WO2008117022A2

WO2008117022A2 - Payment infrastructure

Info

Publication number: WO2008117022A2
Application number: PCT/GB2008/000944
Authority: WO
Inventors: John Mccarthy
Original assignee: Fexco; Rees, David, Christopher
Priority date: 2007-03-27
Filing date: 2008-03-18
Publication date: 2008-10-02
Also published as: WO2008117022A3; GB0705912D0

Abstract

A computer system for processing a withdrawal request to withdraw funds from an account, for example a banking or non-banking account which does not allow direct cash withdrawals, which mediates between an account host and a payment host and issues a physical object such as a scrip which can be redeemed against the amount in cash by verifying a payment number associated with the physical object against the payment host. The payment host may be part of a bookmakers betting clearing system and the account host may be part of an online gambling or betting system. The payment host may also be part of a integrated till system at a chain of retail premises. Corresponding methods and computer programs are also provided.

Description

PAYMENT INFRASTRUCTURE

The present invention relates to a system and method for processing cash withdrawals from an account, in particular, although not exclusively, a banking or non-banking account which cannot be used for direct cash withdrawals, for example a pure online bank account which does not issue debit cards or an online betting account.

In a typical online betting system, a user registers to set up a betting account by providing registration details including personal details, a credit or debit card for funding the account and possibly a bank account to which withdrawals can be made. After the user has deposited funds into this account using the credit or debit card (or by bank transfer, sending a cheque or depositing cash at an affiliated bookmakers, outlet or post office) any winning bets made by the user are paid into the account. In order to withdraw funds from the account, the user needs to request for the account to be debited with the amount to be withdrawn and for the online betting provider to then issue a cheque or to credit the withdrawn amount to the credit or debit card (alternatively, withdrawals can be made by bank transfer to a designated bank account).

This system presents a number of drawbacks for the user, mainly because no direct cash withdrawals from the account are possible. All of the withdrawal methods outlined above involve a significant delay of a few days before cleared funds or cash for the amount withdrawn from the account are available to the user. Moreover, withdrawals by bank transfer incur handling charges and some credit card companies may refuse to accept reverse transactions from online betting systems. In the event of withdrawal by cheque, additional delays occur due to the transit of the cheque in the post and the need to cash the cheque at a bank branch represents an additional inconvenience. The built in delay in withdrawing funds from the online betting account may discourage some users from using the online betting system as they may be uncomfortable with the idea of cash held in the online betting account not being available at short notice.

A further drawback of the present online betting systems is that it is not possible for an un-banked user (that is a user who does not have a bank account, credit or debit card) to use the system. While it would, in principle, be possible for an un-banked user to deposit cash into the online betting account at a bookmakers shop or post office, there is no convenient possibility of withdrawing funds. In fact, present online betting systems do not allow registration without a debit or credit card or a bank account.

The problems and drawbacks outlined above are not only applicable to present online betting systems but equally apply to other banking and non-banking accounts, for example on the Internet, such as the Paypal (RTM) service. The processes for depositing and withdrawing funds from a Paypal account are similar to the ones outlined above and there is also no provision for the direct and substantially instantaneous withdrawal of cash from the account. The same applies in relation to pure online banking accounts, such as those offered by

Rebo Direct in Ireland. These accounts generally offer higher interest than most bank accounts, but deposits and withdrawals can only be made via bank transfer from standard bank accounts and there is also no provision for the direct and substantially instantaneous withdrawal of cash from the account

The present invention is set out in independent claims 1, 18 and 34. Further, optional features are set out in the remaining, dependent claims. In one embodiment, there is provided a computer system for processing a cash withdrawal request to withdraw an amount of cash from an account, for example a banking or non-banking account which does not allow for direct withdrawals of cash. The system is configured to receive an account holder identifier and an amount to be withdrawn from a user terminal and to determine an account identifier identifying the account from which funds are to be withdrawn based on the account holder identifier. The system is further configured to transmit the account identifier and amount to be withdrawn to an account host to obtain authorisation of the withdrawal from the corresponding account and, upon positive authorisation, to transmit the amount to a payment host and obtain a payment identifier in return. The system is configured to transmit a payment identifier received from the payment host to the user terminal, which is configured to issue a physical object carrying information representative of the payment identifier and amount in response to receiving the payment identifier. The physical object can be redeemed against the amount in cash at a counter (which can be any form of retail or shopping outlet) following verification of the payment identifier with the payment host using a payment terminal at the counter.

