Method and apparatus for distributing currency

Abstract

A process which provides electronic access to pre-paid funds for cash or payment for goods and services. A card is issued to a customer with a value selectable by the customer. The card has a magnetic stripe with an encoded card number including a bank identification number (BIN) and an account number. The central card processor establishes a zero balance database including the card numbers, but with blank fields for the customer data and the value of the account. When a customer purchases a card, the sales agent transmits to the central database computer which fills in the blanks in the database, activating the account, and transmits an acknowledgement signal back to the sales agent. The customer can immediately use the card in ATM or other remote terminals to acquire cash or purchase goods and services. The customer inputs a PIN number which is provided with the card, or a customer selected alternative PIN number.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A method for distributing currency or purchasing goods and services, comprising the following steps: 
       generating a plurality of card numbers, each card number including an account number and a bank identification number, corresponding to card numbers encoded on a plurality of cards;  
       creating a database on a central computer having at least a first field for said bank identification number, a second field for said account number, a third field for customer data, a fourth field for a currency amount, and a fifth field for a personal identification number (PIN);  
       loading said bank identification number and said account numbers into said database, leaving said third and fourth fields without customer data or currency amount;  
       receiving, at a subsequent time of card purchase, customer data, an ID number corresponding to a card number and a currency amount selected by a customer from a first remote terminal;  
       immediately entering said customer data and said currency amount into said third and fourth fields, respectively, of said database corresponding to a bank identification number and an account number included in said card number;  
       immediately entering a personal identification number (PIN) into a fifth field of said database corresponding to said customer;  
       subsequently receiving, from a second remote terminal, a customer inputted PIN, a card number from a card for said customer and a debit currency amount;  
       subtracting said currency debit amount from the currency amount in said database corresponding to the received customer card number and PIN and updating said currency amount in said database;  
       transmitting to said second remote terminal an authorization message for transferring said currency debit amount if said currency debit amount is not greater than said currency amount in the database;  
       transmitting to said second remote terminal a message denying the transferring of currency if said currency debit amount is greater than the currency amount in the database.  
     
     
       2. The method of claim  1  further comprising the steps of: 
       transmitting, from said second remote terminal, a currency code indicating a currency type in said second remote terminal;  
       comparing said currency type to an issuance currency of said card indicated by said bank identification number; and  
       converting said debit currency amount of said currency type to said issuance currency.  
     
     
       3. The method of claim  1  further comprising the steps of: 
       printing a serial number different from said card number on each of said cards;  
       transmitting said serial number as said ID number; and  
       converting said serial number into said card number.  
     
     
       4. The method of claim  1  further comprising the steps of: 
       storing inventory control status information in said database to indicate the status of said cards;  
       receiving a sales agent ID with said ID number for said card;  
       comparing said sales agent ID with said inventory control status information;  
       returning an error message if said comparing step does not produce a match.  
     
     
       5. The method of claim  4  wherein said inventory control status information includes first data indicating the ordering of cards by an issuer, second data indicating the shipment of cards by a card manufacturer and third data indicating the receipt of cards by said sales agent. 
     
     
       6. The method of claim  1  further comprising changing said PIN according to the steps of: 
       receiving a new PIN and said ID number;  
       locating a card number corresponding to said ID number in said database; and  
       replacing the PIN in said fifth field for said card number with said new PIN.  
     
     
       7. A method for distributing currency or purchasing goods and services, comprising the following steps: 
       generating a plurality of card numbers, each card number including an account number and a bank identification number, corresponding to card numbers encoded on magnetic stripes on a plurality of cards;  
       printing a visible serial number, different from, but related to, said card number, on each of said cards;  
       creating a database on a central computer having at least a first field for said bank identification number, a second field for said account numbers, a third field for customer data, and a fourth field for a currency amount;  
       loading said bank identification number and said account numbers into said database, leaving said third and fourth fields without customer data or currency amount;  
       storing inventory control status information in said database to indicate the status of said cards;  
       receiving, at a subsequent time, customer data, the serial number and a currency amount from a first remote terminal;  
       receiving a sales agent ID with said serial number for said card;  
       immediately translating said serial number into a card number;  
       immediately entering said customer data and said currency amounts into said third and fourth fields, respectively, of said database corresponding to a bank identification number and an account number included in said card number;  
       immediately entering a personal identification number (PIN) into a fifth field of said database corresponding to said customer;  
       comparing said sales agent ID with said inventory control status information;  
       returning an error message if said comparing step does not produce a match;  
       subsequently receiving, from a second remote terminal, a customer inputted PIN, a card number from a card for said customer and a debit currency amount;  
       subtracting said currency debit amount from the currency amount in said database corresponding to the received customer card number and PIN and updating said currency amount in said database;  
       transmitting to said second remote terminal an authorization message for transferring said currency debit amount if said currency debit amount is less than said currency amount in the database; and  
       transmitting to said second remote terminal a message denying the transferring of currency if said currency debit amount is greater than the currency amount in the database.  
     
