Method and apparatus for automated cashing of checks

• US 6,328,207 B1
• Filed: 08/11/1998
• Issued: 12/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Electronic Data Systems Corporation (Perspecta, Inc.)
• Inventors: Griebenow, L. Joy, Dentlinger, Dale H., Gregoire, Kevin P., Kirschner, Hope L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Taylor, Larry D
• Application Number:
  US09/132,365
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/380, 283/57, 283/58, 705/35, 705/39, 705/43, 705/44, 705/45
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/023 the neutral party being a clearing house
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/042 characterized in that the payment protocol involves at least one cheque
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/305 using wired telephone networks

Abstract

A customer at an enrollment section (12) uses a self-dial telephone (14) to make a toll-free call to a customer service operator at a workstation (26). The operator activates a check-cashing card (18) obtained by the customer at the enrollment section, which includes enrolling a checking account against which the customer wishes to cash checks. The customer can subsequently use the activated card with automatic teller machines (57) to cash checks in transactions that are entirely automated, and that do not require the customer to have funds available for withdrawal from an institutional account. Each automatic teller machine interacts with a switch system (42), which in turn interacts with a host system (37), in order to determine whether to proceed with the check-cashing transaction. If authorization is granted, a dispense amount is determined by deducting one or more fees from the amount of the check, and the customer is then paid the dispense amount in cash.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a check-cashing system, said check-cashing system being operative to automatically determine whether to permit a person to cash a check, without evaluating whether the person has funds available for withdrawal from an account, and to automatically respond to a determination that cashing of the check is permissible by dispensing cash to the person in exchange for the check;

a storage medium in the possession of the person and having information stored thereon, wherein said check-cashing system includes a reader which can removably receive said storage medium and read the information therefrom; and

a customer service workstation operatively coupled to said check-cashing system, a first telephone in close proximity to said customer service workstation, a second telephone in close proximity to said reader, said second telephone being operative to automatically establish a toll-free communication path to said first telephone, and a dispenser disposed in close proximity to said second telephone and having therein at least one storage medium which has information stored thereon and which is capable of being removably inserted in the reader.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said check-cashing system, in effecting said automatic determination of whether to permit a person to cash a check, is operative to carry out a concurrent evaluation through a communication link of centralized status information for an account against which the check is drawn, still without evaluating whether the person has funds available for withdrawal from a separate funds-containing account.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said check-cashing system, in effecting said dispensing of cash, is operative to dispense an amount of cash which is less than the amount of the check by at least an enrollment fee.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said check-cashing system, in effecting said automatic determination of whether to permit a person to cash a check, is operative to ask the person to verify that the check meets a predetermined criterion.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said check-cashing system, in effecting said automatic determination of whether to permit a person to cash a check, is operative to scan the check, analyze information scanned from the check to determine a dollar amount of the check, display an image of the check, request that the person enter an amount of the check from the displayed image, and compare the amount entered by the person to the dollar amount determined by scanning the check.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said check-cashing system, in effecting said automatic determination of whether to permit a person to cash a check, is operative to identify a service fee, and obtain approval of the service fee from the person;

and wherein said check-cashing system, in effecting said dispensing of cash, is operative to dispense a dispense amount which is less than the amount of the check by at least the amount of the service fee.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said check-cashing system, in effecting said identification of said service fee, is operative to determine the type of check, and use a predetermined service fee which corresponds to the type of check.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said check-cashing system, in association with said dispensing of cash, is further operative to issue a printed receipt to the person.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said check-cashing system, in association with said dispensing of cash, is operative to print selected information on the check.

10. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said check-cashing system, in effecting said automatic determination of whether to permit a person to cash a check, is operative to reject the check if the check is drawn on a checking account other than a pre-approved account.