RULE-BASED SELECTION OF FINANCIAL ACCOUNT FOR PAYMENT CARD TRANSACTION

• US 20080021829A1
• Filed: 07/05/2007
• Published: 01/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mastercard International Incorporated (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mastercard International Incorporated (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kranzley, Arthur
• Application Number:
  US11/773,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20080021829A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/44
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/227 characterised in that multiple accounts are available, e.g. to the payer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3572 Multiple accounts on card
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4016 involving fraud or risk level assessment in transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

A method of operating a payment card system includes receiving, from a card holder, information indicative of at least one attribute of an account selection rule. The account selection rule is stored in a database. A request to authorize a payment card transaction is received. In response to the request, the stored account selection rule is retrieved. The method further includes selecting among a plurality of accounts belonging to the card holder based at least in part on the retrieved account selection rule. The selected account is used for the requested payment card transaction.

Claims

1. A method of operating a payment card system, the method comprising:

receiving, from a card holder, information indicative of at least one attribute of an account selection rule;

storing the account selection rule;

receiving an indication of a request to authorize a payment card transaction;

in response to the indication of the request, retrieving the stored account selection rule;

selecting, based at least in part on the retrieved account selection rule, among a plurality of accounts belonging to the card holder; and

using the selected account for the payment card transaction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting among the accounts is based at least in part on a merchant identifier included in the request.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the selecting among the accounts is based at least in part on a dollar amount of the transaction.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting among the accounts is based at least in part on a dollar amount of the transaction.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of accounts includes a plurality of credit card accounts.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of accounts includes a credit card account and an installment line of credit.

7. A method of operating a payment card system, the method comprising:

receiving, from a customer, information indicative of at least one attribute of an account selection rule; and

storing the account selection rule in association with a payment card number that corresponds to a payment card issued or appointed for issuance to the customer.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the account selection rule is stored in a database in a server computer.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

retrieving the account selection rule from the database in response to an indication of a request to authorize a payment card transaction for the customer.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the server computer associates a plurality of accounts with the payment card number, said account selection rule for selecting among the plurality of accounts, the method further comprising:

using the retrieved account selection rule to select among the plurality of accounts associated with the payment card number.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the information indicative of at least one attribute of an account selection rule is received via a web server computer.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the information indicative of at least one attribute of an account selection rule is received via a human operator at a call center.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a server computer; and

a database coupled to the server computer;

the server computer comprising;

first means for receiving, from a card holder, information indicative of at least one attribute of an account selection rule;

second means for storing the account selection rule in the database;

third means for receiving an indication of a request to authorize a payment;

fourth means, responsive to the third means, for retrieving the account selection rule from the database;

fifth means, responsive to the fourth means, for selecting, based at least in part on the retrieved account selection rule, among a plurality of accounts belonging to the card holder; and

sixth means, responsive to the fifth means, for identifying the selected account for use in the payment card transaction.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the fifth means selects among the accounts based at least in part on a merchant identifier included in the request.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the fifth means selects among the accounts based at least in part on a dollar amount of the transaction.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a server computer; and

a database coupled to the server computer;

the server computer comprising;

first means for receiving, from a customer, information indicative of at least one attribute of an account selection rule; and

second means, responsive to the first means, for storing the account selection rule in the database in association with a payment card number that corresponds to a payment card issued or appointed for issuance to the customer.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the server computer further comprises:

third means for retrieving the account selection rule from the database in response to an indication of a request to authorize a payment card transaction for the customer.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the server computer associates a plurality of accounts with the payment card number, said account selection rule for selecting among the plurality of accounts, the server computer further comprising:

fourth means, responsive to the third means, for using the retrieved account selection rule to select among the plurality of accounts associated with the payment card number.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the information indicative of at least one attribute of an account selection rule is received via a web server computer.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the information indicative of at least one attribute of an account selection rule is received via a human operator at a call center.