E-mailer controller for privately and securely delivering bank notices, advices and monthly statements

• US 6,721,783 B1
• Filed: 11/24/1999
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Parish National Bank (Parish National Corp. (Covington, Louisiana))
• Original Assignee: Parish National Bank (Parish National Corp. (Covington, Louisiana))
• Inventors: Blossman, Gary B., Van Houten, Jeffrey P.
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/449,373
• Time in Patent Office: 1,602 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 709/206, 709/313, 709/328, 707/104, 705/64, 705/70, 705/34, 705/40, 713/168, 713/170, 713/175, 713/176
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]

Abstract

An e-mailer controller which privately and securely delivers bank notices, advices and monthly statements via the Internet, other e-mail networks or the like. The e-mailer controller allows existing banking systems to deliver either printed bank statements or e-mailed bank statements. Thus, the banking system with the e-mailer controller is capable of multi-mode delivery of bank statements. The e-mailed mandated periodic statements include pictorial images of hardcopy banking instruments in accordance with customer preferences for presentation of such hardcopy banking instruments.

Claims

1. An e-mailer controller for use in a banking system comprising:

(a) an electronic formatted mandated periodic statement shell adapted to have inserted therein a text record of a plurality of banking transactions for a customer account;

(b) an image link appender capable of inserting at least one image link in said electronic formatted mandated periodic statement shell wherein said at least one image link defines an electronic path to at least one pictorial image of a hardcopy bank instrument identifying at least one bank transaction of said plurality of bank transactions;

(c) a document assembler adapted to assemble a mandated periodic statement from said electronic formatted mandated periodic statement shell and said at least one pictorial image;

(d) an electronic-mail creator which formats the assembled mandated periodic statement using a standardized electronic-mail transfer protocol into an electronic mandated periodic statement mail; and

,

(e) an electronic-mailer adapted to securely and privately electronically mail said electronic mandated periodic statement mail to an e-mail address for said customer account via a network.

2. The e-mailer controller of claim 1, wherein said at least one hardcopy bank instrument includes a serial numbered hardcopy bank instrument.

3. The e-mailer controller of claim 2, wherein said serial numbered hardcopy bank instruments includes checks.

4. The e-mailer controller of claim 3, wherein each check includes a front view pictorial image and a back view pictorial image.

5. The e-mailer controller of claim 2, wherein said at least one hardcopy bank instrument further includes a non-serial numbered hardcopy bank instrument.

6. The e-mailer controller of claim 5, wherein said non-serial numbered hardcopy bank instrument includes a deposit slip.

7. The e-mailer controller of claim 1, wherein said electronic-mailer includes:

(i) an electronic digital signature creator adapted to electronically sign said electronic mandated periodic statement mail with a banking institutions digital signature; and

,

(ii) an encryptor adapted to encrypt the digitally signed mandated periodic statement mail.

8. The e-mail controller of claim 1, wherein said network is the Internet.

9. The e-mailer controller of claim 1, wherein said formatted mandated periodic statement shell includes a graphic link wherein said graphic link identifies a electronic path to a banking institution'"'"'s letterhead or logo.

10. The e-mailer controller of claim 9, wherein said electronic formatted mandated periodic statement shell is dynamic.

11. The e-mailer controller of claim 9, wherein said formatted mandated periodic statement shell is a HTML formatted document and said at least one image link and said graphic link are HTML links.

12. The e-mailer controller of claim 1, further comprising:

(f) a page-formatter which is adapted to format said assembled mandated periodic statement using a page markup standard.

13. The e-mailer controller of claim 12, wherein said page markup standard is an Abode Acrobat file standard.

14. The e-mailer controller of claim 1, wherein said standardized electronic-mail transfer protocol is a standard simple mail transfer protocol.

15. The e-mailer controller of claim 1, wherein said electronic-mailer mails said electronic mandated periodic statement mail using a S/MIME standard.

16. The e-mailer controller of claim 1, further comprising:

(f) a customer preference database defining at least one customer preference for presentation of said hardcopy bank instrument in said mandated periodic statement and

wherein said image link appender determines said at least one image link based on said at least one customer preference.

17. The e-mailer controller of claim 1, further comprising:

(f) a port coupled to said banking system to transfer therefrom a master text file of a plurality of text records wherein each record includes said plurality of banking transactions for said mandated periodic statement for a respective customer account;

(g) an e-mail recipient database identifying a plurality of customer accounts as e-mail recipients; and

,

(h) a master file separator which separates from said master text file those records of said plurality of text records identified as being for said e-mail recipients into a first file and the remaining records of said plurality of text records are separated into a second file.

