Method and system for modeling business card exchanges in a point-to -point value

• US 20020046106A1
• Filed: 06/27/2001
• Published: 04/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Takeda, Masashi, Ishibashi, Akira, Nakagawa, Masayuki, Hirata, Shinya, Sakashita, Masahiro
• Application Number:
  US09/894,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20020046106A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/023 the neutral party being a clearing house
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/381 Currency conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0233 Method of redeeming a frequent usage reward

Abstract

A point exchange site receive point exchange request from a member as a customer via a member terminal in the point exchange site or via a terminal such as a personal computer near the member. The point exchange site notifies the exchange request to each card company for the exchange request. Each card company converts the exchange point value according to an exchange rate to update a point balance, increased or decreased, of the customer. Or, the card company notifies the new exchange point value resultant from the conversion to the point exchange site. According to responses from the card companies, the point exchange site completes the point exchange for the card of the customer and notifies the point exchange completion to the customer.

Claims

1. A point exchange method of exchanging points between cards to which points are given according to amounts of transactions using the cards, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for a point exchange from a customer;

notifying the point exchange request to each card issuing company;

receiving approval for the request from the company;

completing the point exchange between cards;

calculating a point of own company according to an exchange rate between an exchange partner card and own card; and

approving the point exchange.

2. A point exchange method according to claim 1, wherein the point exchange between cards is conducted between cards having one cardholder name and different brands, between cards having different cardholder names and different brands, or between cards having different cardholder names and one brand.

3. A point exchange method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

after said request receiving step, said request notifying step, and said approval receiving step, receiving, when completing the point exchange between cards, points as a commission from the customer requesting the point exchange.

4. A point exchange system for exchanging points between cards to which points are given according to amounts of transactions using the cards, comprising:

a server of a point exchange site and;

a server of a card company connected to said server of the point exchange site via a network, wherein said server of said point exchange site comprises;

means for receiving a request for a point exchange via a member terminal from a customer;

means for notifying the point exchange request to each card issuing company and for receiving approval for the request from the card issuing company;

means for calculating a point of own card company according to an exchange rate between an exchange partner card and own card and for approving the point exchange rate.

5. A point exchange system according to claim 4, wherein the point exchange between cards is conducted between cards having one cardholder name and different brands, between cards having different cardholder names and different brands, or between cards having different cardholder names and one brand.

6. A recording medium having stored a processing program product to achieve a point exchange method, the processing program product comprising:

a processing program for receiving a request for a point exchange from a customer;

a processing program for notifying the point exchange request to each card issuing company and for receiving approval for the request from the company; and

a processing program for calculating a point, of own company according to an exchange rate between an exchange partner card and own card and for approving the point exchange.

7. A point exchange program for achieving a point exchange method, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for a point exchange from a customer;

notifying the point exchange request to each card issuing company and for receiving approval for the request from the company; and

calculating a point of own company according to an exchange rate between an exchange partner card and own card and for approving the point exchange.