WO2000054195A1

WO2000054195A1 - Dual pin number silent alarm for atm machines

Info

Publication number: WO2000054195A1
Application number: PCT/US2000/005848
Authority: WO
Inventors: Allen I. Rubenstein
Original assignee: Rubenstein Allen I
Priority date: 1999-03-08
Filing date: 2000-03-07
Publication date: 2000-09-14
Also published as: AU4170300A

Abstract

An ATM system is provided that recognizes the use of a Safety-PIN number together with an access card as a signal to send a silent alarm to security personnel. The user of the ATM system is provided with a Regular-PIN number and a Safety-PIN number, both of which allow access to the user's account, and only one of which sends the silent alarm.

Description

DUAL PIN NUMBER SILENT ALARM FOR ATM MACHINES

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a method for making the use of ATM machines more

safe. In particular, it relates to a method that discourages forcing persons to remove cash from an ATM machine or to disclose their PIN numbers.

Background of the Invention

Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) provide a convenient access to cash and

reduce the cost of providing bank tellers to service bank customers who want to

withdraw cash from their accounts. Furthermore they provide ready access to cash to

foreign visitors who are spared having to identify themselves in a foreign language and

the cost of having bank personnel fluent in foreign languages. The ATM machine provides a convenient way to overcome the language barrier by providing easy-to-

understand instructions in multiple languages. This convenience for the public and

savings for the banking institutions has led to the widespread use of ATM machines.

Typically access to an ATM machine requires two coded instructions to gain

access to an account. The first coded instruction is usually provided by the user

inserting a card into the machine. This card may be referred to as an access card, but the

term "access card" is intended to encompass any card that may be used to access an

ATM machine, including, for example, bank cards, credit cards, cash cards, phone cards

or the like. The second coded instruction is usually provided by the user typing an access code called a PIN (Personal Identification) number at a keypad. Input means for

entering the PIN number could be a numerical keypad, a pointer to digits on a screen, voice recognition software or even a second authorization card. Thus access is usually

limited to a user who has an access card and who knows the appropriate PIN number. Some machines dispense securities such as traveler's checks, or documents

having intrinsic value, such as train tickets, prepaid cards for entry into public transport,

prepaid phone cards or the like. For purposes of this invention all machines that dispense items of value in response to the input of an access card and a PIN number will

be referred to as ATM machines. Thus an ATM machine may be a machine that dispenses soda, food, automobile fuel, tokens, novelties, services (e.g. telephone

services) or other sales items, provided that they condition the sale on acceptance of an

access card and a PIN number.

One major drawback to the use of ATM machines is that the user is prey to

thieves. These may be persons who wait until the user has withdrawn money and then

robs it. Another is the thief who forces the user to provide the information necessary to

remove money from the user's account or forces the user to use the access card and PIN

number to remove money from the ATM machine.

To combat the latter class of thieves, the proprietors of ATM machines have

installed cameras. These cameras provide some measure of deterrence because the

picture of the thief may be recorded if the thief approaches the machine. It provides no

protection if the thief requires the user to remove the money, and it provides no immediate relief because the cameras are typically not being used for immediate

surveillance but instead produce a recording that is only monitored long after the

robbery has occurred. It would of course be better if the improper access to the ATM

account were immediately reported to security personnel. It is the purpose of this

invention to do just that without having to provide constant monitoring that is expensive and impractical.

Another problem with the use of ATM machines is that the user must remember

the PIN number. The user is encouraged not to write the PIN number on the card, since that would defeat the purpose of having two coded instructions. This becomes a

problem for persons having several credit cards and access cards, or for persons who very infrequently use a particular card at an ATM machine. The most obvious solution, using the same PIN number for multiple cards, reduces the security value of the PIN

number, and means that anyone discovering one PIN number has them all. It is a further

purpose of this invention to allow persons to record their PIN numbers without

compromising their security.

Brief Description of the Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide the user of an ATM machine

with a means to trigger an alarm indicating that a robbery is taking place without alerting

the thief that the alarm has been triggered.

