DESKTOP ALERT WITH INTERACTIVE BONA FIDE DISPUTE INITIATION THROUGH CHAT SESSION FACILITATED BY DESKTOP APPLICATION

• US 20090287604A1
• Filed: 05/16/2008
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Feng, Jie, Korgav, Ayse, Chan, Raymond P. P., Colgan, Michele Ann
• Granted Patent: US 8,346,662 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• 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 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4016 involving fraud or risk level assessment in transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A consumer installs a desktop application on a computer which renders a user interface on the computer'"'"'s desktop. Upon installation, the desktop application is registered to receive offers and alerts. Each alert includes data for a transaction on an account conducted with a merchant where the account was issued by an issuer to an account holder to conduct transactions on the account with merchants. A received alert is rendered on the desktop. If the consumer, upon review of the rendered alert, deems the corresponding transaction to be fraudulent, the consumer can operate the user interface to activate a live chat with a web service, and use the live chat to send information sufficient to initiate a bona fide dispute of the transaction. The offers are rendered on the user interface as advertisement and are selectable to initiate a transaction on the account.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a client for rendering on a desktop of the client, an alert including data for a transaction on an account conducted with a merchant, wherein;

the desktop of the client has rendered thereon a user interface for a desktop application installed on the client; and

the account was issued by an issuer to an account holder to conduct a plurality of said transactions on the account with a plurality of said merchants;

conducting, using the user interface of the installed desktop application, a live chat to send information sufficient to initiate a bona fide dispute of the one said transaction conducted on the account.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

sending one of more transmissions from the client including;

a request for an installation of the desktop application; and

information about the account issued by the issuer to the account holder;

receiving data for an installation of the desktop application on the client; and

installing the desktop application using the data for the installation.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein the one or more transmissions further comprises a request to receive, at the client for rendering on the desktop of the client, the alert including data for the transaction on the account conducted with the merchant.

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

a portable consumer device corresponds to an account number corresponding to the account; and

the portable consumer transaction device is selected from the group consisting of a non-credit account card, a prepaid card, a prepaid reloadable card, a debit account, a deposit account card, a flexible spending account card, a health savings account card, and combinations of the foregoing.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the data included in the alert is selected from the group consisting of:

at least four digits from a full or one-time account number corresponding to the account;

an identifier or type of merchant;

an identifier of the types of commodities offered by the merchant;

a date upon which the transaction was conducted;

a time at which the transaction was conducted;

a currency amount of the transaction;

a sequence number of a portable consumer device corresponding to the account number corresponding to the account;

a product type of the portable consumer device;

a transaction handler corresponding to the account;

an identifier of the issuer; and

a combination of the foregoing.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the user interface of the installed desktop application comprises a system tray icon, the selection of which activates a function of the installed desktop application, wherein the function is selected from the group consisting of:

a Rich Site Summary (RSS) feed to be received by the client for rendering upon the user interface;

audio data rendering by the client; and

the audio data rendering by the client with a textual rendering on the user interface descriptive of the audio data rendering.

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

the user interface of the installed desktop application comprises;

an expanded position thereof having one or more selectable functions of the installed desktop application;

a collapsed position thereof;

an expansion icon, rendered on the collapsed position, the selection of which activates a function of the installed desktop application to change rendering of the user interface on the desktop of the client from the collapsed position thereof to the expanded position thereof; and

a collapse icon, rendered on the expanded position, the selection of which activates a function of the installed desktop application to change the rendering of the user interface on the desktop of the client from the expanded position thereof to the collapsed position thereof.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the one or more selectable functions of the installed desktop application of the expanded position of the user interface are selected from the group consisting of:

a function of the installed desktop application to retrieve a location of an automatic teller machine derived from a geographic location of a personal computer upon which the client is executing;

a function of the installed desktop application to retrieve select categories of goods and services for which an offer will be made to conduct a future said transaction upon the account, and wherein a graphic descriptive of the offer will be received by the client for rendering on the user interface;

a function of the installed desktop application to perform maintenance of the software executing on the client; and

a function of the installed desktop application to send a request to convert a currency of a loyalty program credited to the account into an award to be received by the account holder.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the user interface of the installed desktop application comprises:

an area for rendering a graphic descriptive of an offer to the account holder to conduct a future said transaction upon the account; and

a selectable function of the installed desktop application to send a request to accept the offer.

