Off-line, one-level/on-line, two-level timeshared automated banking system

Claim 2

In an automated banking system which is alternatively operative in an on-line mode and an off-line mode and which is available to a plurality of customers, a method for processing banking transactions, including the steps of: reading a card with customer identification and customer information, including customer credit information and customer available-transaction information, encoded thereon at one of a plurality of customer stations, sending said customer identification and customer information to a local processor which is associated with the plurality of customer stations over a first communication link, the plurality of customer stations being in a timesharing relationship with respect to data processing means at the local processor, assembling a request message containing at least said customer identification by means of the data processing means, when the local processor is in an on-line mode, sending the request message to a central processor over a second communication link, when the local processor is in the on-line mode, assembling a reply message containing account data associated with the identified customer, including a) account descriptions and b) account balances for the accounts of the identified customer, in response to a request message sent to the central processor, sending the reply message to the local processor over the second communication link, after the reply message has been assembled in response to a request message, determining a transaction selection by means of the data processing means at the local processor in response to the account descriptions in the reply message when the local processor is in the on-line mode and in response to the customer available-transaction information when the local processor is in the off-line mode, sending the transaction selection from the local processor to the customer station over the first communication link, permitting the identified customer to a) choose a transaction in accordance with the transaction selection and b) enter a transaction amount at the customer station, sending the transaction choice and amount from the customer station to the local processor over the first communication link, processing the transaction by means of the data processing means at the local processor in response to the transaction choice and amount a) in accordance with the account balances in the on-line mode and b) in accordance with the customer credit information in the off-line mode so as to determine the allowability of the transaction, sending execution commands from the local processor to the customer station over the first communication link, and completing the transaction at the customer station in accordance with the execution commands, whereby data processing functions associated with transactions are executed by the local processor and input/output functions associated with transactions are relegated to the customer stations.

Claim 3

The method of claim 1, further including the step of: timesharing the central processor by means of a plurality of local processors in the on-line mode, each local processor having associated therewith a plurality of customer stations.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1, further including the step of: analyzing the customer identification and customer information at the local processor by means of the data processing means in association with a memory at the local processor to determine whether or not the card is authorized, whereby a memory at the local processor is used in connection with checking card data, so that only a single memory must be updated, thereby reducing costs and the possibility of breaches in security.

Claim 5

The method of claim 1, further including the step of: recording transactions on a hard copy or machine readable record at the local processor, whereby the record provides a compilation of the transactions which customers perform at the customer stations and can be readily obtained for bookkeeping purposes.

Claim 6

The method of claim 4, further including the steps of: assembling a completion message containing data associated with the transactions by means of the data processing means, when the local processor is in the on-line mode, sending the completion message to the central processor over the second communication link, when the local processor is in the on-line mode, accounting for the transactions in response to the completion message sent to the central processor, and using the record to verify the accounting performed by the central processor in response to the completion message, whereby the accounting can be checked by means of the record kept at the local processor.

Claim 7

An automated banking system, alternatively operative in an on-line mode and an off-line mode, available to a plurality of customers for processing banking transactions, comprising: a card with customer identification and customer information, including customer credit information and customer available-transaction information, encoded thereon, a central processor, at least one local processor, each said local processor including data processing means, each said local processor having associated therewith a plurality of customer stations which timeshare said data processing means, communication links for interconnecting said central processor and said at least one local processor and for interconnecting said at least one local processor and said plurality of customer stations, a card reader associated with each said customer station and responsive to said card for reading said customer identification and customer information and sending said customer identification and customer information to said local processor, request message assembly means associated with said timeshared data processing means and responsive in an on-line mode to at least said customer identification for preparing and sending a request message containing at least said customer identification to said central processor, reply message assembly means associated with said central processor and responsive to said request message for preparing and sending to said local processor a reply message including a) account descriptions and b) account balances for the accounts of said identified customer, a transaction controller associated with said timeshared data processing means and responsive in said on-line mode to said account descriptions in said reply message and responsive in an off-line mode to said customer available-transaction information read from said card for preparing and sending a transaction selection to said each customer station, transaction selector and amount means associated with said each customer station for permitting said identified customer to a) choose a transaction in accordance with said transaction selection and b) enter a transaction amount and for sending said transaction choice and amount to said local processor, transaction processing means associated with said timeshared data processing means and responsive to said transaction choice and amount for processing said transaction independently of said central processor in accordance with said account balances in said on-line mode and in accordance with said customer credit information in said off-line mode so as to determine the allowability of said transaction, command means associated with said local processor and responsive to said transaction processing means for preparing and sending execution commands to said each customer station, and execution means associated with said each customer station and responsive to said execution commands for completing said transaction in accordance with said execution commands, whereby said local processor executes data processing functions associated with said transactions and relegates input/output functions associated with said transactions to said customer stations.

