System and method for receiving ATM deposits

• US 8,881,978 B1
• Filed: 02/12/2014
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wells Fargo Bank NA (Wells Fargo & Company)
• Original Assignee: Wells Fargo Bank NA (Wells Fargo & Company)
• Inventors: Velline, Jonathan George, Moore, Alicia Yi-Ping, Schrag, Elizabeth
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech, Karl D
• Application Number:
  US14/179,325
• Time in Patent Office: 272 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 705/43
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/201 Accessories of ATMs
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/202 Depositing operations within ATMs depositing in general G07D11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/206 Software aspects at ATMs

Abstract

An envelope-free deposit mechanism of a transaction machine receives a deposit from an account holder. The deposit comprises papers includes a combination of cash and checks. The deposit mechanism scan images from the cash and checks. For each paper, it is determined whether the paper is a check or cash. The determining is performed based on a characteristic of the paper scanned by the deposit mechanism.

Claims

1. An automated teller machine system comprising:

a display;

a dispensing device configured to dispense cash;

a transaction card reader configured to receive identification information from a transaction card, the transaction card being associated with an account holder using the automated teller machine;

an envelope free deposit device configured to receive a deposit of cash and checks, the deposit device including a scanner configured to scan images from the cash and checks, wherein the deposit device comprises a deposit mechanism configured to receive both cash and checks together and the scanner is configured to scan both the cash and checks received together by the deposit device, and the deposit device being configured to determine, for each paper, whether the paper is a check or cash based on a characteristic of the paper scanned by the deposit device.

2. An automated teller machine system according to claim 1, wherein the deposit device is further configured to determine and calculate the deposit amount for the cash and checks.

3. An automated teller machine system according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic is an image characteristic of the paper, and wherein the image characteristic comprises the lightness/darkness of the paper.

4. An automated teller machine system according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic is a size of the paper.

5. A method comprising:

receiving, by an envelope-free deposit mechanism of a transaction machine, a deposit from an account holder, the deposit comprising papers including a combination of cash and checks;

scanning, by the deposit mechanism, images from the cash and checks; and

determining, for each paper, whether the paper is a check or cash, the determining being performed based on a characteristic of the paper scanned by the deposit mechanism.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the characteristic is an image characteristic of the paper.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the image characteristic comprises the lightness/darkness of the paper.

8. A method according to claim 5, wherein the characteristic is a size of the paper.

9. A method according to claim 5, wherein the characteristic is a size of the paper, and wherein is an image characteristic of the paper.

10. A method comprising

receiving weather information at a transaction machine;

determining a message to display to a user of the transaction machine based on the weather information; and

displaying the message to the user of the transaction machine.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the weather information is received from a sensor located at or near the transaction machine.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein the weather information is received via a communication network from a weather service.

13. A method comprising:

receiving identification information from a transaction card at a transaction machine, the transaction card being associated with an account holder using the transaction machine, the transaction machine being configured to accept deposits of a predetermined type;

determining, using the identification information, activity profile information for the account holder including a list of transactions that the user has performed;

determining screen content based on the activity profile information;

displaying the screen content to the account holder via a display screen of the transaction machine.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the screen content displayed to the account holder is a list of one or more of the account holder'"'"'s most frequently performed services and transactions.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein the activity profile information includes information for transactions performed for all accounts accessible by the transaction card.