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

the transaction on the account that is conducted with the merchant is for a payment amount;

the merchant submits the payment amount to an acquirer for processing by a transaction handler who requests the issuer to obtain the payment amount from the account; and

the issuer forwards the payment amount to the transaction handler who forwards the payment amount to the acquirer to pay the payment amount the merchant.

11. A method comprising:

sending one of more transmissions from a client including;

a request for data for an installation of a desktop application; and

a request to receive, at the client for rendering on the desktop of the client, the alert including data for the transaction on the account conducted with the merchant; and

information about an account issued by an issuer to an account holder;

receiving the data for the installation of the desktop application;

installing the desktop application using the data for the installation;

sending a configuration of the installed desktop application for the receipt of an alert for any said transaction conducted on the account;

receiving, for rendering on the desktop, an alert including data for one said transaction conducted on the account, wherein the data included in the alert is selected from the group consisting of;

at least four digits from an account number corresponding to the account;

an identifier of the merchant;

a date and time of the transaction;

an currency amount of the transaction;

a transaction handler corresponding to the account;

an identifier of the issuer; and

a combination of the foregoing;

initiating, using the installed desktop application, a live chat with a web service; and

sending, using the live chat with the web service, information sufficient to initiate a bona fide dispute of the one said transaction conducted on the account.

12. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein the user interface of the installed desktop application comprises an icon the selection of which activates a function of the installed desktop application, wherein the function is selected from the group consisting of:

a Rich Site Summary (RSS) feed to be received by the client for rendering upon the user interface;

audio data rendering by the client; and

the audio data rendering by the client with a textual rendering on the user interface descriptive of the audio data rendering.

13. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein the user interface of the installed desktop application comprises:

an area for rendering a graphic descriptive of an offer to the account holder to conduct a future said transaction upon the account; and

a selectable function of the installed desktop application to send a request to accept the offer.

14. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein:

the transaction on the account that is conducted with the merchant is for a payment amount;

the merchant submits the payment amount to an acquirer for processing by a transaction handler who requests the issuer to obtain the payment amount from the account; and

the issuer forwards the payment amount to the transaction handler who forwards the payment amount to the acquirer to pay the payment amount the merchant.

15. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein:

the user interface of the installed desktop application comprises;

an expanded position thereof having one or more selectable functions of the installed desktop application;

a collapsed position thereof;

an expansion icon, rendered on the collapsed position, the selection of which activates a function of the installed desktop application to change rendering of the user interface on the desktop of the client from the collapsed position thereof to the expanded position thereof; and

a collapse icon, rendered on the expanded position, the selection of which activates a function of the installed desktop application to change the rendering of the user interface on the desktop of the client from the expanded position thereof to the collapsed position thereof.

16. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the one or more selectable functions of the installed desktop application of the expanded position of the user interface are selected from the group consisting of:

a function of the installed desktop application to retrieve a location of an automatic teller machine derived from a geographic location of a personal computer upon which the client is executing;

a function of the installed desktop application to retrieve select categories of goods and services for which an offer will be made to conduct a future said transaction upon the account, and wherein a graphic descriptive of the offer will be received by the client for rendering on the user interface;

a function of the installed desktop application to perform maintenance of the software executing on the client; and

a function of the installed desktop application to send a request to convert a currency of a loyalty program credited to the account into an award to be received by the account holder.

