FR2604546A1 - Automatic apparatus for movements of cash - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an automatic apparatus for movements of cash. This apparatus comprises an automatic cash receiver/dispenser and a receiver/dispenser of account slips equivalent to cash in commercial transactions. One of a first means according to which cash only may be delivered by the cash dispenser and a second mode according to which either cash may be dispensed by the cash dispenser or an account slip may be dispensed by the account slip dispenser according to the choice of the customer, is selected at a given instant with the aid of a keyboard. In response to the selection of the second mode by the means and to the selection by the customer of the dispensing of an account slip, the account slip dispenser is ordered to deliver an account slip. The apparatus also comprises a card reader/recorder for reading the information recorded on the credit card.

Description

AUTOMATIC APPARATUS FOR SPECIES MOVEMENTS
The present invention relates to an automatic device for cash movements for use in banking installations such as banks, and more particularly an automatic device for cash movements comprising a cash receiver / distributor and an effects receiver / distributor, intended to selectively distribute tickets and an instrument such as a check or draft and to receive such instrument to be exchanged for cash or deposited into an account.

 As is well known, automatic cash movement devices are widely used in banking facilities such as banks since they can be directly used by customers to perform various movements such as depositing, withdrawing species or the like.

 There are various types of automatic cash movement devices currently in use. The most general automatic cash movement device includes a card reader / writer using user cards (identification cards, IDs) issued by a bank to its customers, a machine for making entries in notebooks account, an ATM, and an ATM. Recently offered automatic cash transaction machines also include an effects dispenser which automatically issues deposit slips, certificates of deposit or the like.

The conventional automatic devices for cash movements with cash dispensers, however, were hampered by the following problems
since only cash is distributed by the automatic device for cash transaction, the conventional automatic device for cash transaction cannot respond to customer requests requiring the establishment of bills or written orders such as checks or drafts. Such customer requests are particularly strong when a customer does not wish to transport cash due to the risk of theft.

 When mechanisms or components of conventional automatic devices for cash movements do not work, movements recorded by these defective mechanisms are liable to be executed. Since in the future automatic cash machines are expected to operate at night and on holidays in unattended locations, accidental movement faults are problematic as customers want to make cash withdrawals may not be served in such circumstances and in such places.

 Bills equivalent to cash by their functions, such as checks or drafts issued by banks, must be honored by being presented at a bank counter and waiting for the cashier to follow a prescribed procedure before crediting the bill. This payment process is very long and is only applicable during the working hours of a bank. There has been a request for payment of an equivalent item in cash in a short period of time and during non-business hours of banks.

 One solution to meet this demand is an automated payment process, which must, however, solve certain problems.

 More specifically, when an instrument must be paid, it is necessary to confirm the validity of the instrument and the validity of the data entered on the instrument by the issuer.

The confirmation process comprises various complex elements, for example to confirm the authenticity of the signature which are difficult to carry out mechanically.

The current state of the art is not capable of proposing an automatic device capable of precisely determining the validity of an effect based on these complex confirmation methods.

 An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic device for cash transactions capable of paying in the form of cash or an equivalent effect and also to reduce the risk of breakdowns when withdrawing cash at night and on days. holidays.

 Another object of the present invention relates to an automatic device for cash movements capable of automatically paying an instrument or of entering a deposit from such an instrument based on credit information stored on a user card. such as an identification card or a credit card (IC>.

 According to the present invention, there is provided an automatic device for cash movements comprising a cash dispenser for the automatic dispensing of tickets according to the request of a customer specifying the desired amount of money, a dispenser of effects for dispensing an effect which, functionally speaking, is equivalent to cash in commercial transactions, means for selecting one by one, a first mode in which only cash can be distributed by the cash machine and a second mode in which either cash can be distributed by the cash dispenser or an effect can be distributed by the effects distributor according to the customer's choice, and means corresponding to the choice of the second mode by the means and to the choice made by the customer for the delivery of an effect to control the effect distributor to distribute an effect.

