Method and apparatus for multi-language user selection and currency conversion

• US 8,087,580 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2007
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Goldmine World Incorporated
• Original Assignee: World Bankcard Services Incorporated
• Inventors: Im, Sung Bin
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech, Karl D.
• Application Number:
  US11/782,745
• Publication Number:
  US 20080040248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,623 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/375, 902/20, 902/21
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/381 Currency conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/201 Accessories of ATMs
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/005 Details or accessories

Abstract

A method and apparatus for facilitating a business transaction wherein a merchant/operator is presented with transaction-related information in the operator'"'"'s preferred language and currency, wherein the customer is presented with transaction-related information in the customer'"'"'s preferred language and currency, and wherein the customer'"'"'s language and currency are different from the operator'"'"'s language and currency. This allows persons who speak different languages and who are used to conducting transactions in different currencies to readily engage in business transactions. The method and apparatus can be employed, for example, in a credit card or debit card terminal, thereby allowing a merchant to easily accommodate tourists from foreign countries. The customer'"'"'s language and/or currency preferences may be obtained from a credit card/debit card, cellular telephone, smart card, or other portable memory medium prior to or during the transaction, thereby obviating the need to manually select a preferred language and currency for each transaction.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating a financial transaction, comprising:

a processor;

a display;

a memory;

an operator interface produced by an operator interface module stored in the memory and executable by the processor, the operator interface being displayable on the display in an operator language;

a customer interface produced by a customer interface module stored in the memory and executable by the processor, the customer interface being displayable in a customer language; and

,

a language identification module stored in the memory and executable on the processor, the language identification module configurable to select the operator language in which the operator interface is displayable for a operator and to select a customer language in which the customer interface is displayable for a customer, wherein said operator language and said customer language are selected from a plurality of languages stored in the language identification module, wherein the customer language and the operator language are different, and wherein transaction facilitating information is presented to the operator in the operator language during a transaction, and to the customer in the customer language during the transaction, as part of the transaction.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising an indicator of a preferred customer language, wherein customer language in which the transaction facilitating information is presented comprises the preferred customer language, and wherein the preferred customer language indicator is read by a reader from a customer medium.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the customer medium comprises a magnetic memory.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the magnetic memory is portable.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the customer medium comprises a magnetic stripe on a credit card.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the reader reads the preferred customer language without physically having to accept the customer medium.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the reader reads the customer medium via a wireless interface.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the wireless interface comprises RFID.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the language identification module permits the operator to select the operator language from the plurality of language stored in the language identification module.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the operator language is stored in the memory.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising an operator display and a customer display, wherein the transaction facilitating information displayed to the operator is displayed on the operator display, and wherein the transaction facilitating information displayed to the customer is displayed on the customer display.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving updated exchange rate data at scheduled intervals.

13. A financial transaction method, comprising:

storing transaction facilitating information in a plurality of languages in a language identification module;

identifying an operator language from a first memory;

identifying a customer language from a second memory;

displaying an operator interface, wherein the operator interface is displayed in the operator language;

displaying a customer interface, wherein the customer interface is displayed in the customer language;

facilitating a business transaction, wherein the business transaction comprises displaying the operator interface in the operator language during the transaction and displaying the customer interface in the customer language during the transaction, wherein the operator language and the customer language are different.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein a default language is selected as the customer language when the language identification module does not contain transaction facilitating information in the customer language read from the second memory.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the second memory is physically remote from the first memory.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the second memory is read via a reader, and wherein the reader wirelessly reads the second memory.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the wireless reader employs RFID.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the second memory comprises a magnetic stripe on a credit card.

19. A credit card and debit card transaction terminal comprising:

a processor;

a display;

a memory;

a card reader configured to read data stored on a memory means of a memory medium;

an operator interface produced by an operator interface program stored in the memory and executable by the processor, the operator interface being displayable on the display in an operator language;

a customer interface produced by a customer interface program stored in the memory and executable by the processor, the customer interface being displayable in a customer language;

a language identification module stored in the memory and executable on the processor, the language identification module configurable to select the operator language in which the operator interface is displayed to an operator and to select a customer language in which the customer interface is displayed to a customer, wherein the operator language and the customer language are selected from a plurality of languages stored in the module, wherein the customer language and the operator language are different, and wherein transaction facilitating information is presented to the operator in the operator language during a transaction, and to the customer in the customer language during the transaction, as part of the transaction; and

,

a currency module stored in the memory and executable on the processor, the currency module configurable to select an operator currency in which financial information is presented as part of the operator interface and to select a customer currency in which financial information is converted from the operator currency to the customer currency via exchange rate data and is presented as part of the customer interface, wherein the operator currency and the customer currency are selected from a plurality of currencies stored in the currency module, and wherein the customer currency and the operator currency are different.

20. The terminal of claim 19, wherein the currency module permits selection of the operator currency from the plurality of currencies stored in the currency module.

21. The terminal of claim 19, wherein the currency module permits selection of the customer currency from the plurality of currencies stored in the currency module.

