Middleware Account Pooling for Real-Time Electronic Funding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for electronic commerce over the internet cannot establish and fund electronic accounts in real-time when the host processing systems are unavailable, limiting customers' ability to transact business, especially across different time zones or with limited internet access.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that enables automatic establishment and funding of electronic accounts through a client/server environment, allowing online new account information submission and real-time processing, even when host processing systems are unavailable, by utilizing a middleware tier to manage customer requests, retrieve precreated account numbers, and validate customer information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the host processing system is unavailable for batch processing, then system maintenance and data consolidation can be performed, but customers cannot establish new electronic accounts or transact business
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-creating account numbers and storing them in a pool before the host system is available. When customers request accounts during host unavailability, the system can immediately allocate these pre-created account numbers without requiring real-time host processing, thus maintaining account establishment capability while the host performs batch processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces an intermediary layer (the account number pool and queue management system) between the customer request and the host processing system. This intermediary allows account numbers to be allocated and transactions to be queued during host unavailability, then transferred to the host system when it becomes available, resolving the contradiction between host maintenance and customer service.
2Ease of operation
If real-time account establishment is enabled during host unavailability, then customer service continuity is improved, but system complexity increases due to queue management and account number pooling
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the account establishment process into distinct components: account number pre-creation and pooling, customer request handling, transaction queving, and host system synchronization. This segmentation allows each component to be managed independently, reducing overall system complexity while enabling continuous customer service during host unavailability.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a system and method of automatically establishing and electronically funding electronic accounts over a computer network. The present invention provides a series of straight-through processes operable within a client/server environment. The present invention enables the submission of on-line new account information, real-time processing of such account information, and the establishment of validated new electronic accounts for use by potential customers regardless of the availability of host processing systems.