U.S. patent application number 16/380916 was filed with the patent office on 2019-08-01 for systems and methods for providing bail and bond services via a money transfer network.
The applicant listed for this patent is Moneygram International, Inc.. Invention is credited to Kenneth James Bengtsson, Brinkley Brown Eiting, LaVonne Lynne Engman, Timothy Field.
Application Number | 20190236567 16/380916 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 59275790 |
Filed Date | 2019-08-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20190236567 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Field; Timothy ; et
al. |
August 1, 2019 |
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING BAIL AND BOND SERVICES VIA A
MONEY TRANSFER NETWORK
Abstract
Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for
processing of bail payments and/or bond payments using resources of
a money transfer network are disclosed. In an embodiment, a bail
payment may be made via a money transfer transaction between a
sending party (e.g., a family member or friend of a defendant) and
a receiving party (e.g., the court that set the defendant's bail).
In an additional or alternative embodiment, a bond payment may made
via a money transfer transaction between the sending party and a
receiving party (e.g., the bail bondsman entity).
Inventors: |
Field; Timothy; (Hanover,
MN) ; Engman; LaVonne Lynne; (Saint Michael, MN)
; Bengtsson; Kenneth James; (Minneapolis, MN) ;
Eiting; Brinkley Brown; (Dallas, TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Moneygram International, Inc. |
Minneapolis |
MN |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
59275790 |
Appl. No.: |
16/380916 |
Filed: |
April 10, 2019 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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14990264 |
Jan 7, 2016 |
10275743 |
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16380916 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 20/102 20130101;
G06Q 20/10 20130101; G06Q 40/00 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 20/10 20060101
G06Q020/10; G06Q 40/00 20060101 G06Q040/00 |
Claims
1. A method for providing a surety payment in connection with a
bail amount set by a court via a computer-based money transfer
network operated by a money transfer entity, the method comprising:
receiving, at a computer-based agent device of the money transfer
entity, a request to initiate the surety payment via the money
transfer network, wherein the request includes information
indicating: a name of a defendant for which the surety payment is
being made, the bail amount, a case number that identifies a case
for the defendant before the court that set the bail amount, and a
surety payment type, and wherein the surety payment type indicates
whether the surety payment is one of a bail payment type or a bond
payment type; determining, at the agent device, one or more
requirements corresponding to the surety payment based on the
surety payment type; receiving, at the agent device, an input
indicating a monetary amount for funding the surety payment,
wherein the monetary amount is received from a sending party;
validating, at the agent device, that the one or more requirements
are satisfied based, at least in part, on the information included
in the request and the monetary amount; in response to a validation
that the one or more requirements are satisfied, initiating, at the
agent device, a money transfer transaction between the sending
party and a receiving party, wherein the money transfer transaction
provides the surety payment to the receiving party; sending a
notification from the agent device to a computer-based device of
the receiving party, wherein the notification indicates the surety
payment has been made, and wherein the receiving party initiates
operations to release the defendant from custody in response to the
notification; and generating a send receipt that includes
information confirming the monetary amount used to fund the money
transfer transaction, an amount of funds provided to receiving
party in connection with the money transfer transaction, one or
more fees charged by the money transfer entity for providing the
money transfer transaction, a confirmation number identifying the
money transfer transaction, and the case number, wherein the send
receipt is provided to the sending party.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the monetary amount is at least
equal to the bail amount when the surety payment type is the bail
payment type.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the monetary amount is less than
the bail amount when the surety payment type is the bond payment
type.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: retrieving, by the
agent device, one or more documents that are to be filled out in
connection with providing the surety payment; determining whether
the one or more documents have been filled out as part of the
validating; and providing electronic copies of the one or more
documents that have been filled out to the receiving party in
response to initiating the money transfer transaction.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the receiving party is the court,
and wherein the one or more documents are retrieved from a database
associated with the court.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein the receiving party is a bail
bondsman entity, and wherein the one or more documents are
retrieved from a database associated with the bail bondsman
entity.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving party is the court,
wherein the agent device is configured to interface with a payment
system provided by the court, and wherein the money transfer
transaction provides the surety payment to the payment system
provided by the court.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: initiating, by the
money transfer entity, a second money transfer transaction to
return at least a portion of the surety payment to a second
receiving party in response to a determination that the defendant
has satisfied one or more conditions associated with the surety
payment, wherein the second money transfer transaction is between
the payment system and the second receiving party; receiving funds
in connection with the second money transfer transaction; receiving
an input including a reference number corresponding to the second
money transfer transaction, wherein the reference number is
provided by the second receiving party; determining whether the
reference number is a valid reference number; and in response to a
determination that the reference number is a valid reference
number, providing an amount of funds corresponding to at least the
portion of the surety payment to the second receiving party.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, at an
agent device of the money transfer entity, a request to initiate a
second money transfer transaction to return at least a portion of
the surety payment to a second receiving party, wherein the request
to initiate the second money transfer transaction is transmitted in
response to a determination that the defendant has satisfied one or
more conditions associated with the surety payment; determining
whether at least the portion of the surety payment satisfies a
threshold amount; and initiating the second money transfer
transaction as an electronic funds transfer to an account
associated with the second receiving party in response to a
determination that at least the portion of the surety payment
satisfies the threshold amount, wherein an amount of the electronic
funds transfer is based on at least the portion of the surety
payment.