18. The e-mailer controller of claim 17, further comprising:

(i) a router adapted to route said second file back to said banking system.

19. The e-mailer controller of claim 1, further comprising:

(f) an electronic formatted bank document shell adapted to have inserted therein a text record of a bank notice or advice for a respective customer account;

wherein said document assembler is adapted to assemble a bank notice or advice statement from said electronic formatted bank document shell;

wherein said electronic-mail creator is adapted to format the assembled bank notice or advice statement using a standardized electronic-mail transfer protocol into an electronic bank notice or advice statement mail; and

,

wherein said electronic-mailer is adapted to securely and privately electronically mail said electronic bank notice or advice statement mail to an e-mail address for said respective customer account via said network.

20. The e-mailer controller of claim 19, wherein said image link appender is adapted to insert at least one image link in said electronic formatted bank document shell wherein said at least one image link defines an electronic path to at least one pictorial image of a hardcopy bank instrument identified in said text record of said bank notice or advice.

21. An e-mailer controller for use in a banking system comprising:

(a) means for creating a formatted mandated periodic statement shell adapted to have inserted therein and text record of a plurality of banking transactions for a customer account;

(b) means for inserting at least one image link in said electronic formatted mandated periodic statement shell wherein said at least one image link defines an electronic path to at least one pictorial image of a hardcopy bank instrument identifying at least one bank transaction of said plurality of bank transactions;

(c) means for assembling a mandated periodic statement from said electronic formatted mandated periodic statement shell and said at least one pictorial image;

(d) means for formatting the assembled mandated periodic statement using a standardized electronic-mail transfer protocol into an electronic mandated periodic statement mail; and

,

(e) means for securely and privately electronically transmitting said electronic mandated periodic statement mail to an e-mail address for said customer account via a network.

22. The e-mailer controller of claim 21, wherein said at least one hardcopy bank instrument includes a serial numbered hardcopy bank instrument.

23. The e-mailer controller of claim 22, wherein said serial numbered hardcopy bank instruments includes checks.

24. The e-mailer controller of claim 23, wherein each check includes a front view pictorial image and a back view pictorial image.

25. The e-mailer controller of claim 24, wherein said at least one hardcopy bank instrument further includes a non-serial numbered hardcopy bank instrument.

26. The e-mailer controller of claim 25, wherein said non-serial numbered hardcopy bank instrument includes a deposit slip.

27. The e-mailer controller of claim 21, wherein said transmitting means includes:

(i) means for digitally signing said electronic mandated periodic statement mail for said each account with a banking institutions digital signature; and

,

(ii) means for encrypting the digitally signed mandated periodic statement mail.

28. The e-mailer controller of claim 21, wherein said network is the Internet.

29. The e-mailer controller of claim 21, wherein said formatted mandated periodic statement shell includes a graphic link wherein said graphic link identifies a electronic path to a banking institution'"'"'s letterhead or logo.

30. The e-mailer controller of claim 29, wherein said formatted mandated periodic statement shell is dynamic.

31. The e-mailer controller of claim 29, wherein said formatted mandated periodic statement shell is a HTML formatted document and said at least one image link and said graphic link are HTML links.

32. The e-mailer controller of claim 21, further comprising:

(f) means for universally formatting said assembled mandated periodic statement using a page markup standard.

33. The e-mailer controller of claim 32, wherein said page markup standard is an Abode Acrobat file standard.

34. The e-mailer controller of claim 21, wherein said standardized mail transfer protocol is a standard simple mail transfer protocol.

35. The e-mailer controller of claim 21, wherein transmitting means mails said electronic mandated periodic statement mail using a S/MIME standard.

36. The e-mailer controller of claim 21, further comprising:

(f) a customer preference database defining at least one customer preference for presentation of said hardcopy bank instrument in said mandated periodic statement and

wherein said image link inserting means determines said at least one image link based on said at least one customer preference.

37. The e-mailer controller of claim 21, further comprising:

(f) means for receiving, from said banking system, a master text file of a plurality of text records wherein each record includes said plurality of banking transactions for said mandated periodic statement for a respective customer account;

(g) an e-mail recipient database identifying a plurality of customer accounts as e-mail recipients; and

,

(h) means for separating from said master text file those records of said plurality of text records identified as being for said e-mail recipients into a first file and the remaining records of said plurality of text records are separated into a second file.

38. The e-mailer controller of claim 37, further comprising:

(i) means for routing said second file back to said banking system.

