Title of Invention	A METHOD AND A SYSTEM TO PROVIDE CURRENCY CONVERSION DATA TO AN AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINE
Abstract	The invention relates to a method comprising receiving, at an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) a financial account number associated with a financial account maintained by a customer at a financial institution; transmitting the financial account number to an ATM network; determining a foreign currency type associated with the financial account; at the ATM, presenting to the customer a choice to conduct a financial transaction in the foreign currency type; receiving a currency selection from the customer; and obtaining, by the ATM, via the ATM network, from a currency exchange service, an exchange rate involving the foreign currency type; authorizing, by the ATM, via the ATM network, with the financial institution, the financial transaction; and conducting at least a portion of the financial transaction at the ATM in the foreign currency type using the exchange rate.

Title of Invention

A METHOD AND A SYSTEM TO PROVIDE CURRENCY CONVERSION DATA TO AN AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINE

Abstract

The invention relates to a method comprising receiving, at an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) a financial account number associated with a financial account maintained by a customer at a financial institution; transmitting the financial account number to an ATM network; determining a foreign currency type associated with the financial account; at the ATM, presenting to the customer a choice to conduct a financial transaction in the foreign currency type; receiving a currency selection from the customer; and obtaining, by the ATM, via the ATM network, from a currency exchange service, an exchange rate involving the foreign currency type; authorizing, by the ATM, via the ATM network, with the financial institution, the financial transaction; and conducting at least a portion of the financial transaction at the ATM in the foreign currency type using the exchange rate.

