Money-transfer techniques

摘要

A technique for transferring money between a customer and a beneficiary comprises a money-transfer company, and a plurality of selling agents and paying agents. The money-transfer company maintains a server, a database, and a communications interface for communicating, via a telephone network and/or the Internet, with data terminals located at the selling and paying agents' sites. Customer transaction cards are distributed to customers. These cards have a visible card number and a corresponding alphanumeric card code stored in, e.g., a magnetic strip. In response to a customer's request, the money-transfer company activates the customer's transaction card by loading customer and beneficiary information into a corresponding transaction card record stored in the database.

主权项

1. A method for accessing funds associated with a financial instrument, comprising:
generating by a financial system a funds-access code including the steps of generating, by a computer connected to a communication network, a random code that is the funds-access code; creating and storing by the computer a fund access code record containing the generated funds-access code and accompanying identification information about a recipient in a database accessible to a remote computer connected to the communication network, and linking by the computer the fund access code record to a financial instrument containing funds; supplying a carryable funds-access device to a distributor by a supplier of the financial system, the carryable funds-access device being in an inactive state and corresponding to the fund access code record; prior to activating the carryable funds-access device from the inactive state to a distributed state, preventing access, by the computer, to the funds associated with the financial instrument; supplying the funds-access code to the recipient; activating the carryable funds-access device from the inactive state to the distributed state by the remote computer of the distributor of the financial system; prior to activating the carryable funds-access device from the distributed state to an activated state, preventing access, by the computer, to the funds associated with the financial instrument; receiving by the remote computer of the distributor of the financial system of the funds-access code from the recipient; validating, in the distributed state of the carryable funds-access device, by the distributor the presented funds-access code by comparing the presented funds-access code and the recipient's identification information with the information in the fund access code record in the database via the remote computer connected to the communication network; activating by the remote computer of the distributor the carryable funds-access device to the activated state after confirmation of the presented funds-access code including the steps of activating one of multiple inactive carryable funds-access devices located at the distributor's location, creating and storing a funds-access device record representing the activated funds-access device in the database via the remote computer connected to the communication network, and linking via the remote computer connected to the communication network the funds-access device record to the financial instrument that is currently linked to the fund access code record; after activating the carryable funds-access device to the activated state, permitting access, by the computer, to the funds associated with the financial instrument; presenting by the distributor the recipient with the activated funds-access device; dispensing by the computer of the financial system the funds associated with the financial instrument in response to the utilization of the funds-access device at a location remote from a location of the distributor.