Method and System for Restricted the Usage of Payment Accounts

• US 20080033879A1
• Filed: 09/10/2007
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Coco, Joseph, Blinn, Arnold
• Granted Patent: US 7,739,194 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/44
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/29 characterised by micropayments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• 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 20/403 Solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• 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: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A user'"'"'s ability to spend and/or receive funds for payment accounts maintained in an electronic wallet are limited. These limitations include restrictions on where the user is able to spend the funds in a payment account (e.g., at which merchants the funds can be spent, whether the funds can be withdrawn from an ATM, etc.). These limitations may also include restrictions on what other payment accounts the user can receive funds from and/or transfer funds to, thereby limiting person-to-person fund transfers.

Claims

1. One or more computer readable media having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform acts including:

receiving a request to make a purchase at an on-line merchant using funds from a payment account that is identified in an electronic wallet maintained on a wallet server, the electronic wallet corresponding to a particular user,

identifying restrictions that restrict the payment account;

comparing the restrictions to an identity of the on-line merchant;

determining, based on the comparing, whether to allow the purchase to proceed; and

upon allowance of the purchase, forwarding purchase information maintained in the electronic wallet from the wallet server to the on-line merchant to charge the purchase to the payment account.

2. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the payment account comprises a debit card account.

3. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the payment account comprises a gift certificate account.

4. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the payment account comprises a rebate account.

5. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the payment account comprises a cash account.

6. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the payment account comprises a reward account.

7. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the payment account comprises an allowance account.

8. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the restrictions limit the payment account to being used at one or more on-line merchants that are part of a group of merchants that changes over time.

9. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the restrictions limit the payment account to being used at one or more on-line merchants that are part of a static group of merchants.

10. One or more computer readable media having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform acts including:

receiving a request to make a purchase at an on-line merchant using funds from a payment account that is identified in an electronic wallet maintained on a wallet server, the electronic wallet corresponding to a particular user,

identifying an expiration date for the payment account;

comparing the expiration date to a current date;

determining, based on the comparing of the expiration date to the current date, whether to allow the purchase to proceed; and

upon allowance of the purchase, forwarding purchase information maintained in the electronic wallet from the wallet server to the on-line merchant to charge the purchase to the payment account.