Full Text	ATM MACHINE AND METHODS WITH CURRENCY CONVERSION CAPABILITIES CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 60/580,985, filed June 17, 2004, and 60/588,169, filed July 14,2004, and claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 11/ , , filed June 15, 2005, the complete disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference. BACKGROUND [0002] Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) are used by customers to conveniently perform transactions related to financial accounts. One of the most common transaction involves the withdrawal of money from a checking or savings account. The customer enters the desired withdrawal amount and if the transaction is approved, receives the requested amount. The withdrawal amount is deducted from the customer's account. ATM's may also be used for credit card transactions and credit card cash advances, money transfers, payments (e.g., payment of a bill, such as a cellular phone bill or other bill), balance inquiries, item purchase items (e.g., stamps), electronic purse transactions, and other types of transactions involving the making and receiving of payments. [0003] ATM transactions are conducted using the native currency of the ATM. Thus, an ATM located in the United States conducts transactions in U.S. dollars, while an ATM located in France conducts transactions in Euros. If the customer is using an ATM located in the same country as the customer, the transaction amounts (e.g., the withdrawal amount) are presumably well understood by the customer. However, in instances in which a customer is using an ATM in a foreign country, the customer often does not know how the ATM's native currency corresponds to the customer's native currency amount. Additionally, the exchange rate that will be used to perform the settlement on the transaction is not known to the customer. Even if the customer can make an educated guess about the exchange rate, the conversion must be performed manually by the customer. Thus, a customer usually does not know the exact amount of the transaction in the customer's native currency (e.g., the withdrawal amount deducted from his or her account) until a statement is received from the financial institution. BRIEF SUMMARY [0004] Methods, systems, and Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) are disclosed which provide ATM currency conversion capabilities. In one embodiment, a financial account number associated with a financial account maintained by a customer at a financial institution is received at an ATM. A foreign currency type associated with the financial account is determined and a choice is presented to the customer at the ATM to conduct a financial transaction in the foreign currency type. A currency selection is received from the customer. At least a portion of the financial transaction at the ATM is conducted in the selected currency. [0005] In some instances, the foreign currency type associated with the financial account may be determined by obtaining an identifier portion of the financial account number (e.g., the bank identification number (BIN) portion). The country associated with the financial account may be determined using the identifier portion. By way of example, the identifier portion may be compared to a lookup table associating financial institution identification numbers to a country. Other methods of determining foreign currency type may also be used. [0006] The currency selection received may be a selection indicating the foreign currency type. In one embodiment, the transaction may be a withdrawal, and conducting at least a portion of the financial transaction may comprise receiving a withdrawal amount in the foreign currency type. The method may then further comprise obtaining an exchange rate to convert the foreign currency type to a native currency type associated with the ATM and converting the withdrawal amount to the native currency type. [0007] Alternately, conducting at least a portion of the financial transaction may comprise receiving a withdrawal amount in a native currency type associated with the ATM. The exchange rate to convert the native currency type to the foreign currency type is obtained and the withdrawal amount is converted to the foreign currency type. The converted withdrawal amount is displayed to the customer. [0008] In a second embodiment, a method is disclosed which comprises receiving, at an ATM network, a request from an ATM to obtain a currency exchange rate from a first currency to a second currency. The currency exchange rate is obtained and provided to the ATM. The method may also further comprise receiving an identifier from the ATM identifying a financial institution associated with a financial account, using the identifier to determine a currency type associated with the financial account, and providing the currency type to the ATM. [0009] In a third embodiment, a system to provide currency conversion information to an ATM is disclosed. The system may comprise an interface, communicatively coupled to an ATM, data, and logic, communicatively coupled to the interface and the data. The interface is configured to receive an identifier portion of a financial account from an ATM. The data associates financial institution identification numbers to at least one of a country and a currency. The logic determines a currency type associated with the financial account using the data and the interface transmits the currency exchange rate to the ATM. [0010] fn a fourth embodiment, an ATM is disclosed. The ATM comprises a user interface to receive a financial transaction selection from a customer. The user interface also receives a selection from the customer to conduct a transaction in a foreign currency type different than a native currency type associated with the ATM. Logic processes at least a part of the financial transaction in the foreign currency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0011] Illustrative embodiments in accordance with the invention are illustrated in the drawings in which: [0012] FIG. 1 illustrates a system that may be used to provide currency conversion capabilities in an ATM; [0013] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary communication coupling to a currency recognition and exchange service that may be used to provide currency conversion capability in an ATM; [0014] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the Currency Recognition and Exchange Service in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2; [0015] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary ATM that may be used to conduct financial transactions in a currency not native to the ATM; [0016] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method for conducting a transaction at an ATM; and [0017] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary withdrawal transaction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0018] In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without some of these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form. [0019] FIG. 1 illustrates a system that may be used to provide currency conversion capabilities in an ATM. The system includes ATMs 102,104. ATM 102 has a direct communication coupling to ATM network 108, while ATM 104 is communicatively coupled to ATM network 108 via a server at a financial institution 106 associated with the ATM 104. The ATM network 108 may be used to obtain information and authorization for an ATM 102, 104 to perform transactions requested by a customer of the ATM 102, 104. Thus, ATM network 108 is able to communicate with a financial institution 110 associated with the ATM customer's financial account. By way of example, ATM network 108 may be a network, such as the NYCE® network, the Pulse® network, the STAR® network, and the like. ATM network 108 may be used to verify a customer's authentication information (e.g., financial account and personal identification number (PIN)) and to provide authorization to an ATM 102, 104 to perform a transaction, such as a withdrawal of funds from a financial account or a transfer of funds from a first financial account to a second financial account. ATM network 108 may also be used to obtain information on the customer's financial account, such as the account balance. The information and authorization may be provided directly to some ATMs 102 and may be provided to other ATMs 104 via a financial msfitution server 106. In some instances, the customer's financial account may be maintained at the financial institution 106 associated with the ATM 104. In these instances, financial institution 106 may provide the authorization and other information needed by the ATM 104 without using ATM network 108. It should be appreciated that the system may include many more ATMs 102,104 and financial institutions 106,110 than illustrated in FIG. 1. [0020] ATM network 108 is communicatively coupled to Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112. Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 may be a service that is used to provide information on a currency associated with an ATM customer's financial account. Additionally, Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 may be used to provide exchange rates to an ATM 102,104 via ATM network 108. In some embodiments, Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 may be used to provide currency exchange information for more than one ATM network 108. Alternately, Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 may be a component of ATM network 108. In some embodiments, Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 may provide the currency and exchange information dynamically. For instance, the information may be provided when it is requested by financial institution 106 or ATM network 108 on behalf of ATM 102, 104. Alternately, Currency Recognition and Exchange Sex-vice 112 may periodically provide currency recognition and exchange information to a server residing on ATM network 108, ATM 102/104, and/or financial institutions 106, 110. By way of example, the information may be transferred as one or more files using file transfer protocol (ftp). The file transfer may be initiated by either the Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 or at the initiative of the component on the system receiving the files (e.g., financial institution 106, server on ATM network, etc.). [0021] FIG. 2 illustrates a second exemplary communication coupling between financial institution 106 and Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112. hi this embodiment, financial institution 106 is communicatively coupled to Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 via a communications network 202, such as a wide area network (WAN). Thus, financial institution 106 may obtain currency recognition and exchange rate information from Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 without using ATM network 108. As previously described, financial institution 106 may obtain the information dynamically, as requested by ATM 104, or may locally store information which is periodically transmitted to the financial institution 106 from Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 (e.g., via ftp file(s)). [0022] It should be appreciated that various other configurations than those illustrated in FIGs. 1 and 2 may be used to provide currency recognition information and exchange information to ATMs 102,104. For instance, either or both ATMs 102, 104 may be in direct communications with Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112. Alternately, Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 may be a component of ATM 102,104 or may be software executing on a financial institution server 106, 110. In these embodiments, Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 may periodically obtain exchange rate information and currency recognition information from one or more sources of this information. [0023] FIG. 3 illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112. Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 includes a communications interface 302. Communications interface may be communicatively coupled to a server residing on ATM network 108, one or more financial institutions 106, 110 and/or one or more ATMs 102, 104. In some embodiments, Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 may be used to provide currency recognition and/or exchange information to an ATM 102, 104 at the request of another component, such as ATM network 108 or financial institution 106. Alternately, the information may be provided directly to an ATM 102,104. As will be described in further detail below, interface 302 may be used to receive financial institution identifier portions of financial account identifiers and to communicate a determined currency associated with the financial account. Interface 302 may also further be used to communicate exchange rates to convert from a first currency to a second currency. [0024] Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 further includes logic 304, identifier lookup table 306, and exchange rate information 308. Logic 304 is communicatively coupled to interface 302, identifier lookup table 306, and exchange rate information 308. By way of example, logic 304 may be machine-executable instructions, such as a software program. Logic 304 may be used to determine a currency type associated with a financial account using data, such as identifier lookup table 306. Additionally, logic 304 may be used to determine exchange rates by using the exchange rate information 308. [0025] Identifier lookup table 306 and exchange rate information 308 may be stored in one or more databases. The database(s) may be any type of structure that may be used to store information, such as relational databases, internal software lists, text files, spreadsheet files, and the like. Identifier lookup table 306 may contain information associating financial institution identification numbers (e.g., BINs) with a country and/or currency. Other unique identification numbers, such as the ATM card number or customer's financial account may also or alternately be associated with a country