Global method and system for providing enhanced transactional functionality through a customer terminal

• US 20080235124A1
• Filed: 04/17/2008
• Published: 09/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citicorp Credit Services Incorporated (Citigroup Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Citicorp Development Center Incorporated (Citigroup Incorporated)
• Inventors: Yu, Wigberto, Bryant, Nancy, Warren, Lucilla, Schechtman, Howard A., Meiroff, Netty
• Granted Patent: US 7,668,781 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1085 involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3227 using secure elements embedded in M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3552 Downloading or loading of personalisation data
• 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 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/206 Software aspects at ATMs

Abstract

A global customer activated terminal (CAT) that primarily serves traveling customers who require access to their accounts when they are away from their home financial institution and beyond their local regional financial area is provided. The system provides applications that permit users to access their accounts and utilize account profiles and transaction journals within a generic global system approach, and each transaction set provides access to the user'"'"'s full account profile. The traveling customer is also provided with access to all their accounts linked (as they would locally) to a specific card. The hardware employed in the system supports encryption key downloading, personal identification number (PIN) unscrambling and PIN encryption, so that security is instituted at the hardware level. To provide the maximum flexibility at each regional level for product and services offered, regional front end processors (FEPs) and Hosts (small financial systems) are the arbitrators of each transaction . . . acceptance and fulfillment, rather than the CAT.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for a user to obtain international account products access on a network, comprising the steps of:

receiving the user'"'"'s input for accessing a local terminal;

identifying a non-local type of user account based on the received input;

establishing a real-time interactive session directly between the user at the local terminal and a host processor;

automatically presenting a list of language options at the local terminal by the host processor based on the received input;

receiving the user'"'"'s selection of a language from said list of language options by the host processor;

automatically prompting said user for an access code in said selected language at the local terminal by the host processor;

receiving the user'"'"'s input of said access code by the host processor;

automatically verifying said access code by the host processor;

automatically providing said user with a list of transactions in said selected language at the local terminal by the host processor;

receiving the user'"'"'s selection of a transaction from said list of transactions by the host processor;

automatically determining by the host processor whether said local terminal supports said selected transaction;

if said selected transaction is not supported by said local terminal, automatically informing said user at the local terminal by the host processor that said selected transaction cannot be performed; and

if said selected transaction is supported by said local terminal, performing said selected transaction interactively in said selected language via the host processor.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of if said access code is invalid, automatically terminating access.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of automatically identifying a user account type comprises the steps of:

automatically transmitting from said terminal to a server a request for access-specific information;

automatically transmitting from server to said terminal said requested access-specific information;

automatically verifying said access-specific information;

automatically determining the type of said access-specific information; and

if said access-specific information does not correspond to a predetermined type of access-specific information, automatically indicating to said user that an error has occurred;

if said access-specific information does correspond to a predetermined type of access-specific information, automatically determining whether said selected language is supported for said corresponding predetermined type of access-specific information.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said server comprises a Front End Processor.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein said access-specific information comprises card prefix table information.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein said step of automatically determining the type of said access-specific information comprises the step of automatically comparing said access-specific information to each member of a group of predetermined types of access-specific information.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said list of transactions comprises obtaining cash, obtaining information, transferring funds, making payments, reviewing recent activity, and obtaining customer service.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said accessing step comprises inserting a bankcard into a customer activated terminal.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said accessing step comprises inserting a credit card into an automated teller machine.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said accessing step further comprises the steps of:

automatically identifying an expiration date for said credit card;

automatically comparing said expiration date to current date; and

if said expiration date has passed, automatically terminating access.

11. The method of claim 3 wherein said accessing step comprises inserting a bankcard into a customer activated terminal.

12. The method of claim 3 wherein said accessing step comprises inserting a credit card into an automated teller machine.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said accessing step comprises initiating a program on a computer.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said computer comprises a personal computer.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of automatically printing a record regarding said selected transaction.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

automatically transmitting a message to said server for balance information;

said server automatically determining whether balance information is available; and

if said balance information is not available, said server transmitting failure indication to said terminal;

if said balance information is available, said server transmitting said balance formation to said terminal and said terminal automatically displaying said balance information.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the steps of:

if said balance information is not available, said terminal prompting said user to reenter said access code;

said user reentering said access code; and

said terminal automatically retransmitting a message to said server for balance information;

said server automatically determining whether balance information is available; and

if said balance information is not available, said server transmitting failure indication to said terminal;

if said balance information is available, said server transmitting said balance information to said terminal and said terminal automatically displaying said balance information.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein said user account type comprises a line of credit.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein said user account type comprises a mortgage.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein said user account type comprises a loan.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein said user account type comprises a credit card account.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein said user account type comprises a checking account.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein said user account type comprises a savings account.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein said user account type comprises a money market account.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein said user account type comprises a time deposit account.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein said user account type comprises an investment account.

27. A computer system for a user to obtain international account products access on a network, comprising:

a local terminal accessible by a user by receiving the user'"'"'s input for accessing said local terminal;

means for identifying a non-local type of user account based on the received input;

means for establishing a real-time interactive session directly between the user at the local terminal and a host processor;

means for automatically presenting a list of language options at the local terminal by the host processor based on the received input;

means for receiving the user'"'"'s selection of a language from said list of language options;

means for automatically prompting said user for an access code in said selected language at the local terminal by the host processor;

means for receiving the user'"'"'s input of said access code by the host processor;

means for automatically verifying said access code by the host processor;

if said access code is invalid, means for automatically terminating access by the host processor;

means for automatically providing said user with a list of transactions in said selected language at the local terminal by the host processor;

means for receiving the user'"'"'s selection of a transaction from said list of transactions by the host processor;

means for automatically determining whether said local terminal supports said selected transaction by the host processor;

if said selected transaction is not supported by said local terminal, means for automatically informing said user at the local terminal by the host processor that the transaction cannot be performed; and

if said selected transaction is supported by said local terminal, means for performing said transaction interactively in said selected language via the host processor.

28. A machine-readable medium on which is encoded program code for a user to obtain international account products access on a computer network, comprising instructions for:

receiving the user'"'"'s input for accessing a local terminal;

identifying a non-local type of user account based on the received input;

establishing a real-time interactive session directly between the user at the local terminal and a host processor;

automatically presenting a list of language options at the local terminal by the host processor based on the received input;

receiving the user'"'"'s selection of a language from said list of language options by the host processor;

automatically prompting said user for an access code in said selected language at the local terminal by the host processor;

receiving the user'"'"'s input of said access code by the host processor;

automatically verifying said access code by the host processor;

automatically providing said user with a list of transactions in said selected language at the local terminal by the host processor;

receiving the user'"'"'s selection of a transaction from said list of transactions by the host processor;

automatically determining by the host processor whether said local terminal supports said selected transaction;

if said selected transaction is not supported by said local terminal, informing said user at the local terminal by the host processor that said selected transaction cannot be performed; and

if said selected transaction is supported by said local terminal, performing said selected transaction interactively in said selected language via the host processor.