WO2008130441A1

WO2008130441A1 - Mobile electronic check

Info

Publication number: WO2008130441A1
Application number: PCT/US2007/082689
Authority: WO
Inventors: Eri Guzman
Original assignee: Eri Guzman
Priority date: 2007-04-18
Filing date: 2007-10-26
Publication date: 2008-10-30

Abstract

The eCheck method and system of the invention conveniently supports all types of mobile devices with a universal application to communicate through different wireless communication protocols. The system is accessible throughout a plurality of different communication protocol enabled devices. The method and system is more secure, as the information the merchant need to access resides remotely. A drop down list of bank routing numbers is presented to the merchant to accelerate the transactions and an authorization functions as an electronic signature. Electronic check transactions are approve or decline substantially instantaneously, thus the merchant would not have to wait several days for checks clearance.

Description

Mobile Electronic Check

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to an electronic check system that supports a merchant-initiated financial transaction with a customer via a mobile/portable device, wherein the aforementioned electronic check system is configured to selectively work with one of a plurality of different telecommunication protocols.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For a long time now, merchants and customers have used credit and debit cards to complete financial transactions for the exchange of services and goods. Due to the high costs that the usage of credit and debit cards bring to their business, some established merchants are practically forced not to complete a transaction with a customer unless the amount spent by the customer exceeds a minimum amount. This issue has become an uncomfortable situation for both the customer and merchant; as the customer believes it is not fair for him or her to cover for the merchant's credit card expenses and the merchant is not willing to absorb the loss brought by such small transactions. Small merchants and start-ups cannot incorporate the usage of credit or debit cards into their businesses not only due to the high costs brought by membership fees and the expense of a dedicated line for the end equipment; but because of the fixed monetary or percentage amount charged to the merchant each time a transaction is completed. Further, it is not money-wise for a trade-show or convention merchant to set up credit or debit card as a method of payment not only due to the previously mentioned costs; by due to the unwarranted headaches the logistics of such set-up may cause.

Wireless computerized point of sale (POS) devices are currently been used to complete financial transactions. However, the system is mostly tailored to process credit and debit card transactions via a wireless credit card terminal combined with POS device. The use of magnetic card POS consists of a base station directly connected to a central server computer and one or more handheld computers or other devices (PDAs) that communicate wirelessly. There exist POS devices capable of handling electronic check transactions with the necessary usage of a magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) scanner that enables scanning of the financial information usually found at the bottom part of a regular paper check. However, these alternatives result in additional expenses to the merchant and are not practical to the "on-the road" merchant. Many customers prefer to pay by means of checks in order to keep a watchful eye on their real budgets and to avoid the temptations of spending more than their income justifies by using their credit cards. On the other hand, customers with bad or nonexistent credit are usually left with the options of cash and/or checks when paying for the exchange of services or goods. For merchants, the acceptance of checks provides a supplementary payment alternative that can translate into a sales income increase. However, merchants without the proper mechanisms to check the availability of customer's checking account funds are forced to accept such transactions in good faith. When the time comes to cash the check, the merchant sometimes discovers that a check cannot be honored because insufficient funds are available in the account on which the instrument was drawn.

Thus, what is needed is a new method and system of payment for the exchange of goods and services that will benefit both customers and merchants when finalizing electronic check transactions. The method and system are performed, but not limited, to mobile devices such as personal digital assistants, smart phones, laptops or other devices capable of wireless communications. These merchant-owned devices are on most instances capable of performing other voice, data or video related applications, therefore; the merchant will not have to incur on the additional expenses brought by the purchase of application-dedicated hardware. Means exist in the market to perform electronic check transactions by using Wireless Access Protocol (WAP) enabled devices. However, WAP is quickly becoming an obsolete technology in the wireless telecommunications market and is being replaced by more secure and faster protocols like, for example, WML and HTML.

The method and system of the invention conveniently supports all types of mobile devices and a universal application was created to communicate through different wireless communication protocols. Additionally, the system is accessible throughout a plurality of different communication protocol enabled devices. The merchant will not have to incur into the additional expenses that a dedicated communication line will bring, as the session is established through public circuit-switched or packet- switched telephone networks. The method and system disclosed is more secure, as the information the merchant need to access resides remotely; therefore, the merchant will not compromise his or her customer's financial information in case of a lost or stolen mobile device. Further, an authentication screen is presented in order to access the merchant account. A drop down list of bank routing numbers is presented to the merchant to accelerate the transactions and an authorization, which may be in the form of last four digits of the customer's social security number, functions as an electronic signature. Electronic check transactions are approve or decline substantially instantaneously, thus the merchant would not have to wait several days for checks clearance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides in a user interface system employed by a merchant in performing an electronic check (eCheck) transaction, the method comprising displaying of a first menu supporting merchant selection of an eCheck transaction initiation, previous customers' information, and an eCheck transaction log.

