Patent Publication Number: US-2011062231-A1

Title: Automatic teller apparatus and ticket order processing method thereof

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates to an automatic teller apparatus and, in particular, to an automatic teller apparatus with ticket ordering function and a ticket order processing method thereof. 
     2. Related Art 
     It is quite normal to buy a ticket in advance for many activities such as joining an entertainment activity or taking a train. The ticket for sale can be a ball game ticket, a movie ticket or a train ticket. 
     In the old days, the buyer has to go to the booking office, and then purchases the tickets from the booking clerk. For example, the train tickets are sold at the booking office in the train station, the movie tickets are sold at the booking office in the theater, and the performance tickets are sold at the booking office in the performance theater. The buyer must tell the booking clerk what kind ticket is needed and pay the money for the ticket, and then he/she can retrieve the ticket. However, the conventional way for selling ticket by booking clerk is very slow, so that the buyers have to stand in the line and wait for a long time for buying the tickets. 
     In order to improve the efficiency for buying or ordering tickets, the automatic ticket issuing machines are installed at the above-mentioned places for the users. However, no matter the tickets are sold in the booking offices or automatic ticket issuing machines, the users must go to the train station, movie theater or performance theater to buy and get the tickets. This is really causing inconvenience of the users. 
     Recently, the vendors have tried to sell the tickets through Internet, so that the users can order and buy the tickets from their websites. However, to buy the tickets through Internet, the users usually pay the money by credit card or transferring accounts on line, which are not really secure because the credit card or personal information may be stolen. Moreover, the tickets bought through Internet can not be sent to the consumers immediately. Normally, the consumers have to go to the designated place to get the tickets or wait for the mailed tickets, which both cause inconvenience of the users. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing, the present invention is to provide an automatic teller apparatus, which can sell electronic tickets, and a ticket order processing method thereof. 
     To achieve the above, the present invention discloses a ticket order processing method used in an automatic teller apparatus, which includes an identifying process, an ordering process and a communicating process. The identifying process identifies a user according to a financial identification element. The ordering process provides one or more ticket-ordering interfaces for the user so as to create electronic ticket information, provides an input interface for the user to input electronic communication data, and deducts money from an account corresponding to the financial identification element. The communicating process transmits the electronic ticket information and the electronic communication data to an external server. 
     In addition, the present invention also discloses an automatic teller apparatus, which includes an identification module, an ordering module and a communicating module. The identification module identifies a user according to a financial identification element. The ordering module provides one or more ticket-ordering interfaces for the user to create electronic ticket information, provides an input interface for the user to input electronic communication data, and deducts money from an account corresponding to the financial identification element. The communicating module transmits the electronic ticket information and the electronic communication data to an external server. 
     In an aspect of the present invention, the external server creates an electronic ticket according to the electronic ticket information and then transmits the electronic ticket to a portable electronic device according to the electronic communication data. 
     In an aspect of the present invention, the electronic communication data designates where the electronic ticket should be transmit to. For example, the electronic communication data can be a phone number of a portable communication device, so that the electronic ticket will be transmitted to the portable communication device corresponding to the phone number. Alternatively, the electronic communication data can be an email address, so that the electronic ticket will be transmitted to the email box corresponding to the email address. 
     In an aspect of the present invention, the electronic ticket is a traffic ticket or an entertainment ticket. 
     In an aspect of the present invention, the electronic ticket includes an electronic pattern. For example, the electronic ticket may include a two-dimensional bar code generated according to the electronic ticket information. 
     In an aspect of the present invention, the electronic ticket information includes ticket type data and price data, which includes the price for buying the ticket, and the ordering process/module deducts money from the account corresponding to the financial identification element according to the price data. 
     In an aspect of the present invention, the ordering process/module further transfers the money, which is deducted from the account corresponding to the financial identification element, to a receiving account. 
     The ticket type data includes a location column, a name column, a time column, an origin-destination column, a seat column, a vehicle type column, or their combinations. 
     In an aspect of the present invention, the ordering process/module checks whether the account corresponding to the financial identification element has enough money or not. 
