uGenius Technology said it has been granted patent protection by the U.S. Patent Office for its video banking units that permit credit union members to interact directly with a teller anytime.

The uGenius video banking system uses a remote unit that allows the member to push a button and connect to a live teller--at any branch or call center--for virtually any transaction normally done in person, the company said.

The Sandy, Utah, company said it has about 100 of the video banking units in place right now in the United States, Canada and Australia, all of which are staffed only by the institutions' staff.

One of those, $697 million Mid-Hudson Valley FCU in Kingston, N.Y., is the only one in the country that offers personal teller service every day around the clock, uGenius said.

The credit union--which calls the service MHV Personal Teller--lists nine locations for the service on its website at www.mhvfcu.com and said the service is always available except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve.

The company announced its patent grant at the BAI Retail Delivery show this week in Las Vegas.