and/or currency. Exchange rate information 308 may store information on exchange rates that may be used to convert from a first currency to a second currency. In embodiments in which the lookup table maps financial institution identification numbers to a country, additional information may be stored which maps countries to currencies. In some embodiments, the identifier lookup table 306 may map a range of financial institution identification numbers to a country and/or currency. In these embodiments, the information in the database(s) may further include an exception table (not shown) to map financial institution identification numbers to a currency and/or country different than the one indicated in the associated range of the lookup table. [0026] In the configuration described above, different components were described as being communicatively coupled to other components. A communicative coupling is a coupling that allows communication between the components. This coupling may be by means of a bus, cable, network, wireless mechanism, program code call (e.g., modular or procedural call) or other mechanism that allows communication between the components. Thus, it should be appreciated that logic 304, identifier lookup table 306, and exchange rate information 308 may reside on the same or different physical devices. It should also be appreciated that in alternate embodiments, Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 may contain additional or fewer components than illustrated in FIG. 3. [0027] As previously described, in alternate embodiments, currency recognition information, such as identifier lookup table 306, and exchange rate information 308 may be periodically provided to a server residing on ATM network 108, financial institution 106, and/or ATMs 102, 104. For instance, files may be periodically transferred or otherwise made available to one or more of these components 108,106,102,104. It should be appreciated that in these embodiments, appropriate logic (e.g., program code) may also reside on the component 108, 106, 104, and/or 102 having the currency recognition and exchange information. The component logic may function similar to logic 304 and may use the transferred data to perform currency recognition and provide exchange rate information at the request of an ATM 102, 104, or additional logic resident to the ATM 102, 104. [0028] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of an ATM 102 that may be used to provide currency conversion information to customers. ATM 102 includes a user interface 400. User interface 400 may comprise multiple components, such as card reader 402, display 404, keypad 406, and printer 408. Card reader 402 may be used to receive a customer's ATM card and obtain a financial account number from the ATM card. Display 404 may be used to prompt the customer for responses needed to perform a transaction and to display information to the customer. Keypad 406 may be used to receive input from the customer, such as a personal identification number (PIN) associated with the customer's financial account, transaction selections, dollar amounts for transactions (if applicable), and other information related to a customer's transaction with the ATM. Additionally, as will be described in further detail below, display 404 may be used to display a currency type selection for the transaction and keypad 406 may be used to receive the customer's currency type selection. User interface 400 may also include a printer 408 that may be used to print a receipt of the transaction, and in some embodiments, the customer's remaining account balance. [0029] ATM 102 may further include logic 410 and communications interface 412. Logic 410 may be used to process a financial transaction requested by a customer of the ATM 102. By way of example, the financial transaction may be a withdrawal request, a balance transfer request, a deposit request, a purchase request (e.g.,. to purchase stamps, telephone calling cards, etc. using funds available in the customer's financial account), or other type of request that may be performed at an ATM. Logic 410 may receive information from user interface 400 and use coinmunications interface 412 to communicate with ATM network 108. [0030] Communications interface 412 is communicatively coupled to a server on ATM network 108. Logic 410 may use communications interface 412 to request authentication of a customer's financial account number received from user interface 400. Li some embodiments, the authentication request transmitted to the ATM network 108 may also include a PIN which was received from the customer. Additionally, logic 410 may use communications interface 412 to request authorization of a transaction initiated by the customer. Other information used to perform a financial transaction may also be requested and received using communications interface 412. [0031] As will be described in further detail below, logic 410 may also be used to process at least a part of a financial transaction requested by the customer in a foreign currency which is associated with the customer's financial account and different from a native currency associated with the ATM 102. For instance, logic 410 may prompt the customer to select either the native currency associated with the ATM 102 or a foreign currency type which was determined to be associated with the customer's financial account (the customer's native currency). If the user selects the foreign currency type, logic 410 may use communications interface 412 to obtain exchange rate information. Exchange rate information may be provided by Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 via ATM network 108, ATM network 108, or from information accessible to ATM 102. In an alternate embodiment, the information may be stored locally at ATM 102. Logic 410 may use the exchange rate information to convert from the native currency to the foreign currency and display details of the transaction (e.g., withdrawal amount or other financial amounts) in the currency which is foreign to the ATM, but native to the customer. Alternately, logic 410 may not be provided with exchange rate information and may instead use communications interface 412 to obtain converted transaction amounts. [0032] The above description described an ATM 102 that communicates with an ATM network 108 to obtain authentication, authorization, and other transaction information. It should be appreciated that in alternate embodiments, communications interface 412 may communicate with a financial institution 106 to obtain information used to process a transaction, including currency recognition information and exchange rate information. It should also be appreciated that in alternate embodiments, ATM 102 may comprise fewer or additional components than described above. For instance, user interface 400 may not include a keypad 406, but instead may include a touch pad to receive information from a customer. [0033] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method that may be used to conduct a transaction at an ATM . The method may begin when a customer inserts 500 an ATM card (e.g., debit card, credit card) into a card reader. The card reader obtains a financial account identifier associated with a financial account maintained by the customer at a financial institution from the ATM card. The customer may also provide 502 a PTN associated with the financial account. [0034] The ATM may then transmit 504 one or more packet(s) to an ATM network 108 or a financial institution 106 associated with the ATM to authenticate the financial account identifier and PIN. Additionally, the ATM may also request financial account currency information for a currency type associated with the customer's financial account. The ATM may include this request in the authentication packet or may submit a second packet requesting the currency type information. Alternately, the currency type information may be provided to the ATM by either ATM network 108 or associated financial institution 106 without an explicit request from the ATM. [0035] The customer's account identifier and PIN are then authenticated. If the ATM request was sent to a financial institution 106 associated with the ATM, the authentication may be performed by the financial institution 106 if the customer's financial account is maintained at the same or affiliated financial institution. Otherwise, ATM network 108 may be used to perform the authentication by communicating with the customer's financial institution 110 to authenticate the customer's financial account and associated PIN. [0036] Additionally, ATM network 108 or financial institution 106 may determine a currency type associated with the financial account. The determination may be made by transmitting a request to a Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 or by accessing currency type information stored locally or otherwise made available to ATM network 108/fmancial mstitution 106. By way of example, an identifier lookup table 306 may be used to match a financial institution identifier portion (e.g., BIN) of the financial account to a currency type or country. In some embodiments, an exception table may also be consulted to determine whether an exception exists to the mapping rules in the lookup table for the customer's financial account. For instance, the financial institution identifier portion may fall in a range of identifiers normally assigned to U.S. financial institutions, but the particular identifier may be an exception and be assigned to a Canadian financial institution. [0037] The ATM network 108 or associated financial institution 106 then provides 506 the authentication and currency type information to the ATM. This information may be provided in one or more transmittal packets. In some instances, the customer account information may not be authenticated, either because of an invalid PTN, account inacfivation, or other problem. In these instances, the ATM network 108 or financial institution 106 may only transmit a rejection of the authentication information without associated currency type and the method may end with a notification provided to the customer that the account information could not be authenticated. In some embodiments, a determination of currency type may not be made until after the account information provided by the customer has been authenticated. [0038] If 508 the currency type associated with the customer's financial account is the same as the ATM's native currency, the ATM may proceed 512 with the customer transaction using the native ATM currency type. Otherwise, if the customer account is associated with a foreign currency type different from the ATM's native currency type, the customer may be presented 510 with a currency selection choice. For instance, if the customer's financial account is maintained in the United States, but the customer is using an ATM in Great Britain, the ATM may present 510 the customer a choice to conduct the transaction in Great Britain Pounds (the ATM's native currency) or U.S. Dollars. [0039] If 514 the customer does not select the foreign currency, the ATM proceeds 512 with the customer transaction using the native ATM currency. Otherwise, if the foreign currency is selected, at least a part of the customer's transaction at the ATM is conducted in the foreign currency. This process will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6, which illustrates a withdrawal transaction. However, as will be appreciated, other types of transactions may also be conducted using the foreign currency. [0040] In alternate embodiments, the process of conducting a financial transaction at an ATM may be different than described in reference to FIG. 5. For example, the customer may provide the financial account identifier to the ATM in a manner different than by inserting 500 a card into a card reader. By way of example, the customer may enter the financial account identifier using a keypad or other mechanism. As another example, in alternate embodiments, the ATM may not request 504 currency type information, but instead may itself determine the currency type associated with the financial account by accessing information local to the ATM or otherwise made available to the ATM. As a third example, currency type information may not be requested 504 or provided 506 to the ATM, but instead the customer may be presented with a variety of predetermined choices for the currency type to use to conduct a financial transaction. It should also be appreciated that in alternate embodiments, the method of performing a financial transaction at an ATM may not include all the blocks illustrated in FIG. 5. For instance, the customer may not be presented with a currency selection choice 510, but instead the transaction may be automatically conducted in the foreign currency type. [0041] Referring to FIG. 6, a method of conducting a financial transaction in a foreign currency type different than the ATM's native currency type will now be described. FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary withdrawal transaction, including credit card withdrawals. However, with minor modifications that may easily be made, the principles of the method may be applied to other types of financial transactions conducted at an ATM, such as balance inquiries, transfer of funds, purchases made at the ATM (e.g., for stamps, telephone calling cards, etc.), bill payment, electronic purse transactions, or other types of transactions that may be performed at an ATM. [0042] The method may begin by the customer requesting 600 a withdrawal transaction be performed at the ATM. If the customer account information has not been authenticated, a method similar to that described with reference to FIG. 5 may be performed with the customer selecting 514 to at least partially conduct the financial transaction in a foreign currency type different than the ATM's native currency type. The ATM may then receive 602 a withdrawal amount from the customer in the foreign currency. For example, a customer at an ATM located in Great Britain may enter a withdrawal amount in U.S. Dollars. [0043] The ATM may then obtain 504 an