Automatic fee collecting and receipt dispensing system

We claim:

1. An automatic fee collecting and receipt dispensing system, comprising:

an outer housing;

a customer interface assembly in the housing, including display means for displaying information and instructions to a customer, entry means for allowing customer entry of commands and information, and fee collections means for collecting fees from a customer;

a dispenser assembly in the housing for dispensing receipt forms to customers, including a plurality of cartridges each containing a receipt form supply, each form having blank areas for receiving information specific to a particular transaction, the information printed on the forms in each cartridge differing from that on the forms in the or each other cartridge, a printer for printing information in the blank areas of forms and transport means for transporting form from any one of the cartridges to the printer, and dispensing means for dispensing printed forms to customers;

control means for controlling operation of the customer interface and dispenser assemblies according to stored program instructions; and

interface means for connecting said control means to a remote database containing stored information on customer transactions and fees;

said control means further comprising means for detecting entry of information by a customer, means for communicating with said remote database to obtain from said database information specific to the particular transaction, means for comparing said information entered by a customer with corresponding information on that transaction received from said database, means for authorizing the transaction if the information matches and for canceling the transaction if it does not match, means for determining the fee associated with each authorized transaction, means for displaying the fee information to a customer, means for detecting payment of the appropriate fee, and means for controlling said dispenser assembly to dispense a form from the appropriate cartridge according to transaction information entered by the customer or stored in a remote database, and to print information on the particular transaction on the form prior to dispensing.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said housing has a horizontal shelf adjacent said customer interface assembly for support of items while conducting a transaction.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control means includes means for qualifying and performing a vehicle registration renewal and for dispensing a renewed registration form, the forms stored in said cartridge each containing pre-printed information on items required for the vehicle registration transaction, and blank areas for printing of information on the specific vehicle registration involved in each transaction.

4. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein each form comprises a first part containing said pre-printed information and blank areas, and a second part comprising a sticker releasably secured to the first part and including an area for containing information on the next renewal date.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the forms include a first part containing pre-printed information and blank areas for entry of information specific to a particular transaction, and a second part comprising at least one sticker releasably secured to the first part, the sticker including an area for containing date information.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said payment means includes credit card reader means for receiving credit cards from customers and reading information encoded on the cards, and a credit card interface for connecting said control means to a credit authorization and billing network, said control means further comprising means responsive to customer approval of a fee payment for contacting said network to obtain authorization of the fee and to bill the fee if authorized.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the forms in each cartridge have different renewal dates.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the forms in each cartridge are for different types of transaction, said control means including program instructions for performing each type of transaction.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the printer includes means for printing a magnetic ink stripe on the form and means for encoding information specific to the transaction on the magnetic stripe.

10. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said dispenser assembly includes means for receiving encoded forms from a customer, means for decoding the information encoded on the forms, and means for communicating said decoded information to the control means.

11. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stored forms each have multiple parts, including a first part having at least one detachable end portion, and a second part detachably secured to said end portion, the second part comprising a sticker having an area for containing information specific to the transaction.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said first part has detachable end portions at its opposite ends, with a sticker detachably secured to each detachable end portion.

13. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein at least one sticker on each form is pre-printed with the year of the transaction.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the other sticker on each form is pre-printed with a month corresponding to the expiry month for a particular fee transaction.

15. A method of automatically collecting fees and dispensing receipts to customers at an unattended terminal, comprising the steps of:

collecting all information required from a customer to perform a specific transaction involving a fee payment;

communicating with a remote database containing stored information concerning the fee transaction involved to receive information on the particular transaction from the database;

comparing the information entered by the customer with that received from the remote database;

verifying the transaction if the information matches;

obtaining information on the fee required for the transaction;

displaying the fee information to the customer on a video display screen;

detecting payment of the required fee by the customer; and

controlling a receipt dispensing assembly having a plurality of cartridges each containing a receipt form supply having pre-printed areas and blank areas for receiving information specific to a particular transaction, in response to payment of the fee to select the appropriate cartridge, print transaction information on a receipt form retrieved from the selected cartridge, and dispense the form to the customer.