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: initiating the
second money transfer transaction as a transfer to cash money
transaction in response to a determination that at least the
portion of the surety payment does not satisfy the threshold
amount, wherein the transfer to cash money transfer transaction
includes receiving an amount electronically, and providing the
amount of funds to the second receiving party as cash, wherein the
amount of funds provided to the second receiving party is based on
at least the portion of the surety payment; receiving an input
including a reference number corresponding to the second money
transfer transaction, wherein the reference number is provided by
the second receiving party; determining whether the reference
number is a valid reference number; and in response to a
determination that the reference number is a valid reference
number, providing the amount of funds to the second receiving party
as cash.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the fees charged by the money
transfer entity in connection with the money transfer transaction
include a sending party fee charged for the money transfer
transaction, and a receiving party fee charged for returning at
least a portion of the surety payment to a receiving party in
response to a determination that the defendant has satisfied one or
more conditions associated with the surety payment.
12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing
instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the
processor to perform operations for providing a bail payment in
connection with a bail amount set by a court via a computer-based
money transfer network operated by a money transfer entity, the
operations comprising: receiving a request to initiate the bail
payment via a money transfer network operated by the money transfer
entity, wherein the request includes information indicating: a name
of a defendant for which the bail payment is being made, the bail
amount, and a case number that identifies a case for the defendant
before the court that set the bail amount; determining one or more
requirements corresponding to the bail amount set by the court;
receiving an input indicating a monetary amount for funding the
bail payment, wherein the monetary amount is received from a
sending party; validating that the one or more requirements are
satisfied based on the information included in the request and the
monetary amount, wherein the validating includes: retrieving one or
more documents that are to be filled out in connection with
providing the bail payment; and determining whether the one or more
documents have been filled out; and in response to a validation
that the one or more requirements are satisfied: initiating a money
transfer transaction between the sending party and the court;
providing electronic copies of the one or more documents that have
been filled out to the court; sending a notification to the court
that indicates the bail payment has been made, wherein the court
initiates operations to release the defendant from custody in
response to the notification; and generating a send receipt that
includes information confirming the monetary amount used to fund
the money transfer transaction, an amount of funds provided to
account associated with the court in connection with the money
transfer transaction, one or more fees charged by the money
transfer entity in connection with the money transfer transaction,
a confirmation number identifying the money transfer transaction,
and the case number, wherein the send receipt is provided to the
sending party.
13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
12, wherein the monetary amount is at least equal to the bail
amount.
14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
12, wherein the one or more documents are retrieved from a database
associated with the court.
15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
12, the operations further comprising: receiving, at a device of
the money transfer entity, a request to initiate a second money
transfer transaction to return at least a portion of the bail
payment to a receiving party in response to a determination that
the defendant has satisfied one or more conditions associated with
the bail payment; determining whether at least the portion of the
bail payment satisfies a threshold amount; and initiating the
second money transfer transaction based on a determination of
whether at least the portion of the bail payment satisfies the
threshold amount, wherein, funds associated with the second money
transfer transaction are provided to an account associated with the
receiving party in response to a determination that at least the
portion of the bail payment satisfies the threshold amount, and
wherein the funds associated with the second money transfer
transaction are provided to the receiving party at a money transfer
location in response to a determination that at least the portion
of the bail payment does not satisfy the threshold amount.
16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing
instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the
processor to perform operations for providing a bond payment in
connection with a bail amount set by a court via a computer-based
money transfer network operated by a money transfer entity, the
operations comprising: receiving a request to initiate the bond
payment via a money transfer network operated by the money transfer
entity, wherein the request includes information indicating: a name
of a defendant for which the bond payment is being made, the bail
amount, a case number that identifies a case for the defendant
before the court that set the bail amount, a bond amount, and a
bail bondsman entity; determining one or more requirements for
posting of the bond amount by the bail bondsman entity; receiving
an input indicating a monetary amount for funding the bond payment,
wherein the monetary amount is received from a sending party;
validating that the one or more requirements are satisfied based on
the information included in the request and the monetary amount,
wherein the validating includes: retrieving one or more documents
that are to be filled out in connection with providing the bond
payment; and determining whether the one or more documents have
been filled out; and in response to a validation that the one or
more requirements are satisfied: initiating a money transfer
transaction between the sending party and the bail bondsman entity;
providing electronic copies of the one or more documents that have
been filled out to the bail bondsman entity; sending a notification
to the bail bondsman entity that indicates the bond payment has
been made, wherein the bail bondsman entity initiates operations to
release the defendant from custody in response to the notification;
and generating a send receipt that includes information confirming
the monetary amount used to fund the money transfer transaction, an
amount of funds provided to the bail bondsman entity in connection
with the money transfer transaction, one or more fees charged by
the money transfer entity in connection with the money transfer
transaction, a confirmation number identifying the money transfer
transaction, and the case number, wherein the send receipt is
provided to the sending party.
17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
16, wherein the monetary amount is less than the bail amount.
18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
16, wherein the one or more documents are retrieved from a database
associated with the bail bondsman entity.
