KR100572062B1 - Apparatus and method for ethernet-based intelligent banking kiosk system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an Ethernet-based customer turn-by-wait system and an intelligent customer turn-by-turn guide method using the same, to fully utilize the already established Ethernet network and computing equipment, to implement a customer turn-by-wait system, each having a variety of business categories. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a customer turn-by-wait system and intelligent customer turn-over guidance method that can intelligently control the amount of work for each employee's terminal and give priority to the elderly and the disabled.

The customer turn waiting system based on Ethernet according to the present invention includes a customer turn wait table issuer in the form of a kiosk, a central operation processing system, a customer turn output display and a cashier terminal device, and a customer turn wait ticket issuer and a central call processing system and a customer. The serial output display and the destination terminal are interconnected via an Ethernet interface.

In addition, the intelligent customer sequence guide method by the customer sequence waiting system based on the Ethernet according to the present invention, including a priority processing priority setting step, a customer sequence request input step, a cashier terminal device designation step and a customer business processing completion step Is done.

Kiosks, turntables, number tags

Description

Ethernet-based customer turn-by-wait system and intelligent customer turn-by-turn guide method {APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ETHERNET-BASED INTELLIGENT BANKING KIOSK SYSTEM}

1 is a configuration diagram of a customer sequence waiting system based on Ethernet according to the present invention;

2 is a configuration diagram of a customer sequence waiting system based on Ethernet according to the present invention;

3 is a block diagram of a customer order waiting table issuer and a central processing system;

4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a caller pad;

5 is a view showing a customer waiting system messenger window that is output to the cashier terminal device of the customer order waiting system according to the present invention;

6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an intelligent customer sequence guide method according to the present invention;

7 is a flowchart illustrating a process of appropriately distributing a task to a cashier terminal device according to the priority in the designation of the cashier terminal device when the priority is assigned to each cashier terminal device.

8 is a flow chart showing the flow of the priority process priority processing priority in the intelligent customer number guide method according to the present invention.

The present invention relates to an Ethernet-based customer turn-by-wait system and an intelligent customer turn-by-turn method using the same. More specifically, in a customer turn-by-turn system such as a bank or a government office, the customer turn-by-turn is based on an installed Ethernet network. The present invention relates to a customer turn waiting system that enables a system to be constructed, and an intelligent customer turn guide method that enables smooth customer turnover by assigning a priority to the customer turnover.

The customer turn-by-turn system was first introduced in Korea in 1989 to issue customers a waiting number table and display the current call number on display devices such as large LED display boards to solve the inconvenience of long-lined customers. One device. Since the first turn-by-turn system has had a major impact on the financial transaction environment since it was first introduced into the financial sector, it has been widely used in various financial companies as well as various service companies and government offices.

The basic configuration of the customer turn waiting system includes a microprocessor that acts as a brain, a thermal printer for ticketing, a caller pad for calling a number, and a display device for displaying call numbers, and recently, a turntable that includes a thermal printer. A small liquid crystal panel and a touch screen are also installed in the issuing device (kiosk). Serial network RS485 communication is used for the network connecting these components. The features of serial communication based on RS485 are as follows.

Maximum number of caller pads that can be connected 32 Max Distance 1200 m Communication speed 10 Mb / s Support transmission method Half duplex

That is, as shown in the table, the maximum number of connectable caller pads is limited to 32. This means that more than 32 caller pads can be used to call a customer number in the customer RS system based on the existing RS485.

On the other hand, the service currently provided by the customer turn waiting system includes customer call and recall according to the turn, about two days of ticketing information storage, and printing of the ticketing information related report. In case of adding a separate function, voice call function, long-term storage of ticketing information and statistical data output are also possible.

Recently, a small liquid crystal panel is mounted on a turn-around ticket issuing device (kiosk) to allow a user to select a desired service category (eg deposit and withdrawal, loan, foreign exchange, etc.) or to provide simple content. The development of a complex system has been attempted to provide a new type of information, rather than only issue a turntable. However, due to inconvenient operation methods and expensive additional systems, only the original functions such as customer call and recall service are used.

