Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090144193 | Sub-Account Mechanism - A system and method for controlling a monetary account with one or more sub-accounts is described. A monetary account with an entity is established and an account user associated with the monetary account is identified. A sub-account with the entity is established, where the sub-account is associated with the monetary account and includes monetary funds transferred from the monetary account. At least one sub-account user associated with the sub-account is identified, where the at least one sub-account user is different from the account user. One or more controls, placed by the account user, are established on at least one of the sub-account and the at least one sub-account user. The at least one sub-account user is restricted from accessing monetary funds in the monetary account and the account user is permitted to access the sub-account. | 06-04-2009 |
20090313131 | Systems and/or methods for simplifying payment systems, and payment instruments implementing the same - The exemplary embodiments described herein relate to systems and/or methods for simplifying payment systems, and payment instruments implementing the same. In particular, certain exemplary embodiments relate to a single payment device (e.g., a card) with multiple magnetic strips, a single payment device being linked to multiple accounts, a single payment device having a button required before transmission of payment information and/or a single payment device being linked to a sub-account (e.g., a petty cash account). | 12-17-2009 |
20100114731 | ELECTRONIC WALLET ("eWallet") - A method according to the invention may preferably include displaying on a computer display a menu bar that includes an online shopping enhancement icon. The method may further include receiving a selection of the icon. The method may also include, in response to receiving a selection of the icon, displaying an online shopping enhancement dialogue box including a selectable option for displaying user bank account information. | 05-06-2010 |
20100250379 | INTERACTIVE INTERCHANGE RATE DECISIONING - Apparatus and methods for providing transaction fee information to a customer. The apparatus and methods may provide to a customer at a merchant point of sale terminal information regarding a transaction fee. The transaction may be based on the customer's credit card or other purchasing instrument. The transaction fee may be imposed by an issuer of the credit card. The merchant may be required to pay the fee. The point of sale terminal may be configured to provide an opportunity for the customer to decide, based on the transaction fee, whether to continue the transaction or obtain information about fees associated with other credit cards. | 09-30-2010 |
20110004547 | MOBILE TRANSACTIONS USING ACCOUNT ALIASES - Embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for providing a mobile device user with the ability to user their mobile devices to make payments to others without knowing the payment recipient's account number. For example, an embodiment of the includes: (1) receiving a payment request from a mobile phone, such as through a text message, where the payment request includes an alias, and where the alias is not a financial account number; (2) identifying a payment recipient's financial account based at least partially on the alias; and (3) transferring funds to the payment recipient's financial account. | 01-06-2011 |
20110004550 | CUSTOMER ON-BOARDING SYSTEM - Embodiments of the invention provide a system and method for on-boarding customers via a viral account opening or account registration process that uses aliases, such as telephone numbers, email addresses, and social networking identifiers, to identify payee accounts. If an alias is received for which a payee account cannot be identified, embodiments of the invention use the alias to contact the payee and request that the payee register an existing account or open a new account. | 01-06-2011 |
20110010292 | PAYMENT TRANSACTIONS USING PAYEE ACCOUNT ALIASES - Embodiments of the invention provide a system and method for using aliases, such as mobile telephone numbers, email addresses, and social networking identifications, to identify a payment recipient's account involved in a payment transaction. Some embodiments of the method include: (1) receiving a payment request from a payment sender via a communication from a remote device, where the payment request includes an alias, and where the alias is not an account number; (2) using a processor to identify a payment recipient's financial account based at least partially on the alias; and (3) transferring funds from the payment sender's account to the payment recipient's account. Identifying the payment recipient's financial account based on the alias may include accessing a memory device having a data repository stored therein that maps each of a plurality of aliases back to a financial account number, and then using the data repository in combination with the alias to identify the payment recipient's financial account number. | 01-13-2011 |
20110010293 | ACCOUNT ALIAS DATA REPOSITORY - Embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for creating a financial account alias data repository to be used to identify payee accounts in payment transactions. For example, an embodiment of the method includes: (1) receiving a communication comprising an alias that is not a financial account number; and (2) using a processor to store the alias in memory and create a data repository in the memory that maps the alias to a particular financial account such that the alias can be used by others instead of a financial account number to transfer money to the particular financial account associated with the alias. The alias may include, for example, a telephone number, email address, or social networking identifier of the financial account owner. | 01-13-2011 |
20110057027 | CUSTOMER BENEFIT OFFER PROGRAM ENROLLMENT - Apparatus and methods for providing customer benefit offer program enrollment are provided. A system for enrolling a purchasing instrument in an electronic customer benefit offer program an electromagnetic receiver module. The receiver module may be configured to receive data from the purchasing instrument and receive from a customer a customer selection of a notification channel, the channel to be used for notifying the customer about a customer benefit. The system may also include a processor module configured to associate the purchasing instrument data with an account on an electronic platform so that a customer benefit offer that is stored on the platform may be associated with the purchasing instrument. | 03-10-2011 |