19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
16, wherein the money transfer transaction deposits funds into an
account associated with the bail bondsman entity.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
16, the operations further comprising determining whether the bail
bondsman entity indicated in the request is authorized to receive
the bond payment via the money transfer network, wherein the
request is denied in response to a determination that the bail
bondsman entity indicated in the request is not authorized to
receive the bond payment via the money transfer network, and
wherein the money transfer transaction is processed in response to
a determination that the bail bondsman entity indicated in the
request is authorized to receive the bond payment via the money
transfer network.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 14/990,264, filed Jan. 7, 2016 and entitled
"SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING BAIL AND BOND SERVICES VIA A
MONEY TRANSFER NETWORK," the disclosure of which is incorporated by
reference herein in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to providing bail and bond
services, and more particularly to improving money transfer
networks and underlying devices for providing bail and/or bond
services.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In many legal systems, a defendant (or a suspect) who has
been arrested and/or placed in the custody of law enforcement may
be offered bail, which typically requires the defendant to deposit
some form of property (usually money) to a court in exchange for
the defendant's release from custody. Bail is typically offered to
the defendant with an understanding that the defendant will appear
at trial (or another proceeding relating to the defendant being
taken into custody by law enforcement), and that the bail will be
forfeited if the defendant does not appear. In some instances, a
defendant may make bail by depositing all or a portion of the bail
amount with the court. The amount of the bail may be determined by
the court, and is often affected by the offense that resulted in
the defendant being taken into custody, the perceived flight risk
of the defendant, and other factors. An alternative to posting bail
is posting a bond, in which a third party (e.g., a bail bondsman
entity) agrees to be responsible for payment of the bail amount if
the defendant does not appear or does not otherwise fulfill the
obligations of the bail.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0004] The present disclosure is directed to systems, methods,
computer-readable storage media for processing of bail payments
and/or bond payments by improving the resources of a money transfer
network and corresponding devices accessing the money transfer
network. In an embodiment, a bail payment may be made via a money
transfer transaction between a sending party (e.g., a family member
or friend of the defendant) and a receiving party (e.g., the court
that set the defendant's bail). In an additional or alternative
embodiment, a bond payment may made via a money transfer
transaction between the sending party and a receiving party (e.g.,
the bail bondsman entity). The receiving party (e.g., either the
court or the bail bondsman entity), upon receiving a notification
of the money transfer transaction, may initiate one or more actions
to release the defendant from custody. For example, when the
receiving party is the court, the notification may indicate that
the bail payment has been made via the money transfer transaction,
and the court, upon receiving the notification, may initiate one or
more actions to release the defendant from custody. As another
example, when the receiving party is the bail bondsman entity, the
notification may indicate that the bond fee has been made to the
bail bondsman entity via the money transfer transaction, and the
bail bondsman entity, upon receiving the notification, may initiate
one or more actions to release the defendant from custody.
[0005] In a traditional money transfer transaction, the receiving
party receives a code that may be provided to the money transfer
entity that provided the money transfer transaction, and, upon
verifying that the code is valid, the money transfer entity may
provide cash to the receiving party. Such traditional money
transfer transactions would pose significant inconvenience in the
context of providing bail and bond services. Accordingly, in an
embodiment, the money transfer transaction may be executed as an
electronic funds transfer to an account of the receiving party
(e.g., an account of the court or an account of the bail bondsman
entity).
[0006] Additionally, traditional money transfer transactions are
performed based solely on requirements imposed on or by the money
transfer entity. For example, federal regulations and laws relating
to money laundering and other illicit purposes may require that
money transfer entities place limits on amounts that may be
transferred through money transfer transactions or other
restrictions. To ensure compliance with such requirements, the
money transfer entity will often require a sending party and/or a
receiving party to fill out certain paperwork that may be retained
by the money transfer entity for auditing and regulatory compliance
purposes. However, traditional money transfer transactions do not
presently require sending and/or receiving parties to authenticate
and/or fill out paper work of a third party. Unlike these
traditional money transfer transactions, money transfer
transactions according to one or more of the embodiments disclosed
herein may require that the money transfer entity obtain and
authenticate one or more documents of a third party. For example, a
bail bondsman entity may require the sending party to the money
transfer transaction to fill out one or more forms (e.g., an
indemnitor application agreement, an agreement detailing the
sending party's obligations to the bail bondsman entity in exchange
for the bail bondsman entity's services, a guarantor agreement
detailing the costs of the bail bondsman entity's services, a
credit card authorization form authorizing the bail bondsman entity
to charge the sending party's credit card in relation to the bail
bondsman entity's services, other forms or agreements, or a
combination thereof). In accordance with an embodiment of the
present disclosure, a money transfer transaction between the
sending party and the bail bondsman entity may require verification
that one or more of the above-described forms be completed before
the money transfer transaction is executed. Additionally, in an
embodiment, electronic copies of the forms may be provided to the
bail bondsman entity upon initiating the money transfer
transaction. In an additional or alternative embodiment, other
forms, such as any forms required by the court for providing
payment of bail, or forms required by the court for the posting of
the bond may also be verified by the money transfer entity prior to
initiating the money transfer transaction.
[0007] One or more of the techniques for processing bail and/or
bond payments disclosed herein may provide significant advantages
and savings when compared to traditional bail/bond services. For
example, assume that the defendant is arrested or placed into
custody in a first state. The defendant may contact a family member
or friend, who may be in another state, and ask the family member
or friend to arrange for payment of bail or posting of a bond. the
sending party may visit a money transfer location. Using presently
available systems for arranging payment of bail or posting of a
bond, the friend or family member would have to travel to the first
state and visit the court or the court's designated facility for
receiving bail payments, or visit a bail bondsman entity in the
first state to make arrangements for the posting of the bond. This
increases the cost and inconvenience to the friend or family member
who incurs travel expenses in connection with arranging for the
payment of the bail or posting of the bond. Using embodiments of
the present disclosure, the friend or family member may make
arrangements for the payment of the bail or posting of the bond
without having to travel to the first state, thereby eliminating
the significant costs and inconvenience incurred by the friend or
family member under the traditional methods of paying the bail or
posting the bond.
[0008] The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and
technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the
detailed description that follows may be better understood.
