Kiosk History

Kiosk History

Kiosks History – having worked in the kiosk industry longer than most and being an archivist, one task we take to heart providing a chronology of the kiosk history. For more history and historical content, be sure and check out the Kiosk Archives here on Kiosk Industry.

Original Plynth from King Products

Original Plynth from King Products

Some advice —  inevitably, links to sites expire and err out as old sites are phased out (Ultimedia.fr for example used to be one of the largest kiosk websites in the world, now they are a blank Windows IIS server page). We update those broken links using web.archive.org versions when available. If you run into a broken link we suggest checking that archive.

Archives and History of Kiosk

Is there value in the history of kiosks?  Periodically someone gets a patent letter and invariably looks for prior artwork (and usually finds it). The old original visi site [server retired in 2014]  started before 1998 and the link above takes you to the first iteration of kiosks.org.  Back in the days of Big & newsgroups like comp.infosystems.kiosks Our major assets were the original Los Alamos report and all of the discussion boards from that era.  Those become relevant for prior artwork and patent disputes.  Not many remember Usenet and all of the discussions on kiosks there.

The news and press from that era (along with the patents and events) are sometimes forgotten, deleted or erased by media groups less interested in reporting the industry and more interested in sales revenue, but they are never lost thanks to archivists. The old kiosks.org newsbits for example [site retired in 2014] and the kiosk history (now hosted on this site).

Maybe the first instance of a mechanical kiosk or information station would be the Weather Station in Knoxville. Installed in 1912 and actually still in place.

2023

  • Year of the EV and big curved LED displays.
  • Samsung launches Tizen based self-order with GRUBBRR
  • March – US Disability rights activist Judy Heumann dies aged 75 – one of the original pioneers of ADA activists. The American Association of People with Disabilities also led tributes, saying her leadership “advanced the rights and inherent dignity of people with disabilities”.  Writeup from BBC
  • January – NRF returns to pre-pandemic levels


2022

  • Review of significant events for 2022
    • Best of Technology
      • Enclosures – Counter Top Self-Order Comes of Age
        • Samsung first to market 24″ using distributors like Grubbrr & Clover
        • LG joins in with their 27″ + Accessibility
        • Paneras, Shake Shack and other widen deployments
      • Payments – Facial Recognition emerges as a primary interactive device
        • POPID and Datacap
        • IDMission and Tending Bar
        • License Plate readers scanning cars now and some controversially
      • Lidar Systems
        • Just Walk Out — Amazon deploys multiple  (average cost $1M)
        • Self-driving electric vehicles (and Tesla slowing moving towards)
      • Robotics & AI
      • Electric Vehicle
        • The NEVI Act by Federal Government supercharges EV charging stations and infrastructure
        • New OEM options like Iotecha supplying Samsung and others
        • EV charging options showing up outside and INSIDE Costco centers
      • Accessibility
        • Storm Interface’s AudioPad goes from rare appearance to almost standard equipment
        • US Access Board decides to tackle kiosks, ATMs, POS, EV and more with ANPRM
        • Microsoft initiatives and testing tools gain traction
  • 30th Anniversary of Swecoin printer patent for looping mechanism
  • End of an era May 2022 – New York Disconnects Last Coin operated Telephone — link
  • One of the key players in the printing paper market, Joe Walkes of ptionaroll.com retired this month. Sample rolls, persistence data, market trends — you name it. Joe was a mentor.  I was a cocky kid only a couple of years out of business school and had no idea how businesses really operated.  In that conversation Joe told me: “Walt, you have so much to learn, but there are a few things you need to understand right now:  Without customers, you have no business; nothing happens until you sell something, and customers are hard to get, but easy to lose.” 
  • By April physical trade shows are once again beginning to fill up. NRA in Chicago does 40,000

2021

Olea Kiosk History

Click for full size – Olea Kiosk History

2020

  • Glory Global (cash and currency) invests 223M in French kiosk company Acrelec (80% stake)
  • 3M exits the touchscreen market.
  • In memory of Alan Fryrear passing on June 10, 2020 — From Craig Keefner, “Alan was the seminal factor for the ATM and kiosk advertising portal industry.  Having initiated and funded a highly successful ATM website, he turned his eye to kiosks. He purchased kiosks.org and used it to launch kioskmarketplace. I worked for Alan and Networld Alliance for several years after he bought kiosks.org. He would later expand to Fast Casual and Digital Signage and eventually to Media Events and Seminars. He had a fully developed sense of humor and he never forgot his roots.  My lasting memory is having a fish sandwich with him at a food pantry in Kentucky.”
  • March 2020 is first coronavirus front – and with it comes a major cycle for temperature check kiosks and contactless.  Overall, it seems to reinforce self-service as preferred option as people-to-people interface declines.

2019

  • Zivelo is purchased by Verifone and is dissolved — Zivelo had quite the run for a period of time. The Birg brothers and in this case Ziver.  They succeeded in getting a contract with McDonalds and that was enough for Verifone.  The industry tagline was “all hat – no cattle”. Nobody will dispute the marketing prowess of Ziver though. He set the mark albeit splicing in Apple strategies as a rule (a good tactic back then).  Only Hamed Shahbazi or Rick Malone came out richer.  Here is Zivelo in 2012. For comparison here is 2018.
  • Slabbkiosks is purchased by Micro Market company — Slabb had interesting history with the disputed IP assets and way back when the mistaken keyword stuff using misspelled “public kiosks” (they left out the “L” in public).
  • KMA presents ADA and Accessibility Code of Practice to entire U.S. Access Board and Advisory board.
  • KMA exhibits at NRF 2019 in New York for first trade show appearance. New Retail advisory council in formative stage. Tommy Hilfiger, New York Mets, Apple, Taco Bell and T-Mobile discussed at show.
  • Intel Corporation dips its toes and joins Kiosk Manufacturer Association
  • KT Systems wins suit against NCR Corporation for violating intellectual property. NCR writes a big check…

2018

  • Upsurge in Smart City, Smart Transportation and Smart Lighting projects for local, state and federal
  • Digital signage related news – Lyle Bunn, a pioneer in digital signage passed this year.
  • June: KMA is born as an association this year. Meets with US Access Board in Washington, DC for second consecutive year.

2017

  • Eric Dumouchel of Ultimedia France passed away.   Extremely influential and one of the pioneers of the industry.  He is greatly missed. Here is link to some history about Eric.

2016

  • Six states pass recreational marijuna.
  • Posiflex buys KIOSK Information Systems for $105M (see story on site).
  • Amtrak releases new RFP for update
  • James Bickers death – James was editor of KioskMarketplace and then Retail Customer Experience for Networld.  James had a sense of humor and will be missed.  He was 45.  WPL Article WPL Article

2015

  • Oct – EMV Liability Shift happens.
  • Feb – Networld closes down DSA association and starts new one called ICXA.
 

2014

  • Dec — JD Events ends CETW and Lawrence Dvorchik does his final kiosk show.  Lawrence with with the KioskCom is one of the kiosk icons for sure.
  • Oct – RTC of Chicago files suit against 10+ companies for violation of old “449” patent.
  • Apr – Coinstar launches gift card exchange kiosks
  • Feb – In memory of John Curran who passed. Mr. Curran had more than 40 years’ experience as an international IT executive. He had been the European President of two Fortune 500 Companies; National Semiconductor Corp and Control Data Corp and Group CEO of a FT 100 PLC in the UK; Granada Computer Services. He also had more than 20 years’ experience leading 8 high-tech startup companies in Europe and the US. (link to Keith Kelsen blog entry)
  • January — kioskindustry.org launches with first actual sponsor benefactor being PROVISIO
 

2013

  • Sep – Coinstar puts an end to multiple projects including Rubi which was over 1500 units installed in 2014
  • Jun – eyetracking buzz thanks to new S4
  • Jun – CTS moves into big 65K facility
  • Jun – Hall of Fame/Presidents Club voting begins for kiosk industry group.
  • May – NBC runs old hack reports on ecoATM which refutes.
  • May – Google brings managed public session config to Chrome
  • Apr – kiosk mode on Nexus 7 article. Kiosk mode for PC and browsers was their original catalyst
  • Apr – Pharmacy automation buzz growing
  • Mar – Safeway says they will install Solohealth everywhere
  • Jan – Marijuana vending smoke signals begin floating
  • Kioskindustry begins to take shape and go public.

2012

  • Nov – ServiceOntario DMV kiosks go kaput after skimming activities in Toronto
  • Nov – HealthSpot unveils Telehealth
  • Oct – RetecDigital buys Neoproducts UK and becomes big dog in UK/Europe
  • Sep – Dell signs up with Solohealth as partner.
  • Jul – People — Karla Guarino and Traci Martin join up with Zivelo but it would prove to be shortlived as Karla would partner with the Russians and Traci with Olea a little time later.
  • Jul – Mokitouch for Android is launched by MokiMobility
  • Jul – Ziver Birg gets big writeup
  • May – PCI DSS regs go to version 2.0 from 1.2 in major change
  • Apr – Best of show for CETW announced by Kiosk Industry Group. FMA with Bill Pay, HealthCare Check-In with CTS, OneSource Flex Series, and Touch Revolution multi-touch  Link to KMC
  • Apr – Tyco spins off Elotouch to Gores.  for $380m. Seems cheap to everybody.
  • Jan – KIS debuts high tecg vending system StoreBOT at NRF
  • Jan – KIS names new CEO as Malone steps down after Alerion VC investment

2011

  • Nov – Giftwise units (100) going into GGP malls from SSN
  • Nov – Hertz rolls out new car rental units from NCR with video assist
  • Aug – CocaCola does facial recognition push straight to Facebook machines
  • Aug – LCB liquor kiosks suffer final death thanks to corruption
  • Aug – Kaiser starts Weigh & Win health kiosks
  • Jul – AVT and James Winsor announce high tech vending systems
  • Jul – NCR pays pretty penny for Radiant Systems
  • Jun – Walmart starts rolling out its own MoneyCenters in stores
  • Apr – CETW show in SF.
  • Apr – Kinetic/NCR win Greyhound deal for ticketing (I lost…).
  • Feb – HIMSS first adjustable kiosk with movable screen shown by CTS.  True ADA compliance without “conditionalizing” is available.
  • Feb – ecoATM raises 14.4M  (would later sell in 2013 for over 300M)
  • Feb – Olea release PadLock for iPad
  • Feb – Digiboo and Morgan Freeman switch providers and sign on with Fujitsu
  • Jan – KIS completes “recapitalization” with Alerion

2010

  • Dec – Showcase wine dispensing project in PA shuts down in order to determine problems dispensing.
  • Dec – Coca Cola develops their own recycling kiosk
  • Nov – CETW (Customer Engagement Technology World)takes place in New York. The revamped show highlights digital signage and display technology. Several key kiosk companies do not attend and ones that do have smaller booths. Frank Mayer has a large booth. As does NCR Netkey.
  • Nov – XP PRO is no longer available from major suppliers such as Dell and HP. Device drivers, sdk’s, and test programs are affected.
  • Nov – the first mobile-enabled check-in from Ariane Systems
  • Nov – new iPad enclosures announced by Olea
  • Sep – pundits begin to debate if NCR/Blockbuster can beat Redbox
  • Aug – Blockbuster declares bankruptcy
  • Aug – Meridian says it is going to expand to Europe
  • Aug – Mark Hurd resigns from HP and hires on with Oracle
  • Jul – NCR nears 10,000 mark in DVD kiosks
  • Jul – Coinstar searching for next great thing
  • Jul – Kiosks going green writeup by Kioskmarketplace
  • Jul – New CEO for Meridian (Van Wyck)
  • Jul – Over $740 Billion to be transacted in Self-Service Kiosks for 2010
  • Jul – DVE & Protouch merge in UK
  • Jun – Schweikart joins up with Mike James & BeyondKiosks
  • Jun – KOHLS announces 1000 unit deployment in 6 months
  • Jun – Provisio releases 7.5 of Sitekiosk
  • May – gold dispensing kiosk in emirates
  • May – more bike rental deployments take place
  • Apr – Self-Service & Kiosk Association merges with Digital Signage Association to form Digital Screenmedia Association
  • Apr – Pepsico Dream Machine debuts for recycling
  • Mar – Subway debuts drive thru ordering kiosks
  • Mar – JD Events announces name and venue change for Kioskcom
  • Mar – Fujitsu rolls out Med-Serv patient kiosks
  • Jan – KIOSK launches new website
  • Jan – Hot Topic 1500 units with Netkey and Olea
  • Jan – mobile couponing announced by Wendys and 7-Eleven

 

2009

  • Dec – BestBuy aims kiosks at gamers
  • Dec – L1 announces driver license renewal kiosks
  • Nov – Minnesota announces bike ride program
  • Nov – government wants speedier screening at airports
  • Nov – Movie Gallery tests DigiBoo kiosks
  • Nov – NCR buys Netkey (started as Lexitech by Alex Richardson)
  • Oct – NCR does not exhibit at BAI
  • Sep – Rick Malone inducted into Kiosk Hall of Fame
  • Aug – TESCO intros DVD kiosks
  • Aug – multitouch news showing up
  • Aug – green recycling kiosks in Orange County deployed
  • Jul – Jack In The Box food ordering kiosk debut
  • Jul – KioskLogix assets purchased. Was the old Moonrise.
  • Jun – IHL says selfserve will surpass $775 billion in 2009
  • Jun – CLEAR ceases operation
  • Jun – NCR leaves Dayton and moves to Georgia
  • Apr – Meridian Acquires KING
  • Apr – Meridian achieves ISO 9001:2008
  • Mar – ADA changes go into effect in California
  • Mar – Rixty trial with Coinstar for unbanked teenagers
  • Mar – Noritsu buys Lucidiom in photo kiosk software market.
  • Feb – KIOSK Information Systems & Mix&Burn announce music download kiosks
  • Jan – Fujitsu announces digital media kiosk

2008

  • Circa 2008 Kiosk Information Systems

    Circa 2008 Kiosk Information Systems

    Apr: Industry Loss: Don England of Livewire passed away. Don served as Livewire’s Vice President of Sales and Business Development since joining the company in early 2006.Don served as Livewire’s Vice President of Sales and Business Development since joining the company in early 2006. He spent the prior 25 years in a variety of roles beginning his career as a systems analyst with NCR. Don’s largest contributions were in the Point of Sale industry, serving as Vice President of Sales and International Operations with ParTech Incorporated and General Manager of Triversity Corporation.Don will be missed.