 When the device operates in the first mode, cash is issued by the ATM in the usual manner. When the device operates in the second mode, cash or an effect is distributed according to the customer's choice. Even if either of the cash dispenser and the effects dispenser fails, the other dispenser can still make a requested payment. Therefore, the risk of a complete withdrawal failure is reduced during the night and on public holidays.

 According to the present invention, there is also provided an automatic device for cash movements comprising a card reader / writer intended to read information written on a customer's credit card and to write new information on the credit card. , an ATM to automatically distribute.

banknotes, an effects receiver for receiving an effect deposited by the customer and equivalent by its function to cash in commercial transactions, the effects receiver comprising means for reading the amount of money written on the effect and means for determining the validity of the bill and the creditworthiness of the customer based on the information read on the credit card by the card reader / writer, as well as the information read on the bill by the reading means, in order to store the bill if the bill is valid and if the creditworthiness of the customer is established, and to order the cash dispenser to distribute tickets corresponding to the amount of money indicated by the bill or to enter a cash deposit for the amount indicated by the bill on a client's account.

 Information from the credit card and information from the bill are used to determine the validity of the bill and the creditworthiness of the customer. When it is confirmed that the bill is valid and the customer is solvent, the bill is stored in the bill receiver, and the bill is paid or the amount of money represented by the bill is recorded in the account of the customer. Therefore, the bill can be paid or the amount of money indicated by this bill can be entered as a cash deposit in a short time even during non-working hours of banking facilities, for example at night and on public holidays. . The automatic cash movement device can provide fast service to the customer and is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

 The above objects as well as other objects, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will emerge from the description which follows made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which are shown, by way of examples, preferred embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 1 is a block diagram of an automatic device for cash movements according to the present invention
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the automatic device for cash movements
Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of an effects receiver / distributor forming part of the automatic device for cash movements
FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a sequence of operations for a bill / bill distribution process and
Figure 5 is a flow diagram of a sequence of operations for a payment / deposit procedure.

 Figures 1 to 3 show an automatic device for cash movements. As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic device for cash movement comprises a controller 1 having a memory 2 for storing information, a receiver / cash dispenser 3, a card reader / writer 4, a receiver / effects distributor 5, and an input device 6. The effects receiver / distributor 5 receives and issues a written instrument or order (hereinafter referred to as an instrument) such as a check, draft, or the like for pay a specified amount of money to the bearer.

The receiver / cash dispenser 3, the card reader / writer 4, the receiver / dispenser of effects 5 and the input device 6 are connected to the controller 1.

 Based on the information entered by means of the input device 6 by a client, the controller 1 controls the receiver / distributor 3, the card reader / writer 4, the effects receiver / distributor 5, a display device and a receipt dispenser (described below) to perform the operations necessary for the movement of cash, and also makes various decisions necessary for the movement of cash, compares data, sends information to a central computer (not shown) and receives information.

 Figure 2 shows. a cabinet 7 of the apparatus in which the mechanisms and circuits of the controller 1, of the receiver / distributor 3, of the card reader / recorder 4, of the receiver / distributor of effects 5 and of the input device 6 are placed. The input device 6 is placed on a panel for user access to the upper front part of the cabinet 7. The input device 6 comprises keys 6a for selecting the movement mode making it possible to indicate a type of movement and withdrawal of cash or effects, numeric keys 6b taking the form of a block of ten keys to enter a password and an amount of cash to be withdrawn, a confirmation key 6c on which it must be pressed when a cash deposit movement must be continued without cancellation, and a cancellation key 6d which must be pressed when a cash movement must be canceled.

 The access panel for the user also comprises a display device 8 such as a cathode screen successively displaying indications for guiding the client in the successive operations, a slot for tickets 9, a slot for cards 10, and an effect slot 11.

 The note slot 9 receives money or banknotes deposited by a customer who makes a cash deposit and issues money or banknotes to be paid to a customer in case of cash withdrawal. The bill slot 9 also issues a receipt issued by a receipt issuing machine (not shown).

