Systems and methods for deploying a point-of sale device

• US 6,886,742 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2002
• Issued: 05/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: First Data Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated), Western Union
• Original Assignee: First Data Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Stoutenburg, Earney, Nelson, Eric M., Price, James, Singleton, Jeffrey, Seifert, Dean A., Fillinger, Charles A., Mollett, Cassandra J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Caputo, Lisa M.
• Application Number:
  US10/116,733
• Publication Number:
  US 20020166891A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,126 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/380, 235/382, 705/16, 705/17, 705/18
• US Class Current: 235/379
• 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 20/0425 the cheque being electronic only
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4037 Remote solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/04 by paper currency
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/10 together with a coded signal , e.g. in the form of personal identification information, like personal identification number [PIN] or biometric data
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/12 electronically operated digital data processing aspects G06Q20/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00

Abstract

Systems and methods including one or more point-of-sale devices for effectuating value transfers. In particular implementations, various point-of-sale devices are in communication with various transaction systems. Thus, a transaction can be effectuated from one point-of-sale device to another utilizing one or more of the communicably coupled transaction systems. The transaction systems can include, but are not limited to, money transfer systems, fraud detection systems, check acceptance systems.

Claims

1. A system for effectuating a value transfer, the system comprising:

a point-of-sale device, wherein the point-of-sale device is in communication with a money transfer system to transfer monetary values from senders to recipients via a first communication network, wherein senders provide monetary value that is to be provided to a designated recipient, with the monetary value and designated recipient information being input into the point-of-sale device and transmitted to the money transfer system via the first communication network, and wherein recipients may receive monetary values using the point-of-sale device, with recipient identifying information being input into the point-of-sale device and transmitted to the money transfer system via the first communication network for verification, wherein the point-of-sale device is in communication with a remote transaction system via a second communication network; and

wherein the remote transaction system is physically distinct from the money transfer system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the point-of-sale device comprises a base unit and a peripheral unit.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the base unit comprises a first touch-screen display, and wherein the peripheral unit comprises a second touch-screen display.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the point-of-sale device comprises a document imager.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the point-of-sale device comprises a magnetic ink character recognition reader.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the point-of-sale device comprises both a sup printer and a roll printer, and wherein the slip printer and the roll printer utilize a common paper transport mechanism.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote transaction system comprises a function central control.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication network is a telephone network.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote transaction system is a stored value card system to credit and debit stored value accounts, and wherein the point-of-sale device is in communication with the stored value card system to transmit transaction details for stored value accounts to the stored value card system.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the second communication network is a telephone network.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first communication network is the Internet.

12. The system of claim 11,wherein at least one of the money transfer system and remote transaction systems provides a function that is accessed upon agreement between a merchant operating the point-of-sale device and a supplier unrelated to either the merchant or a supplier of the point-of-sale device.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication network and the second communication network are the same communication network.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises:

a second remote transaction system in communication with a third communication network; and

wherein the point-of-sale device is in communication with the second remote transaction system via the third communication network.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second remote transaction system is a check acceptance system.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein at least two of the money transfer system, the remote transaction system, and the second remote transaction system are maintained by separate entities.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the remote transaction system is a stored value card system to credit and debit stored value accounts;

the third remote transaction system is a check acceptance system; and

wherein the point-of-sale device is in communication with the stored value card system to transmit an amount and a stored value card received at an interface associated with the point-of-sale device to the stored value card system via the second communication network, receive an approvals from the stored value system to charge the amount to the stored value card and to transmit a monetary value and a second stored value card received at the interface associated with the point-of-sale device to the stored value card system to load the monetary value into the second stored value card.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the remote transaction system is a fraud detection system to detect potential fraud in relation to at least one of money transfers and stored value account usage.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote transaction system is a check acceptance system.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote transaction system is a fraud detection system to detect potential fraud in money transfer transactions.