exchange rate to convert from the foreign currency to the native currency. The exchange rate may be obtained from an ATM network 108, a financial institution 106 associated with the ATM, Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112, or exchange rate information stored locally or otherwise accessible to ATM. As previously described, in some embodiments, exchange rate information may be obtained by ATM network 108 or financial institution 106 from Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112. [0044] After the exchange rate has been obtained 604, the ATM may the convert 606 the withdrawal amount to the ATM's native currency. Alternately, the ATM may provide the withdrawal amount to ATM network 108, financial institution 106, or Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 and the conversion may be performed by one of these components 108, 106, 112. By way of example, ATM network 108 or financial institution 106 may obtain the exchange rate from Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 or from locally stored or otherwise accessible information, perform the conversion, and provide the converted amount to the ATM or the conversion may be performed by Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112. [0045] The converted withdrawal amount is then displayed 608 or otherwise presented to the customer. Optionally, the exchange rate used to perform the conversion may also be displayed 610 or provided to the customer. In some embodiments, the conversion 606 may result in a withdrawal amount that is not supported by the ATM. For instance, the conversion may result in denominations that may not be withdrawn from the ATM (e.g., withdrawal of change, or smaller bills). In these embodiments, the converted withdrawal amount may be modified to a denomination supported by the ATM. The modification may be made by rounding to the nearest denomination, rounding to the next highest supported denomination, or rounding down to the next lowest supported denomination. Thus, the modified withdrawal amount may be presented 608 instead of or in addition to the initially converted amount. Alternately, the customer may be presented with a choice to select whether to increase the withdrawal amount (round up) or decrease the withdrawal amount (round down). In some embodiments, the modified withdrawal amount may be converted to the foreign currency type (the customer's native currency) and displayed or otherwise provided to the customer so that the customer is made aware of the exact corresponding transaction amount in the customer's native currency. This information may be presented to the customer as part of the presentation of the modified converted withdrawal amount, or may be provided to assist the customer in making the choice whether to increase or decrease the amount. [0046] After being presented 608 with the converted withdrawal amount, which may have been modified from the initial conversion amount, the customer may then be asked to confirm 612 that he or she wants to proceed with the transaction. If the customer does not wish to proceed after the information has been presented, the transaction may be canceled 614 or the customer may be presented with a choice to enter a different withdrawal amount 602. Otherwise, the method may proceed with authorization 616 of the withdrawal amount. [0047] After the withdrawal amount has been authorized 616, the funds are provided to the customer 618. Optionally, the customer may also be provided with a receipt 620. The receipt may indicate one or more transaction details, such as the ATM native currency amount withdrawn, the corresponding foreign currency amount (the customer's native currency), and the exchange rate used. In some embodiments, the receipt may also contain the customer's current account balance in the customer's native currency after the funds were withdrawn. [0048] Although the customer has concluded his or her interaction with the ATM, at some point in time, a settlement may need to be performed 622 to transfer funds from the financial institution at which the customer maintains the financial account and the financial institution or other entity responsible for providing the funds to the customer via the ATM. [0049] It should be appreciated that the method of conducting a withdrawal transaction may be performed differently than illustrated in FIG. 6. For instance, the customer may not be prompted to confirm the withdrawal amount. Alternately or additionally, the withdrawal amount may be converted to the native currency as part of the authorization 616 process. As another example, in other embodiments, the ATM may receive 602 the withdrawal amount from the customer in the ATM's native currency and the withdrawal amount may be converted to the foreign currency. The customer may then be asked to confirm the amount or the ATM may only display the foreign currency amount (and possibly the exchange rate) using a display and/or on a receipt provided to the customer. Other variations are also contemplated. [0050] In the foregoing description, for the purposes of illustration, methods were described in a particular order. It should be appreciated that in alternate embodiments, the methods may be performed in a different order than that described. It should also be appreciated that the methods described above may be performed by hardware components or may be embodied in sequences of machine-executable instructions, which may be used to cause a machine, such as a general-purpose or special-purpose processor or logic circuits programmed with the instructions to perform the methods. These machine-executable instructions may be stored on one or more machine readable mediums, such as CD-ROMs or other type of optical disks, floppy diskettes, ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, flash memory, or other types of machine-readable mediums suitable for storing electronic instructions. Alternatively, the methods may be performed by a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. [0051] While illustrative and presently preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed, and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations, except as limited by the prior art. We Claim: 1. A system to provide currency conversion data to an Automated Teller Machine (ATM), comprising: an interface (302), communicatively coupled to the ATM, configured to receive at least an identifier portion of a financial account number from the ATM wherein: the identifier portion contains a financial institution identifier number; and the ATM is associated with a native currency type; an identifier lookup table (306), stored on a machine-readable medium, associating financial institution (106,110) identifier numbers to at least one of a country and a currency type, wherein the identifier lookup table (306) comprises indications of exceptions to the associations of the financial institution identifier numbers to the at least one of the country and the currency type; and a logic (304), communicatively coupled to the interface (302) and the identifier lookup table (306), to determine the currency type associated with the financial account using the financial institution identifier number, the identifier lookup table (306), and the indications of exceptions, wherein the interface (302) is configured to transmit the currency type associated with the financial account to the ATM (102,104); and the interface (302), communicatively coupled with an exchange service (112), is configured to receive currency exchange data linked with the currency type associated with the financial account, and is configured to transmit the currency exchange data to the ATM (102,104). 2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interface is configured to receive, from the ATM, an amount in the native currency type, the logic is configured to convert the amount to the currency type associated with the financial account using the exchange rate data, and the interface is to transmit the converted amount in the currency type associated with the financial account to the ATM. 3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the country associated is determined by the logic (304) by comparing the financial institution identifier number of the identifier portion to the financial institution identifier numbers of the identifier lookup table, the identifier lookup table associating each financial institution identification number to a country. 4.The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the indications of exceptions stored on the machine-readable medium comprise an exception table associating financial institution identification numbers to a country or currency type different than indicated in the identifier lookup table (306). 5.The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identifier portion is determined from a bank identification number (BIN) portion of the financial account number. 6.The system as claimed in claim 1, comprising the ATM configured to receive an authorization for a financial transaction from the customer to withdraw an amount in the currency type associated with the financial account. 7.The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the withdrawal amount is converted to the currency type associated with the financial account and displayed to the customer by the ATM. 8.The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the exchange rate of the currency exchange data is configured to be displayed to the customer by the ATM. 9.The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein a confirmation is obtained from the customer to proceed with the transaction after a converted withdrawal amount in the currency type associated with the financial account has been provided to the customer. 10. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein an account balance in the currency type associated with the financial account is provided indicating the balance of the financial account after the withdrawal. 11. The system as claimed in claim 6, comprising the ATM. wherein the ATM is configured to modify the converted withdrawal amount to a denomination amount supported by the ATM for withdrawal. 12. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the ATM being configured to modify the converted withdrawal amount comprises the ATM being configured to round the converted withdrawal amount in the currency type associated with the financial account to the nearest denomination amount in the native currency type supported by the ATM for withdrawal. 13.The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the converted withdrawal amount in the currency type associated with the financial account is configured to be modified upon receipt of a modification choice by the ATM from the customer to one of: an increase in the withdrawal amount; or a decrease in the withdrawal amount. 14. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the ATM is configured to display the modified withdrawal amount in the currency type associated with the financial account to the customer. 15.The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the ATM is configured to provide the converted modified withdrawal amount to the customer in the native currency type of the ATM. 16. An Automated Teller Machine (ATM) comprising: a user interface (400) configured to; receive a financial transaction selection from a customer; and receive a currency selection from the customer to conduct a financial transaction in a foreign currency type different than a native currency type associated with the ATM (102,104); logic (410) configured to: transmit the financial account number to an ATM network (108), wherein the financial account number contains a financial institution identifier portion; determine the foreign currency type associated with the financial account using an identifier lookup table (306) and the financial institution identifier portion; wherein the identifier lookup data (306), stored on a machine-readable medium, associating financial institution identifier numbers to at least one of a country and a currency, and the identifier lookup data (306) comprises indications of exceptions to the associations of the financial institution identifier numbers to the at least one of a country and a currency; present to the customer a choice to conduct the financial transaction in the foreign currency type; receive the currency selection from the customer indicating the foreign currency type; obtain, via the ATM network (108), from a currency exchange service (112), an exchange rate involving the foreign currency type; authorize, via the ATM network (108) with the financial institution (106,110), the financial transaction; and conduct at least a portion of the financial transaction at the ATM (102,104) in the foreign currency type using the exchange rate to process at least part of the financial transaction. 17. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the logic is configured to compare the financial institution identifier portion to a list of financial institution identifier numbers in the identifier lookup table. ABSTRACT TITLE: A METHOD AND A SYSTEM TO PROVIDE CURRENCY CONVERSION DATA TO AN AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINE. The invention relates to a method comprising receiving, at an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) a financial account number associated with a financial account maintained by a customer at a financial institution; transmitting the financial account number to an ATM network; determining a foreign currency type associated with the financial account; at the ATM, presenting to the customer a choice to conduct a financial transaction in the foreign currency type; receiving a currency selection from the customer; and obtaining, by the ATM, via the ATM network, from a currency exchange service, an exchange rate involving the foreign currency type; authorizing, by the ATM, via the ATM network, with the financial institution, the financial transaction; and conducting at least a portion of the financial transaction at the ATM in the foreign currency type using the exchange rate.

