Method for on-line client set-up and authorization of automatic electronic funds transfers

• US 7,447,663 B1
• Filed: 09/10/2003
• Issued: 11/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
• Inventors: Barker, Timothy Gerhard, Gaughan, Heidi Anne, Henry, Sakira Maria
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca; Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US10/659,123
• Time in Patent Office: 1,882 Days
• Field of Search: 705/78, 705/67, 705/68
• US Class Current: 705/78
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0855 involving a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3676 Balancing accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

There is provided a method for a client to authorize an automated clearance house (ACH) transaction comprising the steps of providing an online web interface on a financial services provider network, allowing a client to securely access the online web interface via a client computer having a web browser application, permitting the client to input set-up and authorization information and criteria via the client computer, accepting and acknowledging the client set-up and authorization information and criteria, and executing an authorized ACH transaction based on the client inputted set-up and authorization information and criteria to electronically transfer client funds between one or more client accounts at a third party financial institution and financial service provider. The authorized ACH transactions can be a recurring, non-recurring or one-time ACH transactions, and in particular ACH-in transaction.

Claims

1. A method for a client to authorize an automated clearing house (ACH) transaction via the world wide web, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving authentication credentials to access an online web interface to a financial provider network, wherein the financial provider network comprises a second account which is an investment account of the client that is supplemented with funds from the ACH transaction;

receiving ACH transaction parameters, after verification of the authentication credentials, including whether the ACH transaction from a first account to the second account is at least one of one-time, recurring, and scheduled;

receiving an ACH authorization to issue an ACH credit to the second account;

storing the ACH transaction parameters in a database;

determining a balance change condition in the second account;

invoking the authorized ACH transaction based upon the determination of the balance change condition associated with the second account;

creating an ACH entry based on the ACH authorization;

executing the authorized ACH transaction based on the ACH transaction parameters; and

,

providing the ACH entry to an Originating Depository Financial Institution, wherein the ACH entry is sent to an ACH Operator and passed to a Receiving Depository Financial Institution (RDFI) causing the RDFI to debit the first account and credit the second account.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

modifying the ACH transaction parameters to create modified ACH transaction parameters;

storing the modified ACH transaction parameters in a database; and

providing notice of an executed ACH transaction.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of providing access to the ACH transaction parameters and ACH transactions history.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the ACH transaction is an ACH-in transaction that electronically transfers client funds from a client account at a third party financial institution to a client account at a financial service provider.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the ACH transaction parameters comprise:

a routing number for a client third party financial institution,

a client account number at the client third party financial institution and financial service provider; and

,

an amount of funds to be transferred between a client account in the client third party financial institution and a client account at the financial service provider.

6. A method for authorizing an automated clearing house (ACH) transaction, the method comprising the steps of:

entering authentication credentials to access an online web interface to a financial provider network, wherein the financial provider network comprises a second account which is an investment account of the client that is supplemented with funds from the ACH transaction;

accessing the online web interface when the authentication credentials are verified,

defining ACH transaction parameters including whether the ACH transaction from a first account to the second account is at least one of one-time, recurring, and scheduled;

sending an ACH authorization for the financial provider network to issue an ACH credit to the second account upon determining a balance change condition in the second account, wherein the authorized ACH transaction is invoked based upon the determination of the balance change condition associated with the second account, and wherein an ACH entry is created based on the ACH authorization and provided to an Originating Depository Financial Institution, wherein the ACH entry is sent to an ACH Operator and passed to a Receiving Depository Financial Institution (RDFI) causing the RDFI to debit the first account and credit the second account.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

receiving notification of the executed ACH transaction; and

,

modifying the ACH transaction parameters.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the access to the online web interface is via a computer having a web browser application.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the ACH transaction is an ACH-in transaction.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the inputted ACH transaction parameters include information selected from the group comprising:

a routing number for a third party financial institution;

an account number at a third party financial institution; and

,

an amount of funds to be transferred.

11. A method for a client to individually set-up and authorize an automated clearing house (ACH) in transaction, the method comprising the steps of:

providing an online web interface on a financial services provider network to enable the client to define ACH-in transaction parameters including whether the ACH-in transaction from a first account to a second account is at least one of one-time, recurring, and scheduled, wherein the financial services provider network comprises the second account which is an investment account of the client that is supplemented with funds from the ACH transaction;

allowing the client to securely access the online web interface via a client computer having a web browser application;

storing and acknowledging the ACH-in transaction parameters;

receiving an ACH authorization to issue an ACH credit to the second account;

determining a balance change condition in a second account;

invoking the authorized ACH transaction based upon the determination of the balance change condition associated with the second account;

creating an ACH entry based upon the ACH authorization;

automatically executing an authorized ACH-in transaction based on the ACH-in transaction parameters;

providing the ACH entry to an Originating Depository Financial Institution, wherein the ACH entry is sent to an ACH Operator and passed to a Receiving Depository Financial Institution (RDFI) causing the RDFI to debit the first account and credit the second account;

notifying the client of the completed ACH-in transaction; and

enabling the client to modify the ACH-in transaction parameters.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of storing and acknowledging the modified ACH-in transaction parameters.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the ACH-in transaction parameters comprises:

a routing number for a client third party financial institution,

a client account number at the client third party financial institution and financial service provider; and

,

an amount of funds to be transferred between a client account in the client third party financial institution and a client account at the financial service provider.