Systems and methods to modify a negotiable instrument

• US 8,046,301 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 10/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: Smith, Arthur Quentin, Billman, Bradly Jay, Medina, Reynaldo III, Hopkins, John Chandler III
• Primary Examiner(s): ROSEN, ELIZABETH H
• Application Number:
  US11/927,814
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: 705/35, 705/45, 705/1.1, 705/42, 705/70, 382/137, 382/138, 382/139, 382/140, 235/379, 283/57, 283/58, 283/72
• US Class Current: 705/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/042 characterized in that the payment protocol involves at least one cheque
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

When the deposit of a negotiable instrument, such as a check, is done electronically by using a digital image of the negotiable instrument rather than the negotiable instrument itself, during the process, at least two negotiable instruments may exist: the physical negotiable instrument and the digital image of the negotiable instrument. To change the physical negotiable instrument to a non-negotiable instrument, a bank or other financial institution may send a transmission to modify the appearance of the negotiable instrument, thus effectively “voiding” the physical negotiable instrument. The negotiable instrument may have various inks or mechanisms that facilitate the modification of the appearance through the application of a stimulus, such as heat or light. The financial institution may cause the application of the stimulus to modify the appearance of the negotiable instrument.

Claims

1. A processor-implemented method for redeeming a physical negotiable instrument, comprising:

receiving a request at a computing device of a financial institution from a computing device of a user to deposit funds of a physical negotiable instrument into an account of the user held by the financial institution,

wherein the user is remotely located from the financial institution,

wherein the request comprises a digital image of the physical negotiable instrument, wherein the physical negotiable instrument has a surface that comprises a modifiable ink that is sensitive to a stimulus, wherein the digital image is generated by a user'"'"'s scanner communicatively coupled to the computing device of the user, wherein the stimulus is a heat or light source of the scanner;

generating by the computing device of the financial institution a communication to instruct the scanner to void the physical negotiable instrument by applying the stimulus to the modifiable ink on the surface of the physical negotiable instrument, wherein the stimulus to the modifiable ink is generated and applied by the user'"'"'s scanner;

transmitting the communication from the computing device of the financial institution to the computing device of the user subsequent to successful receipt of the digital image of the physical negotiable instrument;

wherein the generated communication is used to instruct the scanner to apply the stimulus to the modifiable ink on the surface of the physical negotiable instrument;

wherein the physical negotiable instrument is voided by applying the stimulus to the modifiable ink on the surface of the physical negotiable instrument by the user'"'"'s scanner; and

receiving confirmation of the application of the stimulus.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical negotiable instrument comprises a check.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the stimulus is the heat source of the scanner, and voiding the physical negotiable instrument comprises exposing the physical negotiable instrument to the heat source to permanently modify the modifiable ink on the surface, wherein the modifiable ink on the surface of the physical negotiable instrument comprises heat-sensitive ink.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the stimulus is the light source of the scanner, and voiding the physical negotiable instrument comprises exposing the physical negotiable instrument to the light source to permanently modify the modifiable ink on the surface, wherein the modifiable ink on the surface of the physical negotiable instrument comprises light-sensitive ink.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the stimulus is the light source of the scanner used to generate the digital image of the physical negotiable instrument and voiding the physical negotiable instrument comprises exposing the physical negotiable instrument to the light source of the scanner for a predetermined time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user owned computing device that generated the request to deposit the physical negotiable instrument further generated the digital image of the physical negotiable instrument.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at the computing device of the financial institution an image of the modified physical negotiable instrument as proof of voiding of the physical negotiable instrument from the computing device of the user; and

depositing by the computing device of the financial institution, in response to receiving the proof of voiding of the physical negotiable instrument, the funds of the physical negotiable instrument into the account of the user held by the financial institution.

8. A system for redeeming a physical negotiable instrument, comprising:

a memory;

a processor disposed in communication with said memory, and configured to issue a plurality of processing instructions stored in the memory, wherein the processor issues instructions to;

receive a request from a computing device of a user to deposit funds of a physical negotiable instrument into an account of the user held by a financial institution, wherein the user is remotely located from the financial institution, wherein the request comprises a digital image of the physical negotiable instrument, wherein the physical negotiable instrument has a surface that comprises a modifiable ink that is sensitive to a stimulus, wherein the digital image is generated by a user'"'"'s scanner communicatively coupled to the computing device of the user, wherein the stimulus is a heat or light source of the scanner;