16. An unattended automobile registration terminal, comprising:

an outer housing;

a customer interface area on the housing including display means for displaying information and instructions to a customer; entry means for entry of information and commands by a customer; and payment means for receiving payment from a customer;

a registration dispensing assembly in the housing, including at least one cartridge containing a series of forms containing pre-printed information concerning automobile registration and blank areas for receiving information specific to a particular transaction, each form including at least one registration sticker detachably secured to the form for application to a vehicle license plate;

a picker mechanism for retracting forms one by one from the cartridge;

a printer mechanism for printing information specific to a particular transaction in the blank areas on a form;

a transport mechanism for transporting forms from the picker mechanism to the printer mechanism; and

a dispensing unit for dispensing printed forms from the printer mechanism to a customer;

control means for controlling operation of the system according to stored program instructions, including means for detecting a customer, means for obtaining vehicle registration information from the customer, means for verifying the information obtained with a remote host computer containing vehicle registration records, means for obtaining information on the fee required for the particular vehicle registration, means for displaying said fee information to the customer, means for verifying payment of the fee by the customer, and means for controlling said dispensing assembly to print the required information on a registration form and to dispense the form to the customer

17. An automatic fee collecting and receipt dispensing system, comprising:

a customer interface assembly including display means for displaying information and instructions to a customer, entry means for allowing customer entry of commands and information, and fee collection means for collecting fees from a customer;

form supply means containing receipt forms having blank areas for receiving information specific to a particular transaction;

printer means for printing information on the blank areas of a form, including means for encoding magnetic information specific to a particular transaction on a magnetic stripe on the form;

transport means for transporting forms from said form supply means to said printer means;

dispensing means for dispensing printed forms to customers;

said entry means including means for receiving encoded forms from a customer;

decoder means for decoding the information encoded on a received form;

control means for controlling operation of the system according to stored program instructions; and

interface means for connecting said control means to a remote database containing stored information on customer transactions and fees;

said control means further comprising means for detecting entry of information by a customer, means for obtaining decoded information from said decoder means, means for communicating with said remote database to obtain from said database information specific to the particular transaction, means for comparing said information entered by a customer with corresponding information on that transaction received from said database, means for authorizing the transaction if the information matches and for canceling the transaction if it does not match, means for determining the fee associated with each authorized transaction, means for displaying the fee information to a customer, means for detecting payment of the appropriate fee, and means for controlling said dispenser assembly to dispense the appropriate form and to print information on the particular transaction on the form prior to dispensing.

18. An automatic fee collecting and receipt dispensing system, comprising:

an outer housing;

a customer interface assembly in the housing, including display means for displaying information and instructions to a customer, entry means for allowing customer entry of commands and information, and fee collection means for collecting fees from a customer;

a plurality of form supply cartridges in the housing, each cartridge containing a supply of receipt forms having blank areas for receiving information specific to a particular transaction;

printer means for printing information on the blank areas of the forms;

transport means for transporting forms from any one of the cartridges to the printer means;

dispensing means for dispensing printed forms to customers;

control means for controlling operation of the system according to stored program instructions; and

interface means for connecting said control means to a remote database containing stored information on customer transactions and fees;

said control means comprising means for detecting input of information regarding a particular transaction by a customer,

means for determining the fee associated with each transaction, means for displaying the fee information to a customer, means for detecting payment of the appropriate fee, and means for controlling said dispenser assembly to dispense a form from the appropriate cartridge and to print information on the particular transaction on the form prior to dispensing.

