Method and system for automatically harmonizing access to a software application program via different access devices

• US 20080005038A1
• Filed: 06/19/2007
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citicorp Credit Services Incorporated (Citigroup Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Transaction Technologies Incorporated (Citigroup Incorporated)
• Inventors: Anthony, Wendell, Petach, Teresa, Grandcolas, Michael, Tompkins, Peter, Law, Patrick, Moss, Leslie
• Granted Patent: US 7,908,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/67
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3672 initialising or reloading thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/38 Payment protocols; Details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/206 Software aspects at ATMs
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/211 Software architecture within ATMs or in relation to the ATM network
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/00 Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 : Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 : Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/962 : Operator interface for marketing or sales
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/969 : Network layout and operation interface

Abstract

A method and system automatically harmonizes access to a given software application program via different access devices. Through use of the method and system, a financial institution can provide access to a given application (such as, for example, automatic bill payment services) to customers using different access devices such web browsers, screen phones and personal computers. A single application program is all that needs to be written and maintained by the financial institution. Also, the method and system enables financial institutions to “leverage” existing programs because now the institution can automatically “project” its existing stock of program services unto new access devices—devices which may not have even existed at the time the program was created. By receiving information from the user via the user'"'"'s access device, including information identifying the type of device being used and the application program the user wishes to access, the present invention solves these problems. The application program is then accessed and the information to be displayed to the user is identified. This information is automatically translated into a format which is compatible with the device, including its display, and sent to the device for display. The user, in turn, inputs information in response to the displayed information and this input information is automatically translated into a format which is compatible with the application program and is sent to the application program. The response generated by the application program is automatically translated to be compatible with the device and is sent to the device.

Claims

1. A method for conducting a financial transaction over a customer device, the method comprising:

sending a communication from the remote device to a financial institution software application;

producing a stream in response to the communication;

directing the stream to a token-creator-mapper to map at least one token;

transmitting a token stream to a renderer of the customer device; and

displaying a two-dimensional representation of the stream.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication comprises customer identifying information selected from the group consisting of a customer device'"'"'s language, business, and device type.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the stream comprises no tokens.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of adding a token to the stream.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the stream comprises at least one token.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of directing the stream directly to the token-creator-mapper.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of mapping comprises translating a first set of concepts into a second set of concepts through a series of layers.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of storing a token representation and its particular renderer in a template.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of referencing the template by the token-creator-mapper.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of decoding by the renderer of the token stream and presenting the decoded information of the token stream to a display of the customer device.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of displaying further comprises showing a plurality of buttons, wherein each button represents a function for the customer to choose.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of analyzing a language, business, and device type of a phrase to locate the form the phrase in a phrase pack dictionary.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of confirming a transaction.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of prompting for a second financial transaction to be selected.

15. A system for conducting a financial transaction, the system comprising:

a remote device to communicate with a financial institution software application, wherein a customer is identified through the remote device to the financial institution software application;

a token-creator mapper to reformat a selected application for the remote device, wherein the financial institution software application gathers data to perform the selected application;

a renderer to create a representation of the reformatted application; and

a display to display the representation to the customer.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the remote device is a phone or personal digital assistant.

17. The system according to claim 15, further comprising a parser to add a token representation for the token-creator-mapper.

18. The system according to claim 15, further comprising a template data file for store a token representation and an associated renderer.

19. The system according to claim 15, further comprising a plurality of buttons, wherein each button represents a function for the customer to choose.

20. The system according to claim 15, further comprising a phrase pack to provide a plurality of versions of a phrase.

21. The system according to claim 15, wherein the phrase pack comprises a hierarchy of functions and/or forms of the phrase.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the levels of the phrase pack hierarchy are selected from the group consisting of at least one of the phrase itself, a language of the phrase, an identity of the selected application, the display, length of the phrase, an assignment of iconic form, and a voice form.

23. The system according to claim 15, further comprising a stream monitor component to select at least one top level menu component and at least one phrase from a phrase pack dictionary upon receiving customer identification information from the remote device.

24. The system according to claim 15, further comprising a phrase pack dictionary.

25. The system according to claim 24, wherein the phrase pack dictionary utilizes at least language, business, and device type to locate the form of a phrase.