Global financial services integration system and process

• US 6,226,623 B1
• Filed: 05/29/1998
• Issued: 05/01/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Citibank (South Dakota) NA (Citigroup Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Citibank (South Dakota) NA (Citigroup Incorporated)
• Inventors: Schein, Arthur A., Poplizio, John, Aron, Paul, Demeter, Dan A., Ataie, Faraz, Rico, Lucila (Uchie), Musalo, Florence, Tsien, Michael, Yorke, Michael, Paul, Margot, Bamberger, Frank, McGlynn, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Cosimano, Edward R.
• Application Number:
  US09/077,458
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 705/35, 705/36, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/230, 709/238
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A global standard messaging system and process for allowing customers to access a full range of global financial services using a variety of access points. The system includes a global communications network that integrates customer information and makes the information accessible from remote locations. The system includes a comprehensive database assembled from diverse sources and systems and processes for retrieving the information from the central database in a meaningful and practical way. The system includes several levels of access communications as well as built-in flexibility so that it can be accessed by a variety of remote systems of varying degrees of complexity and language. System and process permit rapid communication among worldwide users of the service as may be desired by industries relating to the transfer of finances.

Claims

1. A global communications network for use by a financial institution, the global communications network including a plurality of local area networks;

a plurality of distribution points for allowing access to the global communications network;

a plurality of service providers for providing information in response to data level commands; and

an integration facility for decomposing high level business language requests into data level commands that are understandable by the service providers so as to allow end users located at distribution points to relay information to and receive information from the network, the integration facility comprising;

means for determining whether an information request is simple or complex;

means for receiving information requests from a distribution point and relaying-information the requests received from a distribution point to the logical router for determination of whether the request is simple or complex;

a router for routing simple requests to a service provider that can satisfy the distribution point'"'"'s request;

means for generating a message relating to the satisfaction of the request;

a router for routing messages relating to the satisfaction of the request back through the network to the originating distribution point;

a plurality of messaging service agents, each messaging service agent including means for consulting script and workflow data model rules, and sending messages to logical servers which determine which service provider is appropriate to receive the complex request;

means for routing complex requests to messaging service agents, which consult script and workflow data model rules, send one or more messages to logical servers which determine which service provider is appropriate to receive the complex request;

a router for routing complex requests to the appropriate service provider which performs the request;

means for allowing information relating to the satisfaction of the request to be exchanged between the distribution point and the service provider until the request is satisfied;

means for generating a message relating to the satisfaction of the request;

a router for routing messages relating to the satisfaction of the request back through the network to the originating distribution point.

2. The global communications network of claim 1, wherein the integration facility of claim 1, further comprising:

means for maintaining a system journal of all requests, simple and complex, that the network routes between distribution points and service providers.

3. The global communications network of claim 1, wherein the integration facility, further comprising:

a replication data center in communication with the network, the data replication center including;

a plurality a geographically separate electronic databases for storing data necessary to perform the simple and complex requests;

means for posting transactions in real time on each of the plurality of the geographically separate electronic databases so that the electronic databases are always kept in lockstep.

4. The global communications network of claim 1, further comprising a public network having a firewall that includes means for limiting access to the public network to authorized users.

5. The global communications network of claim 4, further comprising means for allowing a customer to directly connect to the public network through the firewall using a computer modem.

6. The global communications network of claim 4, further comprising a remote delivery server for providing access to the integration facility of the global communications network'"'"'s banking products and services and means for allowing a customer to directly connect to a remote delivery server using a computer modem, wherein the customer is provided with a messaging scheme that is identical to the messaging scheme the customer would receive from an in-branch connection with the integration facility of the global communications network.

7. The global communications network of claim 4, further comprising means for allowing a customer to directly connect to the public network through the firewall over a voice telephone.

8. The global communications network of claim 4, further comprising means for allowing a customer to directly connect to the public network through the firewall using a personal digital assistant.

9. The global communications network of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of financial institution branch systems and a branch server and a branch router for routing messages to and from integration facility of the global communications network such that the integration facility of the global communications network is in electrical communication with the financial institution branch systems.

