AN IMPROVED AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINE AND RELATED METHOD
Field of the Disclosure
The field of the present disclosure pertains to a machine and mechanism for dispensing cash, and
particularly, to provide a more efficient technique, a personalized experience as well as incentives whil5 e
dispensing cash.
Background
Automated Teller Machines or ATMs are machines installed at various locations by a particular bank.
Their main function is to dispense cash besides other facilities such as providing information and certain
10 other services. They are in operation 24X7 and do not require any manual intervention besides that of
the user. They conventionally operate by using a payment card and provide the same services in a
generic manner to all users.
Generally, users who have an account in a particular bank, or a debit card of a certain bank, make use of
an ATM of that particular bank. However that is not always convenient as, for example, an ATM may not
15 be located in a location that is accessible and convenient for a user at the time he needs to use it. For
this reason, he has an option of using the nearest ATM which may belong to another bank. However this
service comes with a surcharge that is levied on him.
Similarly, for banks also, ATMs are a cost center. This is because banks invest large amounts of money
into building and maintaining these ATMs and their associated infrastructure. Installation and upkeep of
20 the machine as well as other requirements regarding the center where it is installed involve a lot of
expenditure. For this purpose, a part of this cost is passed on to the customers of other banks who use
the machine by levying a small surcharge when they withdraw cash.
Summary
Embodiments of the present disclosure improve user experience as well as removing the complexities
25 and inefficiencies for both the bank and the user. The user experience is improved since (s)he gets an
economic benefit of not having to pay any surcharge. Also viewing an informative media clipping or
image or advertisement or getting a good offer on a product or service is beneficial to the user. Similarly
3
inefficiencies involving extra surcharge or having to take extra fees from the user and adding it to his
account can be removed as an extra transaction of the bank thereby reducing complexities.
In fact, the present disclosure converts ATMs from cost centers to potential profit making centers. This is
possible by having an option to remove the surcharge applicable to the user. The present disclosure
does so by primarily giving the user an option of viewing a media item in relation to a merchant selecte5 d
based on user personalization criteria. The bank, in turn, is at an advantage as well since this merchant
provides certain benefits to the bank for displaying their media item. Also at an advantage is the
merchant who is provided a targeted audience through the ATM.
Brief Description of Figures
10 The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the leftmost
digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears.
The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and components.
FIGURE 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an example multi-party transaction payment system for
enabling ordinary payment transactions in which merchants and card issuers do not need to have a one15
to-one special relationship.
FIGURE 2 shows a block diagram depicting an overall system architecture diagram of the ATM and
external servers.
FIGURE 3 shows a flow diagram depicting the process conducted at the ATM communicating with
various other external units.
20 Detailed Description
Exemplary embodiments now will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The
disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited
to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure
will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey its scope to those skilled in the art. The terminology
25 used in the detailed description of the particular exemplary embodiments illustrated in the
accompanying drawings is not intended to be limiting. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like
elements.
4
The specification may refer to “an”, “one” or “some” embodiment(s) in several locations. This does not
necessarily imply that each such reference is to the same embodiment(s), or that the feature only
applies to a single embodiment. Single features of different embodiments may also be combined to
provide other embodiments.
As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well5 ,
unless expressly stated otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “includes”, “comprises”,
“including” and/or “comprising” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features,
integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition
of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups
10 thereof. It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to
another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements
may be present. Furthermore, “connected” or “coupled” as used herein may include wirelessly
connected or coupled. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations and
arrangements of one or more of the associated listed items.
15 Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same
meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. It
will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be
interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art
and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
20 The figures depict a simplified structure only showing some elements and functional entities, all being
logical units whose implementation may differ from what is shown. The connections shown are logical
connections; the actual physical connections may be different. It is apparent to a person skilled in the art
that the structure may also comprise other functions and structures.
