IMPROVEMENT INTRODUCED IN SELF-SERVICE EQUIPMENT FOR BANKING FIELD OF THE INVENTION Equipment used in bank automation systems, commonly called self-service equipment, or ATMs, is already technically known. This equipment is used for the automation and decentralization of general bank services. It allows the user to request and obtain certain services through an interface that interacts directly with the bank without requiring another person.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION At present, in said usual self-service equipment for banking the identification of the client and the consequent authorization to start any operation is made through a magnetic card coupled to a checking password as well as a series of other confidential information only known by the own client (birth date, ID number, taxpayer number, etc.).

Such system has several drawbacks.

The first of them refers to the need for the user to have good memory and much discipline to manage two passwords. In fact, and mainly in case the user has accounts in several banks it is difficult to memorize all passwords, and in many times in order to remember them the user is forced to make use of systems of numerical association that not always give a good result.

On the other hand, there is a great number of people not capable of memorizing their passwords, such people in general writing down their passwords and making use of such annotations upon conducting banking

operations in self-service equipment for banking.

Many times it also occurs the situation in that the client forgets the password and, as such password is not written down, has to request the bank another card and a new password. All of that brings annoyances and waste of time for the user as well as additional costs both for the client (charges with fees for issuance of the new card) and for the bank (provision of services for maintaining passwords).

Another drawback of that usual system for identification of client (card + password + confidential data) resides in the possibility of any other person being able to conduct the banking operations by the client knowing his/her password and personal data.

Due to this, it has been each day greater the occurrence of sudden kidnapping during which the kidnapper after taking possession of the victim's card forces the same to provide his/her password and personal data, thus rendering well succeeded the draft operations in the self-service equipment for banking.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION In order to solve these drawbacks it was created the present improvement introduced in self-service equipment for banking according to which said equipment is provided with a biometric identifying system to check the identity of the individual holding the magnetic card, such system comprising a camera, a module of facial recognition and a data base in which the facial features of the bank's clients are previously stores coupled to their respective magnetic cards.

In other words, the information of each magnetic card is coupled to the facial features of its unique and genuine owner, such facial features

previously stored in the data base built in each self-service equipment for banking of the bank.

The facial recognition is performed during the identification procedure of the person holding the card. Thus, when a person holding a magnetic card passes his/her card in the self-service equipment for banking it is immediately actuated the camera and the facial recognition module of the present identifying system. Said module will only allow access to the bank account corresponding to that card if it recognizes the facial features of that person as being in fact the facial features of the client owner of that card previously stored in the data base rendering the access limited to only that client.

Among the advantages of this new identifying system it is first the safety obtained. In fact, with this new system one can bar third parties, even having in hands the card of a person, from obtaining undue access to the account of that person.

Another advantage resides in that the present identifying system avoids the usual passwords. With that it is eliminated the drawbacks caused by the need to memorize the same as well as the problems with issuance of new cards and passwords in case of forgetting the latter.

All of that because the present system requires the physical presence of the owner of the card, which facial features cannot be stolen, lost or forgotten.

Said system, therefore, comprises an additional safety characteristic making it difficult the frauds and assaults since there is an increase in the amount of cross references necessary to access the accounts of third parties.

Finally, the present system allows a reduction in the operating costs of the bank since it eliminates the services for maintaining the passwords.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A more complete appreciation of the present invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily understood by reference to the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of the self-service equipment for banking in which it was introduced the biometric identifying system now described; Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the components of said identifying system; and Figure 3 is another diagram illustrating the functioning of said identifying system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The subject of present invention is the improvement introduced in self-service equipment for banking in which said equipment (E) is provided with a biometric identifying system (1) comprised of a camera (2), a facial recognition module (3), and a data base (4) in which the facial features of the bank's clients are previously stored coupled to their respective magnetic cards (see figures 1 and 2).

The facial recognition is performed during the identification procedure of the person holding the card. In this way, and as illustrated in the diagram of figure 3, when the user holding a magnetic card passes his/her card (C) in the self-service equipment for banking (E) in reference it is immediately actuated the identifying system (1) now described, the camera (2) records the facial features of that user and send them to the facial recognition module (3);

simultaneously the data of the card (C) are also sent to the facial recognition module (3); said module (3) checks whether the facial features of that user match the facial features previously stored in the data base (4) as being the features of the client owner of that card.

Said module will only allow access to bank account corresponding to that card upon recognizing the facial features of that person as being in fact the facial features of the client owner of that card previously stored in the data base, thus rendering the access limited to only the own client.

In order to store the facial features of the clients the system in reference uses a mathematical model to map the face of the people, measuring the distance between the eyes, nose, chin and mouth, as well as recording eventual marks.

In order to identify the user, that is, to check the facial features of the user holding the card, the system uses a search algorithm in its data base capable of checking whether the facial features of that user supplied by camera (2) match the facial features corresponding to that card previously stored in the data base (4).

With the present biometric identification system it is obtained self- service equipment for banking much more safe and reliable capable of providing greater convenience and practical use to the users as well as lower operational costs to the banks.