22. The terminal of claim 19, further comprising a printing mechanism.

23. The terminal of claim 22, wherein the printing mechanism issues a record.

24. The terminal of claim 19, wherein said terminal is portable.

25. The terminal of claim 19, wherein the portable memory medium further comprises an integrated circuit card.

26. The terminal of claim 19, wherein the portable memory medium further comprises a card having a magnetic stripe.

27. The terminal of claim 19, further comprising a plurality of displays, wherein the plurality of displays comprises an operator display and a customer display.

28. The terminal of claim 19, wherein the data stored on the portable memory medium comprises a currency identifier that identifies the customer currency preferred by the customer.

29. The terminal of claim 19, wherein the data stored on the portable memory medium comprises a currency identifier that identifies the operator currency preferred by the operator.

30. The terminal of claim 19, further comprising a means to retrieve updated exchange rate data prior to each transaction.

31. The terminal of claim 19, further comprising a means to retrieve updated exchange rate data at scheduled intervals.

32. A method for facilitating a credit and debit card transaction, comprising:

storing transaction facilitating information in a plurality of languages in a language identification module;

storing exchange rate data between a plurality of currencies in a currency module;

permitting an operator to select an operator language from one of the plurality of languages in which transaction facilitating information is stored in the language identification module and an operator currency from one of the plurality of currencies for which exchange rates between are stored in the currency module;

storing the operator language and the operator currency in a memory medium;

reading a customer portable memory medium;

identifying a customer language and a customer currency from a memory medium;

facilitating a business transaction, wherein the business transaction comprises displaying the operator interface in the operator language and operator currency on a display during the transaction and displaying a customer interface in the customer language and customer currency on a display during the transaction , wherein the operator language and the customer language are different, and wherein the operator currency and the customer currency are different.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising permitting a customer to select a customer language from one of the plurality of languages in which transaction facilitating information is stored in the language identification module and a customer currency from one of the plurality of currencies in which financial information is stored in the currency identification module.

34. The method of claim 32, further comprising printing a receipt for the customer in the customer language and the customer currency, wherein the receipt comprises a record of the transaction.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein a default language is selected as the customer language when the language identification module does not contain transaction facilitating information in the customer language read from the memory medium.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein a default currency is selected as the customer currency when the currency identification modules does not contain financial information in the customer currency read from the memory medium.

37. The method of claim 32, further comprising reading a default operator language and a default operator currency from the memory medium prior to permitting the operator to select the operator language and the operator currency.

38. The method of claim 32, further comprising retrieving updated exchange rate data prior to each business transaction.

39. Computer readable media containing computer-executable instructions, wherein the computer-executable instructions comprise instructions for:

storing transaction facilitating information in a plurality of languages in a language identification module;

storing exchange rate data between a plurality of currencies in a currency module;

permitting an operator to select an operator language from one of the plurality of languages in which transaction facilitating information is stored in the language identification module and an operator currency from one of the plurality of currencies for which exchange rates between are stored in the currency module;

storing the operator language and the operator currency in a memory medium;

reading a customer portable memory medium;

identifying a customer language and a customer currency from a memory medium;

facilitating a business transaction, wherein the business transaction comprises displaying the operator interface in the operator language and operator currency on a display during the transaction and displaying a customer interface in the customer language and customer currency on a display during the transaction, wherein the operator language and the customer language are different, and wherein the operator currency and the customer currency are different.

40. The computer-executable instructions of claim 39 further comprising instructions permitting a customer to select a customer language from one of the plurality of languages in which transaction facilitating information is stored in the language identification module and a customer currency from one of the plurality of currencies in which financial information is stored in the currency identification module.

41. The computer-executable instructions of claim 40 further comprising instructions for printing a receipt for the customer in the customer language and the customer currency, wherein the receipt comprises a record of the transaction.

42. The computer-executable instructions of claim 40 further comprising instructions whereby a default language is selected as the customer language when the language identification module does not contain transaction facilitating information in the customer language read from the portable memory medium.

43. The computer-executable instructions of claim 40 further comprising instructions whereby a default currency is selected as the customer currency when the currency identification modules does not contain financial information in the customer currency read from the portable memory medium.

44. The method of claim 39, further comprising retrieving updated exchange rate data at scheduled intervals.

45. A financial transaction method, comprising:

storing transaction facilitating information in a plurality of languages in a language identification module;

storing exchange rate data between a plurality of currencies in a currency module;

identifying an operator language and an operator currency from a first memory;

identifying a customer language and a customer currency from a second memory;

displaying an operator interface, wherein the operator interface can be displayed in the operator language and wherein financial portions of the transaction are converted to the operator currency;

displaying a customer interface, wherein the customer interface can be displayed in the customer language and wherein financial portions of the transaction are converted to the customer currency;

facilitating a business transaction, wherein the business transaction comprises displaying the operator interface in the operator language and the operator currency during the transaction and displaying the customer interface in the customer language and the customer currency during the transaction, wherein the operator language and the customer language are different, and wherein the operator currency and the customer currency are different.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein at least one of the operator interface and the customer interface is displayed in a browser.

47. The method of claim 45, wherein a default language is selected as the customer language when the language identification module does not contain transaction facilitating information in the customer language read from the second memory.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein a default currency is selected as the customer currency when the currency identification module does not contain exchange rate data for the customer currency read from the second memory.

49. The method of claim 45, wherein the first memory and the second memory are the same.