Additional features and advantages will be described hereinafter
which form the subject of the claims. It should be appreciated by
those skilled in the art that the conception and specific
embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for
modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same
purposes of the present disclosure. It should also be realized by
those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not
depart from the scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the
appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be
characteristic of embodiments described herein, both as to its
organization and method of operation, together with further objects
and advantages will be better understood from the following written
description when considered in connection with the accompanying
figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of
the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and
description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits
of the present disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure,
reference should be made to the embodiments illustrated in greater
detail in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating aspects of providing
bail and/or bond payments using resources of a money transfer
network;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating additional aspects of
a system for providing bail and/or bond payments using resources of
a money transfer network;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating aspects of providing
bail payments using resources of a money transfer network; and
[0013] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating aspects of providing
bond payments using resources of a money transfer network.
[0014] It should be understood that the drawings are not
necessarily to scale and that the disclosed embodiments are
sometimes illustrated diagrammatically and in partial views. In
certain instances, details which are not necessary for an
understanding of the disclosed methods and apparatuses or which
render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted.
It should be understood, of course, that this disclosure is not
limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] Referring to FIG. 1, a block diagram illustrating aspects of
a system for providing bail and/or bond payments using resources of
a money transfer network is shown as a system 100. As shown in FIG.
1, the system 100 includes an agent device 110, a central server
130, and a network 150. In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the
agent device 110 and central server 130 may be communicatively
coupled to a court device 160 via the network 150. In an additional
or alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the agent device 110
and central server 130 may be communicatively coupled to a bail
bondsman entity device 170 via the network 150. As described in
more detail below, the agent device 110 and/or central server 130
may facilitate money transfer transactions for providing bail
payments to a court associated with the court device 160 and/or
money transfer transactions for providing bond payments to a bail
bondsman entity associated with the bail bondsman entity device
170.
[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the agent device 110 includes a
processor 112, a communication interface 114, one or more
input/output (I/O) devices 116, and a memory 120. The one or more
I/O devices 116 may include a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen
device, a credit card processing device, a biometric input device
(e.g., fingerprint scanner, retina scanner, etc.), a receipt
printer, another form of printer, a barcode scanner, and the like.
In an embodiment, the memory 120 may store instructions 122 that,
when executed by the processor 112, cause the processor 112 to
perform operations for providing bail and/or bond payments using
resources of a money transfer network, such as the network 150.
Additionally, in an embodiment, the memory 120 may store a database
124. The database 124 may store information that is used to
facilitate the provisioning of money transfer transactions in
connection with a surety payment (e.g., a bail payment or a bond
payment) using resources of the money transfer network, as
described in more detail below. It is noted that although the
database 124 is shown as being stored at the memory 120, in
additional or alternative embodiments, the database 124 may be
stored at a memory that is external to the agent device 110, such
as at a network attached storage device on a local area network
(LAN) of the physical money transfer location, an external storage
device coupled to the agent device 110, or another storage device
accessible to the agent device 110 either locally or via the
network 150. In an embodiment, the agent device 110 may be an
electronic device, such as a point of sale device, a computer,
etc., located at a physical money transfer location operated by a
money transfer entity.
[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the central server 130 includes a
processor 132, a communication interface 134, and a memory 140. In
an embodiment, the memory 140 may store instructions 142 that, when
executed by the processor 132, cause the processor 132 to perform
operations for providing bail and/or bond payments using resources
of a money transfer network, such as the network 150. Additionally,
in an embodiment, the memory 140 may store a database 144. The
database 144 may store information that is used to facilitate the
provisioning of money transfer transactions in connection with a
surety payment (e.g., a bail payment or a bond payment) using
resources of the money transfer network, as described in more
detail below. It is noted that although the database 144 is shown
as being stored at the memory 140, in additional or alternative
embodiments, the database 144 may be stored at a memory that is
external to the central server 130, such as at a network attached
storage device, an external storage device coupled to the central
server 130, or another storage device that is otherwise accessible
to the central server 130 either locally or via the network
150.
[0018] During operation, a sending party 102 may visit a money
transfer agent location and request a money transfer transaction in
connection with providing a surety payment (e.g., a bail payment or
a bond payment). A money transfer agent (e.g., employee of the
money transfer agent location) may provide inputs to the agent
device 110 to initiate setup of the money transfer transaction. The
inputs provided to the agent device 110 may include information
such as the name of a defendant for which the surety payment is
being made, the bail amount, a case number that identifies the
defendant's case before the court that set the bail amount, a
surety payment type (e.g., either a bail payment or a bond
payment).
[0019] In an embodiment, the agent device 110 may prompt the money
transfer agent to identify a particular entity that is to be a
receiving party for the money transfer transaction (e.g., the
entity that is to receive funds in connection with the surety
payment). For example, when the surety payment type is the bail
payment type, the receiving party for the money transfer
transaction may be a court (e.g., the court associated with the
court device 170). As another example, when the surety payment type
is the bond payment type, the receiving party for the money
transfer transaction may be a bail bondsman entity (e.g., the bail
bondsman entity associated with the bail bondsman entity device
170). In an embodiment, the database 124 may store information
associated with one or more entities (e.g., one or more bail
bondsman entities and one or more courts) that have established a
relationship with the money transfer entity for receiving surety
payments via money transfer transactions. The information
associated with the one or more entities may include account
information for each of the one or more entities, where the account
information identifies a bank account at a bank, such as the bank
180 of FIG. 1, where funds provided in connection with making the
surety payment via the money transfer transaction may be deposited
on behalf of the receiving party. In an embodiment, the account
information may be stored external to the agent device 110, such as
at the database 144 of the central server 130 to provide improved
data security. In an embodiment, the information associated with
the one or more entities may include contact information for the
respective entities, address information for the respective
entities, one or more forms (e.g., an indemnitor application
agreement, an agreement detailing the sending party's obligations
to the bail bondsman entity in exchange for the bail bondsman
entity's services, a guarantor agreement detailing the costs of the
bail bondsman entity's services, a credit card authorization form
authorizing the bail bondsman entity to charge the sending party's
credit card in relation to the bail bondsman entity's services,
other forms or agreements, or a combination thereof) required for
providing surety payments to the respective entities via money
transfer transactions, and the like. In an additional or
alternative embodiment, the one or more documents or forms to be
filled out may be retrieved from a database associated with the
receiving party device (e.g., the court device 160 or the bail
bondsman entity device 170).
[0020] In an embodiment, the prompt may present a filtered list of
entities authorized for receiving surety payments via money
transfer transactions. For example, the inputs provided to the
agent device 110 may indicate a city and state where the receiving
party to the money transfer transaction is located, and the agent
device 110 may prompt the money transfer agent with a list of
entities in the designated city and state that are authorized for
receiving surety payments via money transfer transactions. The
money transfer agent may then select one of the entities as the
receiving party to the money transfer transaction, or may allow the
sending party to select the receiving party from the list provided
by the prompt. In an embodiment, the sending party may stage the
money transfer transaction prior to visiting the money transfer
agent location (e.g., using a mobile application or website
provided by the money transfer entity), or may use a kiosk (not
shown in FIG. 1) provided at the money transfer agent location to
stage the transaction. Staging the transaction may reduce the
amount of time that the sending party 102 spends interacting with
the money transfer agent. For example, during the staging process,
the sending party 102 may be prompted to fill out the one or more
forms electronically. As another example, during the staging
process, the sending party 102 may be provide with information
indicating various fees charged by the respective entities for
providing services in connection with receiving the surety payment
via a money transfer transaction, and may select the receiving
party accordingly. In an embodiment, the information associated
with the fees may also be presented in the prompt described above.
In yet another embodiment, the transaction may be staged and funded
using a mobile application and transaction information may be sent
to the money transfer network via the mobile device.
[0021] Once the receiving party has been designated by the sending
party, the agent device 110 may determine one or more requirements
corresponding to the surety payment. In an embodiment, the one or
more requirements may be based, at least in party on the surety
payment type. For example, when the surety payment type is the bond
payment type, the agent device 110 may determine one or more
requirements for the bond payment. In an embodiment, this may
include retrieving one or more documents or forms that are to be
filled out in connection with providing the surety payment, as
described above. In an embodiment, the one or more requirements may
be further determined based on the receiving party designated by
the sending party. For example, there may be one or more
requirements that are common to all potential receiving parties in
connection with receiving surety payments via money transfer
transactions, and then each respective entity may further have
their own specific requirements (e.g., certain forms that are to be
filled out, etc.) for providing services in connection with the
surety payment. In an embodiment, the one or more requirements may
be determined based on information stored at the database 124 or
the database 144. In an additional or alternative embodiment, the
one or more requirements may be determined based on information
stored in a remote database, such as a database associated with the
court device 160 or the bail bondsman entity device 170. In an
embodiment, the agent device 110 may print one or more documents or
forms for the sending party 102 to fill out.
[0022] Subsequently, the sending party 102 may provide payment
(e.g., cash, a credit card or debit card, a bank account number to
be used for an electronic funds transfer, etc.) to the money
transfer agent. The agent device 110 may receive an input
indicating the monetary amount of the payment provided by the
sending party 102 for funding the surety payment. In an embodiment,
the monetary amount may be less than the bail amount when the
surety payment type is the bond payment type. For example, bail
bondsman entities typically require payment of ten percent (10%) of
the bail amount or more as a fee for providing the bail bondsman
services (i.e., for bailing defendants out of custody). In an
additional or alternative embodiment, the monetary amount may at
least equal to the bail amount when the surety payment type is the
bail payment type. For example, courts may require that the
defendant seeking to make bail pay the bail amount in full, and
then, if the defendant satisfies all of the conditions of the bail,
may return all or a portion of the bail amount to the defendant. It
is noted that in some instances the court may not require the full
bail amount, and in such instances, the monetary amount provided by
the sending party 102 may be less than the bail amount. Prior to
initiating the money transfer transaction, a validation may be
performed to determine whether the one or more requirements are
satisfied. In an embodiment, the agent device 110 may prompt the
money transfer agent with a list of the one or more requirements,
and the money transfer agent may provide inputs indicating that
each of the one or more requirements has been satisfied. For
example, the one or more requirements may include a requirement
that the sending party fill out one or more forms, and the
validation may include determining whether the one or more
documents have been filled out properly. If the money transfer
transaction has been previously staged, as described above, the
agent device 110 or the central server 130 may validate that the
forms are properly filled out, and, if properly filled out, may
print the electronically filled out forms. The money transfer agent
may then provide the forms to the sending party for signature. If
one or more of the forms are not filled out properly (e.g., is
incomplete, etc.), the agent device 110 may prompt the money
transfer agent with information indicating the deficiencies in the
one or more forms, and may enable the money transfer gent to
provide inputs at the direction of the sending party 102 to
properly fill out the forms, or the money transfer agent may direct
the sending party 102 to a kiosk to finish filling out the forms.
If the one or more requirements require that one or more documents
(e.g., documents outlining the services to be provided, the terms
and conditions of the money transfer transaction, terms and
conditions of the services provided by the receiving party, etc.)
be provided to the receiving party, the money transfer agent may
initiate printing of those documents, and provide an input to the
agent device 110 indicating that the one or more documents have
been provided to the sending party. In an additional or alternative
embodiment, the request to initiate the money transfer transaction
may include an e-mail address of the sending party, and the agent
device 110 may automatically initiate transmission of an e-mail
including the one or more documents to the sending party.