 The card slot 10 is intended for the introduction of a credit card into the device and for the return of the credit card by the device, the credit card being issued by a bank or a banking installation to the customer. . When a credit card is inserted into the card slot 10, the data from the credit card is read by the card reader / writer 4 (fig. 1), and new data can be written to the credit card by the card reader / writer 4.

 The effect slot 11 is connected to an effect receiver / distributor 5 in order to deliver an effect which has been printed by the effect receiver / distributor 5 in accordance with the client's request and to deliver an effect inserted in the receiver / distributor 5 or send back to the customer an effect that was rejected by the effects receiver / distributor 5.

 The receiver / distributor 5 illustrated in detail in FIG. 3 prints and issues an effect such as a check or draft which can be used in different commercial transactions and also reads different pieces of information about an effect in order to ensure that the bill is true or false and determine the amount of money and an account number on the bill.

 As shown in FIG. 3, the effect slot 11 is placed at a front end (left end) of the effects receiver / distributor, which has two effect trays 12, 13 at its rear end. Effects can be distributed from the effect bins -12 and 13 by means of effect advance systems 14, 15 respectively associated with the corresponding effect bins 12 and 13. More specifically, the effect advance devices 14 and 15 may comprise take-up rollers, distributing rollers and reversing rollers for dispensing tickets, one by one, from the respective effect bins 12, 13.

 The effectll slot and the effect advance systems 14, 15 are coupled together by an advance conveyor 16 comprising advance belts and rollers which support the advance belts and are driven by a motor 17.

 A print head 18 is placed on one side of the advance path 16 in order to print an effect which has been placed on the advance path 16. A roller 19 is placed on the other side of the advance path feed 16 opposite the print head 18.

 A magnetic head 22 is also placed on the advance path 16 near the effect slot 11 to read a magnetic pattern which has been printed on an effect with magnetic ink (recognition of magnetic characters). An optical reader 23 is placed near the print head 18 for the optical reading of the configuration of the background printed on an effect, of the name of an emitter of the effect, of the sum of money appearing on the effect, and other data elements.

 A card recorder 20 is also placed on the advance conveyor 16 very close to the effect slot 11.

The card reader 20 will be described later.

 The effects receiver / distributor 5 also includes another effects bin 21 placed at a distance from the effects slot 11 and coupled to the effects slot 11 by the advance conveyor 16.

 The receiver / distributor of effects 5 also comprises a detector (not shown) for detecting the position of an effect which it contains.

 The cash receiver / distributor 3 shown in FIG. 1 comprises a separator for separating banknotes deposited in the cash slot 9, a discriminator for ensuring whether the banknotes deposited are true or false, a counter for counting the sum of the cash deposited, a chest for storing the deposited banknotes, a means for placing the banknotes deposited in the chest and removing the stored banknotes from the chest, a cash advance path interconnecting the above components of the cash receiver / distributor 3. These elements or components of the cash receiver / distributor 3 are known and will not be described in detail.

 A method of paying cash at the request of a customer for a withdrawal will now be described with reference to FIG. 4.

 When a withdrawal mode is chosen by a customer by means of the movement mode selection keys 6a of the input device 6 and a credit card is inserted into the card slot 10 in operation S1, the customer name, account number and balance which are stored in a magnetic strip of the credit card are read by the card reader / writer 4 and stored in the memory 2 of the controller 1, which then controls the display 8 so that it displays guidance information asking the customer to enter the password.

 Then the client enters the password using the numeric keys 6b in operation S2. The controller 1 compares, in operation S3, the password entered with a password that it went to search in the central computer according to the account number or to similar information read on the credit card for s '' ensure that the password entered is true or false.

 If the password is true, the controller 1 then controls the display device 8 to display guidance information asking the customer to enter the amount of money to be withdrawn. The client enters the desired amount of money using the numeric keys 6b in the S4 operation, which is followed by an S5 operation verifying that the amount of money entered is less than the balance of the client's account. If so, then a subsequent operation S6 determines which method of payment is available at that time.

