Method and apparatus for distributing currency

A method for distributing currency or purchasing goods and services, comprising the following steps:

• generating a plurality of card numbers, each card number including an account number and a bank identification number, corresponding to card numbers encoded on magnetic stripes on a plurality of cards;
• printing a visible serial number, different from, but related to, said card number, on each of said cards;
• creating a database on a central computer having at least a first field for said bank identification number, a second field for said account numbers, a third field for customer data, and a fourth field for a currency amount;
• loading said bank identification number and said account numbers into said database, leaving said third and fourth fields without customer data or currency amount;
• storing inventory control status information in said database to indicate the status of said cards;
• receiving, at a subsequent time, customer data, the serial number and a currency amount from a first remote terminal;
• receiving a sales agent ED with said serial number for said card;
• immediately translating said serial number into a card number;
• immediately entering said customer data and said currency amounts into said third and fourth fields, respectively, of said database corresponding to a bank identification number and an account number included in said card number;
• immediately entering a personal identification number (PIN) into a fifth field of said database corresponding to said customer;
• comparing said sales agent ID with said inventory control status information;
• returning an error message if said comparing step does not produce a match;
• subsequently receiving, from a second remote terminal, a customer inputted PIN, a card number from a card for said customer and a debit currency amount;
• subtracting said currency debit amount from the currency amount in said database corresponding to the received customer card number and PIN and updating said currency amount in said database;
• transmitting to said second remote terminal an authorization message for transferring said currency debit amount if said currency debit amount is less than said currency amount in the database;
• and
• transmitting to said second remote terminal a message denying the transferring of currency if said currency debit amount is greater than the currency amount in the database.

A system for distributing currency or purchasing goods and services, comprising:

• means for generating a plurality of card numbers, each card number including an account number and a bank identification number, corresponding to card numbers encoded on a plurality of cards;
• a database on a central computer having at least a first field for said bank identification number, a second field for said account numbers, a third field for customer data, and a fourth field for a currency amount, said bank identification number and said account numbers being loaded into said database, leaving said third and fourth fields without customer data or currency amount, and a fifth field for a personal identification number (PIN);
• a first remote terminal for transmitting customer data, and ID number corresponding to a card number and a currency amount;
• means for entering said customer data and said currency amounts into said third and fourth fields, respectively, of said database corresponding to a bank identification number and an account number included in said card number and entering the PIN into said fifth field of said database corresponding to said customer;
• a second remote terminal for transmitting a customer inputted PIN, a card number from a card for said customer and a debit currency amount;
• means for subtracting said currency debit amount from the currency amount in said database corresponding to the received customer card number and PIN and updating said currency amount in said database;
• means for transmitting to said second remote terminal an authorization message for transferring said currency debit amount if said currency debit amount is not greater than said currency amount in the database;
• means for transmitting to said second remote terminal a message denying the transferring of currency if said currency debit amount is greater than the currency amount in the database.

A method for distributing currency or purchasing goods and services, comprising the following steps:

• generating a plurality of card numbers, each card number including an account number and a bank identification number, corresponding to card numbers encoded on a plurality of cards;
• creating a database on a central computer having at least a first field for said bank identification number, a second field for said account number, a third field for customer data, a fourth field for a currency amount, and a fifth field for a person identification number (PIN);
• loading said bank identification number and said account number into said database, leaving said third and fourth fields without customer data or currency amount;
• receiving at a subsequent time of card purchase, customer data, an ID number corresponding to a card number and a currency amount selected by a customer from a first remote terminal;
• immediately entering said customer data and said currency amount into said third and fourth fields, respectively, of said database corresponding to a bank identification number and an account number included in said card number;
• immediately entering a personal identification number (PIN) into a fifth field of said database corresponding to said customer;
• subsequently receiving, from a second remote terminal, a customer inputted PIN, a card number from a card for said customer and a debit currency amount;
• subtracting said currency debit amount from the currency amount in said database corresponding to the received customer card number and PIN and updating said currency amount in said database;
• transmitting to said second remote terminal an authorization message for dispensing said currency debit amount to the customer if said currency debit amount is less than said currency amount in the database:
• transmitting to said second remote terminal a message denying the dispensing of currency if said currency debit amount is greater than the currency amount in the database;
• and
• disposing of said card when the currency amount in the database is depleted and deactivating the account corresponding to said card number.

A method for distributing currency or purchasing goods and services, comprising the following steps:

• generating a plurality of card numbers, each card number including an account number and a bank identification number, corresponding to card numbers encoded on a plurality of cards;
• creating a database on a central computer having at least a first field for said bank identification number, a second field for said account number, a third field for customer data, a fourth field for a currency amount, and a fifth field for a personal identification number (PIN);
• loading said bank identification number and said account numbers into said database;
• loading customer data and a fixed currency amount into said third and fourth fields, respectively, of said database corresponding to a bank identification number and an account number included in said card number;,
• entering a personal identification number (PIN) into a fifth field of said database corresponding to said customer;
• subsequently receiving, from a second remote terminal, a customer inputted PIN, a card number from a card for said customer;
• subtracting a currency debit amount from the currency amount in said database corresponding to the received customer card number and PIN and updating said currency amount in said database;
• transmitting to said second remote terminal an authorization message for transferring said currency debit amount if said currency debit amount is in the database;
• transmitting to said second remote terminal a message denying the transferring of currency if said currency debit amount is not in the database.

A method for creating a customer account for distributing currency or purchasing goods and services, comprising:

• generating a plurality of card numbers, each card number including an account number corresponding to card numbers encoded on a plurality of cards;
• loading said account number into a database having a plurality of fields, including fields for said account number and for currency amount, leaving said fields for currency amount without currency amount;
• receiving, at a subsequent time of card purchase, an ID number corresponding to a card number and a currency amount selected by a customer, from a first remote terminal;
• and
• entering said currency amount into said field of said database for said currency amount corresponding to an account number included in said card number.

A system for distributing currency or purchasing goods and services, comprising:

• means for generating a plurality of card numbers, each card number including an account number, corresponding to card numbers encoded on a plurality of cards;
• a database on a central computer having a plurality of fields, including fields for said account number and for currency amount, said account number being loaded into said database, leaving said field for currency amount without currency amount;
• a first remote terminal for transmitting an ID number corresponding to a card number and a currency amount;
• means for entering said currency amount into said fields of said database for said currency amount corresponding to an account number included in said card number.

A computer readable medium including computer program code for creating an account for distributing currency or purchasing goods and services using cards, each card having a card number printed on or encoded in the card, said computer readable medium comprising:

• computer program code for loading an account number for a card into a database having a plurality of fields, including fields for said account number and for currency amount, leaving said fields for customer data and currency amount without customer data or currency amount, said account number being associated with said cardnumber;
• computer program code for receiving, at a subsequent time of purchase of the card, said card number and a currency amount, from a first remote terminal;
• and
• computer program code for determining an account number from said card number and for entering said currency amount into said field of said database for said currency amount corresponding to said account number.

A method for activating a financial card for distributing currency or purchasing goods and services, comprising:

• providing card activating locations with a plurality of financial cards, each of the financial cards being unactivated and having a magnetic stripe containing at least a unique card identifier;
• receiving a request to activate a particular one of the financial cards, the request indicating an initial currency amount to be associated with the particular one of the financial cards;
• and
• associating the initial currency amount with the particular one of the financial cards in a central database, thereby activating the particular one of the financial cards.