REAL TIME ACCOUNT UPDATE

• US 20080301050A1
• Filed: 05/30/2007
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: DiGioacchino, Laura
• Granted Patent: US 7,904,389 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/44
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• 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 20/40 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 20/407 Cancellation of a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof

Abstract

A method is used in a system that includes a financial service provider coordinating accounts issued by an issuer to cardholders requesting credit from merchants. Each merchant has an acquirer with whom the financial service provider also coordinates the accounts. The method can be performed by a merchant sending a transmission to its acquirer including a request for a transaction against one account to which the merchant receives a denial or prior to receiving such a denial. The merchant then requests information from the financial service provider who responds by sending the requested information, upon which the merchant determines whether to extend the credit. When the method is performed by a financial service provider, in response to the denial received by one merchant or prior to such denial, the financial service provider receives a transmission from the merchant including a request for information about the account. In response, the financial service provider sends the merchant the requested information.

Claims

1. In a system with a transaction handler coordinating accounts issued by an issuer to account holders each making requests for an authorization of a transaction on the corresponding account to merchants, each merchant having an acquirer with whom the transaction handler also coordinates the accounts of the account holders making the requests for the authorizations of the transactions, a method comprising:

forming, at the merchant, a transmission destined for the merchant'"'"'s acquirer including a request for an authorization of a transaction against one said account for a corresponding said account holder;

receiving, at the merchant, a transmission from the merchant'"'"'s acquirer including a denial of the request for the authorization of the transaction for the account in response to the request for the authorization of the transaction for the account;

in response to the received denial, forming a transmission at the merchant destined for the transaction handler corresponding to the account and including a request for information about the account;

receiving, at the merchant, a transmission from the transaction handler including the requested information about the account; and

in response to receiving the changes to the account, querying, at the merchant, the received changes to the account against a predetermined criteria to determine whether to authorize the transaction the transaction against the account of the corresponding said account holder.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein:

each said account holder comprises a cardholder;

the transaction handler comprises a financial service provider; and

each said request for authorization upon each said account for each said transaction by a corresponding said account holder comprises a request to extend credit upon the account of the corresponding said cardholder.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising providing an interactive user interface to contain data corresponding to:

the request for information about the account for which the denial was received; and

the requested information about the account for which the denial was received.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising providing means for real time access at the merchant to the transaction handler for:

sending the transmission destined for the transaction handler; and

receiving the transmission from the transaction handler including the requested information about the account.

5. The method as defined in claim 4, wherein the means for real time access comprises a browser application for an network of servers.

6. A computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing device, performs the method of claim 1.

7. In a system with a transaction handler coordinating accounts issued by an issuer to account holders each making requests for authorizations of transactions on the corresponding account to merchants, each merchant having an acquirer with whom the transaction handler also coordinates the accounts of the account holders making the requests for authorizations of the transactions, wherein a request for the authorization of the transaction against one said account of a corresponding said account holder has been sent to one said merchant'"'"'s acquirer, and wherein there has been received at the one said merchant a transmission from the one said merchant'"'"'s acquirer including a denial of the request for the authorization of the transaction for the one said account of the one said account holder in response to the request for the authorization of the transaction for the account, a method comprising:

receiving, at the transaction handler, in response to the denial received by the one said merchant, a transmission from the one said merchant including a request for information about the one said account; and

forming, at the transaction handler in response to the request for information about the account from the one said merchant, a transmission destined for the one said merchant including the requested information about the one said account.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein:

each said account holder comprises a cardholder;

the transaction handler comprises a financial service provider; and

each said request for authorization upon each said account for each said transaction by a corresponding said account holder comprises a request to extend credit upon the account of the corresponding said cardholder.

9. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the requested information about the account is sufficient for the one said merchant to query against a predetermined criteria to determine whether to authorize the transaction in response to the request for the authorization of the transaction against the account.

10. The method as defined in claim 7, further comprising providing means for real time access to the transaction handler for use of the one said merchant to request for information about the one said account.

11. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein the means for real time access comprises a server in communication with a network of servers and responsive to a browser application operated by the one said merchant.

