Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING ACCESS TO SOFTWARE
FEATURES
FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to lockable software features and, more
particularly, to
systems and methods for controlling access to lockable software features
associated with an
account.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Software-locked features exist in numerous technologies. The unlocking
of these features
may occur in a variety of ways. For example, the automotive industry uses in-
car purchases to
unlock software features. By way of another example, the gaming industry uses
gameplay to
unlock new parts of a game, for example, to gain access to a new level.
[0003] It would be advantageous to provide for enhanced control of access to
software features.
[0004] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] Reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying
drawings which
show example embodiments of the present application, and in which:
[0006] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an operating environment
of an example
embodiment according to the subject matter of the present application;
[0007] FIG. 2 shows a high-level schematic diagram of the remote device of
FIG. 1;
[0008] FIG. 3 shows a simplified organization of software components stored in
a memory of the
remote device of FIG. 2;
[0009] FIG. 4 shows a high-level schematic diagram of an example embodiment of
the transferor
and recipient computing systems of FIG. 1;
[0010] FIG. 5 shows a simplified organization of software components stored in
the example
computing systems of FIG. 4;
[0011] FIG. 6 shows, in block diagram form, an example embodiment of a data
store of FIG. 1;
1
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[0012] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing operations performed in creating a score,
according to an
example embodiment;
[0013] FIG. 8 is another flowchart showing operations performed in adjusting a
score, according
to an example embodiment; and
[0014] FIG. 9 is another flowchart showing operations performed in controlling
access to software
features, according to an example embodiment.
[0015] Similar reference numerals may have been used in different figures to
denote similar
components.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS
[0016] In one embodiment, the present application describes a computer system.
The computer
system may include a communications module; a processor coupled to the
communications
module; and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory may store
instructions that, when
executed by the computer system, cause the computer system to: obtain a
plurality of electronic
documents associated with an account, each particular electronic document in
the plurality of
electronic documents including a respective first data item in a first field
and a respective second
data item in a second field; categorize each respective first data item based
on the corresponding
respective second data item; apply a scoring model to the respective first
data items included in
the plurality of electronic documents according to the categorizations to
create a score; and unlock
a software feature associated with the account in response to determining that
the score meets a
threshold.
[0017] In some implementations, wherein unlocking the software feature may
include enabling a
software service or product associated with the account.
[0018] In some implementations, wherein unlocking the software feature may
include providing
access to a resource associated with the account.
[0019] In some implementations, wherein unlocking the software feature may
include configuring
a parameter associated with the account.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-23
[0020] In some implementations, the plurality of electronic documents
represent metadata
associated with a plurality of transfer messages.
[0021] In some implementations, the instructions may further cause the
computer system to re-
determine the score in response to completing each particular transfer in a
plurality of transfers.
[0022] In some implementations, the instructions may further cause the
computer system to detect
a deterioration in the score based on metadata included in a transfer message.
[0023] In some implementations, the categorizations include a plurality of
categories.
[0024] In some implementations, the categorizations represent types of
transfer messages.
[0025] In some implementations, each respective first data item represents an
amount of resources
to be transferred.
[0026] In some implementations, the respective first data items included in
the plurality of
electronic documents include a numeric value.
[0027] In some implementations, the instructions may further cause the
computer system to, in
response to obtaining an additional electronic document, determine an adjusted
score based on the
contents of the additional electronic document.
[0028] In some implementations, the instructions may further cause the
computer system to
automatically lock the unlocked software feature associated with the account
in response to
determining that the adjusted score does not meet the threshold.
[0029] In some implementations, the instructions may further cause the
computer system to leave
the software feature unlocked in response to determining that the adjusted
score meets the
threshold.
[0030] In some implementations, the instructions may further cause the
computer system to
categorize a third data item included in the additional electronic document
and determine the
adjusted score in response to determining that the categorization of the third
data item matches a
defined category.
[0031] In another aspect, present application describes a method for
controlling access to software
features in a computing environment. The method may include obtaining a
plurality of electronic
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-23
documents associated with an account, each particular electronic document in
the plurality of
electronic documents including a respective first data item in a first field
and a respective second
data item in a second field, categorizing each respective first data item
based on the corresponding
respective second data item, applying a scoring model to the respective first
data items included
in the plurality of electronic documents according to the categorizations to
create a score, and
unlocking a software feature associated with the account in response to
determining that the score
meets a threshold.
[0032] In some embodiments, unlocking the software feature may include
enabling a software
service or product associated with the account.
[0033] In some embodiments, the plurality of electronic documents represent
metadata associated
with a plurality of transfer messages
[0034] In some embodiments, each respective first data item represents an
amount of resources to
be transferred.
[0035] In yet another aspect, present application describes a non-transitory
computer-readable
storage medium comprising processor-executable instructions which, when
executed, configure a
processor to: obtain a plurality of electronic documents associated with an
account, each particular
electronic document in the plurality of electronic documents including a
respective first data item
in a first field and a respective second data item in a second field,
categorize each respective first
data item based on the corresponding respective second data item, apply a
scoring model to the
respective first data items included in the plurality of electronic documents
according to the
categorizations to create a score, and unlock a software feature associated
with the account in
response to determining that the score meets a threshold.
[0036] In yet a further aspect, the present application describes a non-
transitory computer-readable
storage medium storing processor-readable instructions that, when executed,
configure a processor
to perform any of the methods described herein. Also described in the present
application is a
computing device comprising: a processor, memory, and an application
containing processor-
executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to carry out
at least one of the
methods described herein. In this respect, the term processor is intended to
include all types of
processing circuits or chips capable of executing program instructions.
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[0037] Other aspects and features of the present application will be
understood by those of
ordinary skill in the art from a review of the following description of
examples in conjunction with
the accompanying figures.