Problems of the conventional customer turn waiting system is as follows.

Unlike in the late 1980s, when the customer turn-by-wait system first appeared, most computers such as financial institutions and government offices in which customer turn-by-wait systems are built are connected to Ethernet networks. However, in order to construct the customer turn-by-wait system, RS485-based serial communication network must be configured separately from the Ethernet network that is already installed. Therefore, the installation cost must be doubled and the existing network resources cannot be fully utilized. Etc.

Next, there is a problem with the operation method of the customer turn waiting system.

In the conventional customer turn-by-wait system, call, recall, and wait can be selected by pressing a caller pad placed in a seat of a person. Each work category is managed as a separate queue. For example, in the bank, the queues for the deposit and withdrawal and lending tasks are counted separately, so even if the withdrawal and congestion is very busy, the lending business is very busy. Inconvenient to handle the work by calling.

Furthermore, even when the elderly and the disabled are unfamiliar with the customer turn-by-turn system and are uncomfortable and unable to wait for a long time, the customer turn-by-turn system is provided unless the petition police are voluntarily guided to the counter. It was inconvenient that the system could not prioritize the system.

Therefore, intelligently control the amount of work for each customer terminal waiting system with various work categories and customer order waiting system implemented by fully utilizing the Ethernet network and computer equipment already established where customer waiting system should be installed. · There is an urgent need for a customer turn-by-wait system and an intelligent customer turn-over method that can give priority to the disabled.

 The present invention has been conceived in response to the above-mentioned request, implements the customer turn-by-wait system by fully utilizing the already established Ethernet network and computing equipment, and intelligently calculates the amount of work for each cashier terminal having various work categories. It aims to provide a customer turn-by-wait system and intelligent customer turn-around guidance that can give priority to the seniors and the disabled.

In order to achieve the above object, the customer turn waiting system based on Ethernet according to the present invention comprises: a customer turn wait ticket issuer in the form of a kiosk; A central processing system; And a customer turnover display; and a customer turnout ticket issuing device, wherein the customer turnout ticket issuing machine, the central processing processing system, the customer turnout display, and the customer turnout terminal device are connected to each other by an Ethernet interface. The customer screen display unit for displaying one or more queues, a touch screen input unit installed on the screen display unit for receiving a queue specified by the customer and a thermal printer for outputting the turn table for the received queue The cashier terminal apparatus further includes a cashier screen display unit for displaying a customer order number received from the central computing system, and a caller pad input unit for requesting the central processing system to update customer processing information. It is characterized by.

The caller pad input unit may be connected to the cashier terminal device via a USB interface to input / output data and receive power.

In addition, if the priority processing of a row circle for one or more of the queue is designated by the destination terminal device, it is preferable that the central processing system transmits the customer order waiting information according to the priority processing order to each of the destination terminal devices. desirable.

On the other hand, the intelligent customer number guidance method using the customer number waiting system based on the Ethernet, the priority processing step of specifying the priority of the one or more queue destination terminal device for one or more queues; A customer order request input step of updating the order queue information according to a customer order wait table issuing request signal and outputting a customer order wait table to a printer; Specifying a cashier terminal device in accordance with the customer order waiting table issuance and the cashier terminal device designation step of displaying the customer terminal number specified in the customer order display on the customer order output display; And a customer service processing completion step of removing the customer order from the order queue information and updating the order queue information according to the completion of the customer service process.

