Personal teller system and method of remote interactive and personalized banking

• US 7,814,016 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2004
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NCR Voyix Corporation
• Original Assignee: uGenius IP Holdings, LLC
• Inventors: Pranger, Eugene P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Havan; Thu Thao
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hammond, III; Thomas M
• Application Number:
  US10/880,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20060004660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,295 Days
• Field of Search: 705 35- 40
• US Class Current: 705/42
• 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 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing personalized services to remote customers using personal teller machines (PTM) from a centralized call center. The customer initiates the transaction providing identification at a PTM. The identification of the customer is verified and audio and/or video communication is established between the customer at the PTM and a teller at a teller station in the call center. Upon establishment of video and audio connection, the customer may request the performance of specific financial transactions that are controlled by a teller through the teller station that is connected with the PTM over a network. Upon completion of the transactions of the customer by the teller, a receipt is printed for the customer and the video and audio connections are closed.

Claims

1. A system for connecting remote customers to a service provider to provide personal interactive banking services, including withdrawals, cash and check deposits, funds transfers, and cashing of checks, to the remote customers, the system comprising:

plurality of personal teller machines located in at least one location remote from a call center, each personal teller machine programmed to both send and receive at least one of audio data and video data, wherein each personal teller machine comprises an electronic signature pad, and a keypad, and wherein the at least one personal teller machine is programmed to receive and store cash and checks from a customer, dispense currency, including at least bills and individual coins, to a customer, and allow a customer to select and perform banking services using the keypad;

a plurality of teller stations located in the call center, each teller station of the plurality of teller stations being programmed to both send and receive at least one of audio data and video data from each personal teller machine,

wherein each teller station of the plurality of teller stations;

is integrated with a financial banking institution'"'"'s system and programmed to access, by a teller, an account owned by the customer and verify the account balance, transfer funds to or from the account, withdraw funds directly from the account, and deposit funds directly into the account,

is programmed to display a signature entered remotely on the electronic signature pad at each personal teller machine and display a customer identification,

is programmed to remotely control, by a teller, the dispersal of a predetermined amount of currency from each personal teller machine,

is programmed to selectively mix, by a teller, bills and individual coins to be remotely dispensed to the customer at a personal teller machine of the plurality of personal teller machines in response to a request of the customer made at the personal teller machine; and

at least one server connected with the plurality of personal teller machines and the plurality of teller stations, wherein the at least one server is programmed to connect the personal teller machine in at least one of audio communication and video communication with a particular teller station of the plurality of teller stations at teller station the call center.

2. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the personal teller machine is programmed to be controlled by the particular teller station.

3. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the particular teller station is connected with the at least one server over a network.

4. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the personal teller machine is connected with the at least one server over a network.

5. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the personal teller machine comprises:

a camera to generate the video data that is transmitted to the particular teller station; and

a handset to audibly communicate with the particular teller station.

6. A system as defined in claim 5, wherein the personal teller machine further comprises:

a monitor that displays a customer transaction screen;

a card reader;

a check accepter;

a cash accepter;

a receipt printer;

a scanner;

a coin dispenser;

a scanner; and

a bill acceptor.

7. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein each teller station of the plurality of teller stations comprises:

a display for showing a teller transaction screen;

function keys for selecting transactions;

a headset for both receiving and sending audio data to the personal teller machine; and

a camera for sending video data to the personal teller machine.

8. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the personal teller machine displays a customer transaction screen that is controlled by the particular teller station and is programmed to display a particular transaction requested by the personal teller machine.

9. A method for providing personalized interactive banking services, such as withdrawals, cash and check deposits, funds transfers, and cashing of checks, to remote customers from a call center, the method comprising:

receiving a call from a personal teller machine of a plurality of personal teller machines associated with a financial banking institution, the call initiated by a customer;

determining that a particular teller machine of a plurality of teller machines located remotely from the personal teller machine is available to receive the call;

receiving an acceptance of the call from a the particular teller machine at a call station, the particular teller machine at the call station being associated with the financial banking institution;

connecting the personal teller machine with the particular teller machine, wherein a customer at the personal teller machine has audio and video communication with a teller at the teller machine;

receiving and storing currency from the customer at the personal teller machine;

verifying the validity of the currency received and stored at the personal teller machine remotely from the particular teller machine by verifying a customer signature entered remotely on an electronic signature pad at the personal teller machine against customer identification information at the particular teller machine;

verifying, at the particular teller machine, information or a banking selection entered by the customer on a keypad at the personal teller machine;

depositing electronically at least a portion of the currency received at the personal teller machine directly into an account owned by the customer at the financial banking institution, the deposit being performed by a teller at the particular teller machine;

receiving a request from the customer at the personal teller machine for a withdrawal of a specified mix of bills and individual coins;

selecting at the particular teller machine one or more buttons to selectively mix one or more of $100.00 bills, $20.00 bills, $10.00 bills, $1.00 bills, and to selectively mix one or more individual 500 coins, 250 coins, 100 coins, or 10 coins to meet the request of the customer; and

selecting at the particular teller machine one or more buttons to remotely cause the personal teller machine to disperse the selectively mixed bills and individual coins to the customer at the personal teller machine.