19. An automatic fee collecting and receipt dispensing system, comprising:

an outer housing;

a customer interface assembly in the housing, including display means for displaying information and instructions to a customer, entry means for allowing customer entry of commands and information, and fee collection means for collecting fees from a customer;

a dispenser assembly in the housing for dispensing receipt forms to customers, including at least one cartridge containing a supply of receipt forms, each form containing pre-printed information on items required for a vehicle registration transaction, and blank areas for printing of information on the specific vehicle registration involved in each transaction;

the dispenser assembly further including a printer for printing information in the blank areas of the form, transport means for transporting forms from the cartridge to the printer, and dispensing means for dispensing printed forms to customers;

control means for controlling operation of the customer interface and dispenser assemblies according to stored program instructions; and

interface means for connecting said control means to a remote database containing stored information on customer transactions and fees;

said control means comprising means for qualifying and performing a vehicle registration renewal and for dispensing a renewed registration form, including means for detecting entry of vehicle information by a customer, means for communicating with said database to obtain from said database information specific to the particular registration transaction, means for comparing said information entered by a customer with corresponding information on that transaction received from said database, means for authorizing the transaction if the information matches and for canceling the transaction if it does not match, means for determining the fee associated with each authorized transaction, means for displaying the fee information to a customer, means for detecting payment of the appropriate fee, and means for controlling said dispenser assembly to dispense the appropriate form and to print information on the particular vehicle registration transaction on the form prior to dispensing.

Description Submit all comments and votes

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a system for automatically collecting fees and dispensing receipts, and is particularly directed to a system for collecting fees due at regular time intervals, such as Government fees for automobile registration, driver's license extensions, taxes, hunting licenses, and so on.

Currently, Government fee collections are limited to labor intensive offices having limited opening hours and working days. This generally involves the customer in a lengthy wait at times which may be inconvenient. Also, the offices are of a limited number, and centrally located in areas which may be inconveniently situated for many customers. Various mail-in services are available, but require reliance on the mail, planning and early payment of fees. For a variety of reasons, a significant percentage of the public does not utilize mail based registration, license or fee payment systems.

Various automatic, unattended vending machines have been proposed in the past in some fields, particularly banking, postage stamp vending, videotape vending, and airline ticket vending. These generally involve one-off sales of articles or money dispensing. Such systems are generally of limited capacity.

One system for unattended automobile registration has been proposed in the past by Diebold Co. This involves the mailing to each customer of a so-called "Smart Card" containing the particular vehicle registration information, which the customer then uses at the machine to allow dispensing of the appropriate printed receipt or registration form and one or more separate stickers with the registration year and month for applying to the vehicle license plate in the standard fashion. This system is therefore off-line during normal operation, and considerable expense would be involved in producing and mailing the required smart cards. Also, customers may lose the card, or the relatively small sticker which is dispensed separately from the registration form. This system also requires a separate, off-site mainframe computer to control the network of customer machine sites. The off-site mainframe has to maintain a data base containing information on all vehicle files currently in the state computer, which must be continuously updated. This gives rise to various security and logistical problems, which would be a considerable drawback in many cases, and may not be permitted by some authorities.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved unattended machine or system capable of collecting fees and dispensing appropriate receipts.

