Transferring money using a mobile electronic device

Abstract

A check service provider enables users to make and receive payments from a financial account via a mobile electronic device, such as a smartphone or tablet computer. The device includes a check module and a camera. A user can capture an image of a check using the camera and the check module deciphers information, such as an account number, bank routing number, and information regarding the account holder, from the image of the check. The user can then make payments from and receive payments into the financial account associated with the imaged check via the check module without having the physically write or deposit a check. The check service provider interacts with the ACH to settle payments directly between the user's accounts without handling the money. Users can be notified of pending payments via text, voice, and e-mail messaging.

1 . A computer-implemented method to obtain digital images of paper documents to configure corresponding accounts, comprising:
 receiving, using one or more computing devices and from a first application module configured to operate on a mobile computing device, a request to transfer money to a financial account associated with a recipient, the request comprising information regarding the recipient and an amount of money to be transferred;   receiving, using the one or more computing devices and from a digital image capturing device logically linked to the first application module, an image captured from a first paper check associated with a first financial account associated with a sender and managed by a financial account provider computing system;   deciphering, using the one or more computing devices, information regarding the first financial account from the image of the first check, the information being sufficient to associate the first financial account with a first transfer account managed by the one or more computing devices;   associating, using the one or more computing devices, the first financial account with the first transfer account based on the deciphered information regarding the first financial account, the first transfer account being authorized to cause the first financial account computing system to transfer funds, and the first transfer account being separate from the first financial account; and   communicating, by the one or more computing devices and based on the association of the first financial account with the first transfer account, instructions to cause the financial account provider computing system that manages the first financial account to transfer the funds from the first financial account to the financial account associated with the recipient.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein communicating the instructions to transfer the funds comprises sending an Automated Clearing House (“ACH”) message to an ACH network, the ACH message comprising information identifying the first financial account associated with the first check, information identifying the financial account associated with the recipient, and the payment amount. 
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 sending, using the one or more computing devices, a message to a communication account of the recipient, the message comprising information regarding the request to transfer money;   receiving, using the one or more computing devices, an image captured from a second paper check, the second paper check being associated with a second financial account, the image of the second paper check originating from a second application module configured to operate on a second mobile computing device, wherein the second financial account is the financial account associated with the recipient;   deciphering, using the one or more computing devices, information regarding the recipient's second financial account from the image of the second paper check, the information being sufficient to associate the second financial account with a second transfer account managed by the one or more computing devices, wherein the second transfer account is a transfer account of the recipient; and   associating, using the one or more computing devices, the second financial account with the second transfer account based on the deciphered information regarding the second financial account, the second transfer account being authorized to receive a transfer of funds from the first financial account to the second financial account,   wherein the message to the communication account of the recipient notifies the recipient of the request to transfer money and prompts the recipient to provide the image of the second check.   
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the first application module deciphers the information regarding the first financial account from the image of the first check and sends the image of the first check and the information regarding the first financial account to the one or more computing devices. 
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 3 , wherein the second application module deciphers the information regarding the recipient's financial account from the image of the second check and sends the image of the second check and the information regarding the recipient's financial account to the one or more computing devices. 
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more computing devices performs the deciphering act. 
     
     
         7 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the first application module sends the request to transfer funds to a financial account associated with a recipient to the one or more computing devices in response to receiving a command to transfer funds to a financial account associated with a recipient, an amount of funds to transfer, and a selection of the recipient from a plurality of recipients. 
     
     
         8 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 in response to a time period after sending the message to the communication account of the recipient, prior to the recipient accepting the transfer of money, automatically initiating the transfer of funds.   
     
     
         9 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more computing devices receives the request to transfer money to a financial account associated with a recipient, the request comprising contact information associated with the recipient, and wherein the one or more computing devices notifies the recipient of the payment via the contact information. 
     
     
         10 - 34 . (canceled) 
     
     
         35 . A computer program product, comprising:
 a non-transitory computer-readable storage device having computer-executable program instructions embodied thereon that when executed by a computer cause the computer to obtain data from digital images of paper documents to configure corresponding accounts, the computer-executable program instructions comprising:
 computer-executable program instructions to receive a request to transfer money to a financial account associated with a recipient, the request comprising information regarding the recipient and an amount of money to be transferred, the request originating from a first application module configured to operate on a mobile computing device; 
 computer-executable program instructions to receive an image captured from a first paper check associated with a first financial account associated with a sender and managed by a financial account provider computing system, the image of the first paper check originating from the first application module; 
 computer-executable program instructions to decipher information regarding the first financial account from the image of the first check, the information being sufficient to associate the first financial account with a first transfer account managed by the one or more computing devices; 
 computer-executable program instructions to associate the first financial account with the first transfer account based on the deciphered information regarding the first financial account, the first transfer account being authorized to transfer funds from the first financial account, and the first transfer account being separate from the first financial account; and 
 computer-executable program instructions to communicate instructions to cause the financial account provider computing system that manages the first financial account to transfer the funds from the first financial account to the financial account associated with the recipient based on the association of the first financial account with the first transfer account. 
   