[0038] In the present application, the term "and/or" is intended to cover all
possible combinations
and sub-combinations of the listed elements, including any one of the listed
elements alone, any
sub-combination, or all of the elements, and without necessarily excluding
additional elements.
[0039] In the present application, the phrase "at least one of ...or..." is
intended to cover any one
or more of the listed elements, including any one of the listed elements
alone, any subcombination,
or all of the elements, without necessarily excluding any additional elements,
and without
necessarily requiring all of the elements.
[0040] The present application makes reference to a "request to transfer",
which may be a specially
formatted message that is sent from a first database management system to a
second database
management system. The request to transfer may be sent from the first database
management
system to the second database management system over a transfer rail that is
used for facilitating
transfers between databases associated with different database management
systems. For example,
the first database management system may be associated with a first database
and the second
database management system may be associated with a second database. The
databases may store
account data. That is, the databases may store data that is associated with
various accounts. In at
least some implementations, each record in the database may be associated with
a particular one
of these accounts.
[0041] A request to transfer is a message that is sent on behalf of a
recipient to initiate a transfer
from a sender to the recipient. That is, the request to transfer is sent, on
behalf of the recipient,
from the database management system associated with the recipient to the
database management
system associated with the sender. The request to transfer requests a transfer
from a record in the
database that is associated with the sender to a record in the database that
is associated with the
recipient. The request to transfer includes one or more identifiers that
identify the record
associated with the sender and/or the record associated with the recipient.
The identifier(s) may
be or include an account number. The request to transfer may also include one
or more identifiers
that identify the database management system associated with the sender and/or
that identify the
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-23
database management system associated with the recipient. Such identifiers may
be or include
one or more of: a transit number and an institution number.
[0042] The request to transfer is a transfer initiation message. That is, the
request to transfer is an
initial message that may be used to cause a transfer to occur. Since the
request to transfer is
initiated by a recipient rather than a sender, the request to transfer may be
considered to a pull-
style transfer, which may be contrasted with typical push-style transfers. In
at least some
implementations, the request to transfer may be formatted as an IS020022
message.
[0043] The request to transfer message is specially formatted to include
parameters of a transfer
that is requested to be made from a sender. The parameters may be included as
metadata in the
transfer message. Where the request to transfer is an IS020022 message, the
parameters may be
included in an IS020022 format. The parameters may include resource definition
data. The
resource definition data defines what is requested to be transferred. By way
of example, the
resource definition data may define a resource that is stored in or otherwise
associated with a
record associated with the sender. The resource may be, for example, a
computing resource. In
another implementation, the resource may be data. In some implementations, the
resource may
represent an amount of value, such as a quantity of a currency.
[0044] The parameters that are included in the request to transfer may include
data of another type.
For example, in some implementations, the parameters may be or include
transfer scheduling data.
The transfer scheduling data may represent a time when the requested transfer
is to be made. This
time may be, for example, a due date or deadline. The due date or deadline
represents a latest time
at which the transfer is to be made.
[0045] The request to transfer message may, in some implementations, be or
represent a request
for payment. Such a message may be referred to as a request for payment (RIP)
message or a
request to pay (RTP) message. In such implementations, the transfer rail may
be a payment rail
such as a real time payment rail and the database management systems may be a
financial
institution systems. In at least some such implementations, the records may
represent bank
accounts and a transfer may be a request to transfer value from a sender bank
account to the
recipient bank account. The request to transfer message may be sent from a
first financial
institution system, which is associated with a first financial institution, to
a second financial
institution system, which is associated with a second financial institution.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-23
[0046] The request to transfer message is a special transfer message which is
not formatted as an
email or short message service (SMS) message. Rather, it is a computer-to-
computer message that
is formatted to be specially processed by the database management system that
receives it. For
example, the database management system that receives the request to transfer
message may be
configured to execute a process for obtaining authorization to complete a
transfer in response to
receiving the request to transfer. More particularly, the database management
systems may be
configured to only permit authorized transfers. For example, in one
implementation, the database
stores account data for a plurality of accounts and a database management
system will only allow
a transfer out of an account if the transfer is authorized by an authorization
entity for that account,
such as an account holder. Authorization may, for example, require
authenticated approval using
a credential such as one or more of a usemame, password, biometric
authentication data or other
credential.
[0047] In one implementation, in response to receiving the transfer message, a
database
management system may identify an affected account using an identifier defined
by the transfer
message. Then, the database management system may send an electronic
notification to a client
device associated with the identified account. This notification may be
provided as an in-
application notification or operating system level notification. The
notification may include a
selectable option to authorize the transfer.
[0048] The notification may allow the transfer to be made without requiring
input of one or more
parameters that are typically required when a transfer is initiated by the
sender rather than the
recipient. By way of example, one or more parameters that are included in the
request to transfer
may be used to pre-stage or pre-populate parameters of the transfer so that
the sender does not
have to input such parameters. In some implementations, the resource
definition data included in
the request to transfer may be used to allow the transfer to be made without
having the sender
define what is to be transferred. For example, where the transfer is a
transfer of a computing
resource or data, the sender may perform the transfer without having to input
any information
defining the computing resource or data involved. Or, where the transfer is a
transfer of an amount
of value, the amount of value defined in the request for transfer message may
be used so that the
sender does not have to define the amount of value.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-23
[0049] In some implementations, transfer scheduling data included in the
request to transfer
message may be used to schedule the transfer without requiring the sender to
define such a
schedule. For example, where the transfer scheduling data is a due date or
deadline, the database
management system associated with the sender may automatically define a time
for a transfer
based on the transfer scheduling data without requiring the sender to input
such a time.
[0050] In this way, the sender may cause a database management system that is
associated with
the sender's record in a database to perform the transfer without having to
input any parameters
for the transfer.
[0051] The present application makes reference to a "transfer message", which
is a computer-
readable message configured for transmission over one or more computer
networks between a
sending device and a receiving device. The transfer message may be or include
a request to
transfer. The transfer message may be a structured message having a defined
schema or set of
predefined fields to contain data. The transfer message may be used to
transfer resources from one
entity to another entity. In particular, the transfer message may be used to
effect a change in
recorded ownership of resources. The resources may be currency, physical
assets, credits,
tokenized items like non-fungible tokens, computing resources such as memory
allocated or
processor time, access rights, or any other resource that may be owned or
credited to an account
associated with an account holder. In many of the examples below, monetary
resources may be
referenced to illustrate concepts, but the present application is not
necessarily solely applicable to
financial or monetary instruments or resources.
[0052] Many of the embodiments described herein focus on a transfer message
that is provided as
either a payment or request for payment. However, it is understood that the
present application is
not limited to any such embodiments and that the embodiments described with
respect to a
particular type of transfer generally may be extended to other types of
transfers.
[0053] In the present application, the terms "transferor" and "transferee" may
be used
interchangeably with "sender" and "recipient", respectively, in the context of
describing transfers
of resources. In some cases, the terms "payor" or "payee" may be used in the
example of monetary
resources.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-23
[0054] The present application further makes reference to an "electronic
document", which may
be any electronic media content, including a digital image, video,
spreadsheet, plain text or
extensible markup language (XML) document. An electronic document may include
a plurality of
data fields. For example, a digital image may include and be associated with
metadata fields.
Example metadata fields that may be associated with a digital image include a
title, subject, date
taken, software program name, image dimensions, file type, size and location,
which may be a
global positioning system (GPS location). As another example, an XML document
may include a
plurality of elements as well as a plurality of attributes, each of which may
consist of a name-value
pair. An element's content or the value in a name-value pair may sometimes be
referred to as a
data field. In some embodiments, the XML document may be formatted as an
IS020022 message.
[0055] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an operating environment
of an example
embodiment. The operating environment in this example includes a first system
106, a second
system 108, a first remote device 102 and a second remote device 104. In some
embodiments, the
operating environment may include one or more remote devices or a plurality of
remote devices,
which may include the first remote device 102 and/or the second remote device
104.
[0056] As illustrated, the first system 106 may provide a front-end interface
which allows the
remote devices 102 and 104 to interact with the first system 106. For example,
the first system
106 may provide one or more graphical user interfaces (GUIs) to the remote
devices 102 and 104.
By way of example, the first system 106 may provide, to the remote devices 102
and 104, a user
interface. The user interface provided to the remote devices 102 and 104 may
be an interface for
receiving user input indicating data to be used to populate one or more fields
in an electronic
document.
[0057] The first system 106 may be managed, operated, or controlled by an
entity that may be an
agent of a first account holder and may be a financial institution, such as a
bank. The first account
holder may be a customer (e.g. a corporate/business customer) or client of the
entity or otherwise
associated with the entity.
[0058] The first system 106 may store data regarding one or more electronic
documents in a
plurality of respective electronic document objects. The first system 106 may
further store data
regarding users or customers associated with the first system 106 in a
plurality of respective user
account objects representing respective user accounts.
9
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-23
[0059] The first system 106 may be used to transmit a message to a system
associated with a
second account holder, for example, the second system 108.
[0060] As illustrated, the first system 106 is in communication with the
second system 108 via the
network 110. The first system 106 may be configured to transmit to the second
system 108 a
message and an electronic document. The second system 108 may be further
configured to receive
a message and an electronic document from the first system 106.
[0061] The second system 108 may be managed, operated, or controlled by an
entity that may be
an agent of a second account holder and may be a financial institution, such
as a bank. The second
account holder may be a customer (e.g. a corporate/business customer) or
client of the entity or
otherwise associated with the entity.
[0062] The second system 108 may store data regarding one or more electronic
documents in a
plurality of respective electronic document objects. The second system 108 may
further store data
regarding users or customers associated with the second system 108 in a
plurality of respective
user account objects representing respective user accounts.
[0063] The first system 106 and the second system 108 may be configured to
ingest data from
each other and may transmit alerts, notifications, configuration objects, or
other data to each other
and/or the remote devices 102 and 104. More particularly, the first system 106
may include
infrastructure configured to receive a message from the second system 108 and
transmit a
notification to the first remote device 102, the second remote device 104
and/or the second system
108 in response to receiving the message.
[0064] The first system 106 and the second system 108 may store data in
respective data stores
116 and 118. The data stores 116 and 118 are illustrated as single units for
ease of illustration, but
may include a plurality of storage units and, in some cases, storage media
connected via the
network 110.
[0065] As illustrated, each of the remote devices 102 and 104 is in
communication with a first
system 106 via a network 110. One or more of the remote devices 102 and/or 104
may be managed,
operated or controlled by the first account holder. The remote device 102
and/or 104 may be
associated with an alias associated with the first account holder and a user
account associated with
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-23
the first account holder and the first system 106. The remote devices 102 and
104 may be engaged
using the alias.
[0066] In some embodiments, each of the remote devices 102 and 104 may be
managed, operated
or controlled by respective account holders. Each particular remote device of
the plurality of
remote devices 102 and 104 may be associated with a respective alias
associated with a respective
account holder, a respective user account, and the first system 106. In other
words, the plurality of
remote devices may be engaged using separate aliases.
[0067] Each of the remote devices 102 and 104 may be used, for example, to
receive user input
that includes an indication of a data item to be included in an electronic
document. The user input
may further include an indication of a transfer amount, a category, routing
data, intended
transferor, recipient, an account associated with the intended transferor, an
account associated with
the recipient, and other information to be included in or used to populate one
or more fields in an
electronic document.
[0068] Each of the remote devices 102 and 104 is a computing device. It may,
as illustrated, be a
desktop computer. However, the remote devices 102 and 104 may be a computing
device of
another type such as, for example, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a tablet
computer, a notebook
computer, a hand-held computer, a personal digital assistant, a portable
navigation device, a mobile
phone, a wearable computing device (e.g., a smart watch, a wearable activity
monitor, wearable
smart jewelry, and glasses and other optical devices that include optical head-
mounted displays),
an embedded computing device (e.g., in communication with a smart textile or
electronic fabric),
and any other type of computing device that may be configured to store data
and software
instructions, and execute software instructions to perform operations
consistent with disclosed
embodiments.
[0069] The first system 106 and second system 108 are or include a computer
system such as a
computer server system or a database management system. A computer server
system may, for
example, be a mainframe computer, a minicomputer, or the like. In some
implementations thereof,
a computer server system may be formed of or may include one or more computing
devices. A
computer server system may include and/or may communicate with multiple
computing devices
such as, for example, database servers, web servers, email servers, file
transfer protocol (FTP)
servers, compute servers, and the like. Multiple computing devices such as
these may be in
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-23
communication using a computer network and may communicate to act in
cooperation as a
computer server system. For example, such computing devices may communicate
using a local-
area network (LAN). In some embodiments, a computer server system may include
multiple
computing devices organized in a tiered arrangement. For example, a computer
server system may
include middle tier and back-end computing devices. In some embodiments, a
computer server
system may be a cluster formed of a plurality of interoperating computing
devices.
[0070] The first remote device 102, second remote device 104, first system 106
and second system
108 may be in geographically disparate locations.
[0071] The network 110 is a computer network. The network 110 may be an
internetwork such as
may be formed of one or more interconnected computer networks. For example,
such a network
may be or may include an Ethernet network, an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM)
network, a
wireless network, or the like. In some implementations, the network 110 may be
the Internet. The
network 110 allows the first remote device 102, remote device 104, first
system 106 and second
system 108 to communicate with one another.
[0072] As further described below, the first remote device 102, second remote
device 104, first
system 106 and second system 108 may be configured with software to perform
associated
functions such as those described herein.
[0073] FIG. 1 illustrates the first system 106, second system 108, and data
stores 116 and 118 as
separate computing devices. However, these systems may not be separate
physical systems. For
example, the first system 106 and the data store 116 may be implemented on a
common physical
device. As another example, the second system 108 and the data store 118 may
be implemented
on a common physical device. As yet another example, the first system 106 and
second system
108 may be implemented in software associated with a common processor. As yet
a further
example, the data stores 116 and 118 may be included in the first system 106
and second system
108, respectively, or may be external to those systems.
[0074] An example embodiment of the remote device 102 or 104 will now be
discussed with
reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a high-level schematic diagram of the remote
device 100. The remote
device 102 or 104 may, in some embodiments, be a personal computer as shown in
FIG. 1.
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[0075] The remote device 102 or 104 includes a variety of modules. For
example, as illustrated,
the example computing device 200 may include a processor 210, a memory 220, a
communications
module 230, an I/0 module 240, and/or a storage module 250. As illustrated,
the foregoing
example modules of the example computing device 200 are in communication over
a bus 270. As
such, the bus 270 may be considered to couple the various modules of the
remote device 102 or
104 to each other, including, for example, to the processor 210.
[0076] The processor 210 is a hardware processor. The processor 210 may, for
example, be one
or more ARM, Intel x86, PowerPC processors or the like.
[0077] The memory 220 allows data to be stored and retrieved. The memory 220
may include, for
example, random access memory, read-only memory, and persistent storage.
Persistent storage
may be, for example, flash memory, a solid-state drive or the like. Read-only
memory and
persistent storage are a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. A
computer-readable
medium may be organized using a file system such as may be administered by an
operating system
governing overall operation of the remote device 102 or 104.
[0078] The communications module 230 allows the remote device 102 or 104 to
communicate
with other computing devices and/or various communications networks such as,
for example, the
network 110. For example, the communications module 230 may allow the remote
device 102 or
104 to send or receive communications signals. Communications signals may be
sent or received
according to one or more protocols or according to one or more standards. The
communications
module 230 may allow the remote device 102 or 104 to communicate via a
cellular data network,
such as for example, according to one or more standards such as, for example,
Global System for
Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Evolution
Data
Optimized (EVDO), Long-term Evolution (LTE), 5G or the like. Additionally or
alternatively, the
communications module 230 may allow the remote device 102 or 104 to
communicate using near-
field communication (NFC), via Wi-Fi (TM), using Bluetooth (TM) or via some
combination of
one or more networks or protocols. In some embodiments, all or a portion of
the communications
module 230 may be integrated into a component of the remote device 102 or 104.
For example,
the communications module 230 may be integrated into a communications chipset.
[0079] The I/0 module 240 is an input/output module. The I/0 module 240 allows
the remote
device 102 or 104 to receive input from and/or to provide input to components
of the remote device
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102 or 104 such as, for example, various input modules and output modules. For
example, the I/0
module 240 may, as shown, allow the remote device 102 or 104 to receive input
from and/or
provide output to the display 260.
[0080] The storage module 250 allows data to be stored and retrieved. In some
embodiments, the
storage module 250 may be formed as a part of the memory 220 and/or may be
used to access all
or a portion of the memory 220. Additionally or alternatively, the storage
module 250 may be used
to store and retrieve data from persisted storage other than the persisted
storage (if any) accessible
via the memory 220. In some embodiments, the storage module 250 may be used to
store and
retrieve data in/from a database. A database may be stored in persisted
storage. Additionally or
alternatively, the storage module 250 may access data stored remotely such as,
for example, as
may be accessed using a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN),
personal area
network (PAN), and/or a storage area network (SAN). In some embodiments, the
storage module
250 may access data stored remotely using the communications module 230. In
some
embodiments, the storage module 250 may be omitted and its function may be
performed by the
memory 220 and/or by the processor 210 in concert with the communications
module 230 such as,
for example, if data is stored remotely.