Full Text

ATM MACHINE AND METHODS WITH
CURRENCY CONVERSION CAPABILITIES
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 60/580,985,
filed June 17, 2004, and 60/588,169, filed July 14,2004, and claims the benefit of U.S. Patent
Application No. 11/ , , filed June 15, 2005, the complete disclosures of which are
herein incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) are used by customers to conveniently perform
transactions related to financial accounts. One of the most common transaction involves the
withdrawal of money from a checking or savings account. The customer enters the desired
withdrawal amount and if the transaction is approved, receives the requested amount. The
withdrawal amount is deducted from the customer's account. ATM's may also be used for
credit card transactions and credit card cash advances, money transfers, payments (e.g.,
payment of a bill, such as a cellular phone bill or other bill), balance inquiries, item purchase
items (e.g., stamps), electronic purse transactions, and other types of transactions involving
the making and receiving of payments.
[0003] ATM transactions are conducted using the native currency of the ATM. Thus, an
ATM located in the United States conducts transactions in U.S. dollars, while an ATM
located in France conducts transactions in Euros. If the customer is using an ATM located in
the same country as the customer, the transaction amounts (e.g., the withdrawal amount) are
presumably well understood by the customer. However, in instances in which a customer is
using an ATM in a foreign country, the customer often does not know how the ATM's native
currency corresponds to the customer's native currency amount. Additionally, the exchange
rate that will be used to perform the settlement on the transaction is not known to the
customer. Even if the customer can make an educated guess about the exchange rate, the
conversion must be performed manually by the customer. Thus, a customer usually does not
know the exact amount of the transaction in the customer's native currency (e.g., the

withdrawal amount deducted from his or her account) until a statement is received from the
financial institution.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0004] Methods, systems, and Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) are disclosed which
provide ATM currency conversion capabilities. In one embodiment, a financial account
number associated with a financial account maintained by a customer at a financial institution
is received at an ATM. A foreign currency type associated with the financial account is
determined and a choice is presented to the customer at the ATM to conduct a financial
transaction in the foreign currency type. A currency selection is received from the customer.
At least a portion of the financial transaction at the ATM is conducted in the selected
currency.
[0005] In some instances, the foreign currency type associated with the financial account
may be determined by obtaining an identifier portion of the financial account number (e.g.,
the bank identification number (BIN) portion). The country associated with the financial
account may be determined using the identifier portion. By way of example, the identifier
portion may be compared to a lookup table associating financial institution identification
numbers to a country. Other methods of determining foreign currency type may also be used.
[0006] The currency selection received may be a selection indicating the foreign currency
type. In one embodiment, the transaction may be a withdrawal, and conducting at least a
portion of the financial transaction may comprise receiving a withdrawal amount in the
foreign currency type. The method may then further comprise obtaining an exchange rate to
convert the foreign currency type to a native currency type associated with the ATM and
converting the withdrawal amount to the native currency type.
[0007] Alternately, conducting at least a portion of the financial transaction may comprise
receiving a withdrawal amount in a native currency type associated with the ATM. The
exchange rate to convert the native currency type to the foreign currency type is obtained and
the withdrawal amount is converted to the foreign currency type. The converted withdrawal
amount is displayed to the customer.
[0008] In a second embodiment, a method is disclosed which comprises receiving, at an
ATM network, a request from an ATM to obtain a currency exchange rate from a first

currency to a second currency. The currency exchange rate is obtained and provided to the
ATM. The method may also further comprise receiving an identifier from the ATM
identifying a financial institution associated with a financial account, using the identifier to
determine a currency type associated with the financial account, and providing the currency
type to the ATM.
[0009] In a third embodiment, a system to provide currency conversion information to an
ATM is disclosed. The system may comprise an interface, communicatively coupled to an
ATM, data, and logic, communicatively coupled to the interface and the data. The interface
is configured to receive an identifier portion of a financial account from an ATM. The data
associates financial institution identification numbers to at least one of a country and a
currency. The logic determines a currency type associated with the financial account using
the data and the interface transmits the currency exchange rate to the ATM.
[0010] fn a fourth embodiment, an ATM is disclosed. The ATM comprises a user interface
to receive a financial transaction selection from a customer. The user interface also receives
a selection from the customer to conduct a transaction in a foreign currency type different
than a native currency type associated with the ATM. Logic processes at least a part of the
financial transaction in the foreign currency.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] Illustrative embodiments in accordance with the invention are illustrated in the
drawings in which:
[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates a system that may be used to provide currency conversion
capabilities in an ATM;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary communication coupling to a
currency recognition and exchange service that may be used to provide currency conversion
capability in an ATM;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the Currency
Recognition and Exchange Service in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary ATM that may be used to conduct
financial transactions in a currency not native to the ATM;

[0016] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method for conducting a
transaction at an ATM; and
[0017] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary withdrawal transaction.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific
details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It
will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced
without some of these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices
are shown in block diagram form.
[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates a system that may be used to provide currency conversion
capabilities in an ATM. The system includes ATMs 102,104. ATM 102 has a direct
communication coupling to ATM network 108, while ATM 104 is communicatively coupled
to ATM network 108 via a server at a financial institution 106 associated with the ATM 104.
The ATM network 108 may be used to obtain information and authorization for an ATM 102,
104 to perform transactions requested by a customer of the ATM 102, 104. Thus, ATM
network 108 is able to communicate with a financial institution 110 associated with the ATM
customer's financial account. By way of example, ATM network 108 may be a network, such
as the NYCE® network, the Pulse® network, the STAR® network, and the like. ATM
network 108 may be used to verify a customer's authentication information (e.g., financial
account and personal identification number (PIN)) and to provide authorization to an ATM
102, 104 to perform a transaction, such as a withdrawal of funds from a financial account or a
transfer of funds from a first financial account to a second financial account. ATM network
108 may also be used to obtain information on the customer's financial account, such as the
account balance. The information and authorization may be provided directly to some ATMs
102 and may be provided to other ATMs 104 via a financial msfitution server 106. In some
instances, the customer's financial account may be maintained at the financial institution 106
associated with the ATM 104. In these instances, financial institution 106 may provide the
authorization and other information needed by the ATM 104 without using ATM network
108. It should be appreciated that the system may include many more ATMs 102,104 and
financial institutions 106,110 than illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0020] ATM network 108 is communicatively coupled to Currency Recognition and
Exchange Service 112. Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 may be a service
that is used to provide information on a currency associated with an ATM customer's
financial account. Additionally, Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 may be
used to provide exchange rates to an ATM 102,104 via ATM network 108. In some
embodiments, Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 may be used to provide
currency exchange information for more than one ATM network 108. Alternately, Currency
Recognition and Exchange Service 112 may be a component of ATM network 108. In some
embodiments, Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 may provide the currency
and exchange information dynamically. For instance, the information may be provided when
it is requested by financial institution 106 or ATM network 108 on behalf of ATM 102, 104.
Alternately, Currency Recognition and Exchange Sex-vice 112 may periodically provide
currency recognition and exchange information to a server residing on ATM network 108,
ATM 102/104, and/or financial institutions 106, 110. By way of example, the information
may be transferred as one or more files using file transfer protocol (ftp). The file transfer
may be initiated by either the Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 or at the
initiative of the component on the system receiving the files (e.g., financial institution 106,
server on ATM network, etc.).
[0021] FIG. 2 illustrates a second exemplary communication coupling between financial
institution 106 and Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112. hi this embodiment,
financial institution 106 is communicatively coupled to Currency Recognition and Exchange
Service 112 via a communications network 202, such as a wide area network (WAN). Thus,
financial institution 106 may obtain currency recognition and exchange rate information from
Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 without using ATM network 108. As
previously described, financial institution 106 may obtain the information dynamically, as
requested by ATM 104, or may locally store information which is periodically transmitted to
the financial institution 106 from Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 (e.g., via
ftp file(s)).
[0022] It should be appreciated that various other configurations than those illustrated in
FIGs. 1 and 2 may be used to provide currency recognition information and exchange
information to ATMs 102,104. For instance, either or both ATMs 102, 104 may be in direct
communications with Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112. Alternately,
Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 may be a component of ATM 102,104 or