In addition, all logical units described and depicted in the figures include the software and/or hardware
25 components required for the unit to function. Further, each unit may comprise within itself one or more
components, which are implicitly understood. These components may be operatively coupled to each
other and be configured to communicate with each other to perform the function of the said unit.
The ATM in the present disclosure has a surcharge removal option provided to the user based on their
viewing of a media item, for example a 15 second video or advertisement. This media item is tailored for
30 that user based on criteria, for example, his preferences, or the services and products available close to
5
the location of that ATM, or legacy data which reflects the items or services he most frequently spends
on. An exemplary ATM 200 is shown in Figure 2, and will be described in more detail below.
For example, travel or restaurant related advertisements or media items can be shown to a frequent
traveler or similarly to a user whose spending history depicts frequent transactions at gourmet joints. In
a preferred embodiment, these can also be tailored according to the merchants of choice of the u5 ser
which once again can be determined from legacy data or other means which may include user data
gathered by the bank through other means. In yet another embodiment, a user’s spending history
and/or location data from the ATM 200 is used to select personalized advertisements or media items to
display to the user at the ATM.
10 In a preferred embodiment, the advertisement or media item can be selected based on computation of
a relevance score determined from the data gathered in relation to predefined criteria. Preferably the
relevance score can be calculated as follows:
Score = w1*purchase sequence probability in a category + W2*loyalty to the advertisement merchant +
w3*repeat purchases + w4*rating factor of the merchant, (1)
15 in which w1, w2, w3 and w4 are weights given to each of the criteria considered.
Furthermore, the data values from purchase sequence probability, loyalty to the advertisement
merchant, repeat purchases and rating factor of the merchant may not be on the same scale. For
example, purchase probability might have a scale with value in the range 0 to 1, while repeat purchases
might as an integer take values in the range 1 to 100, thus, a pure numerical addition might be
20 misleading. Instead, more generally, for each of the variables, the respective data values are normalized
by converting each to a common scale, and then generating the composite score as a combination of
the converted scores. The normalization of the repeat purchase variable may be done in the following
way, for example:
Normalized Repeat Purchase = (Repeat Purchase – Mean (Repeat Purchase))/ (Standard Deviation
25 (Repeat Purchase),
i.e. a z-score may be computed for the repeat purchase variable. Similarly, a z-score may be computed
for each other variable so as to bring them to the same scale (e.g., so that the variables lie on the
interval [0, 1]).
6
Equal weights w1, w2, w3, w4 may be given to each of the values given in Eqn. (1), i.e. each may be
given a relative weight of 0.25. As the user clicks on or otherwise interacts with the advertisement
shown on the display of ATM 200, these weights may be updated to reflect the preference of the
customer for each of these variables. For example, if the customer tends to click on the advertisements
of the merchants with which he is loyal and not based on the amount of discount offered by 5 the
merchant, then we assign a higher weight to the variable repeat purchase and a lower weight to
merchant rating. The amount by which to adjust the weights may be determined according to
techniques which are known in the art of machine learning.
In a preferred embodiment, initially equal weights are given to each of the parameters. However, over
10 time, based on the choices which the user makes such as purchasing products in the displayed media
item or advertisement, these weights can be accordingly changed based on the response received by
the advertisement or media item displayed. These weights may be dynamically updated based on the
user’s response to the advertisement.
Criteria such as probability of purchase in a category can be considered. This can be based on a past
15 purchase sequence pattern of the customer. The past purchase sequence pattern can be determined
based on legacy data or past historical purchase data, which may be generated during the course of
transactions carried out over a payment network, such as that depicted in Figure 1 (to be described in
further detail below). Another criterion such as merchant rating can be considered. The merchant rating
is a qualitative score which for example, can be given by a third party, or by multiple third parties (e.g.,
20 via a social media platform). It can range for example between 0 to 100% and be calculated based on
current discounts or cashback offers made available by the merchant. This way merchants are allowed
to improve their ranking by giving additional discount offers resulting in a higher score. Repeat
purchases can be determined based on how many times the user has had transactions with that
merchant based on the spending history.
