BANK CARD AUTHORIZATION WITH BALANCE INDICATOR

• US 20100114724A1
• Filed: 10/30/2008
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Allison, Thayer, Ghosh, Debashis, Banerjee, Sudeshna, Joa, David, Newman, Kurt D., Krein, Mark V.
• Granted Patent: US 8,682,785 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• 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 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer program products are provided for providing a consumer with information about the balance of the consumer'"'"'s credit or debit account after a transaction, such as a purchase transaction, is made using the credit or debit account. In one embodiment, the issuing bank attaches a number representing the balance of the consumer'"'"'s credit or debit account and/or other information about the balance to the authorization code when authorizing a purchase transaction so that, when a vendor provides the consumer with a purchase receipt that has the authorization code on the receipt, the balance information is automatically included on the receipt with the authorization code. In this way, the consumer can keep track of spending by knowing the total balance of the consumer'"'"'s credit and/or debit account and/or other balance information after each credit or debit card purchase.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an authorization request comprising a request to authorize a transaction involving a bank account; and

responding to the authorization request with an authorization communication comprising a balance indicator.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction comprises a purchase of goods or services where payment for the goods or services is to come from the bank account.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the bank account comprises a credit account or a debit account.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the balance indicator comprises a number representing the funds available in the bank account.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the balance indicator comprises a number representing the funds that will be available in the bank account after the transaction occurs.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the bank account comprises a credit account, and wherein the balance indicator comprises a number representing the balance of the credit account.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the bank account comprises a credit account, and wherein the balance indicator comprises a number representing available credit in the credit account.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the authorization communication comprises an authorization code.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the balance indicator is attached to the end of the authorization code.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the balance indicator is combined with the authorization code in such a way that a point-of-sale terminal configured to automatically display an authorization code will automatically display the balance indicator with the authorization code.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the point-of-sale terminal is configured to automatically display an authorization code on a printed receipt.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the balance indicator comprises balance information disguised by a rule selected by a person associated with the bank account.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the balance indicator comprises a code attached to balance information, said code signaling to a user the presence of or type of balance information.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication from a person associated with the bank account that the issuing bank should communicate a balance indicator with the authorization communication.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the balance indicator comprises a cycle-to-date purchase balance, a period-to-date purchase balance, or a purchase category balance.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed by a financial institution that maintains the bank account.

17. A method comprising:

communicating account information and transaction information to a financial institution, wherein said account information comprises information about a consumer'"'"'s credit or debit account to be used during a purchase of a good or service, and wherein said transaction information comprising information about the purchase; and

receiving a balance indicator from the financial institution, wherein said balance indicator comprises information about the credit or debit account'"'"'s balance.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

presenting the balance indicator to the consumer.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

printing the balance indicator on the consumer'"'"'s receipt.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving the account information from the consumer'"'"'s payment device.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the consumer'"'"'s payment device comprises a credit or debit card.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving the balance indicator from the financial institution comprises receiving a balance indicator in response to an authorization request, said authorization request requesting the financial institution'"'"'s approval of the purchase.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving the balance indicator comprises receiving an authorization code.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the balance indicator is attached to the authorization code.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

presenting the balance indicator to the consumer as part of the authorization code.

26. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

asking the consumer if the consumer would like to receive a balance indicator.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein the method is performed by a point-of-sale terminal.

28. A system comprising:

a communication device configured to receive an authorization request, said authorization request comprising a request to authorize a purchase involving a credit or debit account; and

a processing device operatively coupled to the communication device and configured to use the communication device to respond to the authorization request with an authorization communication, said authorization communication comprising an indication of the credit or debit account'"'"'s balance.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the authorization communication comprises an authorization code in addition to the indication of the credit or debit account'"'"'s balance.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the authorization communication comprises an authorization code, said authorization code comprising the indication of the credit or debit account'"'"'s balance.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein the authorization communication comprises an authorization code, and wherein the authorization code is attached to the indication of the credit or debit account'"'"'s balance.

32. The system of claim 28, wherein the indication of the credit or debit account balance is disguised based on a rule.

33. The system of claim 32, further comprising:

a user input system configured to receive user input from a user, wherein the rule is based at least partially on user input, and wherein the user is associated with the credit or debit account.

34. The system of claim 28, wherein the indication of the credit or debit account'"'"'s balance comprises a cycle-to-date balance.

35. The system of claim 28, wherein the indication of the credit or debit account'"'"'s balance comprises an indication of available credit.

36. The system of claim 28, wherein the authorization request comprises an information about a vendor or a product involved in the purchase, wherein the indication of the credit or debit account'"'"'s balance comprises a category-specific balance, wherein said category-specific balance provides a balance of purchases made during a period of time in a certain category, and wherein the category is at least partially based on the information about the vendor or the product involved in the purchase.

37. The system of claim 28, further comprising:

a user input system configured to receive an indication from a user regarding whether the user desires to receive the indication of the credit or debit account'"'"'s balance.

38. The system of claim 28, wherein the authorization request comprises an indication regarding whether the user desires to receive the indication of the credit or debit account'"'"'s balance.

39. A system comprising:

means for providing a consumer with information about a credit or debit account balance after a purchase transaction has occurred.

40. The system of claim 39, further comprising:

means for automatically displaying, on a purchase receipt, the information about the debit or credit account balance of a debit or credit account used in the purchase transaction.

41. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium, said computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable instructions, said instructions comprising:

instructions for receiving an authorization request comprising a request to authorize a transaction involving a bank account; and

instructions for responding to the authorization request with an authorization communication comprising a balance indicator.

42. The computer program product of claim 41, wherein the transaction comprises a purchase of goods or services where payment for the goods or services is to come from the bank account.

43. The computer program product of claim 41, wherein the balance indicator comprises a number representing the funds that will be available in the bank account after the transaction occurs.

44. The computer program product of claim 41, wherein the bank account comprises a credit account, and wherein the balance indicator comprises a number representing available credit that will be in the credit account after the transaction occurs.

45. The computer program product of claim 41, wherein the authorization communication comprises an authorization code.

46. The computer program product of claim 45, wherein the balance indicator is attached to the authorization code.

47. The computer program product of claim 41, further comprising:

instructions for disguising balance information in the balance indicator by applying a rule selected by a person associated with the bank account.

48. The computer program product of claim 41, wherein the balance indicator comprises a cycle-to-date purchase balance, a period-to-date purchase balance, or a purchase category balance.