"The Cube"(Source: Ardent Credit Union).

Philadelphia, Penn.-based Ardent Credit Union has patented anexpandable cube-like system that it says could soon be a moreaffordable, innovative way for credit unions to expand their branchfootprints.

According to diagrams attached to the credit union's U.S. Patentand Trademark Office filings, the cube system consists of threerectangular sections that expand and contract using scissor-likearms. The system is about 10 feet tall, 10 feet wide and about 14feet long when closed, but it expands to 24 feet and provides twofive-foot-wide aisles between the two ends. A key and a buttonexpand and contract the system, and power and data come in throughthe middle section, which doesn't move.

"One end is a fully functioning office, and the other end is afully functioning teller line. In the middle is the ITM, and thecheck-writing desk and the vault. That's the piece that doesn'tmove," CEO Robert Werner told CU Times.

The system is similar to a small-scale version of those familiarmobile filing and storage systems in which tall shelves move alonga track via a crank.

"That's the concept behind it," Werner said. "I came fromcommercial banking, and we had all those same storage systems thatwe put all the files in, good old big file rooms. We thought of,what if you just … literally like a huge filing system, but that itwould support the weight of people. It's literally just built oncompressed storage systems, is the concept behind it, but just amuch larger version of it."

For now, the system isn't built to exist outdoors. The idea isto put it inside a building, such as at an employer's headquartersor in a mall, effectively creating a collapsible satellite branch.

"If the credit union has a very strong relationship with thebusiness partner, they can go in and say, 'By the way, we have theultimate bank-at-work program because we will put a small facilityinside of your lobby,' or some other space with inside of their ownbuildings," Werner explained.

"For us — banking, credit unions — it's all about real estate. It's where you're located," headded. The "cool factor" of the cube system can also help creditunions send a brand message about innovation to members andprospective members, Werner said.

In what he called the credit union's "innovation garage," Ardentspent about a year conceptualizing and working on the idea, as wellas incorporating ADA accessibility, OSHA regulations, firesuppression and other factors.

"Once we actually built it, or when we were building it, we'relike, 'Maybe this is something we can get a patent on.' We did getin touch with a patent attorney, and sent all the diagrams, all thearchitectural drawings. He said it would fall under what's called amodular commercial structure. That's what the patent is for," heexplained.

Ardent, which has $701 million in assets and about 35,000members, received the patent back in October. Now the credit unionis turning its sights toward marketing the system.

"We're still working with a company to really solidify what themarketing plan is going to be for the cube," he said.

"I think we will certainly do whatever we can from a PRperspective," he added. "We will put it up for Branch Design of theYear. We'll try to get maybe some press releases on those types ofthings. I don't see us having a booth at the GAC where we'reselling these things, but we think it is so unique and fills areally missing void in the branch structure that we do think itdoes have a great opportunity going forward."