The data received from the user terminal is not limited to the account holder identifier and amount to be withdrawn but may instead include any transaction data, for example a pre-authorised transaction identifier issued by the account host in response to a withdrawal request. The system could also be used to allow the user to withdraw funds at retail premises such as supermarkets , and in this instance, the data may include a bar code to be scanned at the point of sale of an integrated till system to identify the account and/or the sum to be withdrawn. In the case where the payment terminal does not have a scrip validation system in place, the system may require development of the existing integrated payment system to perform scrip validation. Further embodiments provide a corresponding method and computer program.

The account holder identifier may be stored on a medium, such as a credit or debit card or another payment card or a national identity card or drivers licence, which is readable by the terminal such that the identifier can be entered by, for example, swiping the medium through a card reader of the terminal. The physical object issued by the user terminal may, for example, be a paper scrip imprinted with the amount and payment identifier. In particular, the payment host may be part of a bookmakers' internal clearing system or betting engine such that the paper scrip is processed by the clearing system like a standard betting slip issued by the bookmaker. The counter at which payment is made may be located at a shop or other premises of the bookmaker and the user terminal may be located at the same shop or premises or at a different location.

As used herein, the term scrip is taken to mean a token (printed on paper or otherwise) which can be exchanged for cash but is not legal tender.

Whether the payment host and counter are provided by a bookmaker or not, the account may be an online betting account or another online account such as a Paypal (RTM) account or a purely online bank account. In the latter case, the business corresponding to the online account can advantageously make use of a bookmakers existing shop and clearing facilities to process cash withdrawal requests from its accounts. Similarly, if the payment host and counter are provided by a retail chain such as a supermarket, the business corresponding to the online account can advantageously make use of the integrated till system. Alternatively, the payment host may be provided by a separate service provider to the counter service and the two providers may enter into service agreements. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of claimed subject matter. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components and/or circuits have not been described in detail.

Some portions of the detailed description which follow are presented in terms of algorithms and/or symbolic representations of operations on data bits and/or binary digital signals stored within a computing system, such as within a computer and/or computing system memory. These algorithmic descriptions and/or representations are the techniques used by those of ordinary skill in the data processing arts to convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally, considered to be a self-consistent sequence of operations and/or similar processing leading to a desired result. The operations and/or processing may involve physical manipulations of physical quantities. Typically, although not necessarily, these quantities may take the form of electrical and/or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared and/or otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient, at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, data, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, numerals and/or the like. It should be understood, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the following discussion, it is appreciated that throughout this specification discussions utilizing terms such as "processing", "computing", "calculating", "determining" and/or the like refer to the actions and/or processes of a computing platform, such as a computer or a similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and/or transforms data represented as physical electronic and/or magnetic quantities and/or other physical quantities within the computing platform's processors, memories, registers, and/or other information storage, transmission, and/or input and display devices.

For the avoidance of doubt, it is understood that references to a computer or a computer platform or apparatus are not intended to be limited to a single physical entity or piece of equipment but equally include a distributed computer system, for example of networked components.

Embodiments of the invention are now described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 schematically depicts a system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention interconnected with various other components; and

Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating the interactions of the components of Figure 1.

