Financial system for isolated economic environment

• US 8,392,301 B1
• Filed: 09/22/2009
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Inventors: Lentz, Carol, Granite, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Campen, Kelly
• Application Number:
  US12/564,286
• Time in Patent Office: 1,260 Days
• Field of Search: 705/39, 705/41, 705/38, 705/35, 705/40, 705/26.1, 705/66, 705/68, 705/36.R, 705/37, 705/1.1, 235/375, 235/380, 235/379
• US Class Current: 705/35
• 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 20/403 Solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4037 Remote solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02

Abstract

A system and method for conducting financial transactions in an isolated economic environment. The present invention includes a non-isolated financial account system based in a non-isolated environment which maintains accounts for users. A self-sufficient financial account system in the isolated economic environment maintains a representation of the account. The account in the non-isolated financial account system and the self-sufficient financial account system are synchronized using the asynchronous connection. When the asynchronous connection is not available, the self-sufficient financial account system funds the representation of the account in anticipation of a funding of the account in the non-isolated financial account system, such as a regular direct deposit of a payroll check.

Claims

1. A system for conducting financial transactions and system maintenance in an isolated economic environment, comprising:

a non-isolated electronic financial account system based in a non-isolated environment, the non-isolated electronic financial account system comprising;

a first database storing information reflecting a customer account and data associated with maintenance of the non-isolated electronic financial account system;

a first computer processor; and

a first memory;

a self-sufficient electronic financial account system in an isolated economic environment, wherein the self-sufficient electronic financial account system comprises;

a second database that maintains a representation of the customer account and data associated with maintenance of the self-sufficient electronic financial account system;

a second computer processor; and

a second memory; and

a connection between the non-isolated electronic financial account system and the self-sufficient electronic financial account system, wherein at least one of the first computer processor and the second computer processor automatically synchronizes the account with the representation of the account and the data associated with maintenance of the non-isolated electronic financial account system with data associated with maintenance of the self-sufficient electronic financial account system using the connection;

wherein the data associated with maintenance comprises at least one of updates, fixes, patches, upgrades, and security data; and

wherein the self-sufficient electronic financial account system funds the representation of the account in anticipation of a funding of the account in the non-isolated electronic financial account system when the connection is not available.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the connection is an HTTPS connection.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data associated with maintenance of the non-isolated electronic financial account system is staged for synchronization with the data associated with maintenance of the self-sufficient electronic financial account system in the event the connection is not available, such that when the connection becomes available, the data associated with maintenance automatically synchronizes.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the financial transactions, system maintenance, and synchronization are facilitated by use of a device agent.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the self-sufficient electronic financial account system comprises an ATM machine.

6. A computer-implemented method for conducting financial transactions and system maintenance in an isolated economic environment, comprising:

storing, at a first database of a non-isolated electronic financial account system, information reflecting a customer account and data associated with maintenance of the non-isolated electronic financial account system, wherein the non-isolated electronic financial account system based in a non-isolated environment,

storing, at a second database of a self-sufficient electronic financial account system, a representation of the customer account and data associated with maintenance of the self-sufficient electronic financial account system, wherein the self-sufficient electronic financial account system is in an isolated economic environment; and

automatically synchronizing, by a computer processor, using a connection over a network, the account with the representation of the account and the data associated with maintenance of the non-isolated electronic financial account system at the first database with data associated with maintenance of the self-sufficient electronic financial account system at the second database;

wherein the data associated with maintenance comprises at least one of updates, fixes, patches, upgrades, and security data; and

wherein the self-sufficient electronic financial account system funds the representation of the account in anticipation of a funding of the account in the non-isolated electronic financial account system when the connection is not available.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the connection is an HTTPS connection.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the data associated with maintenance of the non-isolated electronic financial account system is staged for synchronization with the data associated with maintenance of the self-sufficient electronic financial account system in the event the connection is not available, such that when the connection becomes available, the data associated with maintenance automatically synchronizes.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the financial transactions, system maintenance, and synchronization are facilitated by use of a device agent.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the self-sufficient electronic financial account system comprises an ATM machine.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising an executable computer program that performs the following:

storing, at a first database of a non-isolated electronic financial account system, information reflecting a customer account and data associated with maintenance of the non-isolated electronic financial account system, wherein the non-isolated electronic financial account system based in a non-isolated environment;

storing, at a second database of a self-sufficient electronic financial account system, a representation of the customer account and data associated with maintenance of the self-sufficient electronic financial account system, wherein the self-sufficient electronic financial account system is in an isolated economic environment; and

synchronizing, using a connection over a network, the account with the representation of the account and the data associated with maintenance of the non-isolated electronic financial account system with data associated with maintenance of the self-sufficient electronic financial account system;

wherein the data associated with maintenance comprises at least one of updates, fixes, patches, upgrades, and security data; and

wherein the self-sufficient electronic financial account system funds the representation of the account in anticipation of a funding of the account in the non-isolated electronic financial account system when the connection is not available.