may be software executing on a financial institution server 106, 110. In these embodiments,
Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 may periodically obtain exchange rate
information and currency recognition information from one or more sources of this
information.
[0023] FIG. 3 illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a Currency Recognition and
Exchange Service 112. Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 includes a
communications interface 302. Communications interface may be communicatively coupled
to a server residing on ATM network 108, one or more financial institutions 106, 110 and/or
one or more ATMs 102, 104. In some embodiments, Currency Recognition and Exchange
Service 112 may be used to provide currency recognition and/or exchange information to an
ATM 102, 104 at the request of another component, such as ATM network 108 or financial
institution 106. Alternately, the information may be provided directly to an ATM 102,104.
As will be described in further detail below, interface 302 may be used to receive financial
institution identifier portions of financial account identifiers and to communicate a
determined currency associated with the financial account. Interface 302 may also further be
used to communicate exchange rates to convert from a first currency to a second currency.
[0024] Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 further includes logic 304,
identifier lookup table 306, and exchange rate information 308. Logic 304 is
communicatively coupled to interface 302, identifier lookup table 306, and exchange rate
information 308. By way of example, logic 304 may be machine-executable instructions,
such as a software program. Logic 304 may be used to determine a currency type associated
with a financial account using data, such as identifier lookup table 306. Additionally, logic
304 may be used to determine exchange rates by using the exchange rate information 308.
[0025] Identifier lookup table 306 and exchange rate information 308 may be stored in one
or more databases. The database(s) may be any type of structure that may be used to store
information, such as relational databases, internal software lists, text files, spreadsheet files,
and the like. Identifier lookup table 306 may contain information associating financial
institution identification numbers (e.g., BINs) with a country and/or currency. Other unique
identification numbers, such as the ATM card number or customer's financial account may
also or alternately be associated with a country and/or currency. Exchange rate information
308 may store information on exchange rates that may be used to convert from a first
currency to a second currency. In embodiments in which the lookup table maps financial

institution identification numbers to a country, additional information may be stored which
maps countries to currencies. In some embodiments, the identifier lookup table 306 may map
a range of financial institution identification numbers to a country and/or currency. In these
embodiments, the information in the database(s) may further include an exception table (not
shown) to map financial institution identification numbers to a currency and/or country
different than the one indicated in the associated range of the lookup table.
[0026] In the configuration described above, different components were described as being
communicatively coupled to other components. A communicative coupling is a coupling that
allows communication between the components. This coupling may be by means of a bus,
cable, network, wireless mechanism, program code call (e.g., modular or procedural call) or
other mechanism that allows communication between the components. Thus, it should be
appreciated that logic 304, identifier lookup table 306, and exchange rate information 308
may reside on the same or different physical devices. It should also be appreciated that in
alternate embodiments, Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 may contain
additional or fewer components than illustrated in FIG. 3.
[0027] As previously described, in alternate embodiments, currency recognition
information, such as identifier lookup table 306, and exchange rate information 308 may be
periodically provided to a server residing on ATM network 108, financial institution 106,
and/or ATMs 102, 104. For instance, files may be periodically transferred or otherwise made
available to one or more of these components 108,106,102,104. It should be appreciated
that in these embodiments, appropriate logic (e.g., program code) may also reside on the
component 108, 106, 104, and/or 102 having the currency recognition and exchange
information. The component logic may function similar to logic 304 and may use the
transferred data to perform currency recognition and provide exchange rate information at the
request of an ATM 102, 104, or additional logic resident to the ATM 102, 104.
[0028] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of an ATM 102 that may be used to
provide currency conversion information to customers. ATM 102 includes a user interface
400. User interface 400 may comprise multiple components, such as card reader 402, display
404, keypad 406, and printer 408. Card reader 402 may be used to receive a customer's ATM
card and obtain a financial account number from the ATM card. Display 404 may be used to
prompt the customer for responses needed to perform a transaction and to display information
to the customer. Keypad 406 may be used to receive input from the customer, such as a

personal identification number (PIN) associated with the customer's financial account,
transaction selections, dollar amounts for transactions (if applicable), and other information
related to a customer's transaction with the ATM. Additionally, as will be described in
further detail below, display 404 may be used to display a currency type selection for the
transaction and keypad 406 may be used to receive the customer's currency type selection.
User interface 400 may also include a printer 408 that may be used to print a receipt of the
transaction, and in some embodiments, the customer's remaining account balance.
[0029] ATM 102 may further include logic 410 and communications interface 412. Logic
410 may be used to process a financial transaction requested by a customer of the ATM 102.
By way of example, the financial transaction may be a withdrawal request, a balance transfer
request, a deposit request, a purchase request (e.g.,. to purchase stamps, telephone calling
cards, etc. using funds available in the customer's financial account), or other type of request
that may be performed at an ATM. Logic 410 may receive information from user interface
400 and use coinmunications interface 412 to communicate with ATM network 108.
[0030] Communications interface 412 is communicatively coupled to a server on ATM
network 108. Logic 410 may use communications interface 412 to request authentication of
a customer's financial account number received from user interface 400. Li some
embodiments, the authentication request transmitted to the ATM network 108 may also
include a PIN which was received from the customer. Additionally, logic 410 may use
communications interface 412 to request authorization of a transaction initiated by the
customer. Other information used to perform a financial transaction may also be requested
and received using communications interface 412.
[0031] As will be described in further detail below, logic 410 may also be used to process
at least a part of a financial transaction requested by the customer in a foreign currency which
is associated with the customer's financial account and different from a native currency
associated with the ATM 102. For instance, logic 410 may prompt the customer to select
either the native currency associated with the ATM 102 or a foreign currency type which was
determined to be associated with the customer's financial account (the customer's native
currency). If the user selects the foreign currency type, logic 410 may use communications
interface 412 to obtain exchange rate information. Exchange rate information may be
provided by Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 via ATM network 108, ATM
network 108, or from information accessible to ATM 102. In an alternate embodiment, the

information may be stored locally at ATM 102. Logic 410 may use the exchange rate
information to convert from the native currency to the foreign currency and display details of
the transaction (e.g., withdrawal amount or other financial amounts) in the currency which is
foreign to the ATM, but native to the customer. Alternately, logic 410 may not be provided
with exchange rate information and may instead use communications interface 412 to obtain
converted transaction amounts.
[0032] The above description described an ATM 102 that communicates with an ATM
network 108 to obtain authentication, authorization, and other transaction information. It
should be appreciated that in alternate embodiments, communications interface 412 may
communicate with a financial institution 106 to obtain information used to process a
transaction, including currency recognition information and exchange rate information. It
should also be appreciated that in alternate embodiments, ATM 102 may comprise fewer or
additional components than described above. For instance, user interface 400 may not
include a keypad 406, but instead may include a touch pad to receive information from a
customer.
[0033] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method that may be used to
conduct a transaction at an ATM . The method may begin when a customer inserts 500 an
ATM card (e.g., debit card, credit card) into a card reader. The card reader obtains a financial
account identifier associated with a financial account maintained by the customer at a
financial institution from the ATM card. The customer may also provide 502 a PTN
associated with the financial account.
[0034] The ATM may then transmit 504 one or more packet(s) to an ATM network 108 or
a financial institution 106 associated with the ATM to authenticate the financial account
identifier and PIN. Additionally, the ATM may also request financial account currency
information for a currency type associated with the customer's financial account. The ATM
may include this request in the authentication packet or may submit a second packet
requesting the currency type information. Alternately, the currency type information may be
provided to the ATM by either ATM network 108 or associated financial institution 106
without an explicit request from the ATM.
[0035] The customer's account identifier and PIN are then authenticated. If the ATM
request was sent to a financial institution 106 associated with the ATM, the authentication
may be performed by the financial institution 106 if the customer's financial account is

