Systems and methods for distributed currency management

• US 10,332,358 B1
• Filed: 02/17/2016
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: Burks, Rickey D., Oakes, III, Charles L., Billman, Bradly J., Reedy, Matthew C., Castiglione, Anthony G., Gingrich, Jess W., Wilson, Samuel, Hartman, Wayne Maurice
• Primary Examiner(s): Subramanian, Narayanswamy
• Application Number:
  US15/046,051
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1085 involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/203 Dispensing operations within ATMs dispensing in general G07D11/00

Abstract

This application relates to methods and systems for managing and distributing currency. One system includes modularized components and interacts with a user via the user'"'"'s cell phone. The user may authenticate to the system via a password and biometrics, pre-stage interactions such as deposits or withdrawals, and then conduct a transaction. The system may also analyze the documents, such as currency and/or checks, that are deposited with the system, and determine whether they are valid.

Claims

1. A method of utilizing a currency-management system that comprises a plurality of currency dispensers, the method performed using a processor executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method comprising:

receiving, from a user device and by the processor, a request for an interaction with a currency dispenser;

identifying, by the processor, one or more currency dispensers, of the plurality of currency dispensers, to perform the interaction;

determining, by the processor, one or more conditions of the one or more currency dispensers;

generating, in response to the determination of the one or more conditions and by the processor, one or more incentives to induce a user associated with a device to perform the interaction with the one or more currency dispensers based on the one or more conditions;

sending, to the user device and by the processor, information that identifies the one or more currency dispensers and the one or more incentives;

receiving, from the user device and by the processor, a selection of a currency dispenser among the one or more currency dispensers to perform the interaction;

displaying, on the user device, a map that identifies the currency dispenser based on the selection; and

displaying an image, on the user device, of the currency dispenser based on the selection.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the processor, an indication of an expected travel route for a user associated with the user device,

wherein the step of identifying the one or more currency dispensers is based at least in part on the expected travel route of the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sending comprises:

wherein the one or more currency dispensers is color-coded in the map, and wherein the color-coding relates to a condition of the currency dispenser.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each of the one or more currency dispensers in the map is color-coded, and wherein the color-coding relates to the one or more conditions of the one or more currency dispensers.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the map is displayed on a routing service application specified by the user device.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more currency dispensers identified in the map is represented by a customized icon, the customized icon indicative of a value of the one or more currency dispensers to a user associated with the user device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the value of the one or more currency dispensers to the user device relates to a proximity of the one or more currency dispensers to the user device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the value of the one or more currency dispensers to the user relates to a magnitude of an incentive offered to the user for using the one or more currency dispensers.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying a map on the user device comprises displaying a path to the currency dispenser.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of displaying a map on the user device comprises displaying a three-dimensional map on the user device.

11. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

communicating, by the processor, directions to the user device to get to the currency dispenser.

12. The method of claim 1,

wherein the image of the currency dispenser comprises a viewing angle that is determined to be similar to an expected viewing angle that a user associated with the user device will approach the currency dispenser from, and

wherein the image of the currency dispenser is modified to indicate an incentive.

13. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the processor, an indication of an expected travel route for a user associated with the user device,

wherein the step of generating the incentive is based at least in part on the expected travel route of the user.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for an interaction is generated based on an event that is indicated in a calendar utilized by a user associated with the user device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected currency dispenser includes a current amount of currency, the method further comprising:

calculating, by the processor, an expected adjusted amount of currency, for the selected currency dispenser, that is based on at least the current amount and the interaction with the user device.

16. The method of claim 15, the method further comprising:

the selected currency dispenser sending an indication that the selected currency dispenser has the expected adjusted amount even while the selected currency dispenser still has the current amount.

17. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the processor, authentication from the user device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the authentication comprises receiving information from the user device, the information relating to an image on the currency dispenser.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the image is static.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the image is a QR code.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the image is dynamic.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the image is a QR code.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for the interaction with the currency dispenser comprises a request to pick up a specified amount of currency at a specified time.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more currency dispensers comprises a first currency dispenser and a second currency dispenser;

the one or more conditions of the one or more currency dispensers comprises the user device being in the process of executing a transaction with the first currency dispenser; and

the interaction with the one or more currency dispensers comprises an interaction with the second dispenser.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more currency dispensers is identified based at least in part on a desirable time period for a user associated with the user device to perform the interaction, wherein the desirable time period is based at least in part on at least one of a historic wait time associated with the one or more currency dispensers, a measured wait time associated with the one or more currency dispensers, an estimated currency availability of the one or more currency dispensers, and a temporal proximity to a life event of the user.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more conditions of the one or more currency dispensers comprises the one or more currency dispensers being associated with an event, the event historically affecting availability of currency in the at least one currency dispenser.

27. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon executed by a processor to:

receive, from a user device, a request for an interaction with a currency dispenser;

receive an indication of an expected travel route for a user associated with the user device;

identify at least one currency dispenser, among a plurality of currency dispensers, to perform the interaction, wherein the step of identifying the at least one currency dispenser is based at least in part on the expected travel route of the user;

send, to the user device, information that identifies the at least one currency dispenser;

display, via the user device, a map that identifies the at least one currency dispenser, wherein the at least one currency dispenser is color-coded in the map, and wherein the color-coding relates to a condition of the currency dispenser; and

receive, from the user device, a selection of a currency dispenser of the at least one currency dispenser.

28. The medium of claim 27, wherein the selected currency dispenser includes a current amount of currency, the instructions further executed by the processor to:

calculate an expected adjusted amount of currency, for the selected currency dispenser, that is based on at least the current amount and the interaction with the user device,

wherein the condition of the selected currency dispenser is at least partially based on the expected adjusted amount of currency of the selected currency dispenser.

29. A network-based method of utilizing a currency-management system that comprises a plurality of currency dispensers, the method performed using a processor executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method comprising:

receiving, from a user device and by the processor, a request for an interaction with a currency dispenser, wherein the request for an interaction is generated based on an event that is indicated in a calendar utilized by the user device;

receiving, by the processor, an indication of an expected travel route for a user associated with the user device;

identifying, by the processor, at least one currency dispenser, of the plurality of currency dispensers, to perform the interaction, wherein the identification is based at least in part on the expected travel route of the user;

sending, to the user device and by the processor, information that identifies the at least one currency dispenser;

receiving, from the user device and by the processor, a selection of a currency dispenser from the at least one currency dispenser; and

displaying, using the user device, a map that identifies the at least one currency dispenser, wherein the at least one currency dispenser is color-coded in the map, and wherein the color-coding relates to a condition of the currency dispenser.