  • Apr: KioskCom in Vegas seemed just a bit smaller than the 2007 show and it is sporting the new “Self Service Expo” tag. I checked with Lawrence. He said 2008 was most definitely larger than 2007 and here are the numbers…28% more registrants (3,941), 20% more attendees (2,880) and 12% more pre-qualified buyers (1,598). And should also factor in that over 800 requests for admission were denied b/c the people were non-exhibitng sellers.
  • Apr: HP enters the kiosk and self-service market and teams with KIOSK Information Systems.

2007

 

  • May: Slabb rises from the ashes and becomes Phoenix systems?
  • Apr: Annual KioskCom in Vegas. This year it used the “self-service” mantra and also pointed to its coverage of digital signage (which isn’t interactive if its digital signage right?).
  • Feb: Touchvision goes under
  • Flextronics buy WebRaiser and Dave G. goes to work for Flex
  • Major Projects: Amtrak, ARMP, Fujitsu, Dave & Busters, AT&T, Speedway

2006

 

  • Swecoin sells out to Zebra and begins gradual decline
  • I’d almost see 2006 as the year that a lot of people left the industry for one reason or another.
  • A couple of the smaller niche players saw changes.
  • Compar went the route of bankruptcy. They had a quite a few things going so it a significant disruption within the business partner arena.
  • Protech has always been a small producer of outdoor kiosks. That line is a spinoff from their main business. In 2006 their leader Peter K. left the company. Protech is noted of late for Subway and I heard numbers as high as in the hundreds of installed units. The truth is closer to 50 I think. The new owners probably looked at the business and decided to build on that and move into kiosks in general. We all know tough that can be.
  • That story is not far off of Meridian who no longer has David P. and is also looking to build a brand.
  • Another repositioner is/was Slabb. Cy Birg apparently got some significant funding and expanded in many directions, Europe out of Amsterdam being one of the more often noted. Slabb is now competing in many markets but time will tell if it meets expectations. It’s an unusual situation. Now its April 2007 and they are restructuring.
  • Ceroview — gone after many years.
  • King — another restructuring in 2006.
  • Compar — another fatality
  • WebRaiser — folded into Flextronics and not sure for how much. Hasn’t been much heard from WebRaiser since then (or flextronics).
  • Esprida formed — Shamira Jaffer and Co. spun off the remote monitoring ala Catapult. Hard to keep track of the changes Touchpoint has gone thru over the year.
  • Oct: TIOnetworks hits the 1,000 unit deployed milestone. Not many who can claim that. Congratulations to Hamed, Sam and James.
  • Oct: Media players in the industry, Kioskcom and Networld agree to focus on their core business (kc on shows, and nw on news)
  • Sep: KIOSK spins off new division devoted to high-end internet stations with mmog and mpog gaming
    built-in. http://www.zazoox.com
  • Jun: longtime kiosk software industry veteran Tin Daw of Daw Systems and later Netshift basically retires from industry.
  • May: Alex Richardson takes over as president of the self-service and kiosk association group run by Networld.
  • Feb: It is with sadness we note the passing of Kevin O’Keeffe. Kevin was best known as the marketing and tradeshow coordinator for Netshift UK. In my full history log, Kevin first appears in 1997 sending out the first newsletter for Daw Systems (the company Netshift was borne from).Kevin was extremely well-liked by all who knew him, and those of us who did, will always remember ourselves fortunate to have known him.

 

2005

  • Jan: Self-Service-Touchpoints website announces it is folding its tent (NCR longtime sponsor)
  • Jan: IBM announces new Anyplace Kiosk which is modified NetVista.
  • Jan: NRF Show in NY — big crowds and lot of enthusiasm this year. KioskCom run a Self-Service Pavilion for 10 companies.
  • Jul: Kiosks.org is shut down
  • August — KioskCom is sold to JDevents. Dvorchik stays on
  • October — Kiosk Information Systems purchases the kiosk.com domain from Networld Alliance.
  • Nov: Kiosks.org is shut down.
  • Nov: Greg Swistak, after a 18 months of serving as executive director of the KOA, departs Networld and takes position with Elo Touch.
  • Nov: Networld launches selfservice.org. Originally purchased in 2001 the domain finally gets launched.
  • Dec: Kiosk Information Systems launches the new www.kiosk.com
  • Dec: NCR Buys Galvanon
  • Dec: McDonalds Re-Evaluates Music Download in Chicago

2004

 

Marcole 2004

Marcole 2004

  • Oct: Networld announces new spring KioskShow to go along with Fall Show.
  • NCR purchase Kinetics out of Florida and enters the airline check-in kiosk business.
  • Fujitsu does an end-around and acquires Optimal Robotics who was talking to NCR
  • July: Networld purchases the Kiosk Magazine, the Kiosk.com site, and the Fall Kiosk Show
  • April: Greg Swistak joins Networld.

 

Posted by keefner at 10:38 PM | Comments (0)

February 25, 2006

Kiosk History notation

It is with sadness we note the passing of Kevin O’Keeffe. Kevin was best known as the marketing and tradeshow coordinator for Netshift UK. In my full history log, Kevin first appears in 1997 sending out the first newsletter for Daw Systems (the company Netshift was borne from).

Kevin was extremely well-liked by all who knew him, and those of us who did, will always remember ourselves fortunate to have known him.

kiosk history log

Posted by keefner at 11:41 PM | Comments (0)

February 03, 2005

Old Patent List

Adding old patent list for reference and search. This covers 1997 thru 2002 I think.

Patent News

Here we note interesting patent information. For reference the United States Patent and Trademark Office
website is located here.

