Contactless prepaid Product For Transit Fare Collection

• US 20090171682A1
• Filed: 12/28/2007
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hammad, Ayman, Dixon, Philip B., El-Awady, Khalid
• Granted Patent: US 8,738,485 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/346
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/073 Special arrangements for circuits, e.g. for protecting identification code in memory protection against unauthorised use of computer memory G06F12/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4037 Remote solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting

Abstract

Transaction processing in an offline environment for a prepaid product comprising a portable consumer device includes responding to presentation of the prepaid product at a reader for offline processing by initiating operation of the prepaid product, receiving data from the prepaid product at the reader that indicates the prepaid product is associated with a prepaid account balance, determining that the prepaid product is in a negative balance condition, and taking preventive action in response to the negative balance condition such that future acceptance of the prepaid product at a reader is prevented.

Claims

1. A method of processing a transaction, the processing method comprising:

responding to presentation of a portable consumer device at a reader adapted for offline processing by initiating operation of the portable consumer device;

receiving data from the portable consumer device at the reader that indicates the portable consumer device is associated with a prepaid account balance for a prepaid product;

determining that the prepaid product is in a negative balance condition;

taking preventive action at the reader in response to the negative balance condition such that future acceptance of the portable consumer device at any reader is prevented.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein taking preventive action comprises setting a blocking bit in a memory location of the portable consumer device.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein taking preventive action comprises placing the portable consumer device on a hot list of devices to be refused acceptance.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein taking preventive action comprises setting a locking command at the portable consumer device.

5. The method as defined in claim 4, wherein setting the locking command comprises an instruction sent from the reader to the portable consumer device that causes the prepaid product to execute locking code that causes the portable consumer device to cease responding to a reader activation from any reader.

6. The method as defined in claim 5, wherein the portable consumer device will respond to an activation from an online source.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining a negative balance condition comprises initiating a predictive analysis that determines if the portable consumer device has insufficient prepaid account balance for expected future account activity.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the predictive analysis comprises processing that assesses past account activity of the portable consumer device and determines a value for the prepaid account balance below which comprises a negative balance condition such that the portable consumer device will have insufficient prepaid account balance for the expected future account activity.

9. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the insufficient prepaid account balance comprises a balance that is not sufficient to fund a predetermined transaction amount.

10. A portable consumer device comprising:

a base; and

a computer readable medium on the base, wherein the computer readable medium stores code for a locking command, wherein the locking command causes the portable consumer device to respond to a locking instruction sent from a reader to the portable consumer device by executing the stored code such that the portable consumer device will cease responding to a reader activation from any reader.

11. The portable consumer device as defined in claim 10, wherein the portable consumer device will respond to an activation from an online source.

12. The portable consumer device as defined in claim 10, wherein the portable consumer device is a card.

13. The portable consumer device as defined in claim 10, wherein the portable consumer device is a contactless device.

14. The portable consumer device as defined in claim 10, wherein the portable consumer device comprises a wireless communication device.

15. The portable consumer device as defined in claim 14, wherein the wireless communication device receives the locking command in an over-the-air communication.

16. The portable consumer device as defined in claim 14, wherein the wireless communication device responds to an activation received from an online source in an over-the-air communication.

17. A reader configured to receive data from a portable consumer device, wherein the reader includes:

communication interface to a data network;

a processor that responds to presentation of the portable consumer device at the reader by initiating operation of the portable consumer device, receiving data from the portable consumer device that indicates the portable consumer device is associated with a prepaid account balance for a prepaid product, determines that the portable consumer device is in a negative balance condition, and takes preventive action in response to the negative balance condition such that future acceptance of the portable consumer device at any reader is prevented.

18. The reader as defined in claim 17, wherein the reader takes preventive action by setting a blocking bit in a memory location of the portable consumer device.

19. The reader as defined in claim 17, wherein taking preventive action comprises placing the portable consumer device on a hot list of devices to be refused acceptance.

20. The reader as defined in claim 17, wherein taking preventive action comprises setting a locking command at the portable consumer device.

21. The reader as defined in claim 20, wherein setting the locking command comprises an instruction sent from the reader to the portable consumer device that causes the portable consumer device to execute locking code that causes the portable consumer device to cease responding to a reader activation from any reader.

22. The reader as defined in claim 21, wherein the portable consumer device will respond to an activation from an online source.

23. The reader as defined in claim 17, wherein determining a negative balance condition comprises initiating a predictive analysis that determines if the portable consumer device has insufficient prepaid account balance for expected future account activity.

24. The reader as defined in claim 23, wherein the predictive analysis comprises processing that assesses past account activity of the portable consumer device and determines a value for the prepaid account balance below which comprises a negative balance condition such that the portable consumer device will have insufficient prepaid account balance for the expected future account activity.

25. The reader as defined in claim 23, wherein the insufficient prepaid account balance comprises a balance that is not sufficient to fund a predetermined transaction amount.