Methods and systems for exchanging and/or transferring various forms of value
View Patent ↗Methods and systems for exchanging various forms of value, including coins, currency, credit, debit, and/or bank account funds, for prepaid cash cards, credit cards, phone cards, and the like. In one embodiment, a value exchange machine includes a coin input region, a coin sorting/counting apparatus, a card reader, and a communications facility configured to communicate with a remote computer network. In another embodiment, a value exchange system includes one or more of the value exchange machines connected to one or more remote computers via a communications link. A user wishing to purchase, for example, a prepaid cash card can visit one of the value exchange machines, select the desired transaction, and pay for the card with coins, currency, a credit card, a debit card, and/or bank account funds. After confirming payment, the value exchange machine dispenses the card to the user.
1. A computer implemented method for transferring funds from a first user to a second user, the method comprising:
receiving a request from a first user computer for one or more display pages, the one or more display pages being configured to receive information from the first user related to the transfer of funds from the first user to the second user;
in response to the request, providing the one or more display pages to the first user computer;
receiving information from the first user computer via the one or more display pages, the information including an amount of funds to transfer to the second user, an electronic address of the second user, and a source of funds;
receiving an authorization from a remote computer associated with the source of funds to debit the source of funds for the amount of funds; and
in response to receiving the authorization, sending an electronic message to the electronic address of the second user to inform the second user of the amount of funds that has been authorized for transfer to the second user, wherein sending the electronic message includes sending information about the location of one or more value exchange machines configured to dispense the funds to the second user.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, in response to receiving the information about the source of funds, sending a request to the source of the funds for authorization to debit the amount of funds from the source of funds.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving information about the source of funds includes receiving information about a credit card account of the first user to be used as the source of funds, and wherein the method further comprises, in response to receiving the credit card account information, sending a request to a credit card provider for authorization to debit the amount of funds from the credit card account.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to sending the electronic message to the electronic address of the second user, receiving a request from the second user for the funds; and
in response to receiving the request from the second user, providing the funds to the second user.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to sending the electronic message, receiving a request from the second user for the funds via one of the value exchange machines; and
in response to receiving the request from the second user, providing the funds to the second user via the one value exchange machine.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein sending the electronic message includes sending information about one or more retail shopping outlets having value exchange machines configured to dispense the funds to the second user, and wherein the method further comprises:
in response to sending the electronic message, receiving a request from the second user for the funds via one of the value exchange machines; and
in response to receiving the request from the second user, providing the funds to the second user via the one value exchange machine.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein sending the electronic message includes sending a unique code to the second user, and wherein the method further comprises:
in response to sending the electronic message, receiving a request from the second user for the funds, the request including at least a portion of the unique code; and
in response to receiving the request from the second user, providing the funds to the second user.
8. A computer implemented method for transferring funds from a first user to a second user, the method comprising:
receiving a request for one or more display pages from a first user computer, the one or more display pages being configured to receive information from the first user related to the transfer of funds from the first user to the second user;
in response to the request, providing the one or more display pages to the first user computer;
receiving information from the first user computer via the one or more display pages, the information including at least an amount of funds;
sending a request to a financial institution computer for authorization to debit the amount of funds from an account associated with the first user;
in response to sending the request for authorization, receiving an authorization from the financial institution computer to debit the amount of funds from the account associated with the first user;
in response to receiving the authorization, automatically sending an electronic message to the second user to inform the second user of the amount of funds that has been authorized for transfer to the second user;
receiving a request for the funds from the second user via one of a plurality of value exchange machines;
in response to receiving the request from the second user via the one value exchange machine, debiting the amount of funds from the account associated with the first user; and
providing the funds to the second user via the one value exchange machine.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein sending a request for authorization to debit the amount of funds from an account associated with the first user includes sending an electronic request to a financial institution computer for authorization to transfer the amount of funds from the first user to the second user, wherein receiving the authorization to debit the amount of funds includes receiving an electronic authorization from the financial institution computer.
10. The method of claim 8 wherein receiving information from the first user computer includes receiving information about the account associated with the first user.
11. The method of claim 8 wherein receiving information from the first user computer includes receiving information about a credit card account of the first user to be used as a source of funds to be transferred from the first user to the second user, and wherein sending a request for authorization to debit the amount of funds from an account associated with the first user includes sending a request to a credit card provider for authorization to debit the amount of funds from the credit card account.
12. The method of claim 8 wherein the information received from the first user computer includes an electronic address of the second user, and wherein automatically sending an electronic message to the second user includes sending an electronic message to the electronic address of the second user.
