Computer-implemented methods, computer program products, and machines for management and control of a loyalty rewards network

• US 10,318,980 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2013
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pathward National Association
• Original Assignee: MetaBank (Meta Financial Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Crowe, Andrew B, Galit, Scott H
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Luis A
• Application Number:
  US13/846,975
• Publication Number:
  US 20130218658A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,275 Days
• Field of Search: 705 142, 705 1427, 705 1433, 705 1434
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0234 Rebates after completed purchase

Abstract

Machines, computer program products, and computer-implemented methods to manage and control a loyalty rewards network and to provide customer loyalty rewards to a customer for purchasing goods or services. Computer program product can determine if a customer is one of the plurality of member customers enrolled in the loyalty rewards network. If the customer is not a member, the computer program product can enroll the customer in the loyalty rewards network. As a purchase are made by member customers thereafter, the member customer swipes or otherwise enters a loyalty reward card number and the computer accumulates and stores loyalty rewards network data representative of the member customer'"'"'s purchasing behavior. Upon accumulating sufficient loyalty rewards pursuant to collection parameters, the member customers can select one or more of the available loyalty reward actions and the computer program product can implement the selected one or more loyalty rewards action.

Claims

1. A computer adapted to facilitate management of loyalty rewards to be used with a plurality of merchants irrespective of forms of payment used by a consumer to define a loyalty rewards management computer, the computer comprising:

one or more databases comprising a plurality of reward parameters, and a plurality of loyalty rewards look tables that correlate a plurality of loyalty reward unique identifiers with a plurality of loyalty reward accounts, each of the plurality of loyalty rewards unique identifiers comprising one of a plurality of bank issuing number (BIN) issued by a financial institution and associated with one of the plurality of loyalty rewards accounts, the BIN of the loyalty rewards unique identifiers being compatible with an existing electronic financial payment network adapted to identify a plurality of issuer of the plurality of BIN, the existing electronic financial payment network further being adapted to set transaction rules to settle funds between parties of transactions;

one or more processors configured to process electronic loyalty reward network data received from a plurality of merchants;

non-transitory memory encoded with one or more computer programs operable by the one or more processors so that during operations thereof, the one or more processors operate to perform the following steps;

determining a receipt of one or more first transaction messages comprising a respective one or more of the plurality of loyalty rewards unique identifiers stored on a loyalty rewards card, the one or more first transaction messages being sent through the existing electronic financial payment network from a respective one or more of a plurality of merchant acquirer computers responsive to one or more of the plurality of loyalty reward accounts interfacing with a point of sale terminal associated with the one of the plurality of merchants, wherein the one or more first transaction messages are not reported or recorded as a financial transaction, wherein each of the one or more the first transaction messages further comprises a transaction date, a transaction time, a merchant category code, a merchant acquirer identification, and a terminal identification number;

determining availability of one or more loyalty rewards actions according to reward parameters stored in the one or more databases;

communicating the one or more loyalty rewards actions to the one or more of the plurality of merchant acquirer computer via the existing electronic financial payment network, each of the one or more loyalty reward actions being available responsive to a tender of sufficient payment for one or more goods or services from the one of the plurality of merchant;

receiving a selection of one of the one or more loyalty rewards actions from the consumer, the one or more loyalty rewards actions comprising issuing a gift card;

sending a loyalty reward action confirmation to the consumer;

implementing the one or more loyalty rewards actions responsive to receiving one or more second transaction messages sent via the existing electronic financial payment network from the one or more of the plurality of merchant acquirer computers, the one or more second transaction messages indicating the tender of sufficient payment for the goods or services, wherein the one or more loyalty rewards actions are implemented irrespective of a form of payment, wherein the forms of payment comprises a credit card, a debit card, cash, and a check; and

aggregating data from a plurality of the one or more second transaction messages received from the plurality of merchants independent of the forms of payment to thereby enable a creation of targeted marketing data,

wherein the one or more second transaction messages further comprise data that indicates one or more of the following data items;

merchant category code, merchant identification number, standard industrial classification, terminal identification number, date purchased, time-of-day purchased, dollar value of purchase, and name of consumer.

2. A loyalty rewards management computer as defined in claim 1, wherein the existing financial services electronic payment network is one of the following:

MasterCard®

, Visa®

, American Express®

, and Discover®

networks.

3. A loyalty rewards management computer as defined in claim 1, wherein the computer is associated with the financial institution;

and wherein the one or more computer programs further operates to perform the step of;

issuing the plurality of BIN.

4. A loyalty rewards management computer as defined in claim 1, wherein the one or more second transaction messages indicate the tender of sufficient payment for goods using a credit card account issued by a different financial institution that the financial institution that issued the plurality of BIN of the plurality of loyalty rewards unique identifiers.

5. Non-transitory memory encoded with one or more computer programs operable by a computer adapted to facilitate management of loyalty rewards to be used with a plurality of merchants irrespective of forms of payment used by a consumer to define a loyalty rewards management computer, the one or more computer programs comprising instructions that when executed by the loyalty rewards management computer, the loyalty rewards management computer operates to perform the following steps:

determining a receipt of one or more first transaction messages comprising a respective one or more of a plurality of loyalty rewards unique identifiers stored on a loyalty rewards card, the one or more first transaction messages being sent through an existing electronic financial payment network from a respective one or more of a plurality of merchant acquirer computers responsive to one or more of a plurality of loyalty reward accounts interfacing with a point of sale terminal associated with the one of a plurality of merchants, the plurality of loyalty rewards unique identifiers comprising one of a plurality of bank issuing number (BIN) issued by a financial institution and associated with one of the plurality of loyalty rewards accounts, wherein the one or more first transaction messages are not reported or recorded as a financial transaction, wherein each of the one or more the first transaction messages further comprises a transaction date, a transaction time, a merchant category code, a merchant acquirer identification, and a terminal identification number;

determining availability of one or more loyalty rewards actions according to reward parameters;

communicating the one or more loyalty rewards actions to the one or more of the plurality of merchant acquirer computer via the existing electronic financial payment network, each of the one or more loyalty reward actions being available responsive to a tender of sufficient payment for one or more goods or services from the one of the plurality of merchant;

receiving a selection of one of the one or more loyalty rewards actions from the consumer, the one or more loyalty rewards actions comprising issuing a gift card;

sending a loyalty reward action confirmation to the consumer;

implementing the one or more loyalty rewards actions responsive to receiving one or more second transaction messages sent via the existing electronic financial payment network from the one or more of the plurality of merchant acquirer computers, the one or more second transaction messages indicating the tender of sufficient payment for the goods or services, wherein the one or more loyalty rewards actions are implemented irrespective of the forms of payment, wherein the forms of payment comprises a credit card, a debit card, cash, and a check; and

aggregating data from a plurality of the one or more second transaction messages received from the plurality of merchants independent of the forms of payment to thereby enable a creation of targeted marketing data,

wherein the one or more second transaction messages further comprise data that indicates one or more of the following data items;

merchant category code, merchant identification number, standard industrial classification, terminal identification number, date purchased, time-of-day purchased, dollar value of purchase, and name of consumer.

6. Non-transitory memory as defined in claim 5, wherein the one or more second transaction messages indicate the tender of sufficient payment for goods using a credit card account issued by a different financial institution than the financial institution that issued the plurality of BIN of the plurality of loyalty rewards unique identifiers.

7. Non-transitory memory as defined in claim 5, wherein the loyalty rewards management computer is associated with the financial institution;

and wherein the one or more computer programs further operates to perform the step of;

issuing the plurality of BIN.

8. A computer-implemented method to facilitate management of loyalty rewards to be used with a plurality of merchants irrespective of forms of payment used by a consumer, the method comprising:

determining, by a computer adapted to facilitate management of loyalty rewards to define loyalty rewards management computer, a receipt of one or more first transaction messages comprising a respective one or more of a plurality of loyalty rewards unique identifiers stored on a loyalty rewards card, the one or more first transaction messages being sent through an existing electronic financial payment network from a respective one or more of a plurality of merchant acquirer computers responsive to one or more of a plurality of loyalty reward accounts interfacing with a point of sale terminal associated with the one of a plurality of merchants, the plurality of loyalty rewards unique identifiers comprising one of a plurality of bank issuing number (BIN) issued by a financial institution and associated with one of the plurality of loyalty rewards accounts, wherein the one or more first transaction messages are not reported or recorded as a financial transaction, wherein each of the one or more the first transaction messages further comprises a transaction date, a transaction time, a merchant category code, a merchant acquirer identification, and a terminal identification number;

determining, by the loyalty rewards management computer, availability of one or more loyalty rewards actions according to reward parameters;

communicating, by the loyalty rewards management computer, the one or more loyalty rewards actions to the one or more of the plurality of merchant acquirer computer via the existing electronic financial payment network, each of the one or more loyalty reward actions being available responsive to a tender of sufficient payment for one or more goods or services from the one of the plurality of merchant;

receiving a selection of one of the one or more loyalty rewards actions from the consumer, the one or more loyalty rewards actions comprising issuing a gift card;

sending a loyalty reward action confirmation to the consumer;

implementing the one or more loyalty rewards actions responsive to receiving one or more second transaction messages sent via the existing electronic financial payment network from the one or more of the plurality of merchant acquirer computers, the one or more second transaction messages indicating the tender of sufficient payment for the goods or services, wherein the one or more loyalty rewards actions are implemented irrespective of the forms of payment, wherein the forms of payment comprises a credit card, a debit card, cash, or a check; and

aggregating data from a plurality of the one or more second transaction messages received from the plurality of merchants independent of the forms of payment to thereby enable a creation of targeted marketing data,

wherein the one or more second transaction messages further comprise data that indicates one or more of the following data items;

merchant category code, merchant identification number, standard industrial classification, terminal identification number, date purchased, time-of-day purchased, dollar value of purchase, and name of consumer.

9. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 8, wherein the one or more second transaction messages indicate the tender of sufficient payment for goods using a credit card account issued by a different financial institution than the financial institution that issued the plurality of BIN of the plurality of loyalty rewards unique identifiers.

10. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 8, the method further comprising:

issuing, by the loyalty rewards management computer, the plurality of BIN; and

wherein the loyalty rewards management computer is associated with the financial institution.

11. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 8, wherein the existing financial services electronic payment network is one of the following:

MasterCard®

, Visa®

, American Express®

, and Discover®

networks.