maintained at the same or affiliated financial institution. Otherwise, ATM network 108 may
be used to perform the authentication by communicating with the customer's financial
institution 110 to authenticate the customer's financial account and associated PIN.
[0036] Additionally, ATM network 108 or financial institution 106 may determine a
currency type associated with the financial account. The determination may be made by
transmitting a request to a Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 or by accessing
currency type information stored locally or otherwise made available to ATM network
108/fmancial mstitution 106. By way of example, an identifier lookup table 306 may be used
to match a financial institution identifier portion (e.g., BIN) of the financial account to a
currency type or country. In some embodiments, an exception table may also be consulted to
determine whether an exception exists to the mapping rules in the lookup table for the
customer's financial account. For instance, the financial institution identifier portion may fall
in a range of identifiers normally assigned to U.S. financial institutions, but the particular
identifier may be an exception and be assigned to a Canadian financial institution.
[0037] The ATM network 108 or associated financial institution 106 then provides 506 the
authentication and currency type information to the ATM. This information may be provided
in one or more transmittal packets. In some instances, the customer account information may
not be authenticated, either because of an invalid PTN, account inacfivation, or other problem.
In these instances, the ATM network 108 or financial institution 106 may only transmit a
rejection of the authentication information without associated currency type and the method
may end with a notification provided to the customer that the account information could not
be authenticated. In some embodiments, a determination of currency type may not be made
until after the account information provided by the customer has been authenticated.
[0038] If 508 the currency type associated with the customer's financial account is the same
as the ATM's native currency, the ATM may proceed 512 with the customer transaction using
the native ATM currency type. Otherwise, if the customer account is associated with a
foreign currency type different from the ATM's native currency type, the customer may be
presented 510 with a currency selection choice. For instance, if the customer's financial
account is maintained in the United States, but the customer is using an ATM in Great
Britain, the ATM may present 510 the customer a choice to conduct the transaction in Great
Britain Pounds (the ATM's native currency) or U.S. Dollars.

[0039] If 514 the customer does not select the foreign currency, the ATM proceeds 512
with the customer transaction using the native ATM currency. Otherwise, if the foreign
currency is selected, at least a part of the customer's transaction at the ATM is conducted in
the foreign currency. This process will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6, which
illustrates a withdrawal transaction. However, as will be appreciated, other types of
transactions may also be conducted using the foreign currency.
[0040] In alternate embodiments, the process of conducting a financial transaction at an
ATM may be different than described in reference to FIG. 5. For example, the customer may
provide the financial account identifier to the ATM in a manner different than by inserting
500 a card into a card reader. By way of example, the customer may enter the financial
account identifier using a keypad or other mechanism. As another example, in alternate
embodiments, the ATM may not request 504 currency type information, but instead may
itself determine the currency type associated with the financial account by accessing
information local to the ATM or otherwise made available to the ATM. As a third example,
currency type information may not be requested 504 or provided 506 to the ATM, but instead
the customer may be presented with a variety of predetermined choices for the currency type
to use to conduct a financial transaction. It should also be appreciated that in alternate
embodiments, the method of performing a financial transaction at an ATM may not include
all the blocks illustrated in FIG. 5. For instance, the customer may not be presented with a
currency selection choice 510, but instead the transaction may be automatically conducted in
the foreign currency type.
[0041] Referring to FIG. 6, a method of conducting a financial transaction in a foreign
currency type different than the ATM's native currency type will now be described. FIG. 6
illustrates an exemplary withdrawal transaction, including credit card withdrawals. However,
with minor modifications that may easily be made, the principles of the method may be
applied to other types of financial transactions conducted at an ATM, such as balance
inquiries, transfer of funds, purchases made at the ATM (e.g., for stamps, telephone calling
cards, etc.), bill payment, electronic purse transactions, or other types of transactions that may
be performed at an ATM.
[0042] The method may begin by the customer requesting 600 a withdrawal transaction be
performed at the ATM. If the customer account information has not been authenticated, a
method similar to that described with reference to FIG. 5 may be performed with the

customer selecting 514 to at least partially conduct the financial transaction in a foreign
currency type different than the ATM's native currency type. The ATM may then receive
602 a withdrawal amount from the customer in the foreign currency. For example, a
customer at an ATM located in Great Britain may enter a withdrawal amount in U.S. Dollars.
[0043] The ATM may then obtain 504 an exchange rate to convert from the foreign
currency to the native currency. The exchange rate may be obtained from an ATM network
108, a financial institution 106 associated with the ATM, Currency Recognition and
Exchange Service 112, or exchange rate information stored locally or otherwise accessible to
ATM. As previously described, in some embodiments, exchange rate information may be
obtained by ATM network 108 or financial institution 106 from Currency Recognition and
Exchange Service 112.
[0044] After the exchange rate has been obtained 604, the ATM may the convert 606 the
withdrawal amount to the ATM's native currency. Alternately, the ATM may provide the
withdrawal amount to ATM network 108, financial institution 106, or Currency Recognition
and Exchange Service 112 and the conversion may be performed by one of these components
108, 106, 112. By way of example, ATM network 108 or financial institution 106 may
obtain the exchange rate from Currency Recognition and Exchange Service 112 or from
locally stored or otherwise accessible information, perform the conversion, and provide the
converted amount to the ATM or the conversion may be performed by Currency Recognition
and Exchange Service 112.
[0045] The converted withdrawal amount is then displayed 608 or otherwise presented to
the customer. Optionally, the exchange rate used to perform the conversion may also be
displayed 610 or provided to the customer. In some embodiments, the conversion 606 may
result in a withdrawal amount that is not supported by the ATM. For instance, the conversion
may result in denominations that may not be withdrawn from the ATM (e.g., withdrawal of
change, or smaller bills). In these embodiments, the converted withdrawal amount may be
modified to a denomination supported by the ATM. The modification may be made by
rounding to the nearest denomination, rounding to the next highest supported denomination,
or rounding down to the next lowest supported denomination. Thus, the modified withdrawal
amount may be presented 608 instead of or in addition to the initially converted amount.
Alternately, the customer may be presented with a choice to select whether to increase the
withdrawal amount (round up) or decrease the withdrawal amount (round down). In some