     In the system including the automatic teller apparatus and the external server, the automatic teller apparatus provides the mechanisms for ordering the ticket and paying for it, and the external server responses for transmitting the electronic ticket to the destination designated by the electronic communication data. 
     As mentioned above, the present invention utilizes the automatic teller apparatuses, which are available everywhere, to solve the inconvenience for the user to buy various kind of tickets. In addition, since the ticket order is performed through the automatic teller apparatuses, the personal information may not be stolen, and the money for the ticket can be directly deducted from the account corresponding to the financial identification element. This further enhances the convenience for the user to order the tickets through automatic teller apparatuses. Moreover, according to the present invention, the user may input electronic communication data, such as his/her mobile phone number or email address, so that the electronic ticket can be transmitted to the mobile phone or email box of the user. Then, the user can use the received electronic ticket directly, thereby greatly enhancing the convenience of ordering tickets. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and accompanying drawings, which are given for illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram showing a system structure of an automatic teller apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 2A and 2B  are schematic diagrams showing another system structure of the automatic teller apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a flow chart showing a ticket order processing method used in the automatic teller apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 4A and 4B  are flow charts showing different aspects of the ticket order processing method used in the automatic teller apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a flow chart showing the implementation of the ticket order processing method used in the automatic teller apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 6A and 6E  are schematic views of the screens displayed on the automatic teller apparatus in different steps; 
         FIG. 7  is a flow chart showing the implementation of the ticket order processing method used in the automatic teller apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a block diagram showing the automatic teller apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 9  is a block diagram showing another automatic teller apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same references relate to the same elements. 
     With reference to  FIG. 1 , an automatic teller apparatus  1  is linked to a bank server  2  and an external server  3 . After the automatic teller apparatus  1  identifies a user through a financial identification element F, the user is authorized to operate the automatic teller apparatus  1  to, for example, withdraw money, transfer money, pay fees, or enquire the balance of the account. The automatic teller apparatus  1  and the bank server  2  belong to the same bank, so that the automatic teller apparatus  1  can check, through the bank server  2 , whether the account of the user is enough for the withdrawal, transfer, payment, or deduction. 
     In the embodiment, the automatic teller apparatus  1  can not only provide the general financial services, but also offer the service for ordering electronic tickets. In more details, the user can operate the automatic teller apparatus  1  to select the ticket, pay the money for it, and input electronic communication data D 2  for receiving the electronic ticket. The automatic teller apparatus  1  can create electronic ticket information D 1  accordingly, and then transmit the electronic ticket information D 1  and the electronic communication data D 2  to the external server  3 . After that, the external server  3  can transmit the electronic ticket to a portable electronic device C corresponding to the electronic communication data D 2 . In this case, the user can select the ticket and pay the money for it through the automatic teller apparatus  1 , and then receive the electronic ticket through his/her portable electronic device C such as a mobile phone or a digital computing device with the Internet communication function. 
     For example, the automatic teller apparatus  1  can be an automatic teller machine (ATM) or an automatic deposit machine (ADM), and the financial identification element F can be an ATM card, a debit card or a credit card 
     The ticket can be paid through the bank server  2  to deduct the account corresponding to the financial identification element F. For example, the financial identification element F can be issued by the bank, who owns the automatic teller apparatus  1 , so that the bank server  2  can deduct money from the account corresponding to the financial identification element F and then transfer the money to the receiving account. If the financial identification element F is issued by another bank, the bank server  2  must request that bank to deduct money from the account corresponding to the financial identification element F and then transfer the money to the receiving account. 
     The electronic communication data D 2  can be a mobile phone number or an e-mail address. If the electronic communication data D 2  is a mobile phone number, the external server  3  can transmit the electronic ticket to the mobile phone corresponding to the phone number through the MMS (multi-media Message Service) of the telecommunication system. If the electronic communication data D 2  is an e-mail address, the external server  3  can transmit the electronic ticket to the email box corresponding to the email address through Internet. In this case, the user may operate any digital computing device with Internet communication function to retrieve the electronic ticket from the email box. 
