PAYMENT ACCOUNT PROCESSING WHICH CONVEYS FINANCIAL TRANSACTION DATA AND NON FINANCIAL TRANSACTION DATA

• US 20090006203A1
• Filed: 04/28/2008
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fordyce, Edward W. III, Patterson, Barbara Elizabeth
• Granted Patent: US 10,395,264 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• 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 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0234 Rebates after completed purchase
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A payment processing system enables a consumer to purchase items at a merchant using an account provided by an issuer. Financial data related to payment for the purchase are sent by the merchant through an acquirer and a transaction expeditor to the issuer. The issuer responds by determining whether to authorize the purchase and if authorized, sends a notification back to the merchant. The acquirer also issues non-financial data that is conveyed by the transaction expeditor to a recipient connected to the payment processing system. The financial and non-financial data for the same transaction may be sent in separate messages and a technique is provided for matching those messages at the recipient. Different types of non-financial data can be conveyed, such as identification of the items being purchased which the recipient uses to determine whether the consumer should receive a reward under a product purchase incentive program.

Claims

1. In a payment processing system in which a transaction expeditor processes a plurality of financial transactions each characterized by a consumer and a merchant engaging in a given financial transaction upon an account within the payment processing system, wherein an issuer has issued the account to the consumer, and wherein the merchant submits the given financial transaction to an acquirer for processing by the transaction expeditor that requests the issuer to disburse funds from the consumer for the given financial transaction, and wherein the issuer sends the funds to the transaction expeditor that forwards the funds to the acquirer to disburse the funds to the merchant for the given financial transaction, a computer-implemented method comprising:

the acquirer issuing;

financial transaction data related to a purchase of an item by the consumer at a merchant; and

non-financial transaction data;

the transaction expeditor conveying the financial transaction data from the acquirer to the issuer;

the issuer determining from the financial transaction data whether to authorize the purchase of the item using the account issued to the consumer; and

the transaction expeditor conveying the non-financial transaction data from the acquirer to a recipient connected to the payment processing system.

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

the non-financial transaction data includes an identifier that designates the item being purchased; and

the recipient is a program processor which, if purchase of the item is authorized, determines whether the purchase qualifies the consumer for a reward based on program rules of an incentive program.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising, when the purchase qualifies the consumer for a reward, issuing the reward to the consumer.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the reward is selected from one of a monetary amount, an piece of merchandise, a discount on a future purchase, and a price reduction for the given financial transaction.

5. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the program processor is operated by the transaction expeditor.

6. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the financial transaction data are sent in a first message to the program processor and the identifier is sent in a second message to the program processor;

and wherein the program processor matches the first and second messages for the given financial transaction.

7. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising the issuer sending the program rules to the program processor.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the financial transaction data are issued in a first message via the payment processing system, and the non-financial transaction data are issued in a second message via the payment processing system.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein issuing the financial transaction data comprises inserting a transaction identification code into the first message;

and issuing the non-financial transaction data comprises inserting the transaction identification code into the second message.

10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the first and second messages both relate to the given financial transaction and further comprising the recipient matching the first and second messages.

11. In a payment processing system in which issuers issue accounts to consumers, merchants have transactions in which consumers pay for purchases using the accounts, and a transaction handler communicates requests for authorization to use the accounts between the merchants and the issuers;

a merchant comprising;

an apparatus for forming at least one transmission that includes;

financial transaction data;

related to a given transaction for which a given consumer desires to pay for purchase of an item using a given account issued to that given consumer; and

requesting authorization for payment;

and

data identifying the item being purchased;

and

a receiver for other transmissions that carry an authorization to use the given account and information related to an incentive program reward being presented to the given consumer.

12. A payment processing system for handing a request by a consumer to pay for a purchase of an item using an account issued to that consumer, the payment processing system comprising:

a merchant which, in response to the request by the consumer to pay for the purchase using the account, transmits financial transaction data regarding an amount of the purchase, a designation of the account, and non-financial transaction data containing an identification of the item being purchased;

a transaction handler that receives the financial transaction data from the merchant;

an issuer of the account to the consumer, wherein the issuer receives the financial transaction data from the transaction handler, and sends a payment authorization through the transaction handler to the merchant; and

an incentive program processor that receives the non-financial transaction data transmitted from the merchant and determines whether the purchase qualifies the consumer for a reward and if so, issues a reward notice.

