Patent ID: 7953634
Filing Date: 2011-05-31
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method for operating equipment associated with a financial transaction to determine the currencies available to be used for a card transaction using that equipment; the method includes the steps of: presenting a card related to a customer's account; recording a card number from the card; applying, by a computer processor, all or part of the card number to a tree structure, wherein the tree structure comprises previously mapped distinct pathways that have a common starting node that receives the card number in binary form, and wherein the distinct pathways lead to end nodes of the tree structure that are coded with information related to the native currency of the card account such that applied card numbers are mapable to their native currencies based on the particular end node to which the tree structure maps the applied card number, and automatically processing the applied card number by the tree one bit at a time to arrive at one of the end-nodes of the tree coded with information related to the native currency of the customer's card account; determining, by the computer processor, the currency of the customer's card account based on which end node receives the applied part of the card number; comparing the determined currency of the customer's card account with one or more currencies predetermined for the equipment; and providing, when the comparison indicates different currencies, directed currency conversion services that permits the card transaction to be processed in the currency native to the customer's account.