embodiments, the modified withdrawal amount may be converted to the foreign currency
type (the customer's native currency) and displayed or otherwise provided to the customer so
that the customer is made aware of the exact corresponding transaction amount in the
customer's native currency. This information may be presented to the customer as part of the
presentation of the modified converted withdrawal amount, or may be provided to assist the
customer in making the choice whether to increase or decrease the amount.
[0046] After being presented 608 with the converted withdrawal amount, which may have
been modified from the initial conversion amount, the customer may then be asked to
confirm 612 that he or she wants to proceed with the transaction. If the customer does not
wish to proceed after the information has been presented, the transaction may be canceled
614 or the customer may be presented with a choice to enter a different withdrawal amount
602. Otherwise, the method may proceed with authorization 616 of the withdrawal amount.
[0047] After the withdrawal amount has been authorized 616, the funds are provided to the
customer 618. Optionally, the customer may also be provided with a receipt 620. The
receipt may indicate one or more transaction details, such as the ATM native currency
amount withdrawn, the corresponding foreign currency amount (the customer's native
currency), and the exchange rate used. In some embodiments, the receipt may also contain
the customer's current account balance in the customer's native currency after the funds were
withdrawn.
[0048] Although the customer has concluded his or her interaction with the ATM, at some
point in time, a settlement may need to be performed 622 to transfer funds from the financial
institution at which the customer maintains the financial account and the financial institution
or other entity responsible for providing the funds to the customer via the ATM.
[0049] It should be appreciated that the method of conducting a withdrawal transaction
may be performed differently than illustrated in FIG. 6. For instance, the customer may not
be prompted to confirm the withdrawal amount. Alternately or additionally, the withdrawal
amount may be converted to the native currency as part of the authorization 616 process. As
another example, in other embodiments, the ATM may receive 602 the withdrawal amount
from the customer in the ATM's native currency and the withdrawal amount may be
converted to the foreign currency. The customer may then be asked to confirm the amount or
the ATM may only display the foreign currency amount (and possibly the exchange rate)

using a display and/or on a receipt provided to the customer. Other variations are also
contemplated.
[0050] In the foregoing description, for the purposes of illustration, methods were
described in a particular order. It should be appreciated that in alternate embodiments, the
methods may be performed in a different order than that described. It should also be
appreciated that the methods described above may be performed by hardware components or
may be embodied in sequences of machine-executable instructions, which may be used to
cause a machine, such as a general-purpose or special-purpose processor or logic circuits
programmed with the instructions to perform the methods. These machine-executable
instructions may be stored on one or more machine readable mediums, such as CD-ROMs or
other type of optical disks, floppy diskettes, ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic
or optical cards, flash memory, or other types of machine-readable mediums suitable for
storing electronic instructions. Alternatively, the methods may be performed by a
combination of hardware, firmware, and software.
[0051] While illustrative and presently preferred embodiments of the invention have been
described in detail herein, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise
variously embodied and employed, and that the appended claims are intended to be construed
to include such variations, except as limited by the prior art.

We Claim:
1. A system to provide currency conversion data to an Automated Teller
Machine (ATM), comprising:
an interface (302), communicatively coupled to the ATM, configured to
receive at least an identifier portion of a financial account number from the ATM
wherein:
the identifier portion contains a financial institution identifier number; and
the ATM is associated with a native currency type;
an identifier lookup table (306), stored on a machine-readable medium,
associating financial institution (106,110) identifier numbers to at least one of a
country and a currency type, wherein
the identifier lookup table (306) comprises indications of exceptions to the
associations of the financial institution identifier numbers to the at least one of
the country and the currency type; and
a logic (304), communicatively coupled to the interface (302) and the
identifier lookup table (306), to determine the currency type associated with the
financial account using the financial institution identifier number, the identifier
lookup table (306), and the indications of exceptions, wherein
the interface (302) is configured to transmit the currency type
associated with the financial account to the ATM (102,104); and
the interface (302), communicatively coupled with an exchange service
(112), is configured to receive currency exchange data linked with the currency
type associated with the financial account, and is configured to transmit the
currency exchange data to the ATM (102,104).

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the interface is configured to receive, from the ATM, an amount in
the native currency type,
the logic is configured to convert the amount to the currency
type associated with the financial account using the exchange rate data, and
the interface is to transmit the converted amount in the currency
type associated with the financial account to the ATM.
3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the country associated is
determined by the logic (304) by comparing the financial institution identifier
number of the identifier portion to the financial institution identifier numbers of
the identifier lookup table, the identifier lookup table associating each financial
institution identification number to a country.
4.The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the indications of exceptions stored
on the machine-readable medium comprise an exception table associating
financial institution identification numbers to a country or currency type different
than indicated in the identifier lookup table (306).
5.The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identifier portion is determined
from a bank identification number (BIN) portion of the financial account number.
6.The system as claimed in claim 1, comprising the ATM configured to receive
an authorization for a financial transaction from the customer to withdraw an
amount in the currency type associated with the financial account.

7.The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the withdrawal amount is converted
to the currency type associated with the financial account and displayed to the
customer by the ATM.
8.The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the exchange rate of the currency
exchange data is configured to be displayed to the customer by the ATM.
9.The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein a confirmation is obtained from the
customer to proceed with the transaction after a converted withdrawal amount in
the currency type associated with the financial account has been provided to the
customer.
10. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein an account balance in
the currency type associated with the financial account is provided indicating the
balance of the financial account after the withdrawal.
11. The system as claimed in claim 6, comprising the ATM.
wherein the ATM is configured to modify the converted withdrawal amount to a
denomination amount supported by the ATM for withdrawal.
12. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the ATM being configured to
modify the converted withdrawal amount comprises the ATM being configured to
round the converted withdrawal amount in the currency type associated with the
financial account to the nearest denomination amount in the native currency type
supported by the ATM for withdrawal.

13.The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the converted withdrawal
amount in the currency type associated with the financial account is configured to
be modified upon receipt of a modification choice by the ATM from the customer
to one of:
an increase in the withdrawal amount; or
a decrease in the withdrawal amount.
14. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the ATM is configured to display
the modified withdrawal amount in the currency type associated with the financial
account to the customer.
15.The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the ATM is configured to provide
the converted modified withdrawal amount to the customer in the native currency
type of the ATM.
16. An Automated Teller Machine (ATM) comprising:
a user interface (400) configured to;
receive a financial transaction selection from a customer; and
receive a currency selection from the customer to conduct a financial
transaction in a foreign currency type different than a native currency type
associated with the ATM (102,104);
logic (410) configured to:

transmit the financial account number to an ATM network (108), wherein
the financial account number contains a financial institution identifier
portion;
determine the foreign currency type associated with the financial account
using an identifier lookup table (306) and the financial institution identifier
portion; wherein
the identifier lookup data (306), stored on a machine-readable medium,
associating financial institution identifier numbers to at least one of a
country and a currency, and
the identifier lookup data (306) comprises indications of exceptions to the
associations of the financial institution identifier numbers to the at least
one of a country and a currency;
present to the customer a choice to conduct the financial transaction in the
foreign currency type;
receive the currency selection from the customer indicating the foreign
currency type;
obtain, via the ATM network (108), from a currency exchange service
(112), an exchange rate involving the foreign currency type;
authorize, via the ATM network (108) with the financial institution
(106,110), the financial transaction; and
conduct at least a portion of the financial transaction at the ATM
(102,104) in the foreign currency type using the exchange rate to process
at least part of the financial transaction.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the logic is configured to
compare the financial institution identifier portion to a list of financial institution
identifier numbers in the identifier lookup table.

ABSTRACT

TITLE: A METHOD AND A SYSTEM TO PROVIDE CURRENCY CONVERSION DATA
TO AN AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINE.

The invention relates to a method comprising receiving, at an Automated Teller
Machine (ATM) a financial account number associated with a financial account
maintained by a customer at a financial institution; transmitting the financial
account number to an ATM network; determining a foreign currency type
associated with the financial account;
at the ATM, presenting to the customer a choice to conduct a financial
transaction in the foreign currency type; receiving a currency selection from the
customer; and obtaining, by the ATM, via the ATM network, from a currency
exchange service, an exchange rate involving the foreign currency type;
authorizing, by the ATM, via the ATM network, with the financial institution, the
financial transaction; and conducting at least a portion of the financial
transaction at the ATM in the foreign currency type using the exchange rate.

A METHOD AND A SYSTEM TO PROVIDE CURRENCY CONVERSION DATA TO AN AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINE

Documents:

Inventors:

PCT Conventions: