Money-transfer techniques

• US 6,938,013 B1
• Filed: 08/09/2000
• Issued: 08/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Uniteller Financial Services, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uniteller Financial Services, Inc.
• Inventors: Gutierrez-Sheris, Luis Eduardo
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Winter, John M
• Application Number:
  US09/635,321
• Time in Patent Office: 1,847 Days
• Field of Search: 705/39
• US Class Current: 705/39
• 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 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/347 Passive cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/211 Software architecture within ATMs or in relation to the ATM network
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered

Abstract

A technique for transferring money between a customer and a beneficiary comprises a money-transfer company, and a plurality of selling agents and paying agents. The money-transfer company maintains a server, a database, and a communications interface for communicating, via a telephone network and/or the Internet, with data terminals located at the selling and paying agents'"'"' sites. Customer transaction cards are distributed to customers. These cards have a visible card number and a corresponding alphanumeric card code stored in, e.g., a magnetic strip. In response to a customer'"'"'s request, the money-transfer company activates the customer'"'"'s transaction card by loading customer and beneficiary information into a corresponding transaction card record stored in the database. A selling agent initiates a money-transfer request from a data terminal. Specifically, the selling agent enters a monetary amount and swipes the customer'"'"'s card in a magnetic strip reader located on the data terminal. Upon receiving the money amount and the customer'"'"'s card code, the company creates a corresponding and unique transaction record associating the customer, his (her) card and the beneficiary, in the database and returns a fund pick-up (“folio”) number to the customer. The customer discloses the folio number to the beneficiary, who, with this number and appropriate personal identification, collects the transferred money from a paying agent. The customer can use the same transaction card to make subsequent money transfers, in any amount, to the same beneficiary.

Claims

1. A method of transferring money from a customer to a beneficiary via a money-transfer system, said method comprising:

said money-transfer system distributing money-transfer devices to a plurality of customers, each said of money-transfer devices equipped with a unique device code;

creating a device database at said money-transfer system, said device database comprising a set of device records;

loading each of said unique device codes into a different one of said device records;

loading customer data, identifying said customers, into different ones of said device records;

loading beneficiary data, identifying said beneficiaries, into different ones of said device records;

said money-transfer system initiating a transfer of a particular amount of money from a requesting customer to a particular beneficiary by collecting from said requesting customer one of said money-transfer devices and said particular amount of money, accessing said device code from said one of said money-transfer devices to locate a corresponding one of said device records, and retrieving the identities of said requesting customer and said particular beneficiary from said customer data and said beneficiary data; and

said money-transfer system giving said customer a unique pick-up code for use by said particular beneficiary to collect funds corresponding to said particular amount of money after giving said money-transfer system said pick-up code;

the step of distributing money-transfer devices comprising said money-transfer system distributing money-transfer devices containing a data-storage medium having said unique device code stored therein;

each of the transfer devices, as distributed to a corresponding one of said customers, has no device record or beneficiary information associated therewith;

the method further comprising electronically networking a transfer company with a number of selling agents and paying agents to form said money-transfer system, and wherein said initiating step includes said requesting customer giving one of said money-transfer devices and said particular amount of money to a first selling agent, and said first selling agent machine reading said unique device code from said money transfer device, and transmitting data specifying said unique device code and said particular amount of money to said transfer company.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising said transfer company, in response to the step of said first selling agent transmitting data, generating said pick-up code and transmitting said pick-up code to said first selling agent.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the steps of said first selling agent giving said pick-up code to said requesting customer, said requesting customer disclosing said pick-up code to said particular beneficiary, said particular beneficiary giving said pick-up code to one of said paying agents, and said one of said paying agents giving said particular beneficiary funds corresponding to said particular amount of money.