25 In another preferred embodiment, the user is incentivized to respond to a displayed advertisement or
media item by providing extra points or discounts on shopping at the advertised location, for example,
within a certain number of days. In yet another embodiment, this incentive can also be provided based
on just showing the card or electronic payment device used at the ATM and/or entering a portion of the
card number as a coupon code at the shop. In yet another preferred embodiment, the receipt or coupon
30 can be printed at the ATM itself with relevant information. For example, the rewards information can be
7
embedded in a linear or matrix bar code (such as a QR code) on the receipt. This information can be
read at the store where it can be reclaimed for discounts or other such benefits.
The disclosure, by using the aforementioned mechanism can also be used for determining the efficacy of
the advertisement, since a media server (207) in communication with the ATM can store a coupon code
for each instance of a displayed media item or advertisement. When the coupon is redeemed at 5 t the
advertised location, the coupon code may be transmitted to the media server (207) in order to confirm
the redemption. As such, the media server (207) can monitor the number of redeemed coupons as a
percentage of the number of awarded coupons, as one measure of effectiveness of the advertisement.
This can further be incentivized by the bank by asking for a certain percentage of the purchase or a fixed
10 value per transaction made by the customer going to that shop based on seeing the advertisement.
FIGURE 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example multi-party transaction payment system 20 for
enabling ordinary payment transactions in which merchants 24 and card issuers 30 do not need to have
a one-to-one special relationship. Embodiments described herein may relate to a transaction system,
such as the payment network operated by MasterCard International Incorporated, the assignee of the
15 present disclosure. Such a network is comprised, in part, of a set of proprietary communications
standards and protocols for the exchange of financial transaction data and the settlement of funds
between financial institutions that are members of the payment network.
In a typical payment system, a financial institution called the “issuer” 30 issues a payment card, such as
a credit card, debit card, electronic check, prepaid card, paper check, mobile phone with access to a
20 payment account, or any other form of payment, to a user 22, who uses the payment card to tender
payment for a purchase from a merchant 24. To accept payment with the payment card, merchant 24
must normally establish an account with a financial institution that is part of the financial payment
system. This financial institution is usually called the “merchant bank,” the “acquiring bank,” or the
“acquirer.” When user 22 tenders payment for a purchase with a payment card, merchant 24 requests
25 authorization from a merchant bank 26 for the amount of the purchase. The request may be performed
over the telephone, but is usually performed through the use of a point-of-sale (POS) terminal, which
reads user's 22 account information from a magnetic stripe, a chip, embossed characters, or other
device on the payment card that may be manually inputted into the POS terminal, and communicates
electronically with the transaction processing computers of merchant bank 26. Alternatively, merchant
30 bank 26 may authorize a third party to perform transaction processing on its behalf. In this case, the
8
point-of-sale terminal will be configured to communicate with the third party. Such a third party is
usually called a “merchant processor,” an “acquiring processor,” or a “third party processor.”
Using a payment network 28, computers of merchant bank 26 or merchant processor will communicate
with computers of an issuer bank 30 to determine whether the payment transaction should be
authorized. This may include a number of factors such as, whether user's 22 account 32 is in goo5 d
standing, and whether the purchase is covered by user's 22 available credit line. If the request is
accepted, an authorization code is issued to merchant 24.
When a request for authorization is accepted, the available credit line of user's 22 account 32 is
decreased. In some cases, a charge for a payment transaction may not be posted, i.e., “captured”
10 immediately to user's 22 account 32, whereas in other cases, especially with respect to at least some
debit card transactions, a charge may be posted or captured at the time of the transaction. In some
cases, when merchant 24 ships or delivers the goods or services, merchant 24 captures the transaction
by, for example, appropriate data entry procedures on the POS terminal. This may include bundling of
approved transactions daily for standard retail purchases. If user 22 cancels a transaction before it is
15 captured, a “void” is generated. If user 22 returns goods after the transaction has been captured, a
“credit” is generated. Payment network 28 and/or issuer bank 30 stores the payment card information,
such as a type of merchant, amount of purchase, date of purchase, in a database.
