Issuing a value-bearing card associated with only non-personally identifying information

• US 8,893,963 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2010
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ready Credit Corp.
• Original Assignee: Ready Credit Corp.
• Inventors: Walsh, Timothy James, Olah, Donald Bradly
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US12/835,487
• Publication Number:
  US 20100276486A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,596 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380, 235/375, 235/382, 235/383, 235/492, 235/486, 235/487
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/26 Debit schemes, e.g. "pay now"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/355 Personalisation of cards for use
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/26 for printing, stamping, franking, typing or teleprinting apparatus ticket printing or the like apparatus G07F17/42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/202 Depositing operations within ATMs depositing in general G07D11/00
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

Issuing a debit card associated with only non-personally identifying information includes communicating among an input device, a network coupling, and a card dispenser. The input device is configured to receive a new account request. The new account request includes only non-personally identifiable information. The network coupling is configured to send the new account request to an acquirer processor and to receive an approval response from the acquirer processor. The card dispenser is configured to dispense a debit card to the user based on the approval response received from the acquirer processor. The debit card includes only non-personally identifiable information. The non-personally identifiable information includes the account number.

Claims

1. A system for issuing a value-bearing card, the system comprising:

an input device, the input device being configured to receive a new account request, the new account request including only information that does not identify a specific user;

a network coupling operationally coupled to the input device, the network coupling being configured to send the new account request to an approver and to receive an approval response from the approver;

a card dispenser operationally coupled to the network coupling, the card dispenser being configured to dispense a value-bearing card based on the approval response, the value-bearing card including only information that does not identify the specific user, the information including an account number; and

a card reader for scanning information stored on the value-bearing card, the scanned information including the account number.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an asset acceptor, the asset acceptor being configured to receive assets, the assets including at least one of the group consisting of currency, checks, and credit cards; and

a controller, the controller being configured to determine a value of the assets;

wherein the new account request includes the value of the assets.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a card encoder, the card encoder being configured to store information on the value-bearing card.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a display screen configured to present selectable options to the user.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the display screen includes a touch screen, which forms at least part of the input device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the input device, the network coupling, and the card dispenser are housed at a kiosk.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the value-bearing card is a debit card.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the account number is associated with an account at a card processor.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the value-bearing card is branded to reflect the card processor.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the value-bearing card includes an expiration date.

11. A method for issuing a value-bearing card, comprising:

receiving, at a kiosk, a request to obtain a value-bearing card for a value amount;

sending the request to an approver, the request including the value amount and excluding any information capable of identifying a specific user; and

issuing the value-bearing card from the kiosk upon receipt of approval from the approver by dispensing the value-bearing card through a slot defined by the kiosk, the value-bearing card being associated with the value amount and including only information that does not identify the specific user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the value-bearing card is a debit card.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving, at the kiosk, a value-bearing instrument with which the specific user pays the value amount.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving the value-bearing instrument comprises receiving a credit card at an asset acceptor at the kiosk.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving the value-bearing instrument comprises receiving cash at an asset acceptor at the kiosk.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the request to obtain the value-bearing card comprises receiving input from the specific user at a touch screen display at the kiosk.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein receiving the request to obtain the value-bearing card comprises receiving a selection at a graphic user interface displayed on the touch screen display.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the dispensed value-bearing card includes an encoded account number.

19. A system for issuing a value-bearing card, the system comprising:

an input device, the input device being configured to receive a new account request, the new account request including only information that does not identify a specific user;

a network coupling operationally coupled to the input device, the network coupling being configured to send the new account request to an approver and to receive an approval response from the approver;

a card dispenser operationally coupled to the network coupling, the card dispenser being configured to dispense a value-bearing card based on the approval response, the value-bearing card including only information that does not identify the specific user, the information including an account number; and

a card encoder, the card encoder being configured to store information on the value-bearing card.

20. A system for issuing a value-bearing card, the system comprising:

an input device, the input device being configured to receive a new account request, the new account request including only information that does not identify a specific user;

a network coupling operationally coupled to the input device, the network coupling being configured to send the new account request to an approver and to receive an approval response from the approver;

a card dispenser operationally coupled to the network coupling, the card dispenser being configured to dispense a value-bearing card based on the approval response, the value-bearing card including only information that does not identify the specific user, the information including an account number; and

a display screen configured to present selectable options to the user.

21. A system for issuing a value-bearing card, the system comprising:

an input device, the input device being configured to receive a new account request, the new account request including only information that does not identify a specific user;

a network coupling operationally coupled to the input device, the network coupling being configured to send the new account request to an approver and to receive an approval response from the approver;

a card dispenser operationally coupled to the network coupling, the card dispenser being configured to dispense a value-bearing card based on the approval response, the value-bearing card including only information that does not identify the specific user, the information including an account number; and

wherein the input device, the network coupling, and the card dispenser are housed at a kiosk.

22. A method for issuing a value-bearing card, comprising:

receiving, at a touch screen display at a kiosk, a request from a specific user to obtain a value-bearing card for a value amount;

sending the request to an approver, the request including the value amount and excluding any information capable of identifying the specific user; and

issuing the value-bearing card from the kiosk upon receipt of approval from the approver, the value-bearing card being associated with the value amount and including only information that does not identify the specific user;

wherein receiving the request to obtain the value-bearing card comprises receiving input from the specific user at a touch screen display at the kiosk.

23. A method for issuing a value-bearing card, comprising:

receiving, at a kiosk, a request to obtain a value-bearing card for a value amount;

sending the request to an approver, the request including the value amount and excluding any information capable of identifying a specific user;

receiving, at an asset acceptor at the kiosk, cash with which the specific user pays the value amount; and

issuing the value-bearing card from the kiosk upon receipt of approval from the approver, the value-bearing card being associated with the value amount and including only information that does not identify the specific user.