Money-transfer techniques

• US 9,037,510 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2008
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Uniteller Financial Services, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uniteller Financial Services, Inc.
• Inventors: Gutierrez-Sheris, Luis Eduardo
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Winter, John M
• Application Number:
  US12/111,550
• Publication Number:
  US 20080222039A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,576 Days
• Field of Search: 705 50- 80, 705/42
• US Class Current: 705/42
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• 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 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/347 Passive cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/211 Software architecture within ATMs or in relation to the ATM network
• 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

Abstract

A technique for transferring money between a customer and a beneficiary comprises a money-transfer company, and a plurality of selling agents and paying agents. The money-transfer company maintains a server, a database, and a communications interface for communicating, via a telephone network and/or the Internet, with data terminals located at the selling and paying agents'"'"' sites. Customer transaction cards are distributed to customers. These cards have a visible card number and a corresponding alphanumeric card code stored in, e.g., a magnetic strip. In response to a customer'"'"'s request, the money-transfer company activates the customer'"'"'s transaction card by loading customer and beneficiary information into a corresponding transaction card record stored in the database. A selling agent initiates a money-transfer request from a data terminal. Specifically, the selling agent enters a monetary amount and swipes the customer'"'"'s card in a magnetic strip reader located on the data terminal. Upon receiving the money amount and the customer'"'"'s card code, the company creates a corresponding and unique transaction record associating the customer, his (her) card and the beneficiary, in the database and returns a fund pick-up (“folio”) number to the customer. The customer discloses the folio number to the beneficiary, who, with this number and appropriate personal identification, collects the transferred money from a paying agent. The customer can use the same transaction card to make subsequent money transfers, in any amount, to the same beneficiary.

Claims

1. A method of transferring documents from a party to a transferee via a transfer company, said method comprising:

generating, by a local computer including a Central Processing Unit (CPU) under the control of the transfer company, unique device codes;

distributing, by the transfer company, transfer devices to a plurality of parties, each of the transfer devices equipped with a unique device code and being in an inactive state;

prior to activating the transfer device from the inactive state to a distributed state, restricting access, by the transfer company computer, to a device record within a database;

creating, by the transfer company computer, a database comprising a set of device records, the computer providing remote access to the database via a communication network;

loading, by the local computer, each of the unique device codes into a different one of the device records within the database;

loading, by the local computer, party data, identifying the parties, into the different ones of the device records within the database;

loading, by the local computer, transferee data, identifying the transferees, into the different ones of the device records within the database;

activating the transfer device from the inactive state to the distributed state by the transfer company computer;

prior to activating the transfer device from the distributed state to an activated state, restricting access, by the transfer company computer, to the device record; and

initiating, in the distributed state, a transfer of a particular document from a requesting party to a particular transferee by the steps of;

accessing, by the local computer, the device record within the database corresponding to the unique device code on previously distributed transfer device,

validating, in the distributed state of the transfer device, by the transfer company computer, the unique device code by comparing the unique device code and the transferee'"'"'s identification information with information in the device record in the database via the transfer company computer;

activating the transfer device from the distributed state to the activated state by the local computer, wherein the device record is accessible by the local computer in the activated state;

obtaining, by a computer of the transfer company, the identities of the requesting party and the particular transferee from the accessed device record within the database corresponding to the unique device code,

generating, by the local computer, a unique pick-up code that refers to a specific transfer of a particular document,

storing, by the local computer, the unique pick-up code into the accessed device record within the database corresponding to the unique device code,

providing, by the computer of the transfer company, a unique pick-up code to the requesting party, wherein the computer of the transfer company includes a Central Processing Unit (CPU),

receiving, by an agent of the transfer company, the unique pick-up code from the transferee,

accessing, by an agent of the transfer company, a device record on the database of the computer, corresponding to the unique pick-up code received from the transferee, using a remote controlled-computer, under the control of the agent, connected to the communication network,

verifying, by the agent, the identity of the transferee based on the transferee data stored in the accessed device record corresponding to the presented unique pick-up code,

providing, by the agent, the particular document to the particular transferee upon verification of the received unique pick up code and the identity of the transferee.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the transfer devices, as distributed to a corresponding one of the users, has no transferee data or device record associated therewith.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said document comprises currency, and said initiating step includes said requesting party giving said transfer company said currency and said transfer device previously distributed to said requesting party.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of said transferee giving a different transfer company said pick-up code, and said different transfer company giving said transferee funds corresponding to said currency.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said distributing step comprises distributing transfer devices, each containing a data-storage medium having said unique device code stored therein in machine-readable form.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein said distributing step comprises distributing transfer devices, each comprising a card with a magnetic strip having said unique device code magnetically stored therein.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said initiating step comprises said transfer company reading said unique device code from said magnetic strip.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique pick-up code is associated with a plurality of transferees.