4. A method of transferring money from a customer to a beneficiary via a money-transfer system, said method comprising:

said money-transfer system distributing money-transfer devices to a plurality of customers, each said of money-transfer devices equipped with a unique device code;

creating a device database at said money-transfer system, said device database comprising a set of device records;

loading each of said unique device codes into a different one of said device records;

loading customer data, identifying said customers, into different ones of said device records;

loading beneficiary data, identifying said beneficiaries, into different ones of said device records;

said money-transfer system initiating a transfer of a particular amount of money from a requesting customer to a particular beneficiary by collecting from said requesting customer one of said money-transfer devices and said particular amount of money, accessing said device code from said one of said money-transfer devices to locate a corresponding one of said device records, and retrieving the identities of said requesting customer and said particular beneficiary from said customer data and said beneficiary data; and

said money-transfer system giving said customer a unique pick-up code for use by said particular beneficiary to collect funds corresponding to said particular amount of money after giving said money-transfer system said pick-up code;

the step of distributing money-transfer devices comprising said money-transfer system distributing money-transfer devices containing a data-storage medium having said unique device code stored therein;

each of the transfer devices, as distributed to a corresponding one of said customers, has no device record or beneficiary information associated therewith;

the method further comprising the steps of storing the unique device code in the data-storage medium in machine-readable form; and

electronically networking a transfer company with a number of selling agents and paying agents to form said money-transfer system, and wherein said initiating step includes said requesting customer giving one of said money-transfer devices and said particular amount of money to a first selling agent, and said first selling agent machine reading said unique device code from said magnetic strip, and transmitting data specifying said unique device code and said particular amount of money to said transfer company.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising said transfer company, in response to the step of said first selling agent transmitting data, generating said pick-up code and transmitting said pick-up code to said first selling agent.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the steps of said first selling agent giving said pick-up code to said requesting customer, said requesting customer disclosing said pick-up code to said particular beneficiary, said particular beneficiary giving said pick-up code to one of said paying agents, and said one of said paying agents giving said particular beneficiary funds corresponding to said particular amount of money.

7. A document-transfer system, for transferring documents between parties and transferees, comprising:

a plurality of transfer devices each equipped with a unique device code;

a document-transfer company having data-processor means for creating a device database comprising a set of device records, each of said device records containing a different one of said unique device codes, party data identifying one of said parties, and transferee data identifying one of said transferees;

a plurality of transfer agents each comprising transfer means for initiating a transfer of a particular document from a requesting party to a particular transferee by accessing one of said device codes from a transfer device previously distributed to said requesting party to locate a corresponding one of said device records from said data-processor means to obtain the identities of said requesting party and said particular transferee; and

code-pick-up means, responsive to said transfer means, for providing said requesting party with a pick-up code for use by said transferee when collecting said document;

said transfer devices each comprise a data-storage medium having said unique device code therein;

said data terminal means comprising document-pick-up means for accessing transaction data located in said data-processor means in response to said transferee providing a corresponding one of said transfer agents with said pick-up code.

8. The system claim of 7 wherein said document is currency and said transfer means initiates said transfer in response to said requesting party giving a corresponding one of said transfer agents said currency.

9. A money-transfer system, for transferring money from a customer to a beneficiary, comprising:

a plurality of transfer devices each equipped with a unique device code;

a money-transfer company having data-processor means for creating a device database comprising a set of device records, each of said device records containing a different one of said unique device codes, customer data identifying one of said customers, and beneficiary data identifying one of said beneficiaries; and

a plurality of selling agents electronically networked with said money-transfer company, each of said selling agents comprising transfer means for initiating a transfer of currency from a requesting customer to a particular beneficiary by collecting said currency and accessing a first device code from a first transfer device previously distributed to said requesting customer, and for providing said requesting customer with fund-pick-up code for use by said transferee when collecting funds corresponding to said currency.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein each of said transfer devices comprises a data-storage medium having said unique device code stored therein.

11. The system in claim 10 wherein the data-storage medium stores the unique device code in machine-readable form.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein said transfer devices each comprise a card with a magnetic strip having said unique device code magnetically stored therein.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein said selling agents comprise data terminal means for reading said unique device code from said magnetic strip, and for transmitting transaction data, stating the amount of said currency and said unique device code, to said money-transfer company, and for receiving from said money-transfer company said fund-pick-up code.

14. The system of claim 10 further including a plurality of paying agents electronically networked with said money-transfer company, each of said paying agents comprising fund-pick-up means for accessing transaction data located in said data-processor means in response to said beneficiary providing a fund-pick-up code and personal identification to said paying agent.