     
       8. A system for distributing currency or purchasing goods and services, comprising: 
       means for generating a plurality of card numbers, each card number including an account number and a bank identification number, corresponding to card numbers encoded on a plurality of cards;  
       a database on a central computer having at least a first field for said bank identification number, a second field for said account numbers, a third field for customer data, and a fourth field for a currency amount, said bank identification number and said account numbers being loaded into said database, leaving said third and fourth fields without customer data or currency amount, and a fifth field for a personal identification number (PIN);  
       a first remote terminal for transmitting customer data, and ID number corresponding to a card number and a currency amount;  
       means for entering said customer data and said currency amounts into said third and fourth fields, respectively, of said database corresponding to a bank identification number and an account number included in said card number and entering the PIN into said fifth field of said database corresponding to said customer;  
       a second remote terminal for transmitting a customer inputted PIN, a card number from a card for said customer and a debit currency amount;  
       means for subtracting said currency debit amount from the currency amount in said database corresponding to the received customer card number and PIN and updating said currency amount in said database;  
       means for transmitting to said second remote terminal an authorization message for transferring said currency debit amount if said currency debit amount is not greater than said currency amount in the database;  
       means for transmitting to said second remote terminal a message denying the transferring of currency if said currency debit amount is greater than the currency amount in the database.  
     
     
       9. A method for distributing currency or purchasing goods and services, comprising the following steps: 
       generating a plurality of card numbers, each card number including an account number and a bank identification number, corresponding to card numbers encoded on a plurality of cards;  
       creating a database on a central computer having at least a first field for said bank identification number, a second field for said account number, a third field for customer data, a fourth field for a currency amount, and a fifth field for a person identification number (PIN);  
       loading said bank identification number and said account number into said database, leaving said third and fourth fields without customer data or currency amount;  
       receiving at a subsequent time of card purchase, customer data, an ID number corresponding to a card number and a currency amount selected by a customer from a first remote terminal;  
       immediately entering said customer data and said currency amount into said third and fourth fields, respectively, of said database corresponding to a bank identification number and an account number included in said card number;  
       immediately entering a personal identification number (PIN) into a fifth field of said database corresponding to said customer;  
       subsequently receiving, from a second remote terminal, a customer inputted PIN, a card number from a card for said customer and a debit currency amount;  
       subtracting said currency debit amount from the currency amount in said database corresponding to the received customer card number and PIN and updating said currency amount in said database;  
       transmitting to said second remote terminal an authorization message for dispensing said currency debit amount to the customer if said currency debit amount is less than said currency amount in the database;  
       transmitting to said second remote terminal a message denying the dispensing of currency if said currency debit amount is greater than the currency amount in the database; and disposing of said card when the currency amount in the database is depleted and deactivating the account corresponding to said card number.  
     
     
       10. A method for distributing currency or purchasing goods and services, comprising the following steps: 
       generating a plurality of card numbers, each card number including an account number and a bank identification number, corresponding to card numbers encoded on a plurality of cards;  
       creating a database on a central computer having at least a first field for said bank identification number, a second field for said account number, a third field for customer data, a fourth field for a currency amount, and a fifth field for a personal identification number (PIN);  
       loading said bank identification number and said account numbers into said database;  
       loading customer data and a fixed currency amount into said third and fourth fields, respectively, of said database corresponding to a bank identification number and an account number included in said card number;  
       entering a personal identification number (PIN) into a fifth field of said database corresponding to said customer;  
       subsequently receiving, from a second remote terminal, a customer inputted PIN, a card number from a card for said customer;  
       subtracting a currency debit amount from the currency amount in said database corresponding to the received customer card number and PIN and updating said currency amount in said database;  
       transmitting to said second remote terminal an authorization message for transferring said currency debit amount if said currency debit amount is in the database;  
       transmitting to said second remote terminal a message denying the transferring of currency if said currency debit amount is not in the database.  
     
     
       11. The method of claim  10  further comprising the step of dispensing currency to said customer if said currency debit amount is in the database. 
     
     
       12. A method for creating a customer account for distributing currency or purchasing goods and services, comprising the following steps: 
       
         generating a plurality of card numbers, each card number including an account number corresponding to card numbers encoded on a plurality of cards;  
       
       
         loading said account number into a database having a plurality of fields, including fields for said account number, for customer data, and for currency amount, leaving said fields for customer data and currency amount without customer data or currency amount;  
       
       
         receiving, at a subsequent time of card purchase, customer data, an ID number corresponding to a card number and a currency amount selected by a customer, from a first remote terminal;  
       
       
         entering said customer data and said currency amount into said fields of said database for said customer data and said currency amount, respectively, corresponding to an account number included in said card number.  
       
     
     
       13. The method of claim  12  further comprising the steps of: 
       
         subsequently receiving, from a second remote terminal, a card number from a card for said customer and a currency debit amount;  
       
       
         transmitting to said second remote terminal an authorization message for transferring said currency debit amount if said currency debit amount is not greater than said currency amount in said database;  
       
       
         subtracting said currency debit amount from the currency amount in said database corresponding to the received customer card number and updating said currency amount in said database.  
       
     
     
       14. The method of claim  13  further comprising the steps of: 
       
         transmitting, from said second remote terminal, a currency code indicating a currency type in said second remote terminal;  
       
       
         comparing said currency type to an issuance currency of said card;  
       
       
         converting said debit currency amount of said currency to said issuance currency.  
       
     
     
       15. The method of claim  12  wherein said card number comprises a bank identification number.  
     
     
       16. The method of claim  12  wherein said plurality of fields of said database includes a field for a bank identification number.  
     
     
       17. The method of claim  12  wherein said step of receiving from a second remote terminal a card number and a currency debit amount includes the step of receiving a personal identification number from said second remote terminal.  
     
     
       18. The method of claim  12  further comprising the steps of: 
       
         printing a serial number different from said card number on each of said cards;  
       
       
         transmitting said serial number as said ID number;  
       
       
         converting said ID number to said card number.  
       
     
     
       19. A system for distributing currency or purchasing goods and services, comprising: 
       
         means for generating a plurality of card numbers, each card number including an account number, corresponding to card numbers encoded on a plurality of cards;  
       
       
         a database on a central computer having a plurality of fields, including fields for said account number, for customer data, and for currency amount, said account number being loaded into said database, leaving said fields for customer data and currency amount without customer data or currency amount;  
       
       
         a first remote terminal for transmitting customer data, an ID number corresponding to a card number and a currency amount;  
       
       
         means for entering said customer data and said currency amount into said fields of said database for said customer data and said currency amount, respectively, corresponding to an account number included in said card number.  
       
     
     
       20. The system of claim  19  further comprising: 
       
         a second remote terminal for transmitting a card number from a card for said customer and a debit currency amount;  
       
       
         means for subtracting said currency debit amount from the current amount in said database corresponding to the received customer card number and updating said currency amount in said database.  
       
     
     
       21. The system of claim  20  further comprising: 
       
         means for transmitting to said second remote terminal an authorization message for transferring said currency debit amount if said currency debit amount is not greater than said currency amount in the database.  
       
     
     
       22. The system of claim  20  wherein said second remote terminal comprises means for transmitting a customer inputted personal identification number.  
     
     
       23. The system of claim  20  wherein said second remote terminal comprises means for transmitting a currency code indicating a currency type in said second remote terminal.  
     
     
       24. The system of claim  23  further comprising: 
       
         means for converting said debit currency amount from said currency type to an issuance currency of said card.  
       
     
     
       25. The system of claim  19  wherein said card number comprises a bank identification number.  
     
     
       26. The system of claim  19  wherein said plurality of fields of said database includes a field for a bank identification number.  
     
     
       27. The system of claim  19  wherein said each of said cards comprises a printer serial number different from said customer number for said card.  
     
     
       28. A computer readable medium including computer program code for creating a customer account for distributing currency or purchasing goods and services using cards, each card having a serial number printed on the card and an account number encoded in the card, said computer readable medium comprising: 
       
         computer program code for loading an account number for a card into a database having a plurality of fields, including fields for said account number, for customer data, and for currency amount, leaving said fields for customer data and currency amount without customer data or currency amount, said account number being associated with said serial number of the card;  
       
       
         computer program code for receiving, at a subsequent time of purchase of the card, customer data, said serial number, and a currency amount, from a first remote terminal; and  
       
         computer program code for looking - up an account number from said serial number and for entering said customer data and said currency amount into said fields of said database for said customer data and said currency amount, respectively, corresponding to said account number.    
     
     
       29. The computer readable medium of claim  28  wherein said computer readable medium further comprises: 
       
         computer program code for subsequently receiving, from a second remote terminal, a account number from a card and a currency debit amount;  
       
       
         computer program code for transmitting to said second remote terminal an authorization message for transferring said currency debit amount if said currency debit amount is not greater than said currency amount in said database corresponding to the account number; and  
       
       
         computer program code for subtracting said currency debit amount from the currency amount in said database corresponding to the account number and updating said currency amount in said database.  
       
     
     
       30. The computer readable medium of claim  29  wherein said computer readable medium further comprises: 
       
         computer program code for transmitting to said second remote terminal a message denying the transferring of currency if said currency debit amount is greater than the currency amount in the database.  
       