In this case, the destination terminal device designation step, when the customer's turn table issuance request signal input in the customer turn request input step designates a specific queue, the travel destination terminal device is specified as the one of the source priority for the specific queue 1 If the number of outstanding call numbers does not exceed a predetermined number, the designated dispatcher terminal device is designated as the dispatcher terminal device in charge of the issuance request signal. A destination terminal device designating a destination terminal device having the least number of unprocessed call numbers of each destination terminal device as a destination source device, and specifying a source priority of 1 for the specific queue. If the number of outstanding call numbers exceeds a predetermined number, Performs the designated cashier terminal device assignment operation in the ascending order of priority for the cashier terminal device with the dispatcher priority assigned to 2 or later, and the dispatcher terminal device which specified the last priority for the specific queue is also unprocessed. If the number of call numbers exceeds a predetermined number specified in advance, it is preferable to further include designating a destination terminal device having the lowest number of unprocessed call numbers among all the destination terminal devices as a responsible source device.

Further, when the customer turntable issuance request signal input in the customer turn request input step is a route preferential issue request signal, in the customer turn request input step, the printer outputs a customer turn wait time table indicated as path priority, and In the destination terminal device designating step, the total number of unprocessed path preferential issuance request signals is determined among the unprocessed call numbers, and when the total number of unprocessed path preferential issuance request signals does not exceed a predetermined path preferential limit, all of the destination terminals are processed. Designate a cashier terminal device having the lowest number of unprocessed call numbers among the devices as the responsible cashier terminal device, and output the number of the priority ticket number table before the waiting number to be processed next time in the cashier terminal device. Output with a string indicating path preference Preferably further comprises a system.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in more detail.

1 is a configuration diagram of a customer order waiting system based on Ethernet according to the present invention.

As shown in Figure 1, the customer turn waiting system based on Ethernet according to the present invention, the customer turn wait table issuer 100 in the form of a kiosk (KIOSK) and the central processing system (not shown in the figure. It can be embedded in the issuer) and the customer order output display 110 and the destination terminal device 120. The customer turn table issuer 100, the central processing system, the customer turn output display 110, and the cashier terminal device 120 are connected to each other by an Ethernet interface, so that the network of the bank computer system already established can be used as it is. It is supposed to be. The customer waiting system messenger window as illustrated in FIG. 5 is output to the destination terminal device, so that faithful information can be more easily displayed than the conventional caller LCD screen.

2 is an example of configuration diagram of a customer turn-by-wait system based on Ethernet according to the present invention.

The customer turn table issuer and central processing system 100 of FIG. 1, the customer turn output display board 110, and the destination terminal device 120 are respectively a customer turn wait table issuer and a central processing system 200 of FIG. 2, and a customer turn order. Corresponding to the output display boards 211 and 212 and the destination terminal devices 221, 222, 223 and 224. Caller pads 231, 232, 233, and 234 are connected to each of the cashier terminal devices through the USB interface.

The customer may select and press a desired work category on the touch screen 201 of the customer turnover ticket issuing machine 200, and thus the turn table is outputted from the thermal printer or the printer 202 that may replace the work order. At the same time, the central processing system 200 determines the processing method for the turn table and transmits the processed information to the appropriate cashier terminal devices 221-224 and the customer turn output display boards 211 and 212. Specific methods for determining the treatment method will be described below.

On the other hand, by adding a display device, such as a large LCD or PDP connected to the network to the customer number output display board (211,212) can show the digital content with the customer standby information. This not only provides excellent information delivery effect to customers waiting at the bank, but also reduces the burden of network construction because it utilizes the Ethernet network already installed in the bank. The content to be displayed on the display device may be stored in a PC integrated with the display device and then output. The PC integrated with the display device serves as a simple terminal and transmits data transmitted from a predetermined advertisement server on the network. It can also be output in real time.

3 is a block diagram of a customer order waiting table issuer and a central processing system.

As shown in FIG. 3, the customer order waiting table issuer and the central processing system are largely composed of an input unit 310, an operation processing unit 320, an output unit 330, and a network unit 340. The input unit 310 corresponds to the touch screen 201, the operation processor 320 corresponds to the central processing system 200, and the output unit 330 corresponds to the thermal printer 202.

