TRANSACTION HANDLER MERCHANT REIMBURSEMENT FOR CONSUMER TRANSACTION USE OF SPONSOR DISCOUNT COUPON CARD
First Claim
1. For a payment processing network that includes a plurality of merchants and consumers engaging in a plurality of transactions on a plurality of respective consumer accounts that respective issuers issue to the consumers, each said transaction involving an electronic coupon associated with a sponsor account issued by an issuer, wherein the merchant submits the transaction to an acquirer for processing by a transaction handler who requests the issuer to obtain payment for a discount applied by the merchant to the transaction from the sponsor account, and wherein the issuer forwards the payment to the transaction handler who forwards the payment to the acquirer to reimburse the merchant for the discount given on the transaction, an article of manufacture comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable program code disposed thereon which, when executed by an electronic computing apparatus, performs the method of:
- electronically receiving, from one said acquirer, a first authorization request for the application of a discount by one said merchant to a purchase, wherein the discount is associated with an electronic coupon stored on a portable consumer device, the electronic coupon;
being associated with a sponsor account issued to a sponsor of a discount by one said issuer; and
for being receivable by the one said merchant to give the discount on a purchase wherein the discount is to be debited from the sponsor account and credited to one said merchant account issued by another said issuer to the one said merchant to reimburse the one said merchant for the discount;
wherein the first authorization request includes the sponsor account and a discount amount;
electronically sending the first authorization request to the issuer of the sponsor account corresponding to the electronic coupon;
electronically receiving, in response to the sending of the first authorization request, a first authorization;
electronically sending the first authorization response to the one said acquirer; and
operative if the first authorization response includes an approval of the application of the discount to the purchase, electronically sending a first payment request to the issuer of the sponsor account to debit the sponsor account for the discount amount.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A transaction handler receives, from a merchant'"'"'s acquirer, an authorization request for a discount to a purchase. The discount is associated with an electronic coupon stored on a portable consumer device. The electronic coupon is associated with a sponsor account issued to a sponsor of a discount and has been received by the merchant to give the discount on a purchase by a consumer. The discount is to be debited from the sponsor account and credited to an account of the merchant. The first authorization request includes the sponsor account and a discount amount. The transaction handler sends the first authorization request to the issuer of the sponsor account, receives a first authorization back, and sends it to the merchant'"'"'s acquirer. If the first authorization response includes an approval, a payment request is sent to the issuer of the sponsor account to deduct the discount from the sponsor account.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. For a payment processing network that includes a plurality of merchants and consumers engaging in a plurality of transactions on a plurality of respective consumer accounts that respective issuers issue to the consumers, each said transaction involving an electronic coupon associated with a sponsor account issued by an issuer, wherein the merchant submits the transaction to an acquirer for processing by a transaction handler who requests the issuer to obtain payment for a discount applied by the merchant to the transaction from the sponsor account, and wherein the issuer forwards the payment to the transaction handler who forwards the payment to the acquirer to reimburse the merchant for the discount given on the transaction, an article of manufacture comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable program code disposed thereon which, when executed by an electronic computing apparatus, performs the method of:
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electronically receiving, from one said acquirer, a first authorization request for the application of a discount by one said merchant to a purchase, wherein the discount is associated with an electronic coupon stored on a portable consumer device, the electronic coupon; being associated with a sponsor account issued to a sponsor of a discount by one said issuer; and for being receivable by the one said merchant to give the discount on a purchase wherein the discount is to be debited from the sponsor account and credited to one said merchant account issued by another said issuer to the one said merchant to reimburse the one said merchant for the discount; wherein the first authorization request includes the sponsor account and a discount amount; electronically sending the first authorization request to the issuer of the sponsor account corresponding to the electronic coupon; electronically receiving, in response to the sending of the first authorization request, a first authorization; electronically sending the first authorization response to the one said acquirer; and operative if the first authorization response includes an approval of the application of the discount to the purchase, electronically sending a first payment request to the issuer of the sponsor account to debit the sponsor account for the discount amount. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. Any portable coupon device for use a payment processing network that includes a plurality of merchants and consumers engaging in a plurality of transactions on a plurality of respective consumer accounts that respective issuers issue to the consumers, each said transaction involving an electronic coupon associated with a sponsor account issued by an issuer, wherein the merchant submits the transaction to an acquirer for processing by a transaction handler who requests the issuer to obtain payment for a discount applied by the merchant to the transaction from the sponsor account, and wherein the issuer forwards the payment to the transaction handler who forwards the payment to the acquirer to reimburse the merchant for the discount given on the transaction, wherein:
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each said portable coupon device; stores at least one said electronic coupon, wherein the electronic coupon is valid after a sponsor submits a payment that is credited to a sponsor account for payment of a discount, each electronic coupon; identifies a corresponding the sponsor account; and stores electronically readable information sufficient for one said merchant to request authorization of the discount from an issuer of the sponsor account that is to be debited from the sponsor account and credited to the one said merchant account that was issued to the one said merchant by one said acquirer so as to reimburse the one said merchant for the discount, wherein the discount is applied to a future said purchase from the one said merchant; and stores discount information including an identifier for; the sponsor account; a discount amount; and the purchase that is eligible for the discount from the merchant and including at least one of a good and a service; wherein the portable coupon device is acceptable for a future transaction involving the purchase, wherein the discount amount is debited from the sponsor account. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. For a payment processing network that includes a plurality of merchants and consumers engaging in a plurality of transactions on a plurality of respective consumer accounts that respective issuers issue to the consumers, each said transaction involving an electronic coupon associated with a sponsor account issued by an issuer, wherein the merchant submits the transaction to an acquirer for processing by a transaction handler who requests the issuer to obtain payment for a discount applied by the merchant to the transaction from the sponsor account, and wherein the issuer forwards the payment to the transaction handler who forwards the payment to the acquirer to reimburse the merchant for the discount given on the transaction, a computer program product encoded in a computer readable medium and useable with a programmable computer processor to provide a discount on an eligible good or service to a consumer, the computer program product comprising:
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computer readable program code which causes said programmable process to electronically receive, from one said acquirer, a first authorization request for the application of a discount by one said merchant to a purchase, wherein the discount is associated with an electronic coupon stored on a portable consumer device, the electronic coupon; being associated with a sponsor account issued to a sponsor of a discount by one said issuer; and for being receivable by the one said merchant to give the discount on a purchase wherein the discount is to be debited from the sponsor account and credited to one said merchant account issued by another said issuer to the one said merchant to reimburse the one said merchant for the discount; wherein the first authorization request includes the sponsor account and a discount amount; computer readable program code which causes said programmable process to electronically send the first authorization request to the issuer of the sponsor account corresponding to the electronic coupon; computer readable program code which causes said programmable process to electronically receive, in response to the sending of the first authorization request, a first authorization; computer readable program code which causes said programmable process to electronically send the first authorization response to the one said acquirer; and computer readable program code operative if the first authorization response includes an approval of the application of the discount to the purchase, which causes said programmable process to electronically send a first payment request to the issuer of the sponsor account to debit the sponsor account for the discount amount. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification