U.S. patent application number 10/845175 was filed with the patent office on 2004-11-18 for vicarious execution support system, vicarious execution support method and program for vicarious execution support.
This patent application is currently assigned to FUJITSU LIMITED. Invention is credited to Kamonji, Masaru, Sakurai, Hiroshi.
Application Number | 20040230537 10/845175 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 18579813 |
Filed Date | 2004-11-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040230537 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kamonji, Masaru ; et
al. |
November 18, 2004 |
Vicarious execution support system, vicarious execution support
method and program for vicarious execution support
Abstract
To allow an agent to vicariously execute predetermined
processing that is to be carried out with respect to a
predetermined system on behalf of a principal who should perform
the predetermined processing oneself, a request from the principal
for the agent to carry out vicarious execution on behalf of the
principal is accepted, and the details of the accepted request are
registered. Further, a management number is assigned to the
accepted request to manage the vicarious execution to be carried
out by the agent, and the agent is informed of the assigned
management number. When carrying out the vicarious execution, the
agent is prompted to enter the management number. The vicarious
execution carried out by the agent is managed on the basis of the
entered management number and the management number assigned in
advance to the request for the relevant vicarious execution.
Inventors: |
Kamonji, Masaru; (Kawasaki,
JP) ; Sakurai, Hiroshi; (Kawasaki, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
STAAS & HALSEY LLP
SUITE 700
1201 NEW YORK AVENUE, N.W.
WASHINGTON
DC
20005
US
|
Assignee: |
FUJITSU LIMITED
Kawasaki
JP
|
Family ID: |
18579813 |
Appl. No.: |
10/845175 |
Filed: |
May 14, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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10845175 |
May 14, 2004 |
|
|
|
PCT/JP01/01679 |
Dec 6, 2001 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/64 ;
712/E9.067; 712/E9.069 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 9/3879 20130101;
G06Q 20/382 20130101; H04S 1/007 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/064 |
International
Class: |
G06F 017/60 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A vicarious execution support system for allowing an agent to
vicariously execute predetermined processing that is to be carried
out with respect to a predetermined system on behalf of a principal
who should perform said predetermined processing oneself, said
vicarious execution support system comprising: an acceptance
section that accepts a request from the principal for the agent to
carry out vicarious execution on behalf of the principal; a request
registration section that registers details of the request accepted
by said acceptance section; a management number assigning section
that assigns a management number to the request accepted by said
acceptance section to manage the vicarious execution to be carried
out by the agent; an informing section that informs the agent of
the management number assigned by said management number assigning
section; a first input section that allows the agent to enter said
management number; and a management section that manages the
vicarious execution carried out by the agent on a basis of the
management number assigned by said management number assigning
section and the management number entered through said first input
section.
2. A vicarious execution support system according to claim 1,
wherein said management section compares the management number
assigned by said management number assigning section and the
management number entered through said first input section and
authenticates the agent on a basis of a result of the
comparison.
3. A vicarious execution support system according to claim 1,
further comprising: an information registration section that
registers predetermined information decided by mutual agreement
between the principal and the agent; and a second input section
that allows the agent to enter said predetermined information;
wherein said management section authenticates the agent on a basis
of the predetermined information registered in said information
registration section and the predetermined information entered
through said second input section.
4. A vicarious execution support system according to claim 1,
wherein when vicarious execution using the management number has
been carried out, said management section informs the principal of
a result of the execution.
5. A vicarious execution support system according to claim 1,
wherein the details of said request include at least one of
information concerning the agent, details of processing to be
vicariously executed by the agent, an amount of money that can be
handled by the agent, and a term of validity of vicarious execution
to be carried out by the agent.
6. A vicarious execution support system according to claim 1,
wherein the vicarious execution to be carried out by the agent
includes cash deposit/withdrawal processing that is carried out
with respect to a financial institution.
7. A vicarious execution support method for allowing an agent to
vicariously execute predetermined processing that is to be carried
out with respect to a predetermined system on behalf of a principal
who should perform said predetermined processing oneself, said
vicarious execution support method comprising: an acceptance step
of accepting a request from the principal for the agent to carry
out vicarious execution on behalf of the principal; a request
registration step of registering details of the request accepted at
said acceptance step; a management number assigning step of
assigning a management number to the request accepted at said
acceptance step to manage the vicarious execution to be carried out
by the agent; an informing step of informing the agent of the
management number assigned at said management number assigning
step; an input step of prompting the agent to enter the management
number; and a management step of managing the vicarious execution
carried out by the agent on a basis of the management number
assigned at said management number assigning step and the
management number entered at said input step.
8. A vicarious execution support program that instructs a computer
to execute vicarious execution support for allowing an agent to
vicariously execute predetermined processing that is to be carried
out with respect to a predetermined system on behalf of a principal
who should perform said predetermined processing oneself, said
vicarious execution support program instructing the computer to
execute processing comprising: an acceptance step of accepting a
request from the principal for the agent to carry out vicarious
execution on behalf of the principal; a request registration step
of registering details of the request accepted at said acceptance
step; a management number assigning step of assigning a management
number to the request accepted at said acceptance step to manage
vicarious execution to be carried out by the agent; an informing
step of informing the agent of the management number assigned at
said management number assigning step; an input step of prompting
the agent to enter the management number; and a management step of
managing the vicarious execution carried out by the agent on a
basis of the management number assigned at said management number
assigning step and the management number entered at said input
step.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a vicarious execution
support system and a vicarious execution support method that allow
an agent to carry out predetermined processing on behalf of a
principal. The present invention also relates to a program for
executing the above-described vicarious execution support. More
particularly, the present invention relates to a vicarious
execution support system and a vicarious execution support method
that allow an agent to carry out cash deposit/withdrawal processing
with respect to an automatic teller machine or the like installed
at a financial institution, etc. on behalf of a principal. The
present invention also relates to a program for executing the
above-described vicarious execution support.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] The processing of depositing or withdrawing cash from an ATM
(Automatic Teller Machine) or the like installed at a financial
institution, for example, is generally carried out by a person
oneself who has an account with the financial institution. However,
there are cases where the person (principal) who has the account
does not perform the cash deposit/withdrawal processing oneself but
asks another person (agent) to execute the desired processing on
his or her behalf.
[0003] Conventionally, in such a case, the principal entrusts his
or her cash card directly to the agent, and the agent carries out
the desired processing on behalf of the principal. However, the
conventional practice that the agent uses the cash card on behalf
of the principal involves the danger of leakage of the personal
identification number and is therefore problematic in terms of
security. Further, the delivery of the cash card and so forth
require a great deal of time and labor, preventing the processing
from being performed speedily.
[0004] Further, the conventional practice has the problem that
while the agent is keeping the cash card, the principal cannot use
it and hence cannot readily deposit or withdraw cash,
disadvantageously.
[0005] The present invention was made to solve these problems.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a vicarious execution
support system and a vicarious execution support method that enable
vicarious execution of high reliability to be performed without the
need to entrust one's cash card to another person, and also
provides a program for executing the above-described vicarious
execution support. Further, the present invention provides a
vicarious execution support system and a vicarious execution
support method that are capable of preventing an unauthorized
transaction by supervising the processing vicariously executed and
informing the client of the result of the processing, and also
provides a program for executing the above-described vicarious
execution support.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention provides a vicarious execution support
system for allowing an agent to vicariously execute predetermined
processing that is to be carried out with respect to a
predetermined system on behalf of a principal who should perform
the predetermined processing oneself. The vicarious execution
support system is characterized by including: an acceptance section
that accepts a request from the principal for the agent to carry
out vicarious execution on behalf of the principal; a request
registration section that registers the details of the request
accepted by the acceptance section; a management number assigning
section that assigns a management number to the request accepted by
the acceptance section to manage the vicarious execution to be
carried out by the agent; an informing section that informs the
agent of the management number assigned by the management number
assigning section; a first input section that allows the agent to
enter the management number; and a management section that manages
the vicarious execution carried out by the agent on the basis of
the management number assigned by the management number assigning
section and the management number entered through the first input
section.
[0007] With this arrangement, when the agent is asked to withdraw
cash at a financial institution on behalf of the principal, for
example, the agent can carry out the vicarious execution without
the need to borrow the cash card from the principal. Accordingly,
it is possible to save the time and labor otherwise spent in
delivering the cash card and hence possible to carry out speedy
processing. In addition, there is no danger of leakage of the
personal identification number or the like. Thus, the vicarious
execution support system is,superior in reliability.
[0008] It should be noted that in an embodiment of the present
invention, the acceptance section comprises a
transmission-reception section and a vicarious execution request
acceptance section of a bank host. The request registration section
comprises a database of the bank host. The management number
assigning section comprises a management number assigning section
of the bank host. The informing section comprises the management
number assigning section and the transmission-reception section of
the bank host. The first input section comprises a management
number input section of an ATM terminal and a vicarious execution
management section of the bank host. The management section
comprises the vicarious execution management section of the bank
host.
[0009] Further, the vicarious execution support system according to
the present invention is characterized in that the management
section compares the management number assigned by the management
number assigning section and the management number entered through
the first input section and authenticates the agent on the basis of
the result of the comparison.
[0010] With the above-described arrangement, it is possible to
authenticate the agent when vicariously executing the processing on
behalf of the principal. Consequently, the reliability of vicarious
execution is improved.
[0011] In addition, the vicarious execution support system
according to the present invention is characterized by further
including: an information registration section that registers
predetermined information decided by mutual agreement between the
principal and the agent; and a second input section that allows the
agent to enter the predetermined information. The management
section authenticates the agent on the basis of the predetermined
information registered in the information registration section and
the predetermined information entered through the second input
section.
[0012] With the above-described arrangement, the agent can be
authenticated on the basis of extra information in addition to the
management number. Therefore, reliability is improved markedly, and
an unauthorized transaction can be prevented.
[0013] It should be noted that in an embodiment of the present
invention, the predetermined information corresponds to an agent
password, and the information registration section comprises the
database. The second input section comprises a password input
section of the ATM terminal and the vicarious execution management
section of the bank host.
[0014] Further, the vicarious execution support system according to
the present invention is characterized in that when vicarious
execution using the management number has been carried out, the
management section informs the principal of the result of the
execution.
[0015] If the vicarious execution support system is arranged to
inform the principal of the result of the vicarious execution as
stated above, the principal can check whether or not the vicarious
execution has been carried out normally. Therefore, the reliability
of the vicarious execution is improved, and an unauthorized
transaction can be prevented.
[0016] Further, the vicarious execution support system according to
the present invention is characterized in that the details of the
request include at least one of information concerning the agent,
the details of processing to be vicariously executed by the agent,
an amount of money that can be handled by the agent, and the term
of validity of vicarious execution to be carried out by the
agent.
[0017] With the above-described arrangement, it is possible at the
system side to grasp the details of the processing to be
vicariously executed. Therefore, it is possible to vicariously
execute the desired processing speedily simply by entering the
management number. Accordingly, the agent can vicariously execute
the processing reliably and easily. At the system side, it is
possible to perform detailed management according to the details of
the processing to be vicariously executed, e.g. permission of or
limitation on the vicarious execution.
[0018] It should be noted that in an embodiment of the present
invention, the details of the request are stored in a management
file B on a personal management file in the database.
[0019] Further, the vicarious execution support system according to
the present invention is characterized in that the vicarious
execution to be carried out by the agent includes cash
deposit/withdrawal processing that is carried out with respect to a
financial institution.
[0020] If the vicarious execution includes cash deposit/withdrawal
processing carried out to a financial institution as stated above,
it is possible to support vicarious execution with high
reliability, particularly in handling of cash that requires
authentication.
[0021] In addition, the present invention provides a vicarious
execution support method for allowing an agent to vicariously
execute predetermined processing that is to be carried out with
respect to a predetermined system on behalf of a principal who
should perform the predetermined processing oneself. The vicarious
execution support method is characterized by including: an
acceptance step of accepting a request from the principal for the
agent to carry out vicarious execution on behalf of the principal;
a request registration step of registering the details of the
request accepted at the acceptance step; a management number
assigning step of assigning a management number to the request
accepted at the acceptance step to manage the vicarious execution
to be carried out by the agent; an informing step of informing the
agent of the management number assigned at the management number
assigning step; an input step of prompting the agent to enter the
management number; and a management step of managing the vicarious
execution carried out by the agent on the basis of the management
number assigned at the management number assigning step and the
management number entered at the input step.
[0022] In addition, the present invention provides a vicarious
execution support program that instructs a computer to execute
vicarious execution support for allowing an agent to vicariously
execute predetermined processing that is to be carried out with
respect to a predetermined system on behalf of a principal who
should perform the predetermined processing oneself. The vicarious
execution support program is characterized by instructing the
computer to execute processing including: an acceptance step of
accepting a request from the principal for the agent to carry out
vicarious execution on behalf of the principal; a request
registration step of registering the details of the request
accepted at the acceptance step; a management number assigning step
of assigning a management number to the request accepted at the
acceptance step to manage the vicarious execution to be carried out
by the agent; an informing step of informing the agent of the
management number assigned at the management number assigning step;
an input step of prompting the agent to enter the management
number; and a management step of managing the vicarious execution
carried out by the agent on the basis of the management number
assigned at the management number assigning step and the management
number entered at the input step.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the arrangement of a vicarious
execution support system according to an embodiment of the present
invention and the flow of vicarious execution processing.
[0024] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing in detail the respective
arrangements of a bank host and an ATM terminal in the vicarious
execution support system.
[0025] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the arrangement of a personal
management file in a database of the bank host and also showing the
contents of the personal management file.
[0026] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing vicarious execution service
registration processing.
[0027] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing vicarious execution service
request accepting processing.
[0028] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing management number assigning
processing.
[0029] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing management number accepting
processing.
[0030] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing management number verification
processing.
[0031] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing password verification
processing and checking processing concerning the details of
processing to be vicariously executed.
[0032] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing vicarious execution
completion informing processing.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0033] An embodiment of the present invention will be described
below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0034] This embodiment shows an example of a vicarious execution
support system arranged as follows. When a person (principal)
having an account with a bank asks another person (agent) to
deposit or withdraw cash from the principal's account on behalf of
the principal, a bank host that manages the account on the bank
side accepts a vicarious execution request from the principal and
assigns a vicarious execution processing management number
(hereinafter referred to as "management number") to the vicarious
execution request. The agent carries out the vicarious execution by
using the management number acquired from the bank host. The bank
host informs the principal of the result of the vicariously
executed processing. Hereinafter, the principal will be referred to
as "client".
[0035] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing in detail the vicarious
execution support system according to this embodiment and the flow
of the above-described vicarious execution processing. In FIG. 1, a
client 1 has a client terminal 2 to make communication connection
to a bank host 5 through a network 7, e.g. Internet. An agent 3 who
actually carries out vicarious execution at the request of the
client 1 has an agent terminal 4 to make communication connection
to the bank host 5 through the network 7. The bank host 5 is
connected through the network 7 to an ATM terminal 6 installed at a
bank to transmit and receive various data.
[0036] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing in detail the respective
arrangements of the bank host 5 and the ATM terminal 6. The bank
host 5 has the following sections. A transmission-reception section
10 performs data transmission and reception between the bank host 5
and an external device through the network 7. A database 15 stores
client data, agent data and the details of processing to be
vicariously executed, together with management numbers. A vicarious
execution service registration section 11 stores into the database
15 an input screen for the client 1 to make registration for using
a vicarious execution service to the bank host 5 and also stores
into the database 15 information concerning the client at the time
of registration. A vicarious execution request acceptance section
12 accepts the details of a vicarious execution request for the
agent from the client terminal 2 and registers the details of the
vicarious execution request into the database 15. A management
number assigning section 13 assigns a management number to the
vicarious execution request accepted by the vicarious execution
request acceptance section 12, registers the assigned management
number into the database 15 and informs the agent terminal 4 of the
assigned management number. A vicarious execution management
section 14 manages vicarious execution processing carried out at
the ATM terminal 6 while referring to the database 15.
[0037] The ATM terminal 6 has the following sections. A
transmission-reception section 20 performs data transmission and
reception between the ATM terminal 6 and an external device through
the network 7. A management number input section 21 provides an
input screen for entering a management number when the agent
vicariously executes processing and informs the vicarious execution
management section 14 of the bank host 5 of the entered management
number through the transmission-reception section 20 and the
network 7. A password input section 22 provides an input screen for
entering an agent password and informs the vicarious execution
management section 14 of the bank host 5 of the entered agent
password through the transmission-reception section 20 and the
network 7. A cash deposit/withdrawal processing section 23 performs
deposit and withdrawal of cash.
[0038] Further, the database 15 creates a personal management file
30 as shown in FIG. 3 for each registered account and stores data
necessary for vicarious execution into each file. In the figure,
the personal management file 30 comprises four files: a client
account file (hereinafter referred to as "management file A")
storing client account information; a request detail file
(hereinafter referred to as "management file B") storing the
details of a client's vicarious execution request; a management
number file (hereinafter referred to as "management file C")
storing a management number; and a processing state flag file
(hereinafter referred to as "management file D") showing the state
of vicarious execution with flags.
[0039] Based on the above-described arrangement, the operation of
the vicarious execution support system according to this embodiment
will be described below in detail. First, in FIG. 1, the client 1
executes registration processing to the bank host 5 to use a bank
vicarious execution service [(1) in FIG. 1].
[0040] The specific processing contents of the registration
processing are shown in FIG. 4. The client 1 connects the client
terminal 2 to the network 7, e.g. Internet, and accesses a
vicarious execution service screen from the homepage of the bank
host 5 (S100). The vicarious execution service registration screen
(not shown) is provided by the vicarious execution service
registration section 11. On the registration screen, the client 1
enters the number of an account in relation to which vicarious
execution is to be performed (S101) and also enters the personal
identification number corresponding to the account number (S102).
When the entry of the necessary items of data has been completed
and the data has been transmitted, the transmission-reception
section 10 receives the data and sends it to the vicarious
execution service registration section 11. The vicarious execution
service registration section 11 stores the data into the database
15 (S103). In the database 15, a personal management file 30 is
created, and the entered account number is written to the
management file A, as shown in FIG. 3. The other information
entered by the client is managed in another table for which a
relationship to the management file A has been set. When the
information has been stored in the database 15 in this way, the
registration processing is completed (S104).
[0041] After the vicarious execution service registration has been
completed, the client 1 can ask the agent 3 to carry out vicarious
execution on his or her behalf by transmitting a vicarious
execution request to the bank host 5. In advance of transmitting
the request to the bank host 5, the client 1 needs to decide an
agent password, which is necessary for authentication of the agent
3 when acting on behalf of the client 1, by mutual agreement
between the client 1 and the agent 3 [(2) in FIG. 1].
[0042] After deciding the agent password, the client 1 transmits to
the bank host the details of processing that the client 1 asks the
agent 3 to carry out on his or her behalf, and requests the bank
host to manage the relevant processing to be vicariously executed
by the agent 3 [(3) in FIG. 1]. The transmission of the request is
effected by entering the details of the request into a form (not
shown) displayed on a vicarious execution service request screen of
the homepage of the bank host 5.
