Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06Q40/00—Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
  • G06Q40/02—Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance

Definitions

• the present invention relates generally to communications methods.
• Fig. 1 shows an exemplary contemporary business card 10 for Busy Business Inc., an exemplary contemporary business.
• the contact details 12 on business card 10 include a mailing address 14 for postal deliveries, a telephone number 16 for telephone calls, a fax number 18 for fax transmissions, an SMS number 20 for receiving text messages, an email address 22 for email transmissions, and a website address 24 for Internet access.
• a compact contact details coordination unit which includes an account nickname database and a determining unit.
• the account nickname database associates each of a multiplicity of businesses with its bank account nickname and the determining unit determines if the account nickname is available for a business.
• the coordination unit includes an updater to update account databases of at least one of: banks, bank branches and bank clearinghouses.
• each account database associates at least some of the multiplicity of businesses with their bank account as issued by their bank.
• each account nickname is unique to the business.
• a method including associating an account nickname with a business for payments from customers.
• the method includes routing payments for the business using the account nickname to an account associated with the account nickname.
• a unit including an account database at a bank entity and an updater.
• the account database associates bank account nicknames with bank account numbers as issued by the bank entity to businesses having the bank account nicknames as their address nicknames.
• the updater updates the account database upon instruction from a nickname coordination unit.
• a method including providing rerouting information to a bank entity for use associating an account nickname with a business for payments.
• the bank entity is a bank, a bank branch or a bank clearinghouse.
• the account nickname is unique to the business.
• a compact contact details coordination unit including a communications nickname database, a determining unit and an updater.
• the communications nickname database associates each of a multiplicity of businesses with its communications nickname, which may be short and begins with an indicator.
• the determining unit determines if a communications nickname is available for a business for at least the following communications providers: post office mail and telephony.
• the updater updates router databases of the communications providers when the communications nickname database is changed.
• the indicator may be a *, a #, **, or a signaling digit.
• Fig. 1 is an exemplary representation of a contemporary business card
• Fig. 2 is an exemplary representation of the business card shown in Fig. 1, the contact details provided on which have been compacted in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention
• FIG. 3 is an illustration of an innovative contact details management system constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
• Figs. 4A and 4B are schematic illustrations of the contact details management system of Fig. 3 operative for different types of bank account operations.
• Applicant has realized that the inconvenience caused by an overabundance of contact details may be overcome by taking advantage of the means by which modem communications may be routed from one communications access number to another through central routing equipment and forwarding services.
• FIG. 2 depicts a business card 30, which includes compact contact details 32 which may, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, replace the full-length contact details 12 provided on prior art business card 10, while not detracting from the full range of communication versatility provided by full- length contact details 12.
• Compact contact details 32 may all contain as their single or chief component a "communications nickname" uniquely associated with one business.
• the communications nickname for Busy Business Inc. may be "*2879". It will be appreciated that *2879 is exemplary only.
• the communications nickname may begin with any appropriate indicator, such as *, #, ** or other indicator, and may be 3, 4 or 5 digits long.
• An exemplary other indicator may be a signaling digit, such as the digit "1".
• one simple, short and generally easily remembered number such as "*2879” may be substituted for nearly all of the disparate and lengthy contact details of a business.
• the single contact detail "*2879” replaces the mailing address 14, phone number 16, fax number 18, text message number 20 and website address 24 of Busy Business, Inc.
• some contact details such as email address 36 shown in Fig. 2 may have a prefix or suffix appended to the communications nickname.
• the communications nickname remains a unifying element between all of the compact contact details for a single business.
• Compact contact details 32 for a business may comprise fewer communication access numbers (CANs) 34 than full-length contact details 12. For example, it is shown in a comparison between Figs. 1 and 2, that there may be a reduction from six CANs (indicated by reference numerals 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24) in full-length contact details 12 to two CANs in compact contact details 32.
• CANs communication access numbers
• FIG. 3 illustrates a compact contact details coordination unit (CCDCU) 40, operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in conjunction with currently available types of communications service providers (CSPs) 42.
• CCDCU 40 may be employed to coordinate assignments of unique communications nicknames 60 to businesses 44.
• CCDCU 40 may comprise a database 46 in which an association between each business 44 and its assigned communications nickname 60 may be recorded
• Each communication service provider 42 may provide one type of communication service to businesses 44 and may, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, maintain and operate a database 52 and a router 54 for routing each unique communications nickname to its proper address.
• exemplary CSPs 42 providing communications services to business 44 may include a post office 42a, one or more telephone service providers 42b, one or more cellular phone service providers 42c and one or more internet service provider 42d.
• each CSP 42 may operate and maintain a database 52 and a router 54.
• the data in each database 52 of each CSP 42 may include the names of the businesses served by the CSP, the full-length contact details assigned to each business by the CSP, and the compact contact details assigned to each business by the CSP.
• compact contact details coordination unit (CCDCU) 40 may coordinate the availability of communications nicknames for assignment to businesses 44 with CSPs 42. A unique communications nickname may be assigned to a business 44 when it is determined by CCDCU 40, through examination of all databases 52, that the nickname has not been assigned to any other business.
• routing 42 handling the communication may employ its router 54 to route the communication to its correct destination according to the data stored in its database 52.