06/19: Scanner Technology — Metrologic Sues Symbol for Patent Infringement

  • 06/19: TV Program Guides — EchoStar wins round in court case
  • 05/13: Vending — USA Technologies Acquires More Vending Patents and Intelligent Vending(TM) Trademark
  • 04/23: Auctions — A trial that pits eBay against a man who says he owns two patents that are key to
    the Web auctioneer’s operations is due to kick off in Virginia federal court …
  • 04/21: Patent War –
    Printer Cartridges
     — How Companies are Using the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (for additional reference you can
    check out the Anti-DMCA Website
  • 04/21 — Touchscreens
    — Microsoft files suit in Lucent patent battle
  • 04/03/2003 – USA Technologies — up to 40 patents now…
  • 08/01/2002 – Freeny — MediaBay Acquires Rights To Freeny Patent In Various Markets
  • 03/19/2002 – Patent News — bountyquest
  • 08/21/2001
    Interactive toll-free telephone service automation (Assignee — Sprint Communications Company, L.P.)Abstract: The present invention provides methods and systems for implementing interactive toll-free telephone services by customers remotely communicating with a telephone service provider..
  • 03/18/2002 — InterAct update — from 2000
  • 03/18/2002 – InterAct — more data
  • 08/08/2001
    Tokenless biometric electronic debit and credit transactions (Assignee — Veristar Corporation)Abstract: The invention satisfies these needs by providing a method and device for tokenless authorization of an electronic payment between a payor and a payee using an electronic third party identicator and at least one payor bid biometric sample..
  • 08/01/2001
    LOYALTY FILE STRUCTURE FOR SMART CARDAbstract: A loyalty file structure for a smart card includes any number of loyalty files preinstalled by a card manufacturer..
  • 07/27/2001
    Kiosk touch pad (Assignee — Cirque Corporation)Abstract: A simplified touch pad which detects a “touch” in a specific absolute positioning programmable zone or “enter/select” zone rather than requiring a “tap”..
  • 07/13/2001
    Method and apparatus for visual sensing of humans for active public interfacesAn active public user interface in a computerized kiosk senses humans
    visually using movement and color to detect changes in the environment
    indicating the presence of people. Interaction spaces are defined and the
    system records an initial model of its environment which is updated over
    time to reflect the addition or subtraction of inanimate objects and to
    compensate for lighting changes. The system develops models of the moving
    objects and is thereby able to track people as they move about the
    interaction spaces. A stereo camera system further enhances the system’s
    ability to sense location and movement. The kiosk presents audio and
    visual feedback in response to what it “sees.”
    Waters, Keith; Loughlin, Maria; Rehg, James M.; Kang, Sing Bing (Compaq Computer Corporation; July 03, 2001; #6256046)
  • 06/15/2001 Kiosk systems and methods for issuing a card storing electronic coupons, after receiving data about a customer A system for dispensing and redeeming electronic discount coupons in a store. A card-dispensing kiosk collects information from a customer and
    subsequently issues a “smart card” for storing electronic coupons. Upon completion of shopping, the customer redeems the electronic coupons at the checkout area, by inserting the card into the checkout station.  During checkout, when UPC product data corresponds to coupons stored on the card, the customer is credited with the value of the corresponding coupon.
    Powell, Ken R. (SoftCard Systems, Inc.; June 05, 2001; #6243687)
  • 05/29/2001 Kiosk — Horton, Tony L. (Viad Corporation; May 29, 2001; #D443069)
  • 05/15/2001 Film drop-off apparatus and method —
    A film drop-off apparatus which expedites film processing based upon delivery choice. The apparatus includes a computer; a display controlled by the computer which displays instructions to a customer, including photo
    delivery options during a film processing transaction; an input device controlled by the computer which records a customer choice for a photo delivery time; and communication circuitry which sends an alert message to
    the film laboratory based upon the customer choice.
    Walter, Joanne S. (NCR Corporation; May 15, 2001; #6233399)
  • 04/19/2001 Portable system for personal identification based upon distinctive characteristics of the user
    Abstract: A system for identifying an individual is determined either by generating an identification profile based on a distinctive biometric characteristic possessed by that person , or by means of verifying some digital
    “signature” representation assigned to that person..
  • 04/04 : SYSTEM FOR ESTABLISHING A PERMANENT INTERNET CONNECTION Abstract: System for establishing a permanent connection between the Internet and a user subscribed to it
  • 03/12 : Method and system for capturing images from a video tape for the purpose of creating a motion card (Assignee — Eastman Kodak Company) Abstract: A system for forming a motion card from frames of video selected by a user from a sequence of video frames that have been previously recorded on a video tape incorporates a kiosk that contains a video tape player, a processor receives a sequence of video frames from the video tape player, …
  • 02/02 : Patents — Affinity Technology Group Receives
    Another U.S. Patent & Trademark Office Action
  • 01/14 : Coordinate input device allowing input by finger, pen or the likeJanuary 9, 2001 12:00amEuropean Patents : Abstract: A position coordinate input device which allows input by an ordinary pen (51) or a finger (50) itself of an operator as a position pointing device is disclosed. The position coordinate input device includes: a position
    coordinate detecting device (1) which detects a coordinate of a pointed location pointed by the position pointing device placed on the input detecting surface (5a;31); a pressure detecting device (2) which is arranged in the input detection surface, and which detects a
    pressure of the position pointing device with respect to the input detecting surface with multilevels of resolutions; and an interface device (3) which receives information of the position coordinate obtained by the position coordinate detecting device and information of the pressure obtained by the pressure detecting device, respectively, and which transmits the received information to an associated information processing device after having been
    integrated or converted into an appropriate form. The position coordinate input device may be overlapped on a screen of a display device (4;14) to form an integrated input/output type device.
  • 12/27 : Patent News — USA Technologies Granted Another Patent for Networking and Controlling Vending Machines
  • 12/18/2000 PUBLIC TELEPHONE Abstract: The present invention relates to a public telephone which in addition
    to providing the functions of current telephones, provides a display area where advertisements and/or public information messages may be displayed and enables the public telephone to connect with network of computer like an Internet..
  • 12/06/2000 Navigating web-based content in a television-based system (Assignee — Microsoft Corporation)
    Abstract: A television-based hyperlink content navigation system includes a display device having a viewing area for displaying visual content such as an Internet Web document..
  • 12/06/2000 Methods and apparatus for disseminating product information via the internet using universal product codes Abstract: Methods and apparatus for disseminating over the Internet product information produced and maintained by product manufacturers using existing universal product codes as access keys..
  • 11/30/2000 Pen like computer pointing device (Assignee — Agilent Technologies) Abstract: A pen like computer pointing device images as an array of pixels the spatial features of generally any micro textured or micro detailed work surface below the tip of the pen..
  • 11/21/2000 Universal pre-paid gasoline and travel card
    Abstract: A versatile universal prepaid petroleum-related and travel card system that features a pre-paid card that can be used at any major brand filling station..
  • 11/14/2000: Electronic transaction terminal for conducting electronic financial transactions using a smart card (Assignee — Au-System) Abstract: An electronic transaction system for conducting electronic financial transactions including a smart card configured to store a plurality of payer electronic credits
  • 11/16/2000 : Method of entering and using handwriting to identify locations within an electronic book (Assignee — Apple Computer Inc.) Abstract: A method for controlling a screen display of an electronic book. The contents of the book are displayed on a screen of the computer system as pages with which the user interacts by a pointer such as a pen or stylus..
  • 09/22/2000 : Accessing content via installable data sources (Assignee — Microsoft Corporation) Abstract: A method and system for increasing perceived Internet browser performance by using a relatively high-bandwidth data source such as a CD-ROM and/or a hard drive directory as a local cache of Internet content..
  • 09/22/2000 : System for syndication of insurance (Assignee — Walker Asset Management Limited Partnership)
    Abstract: A system is described for facilitating a syndicated
    sale of an insurance policy..
  • 09/18 : Technology — Ten Square’s Patent Pending
    Elapsed Time Management Technology
  • 08/31/2000 Mechanism for users with internet service provider smart cards to roam among geographically disparate authorized network computer client devices
    Abstract: User specific internet service provider account
    information is stored on the user’s smart card, but the ISP
    specific connection information is stored within a network
    computer client device ..
  • 08/29 : 08/25/2000 Virtual network access
    Abstract: A system and method provide access to a network . The network is any type of network , such as an intranet or an internet. A portable device , such as a laptop computer or a hand held computer, communicates with a network device ..
  • 09/29 : 08/24/2000 DSI Announces Patent Application for Multitouch Pad Technology DSI Datotech Systems Inc. wishes to announce the highly successful development of a new multiple input touchpad technology which senses contacts of fingers and/or stylus in any combination..
  • 08/21 : Patent Info — BM Accelerates License
    Payments To E-data
  • 08/16/2000 — Personal shopping system portable terminal (Assignee — Symbol Technologies, Inc.) Abstract: The present invention relates to a personal shopping
    system for combined use in both the home of a user and a shopping establishment..
  • 07/24/00 : Computer kiosk (Assignee — International Computers Limited)July 21, 2000 12:00amU.S. Patents : Abstract: A computer kiosk comprises a desktop with a main cabinet located under the desktop. A display unit is set into an aperture in the desktop. A pair of pockets, is set
    into the desktop, one on each side of the display unit, for holding peripheral devices. A pair of bins is mounted under the desktop, adjacent to the pockets, for holding electronic circuits associated with the peripheral devices. This provides a flexible configuration for the kiosk. The main cabinet may be positioned between the bins, with the display unit housed in the main cabinet, or else the main cabinet may be positioned to one side of the bins, with the display unit housed in a separate cabinet positioned between the bins.
  • 06/23/00 : Kiosk Patent — Lexitech # 6,078,848
  • 06/07/2000 Method and system for communicating with a device attached to a computer using electronic mail messages Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for communicating with machines connected to a network. Information sent to or from the machines is transmitted using electronic mail..
  • 06/06/2000 System and method for composing menus of URL-encoded bar code symbols while using internet browser program (Assignee — Metrologic Instruments, I
    Abstract: A computer-based system is provided for composing menus of URL-encoded bar code symbols specifying the location of Internet-based information resources on the Internet..
  • 06/06/2000TELECOMMUNICATION AND/OR REMOTE CONTROL DEVICE WITH A CHIP CARD UNIT, SAME DEVICE WITH A COUPLED COMPUTER FOR INTERNET OR NETWORK APPLICATIONS A Abstract: A chip card unit pertaining to a mobile radio telephone, for instance, is connected to an interface for a computer via a control unit enabling the mobile radio telephone to operate as a card terminal when coupled to a computer ..
  • 06/05/2000Electronic bill presentment and payment system (Assignee — Microsoft Corporation)
    Abstract: A bill presentment and payment remittance system is configured for use over an electronic network, such as the Internet..
  • 06/05/2000 Audio/video from internet direct to compact disc through web browser Abstract: A system and method for automatically creating user-customized compact discs containing multimedia tracks available over the Internet is presented..
  • 06/02/2000An internet payment and loading system using a smart card Abstract: An architecture and system loads and uses a smart card for payment of goods and/or services purchased on-line over the Internet ..
  • 05/31/2000 Long distance telephone communication system and method Abstract: The present invention relates to a long distance telephone communication system which is convenient and cost effective. This system advantageously combines or makes use of existing communication channels or networks..
  • 05/29/2000 System and method for sending a short message containing purchase information to a destination terminal (Assignee — Ericsson Inc.)
    Abstract: A telecommunications system and method is
    disclosed for providing a substantially immediate electronic
    receipt after a consumer has made a purchase..
  • 05/26/2000 Apparatus and method for highlighting holidays of a specified location in a calendar software application (Assignee — Ericsson Inc.) Abstract: An apparatus and method for highlighting holidays in
    a calendar software application of a portable intelligent
    communications device or ….
  • 05/25/2000 Embedded HTML documents downloaded and displayed simultaneously with primary HTML document (Assignee — International Business Machines Corporati
    Abstract: The present invention relates to embedded HTML documents and to a method and system for rendering such documents to a visual display unit..
  • 06/02/2000 A DISTRIBUTED SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PREFETCHING OBJECTS Abstract: In an internet access system which includes a satellite link, a distributed proxy server is provided which reduces a delay associated with the retrieval of inline objects of web pages..
  • 05/22/2000 Kiosk for multiple spoken languages (Assignee — International Business Machines Corp.) Abstract: The method for providing information in response to a question in one of a plurality of natural spoken languages begins by recognizing a detected utterance with a speech
    recognition engine equipped with a plurality of small
    dictionaries..
  • 05/19 : Technology/Patents — PenOp Strengthens Intellectual Property With New Patent for Electronic Signature Technology
  • 05/17 : May 17, 2000 12:00am A control system allows
    a user to access a programmable logic controller (PLC). system over a communication network such as an Internet network using a web browser. The system includes an Internet web interface between the network and the
    programmable logic controller. The Web interface serves Web pages from an Ethernet interface on a PLC and includes an HTTP protocol interpreter and a TCP/IP stack.
  • 05/09 : A secure electronic monetary transaction system (SEMTS) provides absolute security for electronic financial transactions. These transactions can be of any kind
    provided they are numeric in content and of known length. The SEMTS encrypts and decrypts source numeric data using a private, numeric key known only by both parties in the transaction.
  • 05/03 : May 3, 2000 12:00am A new and improved
    method of dispensing, tracking and managing pharmaceutical product samples by communicatively linking prescribers and pharmacies to a central computing station. The method entails utilizing product trial media
    that is exchanged for actual pharmaceutical product.
  • 05/12/2000 Interactive self-service hard drive copying system Abstract: A stand-alone, interactive, self-service kiosk for initializing and copying computer hard drives and methods for the operation of the kiosk are disclosed..
  • 05/04/2000 Integrated vehicle navigation, communications and entertainment system (Assignee — Sony Corporation Sony Electronics Inc.) Abstract: An integrated vehicle navigation, communication and entertainment system which also has vehicle security features..
  • 05/03/2000 Smart card authentication system comprising means for converting user identification and digital signature to pointing device position data and Abstract: A mouse system for authenticating a user and providing access to a computer includes a pointing device and
    card reader which share a computer interface port of the computer .
  • 05/03/2000 Method and system for dispensing, tracking and managing pharmaceutical trial products Abstract: A new and improved method of dispensing, tracking and managing pharmaceutical product samples by
    communicatively linking prescribers and pharmacies to a central computing station..
  • 05/02/2000 Call instance representation of a call for call management in a wireless telecommunications system (Assignee — Alcatel USA Sourcing, Inc.) Abstract: The present invention provides a central terminal , and method of operation of such a central terminal , for managing calls between a telephone exchange connectable to the central terminal and a plurality of subscriber terminals , the central terminal being arranged to communicate with the
    subscriber terminals via wireless links
  • 05/01/2000 SYSTEM, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR “CALLER ONLY” INITIATED TWO-WAY WIRELESS COMMUNICATION WITH CALLER GENERATED BILLING
    Abstract: A system and method for a two-way wireless
    communication is disclosed which can only be initiated by, and billed to, a caller
  • 05/01/2000 Subscribed update monitors (Assignee — Sun Microsystems, Inc.) Abstract: A user can monitor changes to information located on a network by registering with an update monitor service..
  • 04/28/2000 Internet answering machine (Assignee — Internet Magic, Inc.) Abstract: An answering machine receives and records both voice and email messages..
  • 04/28 : ATMs — ATM Debit Cards Dispenser, Now It Has U.S. Patent!
  • 04/25/2000 Interactive communication system for downloading large
    amount data (Assignee — Casio Computer Co., Ltd.)
    Abstract: An information terminal transmits small amount data such as a command to a Web server on the internet to an asymmetric router via an interactive radio network..
  • 04/20/2000 : Coinless slot machine system and method (Assignee — MGM Grand, Inc.) Abstract: A gaming apparatus which comprises a slot machine capable of accepting either paper currency, preprinted coupons, or cash out slips
  • 04/20/2000 : Portable work station-type data collection system (Assignee — Intermec IP Corp.) Abstract: A portable data collection terminal has an elongate housing with a hand grip conforming rear surface
  • 04/18/2000 : Personal digital assistant with real time search capability (Assignee — Nokia Mobile Phones Limited)
  • Abstract: The present invention is a method and an apparatus for searching a personal digital assistant data base utilizing a search criteria and ….
  • 04/18/2000 : Method for identifying and obtaining computer software from a network computer (Assignee — Microsoft Corporation) Abstract: Creators of computer software provide the most up-to-date versions of their computer software on an update service
  • 04/17/2000 : Multiplexing of clients and applications among multiple servers (Assignee — International Business Machines Corporation) Abstract: In an Internet system having a plurality of applications, and a plurality of servers for attachment from a plurality of web browsers, a system supports connection oriented applications over a connectionless protocol
  • 04/14/2000 : Debit service systems and methods for wireless units (Assignee — BellSouth Intellectua Property Corporation)
  • Abstract: Systems and methods for exchanging information, and particularly debit information, between a visited and a home wireless network with respect to a wireless unit operating in the visited network
  • 04/12/2000 : System and method for composing menus of URL-encoded bar code symbols while surfing the internet using an internet browser program (Assignee —
    Abstract: A computer-based system is provided for composing menus of URL-encoded bar code symbols specifying the location of Internet-based information resources on the Internet
  • 04/12/2000 : Interactive communication system for medical treatment of remotely located patients (Assignee — Medcom Technology Associates, Inc) Abstract: A system for providing medical services to a patient at a location remote to a medical practitioner comprises a patient’s station and a medical practitioner’s station in communication with each other
  • 03/20/2000 : Method and apparatus for navigation of relational databases on distributed networks
    Abstract: Relational databases are browsed in a manner that mirrors the interactive browsing of world wide web pages..
  • 03/17/2000 : SMTP extension to preserve per-message and per-recipient properties (Assignee — Microsoft Corporation) Abstract: The SMTP protocol takes a message formatted according to a defined internet standard and wraps the message in an envelope..
  • 03/13/2000 : Biometric based method for software distribution (Assignee — HUSH, Inc.) Abstract: A method is provided for protecting distributed software, either through the internet/telephone networks or via physical storage media like floppy diskettes, magnetic tapes, CD-ROMS, DVD-ROMS, etc..
  • 03/14/2000 : Method for processing debit purchase transactions using a counter-top terminal system (Assignee — New View Technologies, Inc.) Abstract: A customer operated counter-top terminal system activates various debit card transactions, provides secure communications with a host computer database, and issues a decrypted authorization code to the customer..
  • 03/14/2000 : Process and device for permitting selective access to a security system (Assignee — Banksys)
    Abstract: A process and arrangement that gives selective access to a security system, particularly in a payment system using debit cards, credit cards, or withdrawal of funds contained in a so-called smart card, and in particular on a chip card..
  • 03/21/2000 : Processing of emergency calls in wireless communications system with fraud protection (Assignee — Ericsson Inc.) Abstract: A call processing system for a wireless communications network comprises a mechanism for detecting a call placed from a mobile station in the network to a multi-digit number dialed by a user of the mobile station; a mechanism for determining whether the call is indicated to be fraudulent; a mechanism for determining whether the diale.
  • 03/17/2000 : One button cellular phone, system, and method for use (Assignee — Sony Corporation of Japan Sony Electronics, Inc.) Abstract: The present invention provides a one button cellular phone that provides all basic phone functions using single button on the phone..
  • 03/16/2000 : Wireless remote synchronization of data between PC and PDA (Assignee — Lucent Technologies, Inc.) Abstract: Wireless communication paths between a PC and a Personal Digital Assistant are utilized to synchronize data files between the PC and the PDA..
  • 03/16/2000 : Biofeedback system for sensing body motion and flexure (Assignee — Advantedge Systems Inc.)
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for monitoring key components of body movement and flexure during kinetic activities, and providing intuitive, audible, real time biofeedback to the user..
  • 03/13/2000 : Wireless mobile comunication devices for group use (Assignee — Telefonaktiebolaget L/M Ericsson)
    Abstract: Wireless mobile communication devices automatically transmit therebetween information regarding the status of the devices. This permits the devices to be used effectively by members of a group or team performing a given task..
  • 02/28/2000 : Method and system for performing electronic money transactions (Assignee — Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson) Abstract: The present invention relates to electronic monetary systems in general, and in particular to measures for making their use easier for an average user..
  • 02/28/2000 : Rotary menu wheel interface (Assignee — Sony Corporation Sony Electronics) Abstract: An internet on-demand system for television presents internet content and traditional television programming as part of a single coherent interface. The user can select a channel from a rotary menu wheel..
  • 02/28 : Article — Software Patents Tangle the Web
  • 02/23/2000 : Method, apparatus, and computer program product for generating an image index and for internet searching and querying by image colors (Assignee
  • Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided for building an image index and for searching and querying by image colors from a plurality of images including images from the internet or other network environment
  • 02/23 : News Release — Tempest Telecommunications acquired by 3Ginteractive
  • 02/17/2000 : Facsimile to E-mail communication system with local interface (Assignee — E-Mate Enterprises, LLC)
    Abstract: A fax to E-mail system and related method are shown, whereby a hardcopy document is sent via a fax device to its recipient via electronic mail through a data network , and is delivered in such a manner that it can be retrieved by the recipient at an E-mail device, in the ordinary course of retrieving the E-mail, and …
  • 02/17/2000 : Computerized medical diagnostic and treatment advice system including network access (Assignee — First Opinion Corporation) Abstract: A system and method for providing computerized, knowledge-based medical diagnostic and treatment advice..
  • 02/16/2000 : DESTINATION WEBSITE ACCES AND INFORMATION GATHERING SYSTEM
    Abstract: A destination website access system employs a bar code reader cooperating with a personal computer or workstation for accessing a unique destination website through a remote Internet service provider ..
  • 02/15 : Internet Patent News — patented Internet Marketing Device
  • 02/15 : Gaming — COINLESS SYSTEMS, INC. RECEIVES PATENT FOR CASHLESS PERIPHERAL DEVICE FOR GAMING SYSTEM
  • 01/28/2000 Portable information and transaction processing system and method utilizing biometric authorization and digital certificate security (Assignee – individual)
    Abstract: The present invention is a portable client PDA with a touch screen or other equivalent user interface and having a microphone and local central processing unit for processing voice commands and for processing biometric data to provide user verification..
  • 01/07/2000 Method and system for controlling the display of objects in a slide show presentation (Assignee — Microsoft Corporation)
    Abstract: A computer-based system and method of viewing an electronic slide show presentation providing three modes for viewing an electronic slide show: a speaker presentation mode, an individual browser mode, and a kiosk browser mode..
  • 01/28/2000 JAVA-TO-DATABASE CONNECTIVITY SERVER (SUN)
    Abstract: A Java TM -to-Database Connectivity Server monitors client communications, accesses a database such as a Sybase relational database, upon client command establishes a connection to the database, accesses requested data from the database, manipulates the data, and relays the data to the client..
  • 01/11/2000 Internet based telephone apparatus and method (Assignee — Netplus Communications Corp.)
    Abstract: An internet related telephone accessory connects directly to conventional home and business telephones and enables the establishment of long distance telephone connections through the internet, realizing substantial savings in long distance telephone tolls..
  • 01/04/2000 Intelligent automatic searching for resources in a distributed environment (Assignee — Microsoft Corporation)
    Abstract: Searches are automatically initiated to intelligently locate resources, particularly World Wide Web sites, within a distributed environment in response to a user specifying text via a user interface element..
  • 12/31/1999 METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR INTERACTIVE PRESCRIPTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF DRUGS IN CONDUCTING MEDICAL STUDIES
    Abstract: A computer system and method for managing data used in conducting clinical studies concerning subjects at a plurality of participating, geographically distributed clinical sites, each participating clinical site having a computer for inputting, transmitting and receiving data over the Internet ..
  • 01/06/2000 Intelligent automatic searching for resources in a distributed environment (Assignee — Microsoft Corporation)
    Abstract: Searches are automatically initiated to intelligently locate resources, particularly World Wide Web sites, within a distributed environment in response to a user specifying text via a user interface element..
  • 12/21/1999 Automated banking machine with accessing data based on customer inputs including
    biometric customer identification and producing selected display (Diebold) ==
    Abstract: An automated banking machine is operative to conduct transactions in response to HTML documents and TCP/IP messages exchanged with a local computer system through an intranet , as well as in response to messages exchanged with foreign servers in a wide area network .
  • 12/31/1999 A method of using a portable communication device (NCR Corporation) (smartcard related) ==
    Abstract: A portable communication device comprises a housing which accommodates a number of components enabling the user to effect two-way communications including data transfer and personal communications..
  • 12/31/1999 PERSONAL COMPUTER AND PERSONAL COMPUTER ADD-ON CARD (Philips) (smartcard related) ==
    Abstract: In a personal computer , an add-on card is present to receive digital signals from a CATV system or from a broadcast satellite. Therefore the PC has an add-on card with an RF connector and a slot for accepting a smart-card for conditional access purposes..
  • 12/29/1999 Apparatus and method of determining a link status between network stations connected to a telephone line medium (AMD) ==
    Abstract: A local area network having a telephone line medium in a home network environment includes physical layer transceivers having transmit and receive state machines enabling each network station to determine a link status on the telephone line medium..
  • 12/29/1999: Method for network address translation (Assignee — Lucent Technologies Inc.)
    Abstract: A method for translating non internet unique addresses of a home network device to an internet unique address for internet communication through a router..
  • 12/29/1999 Methods and apparatus for retrieving and/or processing (Assignee — Microsoft)
    Abstract: Information retrieval methods and apparatus which involve: 1) the generation of estimates regarding the probability that items included in search results are already known to the user and 2) the use of such knowledge probability estimates to influence the ranking of search results, are described..
  • 12/29/1999 Method and apparatus for dynamic configuration of an input device (Assignee — Sun Microsystems, Inc.) Abstract: A system and method is provided that displays different symbols on an input device corresponding to different input device layouts..
  • 12/28/1999 am Multiplexing of clients and applications among multiple servers (Assignee — International Business Machines Corporation)
    Abstract: In an Internet system having a plurality of applications, and a plurality of servers for attachment from a plurality of web browsers, a system supports connection oriented applications over a connectionless protocol..
  • 12/28/1999 A programmable telecommunications interface for communication over a data network
    Abstract: A telecommunications system includes the public switched telephone system and a data network , such as the Internet..
  • 12/24/1999 am Method and system for directing a flow between a client and a server (Assignee — Arrowpoint Communications, Inc.) Abstract: A content-aware flow switch intercepts a client content request in an IP network, and transparently directs the content request to a best-fit server..
  • 12/21/1999 Internet convolution audio/video server Abstract: This invention describes a system for video and audio distribution over the Internet..
  • 12/21 : European Patents : Abstract: The invention relates to a storage cassette which can be inserted into a receiving module intended for receiving a bank note cassette of an automatic cash dispenser. On the front wall (12) (in the direction of insertion), there is a withdrawal opening, which can be closed by a flap, and drawing-off elements (14) of a drawing-off device of the receiving module reach into, in order to withdraw sheet-like objects (62) from the cassette when the latter is in the inserted position. The storage cassette comprises a printing device (28) for printing sheet-like printing carriers (24), a device (18, 20) for storing a stock of printing carrier (22), and a transport device (31) for transporting a printing carrier (24) through the printing device (28) to the withdrawal position, in which the printer carrier (62) is situated parallel to the front wall (12), in the region of the withdrawal opening. Pub. No.: EP 0960400 A1 Appl. Data: EP 98906820 1998 01 16
  • 12/12 : European Patents : Abstract: An automated banking machine (12) is operative to conduct transactions in response to HTML documents and TCP/IP messages exchanged with a local computer system (14) through an intranet (16), as well as in response to messages exchanged with foreign servers (20, 22, 24, 26, 28,) in a wide area network (18). The banking machine includes a computer having an HTML document handling portion. The HTML document handling portion is operative to communicate through a proxy server, with a home HTTP server in the intranet or the foreign servers in the wide area network. The computer further includes a device application portion which interfaces with the HTML document handling portion and dispatches messages to operate devices in the automated banking machine. The devices include a sheet dispenser mechanism which dispenses currency as well as other transaction devices. The device application portion communicates with a device interfacing software portion in the banking machine through a device server in the intranet. The device server maintains local control over the devices in the banking machine including the sheet dispenser. The banking machine operates to read indicia on the user’s card corresponding to a system address. The computer is operative to connect the banking machine to the home or foreign server corresponding to the system address, which connected server operates the banking machine until the completion of transactions by the user. Pub. No.: EP 0961251 A2 Appl. Data: EP 99303413 1999 04 30
  • 12/12 : Analysis —
    Surging number of Patents Engulf Internet Commerce
  • 12/09 :
  • 12/09 : Credit card operated computer on-line service communication system
  • 12/07 : Public Access Technology.com — New MemberMission is to become the leading provider of public access terminals (PATLink.comTM) and secure operating environments in the world. The company’s marketing strategy is designed to capture a large share of the market via the key placement of units, the incorporation of US Patent violators, and build a national reputation for service, support and value. Our vending approach will allow the company to expand quickly without the problems of service and supply because we will be tapping the largest service networks in the world, the vending industry. Revenue will grow quickly as units are brought on line and the overall value of the network and its advertising punch will grow exp
    onentially. [email protected]
  • 12/03 : Patent News — networked payment and control systems for the vending industry
  • 11/29 : Restricted Access patent —
    involving coin hopper



