Systems and methods for deploying a point-of sale device

• US 20020166891A1
• Filed: 04/03/2002
• Published: 11/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: First Data Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated), Western Union
• Original Assignee: First Data Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Stoutenburg, Earney, Nelson, Eric M., Price, James, Singleton, Jeffrey, Seifert, Dean A., Fillinger, Charles A., Mollett, Cassandra J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,886,742 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/042 characterized in that the payment protocol involves at least one cheque
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0425 the cheque being electronic only
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4037 Remote solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/04 by paper currency
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/10 together with a coded signal , e.g. in the form of personal identification information, like personal identification number [PIN] or biometric data
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/12 electronically operated digital data processing aspects G06Q20/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00

Abstract

Systems and methods including one or more point-of-sale devices for effectuating value transfers. In particular implementations, various point-of-sale devices are in communication with various transaction systems. Thus, a transaction can be effectuated from one point-of-sale device to another utilizing one or more of the communicably coupled transaction systems. The transaction systems can include, but are not limited to, money transfer systems, fraud detection systems, check acceptance systems, and the like.

Claims

1. A system for effectuating a value transfer, the system comprising:

a point-of-sale device, wherein the point-of-sale device is in communication with a first transaction system via a first communication network, and wherein the point-of-sale device is in communication with a second transaction system via a second communication network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the point-of-sale device comprises a base unit and a peripheral unit.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the base unit comprises a first touch-screen display, and wherein the peripheral unit comprises a second touch-screen display.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the point-of-sale device comprises a document imager.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the point-of-sale device comprises a magnetic ink character recognition reader.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the point-of-sale device comprises both a slip printer and a roll printer, and wherein the slip printer and the roll printer utilize a common paper transport mechanism.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first transaction system comprises a function central control.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first transaction system is a money transfer system.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first communication network is a telephone network.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the second transaction system is a stored value card system.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the second communication network is a telephone network.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first communication network is the Internet.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one of the first and second transaction systems provides a function that is accessed upon agreement between a merchant operating the point-of-sale device and a supplier unrelated to either the merchant or a supplier of the point-of-sale device.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication network and the second communication network are the same communication network.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises:

a third transaction system in communication with a third communication network; and

wherein the point-of-sale device is in communication with the third transaction system via the third communication network

16. The system of claim 15, wherein at least one of the first, second, and third transaction systems is a check acceptance system.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein at least two of the first, second, and third transaction systems are maintained by separate entities.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the first transaction system is a money transfer system;

the second transaction system is a stored value card system; and

the third transaction system is a check acceptance system.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the first transaction system is a fraud detection system.

20. A system for effectuating a value transfer from one or more point-of-sale devices, the system comprising:

a plurality of point-of-sale devices in communication with a point-of-sale control system, wherein a first subset of the plurality of point-of-sale devices are in communication with a first transaction system, and wherein a second subset of the plurality of point-of-sale devices are in communication with a second transaction system.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein each of the point-of-sale control system, the first transaction system, and the second transaction system are capable of configuring one or more of the plurality of point-of-sale devices.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein:

a first subset of the plurality of point-of-sale devices is in communication with both the first transaction system and the second transaction system; and

a second subset of the plurality of point-of-sale devices is in communication with the first transaction system, but not the second transaction system.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein a integrated value transfer is completed involving communication between the first point-of-sale device and both the first and second transaction systems, and the second point-of-sale device and the first transaction system.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the first transaction system is a money transfer system.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the second transaction system is a check acceptance system.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the second transaction system is a fraud detection system.

28. The system of claim 27, the system further comprising:

a transaction system in communication with the first point-of-sale device and the second point-of-sale device via a second communication network.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the transaction system is a money transfer system.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the second communication network is the Internet.

31. The system of claim 27, wherein the first point-of-sale device is identical to the second point-of-sale device.

32. The system of claim 27, wherein the first point-of-sale device includes the same components as the second point-of-sale device, and wherein the first point-of-sale device is configured different from the second point-of-sale device.

33. The system of claim 27, wherein the first point-of-sale device comprises a document imager.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the document imager images a document, and wherein information from an image of the document is transferred to the check acceptance system via the dial-up communication network.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the first point-of-sale device further comprises a slip printer.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the first point-of-sale device further comprises a paper transport mechanism, and wherein the paper transport mechanism is shared between the document imager and the slip printer.

37. The system of claim 27, wherein the first point-of-sale device further comprises a roll printer.

38. The system of claim 27, where the first point-of-sale device further comprises a base unit and a peripheral unit.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the base unit comprises a document feed, a document imager, and a slip printer.

40. The system of claim 38, wherein the peripheral unit comprises a touch-screen for accepting an electronic signature.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein a document is inserted into the document feed, imaged using the document imager, information associated with the document transferred to the check acceptance system via the dial up network, and a response is received from the check acceptance system via the dial-up network.

42. The system claim 39, wherein the document is further defaced by the slip printer upon completion of a transaction using the check acceptance system.

27. A system for effectuating a value transfer, the system comprising:

a first point-of-sale device in communication with a first communication network;

a second point-of-sale device in communication with the first communication network; and

a check acceptance system in communication with the first point-of-sale device and second point-of-sale device via a dial-up communication network.