For debit card transactions, when a request for a PIN authorization is approved by the issuer, the
consumer's account is decreased. Normally, a charge is posted immediately to a consumer's account.
20 The issuer 30 then transmits the approval to the merchant bank 26 via the payment network 28, with
ultimately the merchant 24 being notified for distribution of goods/services, or information or cash in
the case of an ATM.
After a purchase has been made, a clearing process occurs to transfer additional transaction data
related to the purchase among the parties to the transaction, such as merchant bank 26, payment
25 network 28, and issuer bank 30. More specifically, during and/or after the clearing process, additional
data, such as a time of purchase, a merchant name, a type of merchant, purchase information, user
account information, a type of transaction, itinerary information, information regarding the purchased
item and/or service, and/or other suitable information, is associated with a transaction and transmitted
between parties to the transaction as transaction data, and may be stored by any of the parties to the
30 transaction. In the example embodiment, when user 22 purchases travel, such as airfare, a hotel stay,
9
and/or a rental car, at least partial itinerary information is transmitted during the clearance process as
transaction data. When payment network 28 receives the itinerary information, payment network 28
routes the itinerary information to database 120
After a transaction is authorized and cleared, the transaction is settled among merchant 24, merchant
bank 26, and issuer bank 30. Settlement refers to the transfer of financial data or funds amon5 g
merchant's 24 account, merchant bank 26, and issuer bank 30 related to the transaction. Usually,
transactions are captured and accumulated into a “batch,” which is settled as a group. More specifically,
a transaction is typically settled between issuer bank 30 and payment network 28, and then between
payment network 28 and merchant bank 26, and then between merchant bank 26 and merchant 24.
10 FIGURE 2 shows a block diagram depicting an overall system architecture diagram of the ATM 200 and
external servers with which the ATM 200 is communicatively coupled. In a preferred embodiment, a
bank server (205) is configured to store the details of each payment device it issues along with the
associated bank account details. The bank server (205) is operatively connected to the reading unit (201)
of the ATM 200 by a communications link in order to provide the bank name and account information
15 upon request. The user interface unit (203) is also in a preferred embodiment operatively connected to
the bank server (205) so that the bank can be intimated that no surcharge is to be applied for this
transaction if the user has agreed to watch the media item. Once the amount has been dispensed, the
bank server (205) is configured to receive appropriate details from the user interface unit (203) to
update the details accordingly in the relevant account.
20 In another preferred embodiment, a transaction server (206) is configured to store the transaction
history of each payment device. Preferably, it is configured to keep a record of all transactions against a
specific payment device including the date, time, amount, and merchant identifier for each transaction.
The personalization unit (202) is operatively connected to the transaction server (206) and is configured
to communicate with it to retrieve the transaction history and legacy data of the user. In another
25 embodiment, the personalization unit (202) is configured to directly retrieve these from the bank server
(205) which is configured to store these details in place of the transaction server (206).
In yet another preferred embodiment, a media server (207) is configured to store one or more media
items along with their details. Each video or image stored is preferably associated with a particular
merchant ID, merchant category and/or industry type among other criteria. The media server (207) is
30 operatively connected to the personalization unit (202) of the ATM. In another embodiment, the media
10
items are stored within a storage unit (202A) within the ATM along with these details instead of the
media server (207) and the personalization unit (202) is operatively connected to this storage unit
(202A). In a preferred embodiment, the media server (207) or storage unit (202A) can be accessed by
the store to add or update their media items or advertisements as well as add or update their offers in
order to improve their merchant score5 .
In another preferred embodiment, a user server (208) is configured to store user details and preferences
of a user attached to a particular payment device. The user preferences may alternatively in another
embodiment be stored at the transaction server (206) itself or in another embodiment at the bank
server (205). The personalization unit (202) is configured to communicate with the appropriate server
10 (205, 206, 208) to retrieve the preferences of the user associated with the payment device.
