AUTOMATED REWARD PROGRAM

• US 20080116260A1
• Filed: 10/27/2006
• Published: 05/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kasasa Ltd.
• Original Assignee: BancVue Limited
• Inventors: Barton, Paul, Krajicek, Gabriel, Shafer, Don
• Granted Patent: US 7,753,264 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems

Abstract

A method carried out by processing a purchase by a user at a merchant; submitting purchase information to a financial institution; and assigning credit to the user according to the purchase and reward program terms tailored for the merchant. A further method carried out by issuing to a plurality of users a plurality of payment cards issued by a financial institution; enrolling a plurality of merchants to support a plurality of reward programs for the plurality of users, each merchant setting reward program terms tailored for purchases at the merchant; submitting purchase information to the financial institution each time a payment card is employed by one of the users to make a purchase at one of the merchants; confirming from the purchase information associated with the purchase a reward program common to the user and merchant; and assigning a plurality of credits to the plurality of users for future use at the plurality of merchants, each credit assigned according to the purchase and reward program common to the user and merchant. A system including a financial institution that maintains merchant and user data; a merchant that sets terms of a reward program for users and where a user makes a purchase and purchase information is processed and submitted to the financial institution; and a transaction module coupled to the financial institution, the transaction module receives reward program settings and purchase information from the merchant and tracks and maintains transactions associated with the reward program.

Claims