[0023] In response to validating that the one or more requirements
are satisfied, the agent device 110 may initiate the money transfer
transaction between the sending party 102 and the receiving party
to provide the surety payment to the receiving party. Additionally,
the agent device 110 may send a notification to the receiving party
that indicates the surety payment has been made. In an embodiment,
the notification to the receiving party may include the case number
included in the request, and which identifies the defendants case
before the court. The receiving party, upon receiving the
notification, may initiate operations to release the defendant from
custody. In an embodiment, the money transfer transaction may
provide the surety payment funds to a bank account of the receiving
party, such as an account at the bank 180. In some embodiments
however, the receiving party may obtain the funds associated with
the surety payment by visiting a money transfer agent location
local to the receiving party. For example, a bail bondsman entity
may prefer to receive cash payment from the sending party. In such
instances, the notification to the receiving party may include a
code that the receiving party may provide to a local money transfer
agent location to receive the funds of the money transfer
transaction initiated by the sending party 102. In an embodiment,
the ability to receive the funds of the money transfer transaction
as cash may be restricted based on the amount of the surety
payment. For example, surety payments exceeding a threshold amount
may be required to be provided to an account of a bank, such as the
bank 180. The threshold amount may be determined based on limits
imposed by the money transfer entity, limits imposed by the
designated receiving, limits imposed by government regulations, or
a combination thereof. In an embodiment, electronic copies of the
one or more documents (or forms) that have been filled out by the
sending party 102 may be provided to the receiving party in
response to, or as part of, initiating the money transfer
transaction.
[0024] Additionally, in response to the validation, the agent
device 110 may generate a send receipt that is provided to the
sending party 102. The send receipt may include information
confirming the monetary amount used to fund the money transfer
transaction, an amount of funds provided to receiving party in
connection with the money transfer transaction, one or more fees
charged by the money transfer entity for providing the money
transfer transaction, a confirmation number identifying the money
transfer transaction, the case number, and/or other information. In
an embodiment, the send receipt may further include contact
information for the receiving party and/or contact information for
the court. In an embodiment, the agent device 110 and/or the
central server 130 may be integrated with information systems of
one or more courts, such as the court associated with the court
device 160. This integration may enable the agent device 110 to
retrieve information from the various court systems. For example,
the integration may enable the agent device 110 to retrieve
information that identifies a facility where the defendant is held
in custody, contact information for the facility, and the like. In
an embodiment, the send receipt may include contact information for
the facility where the defendant is being held in custody, such as
a jail or other facility. In an embodiment, the agent device 110 or
the central server 130 may send a second notification to the
facility where the defendant is being held to notify the facility
that the defendant has been bailed out, which may put the facility
on notice that the defendant is to be released pending confirmation
from the court. This may reduce delays associated with releasing
the defendant. As another example, the integration may interface
the agent device 110 with a payment system provided by the court,
which may enable the money transfer entity to provide the surety
payment (e.g., the money transfer transaction) to the court via the
court's payment system.
[0025] In an embodiment, upon receiving the electronic copies of
the one or more documents or forms, the receiving party may verify
that all of the documents and/or forms have been properly
completed, and may send a return notification to the money transfer
entity (e.g., such as a notification to the central server 130).
The return notification may indicate an expected time of release,
contact information for the facility where the defendant is to be
released from, conditions of the defendant's release (e.g., when
the defendant is to appear before the court, etc.), or other
information. In an embodiment, the central server 130, or another
device operated by the money transfer entity, may send an update to
the sending party 102 that includes the information included in the
return notification. This may enable the sending party 102 to more
easily make arrangements for the defendant to be picked up upon
release when the defendant is being held in custody in a remote
city or state relative to the sending party 102.
[0026] Referring to FIG. 2, a block diagram illustrating additional
aspects of a system for providing bail and/or bond payments using
resources of a money transfer network is shown. In FIG. 2, the
agent device 110, the central server 130, the bank 180, and the
network 150 of FIG. 1 are shown. Additionally, a sending party 202
and a receiving party 204 are shown. In FIG. 2, it is assumed that
a surety payment has been made using the resources of the money
transfer network according to one or more of the embodiments
described above with reference to FIG. 1. After a defendant has
satisfied the conditions of his release on bail, or, in some
circumstances, release on bond, all or a portion of the surety
payment may be returned to the party that paid surety payment
(e.g., the sending party 102 of FIG. 1). Thus, in an embodiment,
the receiving party 204 of FIG. 2 corresponds to the sending party
102 of FIG. 1, and the sending party 202 of FIG. 2 corresponds to
the entity (e.g., the bail bondsman entity or the court) that
received the surety payment described above with reference to FIG.
1.
[0027] During operation, the money transfer entity may receive a
request to initiate a money transfer transaction to return at least
a portion of the surety payment to receiving party 202. In an
embodiment, the request may be received from a device of the
sending party (e.g., the court device 160 or the bail bondsman
entity device 170) in response to a determination that the
defendant has satisfied one or more conditions associated with the
surety payment. In an embodiment, the money transfer transaction of
FIG. 2 may be funded using the payment system of the court. For
example, when the sending party 202 is the court, the court's
payment system, which may be integrated with the money transfer
network entity as described with reference to FIG. 1, may provide
information for funding the money transfer transaction to a device
(e.g., the central server 130) of the money transfer entity. In an
additional or alternative embodiment, the money transfer
transaction of FIG. 2 may be funded by the sending party 202
visiting a money transfer location of the money transfer entity. In
still another additional or alternative embodiment, the money
transfer transaction of FIG. 2 may be funded by the sending party
202 via a web page or mobile application provided by the money
transfer entity. After receiving the funds for the money transfer
transaction, the central server 130, or another device of the money
transfer entity, may generate a send receipt that is provided to
the sending party 202.
