User rewards program and associated communications system

• US 20030182247A1
• Filed: 04/02/2002
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Privilegeone Networks LLC (Second Street Capital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Privilegeone Networks LLC (Second Street Capital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Oliver, Paul V., Mobed, Jeffrey N.
• Granted Patent: US 7,103,573 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/78
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0855 involving a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A financial system in which an intermediary facilitates transactions between one or more credit card issuers and a plurality of different vendors which may be related by a common characteristic. The financial system of the present invention preferably includes a consumer credit card and a membership card, both including some type of rewards program. A customer applies for the credit card and membership card at a point-of-sale associated with a vendor that sponsors the credit card. The vendor uses a computer with a hardware or software identification system to securely transmit the application to the intermediary via a broad bandwidth communication medium, such as the Internet. The credit card issuer may use an instant on-line approval mechanism to instantly send a credit card number and initial spending limit to the customer via the vendor'"'"'s computer. If the customer is not instantly or otherwise approved for the credit card, the intermediary may provide the customer with a branded membership card that carries no purchasing power, but which provides certain rewards at the vendor'"'"'s location, preferably building customer loyalty to the vendor.

Claims

1. A multi-party financial system, comprising:

at least one vendor computer including the ability to uniquely identify itself in an electronic communication;

a credit card issuer computer;

a broad bandwidth communications medium;

an intermediary computer communicatively connected to said at least one vendor computer and said credit card issuer computer via said communications medium, wherein said intermediary computer receives credit card application information from a uniquely identified vendor computer and transmits that information to a credit card issuer.

2. The multi-party financial system of claim 1, wherein said broad bandwidth communications medium is the Internet.

3. The multi-party financial system of claim 1, wherein said intermediary computer includes a portal web site adapted to uniquely identify said vendor computer and frame the web page of a credit card issuer web site.

4. The multi-party financial system of claim 1, wherein the capability for the vendor computer to uniquely identify itself to the intermediary computer is in the form of a hardware component connected to a parallel port of each of said plurality of vendor computers.

5. The multi-party financial system of claim 1, wherein the capability for the vendor computer to uniquely identify itself to the intermediary computer is in the form of software loaded on each of said plurality of vendor computers.

6. The multi-party financial system of claim 3 wherein said hardware component is a hardware HASP that includes a unique HASP identification code.

7. The multi-party financial system of claim 6, wherein said HASP identification code and a hard disk drive serial number of the vendor computer on which the HASP is installed is used to uniquely identify the vendor computer to the intermediary.

8. The multi-party financial system of claim 6, wherein said intermediary computer includes a business-to-business web site in which each vendor computer may access information about its customers.

9. The multi-party financial system of claim 6, wherein said intermediary computer periodically sends reports to each of send vendor computers about each vendor'"'"'s customers spending habits.

10. The multi-party financial system of claim 6, wherein said credit card issuer computer is adapted to provide instant credit card application decisions to the vendor computer.

11. The multi-party financial system of claim 6, wherein said credit card issuer computer includes a CGI bin in which said credit card application information may be sent by the intermediary.

12. The multi-party financial system of claim 1, wherein said credit card application is for a dual credit card and membership card rewards program.

13. The multi-party financial system of claim 12, wherein said rewards program is tiered such that the financial burden of providing user rewards is split between the vendor and the credit card issuer.

14. the multi-party financial system of claim 12, wherein said dual credit card and membership card are branded to a specific sponsoring vendor.

15. A method for providing a credit card to a customer, comprising the steps of:

storing a HASP identifier code in a HASP;

installing said HASP on a vendor computer;

installing system software on said vendor computer;

allowing said vendor computer access to an intermediary portal web site if the HASP identifier code matches information in a security database associated with the intermediary portal web site; and

passing rewards program application information from the vendor computer through the intermediary portal web site to a credit card issuer web site.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said rewards program application information is passed to a CGI bin associated with the credit card issuer web site.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said rewards program application information includes information for applying for both a credit card rewards program and a membership card rewards program.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said rewards program is tiered such that the financial burden of the rewards program is shared between the credit card issuer and the vendor.

19. the method of claim 18, wherein said membership card and said credit card are branded to the vendor.

20. A method for providing a credit card to a user, comprising the steps of:

storing a HASP identifier code in a HASP;

installing said HASP on a vendor computer;

installing system software on said vendor computer;

initially logging into an intermediary portal web site to establish a security code for the vendor computer based on the HASP identifier code and a system serial number for the vendor computer;

logging into the intermediary portal web site with a login name and password;

passing credit card application information from the vendor computer through the intermediary portal web site to a credit card issuer web site; and

sending instant credit card approval decisioning information from the credit card issuer web site through the intermediary portal to the vendor computer.