[0043] The specific processing contents are shown in FIG. 5. The
client 1 connects the client terminal 2 to the network 7 and
accesses the vicarious execution service request screen from the
homepage of the bank host 5 (S200). The vicarious execution service
request screen is provided by the vicarious execution request
acceptance section 12. On the request screen the client 1 enters
the number of the account in relation to which vicarious execution
is to be performed (S201) and also enters the personal
identification number corresponding to the account number (S202).
Further, the client 1 enters the following information according to
the form displayed on the screen so that the necessary items of
data are stored in the management file B: an amount of money that
can be handled by the agent 3; the term of validity of the relevant
processing to be vicariously executed; the agent password decided
by mutual agreement between the client 1 and the agent 3;
information about whether or not the client 1 wants to be informed
of the completion of the vicarious execution and the details of the
vicariously executed processing; and agent information (e-mail
address, telephone number, etc.). By entering each item of data,
the details of the processing to be vicariously executed are
determined. When the entry of data has been completed and the data
has been transmitted, the transmission-reception section 10
receives the data and sends it to the vicarious execution request
acceptance section 12. The details of the accepted request are
registered in the relevant management file B in the database 15 by
the vicarious execution request acceptance section 12 (S203). Thus,
the request acceptance is completed (S204).
[0044] It should be noted that if "YES" is marked in the column
asking whether or not the client 1 wants to be informed of the
completion of the vicarious execution and the details of the
vicariously executed processing, the client 1 is informed, after
the completion of the vicarious execution, of the completion of the
vicarious execution and the details of the vicariously executed
processing (including the date of processing, the amount of money,
etc.) actually carried out by the agent 3.
[0045] Next, the management number assigning section 13 of the bank
host 5 assigns a management number to the request accepted from the
client 1 [(4) in FIG. 1]. The specific processing contents are
shown in FIG. 6. The management number assigning section 13 of the
bank host 5 encrypts the agent password written on the management
file B and the management file number (S300). It should be noted
that the term "management file number" means a number that the bank
host 5 uses for various processing operations, which is uniquely
determined in correspondence to each personal management file 30.
Management file numbers are assigned to management files in order
as shown in FIG. 3, i.e. "management file 1", "management file 2",
"management file 3", and so forth. A management number for managing
vicarious execution processing is determined from the data
encrypted in this way (S301).
[0046] It should be noted that the processing at S300 may be
replaced by processing whereby the management file number
concerning the details of processing to be vicariously executed is
encrypted on the agent password. There is no restriction on the
processing method for encryption. When the management number has
been-determined, it is written to the management file C (S302).
Further, an "unfinished" flag on the management file D is set ON
(S303).
[0047] Further, the management number assigning section 13
transmits the determined management number in the form of e-mail to
the agent terminal 4 from the transmission-reception section 10 to
inform the agent 3 of the management number [(5) in FIG. 1]. The
management number assigning section 13 also informs the client 1
that the agent 3 has been informed of the management number [(6) in
FIG. 1]. This notification is also made in the form of e-mail. It
should be noted that the notification of the management number and
the notification to the client may be made by telephone or the like
instead of e-mail. There is no specific restriction on the form of
notification.
[0048] The agent 3 who has acquired the management number and the
agent password can carry out the vicarious execution. The flow of
processing in a case where the agent 3 executes the processing of
withdrawing cash from the ATM terminal 6 of the bank (hereinafter
referred to as "cash withdrawal processing") on behalf of the
client 1 will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The agent 3 goes to the ATM terminal 6 of the bank and enters the
management number from a management number input screen (not shown)
provided by the management number input section 21 of the ATM
terminal 6 [(7) in FIG. 1]. When the management number is entered,
the management number input section 21 informs the vicarious
execution management section 14 of the bank host 5 of the entered
management number from the transmission-reception section 20
through the network 7 [(8) in FIG. 1]. The reported management
number is retrieved by the vicarious execution management section
14 [(9) in FIG. 1].
