Method and system for handling method level processing in connection with cardholder account processing

• US 20050080726A1
• Filed: 08/13/2004
• Published: 04/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: First Data Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: First Data Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Harden, Jeffrey S., Cash, Rebecca J., Plozay, Molly, Brockley, Tod O., Rose, Keith A., Savage, Richard L., Krajewski, Steve R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,635,151 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for managing a financial account in which account information is maintained for the financial account on a host system. The account information includes a set of account parameter values and a specification of a base account processing strategy. An entry in a lookup table is maintained on a storage device in communication with the host system is accessed. The entry is defined by at least one of the account parameter values. An operation specified by the entry and inconsistent with operations specified by the base account processing strategy is implemented to override at least a portion of the base account processing strategy. The base account processing strategy is reverted to with the host system in response to satisfaction of a predetermined trigger condition.

Claims

1. A method for managing a financial account, the method comprising:

maintaining account information for the financial account on a host system, wherein the account information includes a set of account parameter values and a specification of a base account processing strategy;

overriding at least a portion of the base account processing strategy with the host system by accessing an entry in a lookup table maintained on a storage device in communication with the host system, the entry being defined by at least one of the account parameter values, and implementing an operation specified by the entry and inconsistent with operations specified by the base account processing strategy; and

reverting to the base account processing strategy with the host system in response to satisfaction of a predetermined trigger condition.

2. The method recited in claim 1 further comprising receiving account usage information for the financial account with the host system, wherein the entry is further defined by the account usage information.

3. The method recited in claim 2 wherein:

the lookup table comprises a plurality of lookup tables; and

accessing an entry in the lookup table comprises;

accessing an entry in a first of the plurality of lookup tables, the entry in the first of the plurality of lookup tables being defined according to one of the account usage information and the account parameter values; and

accessing an entry in a second of the plurality of lookup tables, the entry in the second of the plurality of lookup tables being defined according to the other of the account usage information and the account parameter values, wherein the second of the plurality of lookup tables is identified by the entry in the first of the plurality of lookup tables; and

implementing the operation specified by the entry comprises implementing an operation specified by the entry in the second of the plurality of lookup tables.

4. The method recited in claim 1 wherein:

overriding the at least a portion of the base account processing strategy comprises specifying a temporal lock period; and

reverting to the base account processing strategy is performed after passage of the temporal lock period.

5. A method for managing a financial account, the method comprising:

maintaining account information for the financial account on a host system, wherein the account information includes a set of account parameter values and a specification of a base account processing strategy;

overriding at least a portion of the base account processing strategy with the host system by accessing an entry in a lookup table maintained on a storage device in communication with the host system, the entry being defined by at least one of the account parameter values, and implementing an operation specified by the entry and inconsistent with operations specified by the base account processing strategy; and

recording, with the host system, a temporal lock period measured from a time of overriding the at least a portion of the base account processing strategy during which the overriding is prohibited from being removed.

6. The method recited in claim 5 further comprising:

identifying the occurrence of a predetermined trigger condition with the host system;

determining, with the host system, whether a time of occurrence of the predetermined trigger condition is within the temporal lock period; and

reverting to the base account processing strategy with the host system in response to the occurrence of the predetermined trigger condition if the time of occurrence of the predetermined trigger condition is within the temporal lock period.

7. The method recited in claim 5 further comprising receiving account usage information for the financial account with the host system, wherein the entry is further defined by the account usage information.

8. The method recited in claim 7 wherein:

the lookup table comprises a plurality of lookup tables; and

accessing an entry in the lookup table comprises;

accessing an entry in a first of the plurality of lookup tables, the entry in the first of the plurality of lookup tables being defined according to one of the account usage information and the account parameter values; and

accessing an entry in a second of the plurality of lookup tables, the entry in the second of the plurality of lookup tables being defined according to the other of the account usage information and the account parameter values, wherein the second of the plurality of lookup tables is identified by the entry in the first of the plurality of lookup tables; and

implementing the operation specified by the entry comprises implementing an operation specified by the entry in the second of the plurality of lookup tables.

9. The method recited in claim 5 wherein the temporal lock period is finite.

10. The method recited in claim 5 wherein the temporal lock period is indefinite.

11. A method for managing a financial account, the method comprising:

maintaining account information for the financial account on a host system, wherein the account information includes a set of account parameter values and a specification of a base account processing strategy;

receiving account usage information for the financial account with the host system;

overriding at least a portion of the base account processing strategy with the host system by;

accessing an entry in a first of a plurality of lookup tables maintained on a storage device in communication with the host system, the entry in the first of the plurality of lookup tables being defined according to one of the account usage information and the account parameter values;

accessing an entry in a second of the plurality of lookup tables, the entry in the second of the lookup tables being defined according to the other of the account usage information and the account parameter values, wherein the second of the plurality of lookup tables is identified by the entry in the first of the plurality of lookup tables; and

implementing an operation specified by the entry in the second of the lookup tables and inconsistent with operations specified by the base account processing strategy;

recording, with the host system, a temporal lock period measured from a time of overriding the at least a portion of the base account processing strategy during which the overriding is prohibited from being removed;

identifying the occurrence of a predetermined trigger condition with the host system;

determining, with the host system, that a time of occurrence of the predetermined trigger condition is later than the temporal lock period; and

reverting to the base account processing strategy with the host system in response to the occurrence of the predetermined trigger condition.

12. A method of maintaining a plurality of financial accounts, the method comprising:

maintaining account information for each of the plurality of accounts on a storage device, wherein the account information for each account includes a set of respective account parameter values and a specification of a respective base account processing strategy;

receiving a hypothetical lookup table with a host system in communication with the storage device, the hypothetical lookup table corresponding to a hypothetical processing scenario for the plurality of accounts, entries within the hypothetical lookup table being defined by at least one account parameter value and specifying an account-processing override;

determining which of the plurality of accounts have account information with respective account parameter values that would result in a change in the respective base account processing strategy by applying the account-processing override specified by the entries in the hypothetical lookup table defined by the respective account parameter values; and

generating a report summarizing results of the determining.

13. The method recited in claim 12 further comprising maintaining respective account usage information for each of the plurality of accounts on the storage device, wherein entries within the hypothetical lookup table are further defined by account usage information.

14. The method recited in claim 13 wherein:

the hypothetical lookup table comprises a plurality of hypothetical lookup tables; and

the entries within the hypothetical lookup table comprise;

entries within a first of the plurality of hypothetical lookup tables defined according to one of the account usage information and the account parameter values; and

entries within a second of the plurality of hypothetical lookup tables defined according to the other of the account usage information and the account parameter values, wherein the second of the plurality of lookup tables is identified by at least one of the entries within the first of the plurality of hypothetical lookup tables.