM user response to the user query.

10. The method according to claim 9 and further comprising, operating the marketing computer to provide at least one output indicative of the response of the first user to the at least one user query.

11. The method according to claim 9 wherein step (c) comprises assigning the first user to a market segment comprising a plurality of users, wherein the plurality of users in the market segment are presented with the sequence.

12. The method according to claim 11 and further comprising operating the marketing computer to provide at least one analysis output indicative of the responses to the at least one user query by a plurality of users included in the segment.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein the at least one analysis output is indicative of responses input at each ATM.

14. The method according to claim 12 wherein the at least one analysis output is indicative of responses input at ATMs within a given region.

15. The method according to claim 12 wherein the at least one analysis output is indicative of responses input at a plurality of ATMs within a given time period.

16. The method according to claim 1 wherein in step (a) the sequence includes at least two paths corresponding to presentations to be presented responsive to at least one response to at least one user query included in the at least one presentation.

17. The method according to claim 16 wherein in step (d) the marketing presentations are presented to the first user responsive to at least one response by the first user to the at least one user query.

18. The method according to claim 17 and further comprising, communicating data corresponding to the at least one response of the first user, from the marketing computer to at least one data warehouse computer, wherein the data warehouse computer is operative to store data corresponding to the at least one response of the first user in association with other data concerning the first user.

19. The method according to claim 1 and further comprising:

(e) storing in the at least one data store, data linking the first user to at least one priority message;

(f) interrupting the presentation of messages in the sequence to the first user during the plurality of transaction sessions, and presenting the at least one priority message to the first user.

20. The method according to claim 19 wherein the priority message is date sensitive.

21. The method according to claim 20 wherein the priority message comprises one of a birthday message or an anniversary message to the first user.

22. The method according to claim 19 wherein the priority message comprises a message concerning an account of the first user.

23. The method according to claim 19 wherein the priority message comprises an offer to provide an item that the first user may pay for from an account of the first user currently being used by the user to conduct an ATM transaction.

24. The method according to claim 23 wherein the offer to purchase is communicated through the Internet.

25. The method according to claim 1 and further comprising:

(e) developing a second marketing campaign including a further sequence comprising a plurality of marketing presentations adapted to be presented to ATM users during a plurality of transaction sessions at least one ATM;

(f) storing in data stores located at a plurality of ATMs, data corresponding to the plurality of marketing presentations in the further sequence;

wherein at least some of the plurality of ATMs in steps (b) and (f) are common to both steps.

26. The method according to claim 25 and further comprising:

(g) associating in a data base, data corresponding to a second user and the second marketing campaign;

(h) presenting at least one of the marketing presentations in the further sequence during each of a plurality of transaction sessions conducted by the second user at at least one ATM.

27. The method according to claim 25 and further comprising:

communicating a message from a marketing computer to each of a plurality of ATMs, and receiving at the marketing computer in response to the message, data corresponding to the marketing presentations stored in data stores at each of the plurality of ATMs.

28. The method according to claim 1 wherein in step (c) the first user is correlated with the first marketing campaign responsive to a financial institution with which the first user has an account.

29. The method according to claim 28 wherein in step (c) the financial institution is determined responsive to data included on a card input by the first user to an ATM in an ATM transaction session.

30. The method according to claim 1 and further comprising:

storing in the data stores located at a plurality of ATMs, data corresponding to at least one default presentation to be presented to ATM users for which no other marketing presentations are designated.

31. The method according to claim 30 wherein a default presentation to be presented to a user of an ATM is determined responsive to a location of the ATM.

32. The method according to claim 1 wherein step (d) includes sending data corresponding to the first user from an ATM at which the first user conducts a transaction session, to a marketing computer during the transaction session, and sending from the marketing computer to the ATM during the transaction session, data identifying at least one marketing presentation to present to the first user during the transaction session.

33. The method according to claim 32 and further comprising presenting at least one default presentation at the ATM when the data identifying the at least one marketing presentation has not been received at the ATM a time after the data corresponding to the first user is sent by the ATM to the marketing computer.

34. The method according to claim 1 wherein in step (d) each presentation at an ATM is output responsive to at least one message received by the ATM from a marketing computer remotely located from the ATM during a corresponding transaction session, wherein the marketing computer comprises a computer other than a financial transaction computer which communicates with the ATM to carry out a financial transaction at the ATM during the corresponding transaction session.

35. Computer readable media bearing instructions which are operative to cause at least one computer to carry out the method steps recited in claim 1.

36. The method according to claim 1 and further comprising:

e) storing in at least one data store, data linking a second user to the first marketing campaign;

f) presenting at least one marketing presentation from the sequence to the second user during each of a plurality of second user transaction sessions conducted at least one of the plurality of ATMs, wherein each marketing presentation follows correlation of the second user to the first marketing campaign during each of the second user transaction sessions, and wherein each marketing presentation presented to the second user precedes in the sequence a next-presented marketing presentation.

37. A method comprising:

(a) developing a marketing campaign including a predetermined sequence of ordered marketing presentations adapted to be presented to ATM users during a plurality of ATM transaction sessions at least one ATM;

(b) storing data corresponding to the marketing presentations developed in step (a) in at least one data store associated with a plurality of ATMs;

(c) storing in at least one data store, data corresponding a first ATM user to the marketing campaign;

(d) subsequent to steps (a), (b), and (c), presenting a marketing presentation in the sequence during an ATM transaction session conducted by the first ATM user at one of the plurality of ATMs, wherein the one of the plurality of ATMs includes a cash dispenser operative to dispense cash;

(e) responsive to step (d), presenting a next marketing presentation in the sequence during another ATM transaction session conducted by the first ATM user at one of the plurality of ATMs, wherein the next marketing presentation was not presented in step (d), and wherein the next marketing presentation successively follows in the sequence the marketing presentation presented in step (d).

38. The method according to claim 37 wherein step (e) includes presenting the next marketing presentation during a next ATM transaction session conducted by the first ATM user, wherein the next ATM transaction session successively follows the first ATM transaction session in a series of transaction sessions conducted by the first ATM user.

39. The method according to claim 37 and further comprising:

(f) presenting a marketing presentation in the sequence during an ATM transaction session conducted by a second first ATM user at one of the plurality of ATMs;

(g) responsive to step (f), presenting a next marketing presentation in the sequence during another ATM transaction session conducted by the second ATM user at one of the plurality of ATMs, wherein the next marketing presentation was not presented in step (f), wherein the next marketing presentation successively follows in the sequence the marketing presentation presented in step (f), and wherein the another ATM transaction session successively follows the ATM transaction session of step (f).