According to the present invention, an automatic fee collecting and receipt dispensing system is provided, comprising an outer housing, a customer interface assembly on the outside of the housing including a display unit for displaying information and instructions to a customer, a control device for allowing a customer to enter commands and information, and a fee collection device. A dispenser assembly in the housing includes one or more containers containing standard pre-printed receipt forms for at least one fee-associated service, the forms having blank areas for receiving information specific to a particular transaction, a printer for printing information in the blank areas, a transport mechanism for transporting forms from the containers to the printer, and a dispensing unit for dispensing printed forms to a customer. A control unit in the housing controls operation of the dispenser assembly and display unit, and is linked to the customer control device and fee collection device to receive information and commands entered by a customer and to detect fee payment. The control unit is also connected to an interface unit for linking the control system to a remote computer containing stored information on customer transactions and fees, the interface unit allowing communication back and forth between the local control unit and remote host computer. The local control unit contains stored program instructions for controlling the dispenser assembly to dispense the appropriate form in response to information and fee payment received from a customer, and information received from the remote computer, which it verifies with the information received from the customer before approving the transaction, and to control the printer to print the appropriate transaction information in the blank areas of the form prior to dispensal. The control unit also communicates information on each completed transaction to the remote computer for up-dating the stored information.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the system is designed for payment of fees due at regular time intervals, such as Government fees for automobile registration, driver's license extensions, taxes, hunting licenses and so on. It may also be used for such one-off payments as payment of parking tickets or other fines, user fees for public areas such as campgrounds, and so on. With minimal modifications, the system may be arranged to dispense other types of certificates or goods, such as welfare checks or food stamps, for example. The system in the preferred embodiment requires minimal programming of the remote computer, but instead is configured to perform all the necessary transaction verification steps from information received from the remote database and/or information entered by the customer.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, an automatic system for automobile registration or like services is provided, in which the dispenser assembly contains multi-part forms including a first layer of paper, card or the like having a first part containing pre-printed information according to the particular service being provided, and blank areas for receiving information specific to a particular transaction, and at least one second part which is preferably detachable from the first part. A third part of the form comprises a sticker or tab adhesively secured to the detachable part of the form and having an information bearing area for containing information specific to a particular transaction.

In the case of automobile registration, for example, the removable sticker will be designed for affixation to a vehicle license plate and will be printed with at least the renewal year. The renewal month may be pre-printed on the same sticker or on a separate sticker adhesively secured to the detachable part of the form, or to a further detachable part of the form. An identification number for security purposes will also be provided on both the sticker and the registration form. The renewal month and identification number may be pre-printed on the sticker or stickers, or may be printed in blank areas provided on the or each sticker by the printer for each transaction. Preferably, the forms have a detachable area carrying a sticker at each end, so that they can be stacked level in the container prior to dispensing. Where two separate stickers are not needed for the particular transaction involved, the second sticker may be blank. Alternatively, forms carrying a single sticker may be stored by placing stickers alternatively on the left and right side of the forms to create a balanced, level stack.

Where the stickers are pre-printed with a renewal date or month, a series of different forms will be provided in separate containers in the dispenser assembly, and the assembly will include a picker mechanism controlled by the control unit to select the appropriately dated form according to the information received from the customer and from the remote host. A single machine may be arranged in this way to perform a variety of different transactions, with standard size forms appropriate to each transaction stored in separate cartridges or containers which can be accessed by the picker mechanism under the control of the control unit. Thus, a single machine can be arranged to perform various transactions involved with motor vehicles, such as registrations, license extensions and the like. Such machines can be provided at numerous locations for customer convenience, avoiding lengthy lines and travelling to remote government offices, and can provide immediate customer access to government services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the dispensed form will also have a magnetic stripe of the type provided on credit cards, for example, which carries information on the transaction and can be used by the customer for subsequent renewals. Information is encoded on the card during the printing stage. In this case, the system is arranged to receive forms returned by customers and to read the information on the card to allow dispensing of a renewal based on the encoded information. This saves time since the customer does not have to enter any information at the terminal. Bar codes and optical character recognition (OCR) may be used in conjunction with or in place of the magnetic stripe if desired.

This system can easily be arranged to receive various Government or other fees and to dispense the appropriate receipt forms or certificates, such as driver's licenses, fishing or hunting licenses and the like. The system is unattended, convenient and easily accessible at all times, eliminating lengthy waits in manned offices, and the shortcomings of mail-in services where available.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which:,

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of an automatic fee receiving and receipt dispensing machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the machine;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the system for operating the machine to receive fees and dispense the appropriate receipt;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the parts of the dispenser unit in more detail;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a receipt form of the type dispensed by the machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a section on the lines 6--6 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7A-7C are a flow diagram showing the steps carried out by a program controlling the system of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIGS. 1 to 4 illustrate a machine 10 for automatically receiving fee payments and dispensing forms 12 as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 according to programmed steps as illustrated in FIG. 7. The machine and system illustrated in the drawings is particularly intended for use in renewing automobile registrations, but it will be understood that it may be modified for dispensing other documents in return for appropriate fee payment, either in addition to or instead of automobile registrations, in a similar manner, such as driver's license extensions, hunting or fishing licenses, parking ticket payment receipts, tax receipts, and so on.

