FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a remote self-service terminal for facilitating operation of the terminal by a user. BACKGROUND

The following discussion of the background to the invention is intended to facilitate an understanding of the present invention. However, it should be appreciated that the discussion is not an acknowledgment or admission that any of the material referred to was published, known or part of the common general knowledge in any jurisdiction as at the priority date of the application.

A majority of the services provided by a financial institution, such as a bank, typically requires a bank officer or personnel to perform the service, which takes a relatively long time. Even simple services like opening an account and closing an account may also take more than half an hour. As such, peak or busy periods in a bank are typically marked by long queues of customers waiting in line to be served by a bank officer or personnel resulting in poor customer experience due to the long waiting time, which becomes another problem for banks.

Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, various types of self-service machines have been introduced in many banks. However, such self-service machines have complex functions, are tedious to operate and they only use voice as a means to prompt a user during operation. When a user runs into operation errors or has other doubts, such self-service machines would not be able to resolve these issues, hence requiring a bank officer or personnel to be readily available nearby to whom a user can look to for further assistance. Thus, where these self-service machines are introduced, banks would also need to invest in manpower for manning the machines which increases the overall costs for implementation of such self-service machines.

The present invention attempts to overcome at least in part some of the aforementioned disadvantages. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Throughout this document, unless otherwise indicated to the contrary, the terms "comprising", "consisting of, and the like, are to be construed as non-exhaustive, or in other words, as meaning "including, but not limited to". In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a remote self-service terminal, comprising a controller, an image capturing device, a card reading device, a card issuing device, a first display means and a second display means, wherein each of the image capturing device, the card reading device, the card issuing device, the first display means and the second display means is connected to and in communication with the controller, and wherein the second display means is for facilitating operation of the terminal by a user.

Preferably, the remote self-service terminal further comprises a voice communication device for performing voice communication with an operator, wherein the voice communication device is connected to and in communication with the controller. Preferably, the voice communication device is in the form of a wireless telephone.

Preferably, the remote self-service terminal further comprises a sensor connected to and in communication with the controller.

Preferably, the sensor is an infrared sensor for sensing a user and providing feedback to the controller. Preferably, the remote self-service terminal further comprises a finger vein recognition device, wherein the finger vein recognition device is connected to and in communication with the controller.

Preferably, the remote self-service terminal further comprises a USB key issuing device, wherein the USB key issuing device is connected to and in communication with the controller.

Preferably, the first display means comprises input means. Preferably, the input means comprises a touch screen and/or a keyboard.

Preferably, the remote self-service terminal further comprises a printing device, wherein the printing device is connected to and in communication with the controller.

Preferably, the printing device comprises an entry- slip printing device and a documents printing device.

Preferably, the second display means is in the form of a Light Emitting Diode (LED) display screen.

Preferably, the remote self-service terminal is substantially as herein described with reference to the accompany drawing as appropriate. Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a review of the ensuing description, which proceeds with reference to the following illustrative drawings of various embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described, by way of illustrative example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing, of which:

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a remote self-service terminal in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Particular embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Additionally, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. With reference to Figure 1, there is described hereinafter a remote self-service terminal in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The remote self-service terminal comprises a controller, an image capturing device such as a camera, a card reading device, a card issuing device, a first display means, and a second display means, each of which is respectively connected to and in communication with the controller.

The controller or the industrial-control host is used for controlling each of the devices mentioned above that are connected to and in communication with the controller so as to operate each of the devices. The controller can be in the form of a host computer.

The image capturing device such as a camera is used for acquiring a human face image of a user so as to facilitate a bank customer service officer or personnel to directly observe the user. The card reading device is used for reading a bank card and also for reading an identity card. The card reading device is a sensing Integrated Circuit (IC)-card reader adopting Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technique and is able to read the detailed personal information contained in a personal identity card. Such information includes the name, gender, nation, birth date, family address, identity number, the institute which issued the identity card, validity date of the identity, personal photo displayed in the card, and any other information that may be present in the identity card, or other personal information recorded on a non-contact IC card. The card reading device is also used for reading a bank card. In another embodiment, the card reading device is in the form of a dedicated device for reading a bank card, and the remote self-service terminal further comprises a second card reading device in the form of an identity card reading device dedicated for reading an identity card. In other words, the card reading device can be in the form of an integrated device in which the device can read both a bank card and an identity card, or there can be two separate card reading devices, one for reading a bank card and the other for reading an identity card. The card issuing device is used for opening an account or issuing a bank card or reissuing a bank card. The first display means comprises input means, and the input means comprises a touch screen and/or a keyboard. The touch screen is used for a user function selection operation. The first display means can receive input from a user by means of handwriting on the touch screen by a user and/or receive password or other instructions from a user by means of a user inputting such information via the keyboard. In the described embodiment, the keyboard is in the form of a soft keyboard that is integrated into the touch screen. In another embodiment, the first display means is in the form of a dedicated touch screen for receiving input from a user by means of handwriting on the touch screen, and the remote self-service terminal further comprises a keyboard separate from the first display means which is dedicated for a user inputting password or other instructions.