[0081] The remote device 102 or 104 may include or be connected to a display
260. The display
260 is a module of the remote device 102 or 104. The display 260 is for
presenting graphics. The
display 260 may be, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD). In addition
to being an output
device, the display 260 may also be an input device. For example, the display
260 may allow touch
input to be provided to the remote device 102 or 104. In other words, the
display 260 may be a
touch sensitive display module. In a particular example, the display 260 may
be a capacitive touch
screen.
[0082] Software comprising instructions is executed by the processor 210 from
a computer-
readable medium. For example, software may be loaded into random-access memory
from
persistent storage of the memory 220. Additionally or alternatively,
instructions may be executed
by the processor 210 directly from read-only memory of the memory 220.
[0083] FIG. 3 depicts a simplified organization of software components stored
in the memory 220
of the remote device 102 or 104. As illustrated, these software components
include an operating
system 300 and an application software 310.
14
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-23
[0084] The operating system 300 is software. The operating system 300 allows
the application
software 310 to access the processor 210 (FIG. 3), the memory 220, the
communications module
230, the I/0 module 240, and the storage module 250 of the remote device 100.
The operating
system 300 may be, for example, Google (TM) Android (TM), Apple (TM) iOS (TM),
UNIX
(TM), Linux (TM), Microsoft (TM) Windows (TM), Apple OSX (TM) or the like.
[0085] The application software 310 adapts the remote device 102 or 104, in
combination with the
operating system 300, to operate as a device for facilitating data transfers.
[0086] As noted above, the first system 106 and second system 108 are or
include a computer
system. An example computer system 400 will now be discussed with reference to
FIGS. 4 and
5. Suitably-configured instances of the example computer system 400 may, in
some embodiments,
serve as and/or be a part of the first system 106 and/or second system 108.
[0087] FIG. 4 is a high-level schematic diagram of an example computer system
400.
[0088] The example computer system 400 includes a variety of modules. For
example, as
illustrated, the example computer system 400 may include a processor 410, a
memory 420, a
communications module 430, and/or a storage module 440. As illustrated, the
foregoing example
modules of the example computer system 400 are in communication over a bus
450. As such, the
bus 450 may be considered to couple the various modules of the example
computer system 400 to
each other, including, for example, to the processor 410.
[0089] The processor 410 is a hardware processor. The processor 410 may, for
example, be one
or more ARM, Intel x86, PowerPC processors or the like.
[0090] The memory 420 allows data to be stored and retrieved. The memory 420
may include, for
example, random access memory, read-only memory, and persistent storage.
Persistent storage
may be, for example, flash memory, a solid-state drive or the like. Read-only
memory and
persistent storage are a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. A
computer-readable
medium may be organized using a file system such as may be administered by an
operating system
governing overall operation of the example computer system 400.
[0091] The communications module 430 allows the example computer system 400 to
communicate with other computing devices and/or various communications
networks such as, for
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-23
example, the network 110. The communications module 430 may allow the example
computer
system 400 to send or receive communications signals. Communications signals
may be sent or
received according to one or more protocols or according to one or more
standards. For example,
the communications module 430 may allow the example computer system 400 to
communicate
via a cellular data network, such as for example, according to one or more
standards such as, for
example, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple
Access
(CDMA), Evolution Data Optimized (EVDO), Long-term Evolution (LTE), 5G or the
like.
Additionally or alternatively, the communications module 430 may allow the
example computer
system 400 to communicate via Wi-Fi (TM), using Bluetooth (TM) or via some
combination of
one or more networks or protocols. In some embodiments, all or a portion of
the communications
module 430 may be integrated into a component of the example computer system
400. For
example, the communications module may be integrated into a communications
chipset.
[0092] The storage module 440 allows the example computer system 400 to store
and retrieve
data. In some embodiments, the storage module 440 may be formed as a part of
the memory 420
and/or may be used to access all or a portion of the memory 420. Additionally
or alternatively, the
storage module 440 may be used to store and retrieve data from persisted
storage other than the
persisted storage (if any) accessible via the memory 420. In some embodiments,
the storage
module 440 may be used to store and retrieve data in a database. A database
may be stored in
persisted storage. Additionally or alternatively, the storage module 440 may
access data stored
remotely such as, for example, as may be accessed using a local area network
(LAN), wide area
network (WAN), personal area network (PAN), and/or a storage area network
(SAN). In some
embodiments, the storage module 440 may access data stored remotely using the
communications
module 430. In some embodiments, the storage module 440 may be omitted and its
function may
be performed by the memory 420 and/or by the processor 410 in concert with the
communications
module 430 such as, for example, if data is stored remotely.
[0093] Software comprising instructions is executed by the processor 410 from
a computer-
readable medium. For example, software may be loaded into random-access memory
from
persistent storage of the memory 420. Additionally or alternatively,
instructions may be executed
by the processor 410 directly from read-only memory of the memory 420.
16
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-23
[0094] FIG. 5 depicts a simplified organization of software components stored
in the memory 420
of the example computer system 400. As illustrated, these software components
include an
operating system 500 and an application software 510.
[0095] The operating system 500 is software. The operating system 500 allows
the application
software 510 to access the processor 410, the memory 420, the communications
module 430, and
the storage module 440 of the example computer system 400. The operating
system 500 may be,
for example, UNIX (TM), Linux (TM), Microsoft (TM) Windows (TM), Apple OSX
(TM) or the
like.
[0096] The application software 510, when executed, co-operates with the
operating system 500
to adapt the example computer system 400 for some purpose and to provide some
defined
functionality. For example, the application software 510 may cooperate with
the operating system
500 to adapt a suitable embodiment of the example computer system 400 to serve
as the first
system 106 and/or second system 108.
