Trusted third party data structure for electronic funds transfer and bill presentment

Abstract

Abstract A funds transfer system for facilitating electronic funds transfer between a payor and a payee by means of an intermediate trusted third party comprises: a payor station including a device for electronic communication of a payment order, the payment order comprising the payee's name, address and an amount owed by the payor to the payee; a home banking system including a computer structured to communicate electronically at least with the payor station, to receive the payment order, and with the trusted third party; a trusted third party system associated with the trusted third party, the trusted third party system comprising a computer structured to communicate electronically with both the home banking system and a bank of the payee. The home banking system computer is operable, upon receipt of the payment order from the payor station, to generate a universal identifier number uniquely identifying the payee and to transmit electronically the universal identifier number to the trusted third party via a communication with the trusted third party system. The trusted third party system computer also being operable, in response to receipt of the universal identifier number from the home banking system, to identify the payee as a party to receive payment, to generate a routing/transit number of the bank of the payee and the payee's account number from the universal identifier number, and to communicate electronically with the bank of the payee to facilitate transfer of the amount owed to the payee's account to the bank of the payee.

Inventors

• 👤 George F. Thomas
• 👤 Albert G. Wood
• 👤 Joseph S. Pawelczyk
• 👤 Robert M. Cotton

Bibliographic Details