     
     
         36 . The computer program product of  claim 35 , further comprising:
 computer-executable program instructions to send a message to a communication account of the recipient, the message comprising information regarding the request to transfer money;   computer-executable program instructions to receive an image captured from a second paper check, the second paper check being associated with a second financial account, the image of the second paper check originating from a second application module configured to operate on a second mobile computing device, wherein the second financial account is the financial account associated with the recipient;   computer-executable program instructions to decipher information regarding the recipient's second financial account from the image of the second paper check, the information being sufficient to associate the second financial account with a second transfer account managed by the one or more computing devices, wherein the second transfer account is a transfer account of the recipient; and   computer-executable program instructions to associate the second financial account with the second transfer account based on the deciphered information regarding the second financial account, the second transfer account being authorized to receive a transfer of funds from the first financial account to the second financial account,   wherein the message to the communication account of the recipient notifies the recipient of the request to transfer money and prompts the recipient to provide the image of the second check.   
     
     
         37 . The computer program product of  claim 36 , further comprising computer-executable program instructions to automatically initiate the transfer of funds in response to a time period after sending the message to the communication account of the recipient, and prior to the recipient accepting the transfer of money. 
     
     
         38 . The computer program product of  claim 35 , wherein the computer program product receives the request to transfer money to a financial account associated with a recipient, the request comprising contact information associated with the recipient, and wherein the computer program product notifies the recipient of the payment via the contact information. 
     
     
         39 . The computer program product of  claim 35 , wherein the computer program product performs the deciphering act. 
     
     
         40 . The computer program product of  claim 36 , wherein the second application module deciphers the information regarding the recipient's financial account from the image of the second check and sends the image of the second check and the information regarding the recipient's financial account to the computer program product. 
     
     
         41 . A system to instruct computer systems to obtain data from digital images of paper documents to configure corresponding accounts, comprising:
 a storage device;   a processor communicatively coupled to the storage device, wherein the processor executes application code instructions that are stored in the storage device to cause the system to:
 receive, from a first application module configured to operate on a mobile computing device, a request to transfer money to a financial account associated with a recipient, the request comprising information regarding the recipient and an amount of money to be transferred; 
 receive, from the first application module, an image captured from a first paper check associated with a first financial account associated with a sender and managed by a financial account provider computing system; 
 decipher information regarding the first financial account from the image of the first check, the information being sufficient to associate the first financial account with a first transfer account managed by the one or more computing devices; 
 associate the first financial account with the first transfer account based on the deciphered information regarding the first financial account, the first transfer account being authorized to transfer funds from the first financial account, the first transfer account being separate from the first financial account; and 
 based on the association of the first financial account with the first transfer account, communicate instructions to cause the financial account provider computing system that manages the first financial account to transfer the funds from the first financial account to the financial account associated with the recipient. 
   
     
     
         42 . The system of  claim 41 , further comprising application code instructions to:
 send a message to a communication account of the recipient, the message comprising information regarding the request to transfer money;   receive an image captured from a second paper check, the second paper check being associated with a second financial account, the image of the second paper check originating from a second application module configured to operate on a second mobile computing device, wherein the second financial account is the financial account associated with the recipient;   decipher information regarding the recipient's second financial account from the image of the second paper check, the information being sufficient to associate the second financial account with a second transfer account managed by the one or more computing devices, wherein the second transfer account is a transfer account of the recipient; and   associate the second financial account with the second transfer account based on the deciphered information regarding the second financial account, the second transfer account being authorized to receive a transfer of funds from the first financial account to the second financial account,   wherein the message to the communication account of the recipient notifies the recipient of the request to transfer money and prompts the recipient to provide the image of the second check.   
     
     
         43 . The system of  claim 41 , wherein communicating the instructions to transfer the funds comprises sending an Automated Clearing House (“ACH”) message to an ACH network, the ACH message comprising information identifying the first financial account associated with the first check, information identifying the financial account associated with the recipient, and the payment amount. 
     
     
         44 . The system of  claim 41 , wherein the first application module deciphers the information regarding the first financial account from the image of the first check and sends the image of the first check and the information regarding the first financial account to the processor. 
     
     
         45 . The system of  claim 42 , wherein the second application module deciphers the information regarding the recipient's financial account from the image of the second check and sends the image of the second check and the information regarding the recipient's financial account to the processor. 
     
     
         46 . The system of  claim 41 , wherein the first application module sends the request to transfer money to a financial account associated with a recipient to the processor in response to receiving a command to transfer money to a financial account associated with a recipient, an amount of money to transfer, and a selection of the recipient from a plurality of recipients. 
     
     
         47 . (canceled)