Abstract: A banking system is disclosed which comprises a central computer system in electrical communication with remote automated teller machines, wherein the architecture of the banking system is such that the likelihood of a security penetration is substantially decreased whether the automated teller machine operates in an on-line or in an off-line mode.

Abstract: An automatic purge control for a banknote dispensing system including an operator panel having a keyboard for initiating transaction requests, a dispensing chamber adjacent to the panel for receiving banknotes dispensed in response to an operator request, a lockable access door to enable the operator to gain access to the chamber to remove dispensed notes, and a tiltable platform positioned within the chamber for discharging dispensed notes from the chamber under predetermined purge conditions detected by a microprocessor within the system. The microprocessor calls for a purge operation when it has been determined that the operator has either failed to remove dispensed notes or has left notes within the chamber. A purge operation may also be performed as a result of a system failure, such as a power outage or a counting error occurring during a dispense cycle; or when a foreign object is detected in the dispensing chamber as a result of vandalism.

Abstract: An automatic purge control for a banknote dispensing system including an operator panel having a keyboard for initiating transaction requests, a dispensing chamber adjacent to the panel for receiving banknotes dispensed in response to an operator request, a lockable access door to enable the operator to gain access to the chamber to remove dispensed notes, and a tiltable platform positioned within the chamber for discharging dispensed notes from the chamber under predetermined purge conditions detected by a microprocessor within the system. The microprocessor calls for a purge operation when it has been determined that the operator has either failed to remove dispensed notes or has left notes within the chamber. Interlocks are provided on the purge apparatus for inhibiting continued operation of the dispensing system if a purge cycle is improperly executed.