13. The payment processing system as recited in claim 12, wherein the incentive program processor is integrated with the issuer.

14. The payment processing system as recited in claim 12, wherein the issuer sends, to the incentive program processor, program rules which define conditions that must be met for a purchase to qualify toward a reward.

15. The payment processing system as recited in claim 12, wherein the transaction handler also receives a transmission of the non-financial transaction data from the merchant;

and the incentive program processor receives the financial transaction data and the non-financial transaction data from the transaction handler.

16. The payment processing system as recited in claim 12, wherein the incentive program processor receives the non-financial transaction data from the merchant without that non-financial transaction data going through the transaction handler.

17. The payment processing system as recited in claim 12, further comprising a transaction data repository that receives the non-financial transaction data from the merchant without that non-financial transaction data going through the transaction handler, and that the transmits the non-financial transaction data to the incentive program processor.

18. The payment processing system as recited in claim 17, wherein the transaction data repository also transmits the non-financial transaction data to the transaction handler.

19. The payment processing system as recited in claim 12 further comprising a transaction processor that receives the financial transaction data from the transaction handler and forwards a request for authorization for payment of the purchase to the issuer.

20. The payment processing system as recited in claim 19 wherein the processor also receives the non-financial transaction data and matches the financial transaction data with the non-financial transaction data for the purchase.

21. The payment processing system as recited in claim 12 wherein the incentive program processor matches the financial transaction data with the non-financial transaction data for the purchase.

22. The payment processing system as recited in claim 12 further comprising:

an acquirer that receives;

the financial transaction data;

the designation of the account, and

the non-financial transaction data from the merchant;

and

the acquirer formulates;

a first message containing;

the designation of the account and the financial transaction data; and

a second message containing the designation of the account and the non-financial transaction data, wherein the first and second messages are sent to the transaction handler.

23. The payment processing system as recited in claim 22 wherein the incentive program processor matches the first and second messages for further processing.

24. In a payment processing system in which a transaction handler processes a plurality of purchase transactions each characterized by a consumer and a merchant engaging in a given purchase transaction upon a payment account within the payment processing system, wherein an issuer has issued the payment account to the consumer, and wherein the merchant submits the given financial transaction to an acquirer for processing by the transaction handler that requests the issuer to disburse funds from the consumer for the given financial transaction, and wherein the issuer forwards the funds to the transaction expeditor which forwards the funds to the acquirer to disburse the funds to the merchant for the given financial transaction, a computer-implemented method comprising:

the merchant issuing a request to the acquirer for non-purchase information;

the acquirer sending the request to the transaction handler;

the transaction handler forwarding the request to the issuer;

the issuer replying to the request by sending the non-purchase information to the transaction handler;

the transaction handler sending the non-purchase information to the acquirer; and

the acquirer sending the non-purchase information to the merchant.

25. The method as recited in claim 24 wherein the non-purchase information is a number of a payment account within the payment processing system.

26. The method as recited in claim 24 wherein the non-purchase information is personal information about a consumer.

27. The method as recited in claim 24 wherein the request is an application for issuance of a payment account to a person and the non-purchase information indicates approval or denial of the application.

28. In a payment processing system in which a transaction handler processes a plurality of purchase transactions each characterized by a consumer and a merchant engaging in a given purchase transaction upon an account within the payment processing system, wherein an issuer has issued the account to the consumer, and wherein the merchant submits the given financial transaction to an acquirer for processing by the transaction handler that requests the issuer to disburse funds from the consumer for the given financial transaction, and wherein the issuer sends the funds to the transaction expeditor which forwards the funds to the acquirer to disburse the funds to the merchant for the given financial transaction, the issuer comprising:

a first mechanism for receiving a request from the transaction handler for non-purchase information related to an account; and

a second mechanism for issuing to the transaction handler the non-purchase information related to an account.

29. The issuer as recited in claim 28 wherein the non-purchase information comprises either a number of an account within the payment processing system or personal information about a consumer to whom an account has been issued.

30. The issuer as recited in claim 28 wherein the request is an application for issuance of an account to a person, and the non-purchase information indicates approval or denial of the application.