Systems and methods to facilitate loyalty reward transactions

• US 10,007,915 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2012
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Singh, Shantnu, Dreyer, Michael, Ciurea, Peter, VonDerheide, James Alan, Fordyce, III, Edward W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brockington, III, William S
• Application Number:
  US13/356,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20120191525A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,346 Days
• Field of Search: 705 711- 742, 705 38, 705 40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0233 Method of redeeming a frequent usage reward

Abstract

A communications system for financial transactions, such as payment transactions made via credit accounts, debit accounts, prepaid accounts, bank accounts, stored value accounts and the like, is enhanced and/or used to support reward transactions. Thus, the reward communications can be processed as transactions over the communications system in a way similar to and/or together with credit/debit transactions.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, in a computing apparatus from an electronic payment processing network, a first message having a plurality of fields including;

a first field providing a message header,

a second field providing a message type identifier,

a third field providing a bitmap specifying data fields that are present in the first message, and

fourth fields providing data corresponding to the data fields specified by the bitmap, including a first account and a second account;

determining, by the computing apparatus, whether the message type identifier provided in the second field of the first message is a first predetermined type identifier, a second predetermined type identifier, or a third predetermined type identifier;

in response to a determination that the message type identifier provided in the second field of the first message is the first predetermined type identifier, processing, by the computing apparatus, the first message as a first rewards transaction including a request for a redemption of reward points to transfer the rewards points to a reward account associated with the first account identified in the fourth fields from a reward account associated with the second account identified in the fourth fields;

in response to a determination that the message type identifier provided in the second field of the first message is the second predetermined type identifier, processing, by the computing apparatus, the first message as a financial transaction including a request for a transaction of funds to transfer the funds to the first account identified in the fourth fields from the second account identified in the fourth fields; and

in response to a determination that the message type identifier provided in the second field of the first message is the third predetermined type identifier, processing, by the computing apparatus, the first message as a second rewards transaction including a request for a crediting of rewards points to transfer the rewards points from the reward account associated with the first account identified in the fourth fields to the reward account associated with the second account identified in the fourth fields,

wherein the computing apparatus comprises a data warehouse for storing transaction data, and wherein the computing apparatus is in communication with an acquirer processor and an issuer processor of the electronic payment processing network, such that the computing apparatus is configured to process the financial transaction between the acquirer processor and the issuer processor in response to the determination that the message type identifier is the second predetermined type identifier and to process the first and second rewards transactions in response to the determination that the message type identifier is the first and/or third predetermined message type identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein when the message type identifier provided in the second field of the first message is the first predetermined type identifier, one of the first account and the second account is a financial account provided in the first message as a proxy of a reward account.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first account and the second account specified in the first message is a financial account selected from:

a credit account;

a debit account;

a prepaid account;

a bank account; and

a stored value account.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the issuer processor of the second account is different from an administrator processor of the reward account associated with the second account;

and in response to the determination that the message type identifier provided in the second field of the first message is the first predetermined type identifier, the processing of the first message comprises communicating with the administrator processor of the reward account regarding the redemption of the reward points.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein in response to the determination that the message type identifier provided in the second field of the first message is the first predetermined type identifier, the processing of the first message comprises identifying the reward account associated with the second account based on the second account specified in the first message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein when the message type identifier provided in the second field of the first message is the first predetermined type identifier,

the first message is configured to request the redemption of reward points, and

the processing of the message comprises:

identifying, by a transaction handler of the electronic payment processing network, a processor based on an identifier of the reward account associated with the first account or the second account; and

transmitting, by the transaction handler via the electronic payment processing network, the first message to the processor.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the redemption of reward points includes

redeeming an amount of reward points from the reward account associated with the first account.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

settling, by the transaction handler, funds for the redemption of reward points.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the redemption of reward points comprises an authorization to redeem an amount of reward points from the reward account associated with the second account as a payment to a merchant.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the crediting of reward points comprises an authorization to credit an amount of reward points from the reward account associated with the first account to the reward account associated with the second account.

11. A non-transitory, tangible computer storage medium storing instructions configured to instruct a computing apparatus to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving, in the computing apparatus from an electronic payment processing network, a message having a plurality of fields including;

a first field providing a message header,

a second field providing a message type identifier,

a third field providing a bitmap specifying data fields that are present in the message, and

fourth fields providing data corresponding to the data fields specified by the bitmap, including a first account and a financial account selected from;

a credit account;

a debit account; and

a prepaid account;

determining, by the computing apparatus, whether the message type identifier provided in the second field of the message is a first predetermined type identifier, a second predetermined type identifier, or a third predetermined type identifier;

in response to a determination that the message type identifier provided in the second field of the message is the first predetermined type identifier,

identifying a reward account from the financial account specified in the fourth fields, and

processing the message as a first rewards transaction including a request for a redemption of rewards points to transfer the rewards points to a reward account associated with the first account identified in the fourth fields from the reward account from the financial account specified in the fourth fields;

in response to a determination that the message type identifier provided in the second field of the message is the second predetermined type identifier, processing the message as a financial transaction including a request for a transaction of funds to transfer the funds to the first account identified in the fourth fields from the financial account specified in the fourth fields; and

in response to a determination that the message type identifier provided in the second field of the message is the third predetermined type identifier, processing the message as a second rewards transaction including a request for a crediting of rewards points to transfer the rewards points from the reward account associated with the first account identified in the fourth fields to the reward account from the financial account specified in the fourth fields,

wherein the computing apparatus comprises a data warehouse for storing transaction data, and wherein the computing apparatus is in communication with an acquirer processor and an issuer processor of the electronic payment processing network, such that the computing apparatus is configured to process the financial transaction between the acquirer processor and the issuer processor in response to the determination that the message type identifier is the second predetermined type identifier and to process the first and second rewards transactions in response to the determination that the message type identifier is the first and/or third predetermined message type identifier.

12. The computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein when the message type identifier provided in the second field of the message is the first predetermined type identifier, the financial account is identified in the message as a proxy of the reward account.

13. A computing apparatus, comprising:

a transaction handler configured in an electronic payment processing network to receive a message having a plurality of fields, including;

a first field providing a message header,

a second field providing a message type identifier,

a third field providing a bitmap specifying data fields that are present in the message, and

fourth fields providing data corresponding to the data fields specified by the bitmap, including a first account and a financial account identifier of a financial account selected from;

a credit account;

a debit account; and

a prepaid account; and

a data warehouse having at least one storage device configured to store data recording transactions processed by the transaction handler in the electronic payment processing network;

wherein the transaction handler is further configured to determine whether the message type identifier provided in the second field of the message is a first predetermined type identifier, a second predetermined type identifier, or a third predetermined type identifier;

wherein if the message type identifier provided in the second field of the message is the first predetermined type identifier, the transaction handler is configured to;

identify a reward account from the financial account identifier specified in the message;

determine an administrating processor of the reward account; and

communicate the message to the administrating processor of the reward account to request a transfer of reward points to a reward account associated with the first account identified in the fourth fields from the reward account from the financial account identified in the fourth fields;

wherein if the message type identifier provided in the second field of the message is the second predetermined type identifier, the transaction handler is configured to;

communicate the message to an issuer processor of the financial account identified by the financial account identifier to request a transfer of funds to the first account identified in the fourth fields from the financial account identified in the fourth fields; and

wherein if the message type identifier provided in the second field of the message is the third predetermined type identifier, the transaction handler is configured to;

communicate the message to the administrating processor of the reward account to request a transfer of reward points from the reward account associated with the first account identified in the fourth fields to the reward account from the financial account identified in the fourth fields,

wherein the transaction handler is in communication with an acquirer processor and the issuer processor of the electronic payment processing network, such that the transaction handler is configured to process the financial transaction between the acquirer processor and the issuer processor in response to the determination that the message type identifier is the second predetermined type identifier and to process the rewards transactions in response to the determination that the message type identifier is the first and/or third predetermined message type identifier.

14. The computing apparatus of claim 13, wherein the administrating processor of the reward account is different from the issuer processor of the financial account.