According to one aspect of the invention, the method comprises displaying of a first sub-menu supporting merchant selection of a customer type, and at least one of: selecting a customer from a customer database, and merchant entry of a new customer; wherein said first sub-menu further supports adding said new customer to said customer database. The first sub-menu further supports merchant selection of a customer-related financial institution from a financial institution database; and merchant transaction entry of: a customer account identifier associated with said customer-related financial institution, an eCheck transaction amount, an eCheck transaction identifier, and a customer authorization identifier. The first sub-menu further supports displaying to said merchant said customer-related financial institution based on a financial institution name or a financial institution transit identifier. The first menu further supports merchant selection of a login password reset and access to transaction log postings of ACH items.

According to another aspect of the invention, the method further comprises performing an eCheck transaction based on a selected customer-related financial institution transit identifier and the information associated with said merchant transaction entry. Displaying to said merchant an eCheck transaction result including a transaction identifier; and a receipt delivery section. The receipt delivery section supporting sending a transaction receipt by email, wherein said email includes information related to at least one of: said customer-related financial institution, said customer account identifier associated with said customer-related financial institution, said eCheck transaction amount, said eCheck transaction identifier, and said customer authorization identifier.

According to another aspect of the invention, a second sub-menu is displayed supporting merchant access to a list of customer's profiles previously stored in a customer database. The second sub-menu further supports at least one of: editing information related to said customers' profiles previously stored in said customers database and deleting at least one customer profile from said customer database.

According to one aspect of the invention, the method comprises displaying of a third sub-menu supporting merchant access to a list of eCheck transactions, wherein said third sub-menu further supporting merchant selection of at least one of: deleting transactions from a transactions database, displaying of said eCheck transactions based on transaction dates, and exporting information related to said eCheck transactions into an editable data document.

According to another aspect of the invention, the merchant accesses said user interface system through a web browsing means .

In another aspect of the invention, the method comprises selectively configuring merchant's access to menus and information displayed by said user interface system based on a merchant's accessing device, wherein said user interface system is accessed with at least one of: a portable device, a PDA, a Smartphone, a cellphone, a laptop computer, and a desktop computer . BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompany Figures showing illustrative embodiments of the invention, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a main authentication window of the present invention .

FIGS. 2a-2c show a main menu window according to an aspect of the invention.

FIGS. 3a and 3b show transaction windows according to an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 3c shows a password window according to an aspect of the invention .

FIG. 4 shows a window that enables a user to begin a financial transaction .

FIGS. 5a and 5b show an authorization window according to an aspect of the invention.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show a message window according to an aspect of the invention. FIGS. 8a—8c show a detailed customer window according to an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 9 shows a detailed customer window according to a further aspect of the invention.

FIGS. 10a—10c shows a detailed transaction window according to an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 11 shows a password window according to a further aspect of the invention.

FIG. 12 shows a main application window according to an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 13 shows a message window according to another aspect of the invention.

FIG. 14 shows a customer window according to another aspect of the invention.

FIG. 15 shows a transaction window according to a further aspect of the invention.

FIG. 16 shows a password window according to a further aspect of the invention. Throughout the Figures, the same reference numbers and characters, unless otherwise stated, are used to denote like elements, components, portions or features of the illustrated embodiment. The subject invention will be described in detail in conjunction with the accompany Figures, in view of the illustrative embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be embodied in other specific structure. It is clear that changes and modifications to the described embodiment can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined by the appended.

In preferred embodiment of the invention, the Mobile eCheck application is accessed by a merchant via a portable device such as but not limited to: a cellphone, a Smartphone, and a PDA.