  • 07/16 : Patent Number: 5917421 Issue Date: 1999 06 29 – ATMs: Method of authenticating an application program
  • 05/14 : Patent News – E-commerce in the US is at risk from patents protecting online trading
  • 05/14 : Patent News – Patent Terroist from Forbes
  • 05/14 : Patent News – A New Edison from Forbes
  • E-Data Commences Appeal in Internet Patent Case – corrected
  • Microsoft and W3C
  • Patent Revisited
  • Patent Resources
  • Los Alamos Report – Jan95 report on kiosks
  • Lexitech Patent announcement
  • Lexitech Patent page

Excerpts from Patent Resources newsbits
5/10/99 – Patent info provided to the site – 
http://www.patents.ibm.com/details?pn=US05774652__

This patent teaches a method of converting a general purpose PC into a restricted access computer system designed to be installed into a kiosk enclosure solution. The restricted access computer has the ability to run 3rd party applications by means of coin, bill or card operation. This patent has direct applications to the kiosk marketplace and I believe it should be added to your site as a information item.
Contact info:
Perry Smith, 4600 Franklin Ave,
Yellowknife NT Canada, 867 873 3968, [email protected], www.coynet.com

It might be worth while making the Mettke Patent URL easily available:

www.patents.ibm.com/details?pn=US05602905__

Also the following are quite interesting and maybe relevant:.

www.patents.ibm.com/details?pn=US05761071__
www.patents.ibm.com/details?pn=US05812765__

www.patents.ibm.com/details?pn=US05826026__
www.patents.ibm.com/details?pn=US05851149__

Other Valuable Links:

THE PATENT OUTLINE and other Intellectual Property Resources by Attorney Jim Kwak Link to archive site

and http://www.law.vill.edu/~rgruner/patent2.htm

which is the good site to learn about patents.
These sites enable one to come to a quick understanding of how patents can affect you or not.

The most comprehensive site is: Nolo’s http://www.nolo.com/monthly2.html

This month they are concentrating on Patents.
QUOTE:

“In this month’s Focus on Patent, Copyright & Trademark, we bid adieu to false modesty and proudly shine the light on two Nolo tomes that were awarded amazon.com’s Bestselling Titles of 1998:

�Patent, Copyright and Trademark, and

�Patent It Yourself.

Given that little amazon–with the small a–just might be the world’s biggest seller of books online, these awards are no small potatoes.

And since you’re using a computer even as you read this, you’ll be most pleased to learn that the time could not be more ripe for the marriage of online and intellectual property. With a click of the cursor, you can read the entire updated edition of Nolo’s award-winning book, Patent, Copyright & Trademark. It walks you through all the terminology, explains the formerly flummoxing laws and takes on Internet issues by the horns. This month’s Focus will also include an insightful article on how to do patent searches online.

You’ll find other updated features here, too–including commonsense advice on topics complex enough to befuddle Einstein, including:

�How to protect your invention when pitching it to others

�The bottom line on when copying is legal — and when it’s not, and

�How to conduct a trademark search without going into hock.

Articles on Patent, Copyright & Trademark:

– Qualifying for a Patent

– Copyright Basics

How the Law Protects Trademarks

When Copying Is OK: The ‘Fair Use’ Rule

Naming Your Business in the Information Age

 

…and that’s not all we wrote. Come back in a few days for more legal information, updates and resources on this month’s topic. Also be sure to check out the Patent, Copyright & Trademark section of our Legal Encyclopedia.

Save 20% on these essential guides during the month of February!

“Patent It Yourself” – The world’s bestselling guide to getting a U.S. patent:
Patent, Copyright and Trademark. Intellectual property terms defined in plain English. Read every chapter of the new 3rd edition online.

Save 20% and pay no shipping if you download these electronic books!

END QUOTE.

 

MORE INFORMATION

  • * U.S. Patent No. 5,872,559; Breakaway and re-grow touchscreen pointing
    device; Johnny Meng-Han Shieh, Austin; IBM Corp.

 

January 28, 2005

Kiosk History Update – Part 1

Ok, when we last checked our intrepid traveler was looking at something like this.

History of Kiosks : part II

When we last left our intrepid friends, Craig was preparing to depart Networld and rejoin the business world.

2002

2001

  • McDonalds kiosk 2001 Kiosk Information Systems Denver

    McDonalds kiosk 2001 Kiosk Information Systems Denver

    Dec – nice article on Harvard Business School on kiosks.org

  • May : NCR announces 400 Federated units
  • May : Compaq & Starbucks — Announce Wireless .NET implementation
  • Apr : Members of Kiosks.Org meet for first time in Orlando — also known as Bay Hill Bunch.  Craig was the host and not allowed to win.

