Self-service terminal

[0002] This invention relates to a self-service terminal (SST) such as an automated teller machine (ATM). It is known to provide an ATM having a number of functions such as cash dispense, cash deposit, cheque deposit, account inquiry, receipt print, and statement print which are available to a user on demand. Other types of SST which do not have a cash dispense facility may have facilities to allow inquiries about sporting or cultural events and to supply tickets for such events, or to allow inquiries about loans or insurance or financial services.

[0003] If a user makes a lengthy inquiry or initiates a series of financial transactions, other potential users may be discouraged and decide not to wait, so that business may be lost. To overcome this problem, some ATMs are programmed so that at predictable busy periods they operate, for example, only to dispense cash, and will not accept deposits. However the ATM must be pre-programmed to change its operation at certain times of day and on certain days of the week, and at best the time change will be an educated guess. Further, the time changes may need frequent revalidation and updating to maintain efficiency.

[0004] In U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,328 a queue-sensing arrangement is disclosed which may be used in a bank lobby to gather data on the queue length of customers waiting to be served, and therefore to gather data on teller availability, teller efficiency, and on the volume of business transactions. The data can be used to plan staffing levels or to anticipate peak customer demand. Such an arrangement is known as customer activity analysis, (CAA) and the camera and processing software used in such an arrangement is known as a human-form recognition engine.

[0005] It is the object of the invention to apply the known principle of customer activity analysis in combination with a self-service terminal.

[0006] According to the invention a responsive self-service terminal system characterized by a self-service terminal arranged to provide a plurality of services, a human-form recognition means arranged to sense a number of persons beside the terminal, and control means to vary the services provided by the terminal in accordance with the sensed number.

[0007] Also according to the invention a method of controlling a self-service terminal which provides a plurality of services characterized by sensing the number of persons adjacent the terminal and varying the services provided in accordance with the sensed number.

[0008] Further according to the invention a method of controlling a system comprising a plurality of self-service terminals each providing a plurality of services, characterized by sensing the number of persons adjacent the terminals and varying the services provided so that at least one terminal provides a service which differs from the services provided by the other terminal.

[0009] The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0010] FIG. 1 illustrates an adaptive SST system comprising a single ATM;

[0011] FIG. 2 illustrates the operative parts of the FIG. 1 system; and

[0012] FIG. 3 illustrates an adaptive SST system comprising several ATMs.

[0013] In FIG. 1 an ATM 10 has a display screen 12, a keyboard 14, a card slot 16, a cash delivery slot 18 and a cheque or cash deposit slot 20. Above the ATM a camera 22 is connected to the ATM by a cable 24. The camera is positioned to sense the presence in front of the ATM 10 of either a single user A, or a short queue of users A,B,C. On top of the ATM 10 is a service indicator display 19.

[0014] FIG. 2 shows the central processor 26 of the ATM 10, connected to the display screen 12 and the camera 22, to a card reader 28 connected to card slot 16, to a cash dispenser 30 connected to the slot 18, to a cash/cheque accept mechanism 32 connected to the deposit slot 20, and to the service indicator 19. The processor 26 is also connected to a database 34 of advertisements or other promotional material. All of the above parts of the system are known individually and will not be further described.

[0015] The camera 22 and its associated image processing software 23 comprise a commercially-available human-form recognition engine such as that available from NCR Corporation, NCR's Customer Activity Analysis (CAA) system available from the Human Interface Technology Center (HITC) group located in Atlanta, Ga. The software provides signals which are supplied to the processor 26 to indicate whether 1, 2, 3 or more persons are standing adjacent the ATM 10, or whether no one is present.

[0016] If no one is present, the processor 26 accesses the data base 34 to provide promotional material. This can be a repeating multimedia message, designed to attract attention; the ATM 10 is in effect acting as a billboard.

[0017] If one person is present, the processor 26 disables the promotional material, and activates all available services of the ATM 10 for the user A to select. The services may be selected in succession if required.

[0018] If two persons are sensed, then optionally all available services are still enabled.

[0019] During the three situations just described, the processor 26 causes the service indicator 19 to display a message such as “all services available” or “cash dispense, cash deposit, cheque deposit” or other appropriate message.

[0020] If three persons A,B,C or more are sensed by the camera 22, the processor 26 then limits the services available at the ATM 10. For example, the processor may enable only a cash dispense service, and then also causes the service indicator 19 to display the message “cash dispense only”. Alternatively, the processor may disable multiple service requests by the same user using the same user card and PIN code, and display a message “single transaction only”.

[0021] In a system according to the invention, the services provided are adapted to the local condition i.e. the number of persons queuing to use the ATM. The efficiency of the ATM is thereby increased, and user irritation at having to wait for a previous user to finish a transaction is thereby reduced. In addition, the inactive time of the ATM is used, either to advertise the services of the bank which operates it, or, by provision of third party advertisements, to generate income from the advertising function.

[0022] FIG. 3 shows a plan view of four ATMs 10 A to D, each having a service indicator 19 A to D and each connected by a cable 24 to camera 22.

[0023] The customers in A,B,C,D,E,F etc. are channeled into a single queue by barriers 40,42 so that the queue is within the field of view 25 of the camera 22.

[0024] In this embodiment the processors in the four ATMs are programmed to operate differently in response to the signals from the camera software indicating a queue longer than a predetermined number of persons. For example, all ATMs may offer the full range of services while the queue length is between, for example, one and four persons. For a longer queue, ATMs 10A, 10B and 10C may be operated to offer only a cash dispense service while ATM 10D offers only a cash/cheque deposit service, the service indicators 19A to 19D displaying the appropriate message. The length of queue at which service limitation is initiated, and the mix of services offered by each ATM, can naturally be varied to suit the location, under the control of the organization operating the ATMs.