17. A user interface comprising:

an alert icon rendered on a desktop of a client, the alert icon being rendered by a desktop application installed on the client and including data descriptive of a transaction on an account conducted with a merchant, wherein the account was issued by an issuer to an account holder to conduct a plurality of said transactions on the account with a plurality of said merchants;

means for inputting data;

a live chat input region rendered on the desktop for receiving the input data that is put by the means for inputting data; and

a live chat icon rendered on the desktop by the desktop application, wherein;

the means for inputting is operable with the live chat icon to activate a function of the desktop application to address a request to a web service for the initiate of a live chat with the web service; and

the request includes at least a portion of the data descriptive of the transaction on the account conducted with the merchant sufficient to initiate a bona fide dispute of the transaction conducted on the account.

18. The user interface as defined in claim 17, further comprising:

selectable means for activating a function of the desktop application to send one or more transmissions from the client including;

a request for an installation of the desktop application; and

information about the account issued by the issuer to the account holder;

selectable means for receiving data for an installation of the desktop application on the client; and

selectable means for installing the desktop application using the data for the installation.

19. The user interface as defined in claim 18, wherein the one or more transmissions further comprises a request to receive, at the client for rendering on the desktop of the client, the alert including data for the transaction on the account conducted with the merchant.

20. The user interface as defined in claim 17, wherein the data included in the alert icon is selected from the group consisting of:

at least four digits from a full or one-time account number corresponding to the account;

an identifier or type of merchant;

an identifier of the types of commodities offered by the merchant;

a date upon which the transaction was conducted;

a time at which the transaction was conducted;

a currency amount of the transaction;

a sequence number of a portable consumer device corresponding to the account number corresponding to the account;

a product type of the portable consumer device;

a transaction handler corresponding to the account;

an identifier of the issuer; and

a combination of the foregoing.

21. The user interface as defined in claim 17, further comprises an icon, the selection of which activates a function of the installed desktop application, wherein the function is selected from the group consisting of:

a Rich Site Summary (RSS) feed to be received by the client for rendering upon a display area of the user interface;

audio data rendering by the client; and

the audio data rendering by the client with a textual rendering descriptive of the audio data for rendering on a display area of the user interface.

22. The user interface as defined in claim 17, further comprising:

an expanded position thereof having one or more selectable functions of the installed desktop application;

a collapsed position thereof;

an expansion icon, rendered on the collapsed position, the selection of which activates a function of the installed desktop application to change rendering of the user interface on the desktop of the client from the collapsed position thereof to the expanded position thereof; and

a collapse icon, rendered on the expanded position, the selection of which activates a function of the installed desktop application to change the rendering of the user interface on the desktop of the client from the expanded position thereof to the collapsed position thereof.

23. The user interface as defined in claim 22, wherein the one or more selectable functions of the installed desktop application of the expanded position of the user interface are selected from the group consisting of:

a function of the installed desktop application to retrieve a location of an automatic teller machine derived from a geographic location of a personal computer upon which the client is executing;

a function of the installed desktop application to retrieve select categories of goods and services for which an offer will be made to conduct a future said transaction upon the account, and wherein a graphic descriptive of the offer will be received by the client for rendering on the user interface;

a function of the installed desktop application to perform maintenance of the software executing on the client; and

a function of the installed desktop application to send a request to convert a currency of a loyalty program credited to the account into an award to be received by the account holder.

24. The user interface as defined in claim 17, further comprising:

an area for rendering a graphic descriptive of an offer to the account holder to conduct a future said transaction upon the account; and

a selectable function of the installed desktop application to send a request to accept the offer.

25. The user interface as defined in claim 17, wherein:

the transaction on the account that is conducted with the merchant is for a payment amount;

the merchant submits the payment amount to an acquirer for processing by a transaction handler who requests the issuer to obtain the payment amount from the account; and

the issuer forwards the payment amount to the transaction handler who forwards the payment amount to the acquirer to pay the payment amount the merchant.