[0049] FIG. 7 shows the details of retrieval processing carried out
by the vicarious execution management section 14. First, the
vicarious execution management section 14 decrypts the received
management number (S400). The decryption is performed because the
management number is data created by encrypting the agent password
and the management file number at the above-described step S300.
Next, the decrypted data is separated into an agent password part
and a management file number part (S401). Then, the management file
number separated and thus extracted is retrieved from the database
15 (S402).
[0050] The result of the retrieval is reported to the ATM terminal
6 [(10) in FIG. 1]. FIG. 8 shows the details of retrieval result
informing processing. If the management file number is present in
the database 15 (if YES at S500), the vicarious execution
management section 14 informs the ATM terminal 6 of the request for
the agent password (S501). If the management file number is not
present in the database 15 (if NO at S500), the vicarious execution
management section 14 checks whether or not the number of times the
management number has been entered is within 3. If the number of
times the management number has been entered is within 3 (if YES at
S502), the vicarious execution management section 14 regards the
processing operation as a data entry mistake and requests the agent
3 to enter the management number again (S503). If the number of
times the management number has been entered exceeds 3 (if NO at
S502), the vicarious execution management section 14 judges that an
unauthorized action has been conducted. Then, the vicarious
execution management section 14 stops the processing and informs
the client 1 of this fact by e-mail, telephone or the like (S504).
It should be noted that the relevant personal management file 30
can be identified by the retrieved management file number.
[0051] The notice of the agent password request is received by the
password input section 22 of the ATM terminal 6. The password input
section 22 displays a password input screen (not shown) for the
agent 3, and prompts the agent 3 to enter the password. When the
password is entered by the agent 3 [(11) in FIG. 1], the password
input section 22 informs the vicarious execution management section
14 of the bank host 5 of the entered password from the
transmission-reception section 20 through the network 7 [(12) in
FIG. 1].
[0052] The reported password is verified by the vicarious execution
management section 14 [(13) in FIG. 1]. The details of verification
processing are shown in FIG. 9. The password decrypted at the
above-described step S400 and the password entered by the agent 3
are compared with each other (S600). If the comparison result shows
that the two passwords do not match each other (if NO at S600), it
is checked whether or not the number of times the password has been
entered is within 3 (S605). If the number of times the password has
been entered is within 3 (if YES at S605), the vicarious execution
management section 14 regards the processing operation as a data
entry mistake and requests the agent 3 to enter the password again
(S606). If the number of times the password has been entered
exceeds 3 (if NO at S605), the vicarious execution management
section 14 judges that an unauthorized action has been conducted.
Then, the vicarious execution management section 14 stops the
processing and informs the client 1 of this fact by e-mail,
telephone or the like (S607).
[0053] If the result of the comparison made at S600 shows that the
two passwords match each other (if YES at S600), the vicarious
execution management section 14 refers to the "term of validity"
column on the personal management file 30 to check whether or not
the relevant vicarious execution is valid (S601). If the term of
validity of the vicarious execution has already expired (if NO at
S601), the vicarious execution management section 14 instructs the
ATM terminal 6 to display an error message, and stops the
processing (S608). If the term of validity of the vicarious
execution has not yet expired (if YES at S601), the vicarious
execution management section 14 refers to the flag on the
management file D of the personal management file 30 to check
whether or not the relevant vicarious execution is unfinished
(S602). If the vicarious execution has already been carried out (if
NO at S602), the vicarious execution management section 14
instructs the ATM terminal 6 to display an error message, and stops
the processing (S609). If the vicarious execution has not yet been
carried out (if YES at S602), the vicarious execution management
section 14 issues a cash withdrawal processing instruction to the
ATM terminal 6 on the basis of the details of the processing to be
vicariously executed, which have been written on the personal
management file 30 (S603). In response to the instruction, the cash
deposit/withdrawal processing section 23 of the ATM terminal 6
performs cash withdrawal processing according to the details of the
processing to be vicariously executed [(14) in FIG. 1]. Further,
the vicarious execution management section 14 of the bank host 5
sets a "finished" flag on the management file D of the relevant
personal management file 30 (S604).