8. A document-transfer system, for transferring documents between parties and transferees via a document-transfer company, comprising:

a computer connected to a communication network under the control of the document-transfer company, the computer generating a unique device code;

a plurality of transfer devices each equipped with a respectively unique device code and distributed in an inactive state;

a database of the computer accessible via the communication network, the database comprising a set of device records, each of said device records containing a different one of said unique device codes, data identifying one of said parties, and data identifying one of said transferees, wherein prior to activating a transfer device from the inactive state to a distributed state, restricting access, by the computer, to said device records within the database;

the computer activating the transfer device from the inactive state to the distributed state, wherein, prior to activating the transfer device from the distributed state to an activated state, restricting access, by the transfer company computer, to the device records;

the computer generating, in the distributed state, a unique pick-up code and storing the unique pick-up-code in a particular device record within the database, the unique pick-up code being supplied to said requesting party;

the computer validating, in the distributed state of the transfer device, the unique device code by comparing the unique device code and the transferee'"'"'s identification information with information in the device record in the database;

the computer activating the transfer device from the distributed state to the activated state, wherein the device records are accessible by the computer in the activated state;

the computer initiating a transfer of a particular document from a requesting party to a particular transferee by accessing one of said device codes from the transfer device previously distributed to said requesting party to locate a corresponding one of said device records from said database to obtain the identities of said requesting party and said particular transferee;

receiving means for receiving by an agent of the document-transfer company of a unique pick-up code from the transferee,

accessing means for accessing by the agent of a device record on the database corresponding to the received unique pick-up code via a remote-computer under the control of the agent connected to the communication network;

verifying means for verifying the identity of the transferee by the agent based on the transferee data stored in an accessed device record corresponding to the received unique pick-up code, and

providing means for providing the particular document by the agent to the particular transferee upon verification of the received unique pick up code and the identity of the transferee.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said transfer devices each comprise a data-storage medium having said unique device code therein.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the data-storage medium stores the unique device code in machine-readable form.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said transfer devices each comprise a card with a magnetic strip having said unique device code magnetically stored therein.

12. A document-transfer system, for transferring documents between parties and transferees via a document-transfer company, comprising:

a computer connected to a communication network under the control of the document-transfer company, the computer generating a unique device code;

a plurality of transfer devices each equipped with a respectively unique device code and distributed in an inactive state;

a database of the computer and accessible via the communication network, the database of the computer including a Central Processing Unit (CPU), comprising a set of device records, each of said device records containing a different one of said unique device codes, data identifying one of said parties, and data identifying one of said transferees, wherein prior to activating a transfer device from the inactive state to a distributed state, restricting access, by the computer, to said device records within the database;

the computer validating, in the distributed state of the transfer device, the unique device code by comparing the unique device code and the transferee'"'"'s identification information with information in the device record in the database;

the computer activating the transfer device from the inactive state to the distributed state, wherein, prior to activating the transfer device from the distributed state to an activated state, restricting access, by the computer, to the device records;

the computer initiating, in the distributed state, a transfer of a particular document from a requesting party to a particular transferee by accessing one of said device codes from the transfer device previously distributed to said requesting party to locate a corresponding one of said device records from said database of the computer to obtain the identities of said requesting party and said particular transferee;

the computer activating the transfer device from the distributed state to the activated state, wherein the device records are accessible by the computer in the activated state;

the computer generating a unique pick-up code and storing the generated unique pick-up-code in a particular device record within the database of the computer, the unique pick-up code being supplied to said requesting party, receiving the unique pick-up code, accessing a device record on the database of the computer corresponding to the received unique pick-up code, using a remote controlled-computer under the control of the agent connected to the communication network, and verifying, using transferee data stored in an accessed device record corresponding to the received unique pick-up code, on the database of the computer by the agent, an identity of the transferee, and providing the particular document by the agent to the particular transferee upon verification, via the database of the computer, of the received unique pick up code and the identity of the transferee;

said transfer devices each comprise a data-storage medium having said unique device code therein;

said data-storage medium storing said unique device code in machine-readable form;

said transfer comprising a data terminal reading said unique device code from said magnetic strip, and for transmitting a description of said document and said unique device code to said document-transfer company.

13. A document-transfer system for transferring documents between parties and transferees via a document-transfer company, comprising:

a computer connected to a communication network under the control of the document-transfer company, the computer generating a unique device code;

a plurality of transfer devices distributed in an inactive state each having a respective data-storage medium and a respectively unique device code stored in the respective data-storage medium, the respective data-storage medium storing the respective unique device code in machine-readable form, wherein prior to activating a transfer device from the inactive state to a distributed state, restricting access, by the computer, to a set of device records within a database;

the computer validating, in the distributed state of the transfer device, the unique device code by comparing the unique device code and the transferee'"'"'s identification information with information in the device record in the database;

the computer activating the transfer device from the inactive state to the distributed state, wherein, prior to activating the transfer device from the distributed state to an activated state, restricting access, by the transfer company computer, to the set of device records;

a database of the computer and accessible via the communication network, the database comprising a set of device records data-processor for creating a device database comprising the set of device records, each of the device records containing a different one of the unique device codes, data identifying one of the parties, and data identifying one of the transferees;

a transfer device for initiating a transfer of a particular document from a requesting party to a particular transferee by accessing one of the device codes from the transfer device previously distributed to the requesting party to locate a corresponding one of the device records from the database to obtain the identities of the requesting party and the particular transferee, each of the transfer agents including a data terminal for reading the unique device code from the magnetic strip, and for transmitting a description of the document and the unique device code to the document-transfer company;

the computer generating, in the distributed state, a unique pick-up code and storing the generated unique pick-up-code in a particular device record within the database, the unique pick-up code being supplied to the requesting party, receiving the unique pick-up code, activating the transfer device from the distributed state to the activated state, wherein the set of device records are accessible by the computer in the activated state, accessing a device record on the database of the computer corresponding to the received unique pick-up code, using a remote controlled-computer under the control of the agent connected to the communication network and verifying, using transferee data stored in an accessed device record corresponding to the received unique pick-up code, on the database of the computer by the agent, an identity of the transferee, and providing the particular document by the agent to the particular transferee upon verification, via the database of the computer, of the received unique pick up code and the identity of the transferee.