ATM customer marketing system

• US 7,379,893 B1
• Filed: 12/27/2002
• Issued: 05/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Diebold Incorporated (Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hemlick, William, 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
• Primary Examiner(s): CUFF, MICHAEL A
• Application Number:
  US10/330,730
• Time in Patent Office: 1,978 Days
• Field of Search: 705/43, 705/16, 705/14, 235/379
• US Class Current: 705/16
• 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) conducting a financial transaction through operation of an ATM, wherein the transaction includes receiving an identifying input from a user and communicating with a financial transaction computer remote from the ATM;

b) during at least a portion of step (a) presenting at least one marketing output at the ATM responsive to communication with a marketing computer remote from the ATM and different from the financial transaction computer.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein step (a) comprises delivering cash to the user from the ATM, and wherein step (b) is executed prior to delivery of the cash.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein step (b) comprises delivering a coupon from the ATM.

4. The method according to claim 2 wherein step (b) comprises providing a visual output from the ATM.

5. The method according to claim 2 wherein step (b) comprises providing an audio-visual output from the ATM.

6. The method according to claim 2 wherein step (b) comprises providing a marketing presentation that includes a user query.

7. The method according to claim 6 and further comprising:

receiving a user response to the user query from the user through at least one input device of the ATM.

8. The method according to claim 7 and further comprising communicating through operation of the ATM data corresponding to the user response to the marketing computer.

9. The method according to claim 8 wherein the data corresponding to the user response corresponds to a yes or no response.

10. The method according to claim 8 wherein the data corresponding to the user response corresponds to a telephone number.

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

determining at least one further marketing output to be presented to the user during a subsequent financial transaction conducted by the user at an ATM, responsive to the user response.

12. The method according to claim 11 and further comprising:

presenting the at least one further marketing output to the user during the subsequent financial transaction conducted by the user at an ATM.

13. The method according to claim 11 wherein the at least one further marketing output is determined through operation of the marketing computer.

14. The method according to claim 13 and further comprising:

presenting the at least one further marketing output to the user during the subsequent financial transaction conducted by the user at an ATM.

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein the at least one marketing output and the at least one further marketing output are presented to the user at different ATMs.

16. The method according to claim 2 wherein step (b) includes providing the at least one marketing output responsive to output data corresponding to a plurality of marketing presentations stored in a data store at the ATM, and presentation identifying data included in a presentation message received by the ATM from the marketing computer.

17. The method according to claim 16 wherein step (b) includes sending a request message to the marketing computer from the ATM, the request message including data corresponding to the identifying input from the user.

18. The method according to claim 17 wherein in step (b) the presentation identifying data is received responsive to the data corresponding to the user identifying input.

19. The method according to claim 18 and further comprising determining through operation of the marketing computer the presentation identifying data responsive to the data corresponding to the user identifying input.

20. The method according to claim 2 wherein step (b) comprises communicating data corresponding to the identifying input from the ATM to the marketing computer.

21. The method according to claim 20 wherein step (b) includes receiving at the ATM from the marketing computer, data corresponding to presentation identifying data, wherein the presentation identifying data corresponds to at least one of the plurality of marketing presentations, data usable to produce such plurality of marketing presentations being stored in a data store at the ATM, and wherein step (b) further comprises outputing at the ATM the at least one marketing presentation corresponding to the presentation identifying data.

22. The method according to claim 21 wherein the at least one marketing presentation requests at least one responsive input from the user, and further comprising receiving the responsive input from the user and communicating data corresponding to the responsive input to the marketing computer.

23. The method according to claim 21 wherein step (a) comprises receiving at least one input corresponding to a request for the financial transaction from the user at the ATM, and communicating a request message corresponding to the requested financial transaction to the financial transaction computer, and wherein the presentation identifying data is received at the ATM prior to the request message being communicated to the financial transaction computer.

24. The method according to claim 21 wherein the identifying input comprises data read from a card input by the user at the ATM, and wherein data corresponding to the identifying input is included in the request message to the financial transaction computer.

25. The method according to claim 1 wherein in step (b) the at least one marketing output is part of a sequence of marketing outputs, and further comprising presenting a subsequent at least one marketing output in the sequence when the user conducts a later financial transaction at another ATM.

26. Computer readable media bearing instructions which are operative to cause an ATM to carry out the method steps recited in claim 1.

27. A method comprising:

a) loading data corresponding to a plurality of marketing presentations into at least one data store at a cash dispensing ATM;

b) conducting a financial transaction for a user through operation of the ATM, wherein in conducting the financial transaction the ATM communicates with at least one first remote computer;

c) receiving a message at the ATM from at least one second remote computer during the financial transaction, wherein the message includes presentation identifying data, wherein the presentation identifying data corresponds to at least one of the marketing presentations;

d) providing the at least one of the marketing presentations to the user through an output device of the ATM responsive to the message received in (c).

28. The method according to claim 27 wherein in step (c) the ATM communicates with a remote marketing computer and wherein in step (b) the ATM communicates with a remote financial transaction computer, the remote financial transaction computer being a computer other than the remote marketing computer.

29. The method according to claim 28 wherein in step (c) the presentation identifying data is included in a message received by the ATM from the remote marketing computer.

30. The method according to claim 29 wherein in step (a) the data is loaded into the ATM electronically from at least one remote computer prior to step (b).

31. The method according to claim 30 wherein in step (b) the user inputs at least one user identifying input to the ATM, and wherein in prior to step (c) data corresponding to the at least one user identifying input is communicated to the remote marketing computer and the remote financial transaction computer.

32. The method according to claim 31 wherein in step (c) the presentation identifying data is sent by the remote marketing computer responsive to the data corresponding to the at least one identifying input.

33. The method according to claim 32 wherein in step (b) the financial transaction includes dispensing cash to the user, and wherein the at least one of the marketing presentations is provided to the user prior to the dispensing of the cash.

34. Computer readable media bearing instructions which are operative to cause a computer in an ATM to cause the ATM to carry out the method steps recited in claim 27.

35. A method comprising:

in a system including an ATM, a first computer, and a second computer, wherein the ATM is operative to communicate with the first computer independently of the second computer, wherein the ATM is operative to communicate with the second computer independently of the first computer, wherein the first computer is remotely located from the ATM, wherein the second computer is remotely located from the ATM, wherein the second computer differs from the first computer, wherein the ATM includes transaction function devices, wherein at least one of the transaction function devices comprises a cash dispenser operative to dispense cash, wherein at least one of the transaction function devices comprises an input device, wherein at least one of the transaction function devices comprises an output device, and wherein the output device is operative to present at least one output through the ATM;

(a) conducting at least a portion of a transaction through operation of the ATM, wherein the transaction includes presenting at least one output through the output device;

(b) receiving with the input device at least one input from a user of the ATM, wherein the receiving occurs during at least a portion of step (a);

(c) communicating data between the ATM and the first computer, wherein the communicating occurs during at least a portion of step (a);

(d) communicating data between the ATM and the second computer, wherein the communicating occurs during at least a portion of step (a);

(e) presenting an output through the output device during at least a portion of step (a) responsive to the communicating in step (d), wherein the second computer causes the output to be presented.

36. The method according to claim 35 wherein the first computer comprises a financial transaction computer, the second computer comprises a marketing computer, and the output device comprises a display device, wherein step (c) includes transmitting data at least one way between the ATM and the financial transaction computer, wherein step (d) includes transmitting data at least one way between the ATM and the marketing computer, and wherein the marketing computer causes the output to be presented through the display device.