[0054] After the completion of the vicariously executed processing,
the vicarious execution management section 14 of the bank host 5
transmits the notice of vicarious execution completion to the
client 1 [(15) in FIG. 1]. FIG. 10 shows the details of vicarious
execution completion informing processing. The vicarious execution
management section 14 checks the "want to be informed of completion
and details of vicarious execution" column on the management file
B. If "YES" has been marked in this column (if YES at S700), the
vicarious execution management section 14 informs the client 1 of
the completion of the vicarious execution and the details of the
vicariously executed processing in the form of e-mail or the like
(S701). Then, the vicarious execution processing is terminated
(S702). If "NO" has been entered in the above-described column (if
NO at S700), the vicarious execution management section 14
terminates the processing without informing the client 1 of
anything (S702).
[0055] As has been stated above, this embodiment allows the agent
to withdraw cash on behalf of the client by using the management
number without the need to borrow the cash card from the client. In
addition, the vicarious execution itself can be readily performed
simply by entering the management number. That is, in response to
the entry of the management number, the bank host issues an
instruction to the ATM terminal on the basis of the details of the
vicarious execution request written on the personal management
file. Therefore, the cash withdrawal processing is executed
speedily. Thus, the agent can vicariously execute the processing
easily.
[0056] It should be noted that in the foregoing embodiment security
is ensured by informing the client of the occurrence of an abnormal
situation when the management number or the password entered at the
ATM terminal is false. In this regard, the reliability of the
system can be increased by employing another method. For example,
the system is arranged to enable the bank host to judge whether or
not an abnormal situation has occurred by the way in which the
password is entered.
[0057] More specifically, the system may be arranged as follows. If
an extra two-digit numeral, character string or the like is added
to the tail end of the password when entered, it is judged that an
abnormal situation has occurred, and this is automatically reported
to the bank host. For example, when the client is forced to
transmit an unintentional vicarious execution request by
intimidation, for example, the client tells the intimidator the
password with a two-digit random character string added thereto, or
the client oneself enters the password with a two-digit character
string added thereto, whereby it is possible to report the
occurrence of an abnormal situation to the bank host. When an
abnormal situation has occurred during the vicarious execution of
processing by the agent, also, if a two-digit character string is
added to the password in the same as the above, it is possible to
report the occurrence of the abnormal situation. It should be noted
that even if a password with a two-digit character string added
thereto is used, the vicarious execution request processing or the
vicarious execution processing is outwardly normal and executed
smoothly without hindrance.
[0058] It is even more preferable to arrange the system such that
the client can designate whether or not he or she needs such report
service at the time of vicarious execution service registration.
For example, a column for setting "security mode" is provided on
the vicarious execution service registration screen, and the system
is arranged such that if the client enters "ON" in the column, the
report service can be obtained.
[0059] Although the embodiment has been described above in detail,
the flow of vicarious execution processing and the arrangement and
operation of the vicarious execution support system that have been
described in the foregoing embodiment are merely an example for
implementing the present invention. The arrangement of the system
is not particularly limited to the foregoing but may be modified
appropriately for each particular application without departing
from the gist of the present invention, as a matter of course.
[0060] Industrial Applicability:
[0061] According to the present invention, it is possible to
provide a speedy and highly reliable vicarious execution service
without requiring the client to entrust one's cash card to another
person. The client can ask another person to carry out vicarious
execution on his or her behalf even more easily than in the past.
Similarly, the agent can perform the vicarious execution even more
easily than in the past. Further, an unauthorized transaction can
be prevented because it is possible to supervise the processing
vicariously executed and to inform the client of the processing
result.
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