20110060631 | REDEMPTION OF CUSTOMER BENEFIT OFFERS BASED ON GOODS IDENTIFICATION - Apparatus and methods for redemption of customer benefit offers based on goods identification are provided. A system for redeeming a customer benefit offer that is represented in an account maintained on an offer platform according to the invention may include an electromagnetic receiver module configured to receive transaction information from a point of sale terminal, the transaction information being based on a transaction and including an identifier of a purchasing instrument used to execute the transaction and an identifier of an item that is part of the transaction and a quantity corresponding to the number of items having the same identifier in the transaction. The system may also include a processing module configured to: identify in an offer platform a customer benefit offer corresponding to the purchasing instrument, the item identifier and the quantity; and further configured to mark a record in the account as “redeemed,” the record corresponding to the customer benefit offer. | 03-10-2011 |
20110060634 | ACTIVATION OF ELECTRONIC CUSTOMER BENEFIT OFFERS - Apparatus and methods for activation of electronic customer benefit offers are provided. Such apparatus and methods may include a system for activating a customer benefit offer. The system may include an electromagnetic transmitter module configured to transmit customer benefit offer information from an offer platform to a customer via a communication channel selected by the customer. The customer benefit offer information may correspond to the customer benefit offer. The system may also include an electromagnetic receiver module configured to receive from the customer an acknowledgment of the customer benefit offer. The system may also include a data processing machine configured to mark a record in an account on the offer platform as “active.” The record may correspond to the customer benefit offer and the account may correspond to the customer. The purchasing instrument identifier may be linked to the account. The active customer benefit offer may be redeemed by use of the purchasing instrument to purchase goods corresponding to the customer benefit offer. | 03-10-2011 |
20110060636 | TARGETED CUSTOMER BENEFIT OFFERS - Apparatus and methods for providing targeted customer benefit offers are provided. A system for associating a customer benefit offer with a purchasing instrument, the purchasing instrument associated with an account on an electronic offer platform, the account being associated with a customer, is provided. The system may include an electromagnetic receiver module configured to receive a customer benefit offer from an offer source and customer purchasing behavior data. The data may correspond to the customer. The system may also include a processor module configured to determine if the customer benefit offer is compatible with the customer based on the data and, if the customer benefit offer is compatible with the customer, store the customer benefit offer on the platform for transmission to the customer. | 03-10-2011 |
20110060641 | CUSTOMER BENEFIT OFFERS AT KIOSKS AND SELF-SERVICE DEVICES - Apparatus and methods for providing customer benefit offers at kiosks and self-service devices are provided. A method for providing customer benefit offer information according to the invention may include using a processor module to receive from an interactive display a customer instruction to dispense cash and dispensing the cash. The method may further include receiving purchasing instrument information from a purchasing instrument interface. The purchasing instrument information may correspond to the purchasing instrument of a customer. The method may further include using an electronic transmitter module to query customer benefit offer information from an offer processor via an electronic communication network. The method may also include using an output device to provide the customer benefit offer information to the customer. | 03-10-2011 |
20110060691 | TARGETABLE MULTI-MEDIA PROMOTION CHANNEL AT POINT OF SALE - Apparatus and methods for providing a targetable multi-media promotion channel at the point of sale are provided. The apparatus may include a system for providing to a customer an offer at a point of sale terminal. The system may include machine readable memory configured to store in an offer platform offer information corresponding to a first item. The system may also include an electromagnetic transmitter module configured to transmit the offer information to the point of sale terminal for presentation by the point of sale terminal during a transaction for a second item. The system may also include an electromagnetic receiver module configured to receive an offer acceptance corresponding to the offer information before the customer pays for the second item. | 03-10-2011 |
20110213709 | CUSTOMER AND PURCHASE IDENTIFICATION BASED UPON A SCANNED BIOMETRIC OF A CUSTOMER - Systems and methods for biometrically identifying an individual for purchasing a product and/or service without a need for the individual to input authentication data into a system/device are described. Data representative of a scanned iris of a customer desiring to make a purchase may be made. The customer may be identified based upon the scanned iris. A determination may be made as to whether the identified customer desires to make a purchase with an associated payment amount from an entity. A determination may be made as to whether the identified customer has a default purchase at the entity. Information of an account of the customer to make a purchase may be received and funds in the account may be debited by the associated payment amount. An item corresponding with the purchase based upon the scanned iris may be determined. | 09-01-2011 |