With reference to Figure 1, the cash withdrawal system includes an authorisation host 2 in communication via a network 4, for example the Internet using a secure protocol such as HTTPS, with an account database host 6, for example of an online betting or gambling system (the two terms will be used interchangeably in the remainder) and a payment host 8, for example the clearing system of a bookmaker business. A home user client computer 10 is in communication via the network 4 with the account database host 6. A payment terminal 12, for example located in a retail outlet or shop of the bookmaker is in communication via the network 4 with the payment host 8. A user terminal which may be installed in the same location, a different retail outlet of the same bookmaker or any other different location is in communication with the authorisation host 2.

It will be understood that the interconnection of the host, client and terminal computers outlined above is not restricted to a single network structure 4 but one or more of the connections may be made via respective dedicated networks. These may include a Virtual Private Network over the Internet or a local area network such as an Ethernet or any other suitable network environment such as secured fixed lines where appropriate. The hosts 6 and 8 may be protected by firewalls which allow access to the authorisation host 2 but block unwanted traffic.

As will be described in more detail below, the home user client 10 includes input/output equipment 16 which allows a user to interact with the account database host via the home user client to register for an account. Home user client 10 will generally be a general purpose PC although other computer platforms such as personal digital assistants, handheld computers or mobile phones are equally envisaged for the home user client 10. Payment terminal 12 equally includes input/output equipment 18 to allow an operator to interact with payment host 8. Finally, user terminal 14 includes input equipment 20 for reading an identification medium, for example a card reader and input equipment 22 for receiving personal identification information such as a personal identification number, an amount to be withdraw or other inputs via a keyboard or similar input device. The user terminal 14 further includes an output device to issue a physical object 26. For example, the physical object may be a paper (or other printable material) scrip with the information imprinted thereon in which case the output device 24 would be a printer. The user terminal may further include a display device 28 such as an LCD display to facilitate interaction with the user. It will be understood that the authorisation host, account database host and payment host although described here as separate entities may in fact be implemented on a single or distributed computer platform in an alternative embodiment.

With reference to Figure 2, the interaction of the components described with reference to Figure 1 above is now discussed.

In order for a user or punter to register for an account with an online betting or gambling service, a registration procedure indicated by arrow 30 is required. As is usual for such a service, the user provides personal details and credit or debit card details to fund the account on a registration web page and this data is stored by the account database host 6 to create an account. Additionally, an account identifier is assigned to the account on creation. The registration webpage also provides an opt-in option to participate in the direct cash withdrawal service provided by the described embodiments. Where a credit or debit card number has been entered this can be used as an account holder identifier to personally identify the user and for added security it may be requested that the user also enters a personal identification number known only to the user for increased security as described below. This personal identification number is later stored in a database 3 on the authorisation host 2 against the account holder identifier for authentication later on. Any registration details provided may be encrypted to prevent unauthorised access.

After completion of registration, the registration details including the account identifier and the account holder identifier with the personal identification number if used is transmitted to the authorisation host 2 as indicated by arrow 32 to enable the authorisation host 2 to facilitate cash withdrawal as described in the following. The authorisation host stores this information in a database 3 for later comparison against data received during a withdrawal request.

A user who wishes to withdraw cash from his account with, for example, an online betting service uses the user terminal 14 to enter the account holder identifier into the terminal for example by swiping a credit or debit card through a card reader of the terminal 14 where the account holder identifier is a credit or debit card number, and enters the personal identification number on the terminal's keypad if required. The user also enters an amount to be withdrawn on the keypad. Once all the information is entered a withdrawal request including this information is sent to the authorisation host 2 as indicated by arrow 34. The authorisation host 2, after verification that the personal identification number entered matches the personal identification number stored for the account holder identifier where provided for, determines the account identifier associated with the account holder identifier by look up in the database 3 and, as indicated by arrow 36, sends an authorisation request including the account identifier and the amount to be withdrawn to the account database host 6 which verifies that sufficient funds are available in the account associated with the account identifier and, if this is the case, sends positive authorisation back to the authorisation host as indicated by arrow 38. Additionally, the account is updated to reflect the amount withdrawn.