12. A computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing device, performs the method of claim 7.

13. In a system with a transaction handler coordinating accounts issued by an issuer to account holders each making requests for authorizations of transaction on the corresponding said accounts to merchants, each merchant having an acquirer with whom the transaction handler also coordinates the accounts of the account holders, a method comprising:

forming, at a merchant, a transmission destined for the merchant'"'"'s acquirer requesting a batch comparison of a plurality of said accounts to determine any changes thereto;

in response to the request for the batch comparison, receiving at the merchant a transmission from the merchant'"'"'s acquirer including the requested changes respectively to each of the accounts;

batch updating, at the merchant, the plurality of said accounts with the respective received changes thereto;

forming, at the merchant, a transmission destined for the merchant'"'"'s acquirer including a request for an authorization of a transaction on a corresponding said account of a corresponding said account holder;

receiving, at the merchant, a transmission from the merchant'"'"'s acquirer including a denial of the request for the authorization of the transaction on the corresponding said account of the corresponding said account holder in response to the request for the authorization;

in response to the received denial, forming a transmission, at the merchant, destined for the transaction handler including a request for the content of the changes to the one said account since the last batch update to the account;

receiving a transmission, at the merchant, from the transaction handler including the changes to the one said account since the last batch update to the account; and

in response to receiving the changes to the one said account since the last batch update to the one said account, querying, at the merchant, the received changes to the account against a predetermined criteria to determine whether to authorize the transaction on the corresponding said account of the corresponding said account holder.

14. The method as defined in claim 13, wherein:

each said account holder comprises a cardholder;

the transaction handler comprises a financial service provider; and

each said request for authorization upon each said account for each said transaction by a corresponding said account holder comprises a request to extend credit upon the account of the corresponding said cardholder.

15. The method as defined in claim 13, further comprising providing an interactive user interface to contain data corresponding to:

the request for information about one said the account for which the denial was received; and

the requested information about the one said account for which the denial was received.

16. The method as defined in claim 14, further comprising providing means for real time access at the merchant to the financial service provider for:

sending the transmission destined for the financial service provider; and

receiving the transmission from the financial service provider including the requested information about the one said account.

17. The method as defined in claim 16, wherein the means for real time access comprises a browser application for an network of servers.

18. A computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing device, performs the method of claim 13.

19. In a system of accounts held by account holders, where issuers issue respective said accounts to the account holders, merchants receive requests for authorization upon the accounts for transactions by the account holders, acquirers receive from the merchants the requests for authorization upon the accounts for the transactions by the account holders, acquirers communicate with the corresponding issuers to determine whether to authorize or deny each said request for authorization upon the accounts for transactions by the account holders, where a transaction handler coordinates each said account for each said account holder with the issuers, the merchants, and with the merchant'"'"'s acquirers, and wherein the transaction handler receives updated account information from the issuers about the respective said account holders to which the issuers issued respective said accounts, a method comprising:

receiving, at the transaction handler, updated account information from one said issuer for one said account of one said account holder;

receiving, at the transaction handler, a transmission from one said merchant including a request for account information about the one said account holder who is requesting authorization upon a corresponding said account for a transaction from the one said merchant; and

sending, from the transaction handler, a transmission destined from the one said merchant and including the requested updated account information received from the one said issuer.

20. The method as defined in claim 19, wherein:

each said account holder comprises a cardholder;

the transaction handler comprises a financial service provider; and

each said request for authorization upon each said account for each said transaction by a corresponding said account holder comprises a request to extend credit upon the account of the corresponding said cardholder.

21. The method as defined in claim 20, wherein the requested information about the account is sufficient for the one said merchant to query against a predetermined criteria to determine whether to extend the credit in response to the one said cardholder who is requesting credit upon the cardholder'"'"'s account from the one said merchant.

22. The method as defined in claim 20, further comprising providing means for real time access to the financial service provider for use of the one said merchant to request for information about the one said account.

23. The method as defined in claim 22, wherein the means for real time access comprises a server in communication with a network of servers and responsive to a browser application operated by the one said merchant.

24. A computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing device, performs the method of claim 19.

25. In a system of accounts held by account holders, where issuers issue respective said accounts to the account holders, merchants receive requests for authorizations upon the accounts for transactions by the account holders, acquirers receive from the merchant'"'"'s requests for authorization of the transactions, acquirers communicate with the corresponding issuers to determine whether to authorize or deny each said requested transaction upon the accounts of respective said account holders, where a transaction handler coordinates each said account for each said account holder with the issuers, the merchants, and with the merchant'"'"'s acquirers, and wherein the transaction handler receives updated account information from the issuers about the respective said account holders to which the issuers issued respective said accounts, a method comprising:

forming, at one said merchant, a transmission destined for the transaction handler and including a request for updated information for a single said transaction for a single said account; and

receiving, at the one said merchant, a transmission from the transaction handler including the requested account information with respect to the one said account.