10. A method as defined in claim 9, further comprising performing one or more additional transactions identified by the customer.

11. A method as defined in claim 10, wherein the currency comprises a check and wherein performing one or more additional transactions identified by the customer further comprises receiving a check from the customer and scanning a front and back of the check.

12. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein performing one or more additional transactions identified by the customer further comprises transmitting an image of the check to the particular teller machine.

13. A method as defined in claim 10, wherein performing one or more additional transactions identified by the customer further comprises transmitting an image of an ID of the customer that is scanned by the personal teller machine.

14. A method as defined in claim 10, wherein performing one or more additional transactions identified by the customer further comprises a teller at the particular teller machine verifying a balance in an account of the customer by accessing the banking system of the financial banking institution.

15. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein receiving a call from a personal teller machine further comprises storing the call in a caller queue.

16. A method as defined in claim 15, further comprising serving each call in the caller queue in turn to one or more teller stations at the call center.

17. A method as defined in claim 9, further comprising controlling by a teller each transaction from a teller machine.

18. A method as defined in claim 9, further comprising terminating the audio and video communication when the transaction is over.

19. An interactive financial service system for allowing personal interactive banking services, financial services, and transactions, including withdrawals, cash and check deposits, funds transfers, and cashing of checks, to be performed by a financial service representative located in a centralized call center for a customer at a remotely located personal teller machine, the system comprising:

a plurality of personal teller machines for performing transactions, wherein the plurality of personal teller machines are geographically dispersed and are programmed to connect with a network when a customer initiates a transaction, each personal teller machine being further programmed to;

identify a customer of the personal teller machine;

receive cash from the customer;

receive documents including checks from the customer;

generate images of each side of the documents;

dispense selectively mixed cash to the customer;

dispense a receipt to the customer;

allow a customer to select and perform banking services; and

each personal teller machine comprising;

a camera programmed to generate video data of the customer, wherein the video data is displayed on the teller machine;

a display programmed to view video and still images, the video including video data of a teller at the teller station;

an electronic signature pad programmed to receive a signature from the customer;

a keypad programmed to select and perform banking services;

a telephone handset programmed to communicate audibly with the teller; and

an interface programmed to connect and communicate with said teller station via the at least one server over the network; and

a plurality of teller stations located at a call center, wherein each teller station of the plurality of the one or more teller stations is programmed to display a signature entered remotely on the electronic signature pad at the a personal teller machine, display an image of a customer identification, and programmed to remotely control, by a teller, the dispersal of cash to the customer at each personal teller machine and to selectively mix the number of one or more of $100.00 bills, $20.00 bills, $10.00 bills, $1.00 bills, 500 coins, 250 coins, 100 coins, or 10 coins to be remotely dispensed to the customer at each personal teller machine and cause a specified mix of individual coins to be dispensed from a selected personal teller machine,

each teller station comprising;

at least one server computer that is connected with each teller stations over the network and is programmed to connect each teller station with the plurality of personal teller machines over the network;

wherein each teller stations is integrated with a financial banking institution'"'"'s system and programmed to access, by a teller, an account owned by the customer, verify the account balance, transfer funds to or from the account, withdraw funds directly from the account, and deposit funds directly into the account.

20. A system as defined in claim 19, wherein each personal teller machine further comprises a computer.

21. A system as defined in claim 19, wherein each teller station causes details regarding a particular transaction to be displayed on the display to the customer.

22. A system as defined in claim 19, each personal teller machine further comprises at least one of:

a biometric device;

a card scanner for reading a magnetic strip; and

a scanner that scans each side of a customer'"'"'s identification for transmission to a teller station that displays an image of the customer'"'"'s identification.

23. A system as defined in claim 19, wherein each teller station further comprises:

a headset for receiving audio communications from the customer;

a display for displaying video data of the customer;

a teller transaction screen for displaying details of each transaction performed by the customer; and

function keys for controlling each transaction.