Upon receipt of the authorisation by the authorisation host 2, the authorisation host sends a payment request as indicated by arrow 40 to the payment host 8. In response to the payment request, the payment host issues a payment number associated with the amount to be withdrawn. If the payment host is part of a bookmakers betting engine or internal clearing system, this process can make use of the existing clearing system for handling winning betting slips, the payment number corresponding to a betting slip number and the amount to be withdrawn corresponding to winnings on the betting slip. The payment number is transmitted from the payment host 8 to the authorisation host 2 as indicated by arrow 42 and the authorisation host 2 in turn transmits the payment number to the user terminal 14 as indicated by arrow 44. In response to receiving the payment number, the user terminal 14 prints a scrip on paper or other printable material listing the payment number and amount withdrawn or issues any other form of physical object carrying this information. If at any stage described above the process fails for any reason, for example because the personal identification number entered does not match the personal identification number associated with the account holder identifier or because insufficient funds are available in the account, the process terminates and the user terminal informs the user accordingly via display 28.

In order to obtain the amount of cash withdrawn from the account, the user takes the scrip 26 (or other physical object) to a counter in, for example, a shop of the bookmaker controlling the payment host 8. This may be the same shop in which the user terminal is located or indeed any other shop of the same bookmaker. The user hands the scrip to a cashier at the counter and a cashier then treats this scrip as he would any other winning betting slip (in case of a bookmaker), that is he keys the payment number into the payment terminal 12 which communicates with the payment host 8 as indicated by arrow 46 and, upon a positive outcome of the verification, the cashier pays the withdrawn amount against the scrip to the user. It will be understood that other methods of data entry are equally envisaged, for example scanning a barcode on the scrip.

Following payment to the user, the owner of the shop or bookmaker may settle the transaction with the organisation maintaining the account. Many possible approaches for this settlement transaction are known and could be used for this purpose.

In an alternative embodiment, the system described above may be adapted to allow the un-banked, that is persons without a bank account, credit card or debit card to use online services such as online betting or gambling services. In this alternative embodiment, the registration procedure indicated by arrow 30 is modified such that instead of a credit or debit card number, the user provides a national identity card number or a drivers licence number which then takes the place of the credit or debit card number as an account holder identifier. In this embodiment, the system is further modified to enable the user terminal 14 to read the national identity card or drivers licence to obtain the account holder identifier. Alternatively, other account holder identifiers such as biometric identifiers (eye, fingerprint, DNA, voice recognition) or other unique identifiers such as numerical codes may be used. Otherwise, the system and processes are as described above.

In yet a further alternative embodiment, a user may initiate the withdrawal online over the Internet and receive a pre-authorised transaction identifier (for example a 16 digit number) once the withdrawal has been authorised. The user could then enter this transaction identifier on the user terminal and the authorisation host then obtains authorisation by verifying this transaction identifier against the account host. If the transaction identifier entered is valid, the account host transmits the amount of the transaction to the authorisation host with the remainder of the withdrawal proceedings as above (arrow 40 onwards).

It will be understood that the system described above is not only applicable to online betting and gambling services but may also be used in conjunction with other non-banking accounts which do not allow direct withdrawal of cash, for example such as provided by Paypal (RTM). In this case, the account service provider can make use of the existing clearance facilities of a bookmaker (ordinarily used for clearing winning betting slips) to allow direct cash withdrawals from its accounts. Thus, while in the example described above the online betting or gambling service may be owned by the same organisation as the bookmaker (who may own or franchise the shops or retail outlets), it becomes apparent that other organisations, such as Paypal (RTM) may make use of the existing betting clearing system for the purpose of allowing direct cash withdrawals.

It will also be understood that the withdrawal is not limited to obtain cash but the scrip could also be exchanged for items or services of equivalent value.

Finally, other kinds of online accounts in addition to the ones described above could be accessed in this way. One such example is an account held in a virtual world such as "Second Life", see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second life and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economv of Second Life, herewith incorporated herein by reference. Any balance accumulated in virtual monies in such a virtual world could be withdrawn from suitable accounts as described above.