     
     
       31. The computer readable medium of claim  29  wherein said computer program code for receiving from a second remote terminal a card number and a currency debit amount includes computer program code for receiving a personal identification number from said second remote terminal.  
     
     
       32. The computer readable medium of claim  29  wherein said computer readable medium further comprises: 
       
         computer program code for transmitting, from said second remote terminal, a currency code indicating a currency type in said second remote terminal;  
       
       
         computer program code for comparing said currency type to an issuance currency of said card; and  
       
       
         computer program code for converting said debit currency amount of said currency to said issuance currency.  
       
     
     
       33. The computer readable medium of claim  28  wherein a bank identification number is also encoded in the card.  
     
     
       34. The computer readable medium of claim  28  wherein said plurality of fields of said database includes a field for a bank identification number.  
     
     
       35. A system for distributing currency or purchasing goods and services using cards, each card having a card number including an account number encoded thereon, said system comprising: 
       
         a database on a central computer having a plurality of fields, including fields for said account number, for customer data, and for currency amount, said account number being loaded into said database, leaving said fields for customer data and currency amount without customer data or currency amount;  
       
       
         a first remote terminal for transmitting customer data, an ID number corresponding to a card number and a currency amount; and  
       
       
         computer program code for entering said customer data and said currency amount into said fields of said database for said customer data and said currency amount, respectively, corresponding to an account number included in said card number.  
       
     
     
       36. The system of claim  35  further comprising: 
       
         a second remote terminal for transmitting a card number from a card for said customer and a debit currency amount;  
       
       
         means for subtracting said currency debit amount from the current amount in said database corresponding to the received card number and updating said currency amount in said database.  
       
     
     
       37. The system of claim  36  further comprising: 
       
         computer program code for transmitting to said second remote terminal an authorization message for transferring said currency debit amount if said currency debit amount is not greater than said currency amount in the database.  
       
     
     
       38. The system of claim  37  further comprising: 
       
         computer program code for transmitting to said second terminal a message denying the transferring of currency if said currency debit amount is greater than said currency amount in the database.  
       
     
     
       39. The system of claim  36  wherein said second remote terminal comprises computer program code for transmitting a customer inputted personal identification number.  
     
     
       40. The system of claim  36  wherein said second remote terminal comprises computer program code for transmitting a currency code indicating a currency type in said second remote terminal.  
     
     
       41. The system of claim  40  further comprising: 
       
         computer program code for converting said debit currency amount from said currency type to an issuance currency of said card.  
       
     
     
       42. The system of claim  35  wherein said card number comprises a bank identification number.  
     
     
       43. The system of claim  35  wherein said plurality of fields of said database includes a field for a bank identification number.  
     
     
       44. The system of claim  35  wherein said each of said cards comprises a printed serial number different from the card number for said card.  
     
     
       45. An apparatus for distributing currency using cards, each card having a card number including an account number encoded thereon, said apparatus comprising: 
       
         a database on a central computer having a plurality of fields, including fields for said account number, for customer data, and for currency amount, said account number being loaded into said database, leaving said fields for customer data and currency amount without customer data or currency amount; and  
       
       
         computer program code for receiving at a subsequent time of purchase of a card and then entering said customer data and said currency amount into said fields of said database for said customer data and said currency amount, respectively, corresponding to an account number included in said card number.  
       
     
     
       46. The apparatus of claim  45  wherein the card has a serial number printed therein, and 
       
         wherein during the purchase of the card, said computer program for receiving also receives the serial number for the card, not the account number.  
       
     
     
       47. The apparatus of claim  46  wherein said account number is determined during the purchase of the card based on the serial number received and using said database.  
     
     
       48. The apparatus of claim  45  wherein said apparatus further comprises: 
       
         computer program code for subsequently receiving, during a transaction using a card, an account number from the card and a currency debit amount;  
       
       
         computer program code for transmitting to an authorization message for transferring said currency debit amount if said currency debit amount is not greater than said currency amount in said database corresponding to the account number; and  
       
       
         computer program code for subtracting said currency debit amount from the currency amount in said database corresponding to the account number and updating said currency amount in said database.  
       
     
     
       49. The apparatus of claim  48  wherein said computer readable medium further comprises: 
       
         computer program code for transmitting a message denying the transferring of currency if said currency debit amount is greater than the currency amount in the database.  
       
     
     
       50. The computer readable medium of claim  48  wherein a bank identification number is also encoded in the card.  
     
     
       51. The computer readable medium of claim  50  wherein said plurality of fields of said database includes a field for a bank identification number.  
     
     
       52. The computer readable medium of claim  48  wherein said computer program code for receiving an account number and a currency debit amount also receives a personal identification number.