Dynamic Allocation of Video Resources

• US 20160191857A1
• Filed: 03/09/2016
• Published: 06/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Freedman, James David, Johnson, Tyler R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,549,156 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1085 involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/211 Software architecture within ATMs or in relation to the ATM network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

Video transaction machines (VTMs) facilitate communications and transactions between customers of a financial institution and video transaction resources, such as video agents, by establishing a video session between a VTM and a video agent workstation. After a computing device of the financial institution receives information identifying the customer, VTM, or VTM location requesting the services of a video agent, the computing device may place the customer in one or more virtual queues based on an overall visit time at the VTM location. In order to maintain a visit time at the VTM location below a predetermined visit time threshold, the controller may prioritize transactions at VTMs with longer visit times over transactions at VTMs with shorter visit times.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, by a computing device having at least one processor, a wait time of a user at a video transaction machine;

determining, by the computing device, an amount of time the user spent waiting in line for the video transaction machine;

determining, based on the determined wait time of the user at the video transaction machine and the determined amount of time the user spent waiting in line for the video transaction machine, that a visit time associated with the video transaction machine exceeds a visit time threshold;

determining, by the computing device, a maximum estimated visit time for a last user in line for the video transaction machine;

determining, by the computing device, that the maximum estimated visit time for the last user exceeds a maximum visit time threshold; and

in response to determining that the visit time associated with the video transaction machine exceeds the visit time threshold and in response to determining that the maximum estimated visit time for the last user in line for the video transaction machine exceeds the maximum visit time threshold, placing, by the computing device, a request for the video transaction machine received from the video transaction machine at a position in a queue for video transaction resources before another request for the video transaction resource received from another video transaction machine.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wait time of the user at the video transaction machine comprises an amount of time from a time that the video transaction machine receives an input from the user requesting assistance from the video transaction machine to a current time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the amount of time the user spent waiting in line for the video transaction machine comprises:

receiving, from a user device having one or more wireless sensors, data indicating a presence of the user in the line for the video transaction machine, wherein the user device is carried by the user; and

determining the amount of time the user spent waiting in line for the video transaction machine based on the data received from the user device having the one or more wireless sensors.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the maximum estimated visit time for the last user in line for the video transaction machine is based on an average visit time associated with the video transaction machine and a total number of users in line for the video transaction machine.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using a presence sensor at a location of the video transaction machine to determine that a user has joined or left the line for the video transaction machine; and

in response to determining that a user has joined or left the line for the video transaction machine, re-determining, by the computing device, the maximum estimated visit time for the last user in line for the video transaction machine.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the amount of time the user spent waiting in line for the video transaction machine further comprises:

generating, by the computing device and based on information received by the computing device from an image sensor at a location of the video transaction machine, a physical queue indicating amounts of time users at the location of the video transaction machine spend waiting in line for the video transaction machine, including the amount of time the user spent waiting in line for the video transaction machine; and

determining, by the computing device and based on the physical queue, the amount of time the user spent waiting in line for the video transaction machine.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the video transaction resource comprises a video agent, the method further comprising:

in response to determining that the video agent is available and that the request for the video transaction resource received from the video transaction machine is next in the queue for video transaction resources, generating a communication channel between the video transaction machine and the video agent.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

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

determine a wait time of a user at a video transaction machine;

determine an amount of time the user spent waiting in line for the video transaction machine;

determine, based on the determined wait time of the user at the video transaction machine and the determined amount of time the user spent waiting in line for the video transaction machine, that a visit time associated with the video transaction machine exceeds a visit time threshold;

determine a maximum estimated visit time for a last user in line for the video transaction machine;

determine that the maximum estimated visit time for the last user exceeds a maximum visit time threshold; and