    Kiosk Bay Hill Bunch

    Click for full size Kiosk Bay Hill Bunch

  • Apr : Degasoft announces move to UK from Iceland
  • Mar : Successful Travel Center project with Apunix
  • Mar : Netkey Receives More Investments, announces partnership with NCR
  • Mar : Elo TouchSystems Begins Online Ordering
  • Mar : MicroTouch Re-Entering Kiosk Market
  • Jan : Staple to Roll Out Internet Access Points to 954 Stores
  • Jan : NetKey Wins Frost & Sullivan Award
  • Jan : Kioskmarketplace.com Launched

2000

  • Data — FROST & SULLIVAN: Interactive kiosks to fuel self-service revolution
  • Accessability – W3C Guidelines
  • Nov : Kiosk Business begins publication of magazine
  • Nov : Kiosks.Org LLC sells Kiosks.Org to NetWorld Alliance.
  • Aug : Research Report — Kiosk Technologies and Strategy (IDC by Thomas Murphy, Frances D. Mendelsohn)
  • Oct : Kiosks.Org launches Clicks and Mortar
  • Jun : My old company, Gift Certificate Company, was bought by Hallmark in June 2000.

1999

  • Oct : Kiosk Magazine begins publication
  • Aug Facts and Figures – updated spreadsheet of forecasts and figure (+chart) – xls
  • Usability — Do kids figure out how to use kiosks? — NIIT 1999
  • Jul : Data — Interactive Market (F&S)
  • Apr : Research Opinion – FROST & SULLIVAN: INTERACTIVE KIOSK COMPONENTS SET TO MAKE HEADWAY
  • Feb : Protest doc solication regarding Mettke patent
  • TouchStation, the Touch-Enabled Apple iMac, is Launched by MicroTouch
  • MicroTouch Opens First Internet Based E-Commerce Site for Touch Products

 

1998

  • Internet Kiosks – 1993: 5100 kiosks, 1996: 39,200, 1997 estimate: 64,700, 2003 estimate: 445,000 from Frost & Sullivan
  • In 1996, the U.S. interactive kiosk market grew to $369.7 million. And the market is expected to grow to $2.94 billion in 2003, with a compound annual growth rate of 35 percent over the forecast period. said Robert Chomentowski, a
    market analyst with Frost & Sullivan.
  • Prospector 4.0 for Touch-enabled Web Access Released by MicroTouch
  • US Market for Interactive Kiosks — 120 pages
  • April — Kiosks.org is launched per PRNewswire – Birth of Kiosk Association
    first NCR checkout 1998

    first NCR checkout 1998

     

  • January 20th — NCR went live with very first Self-Checkout at Balls Hen House Supermarket in Lenexa, Kansas. special call out to a subset of the pioneers at NCR that were so pivotal in those early years to drive the investment, innovation, and marketing of this radical concept: Robert Sadler, John Addy, Joanne Walter, Mike Webster, Steve Hassenzahl, Bruno Cardot, Tim Mason, Brian Cooper, Jennifer N., Heather Ludecke, Chris Daniel, Mark Krogh, Andrew Regan, and Kalyna Stiles.

 


1997

  • Dec : HP and North sued by Alabama inventor
  • Nov : Glitsos statement at first Kioskcom in New York
  • Nov : Newsletter from Kevin O’Keeffe with Daw Systems
  • Sep : WebPoint installing kiosks in Australia
  • Jun : Netshift 1.44 released (now supports IE)
  • Jun : Research — Kiosk Market Growth Booms
  • Jun : Research — The New Vending Machine
  • Feb : Coinstars estimated gross from 1500 machines this year is $29M. forbes 2/10
  • Annual interactive kiosk sales are forecast to rise from $678 million this year to $3.33 billion by 2001.
    Probe Research.
  • Feb : Network Computing via Individual Inc. : More banks will offer Internet banking services this year, according to a Datapro study. About 36 percent of the respondents say they’ll have Internet- based banking this year, up from 7 percent in a similar survey last year. 1997 Feb.
  • Jan : Union Bank of California interactive banking kiosk

 


1996

  • Running in Kiosk Mode — comes up on comp.infosystems.kiosks
  • Internet phones catch the attention of US telecommunication companies who ask the US Congress to ban the
    technology (which has been around for years)
  • April 4: I am working part-time for Northwest Airlines on initial website. I am also working part-time for
    Irwin Jacobs and “Worlds Greatest Deals”, website auctioning surplus merchandise. GCC code/project bought by Target.
  • 1996 Newsgroup postings
  • May 8, 1996 — request from a Francie Mendelsohn to join the CIK newgroup comes in. This is back when Craig is running the website off
    http://www.primenet.com/~keefner/info.html.
    LINK
    Hi:
    I have been doing research on kiosks for three years and just learned about your newsgroup. How do I participate? Please send me all particulars. THANKS!Francie Mendelsohn
    Summit Research Associates, Inc.

 


1995

 


1994

  • Elographics changes name to Elo TouchSystems
  • Netscape developed and refined a new way to distribute software when it made the first copies of Netscape
    Navigator client software available for download over the Internet.
  • Yes, it’s true – you can now order pizza from Pizza Hut online
  • First Virtual, the first cyberbank, open up for business
  • The first banner ads appear on hotwired.com in October. They were for Zima (a beverage) and AT&T.
  • Francie Mendelsohn and Summit Research are founded.

 


1993

  • Swecoin sells the TTP101 to Tomro – first modern kiosk printer
  • KIS (Kiosk Information Systems) in Colorado is founded. Over next 7 years over 500 applications delivered.
  • InterNIC created by NSF to provide specific Internet services.
  • US White House comes on-line (http://www.whitehouse.gov/
  • Mark Andreesen of National Center for SuperComputing Applications, Illinois (NCSA) launched Mosaic X. It was
    the first easy to install, easy to use browser and, significantly, was backed by 24-hour customer support. It
    also enormously improved the graphic capabilities (by using ‘in-line imaging’ instead of separate boxes) and
    installed many of the features that are familiar through browsers such as Netscape�s Navigator (which is the
    successor company established by Andreesen to exploit Mosaic) and Microsoft�s Internet Explorer. In December
    1993 there were 623 web sites worldwide.

 

1992

  • The term “surfing the Internet” is coined by Jean Armour Polly
  • Robert Buckhorn founds Holly Systems on the first kiosk companies.

 


1991

  • MarCole is established by Ron Coleman and Sandy Markus.
  • Gopher released by Paul Lindner and Mark P. McCahill from the Univ of Minnesota
    World-Wide Web (WWW) released by CERN; Tim Berners-Lee developer
  • First Kiosk displayed as product at Comdex. Missing children application.

 


1990

 

  • The first remotely operated machine to be hooked up to the Internet, the Internet Toaster by John
    Romkey, (controlled via SNMP) makes its debut at Interop. pictures
  • Tim Berners-Lee of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in consultation with CERN, the European Organization for
    Nuclear Research based in Switzerland, wrote the first GUI browser, and called it �WorldWideWeb� with Robert
    Cailliau. It ran on the NeXT computer. Tim is widely regarded as being the inventor of the World Wide
    Web, �WWW� or �web� for short.

1989

  • Windows 3.0 Debuts
  • NeoProducts is founded by Dr. Mike Smith in Australia.
  • July: Windows 3.0B shown at PC Expo. Craig is at Northgate booth showing 3.0B with beta video driver from
  • VideoLogic with multiple windows of Top Gun. He watches Top Gun 106 times over next 3 days.
  • Cuckoo’s Egg by Clifford Stoll tells the real-life tale of a German cracker group who infiltrated
    numerous US facilities

 


1988

  • First Windows touchscreen driver by MicroTouch (Windows 2.11?)
  • Craig is working for Western Geophysical and Windows is being used for acoustic signature analysis onboard
    seismic vessels. 386s are being used for onsite data analysis.

 


1987

  • Two new technologies were purchased by Elo. The surface acoustic wave product, named IntelliTouch, was
    purchased from Zenith. Early in 1988, a production facility was established in California to manufacture and sell
    this product. The other technology was purchased from Kennedy Technology. This product was a four-wire
    resistive technology and was subsequently named DuraTouch. This product line has since been phased out.
  • Francie wins car on gameshow and tries to trade it in for money. Ends up with sapphire blue MX-6.

 


1986

  • Factura is founded (enclosures). Next 12 years over 45,000 enclosures to be delivered.
  • Elo is acquired by Raychem
  • First Mac touchscreen introduced by MicroTouch

 


1985

  • Intel delivers the 386
  • ByVideo (Harvey Smythe) and pre-MarCole tean do the Florsheim project. Arguably the first major kiosk project ever given several 100 stores it covered. The first successful network of interactive kiosks used for commercial purposes was a project developed by the shoe retailer Florsheim Shoe Co., led by their executive VP, Harry Bock, installed circa 1985.
  • MicroTouch introduces capacitive touchscreen

 


1984

  • Domain Name System (DNS) introduced
  • First touch monitor from MicroTouch

 


1983

  • Lexitech (later became Netkey) was founded in the basement of the Yale School of Management


1982

  • MicroTouch is founded.
  • The term ‘Internet’ is used for the first time.
  • Elographics displayed 33 televisions covered with the new transparent touch-sensitive panels in the US Pavilion
    at the 1982 World�s Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee. For many people this was the first opportunity to see or use a
    touchscreen!
  • September 19th : the first use of the emoticon 🙂 known as Smiley appears on Carnegie Mellon BBS

1981

  • Minitel (Teletel) is deployed across France by France Telecom.
  • The event that really got bar code into industrial applications occurred September 1, 1981 when the United States Department of Defense adopted the use of Code 39 for marking all products sold to the United States military. This system was called LOGMARS,.

1981

  • Minitel (Teletel) is deployed across France by France Telecom.

1979

  • Intel delivers the 8088 (BM chooses it)

1978

  • Intel delivers the 8086
  • Craig is working in Venezuela with VAX 11/780s and DCL/Fortran

1977

  • Elo hires a full time president, Bill Gibson, was hired. Bill was excellent at getting start-up companies going. Those of us who worked with Bill remember his motto of�wood is good�. From then on things seemed to look up for the company. Soon after Bill Gibson joined Elographics, Siemens Corporation came to us and offered to back Elo in the development of a curved glass sensor, which later was called a touchscreen, as it was activated by touch.
  • The first self-service, interactive kiosk was developed in 1977 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign by a pre-med student, Murray Lappe. The content was created on the PLATO computer system and accessible by plasma touch screen interface. The plasma display panel was invented at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign by Donald L. Bitzer. Lappe’s kiosk, called The Plato Hotline allowed students and visitors to find movies, maps, directories, bus schedules, extracurricular activities and courses. When it debuted in the U of Illinois Student Union in April 1977, more than 30,000 students, teachers and visitors stood in line during its first 6 weeks, to try their hand at a “personal computer” for the first time.

1976

  • Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom sends out an email on 26 March from the Royal Signals and Radar
    Establishment (RSRE) in Malvern

1974

  • In June 1974, one of the first UPC scanner, made by NCR Corp. (which was then called National Cash Register Co), was installed at Marsh’s supermarket in Troy, Ohio. On June 26, 1974, the first product with a bar code was scanned at a check-out counter. It was a 10-pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit chewing gum. The pack of gum wasn’t specially designated to be the first scanned product. It just happened to be the first item lifted from the cart by a shopper whose name is long since lost to history. Today, the pack of gum is on display at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History.

1973

  • Craig graduates from high school.

1972

  • Intel delivers the 8008

1971 

  • Elo — The very first purchase order for an Elographics Model E-100 was received 50 years ago today (August 15, 1971). The 25 units were delivered November 30, 1971 to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The resistive touch sensor was born!
  • Elographics, Inc. was founded by ten stockholders in March, 1971, to produce Graphical Data Digitizers for use in research and industrial applications, with the principal being Dr. Sam Hurst. He was on leave from the Oak Ridge National
    Laboratory to teach at the University of Kentucky for two years, where he was faced with a need to read a huge stack of strip chart data. It would have taken two graduate students approximately two months to do the task. He started thinking of a way to read the charts, and during the process, the Elograph (electronic graphics) coordinate measuring system and Elographics the company were born. The University of Kentucky Research Foundation applied for and was granted a patent on the Elograph. The Foundation granted an exclusive license to Elographics.

1967 – ATM Invented

  • The first ATM was introduced in Enfield, London on 27th June 1967. It was built by long-serving De La Rue employee John Shepherd-Barron, OBE, who said “it struck me there must be a way I could get my own money, anywhere in the world or the UK. I hit upon the idea of a chocolate bar dispenser, but replacing chocolate with cash.” Nine days later De La Rue and Barclays Bank signed a contract for the installation.John Shepherd-Barron also came up with the idea of a four-digit PIN. It was originally intended to be a six-digit PIN but his wife complained that six numbers would be too many to remember. Today, there are over 3 million ATMs worldwide and four-digit PINs are the norm for those putting their numbers into ATM machines and PoS terminals all around the world. [Kirk Nelson]

1966

  • Marshall McLuhan writes, “Xerography is bringing a reign of terror into the world of publishing..”Copyrights are now a concern.

1961

  • Frost and Sullivan is founded.

1960

  • Xerox (was Haloid) ships the 914 Copier. Sold for $29,000 and weighed 648 pounds.They leased it for $95/month with first 2000 copies free then a nickel a copy.