 For example, two payment methods A, B to choose from can be defined. According to the first mode A, only cash can be paid during the working hours of the banking establishment. In the other mode B, either cash or an instrument can be paid during non-working hours such as at night or on public holidays. These modes can be selected by the controller 1 on command from the central computer whenever a switch occurs between working and non-working hours. Or, the device can be equipped with a selector switch for payment mode. which can be operated by a bank employee, and the information entered by the bank employee via the selector switch for payment methods can be stored in memory 2 so that the controller 1 can check according to which payment method the device is working.

 If the current mode is mode A, then the command goes to an S8 operation. If the device operates in mode B, then the command switches to an S7 operation.

 During operation S7, the controller 1 controls the display device 8 so that it displays guidance information asking the client to press one of the transaction mode selection keys 6a which indicates cash if a cash payment is desired, or that of the transaction mode selection keys 6a which indicates an effect if a payment by effects is desired.

 If the client chooses. payment in cash, then the order passes from operation S7 to operation S8, during which the controller 1 ensures that the cash is payable or not.

 The current state of the cash receiver / distributor 3 is stored at a predetermined address in the memory 2.

More precisely, if a fault such as a "jam" occurs in the cash receiver / distributor 3, the type and location of the fault are stored in the form of unpayable cash data in memory 2, and if the receiver / distributor 3 lack of species, or if it does not contain any species, this information is also stored in the form of unpayable species data in memory 2. By checking whether this unpayable species data is present at the address prescribed in memory 2, the controller 1 can determine whether cash is payable or not in operation S8.

 If the cash is payable by the cash receiver / distributor 3 at operation S8, then the order passes to an operation S10 during which the cash is distributed in the normal manner. Specifically, cash is issued using the types of tickets and amounts consistent with the payment requests, and the tickets are stacked in the cash slot 9 after being selected and counted.

The command then passes from operation 510 to operation S13 in which a receipt on which the payment details are printed by the receipt issuing machine is issued with the tickets. Then the credit card is returned to the customer through the card slot 10 at the transaction
S14, after which the movement is terminated.

If the payment method is mode A at the transaction
S6, the command then goes through operations S8, S10,
S13, S14 in the same manner as described above.

 If the user chooses a payment by effect at the S7 operation, the controller 1 then checks -if the effect is payable or not during an S9 operation.

 Information indicating whether an effect can be normally emitted by the effects receiver / distributor 5 is already stored at a prescribed address in memory 2.

Consequently, the controller 1 can check whether payment for an item is possible or not by referring to this information.

If payment for the instrument is possible at the transaction
S9, the command then passes to an operation Sll in the course.

from which an effect is delivered by the effects receiver / distributor 5 under a command from the controller 1.

 More precisely, as indicated in FIG. 3, an effect is delivered from the effect bin 12 or 13 via the advance device 14 or 15 on the advance conveyor 16 which is started by the motor 17. The effect is then advanced along the conveyor 16 to a printing position in which the printing head 18 and the roller 19 are placed face to face. The effect can be positioned in the printing position by controlling the speed of rotation of the motor 17 as a function of a signal delivered by the detector which detects the position of the effect on the conveyor 16.

 When the item is in the printing position, the print head is controlled in order to print the amount of money requested on the item and, if necessary, the name of the customer who has been read on the card credit is stored in memory 2, especially if the bill is to be issued in the form of a draft.

 When the necessary data has been printed on the effect, the effect is conveyed along the conveyor 16 to the effect slot 11 from where it is delivered to operation S12. Then, a receipt on which payment details are printed by the receipt issuing machine is issued to operation S13, and the credit card is returned to the user through the card slot 10 in operation S14 .

At this moment, the movement is finished.

If, at operation S3, the password is false, or if the amount of money entered to be paid to the user exceeds the balance recorded in operation S5, or if payment in cash is considered impossible 'surgery
S8, or if payment in effect is deemed impossible in operation S9, then the order passes from these operations to an operation S15 during which a corresponding reason for non-payment is displayed on the display device 8. Then , the credit card is returned to the customer through the card slot 10 in an operation S16, followed by the end of the transaction.