26. The method as defined in claim 25, wherein:

each said account holder comprises a cardholder;

the transaction handler comprises a financial service provider; and

each said request for authorization upon each said account for each said transaction of a corresponding said account holder comprises a request to extend credit upon the account of the corresponding said cardholder.

27. The method as defined in claim 26, further comprising the one said merchant extending credit to the one said account based upon the requested account information received from the financial service provider.

28. The method as defined in claim 27, wherein the one said merchant makes said extension of the credit:

prior to a communication with the one said merchant'"'"'s acquirer; and

after the one said merchant has received from the one said merchant'"'"'s acquirer a transmission including a denial of authorization to extend the credit to the one said account.

29. The method as defined in claim 25, further comprising providing an interactive user interface to contain data corresponding to:

the request for information about the account for which the denial was received; and

the requested information about the account for which the denial was received.

30. The method as defined in claim 26, further comprising providing means for real time access at the merchant to the financial service provider for:

sending the transmission destined for the financial service provider; and

receiving the transmission from the financial service provider including the requested information about the account.

31. The method as defined in claim 30, wherein the means for real time access comprises a browser application for an network of servers.

32. A computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing device, performs the method of claim 25.

33. In a system with a transaction handler coordinating accounts issued by an issuer to account holders each making requests for authorizations for transactions on corresponding said accounts of corresponding said account holders to merchants, each merchant having an acquirer with whom the transaction handler also coordinates the accounts of the account holders making the requests for the authorizations for the transactions on corresponding said accounts of corresponding said account holders, a merchant comprising:

means for forming a transmission destined for the merchant'"'"'s acquirer including a request for an authorization of a transaction against one said account for a corresponding said account holder;

means for receiving a transmission from the merchant'"'"'s acquirer including a denial of the request for the authorization of the transaction against the one said account for a corresponding said account holder;

means, in response to the received denial, for forming a transmission at the merchant destined for the transaction handler corresponding to the one said account and including a request for information about the one said account;

means for receiving a transmission from the transaction handler including the requested information about the account; and

means, in response to receiving the changes to the account, for querying the received changes to the account against a predetermined criteria to determine whether to authorize the transaction against the one said account for the corresponding said account holder.

34. The merchant as defined in claim 33, wherein:

each said account holder comprises a cardholder;

the transaction handler comprises a financial service provider; and

each said request for authorization for each said transaction on a corresponding said account of a corresponding said account holder comprises a request to extend credit upon the account of the corresponding said cardholder.

35. The merchant as defined in claim 33, further comprising means for providing an interactive user interface to contain data corresponding to:

the request for information about the account for which the denial was received; and

the requested information about the account for which the denial was received.

36. The merchant as defined in claim 34, further comprising providing means for real time access at the merchant to the financial service provider for:

sending the transmission destined for the financial service provider; and

receiving the transmission from the financial service provider including the requested information about the account.

37. The merchant as defined in claim 36, wherein the means for real time access comprises a browser application for an network of servers.

38. In a system with a transaction handler coordinating accounts issued by an issuer to account holders each making requests for authorizations of transactions on the corresponding account to merchants, each merchant having an acquirer with whom the transaction handler also coordinates the accounts of the account holders making the requests for authorization, a merchant comprising:

means for forming a transmission destined for the merchant'"'"'s acquirer requesting a batch comparison of a plurality of accounts for transactions to determine any changes thereto;

means, in response to the request for the batch comparison, for receiving at the merchant a transmission from the merchant'"'"'s acquirer including the requested changes respectively to each of the accounts;

means for batch updating the plurality of accounts with the respective received changes thereto;

means for forming a transmission destined for the merchant'"'"'s acquirer including a request for authorization of a transaction against one said account of a corresponding said account holder;

means for receiving a transmission from the merchant'"'"'s acquirer including a denial of the request for the authorization of the transaction in response to the request for the authorization;

means, in response to the received denial, for forming a transmission destined for the transaction handler including a request for the content of the changes to the one said account of the corresponding said account holder since the last batch update to the account;

means for receiving a transmission from the financial service provider including the changes to the one said account since the last batch update to the account; and

means, in response to receiving the changes to the one said account since the last batch update to the one said account, for querying the received changes to the account against a predetermined criteria to determine whether to authorize the transaction against the one said account of a corresponding said account holder.