It is a further object of the present invention to deter thieves from using ATM machines by disclosing to them the fact that the ATM machine has such an alarm

without placing in danger the user whom the thief has forced to use the machine.

It is a further object of the present invention to allow the user of an access card

to write its PIN number on the card without destroying the security of the card. The object of the invention is achieved by providing the user with two PIN

numbers, termed the Regular-PIN number and the Safety-PIN number. The Regular

PIN number is identical to PIN numbers currently in use. It serves to confirm the identity of the user and allows access to the account at the ATM kiosk. The Safety PIN

number appears to operate the ATM machine in a manner identical to the Regular PIN number but activates an alarm to security personnel, which indicates that an improper use of the ATM machine is occurring.

When the Safety PIN number is given to a thief or is used in the presence of a

thief, the thief observes no difference in the performance of the ATM machine and is not aware that a silent alarm has been sent to alert security personnel.

The invention may be widely advertised to discourage thieves from forcing the

disclosure of PIN numbers, without diminishing the effectiveness of the deterrent:

indeed, it increases it. Even if a thief is aware that two PIN numbers exist and forces a

person to disclose both PIN numbers, the thief can never be sure which is which and

thus runs the risk of alerting security personnel to the theft each time the card is used.

Even if the card is used successfully by the thief, the thief still does not know whether he

has the Regular-PIN number, or the whether the security personnel have not reacted because they are waiting for the amount of the theft to exceed some threshold.

Detailed Description of A Preferred Embodiment

A user of an ATM machine is provided with two PIN numbers to gain access to

cash or securities (such as traveler's checks) from the machine. One PIN number, called the Regular-PIN number operates in the manner of the prior art. The second PIN number, called the Safety-PIN number, also allows access to the user's account but

causes the ATM machine to send a silent alarm to security personnel. The security alarm should identify the location of the ATM machine or give the security personnel immediate access to the image provided by a camera pointed at the user of the ATM

machine. For purposes of this patent, the activity of a camera in response to the use of the Safety-PIN number will also be termed a silent alarm.

The user of the two PIN numbers might request that the numbers be

determinable, one from the other, by an easily remembered algorithm. For example, one

PIN number might be the reverse of the other, i.e. 12345 for one and 54321 for the

other. This simplifies memorization. Even if a thief knew the possibility of deriving one

number from the other, or even if the thief forced both PIN numbers from the user, the

thief could never be sure which was which and runs the risk of triggering the silent

alarm.

A further aspect of the invention could be used when it was desired to block use

of the access card without necessarily capturing the thief. Thus the use of the Safety- PIN number could trigger denying further access to the account, or even to confiscation

of the access card by the ATM machine. This use, although possible, conflicts

somewhat with other advantages of the Safety-PIN number, since it could allow a thief

to determine whether the number it had was the Safety-PIN number or the Regular-PIN number.

Another use of the invention is to allow the user to write both PIN numbers on

the card, (or providing the user with a card displaying both PIN numbers) without

indicating which was which. The thief would not know which number to use and would be deterred by a 50% chance of being apprehended for use of the card. Where the Safety-PIN number is derivable by a simple algorithm from the Regular-PIN number,

either one may be written on the card without disclosing which was which, with the

same level of protection.

As a further aspect of the invention, dual PIN numbers may be used to frustrate

misuse of credit cards over the internet. Here the use of the Safety-PIN number could

be recognized when an e-commerce vendor seeks approval of a credit card transaction

and the identity of the actual user ascertained immediately and action taken, or the

account blocked. Again, this use, although possible, conflicts somewhat with other advantages of the Safety-PIN number, since it could allow a thief to determine whether

the number it had was the Safety-PIN number or the Regular-PIN number.