[0097] Reference is now made to FIG. 6, which partially illustrates an example
data store 600 in
block diagram form. The data store may be a data store 116 of the first system
106 of FIG. 1 and/or
a data store 118 of the second system 108 of FIG. 1. Not all components of the
data store 600 are
illustrated. The data store 600 may include one or more data storage units. In
some cases, the stored
data may be in a database format and may include one or more databases. The
databases may be
relational databases in some examples. The data store may store data regarding
one or more user
account objects 602, electronic document objects 604, and categories objects
606. Each of the
objects 602, 604 and 606 may be a data structure.
[0098] The data store 600 may store data regarding an account holder in a user
account object 602.
A user account object 602 may also include details regarding an individual or
entity holding an
account or other logical storage area. Example details include a user account
identifier indicating
a particular person or entity, identification information (e.g. first and last
name), an alias (e.g. email
address, phone number), contact information (e.g. home address), and sign in
or authentication
credentials (e.g. user name, password, access card number). In some
embodiments, the account
holder may be or represent a user, transferor, recipient, payor, payee, or
customer.
17
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-23
[0099] A user account object 602 include the state of one or more software
features associated
with an account. The state may be, for example, "locked" or "unlocked".
[0100] A user account object 602 may be associated with a logical storage
area. A logical storage
area may be or include an area of the data store 600. A logical storage area
may further be or
represent a bank account or other logical storage area for storing a quantity
of a resource. In some
embodiments, the data store 600 may include a database of customer accounts
and bank accounts
at a particular financial institution.
[0101] A user account object 602 may also include one or more identifiers that
may link to one or
more respective logical storage areas. For example, a user account object 602
may include a logical
storage area identifier indicating a logical storage area that is associated
with an account holder.
[0102] The data store 600 may further store data regarding an electronic
document in an electronic
document object 604. The electronic document object 604 may be a data
structure and may contain
details or parameters regarding an electronic document. In some embodiments,
the electronic
document object 604 is an XML document.
[0103] Example parameters that may be included in an electronic document
include an identifier
identifying the particular electronic document and an identifier identifying a
category.
[0104] In some embodiments, for example where the electronic document
represents a transfer,
the parameters may include: an amount of resources to be transferred;
identification information
of the first and/or second account holders (e.g. full name, postal address,
contact details, telephone
number, email address, alias); and routing data, which may include
identification information of
the first and/or second system and/or the entity associated with, operating or
managing the first
and/or second system (e.g. a routing number, financial institution identifier,
and/or branch transit
number associated with the first and/or second system) and/or identification
information of a first
and/or second logical storage area, for example, a logical storage area
identifier (e.g. bank account
number), associated with, managed or controlled by a respective first and/or
second account holder
to or from which the amount of resources is to be transferred. The parameters
may be or include
numeric and/or alphanumeric values.
[0105] The data store 600 may further store data regarding possible predefined
categories in a
categories object 606. The categories object 606 may include a plurality of
defined operators that
18
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-23
may be used by the first system 106 to provide a customized experience. In
some embodiments,
where the electronic document represents metadata included in a transfer
message, the categories
may represent types of transfer messages. For example, the plurality of
defined categories may
indicate at least one of the following categories: a data transfer, payment,
request for payment, tax
payment, income tax remittance, payroll payment, payment on account of goods
received, or
payment on account of services rendered category.
[0106] The first system 106 and second system 108 illustrated in FIG. 1 may
store one or more
user account objects 602, electronic document objects 604, and categories
objects 606 in a data
store 116 and/or 118.
[0107] Reference will now be made to FIG. 7 which illustrates an example
method 700 for creating
a score. The operations of the example method 700 may be performed by a
computer system
which may be of the type described herein. In some embodiments, the operations
702, 704, 706,
708 and 710 may be performed by a first system 106 and the operations 712,
714, 716 and 718
may be performed by a second system 108, which may be of the type described
herein.
[0108] In operation 702, a first computing system provides a user interface to
a remote device.
The user interface may include one or more interface elements configured for
receiving input of
one or more parameters. For example, the user interface may include one or
more interface
elements that prompt an operator or user to input certain parameters
associated with an electronic
document. For example, the user interface may allow an operator or user to
select one or more
defined categories of a data item that is input. The user interface may
constrain the categories of
data that the electronic document may be populated with.
[0109] In operation 704, the first computing system receives a signal from the
remote device. The
signal may include user input indicating one or more parameters.
[0110] In operation 706, the first computing system populates one or more data
fields in an
electronic document with one or more of the received parameters. The one or
more data fields may
include a first data field and a second data field. In this way, the
electronic document may include
a first data item in a first field and a second data item in a second field,
where the first data item
and the second data item may each represent user input.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-23
[0111] In operation 708, the first computing system associates the electronic
document with an
account. For example, in some embodiments, the first computing system may
populate one or more
fields of the electronic document with account information or an alias that
may be associated with
the account and used to obtain account information. The account information
may correspond to
an account associated with a second computing system. In some embodiments, the
first computing
system also associates the electronic document with an account associated with
the first computing
system and the electronic document indicates a transfer of a resource between
the account
associated with the first computing system and the account associated with the
second computing
system.
[0112] In operation 710, the first computing system transmits, to a second
computing system, a
signal including the electronic document. In some embodiments, the signal may
include a transfer
message and the electronic document may represent metadata associated with a
transfer message.
[0113] In operation 712, the second computing system obtains the electronic
document associated
with an account. Obtaining the electronic document may include receiving the
electronic document
from the first system. The electronic document may be parsed to retrieve from
the electronic
document a first data item and a second data item.