39. The merchant as defined in claim 38, wherein:

each said account holder comprises a cardholder;

the transaction handler comprises a financial service provider; and

each said request for authorization of the transaction for the one said account of the corresponding said account holder comprises a request to extend credit upon the account of the corresponding said cardholder.

40. The merchant as defined in claim 38, further comprising providing an interactive user interface to contain data corresponding to:

the request for information about one said account for which the denial was received; and

the requested information about the one said account for which the denial was received.

41. The merchant as defined in claim 39, further comprising providing means for real time access at the merchant to the financial service provider for:

sending the transmission destined for the financial service provider; and

receiving the transmission from the financial service provider including the requested information about the one said account.

42. The merchant as defined in claim 41, wherein the means for real time access comprises a browser application for an network of servers.

43. In a system of accounts held by account holders, where issuers issue respective said accounts to the account holders, merchants receive requests for authorization upon the accounts for transactions by the account holders, acquirers receive from the merchants requests for authorization of transactions, acquirers communicate with the corresponding issuers to determine whether to authorize or deny each said requested transaction for the accounts of respective said account holders, where a transaction handler coordinates each said account for each said account holder with the issuers, the merchants, and with the merchant'"'"'s acquirers, and wherein the transaction handler receives updated account information from the issuers about the respective account holders to which the issuers issued respective said accounts, a transaction handler comprising:

means for receiving updated account information from one said issuer for one said account of one said account holder;

means for receiving a transmission from one said merchant including a request for account information about the one said account holder who is requesting authorization upon the account holder'"'"'s account from the one said merchant; and

means for sending a transmission destined from the one said merchant and including the requested updated account information received from the one said issuer.

44. The transaction handler as defined in claim 43, wherein:

each said account holder comprises a cardholder;

the transaction handler comprises a financial service provider; and

each said request for authorization upon each said account for each said transaction by each said account holder comprises a request to extend credit upon the account of the corresponding said cardholder.

45. The transaction handler as defined in claim 44, wherein the requested information about the account is sufficient for the one said merchant to query against a predetermined criteria to determine whether to extend the credit in response to the one said cardholder who is requesting credit upon the cardholder'"'"'s account from the one said merchant.

46. The transaction handler as defined in claim 43, further comprising means for real time access for use of the one said merchant to request for information about the one said account.

47. The transaction handler as defined in claim 46, wherein the means for real time access comprises a server in communication with a network of servers and responsive to a browser application operated by the one said merchant.

48. In a system of accounts held by account holders, where issuers issue respective said accounts to the account holders, merchants receive requests for authorizations upon the accounts for transactions by the account holders, acquirers receive from the merchants requests for authorizations, acquirers communicate with the corresponding issuers to determine whether to authorize or deny each said requested transaction for the accounts of respective said account cardholders, where a transaction handler coordinates each said account for each said account holder with the issuers, the merchants, and with the merchant'"'"'s acquirers, and wherein the transaction handler receives updated account information from the issuers about the respective account holders to which the issuers issued respective said accounts, a merchant comprising:

means for forming a transmission destined for the transaction handler and including a request for updated information for a single transaction for a single account; and

means for receiving a transmission from the transaction handler including the requested account information with respect to the one said account.

49. The merchant as defined in claim 48, wherein:

each said account holder comprises a cardholder;

the transaction handler comprises a financial service provider; and

each said request for authorization upon each said account for each said transaction by each said account holder comprises a request to extend credit upon the account of the corresponding said cardholder.

50. The merchant as defined in claim 49, further comprising the one said merchant extending credit to the one said account based upon the requested account information received from the financial service provider.

51. The merchant as defined in claim 50, further comprising means for making said extension of the credit:

prior to a communication with the one said merchant'"'"'s acquirer; and

after the one said merchant has received from the one said merchant'"'"'s acquirer a transmission including a denial of authorization to extend the credit to the one said account.

52. The merchant as defined in claim 48, further comprising means for providing an interactive user interface to contain data corresponding to:

the request for information about the account for which the denial was received; and

the requested information about the account for which the denial was received.

53. The merchant as defined in claim 49, further comprising providing means for real time access to the financial service provider for:

sending the transmission destined for the financial service provider; and

receiving the transmission from the financial service provider including the requested information about the account.

54. The merchant as defined in claim 53, wherein the means for real time access comprises a browser application for an network of servers.