FIG. 1 shows an authentication window 1 provided to the user in order to access an assigned account. In a preferred embodiment the user access the eCheck system from a mobile device 4 by entering a web address that is a secure encrypted Internet location into an Internet browsing window and starts a session by providing a "USER NAME" 2 and a "PASSWORD" 3. The user name and an initial password is provided to the user by the system's administrator. Through this authentication window, subscribing merchants and/or their staff will access the application and its functionality. One important aspect of the invention is that the application is a device-aware application that recognizes not only the type of device accessing the system but also the browsing communication protocol associated to the mobile/portable device so that the browsing window size will adjust automatically to the screen size of the mobile/portable device and the application type (i.e., mobile, portable) is selectively displayed to the user.

According to FIG. 2a, once the user is securely logged into the account a main menu window 5 is displayed to the user including the options "BEGIN TRANSACTION" 6, "MY CUSTOMERS" 7, "TRANSACTION LOG" 8 and "RESET PASSWORD" 9. When the "BEGIN TRANSACTION" option 6 is selected, the user will be able to select, from a drop-down menu as shown on FIG. 2b, the type of customer associated with the transaction: "INDIVIDUAL" or "C0MPANY"s. The "MY CUSTOMERS" option takes the user to a list of recurring customer profiles which is kept in the system's administrator server for convenience and future use as shown in FIG. 2c. The user may be able to return to the main menu window by pressing a "MAIN MENU" button displayed on the lower portion of the browsing window as shown in FIG. 2c.

According to an embodiment of the invention, if the user selects the "TRANSACTION LOG" option, a list is of recent and past transactions is displayed including name, date, time, amount, account number, customer phone and approval number as shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b. The option "RESET PASSWORD" shown in FIGS. 3c and 16, provide the user with means to enter a new password, thus giving the user the ability to periodically change the account password in order to maintain and enhance the account access security.

When the user selects the "BEGIN TRANSACTION" option, a window will be presented having different information fields to be populated by the user with the customer information as shown in FIG. 4. The user enters the customer's first name on the "NAME" field 10, the last name on the "LAST NAME" field 11, and the customer's phone number on the "PHONE #" field 12. The customer phone number can be used as a reference number and will be important for later retrieval of the file should a returned item occurs. If the customer is a business entity, the user can populate the "NAME" field 10 and/or "LAST NAME" field 11 along with the name of a company. The user populates the customer's banking information fields by selecting the desired bank's routing number from a drop-down menu. In order, to use the aforementioned drop-down menu, the user goes to the "SELECT BANK" field 13 and places the cursor over the field. By pressing the cursor, the user is able to view all registered banks for a specific state area. The user then scrolls to the selected bank number from a plurality of bank routing numbers offered and press the <enter> key. This is an important feature of the invention since it eliminates errors associated with entering incorrect financial institution information into the system. Alternatively, the system might be able to dynamically display said plurality of bank routing numbers based on other factors such as but not limited to: the mobile/portable device actual geographical location. For example, said location can be determined by means of GPS data associated with the particular device (should the device have a GPS processing means) or alternatively, through IP address identification. To enter the customer's checking account number, the user populates the "ACCOUNT #" field 14. The "REFERENCE #" field 15 is populated with a user's number of preference; this number is used to identify the transaction. The reference number will prove useful should the user needs to refer to this transaction in the future. In the "AMOUNT" field 16, the user enters the dollar amount needed to finalize the exchange of good and/or services. The method and system of the invention will translate all even digits as dollars when a cents amount is not entered.

FIGS. 5a and 5b show, in detail, the functions of the "CUSTOMER AUTHORIZATION" option 17 and the "ADD TO MY CUSTOMERS" option 18. The "CUSTOMER AUTHORIZATION" option 17 acts as a signature facsimile proof than the customer provided the user with the authorization to electronically debit the customer's checking account. The user may request the customer's last four digits of his or her social security number or his or her birthday month and day. As an example, if the customer's birthday is June 16^th, the user will then enter his or her birthday in a four-digit format: 0616. The "ADD TO MY CUSTOMERS" option 18 gives the user the capability to add the customer information to the recurring customer list shown in FIG. 5b by selecting the <YES> option from a drop-down menu. After all the fields have been completed, the user may confirm with the customer that all entered information was correct and proceed further with the transaction by pressing the <AUTHORIZE> button provided.

As shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 13, a response message window is then presented to the user. The response message can either be an "approved" transaction or a "declined" transaction. An approved response message will be followed by an approval number. If the customer information is available via a previously stored customer profile, the Mobile eCheck host will also reply with the customer name for greater financial account validation. In a joint account transaction situation, the name identified as the primary name will be the only name displayed. FIGS. 7 and 13 show a "SEND eRECEIPT" window that allow the merchant to send electronically a receipt directly to the customer's via an email address. In a situation where the customer requests a receipt, the merchant can move the cursor over the <YES> button and press <enter>. An "EMAIL" field will appear for the merchant to populate with the customer's email address. After entering the customer's email address, then merchant should move the cursor on top of the <send email> button and press it to send the message. The customer will then receive an electronic message including the "eRECEIPT" which will provide the customer with detailed information about the transaction such as: the name of the customer, the last four digits of the checking account, the amount charged, a reference number, and an authorization number.

As previously explained, the "MY CUSTOMERS" feature allows the user to view a list of profiles for recurring customer where name, bank information and phone number of customers are kept for convenient use. FIGS. 8a, 8b, 8c and 9 show the above-mentioned feature in more detail. In FIG. 8a, the merchant proceeds to access a recurring customer profile by selecting the "MY CUSTOMERS" option and a window with a list of customers name is accessed. The merchant can begin a transaction by selecting the customer name from the list of customers in order to speed up a transaction. This feature will automatically insert the entire customer's information on the relevant fields, thus saving time spent entering the customer's data manually. When the <more> option is selected from the customer list, as shown in FIG. 9, the merchant is presented with an "EDIT CUSTOMER" window 19 where "COMPANY NAME" 20, "NAME" 21, "LAST NAME" 22, "PHONE #" 23 and "EMAIL" 24 fields are displayed for easy editing or deleting the customer's information.

FIGS. lOa-lOc show the "TRANSACTION LOG" feature which provides the merchant detailed information about past transactions. When a transaction is selected, the merchant will be able to view the name of the customer, date and time of the transaction, amount charged, the last four digits of the bank account charged, and the customer phone number along with an approval number. By pressing the <Send Email> option, as shown on FIG. 10c, an electronic copy of the receipt will be delivered to the customer . FIGS. 11 and 16 show the "RESET PASSWORD" window which provides the merchant with "NEW PASSWORD" and "RE-ENTER PASSWORD" fields to enter a new password, thus giving the merchant the ability to periodically change the account's password in order to maintain and enhance the account's access security.

In another embodiment, the Mobile eCheck application is accessed by a merchant via a desktop or laptop computer. After successful authentication, as previously described by FIG. 1, the merchant is logged to the merchant account. The main application window shown in FIG. 12 provides the merchant with the information entry field necessary to submit a transaction. As may be appreciated from FIG. 12, a main menu is provided on the top portion of the window. The options "BEGIN TRANSACTION", "MY CUSTOMERS", "TRANSACTION LOG", "RESET PASSWORD" and "CHECKSITE" are made available to the merchant. As with the application window of FIG. 2a, the features of FIG. 12 are substantially similar in functionality. If the "BEGIN TRANSACTION" option is selected, several fields to be populated are presented to the merchant in a section right below the main menu. In the preferred embodiment, a field with bullet-selectable choices is provided to the merchant to choose from either <individual> or <business> transactions. If the <individual> transaction is selected, then the merchant enters the customer's first name on the "NAME" field, the last name on the "LAST NAME" field, and the customer's phone number on the "PHONE #" field. The customer phone number can be used as a reference number and will be important for later retrieval of the file should a return item occurs. In the given case that a customer is a business, the merchant will be prompted to enter the "COMPANY", "NAME", "CONTACT NAME" and "CONTACT LAST NAME". Right before moving on to populate the bank information fields, the merchant is provided with the option "Add to my Customers?" by selecting <yes> or <no> from a bullet-selectable choices field. The merchant moves on to populate the customer's banking information fields by selecting the desired bank's routing number from a drop-down menu. In order, to use the aforementioned drop-down menu, the merchant goes to the "SELECT BANK" field and places the cursor over the field. By pressing the cursor, the merchant is able to view all registered banks for a particular state area. The merchant then scrolls to the selected bank number from a plurality of bank routing numbers offered and presses the <enter> key. As an added feature of this embodiment, another field with bullet-selectable choices <Sort by Bank> and <Sort by Transit #>, provides the merchant the choice of searching by bank name or by the transit number the check is being generated from. The merchant can narrow the selection scope by typing in the first character of the bank or transit number. To enter the customer's checking account number the merchant populates the "ACCOUNT #" field. The "REFERENCE #" field is populated with any number of preference, this number is used to identified the transaction. The reference number will prove useful should the merchant needs to refer to this transaction on a returned item. In the "AMOUNT #" field, the merchant enters the dollar amount needed to finalize the exchange of good and/or services. The method and system of the invention will translate all even digits as dollars when a cents amount is not entered. The "Checksite" option will direct the merchant to another secure website that provides merchant members with easy access to transaction log postings of ACH items. The merchant can inquire about the status of the transactions processed through other applications and provides merchants information about different branches as well as total ACH submissions, for easy overall monitoring and audit for those multi-branch operations.

