Transaction machine with multiple transaction access points

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9520033-B2
Application number	US-201314068862-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2013
Priority date	Oct 31, 2013
Publication date	Dec 13, 2016
Grant date	Dec 13, 2016

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed towards a transaction machine. The transaction machine may include a first transaction access point configured to provide a first set of transaction options and a second transaction access point configured to provide a second set of transaction options. An item cartridge may be shared between the first transaction access point and the second transaction access point. During a transaction, a routing mechanism may route an item from the item cartridge to an item dispenser of the first transaction access point or to an item dispenser of the second transaction access point.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An automated teller machine (ATM) comprising:
a housing having a first side that faces a first direction and a second side that faces a second direction different than the first direction;
a first ATM transaction access point positioned at the first side of the housing and configured to provide a first set of ATM transaction options;
a second ATM transaction access point positioned at the second side of the housing and configured to provide a second set of ATM transaction options wherein the second set of ATM transaction options are a subset of the first set of ATM transaction options and includes only a withdrawal transaction option and a fast cash transaction option;
a bill cartridge configured to store bills of a denomination and provide the bills to the first ATM transaction access point and the second ATM transaction access point;
a routing mechanism configured to route at least one bill from the bill cartridge to one of a first bill dispenser of the first ATM transaction access point and a second bill dispenser of the second ATM transaction access point during a transaction; and
a controller configured to control operation of the routing mechanism during the transaction.

2. The ATM of claim 1 wherein the first side of the housing is substantially orthogonal to the second side of the housing.

3. The ATM of claim 2 further comprising a divider attached to and extending away from the housing and positioned between the first ATM transaction access point and the second ATM transaction access point such that the divider defines a first lane leading to the first ATM transaction access point and a second lane leading to the second ATM transaction access point.

4. The ATM of claim 3 wherein the first ATM transaction access point includes an item acceptor and the second ATM transaction access point does not include an item acceptor.

5. The ATM of claim 4 wherein the controller is configured to:
determine whether the transaction is associated with the first ATM transaction access point or the second transaction access point;
instruct the routing mechanism to route the at least one bill to the first bill dispenser responsive to a determination that the transaction is associated with the first ATM transaction access point; and
instruct the routing mechanism to route the at least one bill to the second bill dispenser responsive to a determination that the transaction is associated with the second ATM transaction access point.

6. A transaction machine comprising:
a first transaction access point that includes an item acceptor and is configured to provide a first set of transaction options that includes a deposit transaction option;
a second transaction access point that lacks an item acceptor and is configured to provide a second set of transaction options wherein the second set of transaction options is a subset of the first set of transaction options and includes only a withdrawal transaction option and a fast cash transaction option;
an item cartridge shared between the first transaction access point and the second transaction access point, the item cartridge storing items and providing items to a first item dispenser and a second item dispenser; and
a routing mechanism configured to route an item from the item cartridge to one of the first item dispenser of the first transaction access point and the second item dispenser of the second transaction access point during a transaction.

7. The transaction machine of claim 6 further comprising:
a housing to which the first transaction access point is attached and to which the second transaction access point is attached; and
a divider attached to and extending away from the housing and positioned between the first transaction access point and the second transaction access point such that the divider defines a first lane leading to the first transaction access point and defines a second lane leading to the second transaction access point.

8. The transaction machine of claim 7 wherein:
the housing has a first side that faces a first direction and a second side that faces a second direction different than the first direction; and
the first transaction access point is positioned at the first side of the housing and the second transaction access point is positioned at the second side of the housing.

9. The transaction machine of claim 8 wherein the first side of the housing is substantially orthogonal relative to the second side of the housing.

10. The transaction machine of claim 7 wherein the first transaction access point and the second transaction access point are positioned on a common side of the housing such that the first transaction access point and the second transaction access point face a common direction.

11. The transaction machine of claim 6 wherein:
the first transaction access point is a first drive-up transaction access point accessible from a first vehicle driven along a first lane adjacent to the first drive-up transaction access point; and
the second transaction access point is a second drive-up transaction access point accessible from a second vehicle driven along a second lane adjacent to the second drive-up transaction access point.

12. The transaction machine of claim 6 further comprising:
a controller configured to control operation of the routing mechanism during the transaction; and
wherein controlling operation of the routing mechanism comprises
determining whether a transaction involving the item is associated with the first transaction access point or the second transaction access point,
instructing the routing mechanism to route the item to the first item dispenser responsive to a determination that the transaction is associated with the first transaction access point, and
instructing the routing mechanism to route the item to the second item dispenser responsive to a determination that the transaction is associated with the second transaction access point.

13. The transaction machine of claim 6 wherein:
the first transaction access point is a drive-up transaction access point accessible from a vehicle driven along a lane adjacent to the drive-up transaction access point; and
the second transaction access point is a walk-up transaction access point accessible to a user that walked up to the walk-up transaction access point along a pathway leading to the walk-up transaction access point;
wherein the drive-up transaction access point faces the exterior of a banking center and the walk-up transaction access point faces the interior of the banking center when the transaction machine is installed at the banking center.

14. The transaction machine of claim 6 wherein:
the first set of transaction options further includes a withdrawal transaction option, a fast cash transaction option, a balance inquiry transaction option, an account transfer transaction option, and a bill pay transaction option.

15. The transaction machine of claim 6 wherein the transaction machine is an automated teller machine (ATM), the item is a bill, the item cartridge is a bill cartridge, the first item dispenser is a first bill dispenser, and the second item dispenser is a second bill dispenser.

16. A method of providing transaction options at a transaction machine comprising:
displaying, during a first transaction, a first set of transaction options at a first transaction access point of the transaction machine wherein the first transaction access point includes an item acceptor and the first set of transaction options includes a deposit transaction option;
displaying, during a second transact

Assignees

• Bank Of America

Inventors

• Freedman James David
• Bryant Matthew

Classifications

• G07F19/203 Primary

  Dispensing operations within ATMs (dispensing in general G07D11/00) · CPC title

• G07F19/202

  Depositing operations within ATMs (depositing in general G07D11/00) · CPC title

• G07F19/205

  Housing aspects of ATMs · CPC title

• G07F19/20

  Automatic teller machines [ATMs] · CPC title