System and method for card processing with automated payment of club, merchant, and service provider fees
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and methods for a card that allows a cardholder to set up auto-charge payment of dues and fees to a series of clubs, merchants or service providers. The card also may be used for other transactions that accept credit cards. The apparatus includes a database containing information of the associated clubs, merchants and service providers, so that applicants and cardholders can easily configure auto-charging for multiple business concerns in one sitting. The apparatus may process auto-charge transactions in an automated fashion without requiring a cardholder to submit payment authorization or the business concern to submit a charge for each payment. Inconvenience and administrative costs to the cardholder and the business concern are reduced. The system and method provide a competitive advantage to the associated business concerns to secure the initial account and then to maintain it. The system and method encourages card loyalty of both the card members and the business concerns to the card provider.
104 Citations
45 Claims
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1-25. -25. (canceled)
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26. A card processing system for allowing cardholders to automatically charge fees to clubs, merchants or service providers, comprising:
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means for issuing credit cards capable of point-of-sale transactions to be posed on a cardholder'"'"'s account;
a card issuer database having information that associates individual cardholders with a plurality of clubs, merchants, or service providers for which auto-charge transactions are performed by the card issuer;
said auto-charge transactions being performed without requiring, for each auto-charge, a cardholder to submit payment authorization or the club, merchant, or service provider to submit a payment transaction request;
the card issuer database accessible by the card issuer to allow at least one of existing cardholders and cardholder applicants to choose clubs, merchants or service providers, to be associated with that cardholder and to enable said auto-charging function for the selected clubs, merchants, or service providers;
a card processor for performing the auto-charge transactions which are for payments owed by the cardholder to selected clubs, merchants, or service providers in consideration for services or goods;
the card processor accessing the card issuer database to perform the auto-charge transactions;
the auto-charge transactions resulting in funds being charged to the cardholder'"'"'s credit account and funds being credited to an account of a third party other than the cardholder, the third party comprising one or more selected clubs, merchants, and service providers. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A card processor for allowing cardholders to automatically charge fees to clubs, merchants or service providers, comprising:
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a card processor for identifying auto-charge transactions corresponding to individual credit card accountholders;
said card processor operatively coupled to a card issuer database having information that associates individual cardholders with a plurality of clubs, merchants, or service providers for which auto-charges are performed by the card issuer;
said auto-charge transactions being performed without requiring, for each auto-charge, a cardholder to submit payment authorization or the club, merchant, or service provider to submit a payment transaction request;
the card processor performing the auto-charge transactions which are for payments owed by the cardholder to selected clubs, merchants, or service providers in consideration for services or goods;
the card processor accessing the card issuer database to perform the auto-charge transactions;
the auto-charge transactions resulting in funds being charged to the cardholder'"'"'s credit account and funds being credited to an account of a third party other than the cardholder, the third party comprising one or more selected clubs, merchants, and service providers. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42)
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43. A computer-implemented method of card processing allowing cardholders to automatically charge fees to clubs, merchants or service providers, comprising:
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(1) issuing credit cards capable of point-of-sale transactions to be posed on a cardholder'"'"'s account;
(2) providing a card issuer database having information that associates individual cardholders with a plurality of clubs, merchants, or service providers for which auto-charge transactions are performed by the card issuer;
(3) performing said auto-charge transactions without requiring, for each auto-charge, a cardholder to submit payment authorization or the club, merchant, or service provider to submit a payment transaction request;
(a) the auto-charge transactions being for payments owed by the cardholder to selected clubs, merchants, or service providers in consideration for services or goods;
(b) the auto-charge transactions resulting in funds being charged to the cardholder'"'"'s credit account and funds being credited to an account of a third party other than the cardholder, the third party comprising one or more selected clubs, merchants, and service providers; and
(4) accessing the card issuer database to allow at least one of existing cardholders and cardholder applicants to choose clubs, merchants or service providers, to be associated with that cardholder and to enable said auto-charging function for the selected clubs, merchants, or service providers. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45)
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Specification