20110213710 | IDENTIFICATION OF CUSTOMERS AND USE OF VIRTUAL ACCOUNTS - Systems and methods for authorizing an individual for purchasing a product and/or service are described. Monetary funds of a customer of a company may be received into a monetary account of the company at the financial entity. The received monetary funds of the customer may be maintained virtually in a non-monetary account with the non-monetary account value being proportional to the received monetary funds. A determination may be made as to whether an identified customer is authorized to make a purchase with an associated payment amount. The customer may be identified by a scanned iris. Upon determining the identified customer is authorized, the non-monetary account value may be decreased proportional to the associated payment amount. | 09-01-2011 |
20110238596 | TRANSACTION INFORMATION ROUTING - Apparatus and methods for routing transaction information. The apparatus and methods may involve using receiving the transaction information; retrieving from computer readable memory: (a) a transaction information routing rule; and (b) transaction service provider information; and formulating routing information based on the transaction information, the transaction service provider information and the routing rule. The apparatus and methods may identify prospective recipients, among participants in a transaction, for receipt of the transaction information. | 09-29-2011 |
20120130842 | TRANSACTION SERVICES REVERSE AUCTION - A reverse auction platform for selecting a transaction service is provided. The platform may include a database configured to store a request for a transaction service and to store fee bids corresponding to the transaction service. The platform may also include a memory configured to store execution instructions as well as a processor coupled with the database and the memory. The processor may be configured to execute the instructions. The instructions may be configured to cause the processor to receive a request for a transaction service; to present the request; and to select a transaction service based on a fee bid corresponding to the transaction service. | 05-24-2012 |
20130013441 | TRANSACTION SERVICES REVERSE AUCTION - A reverse auction platform for selecting a transaction service is provided. The platform may include a database configured to store a request for a transaction service and to store fee bids corresponding to the transaction service. The platform may also include a memory configured to store execution instructions as well as a processor coupled with the database and the memory. The processor may be configured to execute the instructions. The instructions may be configured to cause the processor to receive a request for a transaction service; to present the request; and to select a transaction service based on a fee bid corresponding to the transaction service. | 01-10-2013 |
20130013495 | TRANSACTION INFORMATION ROUTING - Apparatus and methods for routing transaction information. The apparatus and methods may involve using receiving the transaction information; retrieving from computer readable memory: (a) a transaction information routing rule; and (b) transaction service provider information; and formulating routing information based on the transaction information, the transaction service provider information and the routing rule. The apparatus and methods may identify prospective recipients, among participants in a transaction, for receipt of the transaction information. | 01-10-2013 |
20130036000 | FINANCIAL TRANSACTION SYSTEM AND METHOD - Systems, methods, and computer program products are provided for conducting mobile and online financial transactions. Methods include receiving financial transaction instructions, wherein the instructions comprise a first alias and a second alias; associating the first alias with at least one payment account, and the second alias with at least one recipient account; and communicating a financial transaction notification to a recipient associated with the at least one recipient account. | 02-07-2013 |
20130036050 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR USING A NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION DEVICE TO CONDUCT A TRANSACTION WITH AN ALIAS - A system and method for using a static or dynamically-generated alias to conduct financial transactions via a Near Field Communication Device at a merchant is provided. The system and method allows a user to provide an alias identifying the user in order to conduct transactions via a near field communication device without needing to transfer the user's account number. The method associates the alias with an account of the user. The alias may be a static alias or a dynamic alias. A dynamic alias is generated for a transaction based in part on a characteristic of the transaction. The method determines the account number associated with the alias and completes the transaction using the alias. The method may also evaluate the transaction to determine whether pre-determined rules are complied with and provide confirmation to the user and/or merchant that the transaction has completed. | 02-07-2013 |
20130036051 | NON-NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION POINT OF SALE EXPERIENCE - System, method, and computer program product are provided for a user to provide payment for a transaction via non-near field communications at the point-of-sale. Once a user enters a merchant, the user may purchase products from the merchant through a P2P mobile payment. The user may identify himself/herself on a mobile phone and access the P2P mobile payment system. The user then selects the merchant that he/she is purchasing from and the financial institution providing the user with a payment PIN. The PIN is a randomly generated numbers or letters set that the user inputs at the point-of-sale to provide payment for a transaction at the merchant. This invention allows a user to receive and provide payments for any type of transaction utilizing the security, accuracy, and convenience without having to disclose personal data such as an account number, routing number, or the like. | 02-07-2013 |
20140052560 | TRANSACTION SERVICES REVERSE AUCTION - A reverse auction platform for selecting a transaction service is provided. The platform may include a database configured to store a request for a transaction service and to store fee bids corresponding to the transaction service. The platform may also include a memory configured to store execution instructions as well as a processor coupled with the database and the memory. The processor may be configured to execute the instructions. The instructions may be configured to cause the processor to receive a request for a transaction service; to present the request; and to select a transaction service based on a fee bid corresponding to the transaction service. | 02-20-2014 |