초록 ▼

An electronic-monetary system having (1) banks or financial institutions that are coupled to a money generator device for generating and issuing to subscribing customers electronic money including electronic currency backed by demand deposits and electronic credit authorizations; (2) correspondent b

An electronic-monetary system having (1) banks or financial institutions that are coupled to a money generator device for generating and issuing to subscribing customers electronic money including electronic currency backed by demand deposits and electronic credit authorizations; (2) correspondent banks that accept and distribute the electronic money; (3) a plurality of transaction devices that are used by subscribers for storing electronic money, for performing money transactions with the on-line systems of the participating banks or for exchanging electronic money with other like transaction devices in off-line transactions; (4) teller devices, associated with the issuing and correspondent banks, for process handling and interfacing the transaction devices to the issuing and correspondent banks, and for interfacing between the issuing and correspondent banks themselves; (5) a clearing bank for balancing the electronic money accounts of the different issuing banks; (6) a data communications network for providing communications services to all components of the system; and (7) a security arrangement for maintaining the integrity of the system, and for detecting counterfeiting and tampering within the system. An embodiment of the invention includes a customer service module which handles lost money claims and links accounts to money modules for providing bank access.

대표청구항 ▼

[ I claim:] [1.] A method for a first subscriber to exchange an electronic representation of a first foreign currency stored in a first transaction module for an electronic representation of a second foreign currency stored in a second transaction module, comprising the steps of:(a) establishing a c

[ I claim:] [1.] A method for a first subscriber to exchange an electronic representation of a first foreign currency stored in a first transaction module for an electronic representation of a second foreign currency stored in a second transaction module, comprising the steps of:(a) establishing a cryptographically secure session between said first transaction module and said second transaction module;(b) said subscriber selecting, by way of said first transaction module, a first amount of said first foreign currency to be sold;(c) checking if said first transaction module has sufficient funds;(d) said first transaction module sending said first amount to said second transaction module, via said cryptographically secure session;(e) said second transaction module prompting its owner to select an exchange rate or a second amount of said second currency;(f) checking if said second transaction module has sufficient funds;(g) said second transaction module sending a message indicative of said second amount or said exchange rate to said first transaction module, via said cryptographically secure session;(h) said first subscriber confirming said second amount or said exchange rate;(i) said first transaction module sending said electronic representation of first foreign currency to said second transaction module, in said first amount, via said cryptographically secure session;(j) said second transaction module sending said electronic representation of said second foreign currency to said first transaction module, in said second amount, via said cryptographically secure session; and(k) committing said first transaction module to transferring said first foreign currency to said second transaction module and said second transaction module to receiving said first foreign currency from said first transaction module, and committing said second transaction module to transferring said second foreign currency to said first transaction module and said first transaction module to receiving said second foreign currency from said second transaction module, in an order which is not predictable.