In addition to the task category selection operation as described above, the input unit 310 may also input customer information such as a mobile phone number to be contacted when implementing a mobile phone SMS service that notifies the waiting order in the future.

The operation processing unit 320 performs a main processing task. Meanwhile, advertisements and other contents to be displayed on the output screen of the kiosk may be stored and displayed appropriately. In addition, when implementing a mobile phone SMS service may serve as an online terminal for transmitting information to the SMS gateway side.

The output unit 330 outputs a turn table through a thermal printer or a printer that can replace the thermal printer.

On the other hand, in the customer turn waiting system according to the present invention by using 8-inch printing paper instead of the existing 2 inch thermal paper, unlike the turn table that simply informed only the waiting number and the waiting number, the bank's new product guidance, common sense, interest rates Information, financial common sense, exchange rate information, announcements, etc. can be printed according to the characteristics of the branch to improve customer service and can be used as a marketing tool.

4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a caller pad.

The conventional caller pad has a structure that is directly connected to an RS485 based serial network. However, in the customer turn-by-wait system according to the present invention, the work PC of each attendant in the already installed Ethernet network, rather than the RS485-based network, replaces the role of the conventional caller pad.

Conventional caller pads had to go through a cumbersome procedure such as manually operating a series of DIP switches for identification with different caller pads. Identification can be made easily by a designated IP address or a MAC address of an Ethernet card installed in a cashier terminal device.

In addition, since the visual display for the attendant (LED screen, etc.) and the display driving circuit, which are conventionally mounted on the caller pad itself, are omitted, the customer waiting system messenger window as shown in FIG. 5 appears on a part of the screen of the attendant terminal device. The manufacturing process for constructing the circuit can be solved and the manufacturing cost of the caller pad can be reduced.

Furthermore, since the conventional caller pad is directly connected to the RS485 serial network, there is a need to apply a separate power source. That is, since one power supply device must be attached to each box connector to which the caller pad is connected, there has been an increase in manufacturing cost for attaching a separate power supply device.

In the present invention, however, the power consumption of the caller pad is remarkably small, so that the caller pad is connected to the cashier terminal device through the USB interface and then connected to the Ethernet network. Therefore, the caller pad according to the present invention does not need to apply a separate power supply, unlike a conventional caller pad, by using the power of the source terminal device supplied through the USB interface, and does not attach a separate power supply device. Has the advantage of being.

5 is a customer waiting system messenger window output to the customer terminal waiting device of the customer turn waiting system according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the present invention, not only extremely simple information (that is, call number notification and average waiting time) displayed on the 7 segment display array of the LED display screen of the conventional caller pad, but also new product information, a customer's name, and a system Monitoring of motion status and other useful information (tips to facilitate conversations with customers, weather, greetings, etiquette training, etc.) can be displayed together to increase work efficiency.

6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an intelligent customer sequence guide method according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 6, the intelligent customer order guide method according to the present invention includes a priority order priority step 60, a customer order request input step 61, a cashier terminal device designation step 62, and a customer business process completion step ( 63).

In the priority processing step 60, in advance, all of the destination terminal devices of one or more destination terminal devices for one or more queues according to the business department (ie, business category) of the person who handles the destination terminal device. Priority is assigned. This step must be performed before the customer draws the turntable.

In the customer turn request input step 61, the central processing system updates the turn queue information and outputs the customer turn wait table to the printer according to the customer turn wait table issuance request signal generated by the customer selecting an appropriate business category.

In the destination terminal device designation step 62, the designated destination cashier terminal device in accordance with the issue of the customer order waiting table is designated, and the destination terminal device assigned to the customer order number is displayed on the customer order output display. This step is a key step of the intelligent customer order guide method according to the present invention, will be described in more detail below.

In the customer business process completion step 63, as the business process is completed for a specific customer, the customer sequence number is removed from the sequence number queue information and the sequence number information for the remaining sequence number is updated.