The machine basically comprises an outer housing or customer terminal 14 having a customer interface area on its front panel 16. The customer interface area consists of a video display unit or CRT 18, a keyboard 20 below the screen, a credit card slot 22 and a receipt form dispensing slot 24. Preferably, a horizontal shelf 26 is provided beneath the interface area to provide a convenient place for positioning purses, parcels, or papers while using the machine.

The system is controlled by a main computer or control unit 28 within housing 14 which is linked to various peripheral devices as generally illustrated in FIG. 2. Computer 28 is linked via interface unit 30 to one or more remote computers 32 which have a database containing stored records in the particular transaction area covered by the system. If the system is arranged to perform Government or other central authority transactions, it will be linked with the mainframe computer currently used by the Government or other authority to store and process transactions. Thus, in the case of automobile registration, the local computer 28 will be linked to a government database such as a DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) computer containing stored information on all vehicles registered, including ownership information.

The computer 28 is also linked to the various customer interface devices, including video display unit 16 and keyboard 20. A credit card reader 34 of a standard type is connected to the computer 28 and communicates with slot 22 for receiving cards from a customer and returning them once the card information has been read and verified. The computer communicates via credit card processing interface 36 which provides dial-up point of sale (POS) terminal emulation to access a standard credit authorization/billing network 38 in a known manner, as will be explained in more detail below. A dispenser unit 40 mounted in housing 14 is also connected to the computer 28 as illustrated, and communicates with slot 24 for dispensing appropriate receipt forms to a customer, as explained below.

The dispenser unit 40 is illustrated in more detail in FIG. 4. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, unit 40 comprises a Magtek EP 500 Form Dispenser, available from Magtek, Inc. of Carson City Calif., which is of the type used in the airline industry for dispensing airline tickets. However, in alternative embodiments, other types of form dispensing arrangements may be used, such as a roll stock feeder, printing and dispensing apparatus.

The unit in the preferred embodiment shown consists of at least two magazines or containers 42 in which forms or cards are stacked, a picker unit 44 for removing forms from the magazines, a transport mechanism 46 for transporting forms from the picker unit to a printer unit 48, which prints information on the forms, and an exit or dispensing chute assembly 50 which communicates with slot 24. An electronics control unit 52 controls operation of the picker unit, transport mechanism and printer unit in response to control signals received from the main computer via line 54. The dispenser is connected to the computer via a standard interface device, which in the preferred embodiment of the invention comprises an RS232 card inserted in an expansion slot of the computer. The stored program instructions in the computer memory will include format instructions for controlling the printer unit to print information in the appropriate areas of the form 14.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a preferred example of the form 14 for use in the unit 40 of FIG. 4 in an automatic vehicle registration system. Vehicle registrations typically include a registration certificate to be maintained in the vehicle, along with a sticker bearing the registration expiry which is applied to the vehicle license plate, indicating to the relevant authorities that the registration requirements have been met. The precise form of the certificate, including the information printed on it, will vary from state to state. The sticker will typically include the year of expiry of the registration and a control or identification code matching the code on the registration certificate, to reduce the risk of fraud. For a new vehicle registration, an additional sticker bearing the vehicle registration renewal month is provided, which is also applied to the vehicle license plate. In subsequent years, only the year of expiry sticker will need to be replaced.

The form illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 is designed to be easily adapted to various state requirements, and to provide a uniform format for automobile registration renewal. The form consists of a first part or layer 56 of card, paper or the like having detachable portions or strips 58, 60 at its opposite ends. Detachable stickers 62,64 are attached by adhesive areas 66 to the detachable portions 58,60, respectively. Each sticker is of the type normally applied to vehicle license plates to indicate payment of registration fees, and typically includes a top, information carrying layer 67 of plastic or other weather resistant material, and an adhesive backing layer 68 covered by a detachable paper backing layer 70. A transparent coating of protective material (not shown) normally covers the information carrying top layer 67 to protect against abrasion and various weather conditions including wet weather and hot and cold temperature extremes.