In yet another preferred embodiment, a rewards server (209) is configured to store details of the
coupons, receipts and rewards issued to or redeemed by a user of a particular payment device, such as
the receipt number or unique code, and the dates of issuance and redemption. These details may
alternatively in another embodiment be stored at the bank server (205) itself or at the transaction
15 server (206) or at the media server (207). The user interface unit (203) is configured to communicate
with the appropriate server (205, 206, 207) to retrieve and update the rewards information of the user
attached to the payment device. This information can then be accessed at the relevant store from this
server (205, 206, 207) to provide discounts and other such benefits and the information at the server
(205, 206, 207) can accordingly be updated after such a transaction. This information can also be
20 accessed at the bank server (205) to provide cash back offers into the account of the user. This
information can also be accessed at the ATM to check rewards information and/or the coupon code
generated by the ATM for the user.
FIGURE 2 depicts an improved automated teller machine 200 comprising a reading unit (201) which is
configured to receive identification data from an electronic payment device; a personalization unit (202)
25 which is configured to retrieve predefined details linked to said identification data, access one or more
media items and determine a score for at least one media; a user interface unit (203) configured to
receive input data from a user and display one or more selected media items; and a cash dispenser (204)
for dispensing a user-selected amount of currency wherein the personalization unit (202) is configured
to select and playback to the user via the user interface unit (203) the one or more personalized media
30 items based on the predefined details and/or score.
11
The user uses / accesses the ATM through the reading unit (201) by inserting or tapping his electronic
payment device which may be a payment card, or another payment device which is not in the form of a
card, such as a smartphone, or other device able to be read in contactless fashion . The reading unit
(201) is configured to read the relevant details from this card and accordingly identify the relevant ban5 k
and the account number among other details. It is also configured to access the bank server (205) of the
identified bank for other predefined details such as account information and verification data. The
reading unit (201) may comprise a magnetic stripe reader, an EMV card reader or an NFC reader, for
example. In a preferred embodiment, the user interface unit (203) may be configured to receive
10 additional data for authentication or verification purposes, such as a PIN or biometric information.
Existing communication techniques can be used to procure this information as well as validation criteria.
The personalization unit (202) is operatively coupled to the reading unit (201) and is configured to
access either the bank server (205) or the transaction server (206) to retrieve relevant transaction data.
This transaction data preferably includes comprehensive legacy data. In an embodiment, the
15 personalization unit (202) is then configured to retrieve user preference details from either the bank
server (205), transaction server (206) or user server (208). If is further configured to access one or more
media items preferably from the media server (207) or alternatively from the storage unit (202A) within
the ATM along with their details such including merchant details.
The personalization unit (202) is also configured to compute a score for each accessed media item based
20 on various factors such as the merchant and/or retrieved transaction history and/or user preferences
and/or ATM location data and/or some other predefined criteria. In a preferred embodiment the score
is computed as follows:
Score = w1*purchase sequence probability in a category + W2*loyalty to the advertisement merchant +
w3*repeat purchases + w4*rating factor of the merchant,
25 in which w1, w2, w3 and w4 are weights given to the respective criteria considered.
The loyalty of the user to a certain merchant can be determined by retrieving the loyalty points that the
user has with that merchant from the media server (207). The score for a particular media item for a
user can be dynamically updated based on the current merchant rating and/or user’s transaction
12
history. In a preferred embodiment, the personalization unit (202) is configured to compute the score in
the offline mode i.e. not while a transaction is happening at the ATM.
In a preferred embodiment, the personalization unit (202) is then configured to select one or more
highest-scoring videos or images (for example, one of the top 5 highest-scoring videos or images, or one
of the videos or images which exceeds a predetermined score threshold). In another embodiment, thes5 e
are chosen at random or in yet another embodiment are chosen based on whether they exceed a
certain threshold of one or more deciding factors.