[0028] In an embodiment, the central server 130, or another device
of the money transfer entity, may generate a receive receipt that
is provided to the receiving party 204 in connection with
initiating the money transfer transaction of FIG. 2. In an
embodiment, the receive receipt may include a reference number or
code that the receiving party 204 may use to receive funds in
connection with the money transfer transaction of FIG. 2. For
example, as shown in FIG. 2, at 204 A, the receiving party 204 may
visit a money transfer agent location and provide the reference
number (or code) the a money transfer agent, who may then provide
the reference number as an input to the agent device 110. Upon
receiving the input, the agent device 110 may determine whether the
reference number is a valid reference number. In an embodiment, the
reference number may be determined as valid based on information
stored at the database 124 or the database 144. In response to a
determination that the reference number is a valid reference
number, the money transfer agent operating the agent device 110 may
provide an amount of funds corresponding to the money transfer
transaction to the receiving party 204A. In an embodiment, the
amount of funds may be at least the portion of the surety payment
made in FIG. 1. In an embodiment, the reference number may be
provided on the send receipt described with reference to FIG. 1,
rather than on a receive receipt. In this instance, the money
transfer entity may send a notification to the receiving party 204
that funds are available for pickup by the receiving party 204, and
the receiving party 204 may use the reference number on the send
receipt to receive the funds in a manner similar to that described
above.
[0029] In an additional or alternative embodiment, the central
server 130, or another device of the money transfer entity, may
determine whether the funding amount for the money transfer
transaction of FIG. 2 satisfies a threshold amount, and, in
response to a determination that the funding amount satisfies the
threshold amount, may initiating the money transfer transaction as
an electronic funds transfer to an account associated with the
receiving party 204. For example, in response to a determination
that the funding amount satisfies the threshold amount, the funds
of the money transfer transaction may deposited electronically into
a bank account of the sending party 204, such as a bank account at
the bank 180, and the sending party 204 may obtain the funds, if
desired, by visiting the bank, as indicated at 204A.
[0030] In an embodiment, the money transfer entity may charge one
or more fees in exchange for facilitating the surety payments and
return payments described in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2. In an
embodiment, the fees charged by the money transfer entity may
include a sending party fee charged for the money transfer
transaction of FIG. 1. In an additional or alternative embodiment,
the fees charged by the money transfer entity may include a
receiving party fee charged for the money transfer transaction of
FIG. 2. In an embodiment, the receiving party fee may be charged at
the time initiating the money transfer transaction of FIG. 1. In an
additional or alternative embodiment, the receiving party fee may
be deducted from the funds of the money transfer transaction of
FIG. 2. This may be beneficial as it may reduce the need to refund
the receiving party fee is the defendant does not satisfy the
conditions of his or her release on bail/bond.
[0031] The various embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 1
and 2 provide several improvements to the process of posting bail
and/or bond. For example, as explained above, the various
embodiments described with reference to FIG. 1 enable the sending
party 102 to arrange for and make bail/bond payments to remote
locations (e.g., cities and states remote to where the sending
party 102 is located), thereby reducing the costs to the sending
party 102 for making the arrangements (e.g., because the sending
party 102 does not have to travel to the location where the
defendant is being held in custody to make the arrangements).
Additionally, providing bail payments using the money transfer
network eliminates the need for the court to process the payments.
Further, when the party making the surety payment is remote to the
defendant, one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein may
result in that party receiving a refund (e.g., the money transfer
transaction of FIG. 2) more quickly.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 3, a flow diagram illustrating an
exemplary embodiment of a method for providing bail payments using
resources of a money transfer network is shown as a method 300. In
an embodiment, the method 300 may be performed by the agent device
110 of FIGS. 1 and 2, the central server 130 of FIGS. 1 and 2, or a
combination thereof. In an embodiment, the instructions 122 and/or
142 may include instructions that, when executed by the processors
112 and 132, respectively, cause the processors to perform the
operations of the method 300.
[0033] At 310, the method 300 includes receiving a request to
initiate the bail payment via a money transfer network operated by
the money transfer entity. In an embodiment, the request may
include information indicating: a name of a defendant for which the
bail payment is being made, the bail amount, a case number that
identifies the defendant's case before the court that set the bail
amount, or other information, as described above with reference to
FIGS. 1 and 2. At 320, the method 300 includes determining one or
more requirements corresponding to the bail amount set by the
court. In an embodiment, this may include retrieving one or more
documents from a database (e.g., the database 124 and/or 144 of
FIG. 1, or a database associated with the court). At 330, the
method 300 includes receiving an input indicating a monetary amount
for funding the bail payment. The monetary amount may be received
from the sending party. In an embodiment, the monetary amount may
be provided as cash. In an additional or alternative embodiment,
the monetary amount may be provided via an electronic payment using
a credit card, a debit card, an electronic funds transfer, or
another form of electronic payment.
[0034] At 340, the method 300 includes validating that the one or
more requirements are satisfied. In an embodiment, validating that
the one or more requirements are satisfied may include, at 342,
retrieving one or more documents that are to be filled out in
connection with providing the bail payment, and, at 344,
determining whether the one or more documents have been filled out.