Pay per click is born…

1939

  • Haloid gets patent on xerography


1955

Late 1880s – Vending Machine Invented

  • First automated vending machine — At 7.31 am, on a train-station platform in Wakefield in West Yorkshire, a machine was tapped for Tango Orange as the first morning commuters came through. Wakefield is the birthplace of automated vending. This is where the world began its determined effort to uproot the salesperson from the sale. In the 1850s, an inventor here patented a “self-acting machine” for the dispensation of stamps. Later, in the 1880s, a cast-iron contraption shaped like a trident and painted post-box red, patented by the Sweetmeat Automatic Delivery Company of London, was the first machine to vend comestibles. Before the end of the century, beer and wine fountains became fashionable in Paris. In the US, gumball machines sprouted everywhere. British law dictated that tobacconists must close their doors at 8pm, so unattended cigarette dispensers were bolted to the pavements outside.  Nice Article

 


Credits

Posted by keefner at 07:00 PM | Comments (0)

August 30, 2004

Patents

Nice 2004 article by Greg Swistak ex-Factura on Upstate Networks

Patently wrong

If you manufacture a kiosk that sells Internet access, you might hear from a company in Utica, N.Y. Their beef? You are infringing on patent number 5822215. A couple of association members contacted me last week because Upstate Networks had sent them just such a message.

Does Upstate have a legal leg to stand on? If so, just how hard can that leg kick companies in the paid Internet access segment?

The object of Upstate Networks’ patent is a black box that allows a bill acceptor to interface with a PC. The device controls the amount of time a user is allowed to surf the Internet after currency is inserted.

I have been involved in the integration of many kiosks that used bill acceptors, but until this point I hadn’t heard of Upstate Networks’ device. As a result, I spoke to MEI (the largest manufacturer of bill acceptors) and was told the black box from Upstate wasn’t really needed; MEI uses APIs to allow acceptors to interface with a serial port.

Essentially, then, it appears that Upstate Networks has a patent that allows them to exclude others from manufacturing devices that accept cash and control the amount of time someone has access to the Internet.

The patent
Here, in excerpts from the actual language, are the patent grants of interest to us:

A fee activated public on-line computer terminal comprising in combination:

* a digital computer having at least memory, CPU, display and input components;
* a pliant currency acceptor having output pulses indicative of the amount of currency inserted therein;
* a serial interface circuit connected between said digital computer and said pliant currency acceptor;
* a public telecommunications interface connected to said digital computer and adapted to be connected to a public telecommunications channel;
* a custom software package connected to said digital computer and said serial interface for controlling operation of said terminal;

Said software package including;

* means for connecting said digital computer to a global telecommunications network via said telecommunications interface and a public telecommunications channel,
* means for activating said pliant currency acceptor for reception and validation of currency inserted therein,
* means for determining the amount of pliant currency inserted in said pliant currency acceptor,
* means including an internal clock for setting a period of time proportional to the pliant currency inserted in said acceptor,
* means for activating and maintaining access thereby to said global telecommunications network for said (a) period of time proportional to the amount of pliant (fee paid by the) currency inserted in said pliant currency acceptor.
* means for activating and maintaining access (thereto) to said global telecommunications network for said (a) period of time proportional to the amount of pliant (fee paid by the) currency inserted in said pliant currency acceptor.

The application for this patent was filed August 26, 1996, and the patent was issued October 13, 1998.

“This is interesting because of the sheer number of people who used the same technology much earlier, either to do the same things identified in the patent or for similar functions. Although more years have passed than I care to admit since I took Introduction to Patent Law, I do remember the instructor explaining that a would-be patent needed to be novel and could not be a restructuring or reconfiguring of existing technology. The invention also needed to be a first; in other words, if an invention was in public use or was published in a public document prior to the application, a patent couldn’t be granted.”

I contacted a patent lawyer to get a better understanding of how Patent 5822215 was issued in light of the fact that I was pretty sure there was a lot of prior use that would make it invalid. The lawyer explained that unless there was a patent issued to someone else prior to someone submitting a patent application, the Patent Office leaves it to the courts to decide if a patent is valid or not.

So what does that mean to us? Well, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that Upstate has already settled with a few manufacturers — AT&T and Moonrise Systems among them — for 1 1/8 cents per dollar of the sale price of each kiosk. That sum won’t throw the futures of most players into doubt. Unfortunately, however, it means that until someone challenges the patent in court, and that means legal bills, time and uncertainty. And even if the patent is invalidated, those who pursued the court case will not be reimbursed for their costs. Only those folks who have been served notice that they are infringing on the patent can determine the economics of defending their rights to manufacture pay-for-use Internet kiosks or to arrive at some sort of settlement with the holders of Patent 5822215. I know there are a few out there who are looking at their options.

I have set up an area on our discussion boards and hope that those with a vested interest will use the area to their advantage. Feel free to post comments, suggestions or moral support. Also, if you were involved in deployment of kiosks with bill acceptors prior to 1996, please let us know, either by posting the information on the discussion board or sending me an e-mail.

We will try and provide more information on this subject as it becomes available.

Greg Swistak
KOA Executive Director
[email protected]

Posted by keefner at 05:52 PM | Comments (0)

March 02, 2004

Comp.Infosystems.Newsgroup

Here is link to news server that I use for reading articles from the newsgroup…comp.infosystems.kiosks

Google has one too but they do not update very well.

Craig

Posted by keefner at 07:30 PM | Comments (0)

January 27, 2004

A multimedia kiosk authoring system for use in developing and maintaining user interface screens for multimedia kiosk systems

Posted by keefner at 04:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 10, 2003

Kiosk Mode in IE article

kioskmode

Also archived ashttp://www.kiosknews.org/history/kioskmode.htm” kioskmode on kiosknews.org/history

Posted by keefner at 11:58 AM | Comments (0)

November 06, 2003

2003 IBM patent

=http://www.kiosknews.org/history/United%20States%20Patent%206,619,545.htm” United States Patent: 6,619,545

Kiosk having a people presence detector to determine if a kiosk item is to be presented to a customer
Abstract
A method and system for a kiosk to present a kiosk item, e.g., document, money, merchandise, credit card, to a customer. A determination may be made as to whether the customer is currently present via an infrared device configured to detect the presence of a customer. If the customer is not present, then the kiosk item, e.g., document, money, merchandise, credit card, may not be presented to the customer. By not presenting the kiosk item, security/privacy may be improved since the next customer would not be able to obtain the kiosk item that was never presented to an unavailable customer.

Posted by keefner at 03:27 PM | Comments (0)

W3 Kiosk workshop 1995

=”http://www.kiosknews.org/history/ws-E.pdf” W3 Based Online Kiosk Systems – PDF
W3 Based Online Kiosk Systems – htm

Posted by keefner at 01:52 PM | Comments (0)

Uni of Delaware NetSitter

“http://www.kiosknews.org/history/Web-based%20Kiosks%20for%20Campus%20Outreach.htm” Web-based Kiosks for Campus Outreach

Web-based Kiosks for Campus Outreach
By Carl Jacobson, University of Delaware
As our institutions continue to invest in information-rich Web sites, browser-based kiosks become a necessity to leverage and protect this investment. Web-based kiosks provide widespread access to all campus users; those not on the network, those visiting campus, or those who happen to be “out and about” and away from their PCs. Browser-based kiosks allow any Web material to be served up in a public setting, enable rapid content development and provide familiar, easy-to-use customer interfaces.

Posted by keefner at 01:50 PM | Comments (0)

1994 W3 paper

=”http://www.kiosknews.org/history/Suggestions%20for%20Information%20Kiosk%20Systems%20using%20the%20World%20Wide%20Web.htm” Suggestions for Information Kiosk Systems using the World Wide Web

The World Wide Web Information Kiosks Special Interest Group
30 April 1994
Abstract
Information kiosks provide users with access to community and local information in an easily understandable format. They are designed to be used by the average user who has little or no experience with computer or information systems. Kiosk-based information systems are already available at a variety of locations from airports to shopping malls to community information centers.

The World Wide Web has provided the Internet with an easy interface superceeding other access systems with its popularity and its capabilities. The Web naturally lends itself to a distributed kiosk-based information system although there are special requirements for such a system that current Web clients and servers do not provide.

In this paper we examine the requirements that an information kiosk system based upon the World Wide Web must have before it can be widely accepted as a distributed information system for commercial and non-commercial needs.

Posted by keefner at 01:42 PM | Comments (0)

Lexitech Patent

“http://www.kiosknews.org/history/Lexitech%20Awarded%20U_S_%20Patent%20for%20NetKey%20Web%20Kiosk%20Browser.htm” Lexitech Awarded U.S. Patent for NetKey Web Kiosk Browser< Other interesting patents to hand are: ="http://www.kiosknews.org/history/United%20States%20Patent%205,243,174.htm" Patent - 5,243,174 ="http://www.kiosknews.org/history/United%20States%20Patent%206,078,848.htm" Patent - 6,078,848 ="http://www.kiosknews.org/history/United%20States%20Patent%206,195,694.htm" Patent - 6,195,694

1994 from State of Maryland

=”http://www.kiosknews.org/history/Kiosks%20maryland%2094.htm” Kiosks

Kiosks are stand alone devices combining a number of computer peripheral technologies to collect and dispense information and services. Typically Kiosks are comprised of a processor, disk drives, keyboard, video display, touch screen, magnetic card reader, image/document scanner, and printer/forms dispenser. Depending on the application, Kiosks may or may not be connected to one or more host systems. These technologies are packaged in a rugged and moderately secure case approximately the size of a phone booth. Kiosks can be located in practically any sheltered location providing telephone and electric service.

The purpose of Kiosks is to provide information/service delivery apart from the traditional constraints of standing in line, driving to the source of the information, parking, and limited office hours. One Kiosk can host a number of different applications providing access to numerous information/service providers. Kiosks are conceptually the same as bank ATMs, however they are generally more sophisticated and can provide a much greater variety of services.

Based on traditional PC technology, Kiosks have a great deal of flexibility in gathering and providing information. Kiosks can be programmed to serve a multi-lingual customer base, positively identify a user through hand or fingerprint verification, provide printed output on a variety of media, debit/credit a bank or credit card, and forward information to a host system for further processing. Kiosks typically provide a simplified and intuitive human interface facilitating use by individuals who would otherwise not be able to use a computer. (The State of Maryland Comptroller of the Treasury, Data Processing Division’s September 14, 1994 document, Kiosks – Guidelines for Development, describes general guidelines for developing and implementing Kiosk systems in the State of Maryland.)

Posted by keefner at 01:35 PM | Comments (0)

Rawn Shah’s 1994 paper

=”http://www.kiosknews.org/history/kiosk-interface%20-’94.htm” A Kiosk-based Information System Interface Design

I-Tower at Uni of Texas since 1994

=”http://www.kiosknews.org/history/iTower%20history-%20austin,us.htm” History of Project iTOWER – UT Austin

The first five Kiosks have been in operation on The University of Texas campus since mid-1994..

Posted by keefner at 01:32 PM | Comments (0)

Fall 1995 Uni of Delaware paper

=”http://www.kiosknews.org/history/INTERNET%20TOOLS%20ACCESS%20ADMINISTRATIVE%20DATA.htm” INTERNET TOOLS ACCESS ADMINISTRATIVE DATA
The introduction of NCSA’s Mosaic browser ignited a fire of interest that is changing the face of the Internet, and the way we deal with networked information. The scramble for commercial success on the Internet has brought many technology vendors into the Web trade, resulting in the development of new tools and methods. As these advances define the role of commerce on the Internet, they will also change the way we conduct routine business on our networked campuses.

Posted by keefner at 01:31 PM | Comments (0)

URL filtering history

=”http://www.kiosknews.org/history/History%20Of%20A%20Child%20Safe%20Internet.htm” History Of A Child Safe Internet

Australian 1996 paper

=”http://www.kiosknews.org/history/Design%20Considerations%20for%20an%20Interactive%20MultiMedia%20Kiosk.htm” Design Considerations for an Interactive MultiMedia Kiosk:

JobPoint kiosks rollout.

=”http://www.neoproducts.com.au/UKopen.asp” NeoProducts – Touchscreen / Interactive Kiosk Technology – Minister for Work opens NeoProducts’ UK Manufacturing Facility as the 6000th Jobpoint rolls off Production Line

Friday, September 28th, 2001 – Minister for Work, The Rt. Hon. Nick Brown, has officially opened the new UK manufacturing facility of leading interactive touchscreen kiosk maker, NeoProducts, in Kings Norton near Birmingham.
The new facility was established earlier this year to meet increasing demand for NeoProducts’ advanced interactive kiosks following the company winning a major contract with EDS, the UK Employment Service’s IT partner, to supply the kiosks in a new job searching network for UK Jobcentres. The contract, for 9000 Jobpoint touchscreen kiosks being installed in 1000 jobcentres around the UK, created some 50 new jobs at Kings Norton.

Mike Smith, managing director of NeoProducts, commented, “Interactive kiosks provide an efficient means of public access to government services and the Jobpoint kiosk network takes the Employment Service towards world leadership in electronic government service delivery. It stands as tangible evidence of the government’s commitment to putting all government services online by 2005 and, by using kiosks, it puts the service in the hands of all citizens.”

“The establishment of our new European headquarters here in the heart of the West Midlands has also been a good choice, with excellent access to skilled workers and support industries as well as providing an ideal centre for our expansion into the rapidly growing kiosk market, both in the UK and the rest of Europe. We look forward to being here for many years to come.”

The 25,000sq ft facility at Kings Norton has a total capacity of 1000 units per month and also offers full staging, software and network configuration capabilities.

