Patent Issued for Systems And Methods For Distributed Currency Management (USPTO 10,332,358)

2019 JUL 08 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- From Alexandria, Virginia, NewsRx journalists report that a patent by the inventors Burks, Rickey D. (Boerne, TX); Oakes, III, Charles L. (Boerne, TX); Billman, Bradly J. (Celina, TX); Reedy, Matthew C. (San Antonio, TX); Castiglione, Anthony G. (San Antonio, TX); Gingrich, Jess W. (San Antonio, TX); Wilson, Samuel (San Antonio, TX); Hartman, Wayne Maurice (San Antonio, TX), filed on February 17, 2016, was published online on July 8, 2019.

The patent’s assignee for patent number 10,332,358 is United Services Automobile Association (San Antonio, Texas, United States).

News editors obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “Despite the ubiquity of personal electronics and available electronic data, using Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) remains an antiquated process. Accordingly, there is an unmet need to leverage current and future technical capabilities to improve the efficiency of tasks based on and related to currency distribution.”

As a supplement to the background information on this patent, NewsRx correspondents also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “Described herein are systems and methods for utilizing financial management modules to extend beyond conventional automated teller machine (ATM) functionality to a more cost effective efficient, and convenient financial services machine. Financial management modules and systems can be utilized to deposit checks, perform security checks, insulate communication paths to prevent direct user/module interaction, and analyze deposited checks and/or currency for counterfeit and/or worn/torn documents. A user’s digital information and personal computing device may be used in this system to more accurately meet the explicit and perceived banking desires of the user. Further, the module’s power system and other computerized and compartmentalized features allow for a reduced expense to manufacture, install and distribute the modules and systems. In addition to these advantages, the modules and systems can also enhance currency management by voiding checks and currency and eliminating manual intervention in currency distribution.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“The following is claimed:

“1. A method of utilizing a currency-management system that comprises a plurality of currency dispensers, the method performed using a processor executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method comprising: receiving, from a user device and by the processor, a request for an interaction with a currency dispenser; identifying, by the processor, one or more currency dispensers, of the plurality of currency dispensers, to perform the interaction; determining, by the processor, one or more conditions of the one or more currency dispensers; generating, in response to the determination of the one or more conditions and by the processor, one or more incentives to induce a user associated with a device to perform the interaction with the one or more currency dispensers based on the one or more conditions; sending, to the user device and by the processor, information that identifies the one or more currency dispensers and the one or more incentives; receiving, from the user device and by the processor, a selection of a currency dispenser among the one or more currency dispensers to perform the interaction; displaying, on the user device, a map that identifies the currency dispenser based on the selection; and displaying an image, on the user device, of the currency dispenser based on the selection.

“2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising: receiving, by the processor, an indication of an expected travel route for a user associated with the user device, wherein the step of identifying the one or more currency dispensers is based at least in part on the expected travel route of the user.

“3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sending comprises: wherein the one or more currency dispensers is color-coded in the map, and wherein the color-coding relates to a condition of the currency dispenser.

“4. The method of claim 3, wherein each of the one or more currency dispensers in the map is color-coded, and wherein the color-coding relates to the one or more conditions of the one or more currency dispensers.

“5. The method of claim 3, wherein the map is displayed on a routing service application specified by the user device.

“6. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more currency dispensers identified in the map is represented by a customized icon, the customized icon indicative of a value of the one or more currency dispensers to a user associated with the user device.

“7. The method of claim 6, wherein the value of the one or more currency dispensers to the user device relates to a proximity of the one or more currency dispensers to the user device.

“8. The method of claim 6, wherein the value of the one or more currency dispensers to the user relates to a magnitude of an incentive offered to the user for using the one or more currency dispensers.

“9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying a map on the user device comprises displaying a path to the currency dispenser.

“10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of displaying a map on the user device comprises displaying a three-dimensional map on the user device.

“11. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising: communicating, by the processor, directions to the user device to get to the currency dispenser.

“12. The method of claim 1, wherein the image of the currency dispenser comprises a viewing angle that is determined to be similar to an expected viewing angle that a user associated with the user device will approach the currency dispenser from, and wherein the image of the currency dispenser is modified to indicate an incentive.

“13. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising: receiving, by the processor, an indication of an expected travel route for a user associated with the user device, wherein the step of generating the incentive is based at least in part on the expected travel route of the user.