[0114] In operation 714, the second computer system categorizes the first data
item included in
the electronic document based on the second data item included in the
electronic document. For
example second data item may match, indicate or otherwise correspond to a
predefined category
included in a categories object 606 the example data store 600 of FIG. 6. The
first data item may
be categorized according to the predefined category that matches, is indicated
by, or corresponds
to, the second data item.
[0115] In operation 716, the operations 702, 704, 706, 708, 710, 712 and 714
may be performed
to categorize respective first data items included in a plurality of
electronic documents associated
with the account. In some embodiments, the operations 702, 704, 706, 708, 710,
712 and 714 may
be carried out by a plurality of computing systems in communication with a
plurality of remote
devices. In this way, the plurality of computing systems, including the first
computing system,
may populate a plurality of electronic documents. Each particular electronic
document in the
plurality of electronic documents may include a respective first data item in
a first field and a
respective second data item in a second field. In addition, each particular
computing system in the
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-23
plurality of computing systems may transmit to the second computing system one
or more
respective electronic documents associated with the account.
[0116] In operation 718, the second computer system applies a scoring model to
the respective
first data items included in the plurality of electronic documents according
to the categorizations
to create a score.
[0117] The categorizations may include a plurality of categories and the
scoring model may be
applied to data items that fall within a plurality of categories. For example,
one of the first data
items may be categorized as an expense, whereas another of the first data
items may be categorized
as revenue, and the scoring model may generate a score using both of the first
data items. In other
words, the scoring model may combine data items that fall into different
categories.
[0118] In some embodiments, applying a scoring model includes summing or
totalling the
respective first data items that fall within one or more predefined
categories. For example, the
second computing system may categorize each particular data item in the
respective first data items
as one of revenue or an expense. The score may be created by summing the first
data items that
are categorized as revenue, summing the first data items that are categorized
as expenses, or
calculating the difference between the summed revenue and the summed expenses.
In this way,
the score may be an indicator of expenses or revenues associated with an
account. In some
embodiments, the score may be an indicator of the financial health of an
account or a holder of the
account.
[0119] The score may be determined in response to obtaining, receiving or
processing each
particular electronic document in the plurality of electronic documents. In
some embodiments, for
example where each particular electronic document represents metadata included
in a respective
transfer message in a plurality of transfer messages, a respective score may
be determined in
response to processing and completing a respective transfer. Completing a
respective transfer may
include transferring an amount of a resource, represented by a respective
first data item, to or from
a logical storage area associated with the account.
[0120] In this way, the second computing system may constantly re-determine
the score after
completing each transfer. Put another way, the computing system may re-
determine the score in
response to completing each particular transfer in a plurality of transfers.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-23
[0121] Reference will now be made to FIG. 8 which illustrates an example
method 800 for
adjusting a score. The operations of the example method 800 may be performed
by a computer
system which may be of the type described herein. In some embodiments, the
operations of the
method 800 may be performed by a first system 106 or second system 108, which
may be of the
type described herein.
[0122] One or more operations in the example method 800 described in the
example method of
FIG. 8 may be performed in real-time in response to receiving an additional
electronic document
that may be populated and transmitted to the computing system as described in
operations 702,
704, 706, 708 and 710 of FIG. 7.
[0123] In operation 802, a computing system obtains an electronic document
associated with an
account. In some embodiments, the operation 802 may correspond to the
operation 712 of FIG. 7.
[0124] In operation 804, in response to obtaining the electronic document, the
computing system
categorizes a first data item included in the electronic document based on a
second data item
included in the electronic document. In some embodiments, the operation 804
may correspond to
the operation 714 of FIG. 7.
[0125] In operation 806, the computing system determines an adjusted score
based on a prior score
and the categorization of the first data item. For example, if the category of
the first data item
matches a particular predefined category, then the prior score may be adjusted
to create the
adjusted score. In some embodiments, the adjusted score may be calculated by
adding or
subtracting the first data item from the prior score. In some embodiments, the
score is adjusted
only if the category of the first data item matches a particular predefined
category.
[0126] In some embodiments, the operations 802, 804 and 806 may be performed
for a plurality
of additional electronic documents and a plurality of respective adjusted
scores may be determined.
[0127] Reference will now be made to FIG. 9 which illustrates an example
method 900 for
controlling access to software features in a computing environment. The
operations of the method
900 may be performed by a first system 106 or second system 108, which may be
of the type
described herein.
22
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-23
[0128] In operation 902, the computer system determines a score. In some
embodiments, the
operation 902 may correspond to the operation 718 in the method 700 of FIG. 7.
In some
embodiments, determining the score may include determining an adjusted score
and the operation
902 may correspond to the operation 806 in the method 800 of FIG. 8.
[0129] In operation 904, the computer system determines a score trend.
Determining the score
trend may include comparing the score with one or more historical scores. In
this way, the
computer system may detect a deterioration in the score based on metadata
included in a transfer
message.
[0130] In operation 906, the computer system determines whether a condition is
satisfied based
on the score. In some embodiments, the condition may be that the score trend
indicates no
deterioration in the score.
[0131] The condition may include a comparison of the score with another value.
In some
embodiments, the condition may be satisfied if the score meets a threshold.
The computer system
may evaluate the condition based on a comparison between the score and one or
more parameters
associated with the account.
[0132] In some embodiments, the comparison may be between the score and data
not included in
the plurality of electronic documents. The comparison data that is not
included in the plurality of
electronic documents may be account data associated with the computer system.
By way of another
example, the condition may be evaluated based on one or more historical scores
associated with
the account, the score prior to adjustment, or an unadjusted score.
[0133] In operation 908, if the condition is satisfied, the computer system
may determine whether
a software feature associated with the account is already locked. The software
feature may include
one or more software applications or modules. In some cases, the software
feature includes a
software product or software upgrade.
