Customer access solutions architecture

• US 6,385,652 B1
• Filed: 04/16/1999
• Issued: 05/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Citibank NA (Citigroup Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Citibank NA (Citigroup Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ellerbee, James, Lupario, Peter J., Holme, Jennifer, Brown, Kenneth R., Marthi, Umesh, Gould, Jay, DʼOnofrio, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Coulter, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US09/292,854
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/227, 709/203, 709/223, 705/42, 705/43, 902/24, 717/11
• US Class Current: 709/227
• 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 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/38215 Use of certificates or encrypted proofs of transaction rights
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for electronically delivering banking services to end clients and, more particularly, using Internet based technologies as a means of exposing those services. The solution to this problem set forth in this invention is the creation of a common electronic delivery infrastructure and application deployment environment, exposing an institution'"'"'s entire portfolio of corporate banking services to its clients at a number of different locations at any time.

Claims

1. A method for providing services over a network from a host to an access location, comprising:

providing a plurality of services, the plurality of services accessible by the host;

receiving a request for access to the plurality of services from the access location via the network;

installing a local access application at the access location; and

determining whether the local access application at the access location needs to be upgraded;

wherein the plurality of services are accessible at the access location via the local access application and via the host, and the local access application comprises a plurality of tiers of service access.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the host comprises a server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of services comprises banking services.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the access location comprises a customer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the host comprises a server at a financial institution.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the network comprises the internet.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein installing the local access application comprises running an applet at the local access location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein installing the local access application comprises running the applet at the host.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the local access location comprises a terminal.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the local access location comprises a local area network.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the local access application includes a user interface.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a service access tier associated with the local access location;

determining at least one service associated with the local access location and the service access tier of the local access location; and

providing access for the local access location to the at least one service associated with the local access location.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein a plurality of users are associated with the local access location, further comprising:

identifying a user from the plurality of users at the local access location;

identifying a user service access tier associated with the user;

determining at least one service associated with the user; and

providing access for the user to the at least one service.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising interfacing at least one local client application at the local access location with the local access application.

15. A method for providing services over a network from a host to an access location, comprising:

providing a plurality of services, the plurality of services accessible by the host;

receiving a request for access to the plurality of services from the access location via the network;

installing a local access application at the access location, wherein installing the local access application comprises running an applet at the local access location; and

determining whether the local access application at the access location needs to be upgraded;

wherein the plurality of services are accessible at the access location via the local access application and via the host;

wherein the applet comprises a customizable navigation shell.

16. A system for providing services over a network, comprising:

a host server coupled to the network;

a processor accessible by the server, the processor providing a plurality of services;

an access program operable over the network;

a local access location coupled to the network;

an application framework for providing an application for each of the plurality of services over the network;

wherein the application framework comprises a navigation shell for providing navigation of available services in the system and an applications object for controlling applications of the available services;

an entitlements manager for determining whether the service application should be provided by the application framework over the network; and

a session manager for managing a session of providing the service application over a network;

wherein the plurality of services are accessible at the access location via a local access application at the local access location and via the host; and

wherein the host server determines whether the local access application needs to be upgraded.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

an event logging manager for processing any error message associated with providing the service application for the network.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

at least one application utility for assisting the application framework in providing the service application over the network.

19. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a reporting framework for providing a report over the network on the provided service application.

20. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a security manager for securing the service application over the network.

21. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a packaging feature manager for providing an update of the system over the network.

22. A method for providing services over a network from a host to an access location, comprising:

providing a plurality of services, the plurality of services accessible by the host;

receiving a request for access to the plurality of services from the access location via the network;

installing a local access application at the access location;

determining whether the local access application at the access location needs to be upgraded;

interfacing at least one local client application at the local access location with the local access application, wherein interfacing comprises translating data from the local access application into a format compatible with at least one service;

wherein the plurality of services are accessible at the access location via the local access application and via the host.

23. A method for providing services over a network, comprising:

receiving a request for a service;

receiving a commitment for the requested service;

obtaining information relating to the request for the service;

generating an origination definition function based on the obtained information;

assigning accessing information to the request for the service;

creating a profile containing the obtained information;

providing a software installation package over the network;

authenticating via the software installation package the request for the service;

generating a solution package for the requested service; and

providing the requested service over the network based on the generated solution package.