“14. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for an interaction is generated based on an event that is indicated in a calendar utilized by a user associated with the user device.

“15. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected currency dispenser includes a current amount of currency, the method further comprising: calculating, by the processor, an expected adjusted amount of currency, for the selected currency dispenser, that is based on at least the current amount and the interaction with the user device.

“16. The method of claim 15, the method further comprising: the selected currency dispenser sending an indication that the selected currency dispenser has the expected adjusted amount even while the selected currency dispenser still has the current amount.

“17. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising: receiving, by the processor, authentication from the user device.

“18. The method of claim 17, wherein the authentication comprises receiving information from the user device, the information relating to an image on the currency dispenser.

“19. The method of claim 18, wherein the image is static.

“20. The method of claim 18, wherein the image is a QR code.

“21. The method of claim 18, wherein the image is dynamic.

“22. The method of claim 21, wherein the image is a QR code.

“23. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for the interaction with the currency dispenser comprises a request to pick up a specified amount of currency at a specified time.

“24. The method of claim 1, wherein: the one or more currency dispensers comprises a first currency dispenser and a second currency dispenser; the one or more conditions of the one or more currency dispensers comprises the user device being in the process of executing a transaction with the first currency dispenser; and the interaction with the one or more currency dispensers comprises an interaction with the second dispenser.

“25. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more currency dispensers is identified based at least in part on a desirable time period for a user associated with the user device to perform the interaction, wherein the desirable time period is based at least in part on at least one of a historic wait time associated with the one or more currency dispensers, a measured wait time associated with the one or more currency dispensers, an estimated currency availability of the one or more currency dispensers, and a temporal proximity to a life event of the user.

“26. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more conditions of the one or more currency dispensers comprises the one or more currency dispensers being associated with an event, the event historically affecting availability of currency in the at least one currency dispenser.

“27. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon executed by a processor to: receive, from a user device, a request for an interaction with a currency dispenser; receive an indication of an expected travel route for a user associated with the user device; identify at least one currency dispenser, among a plurality of currency dispensers, to perform the interaction, wherein the step of identifying the at least one currency dispenser is based at least in part on the expected travel route of the user; send, to the user device, information that identifies the at least one currency dispenser; display, via the user device, a map that identifies the at least one currency dispenser, wherein the at least one currency dispenser is color-coded in the map, and wherein the color-coding relates to a condition of the currency dispenser; and receive, from the user device, a selection of a currency dispenser of the at least one currency dispenser.

“28. The medium of claim 27, wherein the selected currency dispenser includes a current amount of currency, the instructions further executed by the processor to: calculate an expected adjusted amount of currency, for the selected currency dispenser, that is based on at least the current amount and the interaction with the user device, wherein the condition of the selected currency dispenser is at least partially based on the expected adjusted amount of currency of the selected currency dispenser.

“29. A network-based method of utilizing a currency-management system that comprises a plurality of currency dispensers, the method performed using a processor executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method comprising: receiving, from a user device and by the processor, a request for an interaction with a currency dispenser, wherein the request for an interaction is generated based on an event that is indicated in a calendar utilized by the user device; receiving, by the processor, an indication of an expected travel route for a user associated with the user device; identifying, by the processor, at least one currency dispenser, of the plurality of currency dispensers, to perform the interaction, wherein the identification is based at least in part on the expected travel route of the user; sending, to the user device and by the processor, information that identifies the at least one currency dispenser; receiving, from the user device and by the processor, a selection of a currency dispenser from the at least one currency dispenser; and displaying, using the user device, a map that identifies the at least one currency dispenser, wherein the at least one currency dispenser is color-coded in the map, and wherein the color-coding relates to a condition of the currency dispenser.”

For additional information on this patent, see: Burks, Rickey D.; Oakes, III, Charles L.; Billman, Bradly J.; Reedy, Matthew C.; Castiglione, Anthony G.; Gingrich, Jess W.; Wilson, Samuel; Hartman, Wayne Maurice. Systems And Methods For Distributed Currency Management. U.S. Patent Number 10,332,358, filed February 17, 2016, and published online on July 8, 2019. Patent URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=10,332,358.PN.&OS=PN/10,332,358RS=PN/10,332,358

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