With the above process, since the two modes
A and B are available, cash or an effect can be distributed selectively according to customer requests. Insofar as the cash receiver / distributor 3 and the effects receiver / distributor 5 are provided, payments either in cash or in effects can always be made at night or on holidays or in unattended places even if either of the cash receiver / distributor 3 or the effects receiver / distributor 5 fails.

 It should be noted that payment can be made not only in the form of a single bill, but also in the form of several bills on which the divided sums of money are printed at the request of the customer.

 Instead of items such as checks or drafts, a pre-payment card or a credit card can be issued which can be used in commercial transactions.

In this case, the card recorder 20 shown in Figure 3 is turned on to record the amount of money and other information on the card. In addition, part of the amount requested can be paid in cash, while the rest can be paid in the form of an instrument.

 The effect slot 11, the conveyor 16 and the print head 18 can be shared by a machine which makes entries on account books.

 FIG. 5 represents a process for receiving a deposited deposit for delivering cash or registering an entry in an account.

 When a deposit mode is chosen by a customer by means of the transaction mode selection keys 6a of the input device 6 and a credit card is introduced by the card slot 10 in operation S1, the customer name, account number and balance which are stored in a magnetic strip carried on the credit card are read by the card reader / writer 4 and stored in the memory 2 of the controller 1, which then controls the device display 8 so that it displays guidance information asking the user to press a key to indicate depositing of effects if an effect is to be deposited.

 The controller 1 then checks in operation S2, whether a cash deposit or a deposit of effects must be made according to whether the deposit key has been pressed or not. If a cash deposit is to be made, the command switches from operation S2 to operation S3 in which cash is deposited in a normally known manner.

 When the cash deposit is completed, the order proceeds to an operation S16 in which the credit card is returned to the user through the card slot 10, after which the transaction is completed.

 If an effects deposit has to be made, then the display device 8 is controlled by the controller 1 in order to display guidance information asking the customer to enter the password.

 The client then enters the password using the numeric keys 6b during an S4 operation. The controller 1 compares, at operation S5, the password entered and a password which has been sought in the client file of the central computer from the account number or the like read on the credit card for check whether the password entered is true or false.

 If the password is true, the controller 1 then controls the display device 8 so that it displays guidance information asking the user to enter the amount of money which he must deposit and to insert an effect.

The user enters the sum of money by means of the numeric keys 6b and introduces an effect into the effect slot 11 during an operation S6. The amount of money entered is applied to controller 1 and stored in memory 2.

The information which is printed or saved on the introduced effect is read by the effects receiver / distributor 5 in the S7 operation in the following manner
When the effect introduced is detected by a sensor (not shown) the motor 17 is excited to bring the effect along the conveyor 16 to a position facing the magnetic head 22, which then reads a printed magnetic configuration * with magnetic ink on the effect.

Then, the effect is conveyed along the conveyor 16 to a position facing the optical reader 23. The optical reader 23 then reads the background configuration printed or written on the effect, the account number, the sender and the amount of money on the bill. The information elements which have been read by the magnetic head 22 and the optical reader 23 are applied to the controller 1 and stored in the memory 2.

 The controller 1 compares the information items from the effects receiver / distributor 5 with the information stored in the memory 2 or with the information transferred from the user file of the central computer to determine whether the effect is valid or not. is not.

 More specifically, an operation S8 checks whether the effect is true or false by checking the configuration of magnetic ink and the configuration of the background of the effect, and also checking whether the emitter is registered or not in the file.

 An operation S9 checks whether the amount of money entered in operation S6 is in accordance with the amount of money read in operation S7, and a subsequent operation S10 determines whether the account read in operation S7 is present or not. is not.

 When operations S8 to S10 have been completed, an operation S11 checks whether the client is creditworthy or not. A conventional method of checking the creditworthiness of the customer may be to compare the amount of money in the bill with the balance in the customer's account, and to determine that the customer is creditworthy if that amount of money in the bill is less to the balance or to determine that the client is not creditworthy if the sum of money of the bill exceeds the balance.