Nick Brown performed two ceremonies at the factory, cutting a ribbon as the 6000th Jobpoint rolled out of production and unveiling a “touchscreen plaque” commemorating the opening with a short presentation about NeoProducts.

Commenting on NeoProducts new HQ, Mr Brown said: “I welcome NeoProducts expansion into Europe, and am pleased they have chosen Britain – and West Midlands – as their European base. The West Midlands is ideally situated at the heart of Britain and has a long and honourable tradition of manufacture with a highly skilled, adaptable and motivated workforce.”

Headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, NeoProducts has over 10 years experience in the kiosk market and sold over 30,000 touchscreen terminals. Last year, the company was awarded Frost & Sullivan’s “Best Customer Focus Award” in its annual report on the world kiosk market. This report was based on data gathered before the award of the UK ES project. ISO 9001 accredited, the company serves a wide range of clients from a variety of industries including government – both national and local – telecommunications, retail, leisure and entertainment, travel and ticketing and financial.

Posted by keefner at 06:59 AM | Comments (0)

October 27, 2003

Active X makes an appearence.

Making Your Control Containers Internet-Aware with ActiveX and OLE Controls 96, October 1996″ http://www.kiosknews.org/history/Active%20X%20oct%2096_files/activex.html Making Your Control Containers Internet-Aware with ActiveX and OLE Controls 96, October 1996

Nov 1997 – kiosk browser from Netscape discussion

http://www.kiosknews.org/history/19971106.htm Has anyone found an easy way to disable the button bar and browsing capabilities in Netscape?

June 1996 how to build a browser

http://www.kiosknews.org/history/1996rollyourownbrowser.pdf

– about Internet Kiosks:

“you’ll still have access to the (Information) highway by using kiosks – some free, some requiring payment of a fee – which will be found in office buildings, shopping malls, and airports in much the same spirit as drinking fountains, rest rooms, and pay phones. In fact, they will replace not only pay phones but also banking machines, because they will offer their capabilities as well as all the other highway applications, from sending and receiving messages to scanning maps and buying tickets. Access to kiosks will be essential, and available everywhere. Some kiosks will display advertising links to specific services when you first log on – bit like the phones in airports that connect right to hotel and rental-car reservations.”

April 2003 Indian Kiosk Market survey

Kiosk market comes of age – India Trends – Express Computer India

Kiosk market comes of age
From railway reservation systems to insurance companies, from retail outlets to e-governance, kiosks are now accepted as a medium of information and have caught the fancy of users.

Chitra Padmanabhan has more on this trend

Kiosk market comes of age

From railway reservation systems to insurance companies, from retail outlets to e-governance, kiosks are now accepted as a medium of information and have caught the fancy of users. Chitra Padmanabhan has more on this trend

In April 2002, Indian Railways was considering different ways to celebrate 150 years of its existence. The idea was to display its rich history in an innovative and interesting way. After looking at a range of options from dramas to cultural events, the search narrowed down to kiosks. This turned out to be a brilliant strategy with crowds thronging �Info Fun��the education-cum-entertainment kiosk displayed at the National Rail Museum in New Delhi. People were thrilled about using the machine, which enabled users to view different sections, be it the entire history of the Railways or a description of the working of the signals and communications processes used by the railways, at the touch of the screen.
Banks are being looked at as the key adopters of kiosks as kiosks can bring significant cost savings for the bank, says J B Lalla
Why are kiosks gaining prominence?
From being used to deliver e-governance initiatives to building brands, kiosks are increasingly gaining importance in the country. And they are now being looked at as a possible solution to help India bridge the Digital Divide. Take the �Gyandoot� project, for instance, which won the CSI-TCS National Award for �Best IT usage of the year 2000.� The project, carried out by the Madhya Pradesh government, kicked off with the installation of a low-cost rural intranet covering 20 village information kiosks in five blocks of the district. Information vital to the farmer, like agricultural produce rates, land records and grievance services have proved to be the most popular features of the kiosks. The initiative has been of great use, not only in doing away with red-tapism, but has also generated employment for village youth who are being trained to use such kiosks�appropriately called Suchanalayas. Another successful example is the case of Warana village, where sugarcane farmers go to village information kiosks to receive payment slips.

One clear reason for the success of rural projects like Gyandoot is that the use of kiosk is totally independent of a person�s knowledge of computers. Says Sonali Chowdhry, Netcomm Labs� chief executive, �Ease-of-use is seen as the sole reason for the popularity of kiosks among the masses. The government sector has seen optimum utilisation of kiosks since they can be easily used by an average person.� Additionally, the plus point for kiosks is the fact that they can be deployed in the language of the region concerned. Looking at the potential for kiosks as an information medium, the national IT Task Force has recommended the use of kiosks in community centre projects for rural areas.

Though the National Rail Museum kiosk was specifically built for public display as a feel-good factor, the potential of the medium has interested a host of corporates. LIC, for instance, uses kiosks to enable customers to check status of premiums by keying in the policy number, while paint manufacturer ICI India uses kiosks to enable customers to combine paint colours at the touch of a finger.

Market size
Apart from government sectors, the maximum potential for the usage of kiosks lie in sectors like banking. Says Amit Phatak, Frost & Sullivan�s industry analyst for information technology, �The market till now was biased towards kiosks purely used for information purposes but now transactional kiosks are slowly catching up. The total Indian market size for kiosks is estimated at $13-14 million (Rs 62-67 crore) in 2002.� According to Frost & Sullivan, the kiosk market is currently growing at a rate of 18-20 percent, largely driven by the banking and financial sector.

Kiosk as a CRM tool
With cut-throat competition in the banking sector, banks are increasingly turning to technology in order to sustain their existing customer base. The biggest advantage for banks is the burgeoning network of ATMs that has already popularised the concept of using such devices. This has led to the ready acceptance of the kiosk as an ideal information tool. Banks like HDFC bank have deployed self-service kiosks in their premises to inform customers of their offerings. Though kiosks cannot replace cash dispensers like ATMs, deploying a kiosk within or in the vicinity of the branch can result in significant cost-savings for the bank. �The cost of deploying a kiosk is almost one-fourth the cost of an ATM,� says Venkat Subramanyam, chairman and managing director of Sriven Technologies.

Kiosks for brand promotion
Though kiosks in the financial sector are largely used to cater to information pertaining to customers, players have also paid special consideration to the design and multimedia tools deployed in the kiosk. For instance, the Birla Global Finance kiosk (designed to correspond with the corporate�s colours and logo) serves as a means of brand communication. As kiosks can be customised, a corporate can mould the kiosk in the shape of its brand. One more reason why kiosks can be an effective marketing tool for corporates.

Besides banking and finance companies, with an increasing emphasis on providing top-class service to customers, even FMCG players are leaving no stone unturned. For instance, Hindustan Lever is currently using an eye-catching transportable kiosk in order to promote its dental care brand �Pepsodent.� The concept involves two monitors. One monitor is used for the touchscreen interface and the second monitor is used for larger audience coverage, so at least ten children can witness the kiosk in action. Multimedia kiosks generally cost around Rs 2-4 lakh and require about 3-4 months for development (content and kiosk fabrication).
The cost of deploying a kiosk is almost one-fourth the cost of an ATM, says Venkat subramanyam
Key challenges
While the idea of kiosks as a brand promotion tool has picked up well among corporates, usage in the Railways has so far been lukewarm. The touchscreen kiosk deployed at Ahmedabad railway station last year has found few takers. Presented by a city-based company, the kiosk provided all vital information regarding train timings, approximate fares, domestic flight timings, catering rates, etc, but was perceived as a novelty rather than as a device having any utility.

The reason for such and other incidents seen throughout the country is attributed to techno-phobia among the populace. People prefer to make a personal enquiry, even though procuring information on the touchscreen window is much easier. A lot needs to be done to derive the actual utility value of the investments made to deploy kiosks.

Amidst prevailing doubts about its usage by the Railways, a constant complaint from kiosk service providers is the lackadaisical attitude on the part of authorities when it comes to the safety of these devices. �We have come across lots of cases wherein our devices have been tampered with and information has been distorted. This has discouraged us from sinking money into deploying kiosks for the Railways,� says J B Lalla, country manager for kiosks at CMS Computers. The kiosks at railway stations are deployed at the onus of the service providers, who are expected to recover the cost through multimedia advertising and display ads.

Similar views were voiced by Subramanyam: �A proactive approach on the part of the railway authorities to recognise kiosks as a utility vehicle would go a long way in popularising the concept.�

Future of kiosks in India
Though rapid growth in the kiosk market will primarily be driven by the banking sector, other sectors like retail and tourism are likely to adopt a more gradual approach. But in any case, the concept of kiosks is all set to go the ATM way�explosive growth in numbers and usage.

Case Study: Sweet gains for sugarcane farmers
Warana Nagar, situated about 35 kms from Kolhapur (Maharashtra), has prospered by virtue of the co-operative sugarcane factory in the region. The Warana Co-operative Society carried out a project of deploying 54 village information kiosks that have successfully streamlined the production process of sugarcane there. The project has helped farmers save time and money spent on administrative transactions. The co-operative society pays farmers for their crops in four instalments, which are credited directly to their bank accounts. The farmers visit the kiosks to obtain the payment slips and determine the status of their bank accounts. In addition, farmers can purchase fertiliser at depots located next to the kiosks, paying cash or on credit. If they buy using credit, they get a receipt for their purchase at the kiosk. Money spent on transport of the crop to the sugar factory and the harvesters� bill is also entered in the system. This project is said to have brought savings of about $750,000 (Rs 3.6 crore) to the co-operative. The estimated cost of the project was $600,000 (Rs 2.88 crore).
High-tech kiosks in high-tech lands
Touchscreen kiosks are a common sight abroad. In fact, the absence of a kiosk in important public places is an inconvenience of sorts out there. Retail chains and banks widely use kiosks not only for customer convenience but also to conduct important market surveys. The world�s leading financial centres like Wall Street and London Stock Exchange also use touchscreen systems. In Australia, some restaurants take orders via unmanned multimedia kiosks. Hospitals too are replacing conventional systems in emergency rooms and operating theatres with touchscreen systems. Kodak has deployed digital picture kiosks branded as �Kodak Picture Maker� at various points. With a touchscreen user interface it is a consumer access point for printing and accessing digital images, as well as creating copies of photographic prints and also for digital camera users who want to be more creative with their pictures. Kodak has placed more than 35,000 Picture Maker kiosks worldwide, with over 22,000 in the United States and Canada and 6,000 in Europe, Africa and the Middle East region.

Posted by keefner at 10:17 AM | Comments (0)

October 22, 2003

Prospector launched

=”http://www.kiosknews.org/history/article10.htm” MicroTouch to offer browser for public Web stations Prospector Web browser licensed from Spyglass

Publication Date: February 19, 1996

Posted by keefner at 05:04 PM | Comments (0)

April 1996 kiosk software announcements

=”http://www.kiosknews.org/history/Google%201996%20Netscape%20in%20Kiosk%20mode.htm” Usenet messages re. Netscape in Kiosk mode

W3 Conference Papers

=”http://www.kiosknews.org/history/Kiosks%20at%20The%201994-5%20World%20Wide%20Web%20Conferences.pdf” W3 Conference Papers

A Collection of Papers from the early W3 Conferences about Internet Kiosks.

A Masked Internet Kiosk July 1995

=”http://www.kiosknews.org/history/Applied%20Informatics%20July%201995.htm” Applied Informatics: July 1995

Applied Informatics is the original page with further links.

Posted by keefner at 04:20 PM | Comments (0)

Kiosk mode in Mosaic ’95

a document that shows that kiosk mode was built in to the Mosaic.

Dated 9 July 1995
NCSA Mosaic Command-Line Flags

NCSA Mosaic Command-Line Flags
Herein are detailed the available NCSA Mosaic command-line flags.

-color
Tells NCSA Mosaic to use color for its user interface; this is the default behavior.
-dil
Turns on delayed image loading. This is equivalent to setting the delayImageLoads X resource.
-ghbnie
This tells Mosaic not to use the gethostbyname() call to find out what the current machine’s full hostname is; if you’re running on a Sun that coredumps when Mosaic tries to do this on program startup, you can either use this command-line flag or just set resource gethostbynameIsEvil to true.
-home document
Specifies the document URL to access on program startup. See also information on specifying your home document.
-ics integer
Sets the maximum image cache size in kilobytes. Default is 2048. Using this command-line flag is equivalent to setting the imageCacheSize resource.
-kiosk
Tells Mosaic to remove the menubar and all control bar options for back, forward, home, and close
-kioskNoExit
Tells Mosaic, when in kiosk mode, to remove the close button. When this is used, the user has no way to exit Mosaic (without a window manager or a keyboard.)
-mono
Tells NCSA Mosaic to use monochrome colors for its user interface. With version 2.2 and up, monochrome displays should automatically be detected, and the -mono flag should not be necessary. Mosaic can also be forced to work in monochrome mode by compiling with the -DMONO_DEFAULT Makefile flag enabled.
-ngh
Tells NCSA Mosaic not to read or write the global history file that keeps track of where you’ve been in previous sessions.
-tmpdir directory
Specifics the directory to be used to store temporary files generated by Mosaic. This directory should have plenty of space, ideally at least 10 or 20 megabytes, in case you happen to pull down a very large data file. Using this flag is equivalent to setting the resource tmpDirectory or setting the environment variable TMPDIR.
Back to top level Documentation Index

Posted by keefner at 04:14 PM | Comments (0)

Los Alamos 1995 paper

Kiosks: A Technological Overview
LA-UR-95-1672

Gerald Morris, Torrin Sanders, Anne Gilman, Stephen J. Adelson, and Sean Smith

CIC-3
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos, NM 87545
January 10, 1995
Kiosks: A Technological Overview
LA-UR-95-1672

 

Gerald Morris, Torrin Sanders, Anne Gilman, Stephen J. Adelson, and Sean Smith
CIC-3
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos, NM 87545

 

January 10, 1995

Posted by keefner at 04:07 PM | Comments (0)

History of the ATM – Circa 2003

ATM Industry History | ATM Marketplace Research

BY Tom Harper 13 Aug 2003

There has been much debate about the history of the ATM, and who the inventor was. An article in the Summer 2000 issue of Invention & Technology magazine did an excellent investigative report which inspired the following timeline.

