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Coinage |
Manufacturers and
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A3
Kiosk Payment Solution. 1.
Introduction The A3 kiosk offers a
general-purpose solution in many payment applications. It is a platform that can
be tailored to meet the requirements of individual customers applications. The
kiosk can operate singly or as part of a larger networked system to automate
payment collection. Generally each terminal is capable of accepting payment by a
variety of methods and reconciling the transaction in real time or via the audit
log. There are many situations where this need arises; if numerous small
transactions are being made, it can be uneconomical to employ staff to collect
the revenue, especially when considering the problems of unsecured cash
transactions. In situations where a till is required to provide an around the
clock service, automating the transaction process may also be necessary. A
further advantage of a payment solution is that terminals can be placed in more
accessible locations and still be centrally monitored. The kiosk is a flexible PC based system using standard modules, where
the final application is configured in software to meet the customer
requirement. 2.
System
description The A3 terminal is a freestanding machine that is capable of accepting payment by a variety of means. This will often include coins, notes and debit cards. A transaction is executed when the customer is satisfied with the payment made and confirms that the transaction should proceed. The way a transaction is processed will depend upon the exact configuration of software and the requirements of the customer. A high quality 15 inch touch screen display is used as a customer interface, which allows the customer to select one of the services available. The display can be further utilized for publishing promotional material. Where change giving is required, four hoppers are installed to provide a full change giving function. There are many different type of transactions that the kiosk can handle, the A3 is fitted with a printer able to print a receipt or a ticket for proof of purchase. In most cases a payment terminal is only a part of an integrated system and so is designed with the capability to communicate either over a TCP/IP network. Transactions can be authorized in real time or using a batch processing method. 3. Options The most common configuration of A3 will be a machine with coin and note acceptance and card reader, fully interactive touch screen display, change hoppers, printer and network connection. Optional components of the system include an uninterruptible power supply and remote server for monitoring. 4.
Remote Monitoring System The RMS allows for remote status monitoring, auditing, configuration and authentification of transactions. Alarm monitoring, reset and remote software upgrade. Each terminal may be connected to the RMS via a modem or network. The monitoring PC can be connected via a local network or over a dial up connection. This allows for several monitoring stations, with different access rights. Typical
Configuration:
5.
Applications. These are examples of some typical applications in current use.
Pay Station. Customers use the touch screen or payment card to select the bill they want to pay. They can enter the amount and pay using either coin, card or bills. Change is given as required. once a transaction is complete, a receipt is issued to the customer. The kiosk will always maintain a backup of any payment data, which is usually stored over the network. Account Loader. Used by various Universities to allow students to credit funds to an account maintained on a central database. The A3 terminal is placed at several convenient points throughout the university. The student use an identity card to allow access to the machine and can then interrogate their account for balances. The terminal allows the student to add money to his account. The amount of any deposit is electronically transferred to the central database to be drawn down in exchange for university services. A further option available is to transfer funds from a bank account to a local student account. Internet Café Access This cyber café is open for twenty-four hours a day and it is therefore imperative to be able to provide access at all times. Generally four machines are sited in a store. The customer can use coins, notes and credit cards to buy an access ticket and is able to get change. The transaction is passed over a network to the central server. When the user logs on at one of the cyber cafés computers the credit is automatically adjusted. In this application each transaction is quite small but the volume is very high. The kiosk reduces queuing, frees staff for other tasks and provides a full audit function with secure cash handling. Coin
Exchange The coin exchange is a machine used by international travellers. When leaving a country, you can deposit any loose change that you have remaining in local currency, in the machine. That amount is credited to a smart card and issued to the traveller. On arrival at any destination the smart card can be inserted in to a similar machine to have the value returned in the currency of arrival. Exchange rates are automatically updated over the ISDN link. The customer greatly benefits through not having to carry odd bits of change around on international travel. The operator is able to charge a commission for the service being offered.
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