ATM MACHINE AND METHODS WITH CURRENCY CONVERSION CAPABILITIES

• US 20070228150A1
• Filed: 05/16/2007
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FEXCO Merchant Services, First Data Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: First Data Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Inventors: O'Sullivan, Barry, Fillinger, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 7,458,507 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1085 involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/381 Currency conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/202 Depositing operations within ATMs depositing in general G07D11/00

Abstract

Methods, systems, and Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) are disclosed which provide ATM currency conversion capabilities. In one embodiment, a financial account number associated with a financial account maintained by a customer at a financial institution is received, a foreign currency type associated with the financial account is determined, and a choice is presented to the customer at the ATM to conduct a financial transaction in the foreign currency type. A currency selection is received from the customer and at least a portion of the financial transaction is conducted at the ATM in the selected currency.

Claims

1-26. -26. (canceled)

27. A system to provide currency conversion information to an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) comprising:

an interface, communicatively coupled to an ATM, to receive at least an identifier portion of a financial account from an ATM;

data associating financial institution identification numbers to at least one of a country and a currency; and

logic, communicatively coupled to the interface and the data, to determine a currency type associated with the financial account using the data;

wherein the interface is further to transmit the determined currency type to the ATM.

28. The system of claim 27, further comprising currency exchange information, wherein the interface is further to receive, from the ATM, an amount in a first currency, the logic is to convert the amount to a second currency using the exchange rate information, and the interface is to transmit the converted amount to the ATM.

29. The system of claim 27, further comprising currency exchange information, wherein the interface is further to receive a request from the ATM for a currency exchange rate and wherein the logic is to determine the currency exchange rate using the currency exchange information, and wherein the interface is to transmit the currency exchange rate to the ATM.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the interface receives the identifier portion from the ATM via an ATM network and transmits the determined currency to the ATM via the ATM network.

31. An Automated Teller Machine (ATM) comprising:

a user interface to receive a financial transaction selection from a customer and to receive a currency selection from the customer to conduct a transaction in a foreign currency type different than a native currency type associated with the ATM; and

logic to process at least a part of the financial transaction in the foreign currency;

wherein the logic is further configured to suggest a foreign currency by;

obtaining an identifier portion of a financial account number; and

determining a country associated with the financial institution using the identifier portion;

wherein determining the country comprises comparing the identifier portion to a lookup table the lookup table associating financial institution identification numbers to a country.

32. The ATM of claim 31, further comprising a communications interface, wherein the logic uses the communications interface to obtain a foreign currency type and an exchange rate to convert the foreign currency type to the native currency type.

33. The ATM of claim 31, wherein the communications interface communicatively couples the ATM to an ATM network.

34. The ATM of claim 31, wherein the communications interface communicatively couples the ATM to a financial institution.

35. The ATM of claim 31, wherein the communications interface communicatively couples the ATM to a currency recognition and exchange service.

36. The ATM of claim 31, wherein determining the currency type further comprises comparing the identifier portion to an exception table associating financial institution identification numbers to a country different than the one indicated in the lookup table.

37. An ATM system comprising:

at least one of an ATM and an ATM host computer, wherein the ATM comprises a user interface to receive a financial transaction selection from a customer and to receive a currency selection from the customer to conduct a transaction in a foreign currency type different than a native currency type associated with the ATM;

wherein at least one of the ATM and the host computer includes logic to suggest a foreign currency by;

obtaining an identifier portion of a financial account number; and

determining a country associated with the financial institution using the identifier portion;

wherein determining the country comprises comparing the identifier portion to a lookup table, the lookup table associating financial institution identification numbers to a country.

38. The ATM system of claim 37, wherein determining the currency type further comprises comparing the identifier portion to an exception table associating financial institution identification numbers to a country different than the one indicated in the lookup table.