The dimensions of form 14 are designed so that it fits the standard cartridge of the Magtek dispenser described above, while stickers 62 and 64 are dimensioned to fit the appropriate areas on automobile number or license plates. The Magtek cartridges can be modified to support a variety of form sizes. The first part of the form is pre-printed with appropriate information generic to each transaction on one or both faces of the form, with blank areas for printing of information specific to the particular transaction during dispensing. For example in the case of automobile registration, the area 72 outlined in FIG. 5 will contain pre-printed list of generic titles of information to be collected concerning automobile registration, such as year and make of the vehicle, vehicle identification number, registration fee, and so on, with a blank area adjacent each title for entry of that information for the specific transaction. The information may be varied according to the requirements of the particular authority dispensing the registration. Area 74 is for entry of the vehicle license number and the date of expiry of the registration.

The sticker 62 is pre-printed with the year 76 of the registration, and includes area 78 which may be blank but in the preferred embodiment of the invention is pre-printed with the transaction identification or control number, which is also either pre-printed in an appropriate area of the first part of the form or printed onto the first part during dispensing. Sticker 64 has an area 80 for entry of the month of expiry of the registration, as needed for registration of new vehicles. The month may be pre-printed or printed during dispensing. Where the month is pre-printed, forms carrying stickers for the current month and one or more successive months will be stored in separate cartridges in the dispenser unit, with the picker mechanism, which is a vacuum device in the Magtek dispenser described above, will travel to the appropriate cartridge for the renewal month of the particular transaction in progress, to remove the top form from the stack in that cartridge. Where a sticker bearing the month is not needed, sticker area 80 may be blank.

Printer unit of the Magtek dispenser also has the capability of utilizing a magnetic strip on form 14, and, in required applications, includes a magnetic encoder/decoder device for encoding information on the strip and decoding information previously encoded. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a magnetic strip will be provided on all the stored forms. During the dispense cycle, the strip will be encoded with all the information required for a particular transaction, such as a vehicle registration transaction. This will allow the customer to utilize the form or card in a subsequent renewal transaction to avoid entry of lengthy information on the keyboard. In this case, the dispensing slot may also comprise a receiving slot for such information bearing cards to be entered by customers, and the printer can be modified to read information from the card and convey it to the computer. Standard bar code or optical character recognition (OCR) capabilities may be used in addition to or in place of the magnetic stripe. The printer has the capability of encoding bar code and OCR via the available font set and graphic capabilities.

The computer or central control unit of the system is preferably an IBM-PC or equivalent, which is suitably programmed to control all peripheral devices, provide customer instructions, and communicate with remote systems via standard interface modules. The computer has a memory for storing transaction information and program instructions, suitably in the form of a standard hard disc as well as floppy disks. The system is linked to the video display unit and keyboard in the standard manner via CGA and XT cards, respectively. In alternative embodiments, customer input may be provided via a so-called "Touch Screen" rather than via a separate keyboard, particularly if alphanumeric entry keys are not a primary requirement.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated, payment of a fee is made via a credit card or debit card. The system may also be arranged to accept cash payments and/or check payments, for example by incorporating coin and bill receiving and verifying modules in the housing, or a check accepting module of the type currently used by some banks and stores, which has an optical scanner for reading check account number information from the check, which information can subsequently be verified. One, two or all of these alternative payment techniques may be provided in the same terminal.

The credit card slot communicates with a motorized credit card reader of a known type, and information read from the card is communicated to the computer via the standard RS232 interface referred to above, in a manner known in the field. The machine may accommodate any of various types of card reader, including motorized and non-motorized versions.

The computer is also connected to a remote credit authorization/billing network for verifying and authorization of the credit card, and for billing of fees applied