Inventor of cash machine dies at 84 in Scotland

[Tab]

Source: AP

LONDON (AP) -- John Shepherd-Barron, the Scotsman credited with inventing the world's first automatic cash machine, has died after a short illness. He was 84.

...

Shepherd-Barron once said that he came up with the idea of the cash dispensers after being locked out of his bank. He also said that his invention was inspired by chocolate vending machines.

"It struck me there must be a way I could get my own money, anywhere in the world or the U.K.," he said in an interview with the BBC in 2007. "I hit upon the idea of a chocolate bar dispenser, but replacing chocolate with cash."

The first automatic teller machine, now known as ATMs, was installed at a branch of Barclays Plc in a north London suburb on June 27, 1967.

Plastic bank cards had not been invented yet, so Shepherd-Barron's machine used special checks that were chemically coded. Customers placed the checks in a drawer, and after entering a personal identification number, a second drawer would spring open with a 10 pound note.

Shepherd-Barron originally planned to make personal identification numbers six digits long, but cut the number to four after his wife Caroline complained that six was too many.

"Over the kitchen table, she said she could only remember four figures, so because of her, four figures became the world standard," he told the BBC.

Read more: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Inventor-of-cash-machine-dies-apf-809193461.html?x=0&.v=1

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I didn't know they've been around since 1967...

[foxfeet]

1. Did he get a look at his ATM transaction fees?

[Tab]

4. I'm hoping the poor sod got royalties

Although if the invention was in 1967, any patent would have expired, likely, although I don't know how the British patent system works.

[Warpy]

2. I used one in Boston in 1972

It used a plastic card with a raised number and a keyboard for the PIN.

As I recall, it was limited to twenty bucks.

[htuttle]

3. ATM's were called 'TYME' machines in Wisconsin when they first came here

It was a promo name that stood for 'Take Your Money Everywhere', IIRC.

So when you still sometimes hear Wisconsinites say, "Do you know where I can find a TYME machine?" They aren't nuts. Just point them to the nearest ATM.

[hunter]

15. I remember there were two machines in all of Illinois that would take our ATM card.

Both in Chicago. Trouble is we needed cash and we were not in Chicago.

We went into a small town bank, who called our bank, and cashed our check.

No fee, no obligation, they were just being friendly.

[Occulus]

5. Wow, that's interesting

First installed in 1967? Holy crap.

I had no idea they have been around that long.

[customerserviceguy]

9. I remember using one for the first time in 1974

Seattle First National Bank (now absorbed by the Borg, a/k/a Bank of America) tried them out in the University District branches, since they figured that college students at the University of Washington would be most likely to use them.

I was so proud of my "TransAction Card" that I showed it off to my folks when I went home at Christmas. I announced to my father, "Pop, with this, I can get cash anytime I want it!" He replied, "Hey, so can I, I just write a check for over my purchase at the local Safeway."

I came back with, "But, Pop, with this, I can get cash any time of the day or night!" His Ohio farmer wisdom came back with, "Son, anything I need cash to do in the middle of the night, I probably shouldn't ought to be doing."

It's stuck with me all these years...

[JawJaw]

11. Your Father was a very wise man! n/t

[customerserviceguy]

12. Still is!

He and Mom celebrated 58 years of marriage last Monday. She presented him with the estimated number of meals she's cooked in that time, so she's a hoot, too!

[Auggie]

6. Love ATMs. I remember having to plan my Fridays around going to the bank

so I had cash for the weekend.

[mitchum]

7. John, all night drug binges thank you!

[petronius]

8. I hope he died freakin' rich

Also, every 7-11, strip club, and casino on the planet had better send flowers...

Raising a glass :beer: to Mr. Shepherd-Barron!

[JawJaw]

10. 1967

This is a picture of the ATM being used in public for the first time by Reg Varney, who was a big TV comedy actor in the UK at the time.

[KurtNYC]

13. and years later the GOP thought up using the ATM for vote stealing

same machine -- just get rid of any paper receipts or security and bingo!

[Tab]

16. No

ATM's are more secure.

Maybe voting machines should be made to give money if it correctly records your vote. THEN you'd have some compliance.

[Nihil]

14. Wonder if the funeral party will get a message ...

"Please remove coffin, turn it round and re-insert"?

:hide:

[Socal31]

17. So now I can blame someone else for my vegas binges?