The same system can also be used to withdraw funds from pure online banking accounts, such as those offered by Rebo Direct in Ireland, with the counter being provided by a participating bookmaker or retailer.

In a further variation, the scrip may be replaced with tokens of pre-defined value. These tokens are issued to make up the withdrawn amounts. It would then be possible for the payment terminal at the counter to contact the payment host to verify the amount. From the foregoing it can thus be seen that described embodiments provide a link between a service provider's (e.g. betting service) account and an existing system for making cash payments (such as a bookmaker's clearing system) to provide direct cash withdrawal services for the account.

It will, of course, be understood that, although particular embodiments have just been described, the claimed subject matter is not limited in scope to a particular embodiment or implementation. For example, one embodiment may be in hardware, such as implemented to operate on a device or combination of devices, for example, whereas another embodiment may be in software. Likewise, an embodiment may be implemented in firmware, or as any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware, for example. Likewise, although claimed subject matter is not limited in scope in this respect, one embodiment may comprise one or more articles, such as a carrier or storage medium or storage media. The storage media, such as, one or more CD-ROMs solid state memory, magneto-optical disk and/or magnetic disks or tapes, for example, may have stored thereon instructions, that when executed by a system, such as a computer system, computing platform, or other system, for example, may result in an embodiment of a method in accordance with claimed subject matter being executed, such as one of the embodiments previously described, for example. One embodiment may comprise a carrier signal on a telecommunications medium, for example a telecommunications network. Examples of suitable carrier signals include a radio frequency signal, an optical signal, and/or an electronic signal.

As one potential example, a computing platform or computer may include one or more processing units or processors, one or more input/output devices, such as a display, a keyboard and/or a mouse, and/or one or more memories, such as static random access memory, dynamic random access memory, flash memory, and/or a hard drive.

In the preceding description, various aspects of claimed subject matter have been described. For purposes of explanation, specific numbers, systems and/or configurations were set forth to provide a thorough understanding of claimed subject matter. However, it should be apparent to one skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that claimed subject matter may be practiced without the specific details. In other instances, well known features were omitted and/or simplified so as not to obscure the claimed subject matter. While certain features have been illustrated and/or described herein, many modifications, substitutions, changes and/or equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and/or changes as fall within the scope of claimed subject matter.

Claims

1. A computer system for processing a withdrawal request to withdraw an amount from an account, which is configured to: receive transaction data from a user terminal and obtain authorisation for the withdrawal from an account host based on the transaction data; upon positive authorisation, transmit the amount to be withdrawn to a payment host and obtain a payment identifier in return; and transmit the payment identifier to a user terminal; wherein the user terminal is configured to issue a physical object carrying information representative of the payment identifier and the amount, which can be redeemed against the amount in cash or an item or service of equivalent value at a counter following verification of the payment identifier with the payment host using a payment terminal at the counter.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 in which the transaction data includes an account holder identifier and an amount to be withdrawn; and the system is further configured to: determine an account identifier identifying the account based on the account holder identifier; and transmit the account identifier and amount to an account host to obtain authorisation of the withdrawal from the corresponding account;

3. A system as claimed in claim 2 in which the account holder identifier includes information stored on a medium readable by the terminal.

4. A system as claimed in claim 3 in which the medium is a payment, credit or debit card.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4 in which the medium is a national identity card or drivers licence.

6. A system as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5 in which the system is further configured to receive a number entered on a keypad from the user terminal and to verify the number against a personal identification number stored for the account holder identifier.

7. A system as claimed in claim 1 in which the transaction data includes a pre-authorised transaction identifier.

8. A system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the physical object is a paper or other printable material scrip imprinted with the amount and payment identifier.

9. A system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the payment host is part of a bookmaker's betting clearing system.

10. A system as claimed in claim 9 in which the counter is located at a shop or retail outlet associated by the bookmaker.

