FORM-2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 OF 1970)
&
The Patents Rules, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See section 10 and rule 131
"INTERACTIVE KIOSK AND A SYSTEM INCORPORATING THE SAME"
INTELENET GLOBAL SERVICES PVT. LTD., an Indian company, of Intelenet Towers, 1406-A/28, Mindspace, Malad (West), Mumbai - 400 064;
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to a kiosk, and, more particularly, to an interactive kiosk and a system incorporating the same for carrying out a transaction and displaying information.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In present world we witness kiosks at various locations. The said kiosks provide one of plurality of services e.g travel, bank, bill payment and the like. The said data processing kiosks plays an important role when a customer is on the move. Providing services to the customer when the customer is on the move leads to customer satisfaction. The customer satisfaction translates into customer acquisition and consequently customer retention. Also, high cost of labour involved in the personal selling/customer service activities makes the said kiosks a more efficient and cost effective alternative.
Presently available kiosk provides a specific service or sell a specific product to a customer by a specific service provider or a manufacturer. However, an option to choose between plurality of service providers or manufacturers at a single point is not thrown to the customer. Therefore, a customer has to search for a particular kiosk of which he/she wish to avail the service or buy a product.
Moreover, the presently available kiosks do not provide any telephonic or visual assistance to the customer for guiding him/her of the operating procedures of the kiosks and or explaining the products' or services' features explicidy to the customer. Therefore, the presently available kiosks are not user friendly.
Accordingly, there persists a need for a kiosk that provides a plurality of services along with a plurality of product offerings at a single point to a customer along with an

interactive audio visual guidance to a customer by providing an interface with a remotely located help desk making the kiosk customer friendly.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to obviate the above and other disadvantages from existing art and to provide an interactive kiosk and a system incorporating the same that provides a customer a plurality of services along with plurality of product offerings at a single point.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide an interactive kiosk and a system incorporating the same that provides visual and voice customer assistance making the interactive kiosks customer friendly.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide an interactive kiosk and a system incorporating the same that provide assistance to a customer in carrying out a transaction at the kiosk. Therefore, making the kiosk easier to use by a layman,
It is further an object of the present invention to provide an interactive kiosk and a system incorporating the same that enables a customer to pay for a desired product or service using a secure channel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In an embodiment of the present invention, an interactive kiosk is provided. The interactive kiosk is used for carrying out a transaction and displaying information. The interactive kiosk comprises a micro-processor designed to manage the events of the interactive kiosk, a display device electronically coupled to the micro-processor for displaying information, one or more input devices electronically coupled to the microprocessor for inputting the transaction information, a camera electronically coupled to the

micro-processor for providing live pictorial data of a user, at least two printers electronically coupled to the micro-processor for printing data selected by the user, a magnetic card reader electronically coupled to the micro-processor to enable the user to swipe a magnetic card, a proximity sensor electronically coupled to the micro-processor to inform the presence of the user to the micro-processor, an Internet Protocol (IP) phone electronically coupled to the micro-processor to enable the user to converse, a document scanner electronically coupled to the micro-processor in order to enable the user to scan one or more document and one or more network connections electronically coupled to the micro-processor to enable the micro-processor to communicate on a network wherein the display device, the camera, the IP phone and the micro-processor are electronically coupled to trans-receive video and audio between the user and a remotely placed customer care executive.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the display device and the input device is a touch screen.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the camera is a web camera.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the at least two printers comprises a document printer and a thermal printer.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the magnetic card reader enables the user to pay for a service using a debit or credit card.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the network connection is a Wide Area Connection (WAN) connection that enables the micro-processor to interact with the remotely located server.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the network connection is a satellite communication link that enables the micro-processor to interact with the remotely located server.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the display device displays plurality of data comprising client data and commercial data.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the interactive kiosk is used for carrying out transactions for plurality of sectors comprising bank, airline, retail, telecommunication and the like.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the magnetic card reader 212 enables the user to make a payment using a payment gateway process. The payment gateway process comprises steps of (a), integrating a dll component provided by a bank in the interactive kiosk 102, (b) retrieving a plastic card details that is swiped at the magnetic card reader 212 by the said dll component, (c) calling a web application with the retrieved details that is located at the application server 104 and hosted by service providers / manufactures server (s) 106, (d) storing the retrieved card details in the cached memory till the said retrieved card details are communicated to the service providers / manufactures server (s) 106, (e) refreshing the cached memory, (f) processing the payment by a bank server 304 through a plug-in provided by the bank, (g) providing a success or failure status of the payment by the bank server 304 and (h) storing the success or failure status in the database server 110.
These together with other embodiments of the present invention, along with the various features of novelty that characterize the present invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and form a part of this present invention. For a better understanding of the present invention, its operating advantages, and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates an interactive kiosk in a data processing system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates block diagram of the kiosk 102.
FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of payment gateway process.
IV. Description of the Invention:
For a thorough understanding of the present invention, reference is to be made to the following detailed description, including the appended claims, in connection with the above-described drawings. Although the present invention is described in connection with exemplary embodiments, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the specific forms set forth herein. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but these are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting,
The terms "a" and "an" herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.
The present invention provides an interactive kiosk and a system incorporating the same. The interactive kiosk is used for carrying out a transaction and displaying information. The interactive kiosk enables a customer to avail a plurality of services