 If the creditworthiness of the customer is established in operation S11, then the item is conveyed along the conveyor 16 to the printing position on the roller 18, in which elements of information read from the credit card , i.e. customer name, account number and the like are printed on the effect by the print head 17. When the necessary information items have been printed, the effect is again routed along the conveyor 16 until it falls into the effects bin 21.

 No information should be printed on the item when customer information is carefully reviewed in the customer file.

 Then, the display device 8 is controlled by the controller 1 to display guidance information asking the customer to press a cash key when the effect is to be exchanged for cash. If the bill is to be paid in operation S13, then the Controller 1 applies a control signal to the cash receiver / distributor 3 to pay in cash.

 Payment in cash is made in the same manner as described above with reference to operations S10, S13 shown in Figure 4. When the cash has been issued, the credit card is returned by the slot to card 10 during an operation S16, after which the transaction is completed.

If the item should not be exchanged at the transaction
S13, the command passes to an operation S15 in the course of which a receipt carrying details of the deposit leaves by.

at the cash slot 9, the amount of money on the bill is added to the balance information on the credit card by the card reader / writer 4, and the balance recorded in the central computer is updated.

 After the operation S15, the credit card is returned from the card slot 10 during an operation S16, after which the transaction is completed.

If the password is found to be incorrect during the transaction
S5, the movement failure pattern is displayed on the display device 8, and the control. go to an operation
S18 during which the credit card is returned by the card slot 10, and the movement fails as a result.

If the item is considered bad in the S8 operation, or if the amount of money does not correspond during the operation
S9, or if the account is judged to be absent in operation S10, or if the client is judged to be insolvent in operation Sll, then a corresponding reason for movement failure is displayed on the display device 8. Then, the command passes to an operation S17 during which the effect is returned by the effect slot 11, and the credit card is returned by the card slot 10 during operation S18; it then results in a failure of the movement.

 According to the method shown in Figure 5, an effect can be exchanged for cash or automatically treated as a cash deposit in a short period even outside working hours such as at night and on public holidays. Such a service is less expensive since it can be provided using the automatic device for cash movement without relying on manual operations which would conventionally have been necessary at the counter. The customer's credit check procedure is very secure since it can be performed based on information found on credit cards.

 Although a certain preferred embodiment has been shown and described, it should be understood that many changes and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the subject of the appended claims.

Claims (2)

 1. Automatic device for cash movements characterized in that it comprises  a cash receiver / distributor (3) for automatically distributing cash at the request of a customer indicating a desired amount of cash  an effect receiver / distributor (5) for delivering an effect which, functionally speaking, is equivalent to cash in commercial transactions  means (6) for selecting one by one, a first mode in which only cash can be delivered by said cash receiver / distributor (3) and a second mode in which either cash can be delivered by said receiver / distributor of cash (3) either. an effect can be distributed by said receiver / distributor of effects (5) according to the choice of the client; and  means (1) responding to the selection of said second mode by said means and to the selection by the user of the distribution of an effect for controlling said receiver / distributor of effects in order to deliver an effect.  2. Automatic device for cash movements characterized in that it comprises  a card reader / writer (4) for reading information written on a customer's credit card and writing new information on said credit card  a cash receiver / distributor (3) for automatically distributing cash  an effects receiver / distributor (5) for receiving an effect deposited by the customer and functionally equivalent to cash in commercial transactions, said effects receiver / distributor (5) comprising means for reading the amount of money recorded on said item; and  means (1) for determining the validity of the bill and the creditworthiness of the customer on the basis of the information read from said credit card by said card reader / writer (4) and from the information read on said bill by said reading means, in order to store said effect if said effect is valid and if the creditworthiness of the client is established, and to order said cash receiver / distributor (3) in order to distribute cash for the amount indicated by said effect or enter one. deposit in cash for the sum indicated on the said bill on a client's account.