The customer window, shown in FIG. 14, provides the merchant with a listing of customers currently in the system. The merchant is presented with information pertaining to recurrent customers such as: company 1, full name 2, phone number 3 and a contact email 4. On the far right portion of the screen, two icons are provided in the options field 5 for convenient editing and/or deleting of a customer profile. The transaction log window of FIG. 15 provides the merchant with a listing of past transactions in date-descending order. The list presents the merchant with past transactions information such as: date of transaction 1, amount charged 2, bank routing or transit number 3, check account number 4, customer's company 5 and customer's name 6. On the far right portion of the screen the merchant is provided with a spreadsheet report icon 7 and a file name field 8. These features provide the merchant with the capability to export the transaction log to a spreadsheet. In the preferred embodiment, when the spreadsheet icon is selected, the merchant will be prompted to enter a range of dates to be used as the selection criteria for the transactions. Furthermore, transactions older than ten days may be deleted from the system.

Although certain preferred embodiments and method has been disclosed herein, it will be apparent from the foregoing disclosure to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications of such embodiments and methods may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention shall be limited only to the extent required by the appended claims and rules and principles of applicable law.

Claims

I Cl aim :

1. In a user interface system employed by a merchant in performing an electronic check (eCheck) transaction, a method comprising the steps of: displaying of a first menu supporting merchant selection of an eCheck transaction initiation, previous customers' information, and an eCheck transaction log.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: displaying of a first sub-menu supporting merchant selection of a customer type, and at least one of: selecting a customer from a customer database, and merchant entry of a new customer; wherein said first sub-menu further supports adding said new customer to said customer database .

3. The method of claim 2, comprising: said first sub-menu further supporting merchant selection of a customer-related financial institution from a financial institution database; and merchant transaction entry of: a customer account identifier associated with said customer-related financial institution, an eCheck transaction amount, an eCheck transaction identifier, and a customer authorization identifier.

4. The method of claim 3, comprising: said first sub-menu further supporting displaying to said merchant said customer-related financial institution based on a financial institution name or a financial institution transit identifier.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising: performing an eCheck transaction based on a selected customer-related financial institution transit identifier and the information associated with said merchant transaction entry.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising: displaying to said merchant an eCheck transaction result including a transaction identifier; and a receipt delivery section .

7. The method of claim 1, comprising: displaying of a second sub-menu supporting merchant access to a list of customer's profiles previously stored in a customer database.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising: said second sub-menu further supporting at least one of: editing information related to said customers' profiles previously stored in said customers database and deleting at least one customer profile from said customer database.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising: displaying of a third sub-menu supporting merchant access to a list of eCheck transactions.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising: said third sub-menu further supporting merchant selection of at least one of: deleting transactions from a transactions database, displaying of said eCheck transactions based on transaction dates, and exporting information related to said eCheck transactions into an editable data document.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising: said first menu further supporting merchant selection of a login password reset.

12. The method of claim 1, comprising: said first menu further supporting merchant access to transaction log postings of ACH items.

13. The method of claim 6, comprising: said receipt delivery section supporting sending a transaction receipt by email, wherein said email includes information related to at least one of: said customer- related financial institution, said customer account identifier associated with said customer-related financial institution, said eCheck transaction amount, said eCheck transaction identifier, and said customer authorization identifier .

14. The method of claim 1, comprising: said merchant accessing said user interface system through a web browsing means.

15. The method of claim 1, comprising: selectively configuring merchant's access to menus and information displayed by said user interface system based on a merchant's accessing device.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising: accessing said user interface system with at least one of: a portable device, a PDA, a Smartphone, a cellphone, a laptop computer, and a desktop computer.