Modular transaction terminal with microprocessor control

A transaction execution terminal for financial transactions comprising:

• a terminal information bus carrying subsystem identifying address signals, data transfer signals, subsystem control data signals and terminal data signals;
• a programmable data processor connected to control the operation of the terminal by means of the transfer of terminal information along the terminal information bus;
• and
• at least one subsystem connected for communication via the terminal information bus, said subsystem being incapable of making any decision with respect to a terminal function and including interface circuitry connected to receive and generate data transfer signals to control the transfer to terminal data signals and subsystem control data signals between the terminal information bus and subsystem only in response to a terminal information bus address signal identifying the subsystem, terminal control circuitry connected to execute a plurality of terminal functions in response to subsystem control data received thereby, each terminal function being executed in response to different system control data and execution of a plurality of terminal functions being required for execution of a transaction;
• and terminal status circuitry connected to generate terminal data signals indicative of terminal status conditions.

A transaction execution terminal for financial transactions comprising:

• a terminal information bus carrying data signals and data transfer control signals between elements which are connected to the bus;
• a programmable data processor connected to the bus, the data processor being operable under program control to selectively transfer data over the terminal information bus to and from selected subsystems connected thereto to respectively provide detailed control over the starting and stopping of elementary terminal functions and receive information indicative of terminal status conditions;
• and
• at least one subsystem connected to the terminal information bus, said subsystem including a subsystem bus, interface circuitry connected to receive and generate data transfer control signals to transfer data signals from the terminal information bus to the subsystem bus and from the subsystem bus to the terminal bus, at least one data storage element, an operative device which is connected to operate in response to the data content of the data storage element to perform a plurality of different elemental system functions, a plurality of which are required for execution of a financial transaction, circuitry responsive to the status of the operative device connected to generate at least one status signal indicative thereof, and control circuitry responsive to a portion of the data signals appearing on the subsystem bus to selectively control the writing of other subsystem bus data signals into said at least one storage element and to selectively control the transfer of said at least one status signal into the subsystem bus.

A transaction execution terminal which is operable to receive and execute user requested transactions, the terminal comprising:

• a terminal data bus;
• a programmable data processing subsystem connected for bidirectional communication over the data bus;
• a mechanical control subsystem connected to communicate bidirectionally over the data bus and including a first plurality of data storage elements, a plurality of current drivers, each driver being connected to be turned on and off in response to a data storage state of a different data storage element, and each driver having an output which is connected through a relatively high impedance to a voltage source and connectable to a relatively low impedance load, means responsive to the driver outputs for detecting when all drivers are in a predetermined driving status and generating an output signal indicative of the detected status, a second plurality of data storage elements, one of which is responsive to the status indicative output signal, and means responsive to control information appearing on the terminal data bus for selectively loading data appearing on the data bus into the first plurality of data storage elements and selectively driving data bus data lines in accordance with information stored by the second plurality of data storage elements;
• and
• a document issue mechanism coupled to selectively issue documents to terminal users in response to at least one of the drivers.

A cash issue transaction execution terminal comprising:

• a terminal data bus;
• a plurality of terminal subsystems, each being connected to communicate with a programmable control subsystem via the data bus and being operable to execute terminal functions in response to information from the control subsystem and to accumulate information on the status of controlled functions for communication to the control subsystem;
• a programmable control subsystem which is operable to communicate with other terminal subsystems via the terminal data bus to control terminal operations, the control subsystem being operable to access a predetermined instruction location in response to a terminal reset command;
• and
• circuitry connected to detect irregular terminal conditions which indicate the inability of the control subsystem to properly execute instructions and generate a terminal reset signal in response to the detection of at least one of said irregular terminal conditions.

A terminal for executing transactions requested by a terminal user comprising:

• a terminal information bus connected to provide communicating between terminal subsystems;
• a data processing subsystem coupled to the terminal information bus which is operable to receive terminal status information from other subsystems connected to the bus, generate terminal control information signals for specifically and unconditionally controlling the energization of electromechanical transducers, and to communicate the terminal control informatiaon signals to selected terminal subsystems;
• a mechanical control subsystem coupled to the terminal bus including (1) a mechanical control write register having a plurality of bit positions which are coupled to receive terminal control information signals when selected by the data processing subsystem, (2) a document handling subsystem including (2a) a document feed mechanism connected to feed a single document to a stacking position along an escrow path each time a predetermined information state is written into a document feed bit position within the mechanical control write register, and (2b) an escrow transport mechanism disposed to transport documents along an escrow path which extends to a document issue port, the transport mechanism being coupled to transport documents in accordance with the energization of an escrow transport motor which is energized and deenergized in response to the information state of an escrow transport motor on/off bit position in the mechanical control write register with the direction of rotation determined in response to the information state of an escrow transport motor direction bit position in the mechanical control write register, (3) a card transport mechanism disposed to receive a user card and transport the user card along a card path which passes adjacent a read head for reading information from the card, the transport mechanism including a drive motor which is started and stopped in response to an information state of a card transport motor on/off bit position in the mechanical control write register with the direction of motor operation being controlled in response to an information state of a card motor direction bit position in the mechanical control write register, and (4) mechanical control status sensing circuitry connected to collect mechanical control status information on the position of a document within said document feed mechanism and escrow transport mechanism and on the position of a card within said card transport mechanism and communicate the collected mechanical control status information to the data processing subsystem;
• and
• a user communication subsystem coupled to the terminal information bus including means for interactive communication with a terminal user.