System and method for locking and unlocking a financial account card
First Claim
1. A system for locking and unlocking a financial account card, comprising:
- a card processor implemented in a computer system, coupled to a delivery channel, and adapted to (a) receive card identifying information, a request to perform a card lock operation, and a request to perform a card unlock operation via the delivery channel;
(b) authenticate the card identifying information;
(c) in response to a request to perform a card lock operation to (i) verify that the card to be locked currently is in an operable state;
(ii) save the operable state of the card;
(iii) lock the card by changing the current state of the card to a locked state whereby use of the card is prevented;
(d) in response to a request to perform a card unlock operation to (iv) verify that the card to be unlocked currently is in a locked state;
(v) retrieve the saved operable state of the card;
(vi) unlock the card by changing the current state of the card to the retrieved saved operable state of the card; and
(e) send a response message via the delivery channel indicating that the request to perform a card lock operation or the request to perform a card unlock operation has been received.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method whereby a holder of a financial account card, such as a credit card or debit card, is able to disable and re-enable use of the card by locking and unlocking the card repeatedly. A request to lock or unlock a card may be provided by a variety of delivery channels, e.g., telephone, automated teller machine, or online, to a card processor. For a locking transaction the card processor saves the current operable status of the card and changes the status to locked. For an unlocking transaction the saved operable status of the card is restored. The changed locked or unlocked status of the card is reported by the card processor to companion systems and an audit record created.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A system for locking and unlocking a financial account card, comprising:
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a card processor implemented in a computer system, coupled to a delivery channel, and adapted to (a) receive card identifying information, a request to perform a card lock operation, and a request to perform a card unlock operation via the delivery channel;
(b) authenticate the card identifying information;
(c) in response to a request to perform a card lock operation to (i) verify that the card to be locked currently is in an operable state;
(ii) save the operable state of the card;
(iii) lock the card by changing the current state of the card to a locked state whereby use of the card is prevented;
(d) in response to a request to perform a card unlock operation to (iv) verify that the card to be unlocked currently is in a locked state;
(v) retrieve the saved operable state of the card;
(vi) unlock the card by changing the current state of the card to the retrieved saved operable state of the card; and
(e) send a response message via the delivery channel indicating that the request to perform a card lock operation or the request to perform a card unlock operation has been received. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method implemented in a computer system of locking and unlocking a financial account card, comprising:
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(a) receiving card identifying information and a request to perform a card lock operation or a request to perform a card unlock operation via a delivery channel;
(b) authenticating the card identifying information;
(c) in response to a request to perform a card lock operation (i) verifying that the card to be locked currently is in an operable state;
(ii) saving the operable state of the card;
(iii) locking the card by changing the current state of the card to a locked state whereby use of the card is prevented;
(d) in response to a request to perform a card unlock operation (iv) verifying that the card to be unlocked currently is in a locked state;
(v) retrieving the saved operable state of the card;
(vi) unlocking the card by changing the current state of the card to the retrieved saved operable state of the card; and
(e) sending a response message via the delivery channel indicating that the request to perform a card lock operation or the request to perform a card unlock operation has been received. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of locking and unlocking a financial account card, comprising:
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(a) providing a card processor implemented in a computer system, coupled to a delivery channel, and adapted to receive card identifying information, a request to perform a card lock operation, and a request to perform a card unlock operation via the delivery channel, to authenticate the card identifying information, in response to a request to perform a card lock operation to (i) verify that the card to be locked currently is in an operable state;
(ii) save the operable state of the card;
(iii) lock the card by changing the current state of the card to a locked state whereby use of the card is prevented; and
in response to a request to perform a card unlock operation to (iv) verify that the card to be unlocked currently is in a locked state;
(v) retrieve the saved operable state of the card;
(vi) unlock the card by changing the current state of the card to the retrieved saved operable state of the card;
(b) requesting via a delivery channel that a card lock operation be performed by the card processor for a particular identified card;
(c) requesting via a delivery channel that a card unlock operation be performed by the card processor for the particular identified card; and
(d) making the requests of (b) and (c) in sequence repeatedly a plurality of times. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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Specification