Patent ID: 7861924

Claim:
Apparatus comprising: at least one remote computer, wherein the at least one remote computer is operative to communicate with a self-service automated banking machine including each of a card reader operative to read card data corresponding to a financial account from a user card, a cash dispenser selectively operative to cause currency notes stored in the machine to be physically dispensed from the machine, and at least one machine computer; at least one data store, wherein the at least one data store is in operative connection with the at least one remote computer; wherein the at least one data store includes data linking the financial account and contact information for a cell phone, wherein the at least one remote computer includes at least one program configured to sequentially cause, during a cash withdrawal transaction which is independent of location of the cell phone throughout the transaction at the machine, each of: the at least one remote computer to receive from the machine, data corresponding to the card data read by the card reader, and data indicative of a cash withdrawal request at the machine, the at least one remote computer to obtain data corresponding to the contact information for the cell phone from the at least one data store, responsive at least in part to the data received from the machine, at least one inquiry message requesting whether the transaction should be allowed to proceed at the machine, to be sent to the cell phone, responsive at least in part to obtaining the data corresponding to the contact information, the at least one remote computer to receive at least one reply message corresponding to data manually-inputted during the transaction to the cell phone by a holder of the cell phone, wherein the at least one reply message corresponds to a grant of permission for the transaction to proceed, and the at least one remote computer to send at least one machine message to the machine during the transaction responsive to receiving the at least one reply message, wherein the at least one machine message allows the machine to operate in a manner that enables the cash dispenser to physically dispense currency notes corresponding to the cash withdrawal request.