System for providing goods and services based on accrued but unpaid earnings
A system for interfacing predetermined services to a user at a fixed location includes a processing platform running an operating system. Also included are a plurality of physical system resource interfaces for interfacing with available physical system resources. The physical system resources allow a user to gain access to the predetermined desired services. The system further includes a data store for storing configuration information for enabling the operating system to interface with the available physical system resources through the physical system resource interface associated therewith. A communication resource for interfacing with the operating system allows communication of the operating system with a central office for downloading configuration information to selectively enable ones of the available physical system resources to interface with the operating system through associated ones of the physical system resource interfaces in accordance with the configuration information and the predetermined service selected by a user. A plurality of configurations are stored in the data store, and each is associated with a predetermined service and one or more of the available physical system resources. Each physical system resource interface is uniquely associated with a defined one of the physical system resources.
1. A method of providing an employee access to accrued and unpaid earnings accumulated by the employee during a predetermined time before the end of a pay period in which the accrued and unpaid earnings were accumulated via an employee access terminal linked to a transaction processor; comprising:
interfacing the transaction processor and database with an employer processor having access to an employer database including records of accrued and unpaid earnings for employees and downloading records of accrued and unpaid earnings for employees for a predetermined time period from the employer processor to the transaction processor and database;
interfacing the employee access terminal with the transaction processor and database to provide access to an employee's accrued and unpaid earnings for the predetermined time period via the employee access terminal, the employee access terminal including a plurality of physical resources including one or more of keyboard, touch screen interface or keypad enabling an employee to interface with the employee access terminal;
receiving an electronic request entered with the employee access terminal to access the employee's accrued and unpaid earnings for the predetermined time period before the end of a pay period in which the employee's accrued and unpaid earnings were accumulated;
authenticating the employee's identity;
determining an amount of the employee's accrued and unpaid earnings for the predetermined time period;
receiving with the employee access terminal a request from the employee to convey accrued and unpaid earnings to the employee or to a third party;
transmitting, with the employee access terminal, the request to the transaction processor;
comparing, with the transaction processor, the requested amount of accrued and unpaid earnings to a threshold value, less than the employee's accrued and unpaid earnings, and if the requested amount is greater than the threshold value, denying the request;
processing, with the transaction processor, the request and conveying the requested amount of accrued and unpaid earnings to the employee or third party;
updating the employee's record of accrued and unpaid earnings on the database to reflect the conveyed amount of the employee's accrued and unpaid earnings; and
aggregating, with the transaction processor, the employee's conveyed accrued and unpaid earnings and transmitting aggregated amount of conveyed accrued and unpaid earnings to the employer processor at predetermined intervals.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of authenticating, with the employee access terminal, the employee's identity upon receiving the electronic request.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein an employee's accrued and unpaid earnings include earnings due the employee prior to the end of a payroll period but before the earnings have been disbursed to the employee.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein an employee's accrued and unpaid earnings include earnings due the employee on a predetermined date prior to the end of a payroll period but before the earnings have been disbursed to the employee.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the requested amount of accrued and unpaid earnings conveyed to the employee is electronically transmitted to an employee account.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the employee access terminal includes a plurality of physical resources including a currency dispenser and wherein the requested amount of accrued and unpaid earnings conveyed to the employee in the form of currency.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the employee access terminal includes a plurality of physical resources including one or both of a money order dispenser and a check printer and wherein the requested amount of accrued and unpaid earnings is conveyed to the employee in the form of a money order or check.
8. The method of claim 1 displaying, with the employee access terminal, the amount of the employee's accrued and unpaid earnings for the predetermined time period available to the employee.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the employee access terminal is a mobile device.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the threshold value is a percentage of the employee's accrued and unpaid earnings in a payroll period.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein the employee's conveyed accrued and unpaid earnings are transmitted to the employer processor prior to the end of the employer's pay period.