ATM customer marketing system

• US 7,379,895 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: DiFrango, Ron, Koran, Ken, Shimek, Gregory, Lee, Anthony, 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:
  US10/331,064
• Time in Patent Office: 1,978 Days
• Field of Search: 705/16, 705/26, 705/14, 705/43
• 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. Apparatus comprising:

an ATM including;

at least one input device adapted to receive at least one identifying input from each user of the ATM;

at least one output device adapted to provide outputs to users of the ATM;

a cash dispenser adapted to dispense cash from the ATM;

at least one computer in operative connection with at least one data store, wherein the at least one computer is in operative connection with the at least one input device, the at least one output device and the cash dispenser, and wherein the at least one data store includes output data usable by the computer to produce a plurality of outputs through the at least one output device;

wherein the at least one computer is operative to communicate with a first remote computer remotely located from the ATM and a second remote computer remotely located from the ATM and different from the first remote computer, and wherein the at least one computer is operative to cause at least one first output corresponding to at least a portion of the output data to be presented through the at least one output device responsive to communication with the first remote computer, and is operative to cause cash to be dispensed by the cash dispenser responsive to communication with the second remote computer.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the at least one computer is operative to cause data corresponding to an identifying input of a user to be sent to the first remote computer and to receive a response message from the first remote computer, wherein the response message includes data corresponding to the at least one first output.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the at least one first output includes a request for at least one responsive input through the at least one input device, and wherein the at least one input device is adapted to receive the at least one responsive input.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the at least one computer is operative to communicate to the first remote computer data corresponding to the at least one responsive input.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the at least one responsive input comprises a yes or no response.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the at least one responsive input comprises a numerical input.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the numerical input comprises a phone number.

8. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the at least one computer is operative to execute a transaction sequence responsive to program data stored in the at least one data store, and wherein the at least one computer is operative in a first state to cause the data corresponding to the identifying input to be sent to the first remote computer.

9. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the at least one computer is further operative to cause at least one default output corresponding to at least a portion of the output data to be output through the at least one output device responsive to the at least one computer not receiving the response message a time after sending the identifying input to the first remote computer.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the output data comprises data corresponding to a sequence of outputs to be presented to users of the ATM on successive ATM visits.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the at least one computer is operative to communicate to the first remote computer that the at least one first output has been presented to a particular user.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the output data corresponds to a plurality of coupons.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the ATM further comprises a printer in operative connection with the at least one computer, and wherein the at least one computer is operative to cause the printer to print at least one coupon responsive to communication with the first remote computer.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the at least one input device comprises a card reader and wherein the at least one identifying input corresponds to data read from a card with the card reader.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the at least one computer is operative to cause data corresponding to the identifying input to be sent to the first remote computer, and to thereafter cause data corresponding to the identifying input to be sent to the second remote computer.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15 wherein the at least one computer is operative to receive a response message from the first remote computer, wherein the response message includes presentation data, and wherein the at least one computer is operative responsive to the presentation data to cause the output of the at least one first output.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16 wherein the at least one computer is operative to cause the data corresponding to the identifying input to be sent to the second remote computer after commencing output of the at least one first output.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17 wherein the at least one computer is operative to receive at least one transaction response message from the second remote computer, and wherein the at least one computer is operative to cause the cash dispenser to dispense cash responsive to the at least one transaction response message.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18 and further comprising a software agent operative in the at least one computer, wherein the software agent is operative to cause communication between the at least one computer and the first remote computer.

20. Apparatus comprising:

an ATM including;

at least one input device adapted to receive at least one identifying input from each user of the ATM,

at least one output device adapted to provide outputs to users of the ATM;

a cash dispenser adapted to dispense cash from the ATM,

at least one computer in operative connection with at least one data store wherein the at least one computer is in operative connection with the at least one input device, the at least one output device and the cash dispenser wherein the at least one data store includes output data usable by the computer to produce a plurality of outputs through the at least one output device, and wherein the at least one computer has agent software operating therein,

wherein the agent software is operative to cause the at least one computer to communicate with a first remote computer, wherein the at least one computer is operative to communicate with a second remote computer different from the first remote computer, wherein the at least one computer is operative to cause data corresponding to an identifying input of a user to be sent to the first remote computer and to receive a response message from the first remote computer, wherein the at least one computer is operative to cause at least one first output corresponding to at least a portion of the output data to be presented through the at least one output device responsive to the response message, wherein the response message includes data corresponding to the at least one first output, and wherein the at least one computer is operative to cause cash to be dispensed by the cash dispenser responsive to communication with the second remote computer.

21. Apparatus comprising:

an ATM including;

at least one input device adapted to receive identifying inputs from users of the ATM;

at least one output device;

a cash dispenser;

at least one computer in operative connection with at least one data store in the ATM, wherein the at least one data store includes output data corresponding to a plurality of marketing presentations;

wherein the at least one computer is operative to communicate data corresponding to an identifying input that has been input by a user to the at least one input device, to a first remote computer and to cause the output of a selected one of the marketing presentations through the at least one output device responsive to presentation data received from the first remote computer responsive to the data corresponding to the identifying input, and wherein the at least one computer is operative to communicate data corresponding to the identifying input to a second remote computer different from the first remote computer, and to cause the dispense of cash by the cash dispenser responsive to transaction response data received from the second remote computer.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21 wherein the at least one computer is operative to include data corresponding to the identifying input in a marketing request message sent by the ATM to the first remote computer, and to receive the presentation data in a marketing response message received by the ATM from the first remote computer.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22 wherein the selected one marketing presentation output through the at least one output device requests at least one responsive input, and wherein the at least one input device is operative to receive the at least one responsive input, and wherein the at least one computer is operative to cause data corresponding to the at least one responsive input to be sent to the first remote computer in a marketing acknowledgment message.

24. The apparatus according to claim 22 wherein the at least one computer is operative to output a default marketing presentation through the at least one output device responsive to the marketing response message not being received by the ATM a time after the marketing request message is sent.

25. The apparatus according to claim 21 wherein the plurality of marketing presentations include a plurality of related presentations adapted to be presented to users in a sequence in which at least one presentation is presented during each of a plurality of transaction sessions at the ATM.

26. The apparatus according to claim 25 wherein the at least one computer is operative to execute transaction steps including a plurality of states, and wherein the at least one computer is operative to cause the marketing request message to the first remote computer to be sent in a first state, and to communicate a transaction request message to the second remote computer in a second state subsequent to the first state.

27. The apparatus according to claim 21 and wherein the plurality of marking presentations include data corresponding to at least one coupon, and wherein the ATM includes at least one printer, and wherein the at least one computer is operative to cause the printer to print at least one coupon responsive to the presentation data.