COUPON BEARING SPONSOR ACCOUNT TRANSACTION AUTHORIZATION

• US 20110047019A1
• Filed: 08/20/2010
• Published: 02/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ma, Gwen Diane, Taylor, Mary Theresa, Cervenka, Karen L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,463,706 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3274 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being displayed on the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages

Abstract

A transaction handler receives, for forwarding to a sponsor account'"'"'s issuer, a coupon authorization request message from a merchant'"'"'s acquirer that identifies the sponsor account and a coupon for an item being purchased by a consumer in a transaction with the merchant. The issuer determines eligibility of the coupon for use by the consumer, and sends an authorization response message to the merchant via its acquirer and the transaction handler for the application of a corresponding discount for the item when the coupon is eligible. One or more coupon eligibilities for the purchase of the item by the consumer from the merchant can be derived from comparisons of the transaction to predetermined times, geographies, jurisdictions, sets of merchants, and/or the number of times that coupons have been used in other transactions. The transaction handler can further process the transaction for authorization the consumer'"'"'s account to pay of the transaction.

Claims

1. A method comprising a plurality of steps, each being performed by hardware executing software, wherein the steps include:

receiving a coupon authorization request message from a merchant that identifies a sponsor account and a coupon for an item being purchased by a consumer in a transaction with the merchant;

sending the coupon authorization request message to an issuer of the sponsor account;

receiving, in response to the coupon authorization request message, a coupon authorization response message containing eligibility of the coupon for use by the consumer for the purchase of the item in the transaction with the merchant;

sending the coupon authorization response message to the merchant;

receiving a consumer authorization request message from the merchant identifying a consumer account upon which the transaction with the merchant is to be conducted;

sending the consumer authorization request message to an issuer of the consumer account;

receiving, in response to the consumer authorization request message, a consumer authorization response message from the issuer of the consumer account, wherein the consumer authorization response message identifies the eligibility of the consumer account for use to conduct the transaction with the merchant; and

sending the consumer authorization response message to the merchant.

2. The method, as defined in claim 1, wherein the issuer of the sponsor account and the issuer of the consumer account are different issuers.

3. The method, as defined in claim 1, where the steps further comprise:

receiving a plurality of said coupon authorization request messages each originating from the merchant, wherein each said coupon authorization request message identifies one said sponsor account and one said coupon for one said item being purchased by the consumer in the transaction with the merchant;

and

for each said coupon authorization request message, and prior to the receiving of the consumer authorization request message;

sending the coupon authorization request message to an issuer of the corresponding one said sponsor account;

receiving, in response to the coupon authorization request message, a coupon authorization response message from the issuer of the one said sponsor account, wherein the coupon authorization response message includes eligibility of the coupon for use by the consumer for the purchase of the item in the transaction with the merchant; and

sending the coupon authorization response message the merchant.

4. A non-transient computer readable medium comprising instructions executable by hardware to perform the method of claim 1.

5. A method comprising a plurality of steps, each being performed by hardware executing software, wherein the steps include:

receiving, at an address corresponding to an issuer of a sponsor account from an address of a transaction handler via an address for an acquirer for a merchant that is conducting a transaction with a consumer, an authorization request message originating from an address of the merchant, wherein the authorization request message includes information sufficient to identify the sponsor account and a coupon for an item being purchased by the consumer in the transaction with the merchant;

retrieving, using the information in the authorization request message, coupon eligibility data pertaining to the sponsor account and the coupon;

determining, using the coupon eligibility data, eligibility of the coupon for use by the consumer for the purchase of the item in the transaction with the merchant; and

sending, in response to the authorization request message, an authorization response message for delivery to the address corresponding to the merchant via addresses respectively corresponding to the transaction handler and the merchant'"'"'s acquirer, wherein the authorization response message includes an identifier corresponding to eligibility of the coupon for use by the consumer for the purchase of the item in the transaction with the merchant.

6. The method, as defined in claim 5, wherein the retrieved coupon eligibility data is sufficient for the determining step to derive whether:

the time of the transaction is within a predetermined time within which the coupon is eligible for use to purchase the item;

a location within which the transaction is taking place is within a predetermined geography within which the coupon is eligible for use to purchase the item;

a jurisdiction within which the transaction is taking place is within a predetermined jurisdiction within which the coupon is eligible for use to purchase the item; and

the merchant is with a predetermined set of said merchants from whom the coupon is eligible for the purchase of the item.

7. The method as defined in claim 5, wherein the item is being purchased by the consumer in the transaction for a transaction currency amount less a discount currency amount corresponding to the coupon.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the transaction currency amount less the discount currency amount payable to the merchant by the consumer is not paid from a balance of currency in the sponsor account.

9. The method as defined in claim 5, wherein the transaction is being conducted on a consumer account that is not the sponsor account.

10. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the consumer account is selected from the group consisting of:

a debit account issued by an issuer to the consumer or a party to whom the consumer is an agent;

a credit account issued by an issuer to the consumer or a party to whom the consumer is an agent; and

a prepaid account issued by an issuer to the consumer or a party to whom the consumer is an agent;

an Automated Clearing House (ACH) account issued by an issuer to the consumer or a party to whom the consumer is an agent; and

a checking account issued by an issuer to the consumer or a party to whom the consumer is an agent.

11. A non-transient computer readable medium comprising instructions executable by hardware to perform the method of claim 5.

