SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RE-DISTRIBUTING AND TRANSFERRING MOBILE GIFT CARDS

• US 20090182663A1
• Filed: 12/23/2008
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stripe, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mocapay, Inc. (Moca Financial, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hurst, Douglas J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,589,267 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/41
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

A system and method for re-distributing and transferring mobile gift cards is described. One embodiment, a computer-server-based method, receives a selection of a particular mobile gift card belonging to the first user; receives a request to transfer a specified monetary amount from a balance of the particular mobile gift card to a second user; receives a phone number of the second user; associates, with the second user'"'"'s phone number, a separate mobile gift card having an associated balance equal to the specified monetary amount; and transmits a notification of the separate mobile gift card to a mobile device associated with the second user'"'"'s phone number; the computer server acting as a server-side wallet for the separate mobile gift card, and the separate mobile gift card being usable, through interaction with the computer server, by the second user for the purchase of goods from the particular merchant.

Claims

1. A computer-server-based method for transferring a mobile gift card from a first user to a second user, the computer-server-based method comprising:

receiving, from a list of one or more mobile gift cards associated with a phone number of the first user, a selection of a particular mobile gift card, the particular mobile gift card being associated with a particular merchant;

receiving a request to transfer a specified monetary amount from a balance of the particular mobile gift card to a second user;

receiving a phone number of the second user;

associating, with the second user'"'"'s phone number, a separate mobile gift card having an associated balance equal to the specified monetary amount, the separate mobile gift card being associated with the particular merchant; and

transmitting a notification of the separate mobile gift card to a mobile device associated with the second user'"'"'s phone number;

wherein the computer server acts as a server-side wallet for the separate mobile gift card, and the separate mobile gift card is usable, through interaction with the computer server, by the second user for the purchase of goods from the particular merchant.

2. The computer-server-based method of claim 1, wherein the specified monetary amount is equal to the entire balance of the particular mobile gift card.

3. The computer-server-based method of claim 2, wherein the separate mobile gift card and the particular mobile gift card are one and the same and wherein the particular mobile gift card is remapped from an association with the first user'"'"'s phone number to an association with the second user'"'"'s phone number.

4. The computer-server-based method of claim 1, wherein the specified monetary amount is less than the entire balance of the particular mobile gift card.

5. The computer-server-based method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting to the particular merchant a notification of the transfer of the specified monetary amount from the balance of the particular mobile gift card to the second user and of the existence of the separate mobile gift card.

6. The computer-server-based method of claim 1, wherein the notification includes a personalized message for the second user from the first user.

7. The computer-server-based method of claim 1, wherein the notification includes instructions to the second user regarding how to activate the separate mobile gift card at the computer server.

8. The computer-server-based method of claim 1, wherein the separate mobile gift card is activated automatically at the computer server upon receipt, by the mobile device, of the notification.

9. The computer-server-based method of claim 1, wherein the first user issues the request via at least one of a Short Message Service (SMS) message, a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) message, an Internet browser executing on a mobile device, an Internet browser executing on a personal computer, and a voice message.

10. The computer-server-based method of claim 1, wherein the notification includes a Short Message Service (SMS) message.

11. The computer-server-based method of claim 1, wherein the notification includes a voice message.

12. The computer-server-based method of claim 1, wherein the notification is conveyed to the recipient via an application executing on the mobile device.

13. The computer-server-based method of claim 12, wherein the application is an Internet browser.

14. The computer-server-based method of claim 1, wherein a purchase of goods from the particular merchant by the second user includes using the mobile device to communicate with the computer server to access the separate mobile gift card.

15. The computer-server-based method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a cellular telephone.

16. A system for transferring a mobile gift card from a first user to a second user, the system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory containing a plurality of program instructions executable by the at least one processor, the plurality of program instructions being configured to cause the at least one processor to;

receive, from a list of one or more mobile gift cards associated with a phone number of the first user, a selection of a particular mobile gift card, the particular mobile gift card being associated with a particular merchant;

receive a request to transfer a specified monetary amount from a balance of the particular mobile gift card to a second user;

receive a phone number of the second user;

associate, with the second user'"'"'s phone number, a separate mobile gift card having an associated balance equal to the specified monetary amount, the separate mobile gift card being associated with the particular merchant; and

transmit a notification of the separate mobile gift card to a mobile device associated with the second user'"'"'s phone number;

wherein the system acts as a server-side wallet for the separate mobile gift card, and the separate mobile gift card is usable, through interaction with the system, by the second user for the purchase of goods from the particular merchant.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the system includes a server in communication with the Internet.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the mobile device is a cellular telephone.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the specified monetary amount is equal to the entire balance of the particular mobile gift card.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the separate mobile gift card and the particular mobile gift card are one and the same and wherein the plurality of program instructions are configured to cause the at least one processor to remap the particular mobile gift card from an association with the first user'"'"'s phone number to an association with the second user'"'"'s phone number.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the specified monetary amount is less than the entire balance of the particular mobile gift card.