Registers – Systems controlled by data bearing records – Credit or identification card systems
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-15
2003-09-16
Frech, Karl D. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Systems controlled by data bearing records
Credit or identification card systems
Reexamination Certificate
active
06619545
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to the field of kiosks, and more particularly to a kiosk comprising a people presence detector that determines whether or not a document, e.g., receipt, ticket, or other kiosk items, e.g., money, credit card, merchandise, are presented to a customer.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
A kiosk, e.g., Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), gasoline pumps, parking meters, may refer to a machine placed in a location for general, e.g., public, access by customers so that a service provider may provide a service to these customers. A kiosk may be stand alone, e.g., information kiosk in shopping malls, or may be connected by a network, e.g., bank ATMs, airline ticket machines. The services provided by a kiosk may be “self services”; in that, the services may be conducted by the customer without an agent or assistant offering specific help to the customer. Consequently, the services may tend to be repetitive, simple and specific tasks such as getting information and/or completing certain simple transactions, e.g., buying tickets, getting cash, purchasing gasoline, seeing the department store's floor map, etc.
Generally these transactions may involve the use of some device(s), e.g., one or more monitors, a card reader, a ticket printer, a laser printer, a cash dispenser, etc. Typically, a kiosk at the end of a transaction may print information detailing the transaction on a document, e.g., a receipt, ticket, and then present it to a customer who keeps it as verification of the service rendered. A customer though may walk away from the kiosk before the printing of the document was complete thereby leaving the document for the next customer. If the document contains private/confidential information, e.g., credit card number, the next customer may be able to obtain such information. Furthermore, the next customer of the kiosk or the kiosk itself may discard the document on the floor surrounding the kiosk thereby littering the area surrounding the kiosk.
Some kiosks have been designed with a printer configured to pull an abandoned document back into the kiosk if it is not removed within a certain time period. The retracted document may then be fed into a receptacle located inside the kiosk to eliminate litter surrounding the area around the kiosk. However, the kiosk may be exposed to paper jams and unreliable operation because the document may become damaged while outside the kiosk. Furthermore, since the determination of retracting a document is based upon an elapsed time period, a customer may be unable to retrieve the document because the customer did not take the document quickly enough. If the presentment of the document were based upon the presence of the customer, then the document may only be presented to the customer if the customer were available to take the document. Consequently, paper jams and litter may be reduced by not presenting the document to the customer if the customer were not present. Furthermore, security/privacy may be improved since the next customer would not be able to obtain any private/confidential information on a document that was never presented to an unavailable customer.
It would therefore be desirable to develop a kiosk comprising a people presence detector that determines whether or not a document, e.g., receipt, ticket, or other kiosk items, e.g., credit card, money, merchandise, are presented to a customer.
SUMMARY
The problems outlined above may at least in part be solved in some embodiments by an infrared device configured to detect the presence of a customer. In one embodiment, a document, e.g., receipt, ticket, detailing information about a transaction between a customer and a kiosk may be printed inside the kiosk. A determination may then be made as to whether the customer is currently present via the infrared device. If the customer is present, then the document may be fed to the customer outside the kiosk. If the customer is not present, then the document may be ejected into an internal receptacle inside the kiosk. By ejecting the document into an internal receptacle instead of presenting the document to an unavailable customer, litter may be reduced. Furthermore, security/privacy may be improved since the next customer would not be able to obtain any private/confidential information on a document that was never presented to an unavailable customer. In another embodiment, a determination may first be made as to whether the customer is present to retrieve the document, e.g., receipt, ticket, detailing information about a transaction between the customer and the kiosk. If the customer is present to retrieve the document, then the document may be printed and directly presented to the customer without first printing the document inside the kiosk. By not printing the document to an unavailable customer, litter may be reduced. Furthermore, wear and tear on the printer may be reduced as well as saving paper by not printing the document to the customer if the customer was not present. Furthermore, security/privacy may be improved since the next customer would not be able to obtain the document that was never presented to an unavailable customer, In another embodiment, a determination may be made as to whether the customer is present to receive a kiosk item, e.g., money, merchandise, credit card. If the customer is present to retrieve the kiosk item, then the kiosk item may be presented to the customer. By not presenting the item to an unavailable customer, security/privacy may be improved since the next customer would not be able to obtain the kiosk item that was never presented to an unavailable customer.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for a kiosk to present a document to a customer may comprise the step of conducting a transaction, e.g., buying tickets, getting cash, purchasing gasoline, between a customer and a kiosk. A document, e.g., receipt, ticket, detailing information of the transaction between the customer and the kiosk may be printed inside the kiosk. A determination may then be made as to whether the customer is currently present. The presence of a customer may be detected by an infrared device located internally or externally to the kiosk.
If the customer is not present, then the document may be ejected into an internal receptacle located inside the kiosk. By ejecting the document into the internal receptacle instead of presenting the document to an unavailable customer, litter may be reduced. Furthermore, security/privacy may be improved since the next customer would not be able to obtain any private/confidential information on a document that was never presented to an unavailable customer. Upon ejecting the document into the internal receptacle, the kiosk may conduct another transaction with another customer.
If the customer is present, then the document may be fed to the customer through a printer port. A determination may then be made as to whether the document presented to the customer was taken by the customer within a particular time frame, e.g., thirty seconds. If the document was not taken by the customer within a particular period of time, then the document may be retracted inside the kiosk. Upon retracting the document inside the kiosk, the document may be dispensed into the receptacle inside the kiosk. By retracting and ejecting the document into the internal receptacle instead of leaving the document for the next customer, litter may be reduced. Furthermore, security/privacy may be improved since the next customer may not be able to obtain any private/confidential information on a document that was retracted. Upon ejecting the document into the internal receptacle, the kiosk may conduct another transaction with another customer.
As stated above, a determination may be made as to whether the document presented to the customer was taken by the customer within a particular time frame, e.g., thirty seconds. If the customer had taken the document within the particular period of time, e.g., thirty seconds, then the kiosk may conduct another transaction with another customer.
I
Frech Karl D.
International Business Machines - Corporation
Labaze Edwyn
Schelkopf J. Bruce
LandOfFree
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