13. A computer implemented method for transferring funds from a first user to a second user, the method comprising:
receiving a request for one or more display pages from a first user computer, the one or more display pages being configured to receive information from the first user related to the transfer of funds from the first user to the second user;
in response to the request, providing the one or more display pages to the first user computer;
receiving information from the first user computer via the one or more display pages, the information including at least an amount of funds;
receiving an authorization from a source of funds to transfer the amount of the funds from the first user to the second user;
in response to receiving the authorization, sending a message to the second user to inform the second user of the amount of funds that has been authorized for transfer to the second user, wherein sending the message to the second user includes sending information about the location of one or more value exchange machines;
in response to sending the message to the second user, receiving a request from the second user via one of the value exchange machines for the funds; and
in response to receiving the request from the second user via the one value exchange machine, providing the funds to the second user via the one value exchange machine.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein sending the message to the second user includes sending information about the location of one or more value exchange machines located in one or more retail shopping outlets.
15. The method of claim 13 wherein sending the message to the second user includes sending a unique code associated with the transfer of funds from the first user to the second user, and wherein the method further comprises:
in response to sending the message to the second user, receiving a request from the second user for the funds, the request from the second user including the unique code; and
in response to receiving the request from the second user including the unique code, providing the funds to the second user.
16. A computer implemented method for transferring funds to a recipient, the method comprising:
requesting one or more display pages from a web site by use of a first user computer, the one or more display pages being configured to receive information related to funds transfers;
in response to the request, receiving the one or more display pages from the web site;
entering information on the one or more display pages, the entered information including at least an amount of funds to be transferred to the recipient; and
sending the one or more display pages back to the web site with the entered information, wherein entering information on the one or more display pages includes entering information causing the transferred funds to be made available to the recipient at one or more value exchange machines, and wherein entering information on the one or more display pages further includes entering information causing an electronic message to be automatically sent to a second user computer informing the recipient that the transferred funds are available at one or more value exchange machines.
17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising receiving a confirmation that the transfer of funds to the recipient has been authorized.
18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
receiving a confirmation that the transfer of funds to the recipient has been authorized; and
receiving a notification that the recipient has received the funds.
19. The method of claim 16 wherein receiving the one or more display pages includes receiving and displaying the first display page on a screen of the first user computer, and wherein entering information on the one or more display pages includes entering a recipient name and a recipient electronic address into one or more fields on the first display page.
20. The method of claim 16 wherein receiving the one or more display pages includes receiving and displaying the first display page on a screen of the first user computer, and wherein entering information on the one or more display pages includes entering a recipient name, a recipient telephone number, and a source of the funds into one or more fields on the first display page.
21. A computer implemented method for transferring funds to a recipient, the method comprising:
requesting one or more display pages from a web site via a user computer, the one or more display pages being configured to receive information related to funds transfers and including at least a first display page;
in response to the request, receiving the one or more display pages from the web site and displaying the first display page on a screen of the user computer;
entering information on the one or more display pages, the entered information including at least an amount of funds to be transferred to the recipient, a recipient email address and a recipient locale, the recipient locale at least generally defining a region in which the recipient lives; and
sending the one or more display pages back to the web site with the entered information, whereby an electronic message is automatically sent to the recipient email address informing the recipient that the transferred funds are available and informing the recipient about the location of one or more value exchange machines located proximate to the recipient locale.
22. The method of claim 21 wherein the method further comprises receiving a notification that the recipient has received the funds from a value exchange machine located at least proximate to the recipient locale.
23. The method of claim 21 wherein entering information on the one or more display pages includes entering a credit card account number, the credit card account number identifying an account intended to be a source of the funds.
24. The method of claim 21 wherein sending the one or more display pages back to the web site causes an electronic message to be automatically sent to the email address of the recipient, and wherein the electronic message informs the recipient of the location of one or more value exchange machines in the recipient locale configured to dispense the funds to the recipient.
25. A computer-readable medium containing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions causing a computer to transfer funds from a first user to a second user by a method comprising:
receiving a request for one or more display pages from a first user computer, the one or more display pages being configured to receive information from the first user related to the transfer of the funds from the first user to the second user;
in response to the request, providing the one or more display pages to the first user computer;
receiving information from the first user computer via the one or more display pages, the information including at least an amount of funds;
receiving an authorization from a remote computer associated with an account of the first user to debit the amount of funds from the account associated with the first user;
in response to receiving the authorization, automatically sending an electronic message to a second user computer to inform the second user of the amount of funds that has been authorized for transfer to the second user, and to inform the second user about the location of one or more value exchange machines configured to dispense the funds to the second user;
receiving a request for the funds from the second user via one of the value exchange machines;
in response to receiving the request from the second user via the one value exchange machine, debiting the amount of funds from the account associated with the first user; and
providing the funds to the second user via the one value exchange machine.