10. The global communications network of claim 9, wherein the branch systems further comprising an in-branch workstation and an in-branch self-service station.

11. The global communications network of claim 9, wherein the branch systems further comprising a branch network and a plurality of branch services connected to the branch network the services, including a printer, an automated teller, a customer activated services terminal, a staff workstation and a terminal server.

12. The global communications network of claim 11, wherein the plurality of branch services connected to the branch network further comprise express deposit devices, teller work stations, greeter workstations and investment consultant work stations.

13. The global communications network of claim 11, wherein all branch services share a common local area network and are located within a branch of the financial services provider such that each of the services enjoys access to the same computer financial applications;

related computer applications; and

common routes and servers to the integration facility of the global communications network.

14. The global communications network of claim 11, wherein the branch network is electronically connected to a public network which in turn is connected via router to the integration facility of the global communications network.

15. The global communications network of claim 11, wherein the branch network is electronically connected to the integration facility of the global communications network via a dedicated non-public router.

16. A global communications network for use by a financial institution, the global communications network that includes an integration facility for decomposing high level business language requests into data level commands that are understandable by the service providers so as to allow end users located at distribution points to relay information to and receive information from the network;

the global communications network comprising;

a plurality of distribution points in electronic communication with the integration facility of the global communications network;

a plurality of service providers;

a first network in electronic communication with the integration facility;

a first messaging service;

a second messaging service; and

a second network;

the first and second networks including means for routing electronic messages to and from external end users, via logical routers, according to a determination of which type of message is being routed; and

the first and second messaging services including means for supervising the transactions requested based upon script, workflow, and data model rules;

whereby in operation, the messaging services handle structured requests from distribution points by decomposing, processing, recomposing and reversing the messages according to a set of business rules and processing scripts;

means for routing the messages to the appropriate service provider based on routing criteria developed from data partitioning, load balancing, site availability and the like.

17. The global communications network of claim 16, further comprising structured messaging means, wherein each distribution point is in electronic communication with a first logical router, the first logical router including means for determining whether the message is simple or complex, whereby if the message is determined to be simple the message is routed along a first path to the appropriate service provider and if the message is found to be complex, the message is directed along a second path to a messaging services agent;

wherein the messaging services agent processes the message using, among other criteria, the script/workflow data model rules and then directs the complex message to second logical router;

the second logical router including means for directing the complex message to the appropriate service provider.

18. The global communications network of claim 16, further comprising unstructured messaging means, wherein each distribution point is in electronic communication with a first logical router, the first logical router including means for determining whether the message is simple or complex (i.e. requiring supervision);

whereby if the message is determined to be simple (not needing supervision) the message is routed along a first path to the appropriate service provider and if the message is found to be complex (requiring supervision), the message is directed along a second path to a mail agent;

wherein the mail agent processes the message using, among other criteria, the script/workflow data model rules and then directs the complex message to second logical router;

the second logical router including means for directing the complex message to the appropriate service provider.

19. In a global communications network used by a financial institution that includes a plurality of local area networks;

a plurality of distribution points for allowing access to the global communications network; and

a plurality of service providers for providing information in response to data level commands;

a process for decomposing high level business language requests into data level commands that are understandable by the service providers so as to allow end users located at distribution points to relay information to and receive information from the network, the process comprising the steps of;

receiving information requests from a distribution point and relaying information the requests received from a distribution point to the logical router for determination of whether the request is simple or complex;

routing simple requests to a service provider that can satisfy the distribution point'"'"'s request;

generating a message relating to the satisfaction of the request;

routing messages relating to the satisfaction of the request back through the network to the originating distribution point;

decomposing complex requests into one or more messages;

determining which service provider is appropriate to receive the complex request;

routing complex requests to the appropriate service provider which performs the request;

exchanging information relating to the satisfaction of the request between the distribution point and the service provider until the request is satisfied;

generating a message relating to the satisfaction of the request;

routing messages relating to the satisfaction of the request back through the network to the originating distribution point.

20. The process of claim 19, further comprising the step of posting transactions in real time on each of the plurality of the geographically separate electronic databases so that the electronic databases are always kept in lockstep.