1960 � ATM predecessor installed � In 1960 New York’s First National City Bank (now CitiBank) installed a Bankograph in several branch lobbies. The concept of this machine was for customers to pay utility bills and get a receipt without a teller.

1967 � First Cash Dispenser installation � In 1967 a Barclays Bank branch near London debuted the first cash dispenser, made by De La Rue Instruments. It used paper vouchers bought from tellers in advance.

The machine was called the De La Rue Automatic Cash System, or DACS. According to Mike Lee�s 2002 interview with the inventor, John Shepherd-Barron, the paper vouchers were actually checks impregnated with Carbon 14.

1968 � Card-eating machine � In 1968 Barclays and a few other banks introduced a machine that encoded cash on plastic cards purchased from a teller. The problem was the machine always ate the card and you had to buy another one if you wanted another transaction.

Diebold’s early ATM, called a TABS machine.

1969 � First use of ATM magstripe cards � In 1969 Docutel installed its Docuteller machine at New York’s Chemical Bank � This is the first use of magnetically encoded plastic.

Chemical Bank’s ad campaign said: “On September 3, 1969, our branch will open its doors at 9:00 a.m. and we’ll never close again!”

Of course other manufacturers got into the game, but Docutel was the first to apply for a patent and is therefore credited by the Smithsonian Musuem as inventor of the ATM, even though to us in the industry we see it primarily as the first modern magstripe machine.

Donald C. Wetzel is given credit for developing the machine for Docutel.

Docutel met initial resistance, though, from bankers � their first concern was that the annual cost was higher than the cost of a human teller by about $8,000. And secondly, they thought customers would probably be afraid to let a machine handle their money.

1971 � First true bank ATMs � In 1971 Docutel introduced its Total Teller, the first true full-function bank ATM.

About the same time, Diebold installed its first TABS machine at a bank branch in the U.S., and Fujitsu installed one in Japan.

1973 � Proliferation begins � By 1973, 2,000 ATMs � most from Docutel and Diebold � operated in the U.S. They sold for about $30K each.

1974 – On-line ATMs introduced � The newly connected machines soon led to the modern-day networks we�re all familiar with.

Posted by keefner at 03:58 PM | Comments (0)

from Kiosks.org

History of kiosks from Kiosks.org

2001

May : NCR announces 400 Federated units
May : White Paper — What HR and IT Need to Know about Workscape HR Self Service Software Solutions
May : Compaq & Starbucks — Announce Wireless .NET implementation
Apr : Members of Kiosks.Org meet for first time in Orlando
Apr : Degasoft announces move to UK from Iceland
Mar : Successful Travel Center project with Apunix
Mar : Netkey Receives More Investments, announces partnership with NCR
Mar : Elo TouchSystems Begins Online Ordering
Mar : MicroTouch Re-Entering Kiosk Market
Jan : Staple to Roll Out Internet Access Points to 954 Stores
Jan : NetKey Wins Frost & Sullivan Award
Jan : Kioskmarketplace.com Launched

2000

Data — FROST & SULLIVAN: Interactive kiosks to fuel self-service revolution
Accessability – W3C Guidelines
Nov : Kiosk Business begins publication of magazine
Nov : Kiosks.Org LLC sells Kiosks.Org to NetWorld Alliance.
Aug : Research Report — Kiosk Technologies and Strategy (IDC by Thomas Murphy, Frances D. Mendelsohn)
Oct : Kiosks.Org launches Clicks and Mortar
Jun : My old company, Gift Certificate Company, bought by Hallmark in June 2000.
Return to top
1999

Oct : Kiosk Magazine begins publication
Aug Facts and Figures – updated spreadsheet of forecasts and figure (+chart) – xls
Usability — Do kids figure out how to use kiosks? — NIIT 1999
Jul : Data — Interactive Market (F&S)
Apr : Research Opinion – FROST & SULLIVAN: INTERACTIVE KIOSK COMPONENTS SET TO MAKE HEADWAY
Feb : Protest doc solication regarding Mettke patent
TouchStation, the Touch-Enabled Apple iMac, is Launched by MicroTouch
MicroTouch Opens First Internet Based E-Commerce Site for Touch Products

1998
Internet Kiosks – 1993: 5100 kiosks, 1996: 39,200, 1997 estimate: 64,700, 2003 estimate: 445,000 from Frost & Sullivan
In 1996, the U.S. interactive kiosk market grew to $369.7 million. And the market is expected to grow to $2.94 billion in 2003, with a compound annual growth rate of 35 percent over the forecast period. said Robert Chomentowski, a market analyst with Frost & Sullivan.
Prospector 4.0 for Touch-enabled Web Access Released by MicroTouch
US Market for Interactive Kiosks — 120 pages
1997
Dec : HP and North sued by Alabama inventor
Nov : Glitsos statement at first Kioskcom in New York
Nov : Newsletter from Kevin O’Keefe with Daw Systems
Sep : WebPoint installing kiosks in Australia
Jun : Netshift 1.44 released (now supports IE)
Jun : Research — Kiosk Market Growth Booms
Jun : Research — The New Vending Machine
Feb : Coinstars estimated gross from 1500 machines this year is $29M. forbes 2/10
Annual interactive kiosk sales are forecast to rise from $678 million this year to $3.33 billion by 2001. Probe Research.
Feb : Network Computing via Individual Inc. : More banks will offer Internet banking services this year, according to a Datapro study. About 36 percent of the respondents say they’ll have Internet- based banking this year, up from 7 percent in a similar survey last year. 1997 Feb.
Jan : Union Bank of California interactive banking kiosk
1996
Running in Kiosk Mode — comes up on comp.infosystems.kiosks
Internet phones catch the attention of US telecommunication companies who ask the US Congress to ban the technology (which has been around for years)
April 4: I am working part-time for Northwest Airlines on initial website. I am also working part-time for Irwin Jacobs and “Worlds Greatest Deals”, website auctioning surplus merchandise. GCC code/project bought by Target.
1996 Newsgroup postings
1995
Study — Jan. 1995 report by Los Alamos on internet kiosks
Sun launches JAVA on May 23.
Newsgroup archives
Patient Kiosk at Columbia University
1994
Elographics changes name to Elo TouchSystems
Netscape developed and refined a new way to distribute software when it made the first copies of Netscape Navigator client software available for download over the Internet.
Yes, it’s true – you can now order pizza from Pizza Hut online
First Virtual, the first cyberbank, open up for business
The first banner ads appear on hotwired.com in October. They were for Zima (a beverage) and AT&T.
Francie Mendelsohn and Summit Research are founded.
1993
KIS (Kiosk Information Systems) in Colorado is founded. Over next 7 years over 500 applications delivered.
InterNIC created by NSF to provide specific Internet services.
US White House comes on-line (http://www.whitehouse.gov/
Mark Andreesen of National Center for SuperComputing Applications, Illinois (NCSA) launched Mosaic X. It was the first easy to install, easy to use browser and, significantly, was backed by 24-hour customer support. It also enormously improved the graphic capabilities (by using ‘in-line imaging’ instead of separate boxes) and installed many of the features that are familiar through browsers such as Netscape�s Navigator (which is the successor company established by Andreesen to exploit Mosaic) and Microsoft�s Internet Explorer. In December 1993 there were 623 web sites worldwide.
1992
The term “surfing the Internet” is coined by Jean Armour Polly
1991
Gopher released by Paul Lindner and Mark P. McCahill from the Univ of Minnesota World-Wide Web (WWW) released by CERN; Tim Berners-Lee developer
First Kiosk displayed as product at Comdex. Missing children application.
1990
The first remotely operated machine to be hooked up to the Internet, the Internet Toaster by John Romkey, (controlled via SNMP) makes its debut at Interop. pictures
Tim Berners-Lee of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in consultation with CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research based in Switzerland, wrote the first GUI browser, and called it �WorldWideWeb� with Robert Cailliau. It ran on the NeXT computer. Tim is widely regarded as being the inventor of the World Wide Web, �WWW� or �web� for short.

1989

  • NeoProducts n Australia founded by Mike Smith

Windows 3.0 Debuts
July: Windows 3.0B shown at PC Expo. Craig is at Northgate booth showing 3.0B with beta video driver from VideoLogic with multiple windows of Top Gun. He watches Top Gun 106 times over next 3 days.

Cuckoo’s Egg by Clifford Stoll tells the real-life tale of a German cracker group who infiltrated numerous US facilities

1988
First Windows touchscreen driver by MicroTouch (Windows 2.11?)

Craig is working for Western Geophysical and Windows is being used for acoustic signature analysis onboard seismic vessels. 386s are being used for onsite data analysis.

1987
Two new technologies were purchased by Elo. The surface acoustic wave product, named IntelliTouch, was purchased from Zenith. Early in 1988, a production facility was established in California to manufacture and sell this product. The other technology was purchased from Kennedy Technology. This product was a four-wire resistive technology and was subsequently named DuraTouch. This product line has since been phased out.
Francie wins car on gameshow and tries to trade it in for money. Ends up with sapphire blue MX-6.

1986
Factura is founded (enclosures). Next 12 years over 45,000 enclosures to be delivered.
Elo is acquired by Raychem
First Mac touchscreen introduced by MicroTouch

1985
Intel delivers the 386
MicroTouch introduces capacitive touchscreen

1984
Domain Name System (DNS) introduced
First touch monitor from MicroTouch

1983
Lexitech (later became Netkey) was founded in the basement of the Yale School of Management

1982

MicroTouch is founded.
The term ‘Internet’ is used for the first time.
Elographics displayed 33 televisions covered with the new transparent touch-sensitive panels in the US Pavilion at the 1982 World�s Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee. For many people this was the first opportunity to see or use a touchscreen!
September 19th : the first use of the emoticon 🙂 known as Smiley appears on Carnegie Mellon BBS

1981   

  • Minitel (Teletel) is deployed across France by France Telecom.
  • 1979    Intel delivers the 8088 (BM chooses it)
  • 1978   Intel delivers the 8086
  • Craig is working in Venezuela with VAX 11/780s and DCL/Fortran
  • 1977
    Elo hires a full time president, Bill Gibson, was hired. Bill was excellent at getting start-up companies going. Those of us who worked with Bill remember his motto of wood is good. From then on things seemed to look up for the company. Soon after Bill Gibson joined Elographics, Siemens Corporation came to us and offered to back Elo in the development of a curved glass sensor, which later was called a touchscreen, as it was activated by touch.
  • 1976
  • Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom sends out an email on 26 March from the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment (RSRE) in Malvern
  • 1973
  • Craig graduates from high school.
  • 1972
  • Intel delivers the 8008
  • 1971
  • Elographics, Inc. was founded by ten stockholders in March, 1971, to produce Graphical Data Digitizers for use in research and industrial applications, with the principal being Dr. Sam Hurst. He was on leave from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to teach at the University of Kentucky for two years, where he was faced with a need to read a huge stack of strip chart data. It would have taken two graduate students approximately two months to do the task. He started thinking of a way to read the charts, and during the process, the �Elograph� (electronic graphics) coordinate measuring system and Elographics the company were born. The University of Kentucky Research Foundation applied for and was granted a patent on the Elograph. The Foundation granted an exclusive license to Elographics.
  • 1966
  • Marshall McLuhan writes, “Xerography is bringing a reign of terror into the world of publishing..”
  • Copyrights are now a concern.
  • 1961
  • Frost and Sullivan is founded.

1960

  • Xerox (was Haloid) ships the 914 Copier. Sold for $29,000 and weighed 648 pounds. They leased it for $95/month with first 2000 copies free then a nickel a copy.
  • Pay per click is born…

1939

Haloid gets patent on xerography

1955

Seeburg and Emerson release their “telejuke” which is sold to bars and includes a TV and a jukebox in a single enclosure. Click here for info [Thanks to Billy Giaimo of Wireless e-business Solutions]

What a strange trip it has been…

1912

Before TV meteorologists, there were weather kiosks. This may be the last one in the United States. INSTALLED IN MAY OF 1912, the Knoxville Weather Kiosk is a fascinating relic of weather forecasting history. It was one of several weather kiosks across the country, designed in 1908 by Professor Charles F. Marvin of the Weather Bureau’s Instrument Division. The kiosks stood seven feet tall and four feet square, with 30-inch panels on each side that held weather maps, forecast information, and instruments for measuring temperature, humidity,

Top Places in Knoxville
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INSTALLED IN MAY OF 1912, the Knoxville Weather Kiosk is a fascinating relic of weather forecasting history. It was one of several weather kiosks across the country, designed in 1908 by Professor Charles F. Marvin of the Weather Bureau’s Instrument Division. The kiosks stood seven feet tall and four feet square, with 30-inch panels on each side that held weather maps, forecast information, and instruments for measuring temperature, humidity,

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