On selection, the user interface unit (203) is configured to display the selected item to the user with an
option requesting the user for input on whether he wishes to view the selected video or image and
10 apprising him of the fact that viewing it will, in an embodiment, waive the surcharge or in another
embodiment, provide the user with reward or loyalty points. In case the user does not agree, the cash
dispenser (204) is configured to give out the amount requested. In a preferred embodiment, the user
interface unit (203) is also configured to contact the bank server (205) and add a surcharge or levy a fee
to the user’s bank account.
15 If however the user does agree to view, the user interface unit (203) is configured to display the one or
more media items and signal the cash dispenser (204) which is configured to dispense the selected
amount of cash. In this case, no surcharge is levied to the user. In a preferred embodiment the loyalty
points of the user are increased or in yet another embodiment, the user interface unit (203) is
configured to provide a coupon code by displaying or printing it which can be used at a certain merchant
20 for discounts. In a preferred embodiment, the rewards information and / or discount information is
updated against that payment device at the relevant server (205, 206, 207) which is operatively
connected to the user interface unit (203).
FIGURE 3 shows a flow diagram depicting an example of a process conducted at the ATM 200
communicating with various other external units. The operation begins at step 301 in which the user
25 accesses the ATM by either inserting, tapping or touching the payment device at the ATM. The payment
device may be a payment card, or another payment device which is not in the form of a card, such as a
smartphone, or other device able to be read in contactless fashion. The relevant details are then read
from the device and identification data using which the relevant bank and account number among other
details are identified in step 301.
30
13
In step 302, the bank server (205) of the identified bank is accessed to retrieve other predefined details
such as account information and verification data. In a preferred embodiment, additional data for
authentication or verification purposes, such as a PIN or biometric information may also be asked for
and received. Existing communication techniques can be used to procure this information as well as
validation criteria. In the same step, either the bank server (205) or the transaction server (206) 5 ) is
accessed to retrieve relevant transaction data. This transaction data preferably includes comprehensive
legacy data. In an embodiment, the bank server (205), transaction server (206) or user server (208) is
accessed to retrieve user preference details
Next, in step 303, one or more media items are accessed preferably from the media server (207) or
10 alternatively from the storage unit (202A) within the ATM along with their details such including
merchant details. In step 304, a score is determined for each accessed media item based on various
factors such as the merchant and/or retrieved transaction history and/or user preferences and/or ATM
location data and/or some other predefined criteria. In a preferred embodiment the score is determined
as follows:
15 Score = w1*purchase sequence probability in a category + W2*loyalty to the advertisement merchant +
w3*repeat purchases + w4*rating factor of the merchant,
in which w1, w2, w3 and w4 are weights given to each of the criteria considered.
The loyalty of the user to a certain merchant can be determined by retrieving the loyalty points that the
user has with that merchant from the media server (207). The score for a particular media item for a
20 user can be dynamically updated based on the current merchant rating and/or user’s transaction
history. In a preferred embodiment, the score is determined in the offline mode, e.g. not while a
transaction is happening at the ATM (for example, after the transaction has concluded).
In step 305, one or more highest-scoring media items, videos, images or advertisements are selected. In
a preferred embodiment these are chosen based on the determined score. In another embodiment,
25 these are chosen at random or in yet another embodiment are chosen based on whether they exceed a
certain threshold of one or more deciding factors.
On selection, in step 306, the selected media items are displayed to the user with an option requesting
the user for input on whether he wishes to view the selected video or image and apprising him of the
14
fact that viewing it will, in an embodiment, waive the surcharge or in another embodiment, provide the
user with reward or loyalty points.
