SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MANAGING MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS ON A RF TRANSACTION INSTRUMENT

• US 20040249839A1
• Filed: 03/12/2004
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Williamson, John R., Bonalle, David S., Bliman, Michal, Saunders, Peter D., Beenau, Blayn W., Montgomery, Joshua L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,268,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/227 characterised in that multiple accounts are available, e.g. to the payer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3552 Downloading or loading of personalisation data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3572 Multiple accounts on card
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/35765 Access rights to memory zones
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

Systems and methods are configured to manage data sets associated with a transaction instrument. For example, a method is provided for facilitating the management of distinct data sets on a transaction instrument that are provided by distinct data set owners, wherein the distinct data sets may include differing formats. The method includes the steps of: adding, by a read/write, a first data set to the financial transaction instrument, wherein the first data set is owned by a first owner; adding, by the read/write device, a second data set to the financial transaction instrument, wherein the second data set is owned by a second owner; and storing the first data set and the second data set on the financial transaction instrument in accordance with an owner defined format. The first and second data sets may each be stored as a Block of Binary. Furthermore, the first data set may be updated and/or deleted from the financial transaction instrument by the data owner or the transaction instrument user, in real-time or substantially real-time or at a later date. In another example, a financial transaction instrument comprises a data set management system for facilitating the management of more than one data set, the transaction instrument comprising at least one data storage area configured to store a first data set of a first format and a second data set of a second format different than the first format. The first and second data sets are associated with first and second owners, respectively, and are configured to be stored independent of each other. In yet another example, the data sets may be stored on a remote database under the identical arrangement as is stored on the transaction instrument.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating the management of a plurality of data sets on a transaction instrument, the method comprising the steps of:

facilitating enrollment of a first data set owner and a second data set owner in multiple transaction accounts on a transaction instrument program;

facilitating adding to a database, a first data set of a first format at the transaction instrument, wherein said first data set is owned by said first data set owner;

facilitating adding to a database, a second data set of a second format at the transaction instrument, wherein said second data set is owned by said second data set owner, wherein said first owner is distinct from said second owner, and said first format is different from said second format,

wherein said first data set is stored in accordance with said first format, and said second data set is stored in accordance with said second format; and

facilitating modifying at least one of said first and second data set on said database.

2. A method of claim 1, wherein said database is a remote database remote from said transaction instrument.

3. A method of claim 1, wherein said database is a RF transaction instrument database.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said first data set is added before issuance of the financial transaction instrument by an issuer, and wherein said second data set is added after issuance of the financial transaction instrument.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising facilitating the adding of a first condition header to at least one of said first and second data sets, said header added independent of said first or second format.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising facilitating the modification of at least one of said first and second data sets in accordance with said condition header.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of facilitating the deleting of said second data set in accordance with said condition header.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of facilitating the adding of a third data set to the financial transaction instrument;

wherein said third data set is stored, at least partially, in at least a portion of the data storage space that was used to store said second data set.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising facilitating the adding, by an interaction device, of a third data set of a third format to the financial transaction instrument, wherein said third data set is owned by said first owner.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said first and second data sets are each stored as a Block of Binary.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

facilitating the updating of said first data set; and

facilitating the deleting of said first data set from the financial transaction instrument.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said first data set is stored in a first memory area and wherein said first memory area is reusable by a third data set after said first data set is deleted from said first memory area.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said first and second block of binary are annotated with at least one status indicator for indicating the action to be taken with the block of binary.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said updating and deleting of said first data set is accomplished without the involvement of an issuer of the financial transaction instrument and independent of any other data set owner.

20. The transaction instrument of claim 14, further comprising a first data storage area, wherein said first data storage area is configured to receive data of any format.

21. The transaction instrument of claim 14, wherein said transaction instrument includes a radio frequency operable transponder.

15. A system for facilitating the management of a plurality of data sets stored on a RF operable transaction instrument,

said transaction instrument comprising:

at least one data storage area configured to store a first data set in a first format and a second data storage area configured to store a second data set in a second format different from said first format,

said first data set associated with a first owner and said data storage area configured to store said first data set in said first format independent of said second data set, and,

said second data set associated with said second owner and said data storage area configured to store said second data set in said second format independent of said first data set;

a remote database configured to store a exact duplicate representation of said first data storage area and said second data storage area; and

an interaction device configured to read and write data to said transaction device storage area, said interaction device configured to receive said first and second data sets from said remote data base, and to provide said first and second data sets to said transaction instrument data base.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein at least one of said first and second data sets stored on said remote database is annotated with a condition header.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein at least one of said first and second data sets is modified on said remote database in accordance with said condition header.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein at least one of said first and second data sets is modified on said RF transaction database in accordance with said condition header.

19. The transaction instrument of claim 16, wherein said condition header is at least one of the following status conditions:

loaded, initialized, ready, blocked, removable, and deleted.

22. A data management system comprising:

a transaction instrument associated with a first data set of a first format and a second data set of a second format, wherein said first data set is owned by a first owner and said second data set is owned by a second owner different from the first, and wherein said transaction instrument is configured to facilitate at least one of a first data set owner and a user of said transaction instrument in managing said first data set without involvement of an issuer of said transaction instrument;

a database configured to store said first and second data sets, said first data set having a format different from said second format, said database configured to store said first data set in accordance with said first format, and said database configured to store said second data sets in accordance with said second format; and

an interaction device configured to communicate with said financial transaction instrument and said database, said interaction device configured to receive said first and second data set and to provide said first and second data to said transaction instrument.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said first and second data sets are managed via a self-service user interaction device.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein said interaction device is configured to modify at least one of said first and second data sets, said modifying including at least one of the following management actions:

adding, updating, and deleting said first data set.