Methods and systems for activating an electronic payments infrastructure

• US 10,346,823 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2011
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citibank (South Dakota) NA (Citigroup Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Citibank (South Dakota) NA (Citigroup Incorporated)
• Inventors: Greenwald, Gary, Chu, Dickson
• Primary Examiner(s): Apple, Kirsten S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gottschalk, Martin A
• Application Number:
  US13/208,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20130041817A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,888 Days
• Field of Search: 235375, 235379, 235380, 705 35, 705 39, 705 43, 705 41
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3263 characterised by activation or deactivation of payment capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/36 using electronic wallets or electronic money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3672 initialising or reloading thereof

Abstract

Methods and systems for activating an electronic payments infrastructure employ, for example, a token consisting at least in part of a unique identifier assigned to an inactive header account which is provided on a customer'"'"'s electronic device. The unique identifier is processable via a transaction processing network. A request, which includes customer information, is received to verify that activation of the header account for the customer is compliant with predefined customer identification rules. A determination is made that activation of the header account for the customer is compliant with the predefined customer identification rules. An activation message is sent to the customer'"'"'s device using the interface processor, the header account is linked to a digital wallet on a database, and the customer'"'"'s designation of a source account for the digital wallet is received on the database. The header account can be used in transactions with either on-us or off-us source accounts.

Claims

1. A method for activating an electronic payments infrastructure, comprising:

providing, for a customer'"'"'s electronic communication device, a unique identifier comprising latent computer code stored in memory of a secure element of the customer'"'"'s electronic communication device at manufacture time assigned to an inactive header account, the unique identifier being processable via a transaction processing network;

receiving, using an interface processor, a request to verify that activation of the header account for the customer is compliant with predefined customer identification rules consisting at least in part of anti-money-laundering regulations defined by regulatory authorities, the request consisting at least in part of customer information;

determining, using a customer identification processor, that activation of the header account for the customer is compliant with predefined customer identification rules consisting at least in part of anti-money-laundering regulations defined by regulatory authorities and sending, using the interface processor, an activation message to the customer'"'"'s device when said determination is made;

linking, using the interface processor, the header account to a digital wallet on a database; and

receiving, using the interface processor, the customer'"'"'s designation of a source account for the digital wallet on the database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer'"'"'s electronic device further comprises a mobile telephone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique header account identifier further comprises latent computer code stored in memory of the secure element of a chipset provided on the customer'"'"'s electronic device at manufacture time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique header account identifier further comprises a primary account number by which merchants can process payments.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the primary account number further comprises a bank identification number.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is processable via the transaction processing network with a financial institution playing a merchant role in the processing network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is assigned to the header account on the database.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is processable via a card association transaction processing network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request to verify further comprises receiving the request by the customer identification processor.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the activation message further comprises sending the activation message to the customer'"'"'s device by the customer identification processor.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the activation message to the customer'"'"'s device further comprises activating the unique identifier stored on the secure element on the customer'"'"'s device at manufacture time.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the customer'"'"'s designation of a source account further comprises receiving an activation response message from the customer'"'"'s device consisting at least in part of the unique header account identifier and the customer'"'"'s designation of the source account.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the customer'"'"'s designation of the source account further comprises receiving the customer'"'"'s designation of a credit card account as the source account.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via a transaction processing network, an authorizatiuon request with the header account identifier from a merchant acquire processor by a header account processor;

identifying and debiting, using the header account processor, an on-us source account designated by the customer to fund the digital wallet to which the header account is linked on the database; and

sending, via the transaction processing network, an authorization message to the merchant acquirer processor by the header account processor.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via a transaction processing network with which an issuer of the header account has an association, an authorization request with the header account identifier from a merchant acquirer processor by a header account processor;

identifying, using the header account processor, an off-us source account designate by the customer to fund the digital wallet to which the off-us source account is linked on the database;

sending, via a transaction processing network with which an issuer of the off-us source account has an association, an authorization request with the off-us source account identifier to an account processor of the off-us account issuer by the header account processor;

receiving, via the transaction processing network with which the issuer of the off-us source account has an association, an authorization message from the account processor of the off-us account issuer by the header account processor; and

sending, via the transaction processing network with which the issuer of the header account has an association, an authorization message to the merchant acquirer processor by the header account processor.

16. A system for activating an electronic payments infrastructure, comprising:

a secure element for a customer'"'"'s electronic communication device, the secure element storing latent computer code at manufacture time comprising a unique identifier assigned to an inactive header account, and the unique identifier being processable via a transaction processing network;

an interface processor coupled to memory and being programmed for receiving a request to verify that activation of the header account for the customer is compliant with predefined customer identification rules consisting at least in part of anti-money-laundering regulations defined by regulatory authorities, the request consisting at least in part of customer information;

a customer identification processor coupled to memory and being programmed for determining that activation of the header account for the customer is compliant with the predefined customer identification rules consisting at least in part of anti-money-laundering regulations defined by regulatory authorities; and

the interface processor being further programmed for sending an activation message to the customer'"'"'s device when said determination is made, linking the header account to a digital wallet on a database, and receiving the customer'"'"'s designation of a source account for the digital wallet on the database.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable program stored thereon for activating an electronic payments infrastructure, wherein the program instructs an interface processor to:

receive a request, consisting at least in part of customer information, to verify that activation of a header account for the customer is compliant with predefined customer identification rules consisting at least in part of anti-money-laundering regulations defined by regulatory authorities, the header account having a unique identifier processable via a transaction network, and the header account identifier comprising latent computer code stored in memory of a secure element of the customer'"'"'s electronic communication device of the customer at manufacture time;

receive a determination of a customer identification processor that activation of the header account for the customer is compliant with the predefined customer identification rules consisting at least in part of anti-money-laundering regulations defined by regulatory authorities;

send an activation message to the customer'"'"'s device when said determination is received;

link the header account to a digital wallet on a database; and

receive the customer'"'"'s designation of a source account for the digital wallet on the database.

18. A method of verifying that a header account linked to a digital wallet on database, and linked to a customer electronic communication device having a unique identifier comprising latent computer code stored in memory of a secure element of the customer'"'"'s electronic communication device at manufacture time, is compliant with customer identification rules, comprising:

receiving, using an interface processor, a request to verify that the header account for the customer is compliant with predefined customer identification rules consisting at least in part of anti-money-laundering regulations defined by regulatory authorities, the request consisting at least in part of customer information;

determining, using a customer identification processor, that the header account for the customer is compliant with the predefined customer identification rules consisting at least in part of anti-money-laundering regulations defined by regulatory authorities and sending an activation message to the customer'"'"'s device when said determination is made.