in response to determining that the visit time associated with the video transaction machine exceeds the visit time threshold and in response to determining that the maximum estimated visit time for the last user in line for the video transaction machine exceeds the maximum visit time threshold, place a request for the video transaction machine received from the video transaction machine at a position in a queue for video transaction resources before another request for the video transaction resource received from another video transaction machine.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the wait time of the user at the video transaction machine comprises an amount of time from a time that the video transaction machine receives an input from the user requesting assistance from the video transaction machine to a current time.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein determining the amount of time the user spent waiting in line for the video transaction machine comprises:

receiving, from a user device having one or more wireless sensors, data indicating a presence of the user in the line for the video transaction machine, wherein the user device is carried by the user; and

determining the amount of time the user spent waiting in line for the video transaction machine based on the data received from the user device having the one or more wireless sensors.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein determining the maximum estimated visit time for the last user in line for the video transaction machine is based on an average visit time associated with the video transaction machine and a total number of users in line for the video transaction machine.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the memory stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

use a presence sensor at a location of the video transaction machine to determine that a user has joined or left the line for the video transaction machine; and

in response to determining that a user has joined or left the line for the video transaction machine, re-determine the maximum estimated visit time for the last user in line for the video transaction machine.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein determining the amount of time the user spent waiting in line for the video transaction machine further comprises:

generating, based on information received from an image sensor at a location of the video transaction machine, a physical queue indicating amounts of time users at the location of the video transaction machine spend waiting in line for the video transaction machine, including the amount of time the user spent waiting in line for the video transaction machine; and

determining, based on the physical queue, the amount of time the user spent waiting in line for the video transaction machine.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the video transaction resource comprises a video agent, and wherein the memory stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

in response to determining that the video agent is available and that the request for the video transaction resource received from the video transaction machine is next in the queue for video transaction resources, generate a communication channel between the video transaction machine and the video agent.

15. At least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause at least one computing device to:

determine a wait time of a user at a video transaction machine;

determine an amount of time the user spent waiting in line for the video transaction machine;

determine, based on the determined wait time of the user at the video transaction machine and the determined amount of time the user spent waiting in line for the video transaction machine, that a visit time associated with the video transaction machine exceeds a visit time threshold;

determine a maximum estimated visit time for a last user in line for the video transaction machine;

determine that the maximum estimated visit time for the last user exceeds a maximum visit time threshold; and

in response to determining that the visit time associated with the video transaction machine exceeds the visit time threshold and in response to determining that the maximum estimated visit time for the last user in line for the video transaction machine exceeds the maximum visit time threshold, place a request for the video transaction machine received from the video transaction machine at a position in a queue for video transaction resources before another request for the video transaction resource received from another video transaction machine.

16. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the wait time of the user at the video transaction machine comprises an amount of time from a time that the video transaction machine receives an input from the user requesting assistance from the video transaction machine to a current time.

17. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein determining the amount of time the user spent waiting in line for the video transaction machine comprises:

receiving, from a user device having one or more wireless sensors, data indicating a presence of the user in the line for the video transaction machine, wherein the user device is carried by the user; and

determining the amount of time the user spent waiting in line for the video transaction machine based on the data received from the user device having the one or more wireless sensors.

18. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein determining the maximum estimated visit time for the last user in line for the video transaction machine is based on an average visit time associated with the video transaction machine and a total number of users in line for the video transaction machine.

19. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 having additional computer-readable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the at least one computing device to:

use a presence sensor at a location of the video transaction machine to determine that a user has joined or left the line for the video transaction machine; and

in response to determining that a user has joined or left the line for the video transaction machine, re-determine the maximum estimated visit time for the last user in line for the video transaction machine.

20. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein determining the amount of time the user spent waiting in line for the video transaction machine further comprises:

generating, based on information received from an image sensor at a location of the video transaction machine, a physical queue indicating amounts of time users at the location of the video transaction machine spend waiting in line for the video transaction machine, including the amount of time the user spent waiting in line for the video transaction machine; and

determining, based on the physical queue, the amount of time the user spent waiting in line for the video transaction machine.