39. The e-mailer controller of claim 21, further comprising:

(f) means for creating a formatted bank document shell adapted to have inserted therein a text record of a bank notice or advice for a respective customer account;

wherein said assembling means is adapted to assemble a bank notice or advice statement from said formatted bank document shell;

wherein said formatting means is adapted to format the assembled bank notice or advice statement using a standardized electronic-mail transfer protocol into an electronic bank notice or advice statement mail; and

,

wherein said transmitting means is adapted to securely and privately electronically mail said electronic bank notice or advice statement mail to an e-mail address for said respective customer account via said network.

40. The e-mailer controller of claim 39, wherein said image link inserting means is adapted to insert at least one image link in said formatted bank document shell wherein said at least one image link defines an electronic path to at least one pictorial image of a hardcopy bank instrument identified in said text record of said bank notice or advice.

41. A method of electronically mailing a bank statement by a banking system comprising the steps of:

(a) creating a formatted mandated periodic statement shell;

(b) inserting in said formatted mandated periodic statement shell a text record of a plurality of banking transactions for a customer account;

(c) inserting at least one image link in said formatted mandated periodic statement shell wherein said at least one image link defines an electronic path to at least one pictorial image of a hardcopy bank instrument identifying at least one bank transaction of said plurality of bank transactions;

(d) assembling a mandated periodic statement from said formatted mandated periodic statement shell and said at least one pictorial image;

(e) formatting the assembled mandated periodic statement using a standardized electronic-mail transfer protocol to create an electronic mandated periodic statement mail; and

,

(f) securely and privately electronically mailing said electronic mandated periodic statement mail to an e-mail address for said customer account via a network.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein said at least one hardcopy bank instrument includes a serial numbered hardcopy bank instrument.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein said serial numbered hardcopy bank instruments includes checks.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein each check includes a front view pictorial image and a back view pictorial image.

45. The method of claim 42, wherein said at least one hardcopy bank instrument further includes a non-serial numbered hardcopy bank instrument.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein said non-serial numbered hardcopy bank instrument includes a deposit slip.

47. The method of claim 41, wherein the mailing step of (f) comprises the steps of:

(f1) digitally signing said mandated periodic statement mail with a banking institutions digital signature; and

,

(f2) encrypting the digitally signed mandated periodic statement mail.

48. The method of claim 41, wherein said network is the Internet.

49. The method of claim 41, wherein said formatted mandated periodic statement shell includes a graphic link wherein said graphic link identifies a electronic path to a banking institution'"'"'s letterhead or logo.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein said formatted mandated periodic statement shell is dynamic.

51. The method of claim 49, wherein said formatted mandated periodic statement shell is a HTML formatted document and said at least one image link and said graphic link are HTML links.

52. The method of claim 49, wherein the assembling step (d) comprises:

(d1) retrieving said at least one pictorial image via said at least one image link; and

,

(d2) retrieving said letterhead or said logo via said graphic link.

53. The method of claim 41, further comprising the step of:

(g) universally formatting the assembled mandated periodic statement with a page markup standard.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein said page markup standard is an Abode Acrobat file standard.

55. The method of claim 41, wherein the mailing step of (f) comprises the steps of:

(f1) privatizing said mandated periodic statement mail using a S/MIME standard.

56. The method of claim 41, the inserting step (c) comprises the steps of:

(c1) determining said at least one said image link based on at least one customer preference.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein said at least one customer preference includes presentation of at least one of (1) a front view of checks or other hardcopy bank instruments;

(2) front and back views of said hardcopy bank instrument; and

, (3) checks over a predefined dollar amount.

58. The method of claim 41, further comprises prior to step (a) the steps of:

(g) receiving, from said banking system, a master text file of a plurality of text records wherein each record includes said plurality of banking transactions for said mandated periodic statement for a respective customer account;

(h) identifying whether a respective one of said text records is for an e-mail recipient;

(i) separating from said master text file each said respective one of said text records identified as being for said e-mail recipient into a first file;

(j) separating from said master text file each said respective one of said text records having not been identified in step (h) into a second file; and

,

(k) repeating steps (g)-(j) for all of said text records.

59. The method of claim 58, further comprising the step of:

(l) routing said second file back to said banking system.

60. The method of claim 58, wherein the step of (h) further comprises the step of:

(h1) determining if a customer'"'"'s digital certificate has expired; and

, (h2) if said customer'"'"'s digital certificate has expired said text record for said e-mail recipient is separated into said second file.