21. A system for effectuating a value transfer from one or more point-of-sale devices, the system comprising:

a plurality of point-of-sale devices in communication with a point-of-sale control system, wherein a first set of the plurality of point-of-sale devices are in communication with a stored value card system to credit and debit stored value accounts, the point-of-sale device to communicate with the stored value card system to transmit transaction details for transactions involving stored value accounts to the stored value card system and to receive authorization to charge amounts to stored value cards, the transaction details for a first transaction including an amount and a stored value card received at an interface associated with the point-of-sale device, the amount to be charged to the stored value card, and the transaction details for a second transaction including a load amount and a second stored value card, the load amount to be loaded into the second stored value card by the stored value card system, wherein a subset of the first set of the plurality of point-of-sale devices are in communication with a remote transaction system; and

wherein the stored value card system is physically distinct from second remote transaction system.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein each of the point-of-sale control system, the stored value card system, and the remote transaction system are capable of configuring one or more of the plurality of point-of-sale devices to enable the one or more of the plurality of point-of-sale devices to access at least one of the stored value card system and the second remote transaction system.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein:

a second subset of the plurality of point-of-sale devices is in communication with the stored value card system, but not the remote transaction system.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein an integrated value transfer is completed involving communication between a first point-of-sale device in the subset and both the stored value card system and the remote transaction systems, and a second point-of-sale device in the second subset and the stored value card system.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the remote transaction system is a check acceptance system to authorize checks received to add monetary value to stored value accounts.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the remote transaction system is a money transfer system to transfer monetary values from senders to recipients, and wherein senders provide monetary value that is to be provided to a designated recipient, with the monetary values and designated recipient information being input into point-of-sale devices of the first set and transmitted to the money transfer system, and wherein recipients may receive monetary values using point-of-sale devices of the first set, with recipient identifying information being input into the point-of-sale devices of the first set and transmitted to the money transfer system for verification.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein the remote transaction system is a fraud detection system to detect potential fraud in relation to stored value account usage.

29. The system of claim 27, further comprising a fraud detection system to detect potential fraud in relation to money transfer transactions.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the second communication network is the Internet.

28. A system for effectuating a value transfer, the system comprising:

a first point-of-sale device in communication with a first communication network;

a second point-of-sale device in communication with the first communication network;

a check acceptance system in communication with the first point-of-sale device and second point-of-sale device via a dial-up communication network; and

a money transfer system to transfer a monetary value from senders to recipients, in communication with the first point-of-sale device and the second point-of-sale device via a second communication network, the first and second point-of-sale devices to communicate with the money transfer system to transmit monetary values and designated recipient information received at the first and second point of sale devices from senders of monetary values and to transmit recipient identifying information, received at the first and second point of sale devices from recipients of monetary values, to the money transfer system for verification.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein the first point-of-sale device is identical to the second point-of-sale device.

32. The system of claim 28, wherein the first point-of-sale device includes the same components as the second point-of-sale device, and wherein the first point-of-sale device is configured different from the second point-of-sale device.

33. The system of claim 28, wherein the first point-of-sale device comprises a document imager.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the document imager images a document, and wherein information from an image of the document is transferred to the check acceptance system via the dial-up communication network.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the first point-of-sale device further comprises a slip printer.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the first point-of-sale device further comprises a paper transport mechanism, and wherein the paper transport mechanism is shared between the document imager and the slip printer.

37. The system of claim 28, wherein the first point-of-sale device further comprises a roll printer.

38. The system of claim 28, where the first point-of-sale device further comprises a base unit and a peripheral unit.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the peripheral unit comprises a touch-screen for accepting an electronic signature.

40. The system of claim 38, wherein the base unit comprises a document feed, a document imager, and a slip printer.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein a document is inserted into the document feed, imaged using the document imager, information associated with the document transferred to the check acceptance system via the dial up network, and a response is received from the check acceptance system via the dial-up network.

42. The system claim 40, wherein the document is further defaced by the slip printer upon completion of a transaction using the check acceptance system.