12. A method comprising a plurality of steps, each being performed by hardware executing software, wherein the steps include:

receiving, at an address corresponding to an issuer of a sponsor account from an address of a transaction handler via an address for an acquirer for a merchant that is conducting a transaction with a consumer, an authorization request message originating from an address of the merchant, wherein the authorization request message includes information sufficient to identify;

the sponsor account; and

a Globally Unique IDentifier (GUID) for a coupon for an item being purchased by the consumer in the transaction with the merchant;

retrieving, using the information in the authorization request message;

a predetermined set of conditions for use of the coupon for the purchase of the item in the transaction with the merchant; and

a currency available balance of the sponsor account;

determining, using the retrieved predetermined set of conditions for use of the coupon for the purchase of the item in the transaction with the merchant and the retrieved currency available balance of the sponsor account, eligibility of the coupon for use by the consumer for the purchase of the item in the transaction with the merchant; and

sending, in response to the authorization request message, an authorization response message for delivery to the address corresponding to the merchant via addresses respectively corresponding to the transaction handler and the merchant'"'"'s acquirer, wherein the authorization response message includes an identifier corresponding to eligibility of the coupon for use by the consumer for the purchase of the item in the transaction with the merchant.

13. The method as defined in claim 12, wherein the address corresponding to the issuer of the sponsor account corresponds to an agent of the issuer of the sponsor account for performing the determining step.

14. The method, as defined in claim 12, wherein the predetermined set of conditions for use of the coupon for the purchase of the item in the transaction is selected from the group consisting of:

a time within which the coupon is eligible for use to purchase the item;

a geography within which the coupon is eligible for use to purchase the item;

a jurisdiction within which the coupon is eligible for use to purchase the item; and

a set of said merchants from whom the coupon is eligible for the purchase of the item.

15. The method, as defined in claim 14, wherein the information in the authorization request message includes data sufficient for the determining step to derive whether:

the time of the transaction is within the time of the predetermined set of conditions within which the coupon is eligible for use to purchase the item;

a location within which the transaction is taking place is within the geography of the predetermined set of conditions within which the coupon is eligible for use to purchase the item;

a jurisdiction within which the transaction is taking place is within the jurisdiction within which the coupon is eligible for use to purchase the item; and

the merchant is with the set of said merchants from whom the coupon is eligible for the purchase of the item.

16. A non-transient computer readable medium comprising instructions executable by hardware to perform the method of claim 12.

17. A method comprising a plurality of steps, each being performed by hardware executing software, wherein the steps include:

receiving, at an address corresponding to a transaction handler from an address for an acquirer for a merchant that is conducting a transaction with a consumer, a coupon authorization request message originating from an address of the merchant, wherein the coupon authorization request message includes information sufficient to identify a sponsor account and a coupon for an item being purchased by the consumer in the transaction with the merchant;

retrieving, using information in the coupon authorization request message, an address corresponding to an issuer of the sponsor account;

sending the coupon authorization request message to the address corresponding to the issuer of the sponsor account;

receiving, in response to the coupon authorization request message, a coupon authorization response message from the address of the issuer of the sponsor account, wherein the coupon authorization response message includes an identifier corresponding to eligibility of the coupon for use by the consumer for the purchase of the item in the transaction with the merchant;

sending the coupon authorization response message for delivery to the address corresponding to the merchant via the address of the merchant'"'"'s acquirer;

receiving, at the address corresponding to a transaction handler from the address for the acquirer for the merchant that is conducting the transaction with the consumer, a consumer authorization request message originating from the address of the merchant, wherein the consumer authorization request message includes information sufficient to identify a consumer account issued to the consumer by an issuer and upon which the transaction with the merchant is to be conducted;

retrieving, using information in the consumer authorization request message, an address corresponding to an issuer of the consumer account upon which the transaction with the merchant is to be conducted;

sending the consumer authorization request message to the address corresponding to the issuer of the consumer account;

receiving, in response to the consumer authorization request message, a consumer authorization response message from the address of the issuer of the consumer account, wherein the consumer authorization response message includes an identifier corresponding to eligibility of the consumer account for use to conduct the transaction with the merchant; and

sending the consumer authorization response message for delivery to the address corresponding to the merchant via the address of the merchant'"'"'s acquirer.

18. The method, as defined in claim 17, wherein the addresses corresponding to the issuer of the sponsor account and the issuer of the consumer account are different addresses.

19. The method, as defined in claim 17, where the steps further comprise:

receiving, at the address corresponding to a transaction handler from the address for the acquirer for the merchant that is conducting the transaction with the consumer, a plurality of said coupon authorization request messages each originating from the address of the merchant, wherein each said coupon authorization request message includes information sufficient to identify one said sponsor account and one said coupon for one said item being purchased by the consumer in the transaction with the merchant;

and

for each said coupon authorization request message, and prior to the receiving of the consumer authorization request message at the address of the transaction handler;

retrieving, using the information in the coupon authorization request message, an address corresponding to an issuer of the one said sponsor account;

sending the coupon authorization request message to the address corresponding to the issuer of the one said sponsor account;

receiving, in response to the coupon authorization request message, a coupon authorization response message from the address of the issuer of the one said sponsor account, wherein the coupon authorization response message includes an identifier corresponding to eligibility of the coupon for use by the consumer for the purchase of the item in the transaction with the merchant; and

sending the coupon authorization response message for delivery to the address corresponding to the merchant via the address of the merchant'"'"'s acquirer.

20. A non-transient computer readable medium comprising instructions executable by hardware to perform the method of claim 17.