7 is a flowchart illustrating a process of appropriately distributing a task to a cashier terminal device according to the priority in the cashier terminal device designation step when the priority is assigned to each cashier terminal device.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the customer's turn table issuing request signal input in the customer turn request input step designates a specific queue, the visitor terminal device having a priority assigned to the specific queue is first searched.

In this case, if the number of outstanding call numbers, that is, the number of waiters does not exceed a predetermined number k1, the designated destination terminal device is designated as the source terminal device in charge of the issuance request signal, and the source priority is 1; If there are two or more designated cashier terminal devices, the designated cashier terminal device designation operation for designating the cashier terminal device having the smallest number of outstanding call numbers of each cashier terminal device as the responsible cashier terminal device is performed.

If the number of outstanding call numbers of a cashier's terminal equipment with a priority of 1 for a particular queue exceeds k1, the priority is 1, which means that there are too many waiters above a certain level. Alternatively, the designated cashier terminal device may be assigned to the designated cashier terminal device in ascending order of priority.

If the number of unprocessed call numbers exceeds the predetermined number (kn), even if the cashier terminal device that has designated the last priority means that there are too many waiters above a certain level at all the counters of the bank, in this case, Irrespective of the ranking, by designating a cashier terminal device having the lowest number of unprocessed call numbers among all cashier terminal devices as a responsible cashier terminal device, the throughput of the total cashier terminal devices can be determined to be about the same level.

8 is a flow chart showing the flow of the priority process priority processing priority in the intelligent customer number guide method according to the present invention.

In the intelligent customer order guide method according to the present invention, since the priority service order request is processed as a task that must be processed first of all other tasks, the task is processed before the next processing sequence in the normal queue.

On the other hand, if there are a plurality of path-preferred customers and compete at the same window, the serial numbers are processed in order of priority among the path-preferred customers, and if the path-preferred customers are congested (the present invention is larger than a predetermined m value). In the case of setting), in order to prevent side effects that other customers cannot work due to the path-preferred customer, only a specific destination terminal device is designated as a path-preferred dedicated to process the serial number of the path-preferred customer here.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the customer turntable issuance request signal input at the customer turn request input step is a route preferential issuance request signal, the total number of unprocessed route priority issuance request signals is determined from the unprocessed call numbers, and the unprocessed route is determined. If the total number of preferential issuance request signals does not exceed a predetermined path preferential threshold value (m), a cashier terminal device having the lowest number of outstanding call numbers among all cashier terminal devices is designated as the cashier terminal device. The terminal device outputs the number of the route preferential customer order waiting table before the waiting number to be processed next time along with a string representing the route priority on the customer order output sign board.

If the total number of outstanding call numbers exceeds the path priority limit (m), the window with the lowest waiting number among all terminal devices is designated as the path preferential processing window, and the dedicated processing window is the path preferential waiter only in the order of reception. Sequential processing, and other counters will be handled as usual except for a dedicated processing counter.

As described above, the embodiments of the customer turn-by-wait system based on Ethernet and the intelligent customer turn-by-turn method using the same according to the present invention have been described. The above embodiments are merely exemplary, and the Ethernet according to the present invention is provided as an example. Based on the customer turn waiting system and intelligent customer turn guide method using the same is not intended to limit to the above embodiment. Rather, any modifications, changes, additions, or substitutions may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims, all of which fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

By using the customer turn-by-wait system based on Ethernet and the intelligent customer turn-by-turn guide method based on the present invention, the customer turn-by-wait system can be realized by fully utilizing the already established Ethernet network and computing equipment, and various business categories. It is effective to intelligently control the workload of each attendant terminal with and to implement the customer turn-by-wait system and intelligent customer turn-over guidance method using Ethernet that can give priority to the elderly and the disabled. .