In case the user does not agree, in step 305, the amount requested is dispensed in step 307. In a
preferred embodiment, the ATM contacts the bank server (205) to add a surcharge or levy a fees to the
user’s bank account. If however the user does agree to view, the ATM displays the one or more medi5 a
items and dispense the selected amount of cash in step 307. In this case, no surcharge is levied to the
user. In a preferred embodiment the loyalty points of the user are increased or in yet another
embodiment, a coupon code is provided by displaying or printing it which can be used at a certain
merchant for discounts. In a preferred embodiment, the rewards information and / or discount
10 information is updated against that payment device at the relevant server
It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and
combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by
computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor
of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing
15 apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the
computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the
functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
Instructions may also be stored in a computer- readable memory that can direct a computer or other
programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions
20 stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means
which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
Instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus like
a scanner/check scanner to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or
other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions
25 which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the
functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
The flowchart and schematic diagrams of Figures 1 to 3 illustrate the architecture, functionality, and
operations of some embodiments of methods, systems, and computer program products for time
related interaction of a user with a handheld device. In this regard, each block may represent a module,
30 segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the
15
specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that in other implementations, the function(s) noted
in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in
succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes be
executed in the reverse order, depending on the functionality involved.
In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention5 .
Although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for
purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined by the following claims.
16

We claim:
1. An automated teller machine comprising:
a. a reading unit (201) configured to receive identification data from an electronic
payment device5 ;
b. a personalization unit (202) configured to retrieve predefined details linked to said
identification data, access one or more media items and determine a score for at least
one media items
c. an user interface unit (203) configured to receive input data from a user and display one
10 or more selected media items; and
d. a cash dispenser (204) for dispensing a user-selected amount of currency;
wherein the personalization unit (202) is configured to select and play back to the user,
via the user interface unit (203), one or more personalized media items based on said
predefined details and/or score.
15
2. An automated teller machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predefined details comprise of
prior transactions made using the electronic payment device and/or location data of the
machine.
20 3. An automated teller machine as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the score is calculated as
follows:
Score = w1*purchase sequence probability in a category + W2*loyalty to the advertisement
merchant + w3*repeat purchases + w4*rating factor of the merchant in which w1, w2, w3 and
w4 are weights given to each of the criteria considered.
25 4. An automated teller machine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the media item
comprises of one or more advertisements and/or images and/or videos.
5. An automated teller machine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the score for each
of the media items is based on the predefined details and/or one or more merchant identifiers
30 and/or one or more merchant categories associated with the media items.
6. An automated teller machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein said score is based on purchase
sequence probability of one or more merchant categories and/or loyalty towards the merchant
identifier associated with said media item and/or repeat purchases by the user.
35
7. An automated teller machine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the personalization
unit (202) is configured to provide one or more incentives to the user based on a selection
received at the user interface unit (203).
40 8. An automated teller machine as claimed in claim 7, wherein said incentives comprise points or
discounts to the user for purchases at one or more merchants.
17
9. An automated teller machine as claimed in claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the user interface unit
(203) is configured to print a coupon bearing information relating to said incentives.
10. An automated teller machine as claimed in claim 9, wherein said information is encoded in 5 a
machine-readable code.
11. An automated teller machine as claimed in claim 10, wherein the machine-readable code is a
linear barcode or a matrix barcode.
10
12. An automated teller machine as claimed in claim 10, comprising of a storage unit (202A)
operatively connected to the personalization unit (202) and / or to the merchants and / or
stores and configured to store one or more media items along with their details.
15 13. A method for dispensing cash from an automated teller machine comprising the steps of:
a. receiving identification data from an electronic payment device;
b. retrieving predefined details linked to said identification data;
c. accessing one or more media items from a media server (207) or storage unit (202A)
20 d. determining a score for at least one media item
e. making a selection from one or more stored media items based on the predefined
details;
f. displaying one or more selected media items on receiving input data from a user; and
g. dispensing a user-selected amount of currency;
25 wherein the selection of the media item is based on said predefined details and/or score
14. A method for dispensing cash from an automated teller machine as claimed in claim 12, wherein
the predefined details comprise of prior transactions made using the electronic payment device
and/or location data of the machine.
30
15. A method for dispensing cash from an automated teller machine as claimed in claim 12 or 13,
wherein the score is calculated as follows:
Score = w1*purchase sequence probability in a category + W2*loyalty to the advertisement
35 merchant + w3*repeat purchases + w4*rating factor of the merchant in which w1, w2, w3 and
w4 are weights given to each of the criteria considered.
16. A method for dispensing cash from an automated teller machine as claimed in any one of claims
12 to 14, wherein the media item comprises of one or more advertisements and/or images
and/or videos.
40
18
17. A method for dispensing cash from an automated teller machine 12 to 15, wherein the score for
each of the media items is based on the predefined details and/or one or more merchant
identifiers and/or one or more merchant categories associated with the media items.
18. A method for dispensing cash from an automated teller machine as claimed in claim 16, wh5 erein
said score is based on purchase sequence probability of one or more merchant categories
and/or loyalty towards the merchant identifier associated with said media item and/or repeat
purchases by the user.
10 19. A method for dispensing cash from an automated teller machine as claimed in any one of claims
12 to 17, comprising the step of providing one or more incentives to the user based on one or
more selections.
20. A method for dispensing cash from an automated teller machine as claimed in claim 18, wherein
15 said incentives comprise points or discounts to the user for purchases at one or more
merchants.
21. A method for dispensing cash from an automated teller machine as claimed in any of claims 12
to 19, comprising the step of printing a coupon bearing information relating to said incentives.
20
22. A method for dispensing cash from an automated teller machine as claimed in claim 20, wherein
said information is encoded in a machine-readable code.
23. A method for dispensing cash from an automated teller machine as claimed in claim 21, wherein
25 the machine-readable code is a linear barcode or a matrix barcode.
24. A system for withdrawing cash comprising:
a. a bank server (205) operatively connected to one or more banks and configured to store
30 the details of each payment device it issues along with the associated bank account
details; and
b. an automated teller machine as claimed in any of claims 1 to 12.
25. A system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the bank server (205) is operatively connected to the
35 reading unit (201) and/or personalization unit (202) and/or user interface unit (203).
26. A system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the bank server (205) is configured to update the
details after the transaction at the relevant bank account.
40 27. A system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the bank server (205) is configured to receive an
indication from the ATM and accordingly send an intimation to the relevant bank to not apply
any fees or surcharge if the user has agreed to watch the media item.
19
28. A system as claimed in claim 23, comprising of a transaction server (206) operatively connected
to one or more banks and configured to store the transaction history of the payment device.
29. A system as claimed in claim 28, wherein transaction history comprises of the date, amount and
merchant or store for each transaction5 .
30. A system as claimed in claim 28 or 29, wherein the transaction server (206) is operatively
connected to the personalization unit (202).
10 31. A system as claimed in claim 28, wherein the transaction server (206) is a part of the bank server
(205).
32. A system as claimed in claim 24, comprising of a media server (207) operatively connected to
one or more merchants and/or stores and configured to store one or more media items along
15 with their details.
33. A system as claimed in claim 32, wherein the media server (207) is operatively connected to the
personalization unit (202).
20 34. A system as claimed in claims 12 or 32, wherein each media item is associated with a merchant
ID, merchant category, industry type and/or one or more offers.
35. A system as claimed in claims 12 or 32, wherein the media items and/or their associated offers
can be added, updated, deleted or modified.
25
36. A system as claimed in claim 24, comprising of a user server (208) operatively connected to the
personalization unit (202) and configured to store user details and preferences of a user
attached to a payment device.
30 37. A system as claimed in claim 35, wherein the user server (208) forms part of the bank server
and/or transaction server (206).
38. A system as claimed in claim 24, comprising of a rewards server (209) operatively connected to
one or more merchants and/or stores and configured to store details of the coupons, receipts
35 and rewards issued to or redeemed by a payment device.
39. A system