61. The method of claim 41, further comprising:

(g) creating a formatted bank document shell adapted to have inserted therein a text record of a bank notice or advice for a respective customer account;

(h) assembling a bank notice or advice statement from said formatted bank document shell;

(i) formatting the assembled bank notice or advice statement using a standardized electronic-mail transfer protocol into an electronic bank notice or advice statement mail; and

,

(j) securely and privately electronically mailing said electronic bank notice or advice statement mail to an e-mail address for a respective customer account via a network.

62. The method of claim 61, further comprising after the step (g) the step of:

(k) inserting at least one image link in said formatted bank document shell wherein said at least one image link defines an electronic path to at least one pictorial image of a hardcopy bank instrument identified in said text record of said bank notice or advice.

63. An electronic-mail banking system comprising:

(a) means for creating a plurality of images of a plurality of hardcopy bank instruments for each account of a plurality of accounts;

(b) means for cyclically generating a mandated periodic statement identifying a plurality of bank accounting transactions for a predetermined cyclical time period for said each account;

(c) means for linking those images of said plurality of images to said mandated periodic statement identifying at least part of said plurality of bank accounting transactions for said predetermined cyclical time;

(d) means for assembling said mandated periodic statement and said those images of said plurality of images to create an assembled mandated periodic statement mail for said each account; and

,

(e) means for privately and securely e-mailing the assembled mandated periodic statement mail for said each account.

64. An electronic-mail banking system comprising:

(a) means for creating a plurality of images of a plurality of hardcopy bank instruments wherein each hardcopy bank instrument identifies a bank accounting transaction of a predetermined account of a plurality of accounts;

(b) means for logging said bank accounting transaction of said each hardcopy bank instrument of said predetermined account of said plurality of accounts in a central repository;

(c) means for cyclically generating a mandated periodic statement identifying said bank accounting transaction for said each hardcopy bank statement for a predetermined cyclical time period of said predetermined account for said plurality of accounts;

(d) means for linking an image of said each hardcopy bank instrument identifying said bank accounting transaction for said predetermined cyclical time period to said mandated periodic statement for said predetermined account of said plurality of accounts via a data path;

(e) means for retrieving via said data path the linked image of said each hardcopy bank instrument for said each predetermined account;

(f) means for assembling said mandated periodic statement and the retrieved linked image of said each hardcopy bank instrument to create an assembled mandated periodic statement mail for said each predetermined account; and

,

(g) means for privately and securely e-mailing said assembled mandated periodic statement mail for said each predetermined account.

65. A multi-mode banking system comprising:

(a) means for creating a plurality of images of a plurality of hardcopy bank instruments for each account of a plurality of accounts;

(b) means for cyclically generating a mandated periodic text statement of a plurality of bank accounting transactions of a predetermined cyclical time period for said each account of said plurality of accounts;

(c) means for determining those accounts of said plurality of accounts are e-mail recipients;

(d) means for assembling said mandated periodic text statement and those images of said plurality of images identifying said plurality of bank accounting transactions of said predetermined cyclical time period to create an assembled mandated periodic text statement for said each account of said plurality of accounts;

(e) means for securely and privately e-mailing said assembled mandated periodic text statement for said those accounts of said e-mail recipients; and

,

(f) means for printing said assembled mandated periodic text statement for any remaining accounts.

66. The system of claim 65, wherein said plurality of hardcopy bank instruments includes serial numbered hardcopy bank instruments.

67. The system of claim 66, wherein said serial numbered hardcopy bank instruments includes checks.

68. The system of claim 67, wherein said plurality of images includes backs and fronts of said checks.

69. The system of claim 66, wherein said plurality of hardcopy bank instruments further includes non-serial numbered hardcopy bank instruments.

70. The system of claim 69, wherein said non-serial numbered hardcopy bank instruments includes deposit slips.

71. The system of claim 67, further comprising:

(g) means for determining a non sufficient fund status for clearing any of said checks for any of said plurality of said accounts;

(h) means for creating an image of a NSF check; and

,

(i) means for creating a NSF statement indicating said non sufficient fund status wherein said e-mailing means is adapted to electronically mail said NSF statement with said image of said NSF check.

72. The system of claim 65, wherein said e-mailing means includes:

(i) means for digitally signing said assembled mandated periodic text statement mail; and

,

(ii) means for encrypting the digitally signed mandated periodic text statement mail.

73. The system of claim 72, wherein said signing and said encrypting is in accordance with the S/MIME protocol.

74. The system of claim 65, further comprising;

(g) means for logging a bank accounting transaction of said each hardcopy bank instrument to said predetermined account of said plurality of accounts in a central repository.