Prediction of future cash supply chain status

• US 8,556,167 B1
• Filed: 10/31/2008
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Nichols, Michelle, Atwood, Todd, Heddleson, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mikels, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US12/263,041
• Time in Patent Office: 1,810 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/379, 235/385, 705/5, 705 35- 45
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/08 by opening, e.g. of door, of window, of drawer, of shutter, of curtain, of blind
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1481 with optical detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2402 Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS], i.e. systems using tags for detecting removal of a tagged item from a secure area, e.g. tags for detecting shoplifting mechanical aspects of the tags, e.g. related to locking E05B73/0017; RFID readers G06K7/00; RFID tags G06K19/00; access control systems G07C9/00; anti-theft control in point of sale systems G07G3/003; security seals G09F3/03

Abstract

A method for predicting future cash supply chain status includes tracking a plurality of monetary packages as they move along a cash supply chain. An quantity of monetary items that is estimated to arrive at a point along the cash supply chain on a future day, can be determined, based on tracking the monetary packages. Actions can then be taken based on the estimated quantity of monetary items. The calculation may be further based on expected positions of additional future monetary packages that are scheduled or predicted, based on history, to be received into the cash supply chain.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

tracking, by a computer system, a plurality of monetary packages throughout a cash supply chain, each of the monetary packages containing a plurality of monetary items; and

determining a total quantity of monetary items that is estimated to arrive at a point along the cash supply chain at a future time, by the computer system, based on the tracking of the monetary packages and a quantity of monetary items in each monetary package; and

changing at least one operating parameter at the point based on the determined total quantity of monetary items that is estimated to arrive at the point along the cash supply chain at the future time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one operating parameter is selected from a group consisting of:

an employee staffing level at the point, an arrival time of a transporter carrying at least some monetary items to the point, a denomination of the monetary items, a deadline, operating hours at the point, federal reserve requirements, and customer prioritization.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining further includes determining, by the computer system, the total quantity of monetary items estimated to arrive at the point at a specified time of day on a specified day.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the total quantity of monetary items further comprises determining, by the computer system, the total quantity of monetary items based on at least one a status of an additional monetary package that is predicted to be received into the cash supply chain.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking comprises tracking the monetary packages, by the computer system, using at least one tracking device selected from a group consisting of:

RFID tags, bar codes, and internal system transaction codes.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the monetary packages are in the form of bags containing monetary items.

6. A method, comprising:

tracking, by the computer system, a plurality of monetary packages throughout a cash supply chain;

predicting, by the computer system, an additional monetary package to be received into the cash supply chain at a first future time, wherein the additional monetary package is not yet received into the cash supply chain and is not scheduled to enter into the cash supply chain; and

determining a total quantity of monetary items that is estimated to arrive at a point along the cash supply chain at a second future time, by the computer system, based on the tracking of the monetary packages and the predicted additional monetary package.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

changing at least one operating parameter at the point based on the determined total quantity of monetary items.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one operating parameter is selected from a group consisting of:

an employee staffing level at the point, an arrival time of a transporter carrying at least some monetary items to the point on a specified day, a denomination of the monetary items, a deadline, operating hours at the point, federal reserve requirements, and customer prioritization.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the determined total quantity of monetary items is estimated to arrive at the point on a future day.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

predicting a quantity of monetary items in the additional monetary package, by the computer system,

wherein determining the estimated total quantity of monetary items is further based on the predicted quantity of monetary items in the additional monetary package.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

predicting a future position in the cash supply chain of the predicted additional monetary package, by the computer system,

wherein the determining of the total of monetary items further comprises determining the quantity of monetary items based on the predicted position of the additional monetary package.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the prediction of the additional monetary package is based on a financial history of the cash supply chain.

13. A method, comprising:

recording positions of a plurality of monetary packages at each of a plurality of points along a cash supply chain, by a computer system, each of the monetary packages containing a plurality of monetary items; and

determining a total quantity of monetary items that is estimated to arrive at a selected point along the cash supply chain, by the computer system, based on the positions of the monetary packages and a quantity of monetary items in each of the monetary packages.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

changing at least one operating parameter at the selected point based on the determined total quantity of monetary items.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one operating parameter is selected from a group consisting of:

an employee staffing level at the selected point, an arrival time of a transporter carrying at least some monetary items to the selected point on a specified day, a denomination of the monetary items, a deadline, operating hours at the selected point, federal reserve requirements, and customer prioritization.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the determining further includes determining, by the computer system, the total quantity of monetary items estimated to arrive at the selected point at a specified time of day on a specified future day.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the positions of the monetary packages are recorded by the computer system, using at least one tracking device selected from a group consisting of:

RFID tags, bar codes, and internal system transaction codes.

18. A method comprising:

determining, by a computer system a quantity of monetary items that is estimated to arrive at a point along a cash supply chain at a plurality of future times; and

coordinating, an arrival time of a transporter carrying at least some of the monetary items to the point, by the computer system, comprising instructing the transporter to arrive at the point at a modified arrival time that is different from an original scheduled arrival time of the transporter at the point, based on the quantity monetary items estimated to arrive at the point on at least one of the original scheduled arrival time and the modified arrival time.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein a large quantity of monetary items is estimated to arrive at the point at the original scheduled arrival time, and wherein a smaller quantity of monetary items is estimated to arrive at the point at the modified arrival time.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein coordinating the arrival time is further based upon estimated employee staffing at the point.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein determining the quantity of monetary items is based on tracking the monetary packages throughout the cash supply chain, by the computer system.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the monetary packages are tracked using input from transporters transferring the monetary packages.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the transporter is an armored carrier.