The invention requires certain software and perhaps hardware modifications of

existing equipment that are within the skill of the person of ordinary skill in the art of the design of such systems. For example, the software that recognizes the PIN number

would require modification to recognize both PIN numbers and to activate a silent alarm

to security personnel. This modification would not necessarily involve the individual ATM machine, but would be implemented at some central location, networked to the

ATM machine, where identity verification occurs. The specific details of a silent alarm

and how it is acted upon by security personnel is not part of this invention but is something that is well known to persons active in the security field and would require

only a level of skill for implementation that would be present in the person of ordinary

skill in that art. Similarly, hardware modifications to existing cameras, and means to implement confiscating a card at an ATM machine are details that would be known to

persons of ordinary skill. The means to authorize release of an item of value within the

scope of this invention includes existing hardware associated with vending machines that

accept access cards and PIN numbers, and includes the software for determining

whether to accept the access card and PIN number information, suitably modified to

recognize and respond to the dual PIN numbers.

Although the invention has been described in terms of the present

implementation of ATM machines, as defined above, this is a rapidly growing field and

undoubtedly new implementations of such machines will evolve. The present invention

should prove useful with these unforeseeable implementations and accordingly the

invention should not be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, but should cover

their equivalents, limited only by the range of equivalents permitted to the following

claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An ATM system for dispensing items of value to a user having an access card

and first and second PIN numbers, said ATM machine comprising a card reader and

input means for a PIN number

wherein the user's ability to access items of value from the ATM system is determined from information contained on the access card read by the card reader and

by entering a PIN number using the input means, said ATM system further comprising means to authorize the release of an item of value when the access card is used

with either the first or second PIN number, and to transmit a silent alarm when the access card is used with the second PIN number but not the first PIN number.

2. The ATM system for dispensing items of value to a user having an access card

and first and second PIN numbers of claim 1, wherein said silent alarm is sent to security

personnel.

3. The ATM system for dispensing items of value to a user having an access card

and first and second PIN numbers of claim 1, wherein said ATM system comprises a

camera observing the user of the system and said silent alarm alerts a receiver of the

camera image.

4. The ATM system for dispensing items of value to a user having an access card

and first and second PIN numbers of claim 1, wherein said second PIN number is related to said first PIN number by an algorithm that a user can remember.

5. The ATM system for dispensing items of value to a user having an access card

and first and second PIN numbers of claim 1 , wherein use of second PIN number causes future use of the access card to be blocked.

6. A method for providing users of an ATM machine with the ability to send a

silent alarm comprising

(a) providing the user with a Regular-PIN number and a Safety-PIN number, (b) providing the user with access to an ATM system having means to send a

silent alarm to security personnel when anyone accesses the ATM system with a user's access card and the Safety-PIN number.

7. The method for providing users of an ATM machine with the ability to send a

silent alarm of claim 6, wherein said silent alarm is sent to security personnel.

8. The method of claim 6 for providing users of an ATM machine with the ability to

send a silent alarm, wherein said ATM system comprises a camera observing the user of

the system and said silent alarm alerts a receiver of the camera image.

9. The method of claim 6 for providing users of an ATM machine with the ability to send a silent alarm, wherein said Safety-PIN number is related to said Regular-PIN

number by an algorithm that a user can remember.

10. The method of claim 6 for providing users of an ATM machine with the ability to send a silent alarm, wherein use of said Safety-Pin number causes the future use of the access card to be blocked.

11. A method for providing users of an ATM machine with an access card on which a PIN number may be recorded, comprising

(a) providing the user with a Regular-PIN number and a Safety-PIN number, (b) providing the user with access to ATM systems having means to send a

silent alarm to security personnel when anyone accesses the ATM system with a user's access card and the Safety-PIN number

(c) enabling the recording of one or both PIN numbers on the access card.

12. The method for providing users of an ATM machine with the ability to send a

silent alarm of claim 11, wherein said silent alarm is sent to security personnel.

13. The method of claim 11 for providing users of an ATM machine with the ability

to send a silent alarm, wherein said ATM system comprises a camera observing the user

of the system and said silent alarm alerts a receiver of the camera's image.

14. The method of claim 1 1 for providing users of an ATM machine with the ability to send a silent alarm, wherein, where only one PIN number is recorded on the access

card, said Safety-PIN number is related to said Regular-PIN number by an algorithm that a user can remember.

15. The method for providing users of an ATM machine with the ability to send a

silent alarm of claim 11, wherein use of the Safety-PIN number causes the future use of the access card to be blocked.