     The electronic ticket may include an electronic pattern, which is generated according to the electronic ticket information D 1 . For example, the electronic pattern may include a two-dimensional bar code S, such as a QR-code (Quick Response code) as shown in  FIG. 1 . The display of the portable electronic device C such as a mobile phone shows the two-dimensional bar code S. 
     The two-dimensional bar code is a black-and-white pattern, and is composed of dots and bars. In general, the two-dimensional bar code may contain the word, picture and sound information, so that it is superior to the traditional one-dimensional bar code and has the advantages of large capacity, high reliability and improved security. 
     In addition, the electronic ticket can be an electronic text ticket, which contains text information. Of course, the electronic ticket may contain both the pattern information and text information. 
     The external server  3  is linked to the servers of the service suppliers, such as a movie theater  4 , a performance theater  5 , a traffic station  6 , an exhibition center (not shown) and etc. In the embodiment, the performance theater  5  is, for example, an opera theater or a music theater, and the traffic station  6  is, for example, a train station or a bus station. The tickets sold through the automatic teller apparatus  1  are provided by the external server  3 . 
     The electronic ticket can be, for example, a traffic ticket (e.g. the train or bus ticket) or an entertainment ticket (e.g. the movie, opera, ball game or exhibition ticket). The user can use the electronic ticket to take train or bus, or to enter the movie or opera theater. 
     As mentioned above, since the automatic teller apparatuses  1  are available in many places, the users can operate them to conveniently order various kinds of tickets. In addition, since the ticket order is performed through the automatic teller apparatuses  1 , the personal information may not be stolen, and the money for the ticket can be directly deducted from the account corresponding to the financial identification element F. This further enhances the convenience for the user to order the tickets. Moreover, the user may input electronic communication data, such as his/her mobile phone number or email address, so that the electronic ticket can be transmitted to the mobile phone or email box. Then, the user can use the received electronic ticket, thereby greatly enhancing the convenience of ordering tickets. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2A , since the bank usually has many automatic teller apparatuses, for the sake of reducing hardware cost, the automatic teller apparatus  1   a  is connected to the external server  3  through the bank server  2 . Thus, the automatic teller apparatus  1   a  can transmit the electronic ticket information D 1  and the electronic communication data D 2  to the external server  3  through the bank server  2 . The provided services and processing flows of the automatic teller apparatus  1   a  are similar to those of the automatic teller apparatus  1 , so the detailed description thereof will be omitted. 
     In addition, as shown in  FIG. 2B , the automatic teller apparatus  1   b  is linked to the external server  3  through the bank server  2 , so that the bank server  2  is directly linked to the external server  3  such as a movie theater  4 , a performance theater  5 , a traffic station  6 , an exhibition center (not shown) and etc, which need ticket for entering permission. Then, the automatic teller apparatus  1   b  transmits the electronic ticket information D 1  and the electronic communication data D 2  to the external server  3  through the bank server  2 . The contents of the available tickets, which can be sold through the automatic teller apparatus  1   b , are provided by the bank server  2 . The services and processing steps provided by the automatic teller apparatus  1   b  are similar to those of the above-mentioned automatic teller apparatus  1 , so the detailed description thereof will be omitted. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , a ticket order processing method, which can be used in the above-mentioned or following automatic teller apparatus, includes an identifying process P 01 , an ordering process P 02  and a communicating process P 03 . 
     The identifying process P 01  identifies a user according to a financial identification element F. In more details, the automatic teller apparatus reads the financial identification element F to retrieve the account information through the bank server  2  so as to identify the user. The financial identification element F can be an ATM card, a debit card or a credit card, so that it can be used not only to identify the user but also to purchase the ticket order. 
     The ordering process P 02  provides one or more ticket-ordering interfaces for the user so as to create electronic ticket information, provides an input interface for the user to input electronic communication data, and deducts money from an account corresponding to the financial identification element. 
     The ticket-ordering interface or the input interface can be displayed on a display module of the automatic teller apparatus. The user may operate an input module of the automatic teller apparatus, such as a key pad or touch panel, to select the desired ticket or input the electronic communication data. 
     The electronic ticket information D 1  includes, for example, ticket type data and price data, so that the ordering process deducts money from the account corresponding to the financial identification element F according to the price data. In other words, the price data varies depending on the ticket type data, and the ordering process can deduct the money, which is the same as the price in the price data, from the account corresponding to the financial identification element F. Of course, if the financial identification element F is a credit card, the ordering process can deduct the money from the available credit of the credit card according to the price data. The deducted money will be transmitted to a receiving account later. 
     The ticket type data may include a location column, a name column, a time column, an origin-destination column, a seat column, a vehicle type column, or their combinations. 
     The communicating process P 03  transmits the electronic ticket information and the electronic communication data to an external server. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 4A and 4B , the ordering process P 02  includes steps S 021  to  5023 , and the order of the steps  5021  to S 023  can be changed. As shown in  FIG. 4A , the step S 021  is to provide one or more ticket-ordering interfaces for the user, so that the electronic ticket information can be created after the user operates the ticket-ordering interface. Then, the step S 022  is to provide an input interface for the user to input electronic communication data. After that, the step  5023  is to deduct money from an account corresponding to the financial identification element, and the deducted money is transmitted to a receiving account later. 
     Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 4B , the ordering process P 02  includes the step  5022 , the step  5021  and the step S 023  in order. In addition, the ordering process P 02  may include the step  5021 , the step  5023  and the step S 022  in order. Of course, other orders of the steps S 021  to S 023  are also possible. 
     In addition, the ordering process P 02  may further include a balance checking step for checking whether the account corresponding to the financial identification element contains enough money for the deduction. For example, the balance checking step may be performed before the step S 023  and after the step S 021 . 
     According to the above-mentioned steps, the use can order the ticket through the automatic teller apparatus, so it becomes more convenient for the user to buy the ticket because the automatic teller apparatuses are available at many places. The more detailed implementation will be described in the following embodiments. 
     The following descriptions are several examples to implement the ticket order processing method used in the automatic teller apparatus to order different tickets. 
     With reference to  FIG. 5 , the ticket order processing method includes an identifying process P 11 , an ordering process P 12  and a communicating process P 13 , and the following example is to order a movie ticket. 
     The identifying process P 11  includes steps S 101  to S 103 . The step S 101  is to instruct the user to insert his/her ATM card, and then the user follows the instruction and inserts the ATM card into the automatic teller apparatus. 
     The step S 102  is to instruct the user to enter the password, and then the user operates the key pad or touch panel of the automatic teller apparatus to enter the password of the ATM card. 
     The step S 103  is to determine whether the entered password is correct or not. If it is incorrect, the step S 118  is performed; otherwise, if it is correct, the step S 104  is performed. 
     In the above steps S 101  to S 103 , the financial identification element is an ATM card for example. Of course, the financial identification element can also be different cards such as a credit card or a RF ID card. 
     The ordering process P 12  includes steps S 104  to S 115 . 
     The step S 104  is to prompt the user to select one of the service items as shown in  FIG. 6A . The display module of the automatic teller apparatus shows the available service items such as ticket order, bill payment, transfer, balance enquiry, fast withdraw, withdraw, etc. Accordingly, the user can operate the input interface of the automatic teller apparatus to select the needed service item. 
     The following description illustrates the case that the user selects the ticket order item to order a movie ticket, and the examples for selecting other service items are not discussed hereinbelow. 
     The step S 105  is to prompt the user to select one of the ticket classifications of the available tickets as shown in  FIG. 6B . The display module of the automatic teller apparatus shows the ticket classifications, which includes “Traffic Ticket”, “Entertainment Ticket”, etc. In this case, since the user wants to order a movie ticket, he/she selects the “Entertainment Ticket” item through the input module. 
     The step S 106  is to prompt the user to select one of the entertainment classifications as shown in  FIG. 6C . The display module of the automatic teller apparatus shows the available entertainment classifications, which includes “Movie Ticket”, “Show Ticket”, “Ball Game Ticket”, “Exhibition Ticket”, etc. In this case, the user selects the “Movie Ticket” item through the input module. 
     The step S 107  is to prompt the user to select one of the movie theaters. The display module of the automatic teller apparatus shows the name of at least one movie theater, and the user selects the desired movie theater through the input module. 
     The step S 108  is to prompt the user to select one of the played movies. In this case, the display module of the automatic teller apparatus shows the name of at least one movie, and the user selects the desired movie through the input module. 
     The step S 109  is to prompt the user to select the starting time of the selected movie. In this case, the display module of the automatic teller apparatus shows the starting time of the selected movie on the movie schedule, and the user selects the suitable starting time of the movie through the input module. 
     The step S 110  is to prompt the user to select one of the seats. In this case, the display module of the automatic teller apparatus shows the seat chart, and the user selects the suitable seats through the input module. 
     The step S 111  is to prompt the user to confirm whether the order information is correct or not. In this case, the display module of the automatic teller apparatus displays all selected or inputted information in the steps S 107  to S 110 . If the user clicks the “Confirm” button, the step S 112  is then performed; otherwise, if the user clicks the “Change” button, then the user is asked to indicate which information is incorrect and to correct the information through the corresponding steps S 107  to S 110 . 
     The step S 112  is to create the electronic ticket information, which includes the ticket type data and the price data, according to the confirmed information in the step S 111 . For example, the ticket type data are established according to the selected items or inputted data in the steps S 107  to S 110 , and the price data are established according to the price for the ordered ticket(s). 
     The step S 113  is to check whether the account corresponding to the ATM card has enough money or not. If yes, the step S 114  is then performed; otherwise, if no, the step S 118  is then performed. 
     The step S 114  is to deduct money from the account corresponding to the ATM card according to the price data in the electronic ticket information, and the deducted money will be transferred to a receiving account later. 
     The step S 115  is to prompt the user to enter his/her mobile phone number as shown in  FIG. 6D . In this case, the user can operate the input module to enter his/her mobile phone number. 
     The communicating process P 13  includes the step S 116 . 
     The step S 116  is to transmit the electronic ticket information, which includes the ticket type data and the price data, and the mobile phone number to the external server, so that the external server can transmit the electronic ticket to the mobile phone corresponding to the phone number. 
     The step S 117  is to prompt the user that the transaction is success, and the automatic teller apparatus ejects the ATM card. In this case, the display module of the automatic teller apparatus shows the result of the successful transaction, and the result of the successful transaction can also be printed out. 
     The step S 118  is to prompt the user that the transaction is failed, and the automatic teller apparatus also ejects the ATM card. In this case, the display module of the automatic teller apparatus shows the result of the failed transaction, and the result of the failed transaction can also be printed out. 
     In the present embodiment, the order of the above-mentioned steps can be changed. For example, the step S 107  for selecting the movie theater and the step S 108  for selecting the movie can be combined, the step S 109  for selecting the starting time of the movie and the step S 110  for selecting the seat can be combined, or the step S 108  may prior to the step S 107 . Alternatively, the user may select the desired ticket before inserting the ATM card (step S 101 ). That is, the steps S 104  to S 111  may be performed in advance, and then the steps S 101  to S 103  are performed. 
     With reference to  FIG. 7 , the ticket order processing method includes an identifying process P 21 , an ordering process P 22  and a communicating process P 23 , and the following example is to order a train ticket. 
     The identifying process P 21  includes steps S 201  to S 203 . 
     The step S 201  for instructing the user to insert his/her ATM card and the step S 202  for instructing the user to enter the password are the same as the steps S 101  and S 102  in  FIG. 4 , so the detailed description thereof will be omitted. 
     The step S 203  is to determine whether the entered password is correct or not. If it is incorrect, the step S 218  is performed; otherwise, if it is correct, the step S 204  is performed. 
     The ordering process P 22  includes steps S 204  to S 215 . 
     The step S 204  is to prompt the user to select one of the service items as shown in  FIG. 6A . The display module of the automatic teller apparatus shows the available service items such as ticket order, bill payment, transfer, balance enquiry, fast withdraw, withdraw, etc. Accordingly, the user can operate the input interface of the automatic teller apparatus to select the needed service item. 
     The following description illustrates the case that the user selects the ticket order item to order a train ticket, and the examples for selecting other service items are not discussed hereinbelow. 
     The step S 205  is to prompt the user to select one of the ticket classifications of the available tickets as shown in  FIG. 6B . The display module of the automatic teller apparatus shows the ticket classifications, which includes “Traffic Ticket”, “Entertainment Ticket”, etc. In this case, since the user wants to order a train ticket, he/she selects the “Traffic Ticket” item through the input module. 
     The step S 206  is to prompt the user to select one of the traffic classifications. The display module of the automatic teller apparatus shows the available traffic classifications, which includes “Train Ticket”, “Bus Ticket”, “Cruise Ticket”, etc. In this case, the user selects the “Train Ticket” item through the input module. 
     The step S 207  is to prompt the user to select the departure train station. The display module of the automatic teller apparatus shows the name of at least one train station, and the user selects the desired departure train station through the input module. 
     The step S 208  is to prompt the user to select the destination train station. In this case, the display module of the automatic teller apparatus shows the name of at least one train station, and the user selects the desired destination train station through the input module. 
     The step S 209  is to prompt the user to select the departure time. In this case, the display module of the automatic teller apparatus shows the available train schedule, and the user selects the suitable departure time through the input module. 
     The step S 210  is to prompt the user to select one of the seats. In this case, the display module of the automatic teller apparatus shows the seat chart, and the user selects the suitable seats through the input module. 
     The step S 211  is to prompt the user to confirm whether the order information is correct or not. In this case, the display module of the automatic teller apparatus displays all selected or inputted information in the steps S 207  to  5210 . If the user clicks the “Confirm” button, the step S 212  is then performed; otherwise, if the user clicks the “Change” button, then the user is asked to indicate which information is incorrect and to correct the information through the corresponding steps S 207  to S 210 . 
     The step S 212  is to create the electronic ticket information, which includes the ticket type data and the price data, according to the confirmed information in the step S 211 . For example, the ticket type data are established according to the selected items or inputted data in the steps S 207  to S 210 , and the price data are established according to the price for the ordered ticket(s). 
     The step S 213  is to check whether the account corresponding to the ATM card has enough money or not. If yes, the step S 214  is then performed; otherwise, if no, the step S 218  is then performed. 
     The step S 214  is to deduct money from the account corresponding to the ATM card according to the price data in the electronic ticket information, and the deducted money will be transferred to a receiving account later. 
     The step S 215  is to prompt the user to enter his/her email address as shown in  FIG. 6E . In this case, the user can operate the input module to enter his/her email address. 
     The communicating process P 23  includes the step S 216 . 
     The step S 216  is to transmit the electronic ticket information, which includes the ticket type data and the price data, and the email address to the external server, so that the external server can transmit the electronic ticket to the email box corresponding to the email address. 
     The step S 217  is to prompt the user that the transaction is success, and the automatic teller apparatus ejects the ATM card. In this case, the display module of the automatic teller apparatus shows the result of the successful transaction, and the result of the successful transaction can also be printed out. 
     The step S 218  is to prompt the user that the transaction is failed, and the automatic teller apparatus also ejects the ATM card. In this case, the display module of the automatic teller apparatus shows the result of the failed transaction, and the result of the failed transaction can also be printed out. 
     In the present embodiment, the order of the above-mentioned steps can be changed. For example, the step S 207  for selecting the departure train station and the step S 208  for selecting the destination train station can be combined, the step S 209  for selecting the departure time and the step S 210  for selecting the seat can be combined, or the step S 209  may prior to the step S 208 . Alternatively, the user may select the desired ticket before inserting the ATM card (step S 201 ). That is, the steps S 204  to S 211  may be performed in advance, and then the steps S 201  to S 203  are performed. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , an automatic teller apparatus  1  includes an identification module  11 , an ordering module  12  and a communicating module  13 . 
     The identification module  11  identifies a user according to a financial identification element F. In other words, the identification module  11  reads the financial identification element F to retrieve the account information of the user through the bank server  2  so as to identify the user. 
     The ordering module  12  provides one or more ticket-ordering interfaces for the user to create electronic ticket information D 1 . In addition, the ordering module  12  also provides an input interface for the user to input electronic communication data D 2 . Then, the ordering module  12  further deducts money from an account corresponding to the financial identification element F. 
     The communicating module  13  transmits the electronic ticket information D 1  and the electronic communication data D 2  to an external server  2 . Alternatively, the communication module  13  can transmit the electronic ticket information D 1  and the electronic communication data D 2  to the external server  2  through the bank server  2  as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 9 , the automatic teller apparatus  1  further includes a display module  14  (e.g. a monitor or a touch panel) and an input module  15  (e.g. a key pad). 
     Accordingly, when the user inserts the financial identification element F (e.g. an ATM card) into the automatic teller apparatus  1 , the identifying module  11  can read the financial identification element F to retrieve the account information of the user through the bank server  2  so as to identify the user. Then, when the user selects the ticket order function provided by the automatic teller apparatus  1 , the ordering module  12  can link to the external server  3  and the display module  14  shows a ticket ordering interface, which can be controlled through a touch panel or a key pad. Therefore, the user can follow the instructions to operate the ordering procedures. 
     After the user finishes the ordering procedures, the ordering module  12  can deducts money from an account corresponding to the financial identification element F according to the price data in the electronic ticket information D 1 . Then, the deducted money is transmitted to a receiving account. In addition, the ordering module  12  further provides an input interface for the user to input the electronic communication data D 2 . Then, the communicating module  13  transmits the electronic ticket information D 1  and the electronic communication data D 2  to the external server  3 , so that the external server  3  can transmit the electronic ticket to a portable electronic device, such as a mobile phone, a notebook computer or the desktop computer, corresponding to the electronic communication data D 2 . 
     In the embodiments of  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the identifying module  11  may include a bar code scanner or an RFID reader for identifying the financial identification element F. The ordering module  12  may include a processor and a memory, so that the processor can execute the instructions of the memory and then process the data stored in the memory. The communicating module  13  may include a network communication element for communicating with other apparatuses. 
     Since the automatic teller apparatuses  1  are available everywhere, so that the user can buy various kind of tickets more convenient. In addition, since the ticket order is performed through the automatic teller apparatuses  1 , the personal information may not be stolen, and the money for the ticket can be directly deducted from the account corresponding to the financial identification element F. This further enhances the convenience for the user to order the tickets through the automatic teller apparatuses  1 . Moreover, the user may input electronic communication data D 2 , such as his/her mobile phone number or email address, through the automatic teller apparatuses  1 , so that the electronic ticket can be transmitted to the mobile phone or email box of the user. Then, the user can use the received electronic ticket directly, thereby greatly enhancing the convenience of ordering tickets. 
     Alternatively, the automatic teller apparatus  1  of  FIG. 8  or  9  may be linked to the external server  3  through the bank server  2  as described in  FIGS. 2A and 2B . Thus, the automatic teller apparatus  1  can transmit the electronic ticket information D 1  and the electronic communication data D 2  to the external server  3  through the bank server  2 . In addition, the contents of the available tickets, which can be sold through the automatic teller apparatus  1 , are provided by the external server  3  or the bank server  2 . 
     In summary, the present invention utilizes the automatic teller apparatuses, which are available everywhere, to solve the inconvenience for the user to buy various kind of tickets. In addition, since the ticket order is performed through the automatic teller apparatuses, the personal information may not be stolen, and the money for the ticket can be directly deducted from the account corresponding to the financial identification element. This further enhances the convenience for the user to order the tickets through automatic teller apparatuses. Moreover, according to the present invention, the user may input electronic communication data, such as his/her mobile phone number or email address, so that the electronic ticket can be transmitted to the mobile phone or email box of the user. Then, the user can use the received electronic ticket directly, thereby greatly enhancing the convenience of ordering tickets. 
     Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claims will cover all modifications that fall within the true scope of the invention.