Claims (6)

As a customer turn-by-wait system based on Ethernet, Kiosk type customer turn table issuer; A central processing system; Customer sequence output display; and Including a cashier terminal, The customer turn table issuer, the central processing system, the customer turn output display, and the cashier terminal device are interconnected by an Ethernet interface. The customer order waiting table issuer may include a customer screen display unit displaying one or more queues, a touch screen input unit installed on the screen display unit to receive a queue designated by a customer, and a sequence waiting table for the received queue. It further includes a thermal printer for outputting, The cashier terminal device further includes a cashier screen display unit for displaying a customer order status received from the central processing system, and a caller pad input unit for requesting the central processing system to update customer processing information. When the priority processing order of a rower for one or more of the queues is designated in the rowing terminal device, the central processing system indicates that the input queue waiting table issuing request signal of the customer designates a specific queue. If the number of outstanding call numbers of the source terminal device of which the source priority is specified as 1 does not exceed a predetermined number, the designated source terminal device is designated as the source terminal device in charge of the issuance request signal, and the source priority is 1 In the case where there are two or more dispatcher terminal devices, the designated dispatcher terminal device designation operation for designating the dispatcher terminal device having the smallest number of unprocessed call numbers of each cashier terminal device as the responsible cashier terminal device is performed. If the number of unprocessed call numbers of the cashier terminal device designated as 1 for the specific queue exceeds a predetermined number, the cashier terminal device designated as the 2 or later of the dispatcher priority for the specific queue. Perform the designated attendant terminal device designation operation in ascending order of priority with respect to The attendant terminal device which designated the last priority with respect to the specific queue also handles the destination terminal device having the lowest number of outstanding call number among all the destination terminal devices when the number of outstanding call numbers exceeds a predetermined number. Customer-based standby system based on Ethernet, characterized in that specified as. The method of claim 1, The caller pad input unit is connected to the cashier terminal device via a USB interface, customer input standby system based on Ethernet, characterized in that the input and output and power supply. delete delete As an intelligent customer number guide method using the customer number waiting system based on Ethernet of claim 1, A priority processing step of designating priority of one or more destination terminal devices for one or more queues; A customer order request input step of updating the order queue information according to a customer order wait table issuing request signal and outputting a customer order wait table to a printer; A cashier terminal device designation step of designating a cashier terminal device in charge according to the issue of the customer turn table and displaying a designated traveler terminal device on the customer turn output display; And Comprising the customer service processing step of removing the customer order from the order queue information and update the order queue information in accordance with the completion of the customer business process, Wherein the cashier terminal device designation step, when the customer's turn table issuing request signal input in the customer turn request input step designates a specific queue, If the number of unprocessed call numbers of the source terminal device with the source priority for the specific queue does not exceed a predetermined number, the designated source device is designated as the source source terminal for the issue request signal. In the case where two or more of the source terminal devices having the source priority of 1 are 2 or more, the designated source of the source terminal device having the least number of unprocessed call numbers of each source terminal device is designated as the source of the source source device. If the number of unprocessed call numbers of the cashier terminal device designated as 1 for the specific queue exceeds a predetermined number, the cashier terminal device designated as the 2 or later of the dispatcher priority for the specific queue. Perform the designated attendant terminal device designation operation in ascending order of priority with respect to The attendant terminal device which designated the last priority with respect to the specific queue also handles the destination terminal device having the lowest number of outstanding call number among all the destination terminal devices when the number of outstanding call numbers exceeds a predetermined number. Intelligent customer number guide method, characterized in that further comprising the step of specifying. The method of claim 5, If the customer turn table issuance request signal input in the customer turn request input step is a path preferential issue request signal, In the customer order request input step, the printer outputs a customer order wait table displaying the path preference, In the destination terminal device designating step, the total number of unprocessed path preferential issuance request signals is determined among the unprocessed call numbers. Designate a cashier terminal device having the lowest number of unprocessed call numbers among the terminal devices as the responsible cashier terminal device, and output the number of the preferred customer order waiting table before the waiting number to be processed next time in the cashier terminal device. Intelligent customer number guide method characterized in that it further comprises the step of outputting with a string indicating the path preferential on the display.

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