Video-assisted self-service transaction device

• US 8,896,653 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2012
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Johnson, Tyler R., Willis, Therese H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US13/546,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20130016173A1
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1416, 379/265.09, 37926511-26513, 379/266.01, 379/266.06, 715/716, 715/722, 715/700, 902/8
• US Class Current: 348/14.03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/201 Accessories of ATMs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/141 between two video terminals, e.g. videophone telephonic communication systems combined with television receiver for reception of entertainment or information matter H04M11/085

Abstract

While performing or initiating a transaction with a self-service video transaction device, a user may interact with a video agent and a terminal associated therewith. Video and/or audio functionalities may be enabled or disabled based on a length of a wait time to connect to a video agent. If the wait time exceeds a predetermined threshold, video and/or audio functionalities may be disabled, and the self-service device may generate a display indicating that video and/or audio functionalities are unavailable. If the wait time does not exceed the predetermined threshold, video and/or audio functionalities may be enabled, and the self-service device may generate a display indicating that video and/or audio functionalities are available.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying, by a computing device, a plurality of video agent terminals having video and audio functionalities;

determining, by the computing device, whether a wait time for connecting to a video agent terminal of the plurality of video agent terminals exceeds a predetermined threshold time;

if the wait time exceeds the predetermined threshold time, transmitting, by the computing device, a message to a plurality of self-service video transaction devices indicating that the plurality of video agent terminals are currently unavailable to service the plurality of self-service video transaction devices; and

in response to receiving the message indicating that the plurality of video agent terminals are currently unavailable, generating, by each of the plurality of self-service video transaction devices, an image on a display device of the self-service video transaction device indicating that video and audio functionalities are currently unavailable.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the wait time does not exceed the predetermined threshold time, transmitting, by the computing device, a message to the plurality of self-service video transaction devices indicating that the plurality of video agent terminals are currently available to service the plurality of self-service video transaction devices; and

in response to receiving the message indicating that the plurality of video agent terminals are currently available, generating, by each of the plurality of self-service video transaction devices, an image on the display device of the self-service video transaction device indicating that video and audio functionalities are currently available.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the image indicating that video and audio functionalities are currently available includes a first list of transactions currently available at the self-service video transaction device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a first list of transactions that use the video and audio functionalities and a second list of transactions that do not use the video and audio functionalities, wherein the image indicating that video and audio functionalities are currently unavailable identifies the second list of transactions as currently available at the self-service video transaction device and the first list of transactions as not currently available at the self-service video transaction device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

subsequent to determining that the wait time exceeds the predetermined threshold time, determining that the wait time has fallen below the predetermined threshold time; and

in response to determining that the wait time has fallen below the predetermined threshold time, generating, by each of the plurality of self-service video transaction devices, an image on the display device of the self-service video transaction device indicating that video and audio functionalities are currently available.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving credentials from a user interacting with a self-service video transaction device of the plurality of self-service video transaction devices;

in response to receiving the credentials, retrieving a language preference of the user from the user'"'"'s profile;

automatically generating a menu on the display device of the self-service video transaction device in the user'"'"'s preferred language; and

establishing a connection between the self-service video transaction device and a video agent terminal of a video agent that speaks the preferred language.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the image indicating that video and audio functionalities are currently unavailable indicates that user authentication using a scanned image of the user is currently unavailable.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

identify a plurality of video agent terminals having video and audio functionalities;

determine whether a wait time for connecting to a video agent terminal of the plurality of video agent terminals exceeds a predetermined threshold time;

if the wait time exceeds the predetermined threshold time, transmit a message to a plurality of self-service video transaction devices indicating that the plurality of video agent terminals are currently unavailable to service the plurality of self-service video transaction devices; and

in response to transmitting the message indicating that the plurality of video agent terminals are currently unavailable, cause each of the plurality of self-service video transaction devices to generate an image on a display device of the self-service video transaction device indicating that video and audio functionalities are currently unavailable.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, storing additional instructions that, when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to:

if the wait time does not exceed the predetermined threshold time, transmit a message to the plurality of self-service video transaction devices indicating that the plurality of video agent terminals are currently available to service the plurality of self-service video transaction devices; and

in response to transmitting the message indicating that the plurality of video agent terminals are currently available, cause each of the plurality of self-service video transaction devices to generate an image on the display device of the self-service video transaction device indicating that video and audio functionalities are currently available.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the image indicating that video and audio functionalities are currently available includes a first list of transactions currently available at the self-service video transaction device.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, storing additional instructions that, when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to:

determine a first list of transactions that use the video and audio functionalities and a second list of transactions that do not use the video and audio functionalities, wherein the image indicating that video and audio functionalities are currently unavailable identifies the second list of transactions as currently available at the self-service video transaction device and the first list of transactions as not currently available at the self-service video transaction device.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, storing additional instructions that, when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to:

subsequent to determining that the wait time exceeds the predetermined threshold time, determine that the wait time has fallen below the predetermined threshold time; and

in response to determining that the wait time has fallen below the predetermined threshold time, cause each of the plurality of self-service video transaction devices to generate an image on the display device of the self-service video transaction device indicating that video and audio functionalities are currently available.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, storing additional instructions that, when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to:

receive credentials from a user interacting with a self-service video transaction device of the plurality of self-service video transaction devices;

in response to receiving the credentials, retrieve a language preference of the user from the user'"'"'s profile;

automatically cause the self-service video transaction device to generate a menu on the display device of the self-service video transaction device in the user'"'"'s preferred language; and

establish a connection between the self-service video transaction device and a video agent terminal of a video agent that speaks the preferred language.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the image indicating that video and audio functionalities are currently unavailable indicates that user authentication using a scanned image of the user is currently unavailable.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to;

identify a plurality of video agent terminals having video and audio functionalities;

determine whether a wait time for connecting to a video agent terminal of the plurality of video agent terminals exceeds a predetermined threshold time;

if the wait time exceeds the predetermined threshold time, transmit a message to a plurality of self-service video transaction devices indicating that the plurality of video agent terminals are currently unavailable to service the plurality of self-service video transaction devices; and

in response to transmitting the message indicating that the plurality of video agent terminals are currently unavailable, cause each of the plurality of self-service video transaction devices to generate an image on a display device of the self-service video transaction device indicating that video and audio functionalities are currently unavailable.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the memory stores additional instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to:

if the wait time does not exceed the predetermined threshold time, transmit a message to the plurality of self-service video transaction devices indicating that the plurality of video agent terminals are currently available to service the plurality of self-service video transaction devices; and

in response to transmitting the message indicating that the plurality of video agent terminals are currently available, cause each of the plurality of self-service video transaction devices to generate an image on the display device of the self-service video transaction device indicating that video and audio functionalities are currently available.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the image indicating that video and audio functionalities are currently available includes a first list of transactions currently available at the self-service video transaction device.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the memory stores additional instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to:

determine a first list of transactions that use the video and audio functionalities and a second list of transactions that do not use the video and audio functionalities, wherein the image indicating that video and audio functionalities are currently unavailable identifies the second list of transactions as currently available at the self-service video transaction device and the first list of transactions as not currently available at the self-service video transaction device.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the memory stores additional instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to:

subsequent to determining that the wait time exceeds the predetermined threshold time, determine that the wait time has fallen below the predetermined threshold time; and

in response to determining that the wait time has fallen below the predetermined threshold time, cause each of the plurality of self-service video transaction devices to generate an image on the display device of the self-service video transaction device indicating that video and audio functionalities are currently available.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the memory stores additional instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to:

receive credentials from a user interacting with a self-service video transaction device of the plurality of self-service video transaction devices;

in response to receiving the credentials, retrieve a language preference of the user from the user'"'"'s profile;

automatically cause the self-service video transaction device to generate a menu on the display device of the self-service video transaction device in the user'"'"'s preferred language; and

establish a connection between the self-service video transaction device and a video agent terminal of a video agent that speaks the preferred language.