In an embodiment, validating that the one or more requirements are
satisfied may include, at 346, determining whether the monetary
amount satisfies a threshold monetary amount. For example, if the
bail amount is set at $2,000, and the court requires that the bail
payment be at least fifty percent (50%) of the bail amount, then
the validating may verify that the monetary amount is at least
$1,000. In an embodiment, when the monetary amount satisfies the
threshold monetary amount, the money transfer transaction may
deposit the funds in an account (e.g., a bank account) of the
court. For example, bail payments involving large monetary amounts
(e.g., $5,000 or more) may be required to be deposited to a bank
account.
[0035] In response to a validation that the one or more
requirements are satisfied, at 350, the method 300 includes, at
352, initiating the money transfer transaction between the sending
party and the court, and includes, at 354, providing electronic
copies of the one or more documents that have been filled out to
the court, and includes, at 356, sending a notification from the
agent device to the court that indicates the bail payment has been
made, and includes, at 358, generating a send receipt. In an
embodiment, the court may initiate operations to release the
defendant from custody in response to receiving the notification.
In an embodiment, the send receipt includes information confirming
the monetary amount used to fund the money transfer transaction, an
amount of funds provided to account associated with the court in
connection with the money transfer transaction, one or more fees
charged by the money transfer agent in connection with the money
transfer transaction, a confirmation number identifying the money
transfer transaction, and the case number. The send receipt may be
provided to the sending party. Although not illustrated in FIG. 3,
in some embodiments, the method 300 may include operations for
facilitating a return money transfer transaction, such as the money
transfer transaction described with reference to FIG. 2.
[0036] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary
embodiment of a method for providing bond payments using resources
of a money transfer network is shown as a method 400. In an
embodiment, the method 400 may be performed by the agent device 110
of FIGS. 1 and 2, the central server 130 of FIGS. 1 and 2, or a
combination thereof. In an embodiment, the instructions 122 and/or
142 may include instructions that, when executed by the processors
112 and 132, respectively, cause the processors to perform the
operations of the method 400.
[0037] At 410, the method 400 includes receiving a request to
initiate the bail payment via a money transfer network operated by
the money transfer entity. In an embodiment, the request may
include information indicating: a name of a defendant for which the
bail payment is being made, the bail amount, a case number that
identifies the defendant's case before the court that set the bail
amount, or other information, as described above with reference to
FIGS. 1 and 2. In an embodiment, a bail bondsmen entity may be
identified in the request, or may be identified as described with
reference to FIG. 1, and the method 400 may include determining
whether the bail bondsman entity indicated in the request is
authorized to receive the bond payment via the money transfer
network. The request may be denied in response to a determination
that the bail bondsman entity indicated in the request is not
authorized to receive the bond payment via the money transfer
network, and the money transfer transaction may be processed (or
initiated) in response to a determination that the bail bondsman
entity indicated in the request is authorized to receive the bond
payment via the money transfer network. At 420, the method 400
includes determining one or more requirements corresponding to the
bond amount as set by the bail bondsman entity. In an embodiment,
this may include retrieving one or more documents from a database
(e.g., the database 124 and/or 144 of FIG. 1, or a database
associated with the bail bondsman entity). At 430, the method 400
includes receiving an input indicating a monetary amount for
funding the bond payment. The monetary amount may be received from
the sending party. In an embodiment, the monetary amount may be
provided as cash. In an additional or alternative embodiment, the
monetary amount may be provided via an electronic payment using a
credit card, a debit card, an electronic funds transfer, or another
form of electronic payment.
[0038] At 440, the method 400 includes validating that the one or
more requirements are satisfied. In an embodiment, validating that
the one or more requirements are satisfied may include, at 442,
retrieving one or more documents that are to be filled out in
connection with providing the bond payment, and, at 444,
determining whether the one or more documents have been filled out.
In an embodiment, validating that the one or more requirements are
satisfied may include, at 446, determining whether the monetary
amount satisfies a threshold monetary amount. For example, if the
bail amount is set at $2,000, and the bail bondsman entity requires
that the bond payment be at least ten percent (10%) of the bail
amount, then the validating may verify that the monetary amount is
at least $200. In an embodiment, when the monetary amount satisfies
the threshold monetary amount, the money transfer transaction may
deposit the funds in an account (e.g., a bank account) of the bail
bondsman entity. For example, bond payments involving large
monetary amounts (e.g., $5,000 or more) may be required to be
deposited to a bank account.
[0039] In response to a validation that the one or more
requirements are satisfied, at 450, the method 400 includes, at
452, initiating the money transfer transaction between the sending
party and the bail bondsman entity, and includes, at 454, providing
electronic copies of the one or more documents that have been
filled out to the bail bondsman entity, and includes, at 456,
sending a notification from the agent device to the bail bondsman
entity that indicates the bond payment has been made, and includes,
at 458, generating a send receipt. In an embodiment, the bail
bondsman entity may initiate operations to release the defendant
from custody in response to receiving the notification. In an
embodiment, the send receipt includes information confirming the
monetary amount used to fund the money transfer transaction, an
amount of funds provided to account associated with the bail
bondsman entity in connection with the money transfer transaction,
one or more fees charged by the money transfer agent in connection
with the money transfer transaction, a confirmation number
identifying the money transfer transaction, and the case number.
The send receipt may be provided to the sending party. Although not
illustrated in FIG. 4, in some embodiments, the method 400 may
include operations for facilitating a return money transfer
transaction, such as the money transfer transaction described with
reference to FIG. 2.
[0040] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure and their
advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood
that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made
herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the
disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope
of the present application is not intended to be limited to the
particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture,
composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the
specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily
appreciate from the present disclosure, processes, machines,
manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps,
presently existing or later to be developed that perform
substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same
result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be
utilized according to the present disclosure. Accordingly, the
appended claims are intended to include within their scope such
processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means,
methods, or steps.
* * * * *