Method of and system for electronic funds transfer via facsimile machines

Claim 2

An electronic funds transfer system for carrying out financial transactions between parties to a transaction, comprising: at least one remote facsimile machine at the site or sites of the parties to the transaction; a central facsimile machine located at a central facility for receiving incoming images sent from said at least one remote facsimile machine at the site or sites of said parties; a central computer means associated with said central facility and means for formatting said incoming images into a form recognizable by said central computer means; a transaction voucher having a region for containing at least the amount of a transaction, an account number, and a pseudo random alphanumeric set of characters; images of transaction vouchers sent by the at least one remote facsimile machine to said central facsimile machine being formatted and processed by said central computer means; and means incorporated in the central computer means for clearing the transaction based upon the image of said pseudo random alphanumeric characters received from said at least one remote facsimile machine.

Claim 3

A funds transfer system according to claim 1 wherein said means incorporated in the central computer means includes a list of the pseudo random alphanumeric characters carried by a set of transaction vouchers issued to a funds transfer account holder; and means for comparing a predetermined set of said alphanumeric characters in said list with the alphanumeric characters in the image of said transaction voucher.

Claim 4

A funds transfer system according to claim 2 wherein said central computer means has stored therein a second list of pseudo random alphanumeric characters assigned to a second funds transfer account holder; said central computer means, upon the clearing of a transaction based upon the first named pseudo random alphanumeric characters, controlling said central facsimile machine to transmit to a remote facsimile machine at the site or sites of the parties to the transaction a confirmation voucher including a predetermined set of alphanumeric characters from said second list of pseudo random alphanumeric characters.

Claim 5

A funds transfer system according to claim 3 including means to delete or void the alphanumeric character is said list after matching with said image to clear a transaction.

Claim 6

A funds transfer system according to claim 1 wherein said transaction voucher includes a region receiving the signature of the maker of said transaction voucher; and having a region including at least one personal identification number (PIN); said region of said voucher receiving said PIN being detachably attached to the remainder of said voucher to permit removal of said PIN region from the remainder of said voucher after the image of said transaction voucher is sent to said central facsimile machine to prevent reuse of said voucher; said transaction voucher being issued to an electronic funds transfer system account holder having an account file stored in said central computer means, said account file for said member including an account number and signature data and said PIN in addition to said list of pseudo random alphanumeric characters; a transaction being cleared for said member by matching said pseudo random characters on the voucher image as well as by matching said account number and signature data and PIN with the voucher image.

Claim 7

An electronic funds transfer system for carrying out financial transactions between parties to a transaction, comprising: at least one remote facsimile machine at the site or sites of the parties to the transaction; a central facsimile machine located at a central facility for receiving incoming images sent from said at least one remote facsimile machine at the site or sites of said parties; a central computer means associated with said central facility and means for formatting said incoming images into a form recognizable by said central computer means; a set of transaction vouchers having corresponding regions thereon carrying different pseudo random alphanumeric characters; images of transaction vouchers sent by the at least one remote facsimile machine to said central facsimile machine being formatted and processed by said central computer means; and means incorporated in the central computer means for clearing the transaction based upon said incoming voucher images received from said at least one remote facsimile machine; said means for clearing including a list of said pseudo random alphanumeric characters; said transactions being cleared by matching the pseudo random alphanumeric characters on the voucher image being received with the next pseudo random alphanumeric character sequence in said list.

Claim 8

An electronic funds transfer system for carrying out financial transactions between parties to a transaction, comprising: at least one remote facsimile machine at the site or sites of the parties to the transaction; a central facsimile machine located at a central facility for receiving incoming images sent from said at least one remote facsimile machine at the site or sites of said parties; a central computer means associated with said central facility and means for formatting said incoming images into a form recognizable by said central computer means; a set of transaction vouchers having corresponding regions thereon carrying different pseudo random alphanumeric characters; images of transaction vouchers sent by the at least one remote facsimile machine to said central facsimile machine being formatted and processed by said central computer means; and means incorporated in the central computer means for clearing the transaction based upon said incoming voucher images received from said at least one remote facsimile machine; said means for clearing including a list of said pseudo random alphanumeric characters; said transactions being cleared by matching the pseudo random alphanumeric characters on the voucher image being received with the next pseudo random alphanumeric character sequence in said list.

Claim 9

A funds transfer system according to claim 6 wherein said set of vouchers is issued to an electronic funds transfer system account holder having an account file stored in said central computer means, said account file including an account number and signature data for said member in addition to said list of pseudo random alphanumeric characters; a transaction being cleared for said member by matching said pseudo random characters on the voucher image as well as by matching said account number and signature data with the voucher image.

Claim 10

A funds transfer system according to claim 6 wherein said set of vouchers includes removable personal identification numbers (PIN); said transaction clearance including matching said PIN to a PIN stored in said account file; said PIN being removed from a used voucher to prevent reuse thereof.

Claim 11

In an electronic funds transfer system for carrying out financial transactions between parties to a transaction, comprising: at least one remote facsimile machine at the site or sites of the parties to the transaction; a central facsimile machine located at a central facility for receiving incoming images sent from said at least one remote facsimile machine at the site or sites of the said parties and for transmitting document images to at least one remote facsimile machine; a central computer means associated with said central facility and means for formatting said incoming images into a form recognizable by said central computer means and for formatting said outgoing transmissions into a form graphically reproducible by said at least one remote facsimile machine; means associated with said central computer means associated with said central facility storing a pseudo random sequence of alphanumeric characters associated with at least one transacting party; a transaction voucher having a first region for containing at least the amount of a transaction, an account number and the written signature of a party to the transaction; images of transaction vouchers sent by the at least one remote facsimile machine to said central facsimile machine being formatted and processed by said central computer; and means incorporated in the central computer means and responsive to the processing of a transaction voucher for transmitting to at least one remote facsimile machine for reproduction thereat a credit memo or voucher including a predetermined one of said pseudo random series of alphanumeric characters.

Claim 12

In an electronic funds transfer system for carrying out financial transactions between parties to a transaction, comprising: at least one remote facsimile machine at the site or sites of the parties to the transaction; a central facsimile machine located at a central facility for receiving incoming images sent from said at least one remote facsimile machine at the site or sites of the said parties and for transmitting document images to at least one remote facsimile machine; a central computer means associated with said central facility and means for formatting said incoming images into a form recognizable by said central computer means and for formatting said outgoing transmissions into a form graphically reproducible by said at least one remote facsimile machine; means associated with said central computer means associated with said central facility storing a pseudo random sequence of alphanumeric characters associated with at least one transacting party; a transaction voucher having a first region for containing at least the amount of a transaction, an account number and the written signature of a party to the transaction; images of transaction vouchers sent by the at least one remote facsimile machine to said central facsimile machine being formatted and processed by said central computer; and means incorporated in the central computer means and responsive to the processing of a transaction voucher for transmitting to at least one remote facsimile machine for reproduction thereat a credit memo or voucher including a predetermined one of said pseudo random series of alphanumeric characters.

Claim 13

A funds transfer system according to claim 9 wherein said transaction voucher includes a region containing a pseudo random set of alphanumeric characters; said means associated with said central computer means associated with said central facility storing a second pseudo random sequence of alphanumeric characters associated with the transacting party to whom said transaction voucher was issued; said processing of a transaction voucher including the comparison of said pseudo random alphanumeric characters on said voucher with a predetermined set of pseudo random alphanumeric characters in said second list to clear said transaction.

Claim 16

The method of claim 11 wherein the account data stored at the central computer includes a list of pseudo random alphanumeric characters assigned to an account, and including the step of deleting or voiding a set of alphanumeric characters in said list when said set has been used to clear a transaction.

Claim 17

The method of claim 11 wherein the parties to the transaction include a payor and a payee and wherein the written signature is the signature of the payor, including sending by facsimile from the central facility to the payee a credit memo or voucher of a completed transaction.

Claim 18

The method of claim 13 wherein the account data stored at the central computer includes a second set of pseudo random alphanumeric characters associated with payee account data; and wherein said credit memo or voucher sent to said payee party includes a predetermined set of alphanumeric characters from said second list.

Claim 21

The method of claim 15 including sending by facsimile from the central facility to the other party to the transaction at a second remote facsimile machine at the site of said party a credit memo or voucher containing information indicating the amount of the transaction.

Claim 22

The method of claim 16 wherein the account data stored at the central computer includes a second list of pseudo random alphanumeric characters assigned to the second party to the transaction; and wherein the credit memo or voucher includes a predetermined pseudo random alphanumeric set of characters from said second list.

Claim 23

The method of claim 17, including the step of deleting or voiding the set of alphanumeric characters transmitted to said second party to the transaction following transmittal thereof.