Claim 8

An automated banking system, alternatively operative in an on-line mode and an off-line mode, available to a plurality of customers for processing banking transactions, comprising: a card with customer identification and customer information, including customer credit information and customer available-transaction information, encoded thereon, a central processor, at least one local processor, each said local processor including data processing means, each said local processor having associated therewith a plurality of customer stations which timeshare said data processing means, communication links for interconnecting said central processor and said at least one local processor and for interconnecting said at least one local processor and said plurality of customer stations, a card reader associated with each said customer station and responsive to said card for reading said customer identification and customer information and sending said customer identification and customer information to said local processor, request message assembly means associated with said timeshared data processing means and responsive in an on-line mode to at least said customer identification for preparing and sending a request message containing at least said customer identification to said central processor, reply message assembly means associated with said central processor and responsive to said request message for preparing and sending to said local processor a reply message including a) account descriptions and b) account balances for the accounts of said identified customer, a transaction controller associated with said timeshared data processing means and responsive in said on-line mode to said account descriptions in said reply message and responsive in an off-line mode to said customer available-transaction information read from said card for preparing and sending a transaction selection to said each customer station, transaction selector and amount means associated with said each customer station for permitting said identified customer to a) choose a transaction in accordance with said transaction selection and b) enter a transaction amount and for sending said transaction choice and amount to said local processor, transaction processing means associated with said timeshared data processing means and responsive to said transaction choice and amount for processing said transaction independently of said central processor in accordance with said account balances in said on-line mode and in accordance with said customer credit information in said off-line mode so as to determine the allowability of said transaction, command means associated with said local processor and responsive to said transaction processing means for preparing and sending execution commands to said each customer station, and execution means associated with said each customer station and responsive to said execution commands for completing said transaction in accordance with said execution commands, whereby said local processor executes data processing functions associated with said transactions and relegates input/output functions associated with said transactions to said customer stations.

Claim 9

The system of claim 6 including a plurality of local processors, each having associated therewith a plurality of customer stations, wherein said plurality of local processors timeshare said central processor in said on-line mode.

Claim 10

The system of claim 6, further comprising: card data analyzer means associated with said data processing means, including memory means and checking means, said card data analyzer means being responsive to said customer identification and customer information for determining whether or not said card is authorized, whereby a memory at said local processor is used in connection with checking card data, so that only a single memory must be updated, thereby reducing costs and the possibility of breaches in security.

Claim 11

The system of claim 6, further comprising: transaction recorder means associated with said local processor for preparing a hard copy or machine readable record of transactions which are completed at said plurality of customer stations, whereby said transaction recorder means provides a compilation at said local processor of transactions which customers perform at said plurality of customer stations, so that said record can be readily obtained for bookkeeping purposes.

Claim 12

The system of claim 9, further comprising: completion message assembly means associated with said timeshared data processing means and responsive in said on-line mode to transaction data for preparing and sending a completion message containing said transaction data to said central processor, and accounting means associated with said central processor and responsive to said completion message for updating the accounts of said identified customer in accordance with said transaction data, whereby said record kept at said local processor can be used to check the updating of the accounts of said identified customer.