generate a communication to instruct the scanner to void the physical negotiable instrument by applying the stimulus to the modifiable ink on the surface of the physical negotiable instrument, wherein the stimulus to the modifiable ink is generated and applied by the user'"'"'s scanner;

transmit the communication to the computing device of the user subsequent to successful receipt of the digital image of the physical negotiable instrument;

wherein the generated communication is used to instruct the scanner to apply the stimulus to the modifiable ink on the surface of the physical negotiable instrument;

wherein the physical negotiable instrument is voided by applying the stimulus to the modifiable ink on the surface of the physical negotiable instrument by the user'"'"'s scanner; and

receive confirmation of the application of the stimulus.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the physical negotiable instrument comprises a check.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the stimulus is the heat source of the scanner, and voiding the physical negotiable instrument comprises exposing the physical negotiable instrument to the heat source to permanently modify the modifiable ink on the surface, wherein the modifiable ink on the surface of the physical negotiable instrument comprises heat-sensitive ink.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the stimulus is the light source of the scanner, and voiding the physical negotiable instrument comprises exposing the physical negotiable instrument to the light source to permanently modify the modifiable ink on the surface, wherein the modifiable ink on the surface of the physical negotiable instrument comprises light-sensitive ink.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the stimulus is the light source of the scanner used to generate the digital image of the physical negotiable instrument and voiding the physical negotiable instrument comprises exposing the physical negotiable instrument to the light source of the scanner for a predetermined time.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the computing device of the user that generated the request to deposit the physical negotiable instrument further generated the digital image of the physical negotiable instrument.

14. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a subsystem that;

receives an image of the modified physical negotiable instrument as proof of voiding of the physical negotiable instrument from the computing device of the user; and

deposits, in response to receiving the proof of voiding of the physical negotiable instrument, the funds of the physical negotiable instrument into the account of the user held by the financial institution.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions for redeeming a physical negotiable instrument, the instructions comprising instructions to:

receive a request at a computing device of a financial institution from a computing device of a user to deposit funds of a physical negotiable instrument into an account of the user held by the financial institution, wherein the user is remotely located from the financial institution, wherein the request comprises a digital image of the physical negotiable instrument, wherein the physical negotiable instrument has a surface that comprises a modifiable ink that is sensitive to a stimulus, wherein the digital image of the physical negotiable instrument is generated by a user'"'"'s scanner communicatively coupled to the computing device of the user, wherein the stimulus is a heat or light source of the scanner;

generate by the computing device of the financial institution a communication to instruct the scanner to void the physical negotiable instrument by applying the stimulus to the modifiable ink on the surface of the physical negotiable instrument, wherein the stimulus to the modifiable ink is generated and applied by the user'"'"'s scanner;

transmit the communication from the computing device of the financial institution to the computing device of the user subsequent to successful receipt of the digital image of the physical negotiable instrument;

wherein the generated communication is used to instruct the scanner to apply the stimulus to the modifiable ink on the surface of the physical negotiable instrument;

wherein the physical negotiable instrument is voided by applying the stimulus to the modifiable ink on the surface of the physical negotiable instrument by the user'"'"'s scanner; and

receive confirmation of the application of the stimulus.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the physical negotiable instrument comprises a check.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the stimulus is the heat source of the scanner, and the instructions to void the physical negotiable instrument comprise instructions to expose the physical negotiable instrument to the heat source to permanently modify the modifiable ink on the surface, wherein the modifiable ink on the surface of the physical negotiable instrument comprises heat-sensitive ink.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the stimulus is the light source of the scanner, and the instructions to void the physical negotiable instrument comprise instructions to expose the physical negotiable instrument to the light source to permanently modify the modifiable ink on the surface, wherein the modifiable ink on the surface of the physical negotiable instrument comprises light-sensitive ink.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the stimulus is the light source of the scanner used to generate the digital image of the physical negotiable instrument and the instructions to void the physical negotiable instrument comprise instructions to expose the physical negotiable instrument to the light source of the scanner for a predetermined time.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the computing device of the user that generated the request to deposit the physical negotiable instrument further generated the digital image of the physical negotiable instrument.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the instructions further comprising instructions to:

receive an image of the modified physical negotiable instrument as proof of voiding of the physical negotiable instrument from the computing device of the user; and

deposit, in response to receiving the proof of voiding of the physical negotiable instrument, the funds of the physical negotiable instrument into the account of the user held by the financial institution.