• innovative CAN "*2879" may be associated with prior art address 14 of business 44 in post office database 54a, so that post office 42a may forward deliveries addressed to "*2879" to the Glass Building offices of business 44. Such a forwarding may be through a mechanism similar to the mail forwarding mechanism currently available from post offices. Alternatively, post office 42a may have a more sophisticated method for collecting mail addressed to a communications nickname.
• Telephone company 42b may route voice calls placed to "*2879" to telephone number 16. For facsimiles sent to CAN *2879, when telephone company 42b detects the sounds of a facsimile machine, it routes the phone call to fax number 18 for the business associated with *2879.
• Cellular phone call carriers may similarly maintain databases to route calls received to innovative CANs.
• the routing of telephone calls of any kind may be according to existing call forwarding mechanisms.
• many telephony service providers include the ability to route *xxxx type phone numbers and thus, may utilize this option.
• Other mechanisms for routing CAN *2879 may also be available and are included in the present invention.
• customers may also use the communications nickname "*2879" to contact business 44 by text message
• the service provider for the text messages may route text messages addressed to compact contact access numbers to an account on an internet server, such as one provided by Cellact of Raanana,
• customers may also type the communications nickname "*2879" into a web browser and may be routed to the website of business 44.
• An exemplary routing mechanism may be available through the combined operation of two applications, Netex of Israel and bweb.co.il of Israel. Netex may translate communications nicknames to the bweb.co.il website and the bweb.co.il website, through its associated database 52, may translate input phone numbers, such as the communications nickname, to regular URLs, such as the actual website address of the company.
• customers may also send emails to business 44 at an address containing Ae communications nickname of business 44.
• an email address for business 44 may include a domain name (i.e. "csp.com") in addition to its communications nickname. Emails addressed to
• each business 44 may be associated with its communications nickname and with the forwarding email address for business 44.
• Figs. 4A and 4B illustrate two alternative embodiments of the present invention.
• the communications nickname or another nickname may be utilized as a bank account nickname as well. This may be useful when customers of a business, such as business 44 of the previous embodiment, may make direct payments to the bank account of the business.
• bank account details to the customer. Such details often included the name of the business as registered at the bank, the bank name and number, the branch name, number and address, and the account number at the branch. Most of the details may be required for direct deposits and/or wire transfers while the business name may be required for checks.
• the communications nickname may be also used to identify the bank account associated with business 44, thus removing the need for a customer to correctly provide such a large number of details.
• business 44 may easily change its bank account, without having to inform all of its many customers.
• compact contact details coordination unit (CCDCU) 40 may be in contact with a plurality of banks and/or bank branches 100, each of which may include an account database
• Account database 102 may store a plurality of bank account nicknames 62, one for each of the businesses 40 served by bank branch 100 which has a nickname. For each nickname 62, account database 102 may also store its associated bank account details 104 and, if desired, the name of the associated business.
• CCDCU 40 may associate *2879 as the communications nickname
• the account database 102 of bank branch IOOA may store the association of *2879 with account number 123456-7. It may also store the name of the account owner, i.e. Busy Business, Inc.
• Busy Business, Inc. i.e. mail, telephone, fax, email, SMS, etc.
• communications nickname 60 at least in part.
• account database 102 need not include the address for Busy Business, Inc., since the address and the bank account nickname may be the same.
• account database 102 may also include ihe addresses of business
• bank branch 100 may consult account database 102 to determine the associated account number (e.g. account number 123456-7), after which it may deposit the check 70 or the transferred monies into the associated account, here labeled 74.
• account database 102 may consult account database 102 to determine the associated account number (e.g. account number 123456-7), after which it may deposit the check 70 or the transferred monies into the associated account, here labeled 74.
• CCDCU 40 may be in communication with a bank clearinghouse 80 rather than with one of bank branches 100.
• Clearinghouse 80 may typically be a central banking body which may provide accounting between banks and may also be active for wire transfers.
• clearinghouse 80 may include an account database, here labeled 112, which may store a plurality of bank account nicknames 62, one for each of the businesses 44 which has a nickname. For each nickname 62, account database
• account 112 may also store its associated bank account details, here labeled 114, and, if desired, the name of the associated business.
• account details 114 may also include the bank name and number and the branch name, address and number, in addition to the account number.
• a wire transfer 82 may come to clearinghouse 80 for business 44.
• clearinghouse 80 may consult its account database 112 to determine the associated bank, branch and account number for the business 44.
• wire transfer 82 to *2879 may be rerouted, as wire transfer 84, to bank branch 100A, account number 123456-7.
• CCDCU 40 may maintain communications nicknames 60 for businesses 44 and/or other account nicknames, if businesses choose to have different nicknames for their bank accounts. It is also possible that a business may choose only to have an account nickname.
• CCDCU 40 may determine which nicknames may be available to a business and may assign a business to a nickname when an available nickname may be found. CCDCU 40 may update account databases 102 and/or 112 periodically or whenever a new nickname may be assigned or according to some other appropriate timing.

Landscapes

• Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Accounting & Taxation (AREA)
• Finance (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Technology Law (AREA)
• Economics (AREA)
• Marketing (AREA)
• Strategic Management (AREA)
• Development Economics (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Telephonic Communication Services (AREA)
• Facsimiles In General (AREA)
• Financial Or Insurance-Related Operations Such As Payment And Settlement (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=38572780

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (2)

Citations (3)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 2006
  • 2006-07-02 IL IL176663A patent/IL176663A/en active IP Right Grant
  • 2006-09-25 AR ARP060104174A patent/AR056088A1/es not_active Application Discontinuation
• 2007
  • 2007-07-02 EP EP20070766847 patent/EP2036011A4/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2007-07-02 WO PCT/IL2007/000817 patent/WO2008004217A2/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (3)

Non-Patent Citations (7)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events