along with plurality of product offerings at a single point. The interactive kiosk and the system incorporating the same also provides visual and voice assistance that enable the customer to use the interactive kiosk in a user friendly manner.
Referring to figure 1, an interactive kiosk is shown in a data processing system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The data processing system 100 includes plurality of interactive kiosk 102 (hereinafter referred to as kiosk 102). Each of the plurality of the kiosk 102 may be installed at various convenient locations in order to allow users to use the kiosk 102 conveniently. The kiosk 102 is communicably coupled to a application server 104. The application server 104 may be remotely located. The application server 104 is communicably coupled to a plurality of service providers/manufacturers server(s) 106. In an embodiment of the present invention, the information relating to service providers / manufacturers is stored in the application server 104. The application server 104 is communicably coupled to an assistance center 108. In an embodiment of the present invention, the assistance center 108 provides a live visual and voice assistance to the customer using the kiosk 102. The application server 104 is communicably coupled to a database server 110. The kiosk 102, assistance center 108 and service providers / manufacturers server(s) 106 can only access the data stored in the database server 110 through application server 104. In an embodiment of the present invention, the application server 104 is coupled to a payment gateway 302. The communicable coupling mentioned herein may include a wireless connection, an internet connection, a dedicated communication link, Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), a satellite connection and the like. The transaction mentioned herein may include submission of information, financial money transfer, retrieval of information, booking of a surface, land or air transport, filling a form and the like.
Referring to Figure 2, a block diagram of kiosk 102 is illustrated. The kiosk 102 is used for carrying out a transaction and displaying information. The kiosk 102 includes a micro-processor 200. In an embodiment of the present invention, the kiosk include two or more micro-processors. The micro-processor 200 include a software that enables micro-

processor 200 to carry out communication between the kiosk 102 and application server 104. A display device 202 is electronically coupled to the micro-processor 200 for displaying information to a user. The display device 202 displays plurality of data including client data and commercial data. The client data includes data related to service providers / product manufacturers whereas the commercial data includes advertisements, promos,. Demo of products and the like. One or more input devices 204 are also electronically coupled to the micro-processor 200 for enabling the user to input information required for a transaction. In an embodiment of the present invention, a touch screen is provided as the display device 202 and input device 204. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the input device 204 is a metal keyboard and track ball. The kiosk 102 includes a camera 206 to provide live pictorial. The camera 206 is electronically coupled to micro-processor 200. The camera 206 enables the kiosk 102 to transmit the live video streams to the application server 104. In an embodiment of the present invention, the camera 206 is a web camera. The kiosk 102 includes a thermal printer 208 for printing transaction receipts for the user and a laser printer 210 for printing documents relating to the transaction chosen by the user. The thermal printer 208 and laser printer 210 are electronically coupled to the micro-processor 200. The kiosk 102 includes a magnetic card reader 212 electronically coupled to the micro-processor 200. The magnetic card reader 212 enables the user to swipe his/her plastic card for a transaction. The plastic card may include a credit card, debit card, a membership card and the like. The kiosk includes a proximity sensor 214 that is electronically coupled to the micro-processor 200. The proximity sensor 214 senses the presence of a moving object in its vicinity. The proximity sensor informs the micro-processor 200 about the moving object in its vicinity. The kiosk 102 includes a Internet Protocol (IP) phone 216 that is electronically coupled to the micro-processor 200. The IP phone 216 enables the user to converse with a customer care executive present at the assistance center 108. The kiosk 102 includes a document scanner 218 that enables the user to scan documents required for the transaction. The document scanner 218 is electronically coupled to the microprocessor 200. The kiosk 102 includes network connections 220 for enabling communication between the micro-processor 200 and application server 104. The network connections 220 may include a Wide Area Network (WAN), satellite

communication link and the like. The micro-processor 200 manages the peripheral devices mentioned herein. The micro-processor 200 communicates the peripheral devices mentioned herein by an interface known as device drivers. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the peripheral devices include biometric verification system, a barcode reader, a Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) transceiver, a bluetooth transceiver, a infrared transceiver and the like. The micro-processor 200 is configured to enable the user to establish a audio and video connection with the customer care executive at assistance center 108. The electronic coupling mentioned herein may include serial connection, parallel connection, Universal Serial Bus (USB) and the like.
Referring to figure 3, a flow diagram of payment gateway process is illustrated according to an embodiment of the present invention. In order to enable the user to make a payment using a payment gateway 302, a dll component that is provided by a bank is integrated with the koisk 102. When the user selects to pay using the payment gateway 302, the said dll component will enabled and when the user swap his plastic card in the magnetic card reader 212, the said dll component retrieve the plastic card details such as card number, cvv number, expiry month, expiry year, customer name and the like. A web application that is hosted by the service providers / manufacturers server(s) 106 and located at application server 104 is called from the kiosk 102 with the retrieved card details as a query string. The communication to the said web application is held through port 80. The display device 207 will display a screen to the user which is the web application. The card details are not stored in database server 110. The card details remain in cached memory till it is communicated to the service providers / manufacturers server(s) 106. Immediately the cached memory with card details is refreshed and cleared. Thereafter, payment will be processed by the bank server 304 through a plug-in provided by the bank. The success or failure response of the payment is given by bank server 304 that provide a receipt to the user and the status of the payment whether success or failure is stored in the database server 110 with respect to the transaction.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the kiosk 102 include a memory device (not shown) coupled to the micro-processor 200 to store data. The memory device

may include a static memory or a dynamic memory.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a uninterrupted power supply unit is electrically coupled to the micro-processor 200 for continuous power supply.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the kiosk 102 includes a casing for housing all other components of the kiosk 102. The casing is built using a material that may include steel, aluminum, an alloy and the like.
In working, a kiosk 102 may be placed at any convenient location. The convenient
location may include offices, dealerships and franchises, organizations, a shopping mall, a railway station, an airport, food courts, service areas, rest areas and the like. Each of the plurality of kiosk 102 is registered on application server 104. The said registration is done using the information such as name, Internet Protocol (IP) address and location of the each of the plurality of kiosk 102. Only the registered kiosk 102 will be allowed an access to the application server 104, database server 110 and service providers / product manufacturers 106. Client relationship is maintained at the application server 104 that includes maintaining information regarding set of applications relating to service providers / product manufacturers 106 available at each of the plurality of kiosk 102. In an embodiment of the present invention, the service providers include service providers in the field of Banking, telecommunication, retail, travel, tourism, transport, real estate, health care and the like. In another embodiment of the present invention, the product manufacturers include from the field of real estate, Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), automobile, health care, furnishings, computer peripherals, banking, consumer electronics and the like. The kiosk 102 is started and the service providers / product manufacturers servers 106 log on to the application server 104. Each of the plurality of kiosk 102 displays the applications of the services and products assigned to that particular kiosk 102. As a user approaches the kiosk 102 the proximity sensor 214 senses the presence of the user and informs the micro-processor of the same. The display device 202 of the kiosk 102 displays the commercial data and client data. The user may select one of the applications of the client data displayed under client data of the display device 202.

Upon selecting the application, the user may retrieve the details of that application and carry out a transaction associated with that application. The kiosk 102 enables the user to take print of a document such as a boarding pass, scan a document such a copy of a certificate, take his/her photo for attaching in a file, converse using applications such as skype, record voice and the like. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the user may upload a resume at an job portal. In yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the user can book a ticket, pay using a plastic card or using payment gateway and print a ticket using a laser printer. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the user may place an order for one or more products offered at the kiosk 102. The user may receive a transaction confirmation in the form of a slip from the thermal printer 208 at the end of the transaction.
During the transaction, in case the user require assistance, he may select help desk option displayed on the display device. Depending on the option selected and its associated client by the user, active customer care executives are checked by the application server 104 in the database server 110 and the help desk call is routed by the application server 104 to the customer care executive who is idle for maximum time at the assistance center 108. A live audio and video communication channel is established and audio and video assistance is provided to the user. The audio and video communication is established using IP phone 216, display device 202 and camera 206. If required by the user, application displayed on the display device 202 may be shared with the customer care executive that allows the customer care executive to perform tasks such as filling forms for the user. Such conversation between the user and the customer care executive may be recorded along with the IP address of the kiosk 102, time of the call, duration of the call and the details of the customer care executive to who has attended the call.
If the user is required to make a payment during the transaction, the same can be made using a payment gateway or swiping a plastic card in the magnetic card reader 212. The user will receive a transaction confirmation slip from the thermal printer 208 on the completion of the payment transaction.

The present invention is advantageous as it is time efficient, multifunctional, user friendly and convenient to use. The user is not required to go to plurality of locations for purchasing plurality of products or services as the kiosk 102 provides plurality of services at one point. Therefore, the kiosk 102 is time efficient as it saves the time of the user which the user would have spent while moving to plurality of locations. Further, the kiosk 102 provides live audio and video assistance to the user that will help the user by enabling him/her to share the application with the customer care executive who can help him in meeting the requirements of that application. Therefore, the kiosk 102 is convenient and user friendly. The kiosk 102 offers multifunctionality by providing plurality of products and services at one point and also enable the user to print required documents, pay for services / products, scan a document, take a snap shot and converse.
Accordingly, the kiosk 102 is adapted to provide a customer a plurality of services along with a plurality of product offerings at a single point. The kiosk 102 also provides visual and voice assistance to the customers. The kiosk 102 may be advantageously used by a customer to avail the plurality of services offered by the plurality of service providers and to purchase products from the plurality of products offered by plurality of manufacturers.
The above-described presently preferred embodiments can be modified into many alternative preferred embodiments. It is to be noted that the kiosk 102 and the system incorporating the same is not limited to the exemplary configuration described herein, but, the kiosk 102 and the system incorporating the same may include a multitude of configurational arrangements.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The exemplary embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles

of the present invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

We claim:
1. An interactive kiosk 102 for carrying out a transaction and displaying information, the interactive kiosk 102 comprising:
a micro-processor 200 designed to manage the events of the interactive kiosk 102;
a display device 202 electronically coupled to the micro-processor 200 for displaying information;
one or more input devices 204 electronically coupled to the micro-processor 200 for inputting the transaction information;
a camera 206 electronically coupled to the micro-processor 200 for providing live pictorial data of a user;
at least two printers (208,210) electronically coupled to the micro-processor 200 for printing data selected by the user;
a magnetic card reader 212 electronically coupled to the micro-processor 200 to enable the user to swipe a magnetic card;
a proximity sensor 214 electronically coupled to the micro-processor 200 to inform the presence of the user to the micro-processor 200;
an Internet Protocol (IP) phone 216 electronically coupled to the micro-processor 200 to enable the user to converse;
a document scanner 218 electronically coupled to the micro-processor 200 in order to enable the user to scan one or more document; and
one or more network connections 220 electronically coupled to the micro-processor 200 to enable the micro-processor 200 to communicate on a network.
Wherein the display device 202, the camera 206, the IP phone 216 and the micro-processor 200 are electronically coupled to trans-receive video and audio between the user and a remotely placed customer care executive.
2. The interactive kiosk 102 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display device 202 and the input device 204 is a touch screen.
3. The interactive kiosk 102 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the camera 206 is a web camera.

4. The interactive kiosk 102 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least two printers 208,210 comprises a document printer 210 and a thermal printer 208.
5. The interactive kiosk 102 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magnetic card reader 212 enables the user to pay for a service using a debit or credit card.
6. The interactive kiosk 102 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the network connection 220 is a Wide Area Connection (WAN) connection that enables the micro-processor 200 to interact with the remotely located application server 104.
7. The interactive kiosk 102 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the network connection 220 is a satellite communication link that enables the micro-processor 200 to interact with the remotely located application server 104.
8. The interactive kiosk 102 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display device 202 displays plurality of data comprising client data and commercial data.
9. The interactive kiosk 102 as claimed in claim 1 is used for carrying out transactions for plurality of sectors comprising bank, airline, retail, telecommunication and the like.

10. The interactive kiosk 102 for carrying out a transaction and displaying information as herein described along with the accompanying drawings.
11. The interactive kiosk 102 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magnetic card reader 212 enables the user to make a payment using a payment gateway process.
12. The interactive kiosk 102 as claimed in claim 11, wherein the payment gateway process comprises steps of:
(a), integrating a dll component provided by a bank in the interactive kiosk 102;
(b) retrieving a plastic card details that is swiped at the magnetic card reader 212 by the

said dll component;
(c) calling a web application with the retrieved details that is located at the application server 104 and hosted by service providers / manufactures server (s) 106;
(d) storing the retrieved card details in the cached memory of the payment gateway server 104 till the said retrieved card details are communicated to the service providers / manufactures server (s) 106
(e) refreshing the cached memory;
(f) processing the payment by a bank server 304 through a plug-in provided by the bank;
(g) providing a success or failure status of the payment by the bank server 304; and (h) storing the success or failure status in the database server 110.