11. A system as claimed in claim 10 in which the user terminal is located at the shop or retail outlet.

12. A system as claimed in claim 10 in which the terminal is located at another retail outlet or shop associated with the same bookmaker.

13. A system as claimed in claims 1 and 2 in which the payment host is part of an integrated till system at a chain of retail outlets.

14. A system as claimed in claim 13 in which the payment identifier is encoded by a bar code.

15. A system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the account is a banking or non-banking account which cannot be used for direct withdrawal of cash.

16. A system as claimed in claim 15 in which the account is part of an online betting or gambling system.

17. A system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims when dependent on claim 2 which includes a database linking one or more account holder identifiers with an account identifier for determining an account identifier to be transmitted to the account host.

18. A system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which communication with the account host, the payment host or both is arranged to be carried out over a secure Internet connection or a dedicated secure connection.

19. A system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the account host, payment host or both are secured by respective firewalls configured to grant access to the system.

20. A computer implemented method for processing a withdrawal request to withdraw an amount from an account, including: receiving transaction data from a user terminal and obtaining authorisation for the withdrawal from an account host based on the transaction data; upon positive authorisation, transmitting the amount to be withdrawn to a payment host and obtaining a payment identifier in return; transmitting the payment identifier to a user terminal; and issuing a physical object carrying information representative of the payment identifier and the amount by the user terminal, which can be redeemed against the amount in cash or an item or service of equivalent value at a counter following verification of the payment identifier with the payment host using a payment terminal at the counter.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20 in which the transaction data includes an account holder identifier and an amount to be withdrawn, the method further including: determining an account identifier identifying the account based on the account holder identifier; transmitting the account identifier and amount to an account host to obtain authorisation of the withdrawal from the corresponding account.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21 in which the account holder identifier includes information stored on a medium readable by the terminal.

23. A method as claimed in claim 22 in which the medium is a payment, credit or debit card.

24. A method as claimed in claim 22 in which the medium is a national identity card or drivers licence.

25. A method as claimed in any one of claims 21 to 24 further including receiving a number entered on a keypad from the user terminal and verifying the number against a personal identification number stored for the account holder identifier.

26. A method as claimed in claim 20 in which the transaction data includes a pre-authorised transaction identifier.

27. A method as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 25 in which the physical object is a paper or other printable material scrip imprinted with the amount and payment identifier.

28. A method as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 27 in which the payment host is part of a bookmakers betting clearing system.

29. A method as claimed in claim 28 in which the counter is located at a shop or retail outlet associated with the bookmaker.

30. A method as claimed in claim 29 in which the user terminal is located at the shop or retail outlet.

31. A method as claimed in claim 29 in which the terminal is located at another retail outlet or shop associated with the same bookmaker.

32. A method as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 31 in which the account is a banking or non-banking account which cannot be used for direct withdrawal of cash.

33. A method as claimed in claim 32 in which the account is part of an online betting or gambling system.

34. A system as claimed in claim 27 in which the payment host is part of an integrated till system at a chain of retail outlets.

35. A system as claimed in claim 34 in which the payment identifier is encoded by a bar code.

36. A method as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 33 when dependent on claim 21 in which determining an account identifier to be transmitted to the account host includes a look up in a database linking one or more account holder identifiers with an account identifier.

37. A method as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 36 in which communication with the account host, the payment host or both is carried out over a secure Internet connection or a dedicated secure connection.

38. A computer program including coded instructions implementing a method as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 37.

39. A recordable medium encoded with a computer program as claimed in claim 38.

40. A physical carrier wave encoded with a computer program as claimed in claim 38.

41. A computer system for processing a withdrawal request to withdraw an amount from an account, which is configured to: receive transaction data from a user terminal and obtain authorisation for the withdrawal from an account host based on the transaction data; and upon positive authorisation, transmit the amount to be withdrawn to a payment host; wherein the user terminal is configured to issue one or more tokens of pre-defined value, which can be redeemed against the amount in cash or an item or service of equivalent value at a counter using a payment terminal at the counter in communication with the payment host.