Advantageously, the remote self-service terminal comprises the second display means or device in order to enable a user to obtain better guidance when using the terminal without the need for a bank officer or personnel to be physically present. The second display device is connected to and in communication with the controller. The second display device is used for broadcasting information such as advertisements and news when the device is not conducting a service for a user, and for displaying video information about the operation of the terminal and operation tips of a bank customer service officer or personnel. Advantageously, the second display device is able to interact with a user when a user requests for a service and the terminal performs the service so as to facilitate service conduction.

The remote self-service terminal further comprises a sensor such as an infrared sensor in order to accurately sense whether there is any user using the terminal. The senor is connected to and in communication with the controller. The sensor is used to sense a human body and provides a sensing signal to the controller, and the controller controls the second display device to broadcast information such as advertisements or displaying video information about the operation of the terminal and operation tips of a bank customer service officer or personnel according to whether there is any user using the terminal. This is advantageous as the information or material being presented on the second display device can be controlled to suit the needs of a user. In another embodiment, the sensor is integrated into the second display device instead of existing as two separate devices.

The remote self-service terminal further comprises a voice communication device in order to facilitate a user to directly communicate with a background customer service personnel. The voice communication device is connected to and in communication with the controller. The voice communication device can be in the form of a wireless telephone for making a call or performing voice communication with a bank customer service officer or personnel. In this way, it eliminates the need for an officer to be physically present near the terminal so as to assist a user with the terminal, hence reducing manpower required to physically man the terminal. In light of security threats to personal information, there is a need to ensure the safety and security of personal identity or bank card information. The remote self-service terminal advantageously comprises a finger vein recognition device in order to acquire unique personal information of a user which can be safely used to recognise or authenticate a user. The finger vein recognition device is connected to and in communication with the controller. The finger vein recognition device is advantageously used for acquiring an inner vein image feature of a user's finger, and then authenticating the identity of the individual to confirm the identity of the user.

In order to heighten existing security systems in banks, banks also provide a Universal Serial Bus (USB) key for confirming the identity of a user in an online bank operation such as while opening an account with the bank. The remote self-service terminal further comprises a USB key issuer, wherein the USB key issuer is connected to and in communication with the controller. The USB key issuer is used for issuing a USB key for performing certain services such as when opening an online bank account.

In order to facilitate the user to save transaction information, etc., the remote self-service terminal further comprises a printing device, wherein the printing device is connected to and in communication with the controller. The printing device is operable for printing all kinds of information or documents for a user to carry out a service, for example, when a user opens a bank account, various documents or information about the user is printed and is saved with an office copy as a reference and record for the bank. The printing device is also operable for printing a certificate or receipt of a transaction performed by a user or a service utilised by a user, as required by the user such as for the reference and record of the user. In another embodiment, the printing device comprises an entry-slip printing device and a documents printing device. The entry-slip printing device is used for printing a certificate or receipt of a transaction performed by a user or a service utilised by a user, as required by the user such as for the reference and record of the user. On the other hand, the documents printing device is used for printing all kinds of information or documents for a user to carry out a service, for example, when a user opens a bank account, various documents or information about the user is printed and is saved with an office copy as a reference and record for the bank.

In order to achieve a better display effect and achieve the purpose of power saving, the second display device is advantageously in the form of a Light Emitting Diode (LED) display screen.

In the various embodiments described above, each device that is connected to and in communication with the controller is connected to the controller via connection means. Connection means include Recommend Standard number 232 (RS232) interface, USB interface, Video Graphic Array (VGA) interface, audio cable and any other interface or cable that is suitable for connection to and communication with the controller.

Preferably, each of the card reading device, the card issuing device, the USB key issuing device, the printing device, and the keyboard, is connected to the controller via RS232 interface. Preferably, each of the image capturing device, the finger vein recognition device, and the sensor, is connected to the controller via USB interface.

Preferably, each of the first display means and the second display means is connected to the controller via VGA interface.

Preferably, the voice communication device is connected to the controller via an audio cable.

The remote self-service terminal of the present invention is advantageously capable of helping or assisting a user to obtain correct and effective operation guidance for enabling a user to perform a correct operation using the terminal without the need of a bank officer or personnel to be physically present at the terminal. The technical effects of the present invention are that effective operation guidance of the terminal is made available to a user without the need of a bank officer or personnel to be physically present at the terminal to assist a user or troubleshoot for a user by providing a second display means which enables a user of the terminal to carry out or conduct a service with video information about the operation of the terminal and operation tips of a bank customer service officer or personnel. Such information can be displayed in a manner to interact with the user, and also communication between a user and a bank officer in the background can be carried out via voice communication, thereby facilitating the performance of the service for the user and effectively improving the overall user experience. With such a terminal, a user can interact with a bank officer in the background, and there is no need to put a bank officer or personnel on duty near the terminal to assist a user. Advantageously, such a terminal can be used in remote areas, such as mountainous areas as there is no need for a bank officer to physically man the terminal. This also advantageously and effectively reduces manpower or labour costs for banks or parties implementing the remote self-service terminals.

It is to be understood that the above embodiments have been provided only by way of exemplification of this invention, and that further modifications and improvements thereto, as would be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art, are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the present invention described herein. It is further to be understood that features from one or more of the described embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments.