Patent ID: 7191152

Claim:
An automated financial transaction system comprising: a plurality of automated teller machines (ATMs), each of said ATMs performing various financial transactions responsive to operations by customers, said ATMs comprising a first ATM having a message input section to input a message during a remittance financial transaction so that the message is transmitted to a remittance destination after the remittance financial transaction; a management apparatus, communicably connected with each of said ATMs via an exclusive line, managing the financial transactions performed by each said ATM; and a message depository, communicably connected with said first ATM via a public communications network that is separate from the exclusive line, storing the message input by said message input section of said first ATM, said first ATM sending said message to said message depository via said public communications network for storage, said message depository, responsive to the reception of the message, storing the message therein and sending depository information, which indicates a site where the message is stored in said message depository, to said first ATM via said public communications network; said first ATM, responsive to the reception of the depository information, sending remittance information and the associated depository information to said management apparatus via said exclusive line, said management apparatus, responsive to the reception of the remittance information and the associated depository information, storing the remittance information and the associated depository information to manage the message input by said message input section of said first ATM for financial transactions based upon communication with the message depository via the public communications network.