Universal electronic transaction card including receipt storage and system and methods of conducting electronic transactions

An electronic transaction system comprising

• a. a plurality of universal electronic transaction cards for inputting, storing, processing, and transmitting personal information, account information, and transactional information for a plurality of service institutions, each universal electronic transaction card comprising inputting means for inputting information, including personal information for the user, account in formation for a plurality of service institutions in which the user has an account, and transactional information for each service institution for which account information exists, into memory means;
• memory means for storing information, including personal information for the user, account information for a plurality of service institutions in which the user has an account, and transactional information for each service institution for which account information exists;
• communications means for electronically communicating information to and from the memory means, including personal information, account information, and transactional information, with service institutions;
• and display means for displaying information for a plurality of service institution accounts, including personal information, account information, and transactional information and for displaying a replica of a card corresponding to a selected financial institution;
• and processing means for processing information, including personal information, account information, and transactional information;
• b. a point of transactions system including means for inputting and storing transactional information;
• means for electronically communicating with the universal electronic transaction card to receive account information;
• means for electronically communicating the account information and transactional information to an institutional system;
• and means for electronically communicating transactional information to the personal electronic transaction card;
• c. an institutional system, including means for creating account numbers;
• means for assigning and authorizing account numbers;
• means for electronically communicating an authorized account number to a universal electronic transaction card;
• means for receiving and storing personal information for each authorized account number;
• means for communicating with a personal electronic transaction card to authorize account transactions, and means for receiving and storing information relating to account transactions;
• and,
• d. a communications system for providing communications between the universal electronic transaction card and point of transactions system and between the point of transactions system and the institutional system, including card interfacing means for interfacing between the transactional provider system and the universal electronic transaction card to exchange electronic information;
• and communications means for communicating with the institutional system.

A method of conducting an electronic credit transaction using a service institution account comprising the steps of:

• a. selecting from a universal electronic transaction card a service institution account from a group of service institution accounts;
• b. establishing an electronic communication between the universal electronic transaction card, a point of transaction system and a service institution system;
• c. transmitting from the universal electronic transactions card to the point of transaction system the account information for the selected service institution account;
• d. transmitting from the point transaction system to the service institution system transactional information for the credit transaction and the service institution account;
• e. in the service institution system, screening the service account and transactional information to determine whether the account is valid and whether the credit transaction is within predetermined credit limits for that account;
• f. for valid accounts and credit transactions within predetermined limits, transmitting an authorization for the credit transaction to the point of transaction system, storing the transactional information for the credit transaction in the service institution system with respect to the service institution account, and transmitting the transactional information for the credit transaction to the universal electronic transaction card and storing the transactional information for the credit transaction in the universal electronic transaction card with respect to the service institution account.

A method of transferring account information and accumulated transactional information for a plurality of credit transactions for a service institution account from a universal electronic transaction card to a personal computer comprising:

• a. establishing an electronic communication between a personal computer and a universal electronic transaction card;
• b. selecting at least one service institution account;
• c. selecting from the at least one service institution account credit transactions for such account which were transacted in a predetermined period of time;
• d. transmitting from the universal electronic transaction card the selected credit transactions to storage means in a personal computer.

A method of using a universal electronic transaction card as a remote terminal for a service institution system comprising:

• a. selecting a previously authorized service institution account from the universal electronic transaction card;
• b. establishing an electronic communication between a personal computer and the service institution system for such service institution account;
• c. transmitting to the service institution system from the universal electronic transaction card identifying information for the user and for the service institution account;
• d. comparing the identifying information with authorization information in the service institution account to determine if the identifying information is valid;
• e. for valid identifying information, communicating selected account and transaction information between the universal electronic transaction card and the service information system, responsive to commands communicated from the universal electronic transaction card to the service information system.