System for processing financial transactions in a self-service library terminal

• US 8,322,614 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2011
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bibliotheca RFID Library Systems AG (Bibliotheca Group GmbH)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Fergen, James E., Nelson, John E., Kieffer, Michael J., Marsolek, Gerald G., Schwietz, Joseph E. Jr., McLeod, Kathleen M., Yorkovich, John D., Grunes, Mitchell B.
• Primary Examiner(s): St. Cyr, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US13/185,643
• Publication Number:
  US 20110276422A1
• Time in Patent Office: 504 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/380, 235/385, 235/382, 235/462.01, 235/492, 235/487
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0042 for hiring of objects
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/005 Details or accessories
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/00 Cash registers alarm indicators G07G3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0054 with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles

Abstract

A library terminal permits a user to execute a loan transaction without assistance. The library terminal (i) provides a visible scan line from a bar code reader indicating the correct positioning of the bar code on a circulating item, (ii) leads a user through a loan transaction, (iii) provides an explicit feedback to a user when an article has an improper position on the article receiving area, (iv) both checks out and checks in circulating items, (v) stores fonts in bit maps of screen displays instead of in a separate font memory, (vi) integrates a security marker reader, a printer, and a controller in the same housing, (vii) processes financial transactions related to the borrowing of circulating items, and/or (viii) displays actions for helping the user to correct errors in use of the terminal.

Claims

1. A self-service library terminal comprising:

a payment apparatus arranged to receive payment from a borrower;

a controller, wherein the controller is arranged to process a loan transaction of a borrower of a circulating item, wherein the controller is arranged to interact with the payment apparatus in order to process financial transactions related to the library loan transactions, and wherein the controller is arranged to remind the borrower of the borrower'"'"'s account status; and

,

a display, wherein the controller is arranged to control the display in order to remind the borrower that a loan is a chargeable loan.

2. The self-service library terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is arranged to control the display in order to request that the borrower pay a fee for the chargeable loan.

3. The self-service library terminal of claim 1, wherein the display is a monitor.

4. The self-service library terminal of claim 1, wherein the display is a printer.

5. The self-service library terminal of claim 1, further comprising a reader, wherein the reader is arranged to read identifications on circulating items involved in loan transactions.

6. The self-service library terminal of claim 5, wherein the controller is arranged to process signals from the reader corresponding to the identifications read by the reader.

7. A self-service library terminal comprising:

a payment apparatus arranged to receive payment from a borrower;

a controller, wherein the controller is arranged to process a loan transaction of a borrower of a circulating item, wherein the controller is arranged to interact with payment apparatus in order to process financial transactions related to the library loan transactions, and wherein the controller is arranged to remind the borrower of the borrower'"'"'s account status; and

,

a display, wherein the controller is arranged to control the display to remind the borrower of a hold reserved for the borrower.

8. The self-service library terminal of claim 7, wherein the display is further arranged to remind the borrower that a loan is a chargeable loan.

9. The self-service library terminal of claim 8, wherein the controller is arranged to control the display in order to request that the borrower pay a fee for the chargeable loan.

10. The self-service library terminal of claim 7, wherein the display is a monitor.

11. The self-service library terminal of claim 7, wherein the display is a printer.

12. The self-service library terminal of claim 7, further comprising a reader, wherein the reader is arranged to read identifications on circulating items involved in loan transactions.

13. The self-service library terminal of claim 12, wherein the controller is arranged to process signals from the reader corresponding to the identifications read by the reader.

18. The self-service library terminal of claim 13, further comprising a reader, wherein the reader is arranged to read identifications on circulating items involved in loan transactions.

19. The self-service library terminal of claim 18, wherein the controller is arranged to process signals from the reader corresponding to the identifications read by the reader.

14. A self-service library terminal comprising:

a payment apparatus arranged to receive payment from a borrower;

a controller, wherein the controller is arranged to process a loan transaction of a borrower of a circulating item, wherein the controller is arranged to interact with the payment apparatus in order to process financial transactions related to the library loan transactions, and

a connector, wherein the connector is arranged to couple the self-service library terminal over a link to a circulation system, wherein the controller is arranged to store loan transactions during periods when the link to the circulation system is down so that the loan transactions can be later transferred to the circulation system.

15. The self-service library terminal of claim 14, wherein the display is further arranged to remind the borrower that a loan is a chargeable loan.

16. The self-service library terminal of claim 15, wherein the controller is arranged to control the display in order to request that the borrower pay a fee for the chargeable loan.

17. The self-service library terminal of claim 15, wherein the display is a monitor or a printer.