Self-service money remittance with an access card

• US 20070168283A1
• Filed: 01/23/2007
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MoneyGram Payment Systems Incorporated (MoneyGram International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Nexxo Financial Corp. (MoneyGram International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Shapiro, Mitchell A., Alvarez, David R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,793,187 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/43
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1085 involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/229 Hierarchy of users of accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

Self-service methods for money remittance and kiosks are provided. An exemplary kiosk includes a video display, a card reader, a keypad, a money validation device, and a processor in communication with a database and a processing system across a network. A person can remit money to a recipient by simply presenting an access card to the card reader, entering a PIN on the keypad, and inserting cash into the money validation device. The database includes information associated with the identifier such as one or more established recipients and necessary information for remitting funds to each. The kiosk can receive a list of established recipients from the database and present the list to the person on the video display. After the person selects a recipient from the list, the kiosk can transmit to the processing system the recipient and the cash amount received by the money validation device.

Claims

1. A self-service method for money remittance comprising:

providing an access card to a card reader of an automated kiosk located in a first country, the access card being associated with stored information in a database necessary to complete a money remittance to a recipient; and

inserting cash into a money validation device of the kiosk, the cash comprising a monetary amount.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising entering a PIN.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a receipt.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving the monetary amount at a financial services office located in a second country.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the financial services office comprises an office of an international wire-transfer service.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the financial services office comprises an office of a bank.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the stored information includes information pertaining to a sender and the recipient.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein information pertaining to the recipient includes a CLABE number.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising selecting the recipient from a plurality of established recipients on a touch-screen of the kiosk.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a receipt including a CLABE number from the kiosk.

11. A self-service method for initiating an international money remittance consisting of:

providing an access card to a card reader of an automated kiosk;

entering a PIN on a keypad of the kiosk; and

inserting cash into a money validation device of the kiosk.

12. An automated kiosk for money remittance comprising:

a card reader;

a money validation device; and

a processor coupled to the card reader and the money validation device and configured to

obtain from the card reader an identifier read from an access card,

obtain from a database information associated with the identifier,

receive a cash amount from the money validation device, and

transmit to a processing system information pertaining to a money remittance including the cash amount.

13. The automated kiosk of claim 12 wherein the information associated with the identifier includes a list of established recipients.

14. The automated kiosk of claim 13 wherein the information pertaining to the money remittance further includes a recipient selected from the list of established recipients.

15. The automated kiosk of claim 12 further comprising a keypad connected to the processor.

16. The automated kiosk of claim 12 further comprising a receipt printer coupled to the processor.

17. The automated kiosk of claim 12 further comprising a telephone receiver.

18. A method for money remittance by an automated kiosk including a card reader and a money validation device, the method comprising:

reading an identifier from an access card;

obtaining from a database information associated with the identifier;

receiving cash comprising a sum value into the money validation device of the kiosk; and

transmitting to a processing system information pertaining to a money remittance including the sum value.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the information associated with the identifier includes a list of established recipients, and the information pertaining to the money remittance further includes a recipient selected from the list.

20. A method for money remittance comprising:

reading an identifier from an access card with a card reader of an automated kiosk;

obtaining by the kiosk information associated with the identifier from a database;

receiving cash comprising a sum value with a money validation device of the kiosk;

transmitting to a processing system information pertaining to a money remittance including the sum value;

determining by the processing system a monetary amount by subtracting a fee from the sum value;

displaying the fee and the monetary amount on a video display of the kiosk; and

crediting the monetary amount to a recipient by the processing system.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein further comprising displaying an exchange rate on the video display of the kiosk.