MULTI ALERTS BASED SYSTEM

• US 20100274691A1
• Filed: 04/28/2010
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hammad, Ayman, Carlson, Mark
• Application Number:
  US12/769,137
• Publication Number:
  US 20100274691A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3221 Access to banking information through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• 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 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/12 Card verification

Abstract

Systems and methods for defining, observing and detecting triggering user account events that initiate a user account alert message to be sent to one or more users are disclosed. Location and merchant, transaction result, device and, usage history/trend types of user account alerts and trigger criteria can be defined or selected by users, issuers were notification alert engines. Alternatively, user account alerts and trigger criteria can be defined by analyzing previously observed user account events, such as credit card transactions, to determine user profiles and user account usage trends, i.e. credit card spending patterns, as baselines for comparing newly observed user account events. If information associated with the newly observed user account events match any of the trigger criteria or are inconsistent with the determined user profile or user account usage trends, then user account alerts can be sent to one or more users.

Claims

1. A method for detecting triggering events for initiating user account alert messages using a notification server, the method comprising:

observing a user account event at the notification server;

identifying a user account associated with the user account event using the notification server;

comparing the observed user account event with a plurality of prior user account events associated with the identified user account using the notification server; and

determining if the user account event is a triggering event based on the comparison of the observed user account event and the plurality of prior user account events.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein comparing the observed user account event with the prior user account events comprises determining an alert threshold value for a user event type associated with the observed user account event based on the plurality of prior user account events and comparing a value associated with the observed user account event with the alert threshold value.

3. A computer readable medium storing commands for causing a processor to implement the method of claim 2.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein comparing the observed user account event with the prior user account events comprises determining whether the observed user account event is consistent with the prior user account events based on a user account profile or trend.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the user account profile or trend comprises a determination of user events per time period.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the determination of user account events per time period comprises a distance between locations associated with one or more prior user account events.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the user account profile or trend comprises a user account classification.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the user account type classification is based on the prior user account events or a characteristic of a user associated with the user account.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the prior user account events comprise a plurality of associated merchant types.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the prior user account events comprise a plurality of associated user account event types.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the prior user account events comprise a plurality of associated user account event locations.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the characteristic of a user associated with the user account comprise an age associated with the user, user classification associated with the user or a home region associated with the user.

13. The method of claim 4 wherein the user account profile or trend comprises a list of previously or regularly visited merchants or merchant types.

14. The method of claim 4 wherein the user account profile or trend comprises a list of expected or acceptable user account event locations.

36. A server computer comprising the processor and the computer readable medium of claim 3 coupled to the processor.

or a list of item identifiers or item type identifiers that are prohibited for the user account associated with the observed user account event.

15. A method for detecting triggering events for initiating user account alert messages using a notification server, the method comprising:

observing a user account event at the notification server;

identifying a user account associated with the user account event using the notification server;

comparing the observed user account event with a plurality of predefined triggering user account events associated with the identified user account or a user account issuer using the notification server; and

determining if the user account event is a triggering event based on the comparison of the observed user account events and the plurality of predefined triggering user account events using the notification server,

wherein the plurality of predefined triggering user account events comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of;

a triggering event based on a difference in time and location between the observed user account event and a previously observed user account event;

a safety zone alert triggering event,

an item identifier alert triggering event,

a declined user account alert triggering event;

a privacy alert triggering event;

a new device alert triggering event; and

an unlikely merchant alert triggering event.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the user account is associated with a principal user and a plurality of subordinate users and wherein the plurality of predefined triggering user account events comprises a first list of predefined triggering user account events associated with the principal user and a second list of predefined triggering user account events associated with the subordinate users.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the plurality of predefined triggering user account events is determined by the notification engine.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the plurality of predefined triggering user account events is determined by the one or more user account issuers associated with the user account.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the triggering even based on a difference in time and location between the observed user account event and a previously observed user account event comprises a threshold value for the difference in time and location.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the threshold value for the difference in time and location is set by an account issuer or the notification engine.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the threshold value for the difference in time and location is based on a set of physical travel limitations.

22. The method of claim 15 wherein the safety zone alert triggering event comprises a list of addresses or zip codes.

23. The method of claim 15 wherein the safety zone alert triggering event comprises a definition of high crime areas or high fraud areas.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the definition of the high crime areas is based on a law enforcement agency report or a law enforcement database.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the definition of the high fraud areas is based on a law enforcement agency report, a law enforcement database or a fraud database.

26. The method of claim 15 wherein the item identifier alert triggering event comprises a list of prohibited product identifiers or prohibited service identifiers.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the list of prohibited product identifiers or prohibited service identifiers is based on the age of one or more users associated with user account.

28. The method of claim 15 wherein the declined user account alert triggering event comprises a definition of a deactivated user account.

29. The method of claim 15 wherein the privacy alert triggering event comprises a definition of an identification verification request.

30. The method of claim 15 wherein the privacy alert triggering event comprises a definition of an address verification request.

31. The method of claim 15 wherein the new device alert triggering event comprises the definition of a newly activated credit card or mobile telephone event.

32. The method of claim 15 wherein the unlikely merchant alert triggering event comprises a list of previously observed merchants.

33. The method of claim 15 wherein the unlikely merchant alert triggering event comprises a list of unlikely merchant or merchant types based on a characteristic of a user associated with the user account.

34. A computer readable medium storing commands for causing a processor to implement the method of claim 15.

35. A server computer comprising the processor and the computer readable medium of claim 34 coupled to the processor.

37. A method comprising:

sending by an access device an authorization request message to an issuer via a payment processing network comprising a server computer, wherein the server computer (i) observes a user account event at the notification server after receiving the authorization request message, (ii) identifies a user account associated with the user account event using the notification server, (iii) compares the observed user account event with a plurality of prior user account events associated with the identified user account using the notification server;

(iv) and determines if the user account event is a triggering event based on the comparison of the observed user account event and the plurality of prior user account events; and

receiving an authorization request message from the payment processing network.

38. A method comprising:

sending by an access device an authorization request message to an issuer via a payment processing network comprising a server computer, wherein the server computer (i) observes a user account event at the notification server;

(ii) identifies a user account associated with the user account event using the notification server, (iii) compares the observed user account event with a plurality of predefined triggering user account events associated with the identified user account or a user account issuer using the notification server, and (iv) determines if the user account event is a triggering event based on the comparison of the observed user account events and the plurality of predefined triggering user account events using the notification server, wherein the plurality of predefined triggering user account events comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of a triggering event based on a difference in time and location between the observed user account event and a previously observed user account event, a safety zone alert triggering event, or an item identifier alert triggering event, a declined user account alert triggering event, a privacy alert triggering event, a new device alert triggering event, and an unlikely merchant alert triggering event; and

receiving an authorization request message from the payment processing network.