[0134] In operation 910, if the condition is satisfied and the software is not
already locked, the
computer system unlocks the software feature. Unlocking a software feature may
include enabling
a software service or product associated with the account and/or providing
access to a resource
associated with the account. The resource may be, for example, in the form of
a line of credit
associated with the account or a loan or other amount associated with a
lending product.
23
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-23
[0135] In some embodiments, unlocking a software feature includes configuring
a parameter
associated with the account. For example, a user account parameter
representing the state of a
software feature may be toggled from a locked state to an unlocked state. By
way of another
example, the parameter may increase or decrease a credit limit or increase or
decrease a rate of
interest associated with the account. In this way, the credit limit or rate
may change frequently as
the score changes.
[0136] In some embodiments, the software feature may remain unlocked until the
condition is not
satisfied based on a future score.
[0137] In some embodiments, the computer system unlocks the software feature
for a defined
unlock time period and upon the expiry of the defined unlock time period may
automatically and
immediately revert back to the locked state. The defined unlock time period
may, for example, be
three months, six months or a year. In some embodiments, the software feature
is unlocked up to
a defined unlock expiry date, which may include a time, and when the defined
unlock expiry date
passes the software feature may automatically and immediately revert back to
the locked state.
[0138] In some embodiments, the computer system unlock the software feature
once a defined
lock time period expires or a defined lock expiry date passes. In some
embodiments, the software
feature may be unlocked prematurely. For example, the software feature may be
unlocked
immediately irrespective of whether a defined lock time period or defined lock
expiry date is
associated with the software feature and/or the defined lock time period has
not passed or the
defined lock expiry date has not expired.
[0139] In operation 912, if the condition is satisfied and the software is
already locked, the
computer system may renew access to the software feature. In some embodiments,
renewing the
access to the software feature may include extending the defined unlock time
period or extending
the defined expiry date. In some embodiments, the defined unlock time period
is doubled, for
example, from three months to six months.
[0140] In operation 914, if the condition is satisfied, the computer system
may determine whether
a software feature associated with the account is already locked. The
operation 914 may
correspond to the operation 908 of FIG. 9.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-23
[0141] In operation 916, if the condition is not satisfied and the software
feature is not already
locked, the computer system locks the software feature. Unlocking a software
feature may include
disabling a software service or product associated with the account, providing
access to a resource
associated with the account, and/or configuring a parameter associated with
the account. The
operation 916 may reverse the unlock operation 910 of FIG. 9 in whole or in
part.
[0142] In some embodiments, the software feature may remain locked until the
condition is not
satisfied based on a future score.
[0143] In some embodiments, the computer system locks the software feature for
a defined lock
time period and upon the expiry of the defined lock time period may
automatically and
immediately revert back to the unlocked state. The defined lock time period
may, for example, be
three months, six months or a year. In some embodiments, the software feature
is locked up to a
defined lock expiry date, which may include a time, and when the defined lock
expiry date passes
the software feature may automatically and immediately revert back to the
unlocked state.
[0144] In some embodiments, the computer system locks the software feature
once the defined
unlock time period expires or the defined unlock expiry date passes. In some
embodiments, the
software feature may be locked prematurely. For example, the software feature
may be locked
immediately irrespective of whether a defined unlock time period or defined
unlock expiry date is
associated with the software feature and/or the defined unlock time period has
not passed or the
defined unlock expiry date has not expired.
[0145] In operation 918, if the condition is not satisfied and the software is
already locked, the
computer system may renew the lock on the software feature. In some
embodiments, renewing the
lock to the software feature may include extending the defined unlock time
period or extending
the defined expiry date. In some embodiments, the defined unlock time period
is doubled, for
example, from three months to six months.
[0146] In this way, if the software feature is already unlocked, the computer
system may leave the
software feature unlocked in response to determining that the condition is
satisfied. Otherwise, if
the condition is not satisfied, the computer system in operation locks the
software feature. Put
another way, the status of the software feature may be toggled between a
locked state and an
unlocked state.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-23
[0147] In operation 920, the computer system generates a notification
indicating the score, one or
more parameters associated with the account, and the status of the software
feature, such as an
indication that the software the software feature is locked or unlocked, an
indication of whether
the lock or unlock has been renewed, an indication of a time period or expiry
date associated with
the software feature, and/or an indication of whether the lock or unlock
operation has occurred
prematurely.
[0148] The computer system may transmit the notification to a remote device
associated with an
alias associated with the account and present the notification to a user of
the remote device via a
user interface. The user interface may be that of a messaging application,
such as an email
application, text and/or voice message application, or instant message
application. In some
embodiments, the user interface may be a graphical user interface that
presents the notification via
pop-up, alert, or in any other suitable manner.
[0149] It will be appreciated that it may be that some or all of the above-
described operations of
the various above-described example methods may be performed in orders other
than those
illustrated and/or may be performed concurrently without varying the overall
operation of those
methods.
[0150] Although many of the above examples refer to an "object" when
discussing a data structure,
it will be appreciated that this does not necessarily restrict the present
application to
implementation using object-oriented programming languages, and does not
necessarily imply that
the data structure is of a particular type or format. Data structures may have
different names in
different software paradigms.
[0151] Example embodiments of the present application are not limited to any
particular operating
system, system architecture, mobile device architecture, server architecture,
or computer
programming language.
[0152] It will be understood that the applications, modules, routines,
processes, threads, or other
software components implementing the described method/process may be realized
using standard
computer programming techniques and languages. The present application is not
limited to
particular processors, computer languages, computer programming conventions,
data structures,
or other such implementation details. Those skilled in the art will recognize
that the described
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-23
processes may be implemented as a part of computer-executable code stored in
volatile or non-
volatile memory, as part of an application-specific integrated chip (ASIC),
etc.
[0153] As noted, certain adaptations and modifications of the described
embodiments can be
made. Therefore, the above discussed embodiments are considered to be
illustrative and not
restrictive.
27
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-23
