Self-service terminal remote diagnostics

• US 8,161,330 B1
• Filed: 06/15/2009
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Vannatter, Timothy B., Fitzgerald, Richard L., Crowley, Stephen R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Baderman, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Kamini
• Application Number:
  US12/484,480
• Time in Patent Office: 1,037 Days
• Field of Search: 714/48, 235/379
• US Class Current: 714/48
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/207 Surveillance aspects at ATMs
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications

Abstract

A method for determining for determining a root cause of each of a plurality of operational faults is provided. The method includes receiving electronic notification of the plurality of operational faults. The method may also include analyzing the plurality of operational faults to determine whether a shared characteristic of the plurality of operational faults exists. And, if a shared characteristic of the plurality of operational faults exists, the method may include terminating generation of operator notifications in response to receiving electronic notification of operational faults comprising the shared characteristic.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a processor on a computer system, perform a method for determining a root cause of each of a plurality of operational faults, each of the operational faults associated with one of a plurality of remote, networked electronic self-service devices, the method comprising:

receiving, from each of the plurality of remote networked electronic self-service devices, an electronic notification of at least one of the plurality of operational faults;

analyzing the plurality of operational faults to determine whether a shared characteristic of the plurality of operational faults exists;

if the shared characteristic of the plurality of operational faults does not exist, initiating a self-healing subroutine directed to the root cause of each fault; and

if the shared characteristic of the plurality of operational faults exists, terminating generation of operator notifications in response to receiving electronic notification of operational faults comprising the shared characteristic and instructing the self-service devices to cease generation of electronic notification of the operational faults comprising the shared characteristic.

2. The media of claim 1 further comprising determining that the shared characteristic of the plurality of operational faults is that each self-service device communicates through a single, non-functioning, router.

3. The media of claim 1 further comprising determining that the shared characteristic of the plurality of operational faults is that each self-service device communicates through a single, non-functioning, device handler.

4. The media of claim 1 further comprising determining that the shared characteristic of the plurality of operational faults is that each self-service device communicates through a single, non-functioning, operations server.

5. The media of claim 1, the analyzing further comprising grouping a plurality of electronic self-service devices based on one of location, self-service device model number and sub-entity affiliation.

6. The media of claim 1 wherein the self-service device is one of an Automatic Teller Machine, cash recycler, and self-service kiosk.

7. A server in communication with a plurality of remote, networked electronic self-service devices, the server comprising:

a receiver for receiving, from each of plurality of remote networked electronic self-service devices, an electronic notification of at least one of a plurality of operational faults; and

a processor for implementing instructions for analyzing the plurality of operational faults to determine whether a shared characteristic of the plurality of operational faults exists;

wherein;

in the event that the shared characteristic of the plurality of operational faults does not exist, the processor further for initiating a self-healing subroutine directed to a root cause of each fault; and

in the event that the shared characteristic of the plurality of operational faults exists, the processor further for terminating generation of operator notifications in response to receiving electronic notification of operational faults comprising the shared characteristic, and the processor further for instructing the self-service devices to cease generation of electronic notification of the operational faults comprising the shared characteristic.

8. The server of claim 7 the processor further configured to determine that the shared characteristic of the plurality of operational faults is that each self-service device communicates through a single, non-functioning, router.

9. The server of claim 7 the processor further configured to determine that the shared characteristic of the plurality of operational faults is that each self-service device communicates through a single, non-functioning, device handler.

10. The server of claim 7 the processor further configured to determine that the shared characteristic of the plurality of operational faults is that each self-service device communicates through a single, non-functioning, operations server.

11. The server of claim 7 the processor further configure to group a plurality of electronic self-service devices based on one of location, self-service device model number and sub-entity affiliation.

12. The server of claim 7 wherein the self-service device is one of an Automatic Teller Machine, cash recycler, and self-service kiosk.

13. A method for determining a root cause of each of a plurality of operational faults in a group of remote, networked self-service devices, the method comprising:

receiving, from each one of the plurality of remote networked electronic self-service devices, an electronic notification of at least one of the plurality of operational faults;

analyzing the plurality of operational faults to determine whether a shared characteristic of the plurality of operational faults exists;

if the shared characteristic of the plurality of operational faults does not exist, initiating a self-healing subroutine directed to the root cause of each fault; and

if the shared characteristic of the plurality of operational faults exists, terminating generation of operator notifications in response to receiving electronic notification of operational faults comprising the shared characteristic and instructing the self-service devices to cease generation of electronic notification of the operational faults comprising the shared characteristic.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising determining that the shared characteristic of the plurality of operational faults is that each self-service device communicates through a single, non-functioning, router.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising determining that the shared characteristic of the plurality of operational faults is that each self-service device communicates through a single, non-functioning, device handler.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising determining that the shared characteristic of the plurality of operational faults is that each self-service device communicates through a single, non-functioning, operations server.

17. The method of claim 13, the analyzing further comprising grouping a plurality of electronic self-service devices based on one of location, self-service device model number and sub-entity affiliation.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the self-service device is one of an Automatic Teller Machine, cash recycler, and self-service kiosk.