Systems and Methods to Provide Intelligent Analytics to Cardholders and Merchants

• US 20110093324A1
• Filed: 10/15/2010
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fordyce, Edward W. III, Winters, Michelle Eng, Amaro, Leigh
• Application Number:
  US12/905,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20110093324A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/384 using social networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/009 User recognition or proximity detection

Abstract

In one aspect, a computing apparatus includes: a transaction handler to process transactions, a data warehouse to store transaction data recording the transactions processed by the transaction handler, a portal coupled with the data warehouse to receive one or more parameters as an input and to provide spending activity information for presentation as a response to the input, and an analytics engine coupled with the portal and the data warehouse to analyze spending activities of a user based on the transaction data and the one or more parameters to generate the spending activity information regarding transactions in a plurality of accounts of the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

storing, in a computing apparatus, transaction data related to a plurality of transactions processed at a transaction handler, each of the transactions being processed via the transaction handler communicating with an issuer processor and an acquirer processor to make a payment from an issuer to an acquirer in response to an account identifier of a customer, as issued by the issuer, being submitted by a merchant to the acquirer processor, the issuer processor controlled by the issuer to make the payment on behalf of the customer, the acquirer processor controlled by the acquirer to receive the payment on behalf of the merchant;

receiving, in the computing apparatus, one or more parameters;

analyzing, by the computing apparatus, spending activities of a user based on the transaction data and the one or more parameters received in the computing apparatus;

generating, by the computing apparatus, spending activity information regarding transactions in a plurality of accounts of the user based on the analyzing of the spending activities of the user; and

transmitting, from the computing apparatus, the spending activity information for presentation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters are specified by the user;

and the spending activity information is transmitted for presentation to the user in response to the receiving of the one or more parameters from the user.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

enrolling, via the computing apparatus, the user in a loyalty program; and

determining, by the computing apparatus, benefits the user has accumulated in the loyalty program based on the transaction data;

wherein the spending activity information includes information related to the loyalty program.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of accounts are issued by a plurality of issuers.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the parameters include at least one of:

a time period, a comparison of time periods, and a particular type of good or service.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

requesting, by the computing apparatus, purchase details via an authorization response responding to an authorization request for a first transaction processed at the transaction handler, the authorization request identifying one of the plurality of accounts of the user; and

receiving, in the computing apparatus, the purchase details associated with the first transaction, wherein the transaction data stored in the computing apparatus includes the purchase details;

wherein the spending activity information is based at least in part on the purchase details.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the purchase details identify, at a Stock-Keeping Unit (SKU) level, one or more items purchased via the first transaction.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the purchase details include warranty information for an item of the one or more items.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the purchase details include a receipt from a merchant for the first transaction.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the purchase details further identify a price for each of the one or more items.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the purchase details are received with a settlement request of the first transaction.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the spending activity information includes at least one of:

warranty information and purchase receipt.

13. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing an alert upon occurrence of an event defined by the user relating to the spending activities of the user.

14. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

transmitting data to present the spending activities organized according to a set of categories; and

providing a receipt associated with a spending activity of the user in response to a user selection of the spending activity.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters are specified by a merchant;

and the spending activity information is related to the merchant and transmitted for presentation to the merchant.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the spending activity information is based on transactions, between the merchant and the user, in the plurality of accounts of the user issued by different issuers.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enrolling, via the computing apparatus, the user in a loyalty program sponsored by a merchant;

receiving, in the computing apparatus, purchases details from the merchant for transactions qualified under the loyalty program;

determining, by the computing apparatus, benefits users have earned in the loyalty program based on the transaction data; and

providing, via the computing apparatus, the benefits to the users on behalf of the merchant;

wherein the spending activity information is based on transactions between the merchant and the users, including the user.

18. A computer storage medium storing instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

storing transaction data related to a plurality of transactions processed at a transaction handler, each of the transactions being processed via the transaction handler communicating with an issuer processor and an acquirer processor to make a payment from an issuer to an acquirer in response to an account identifier of a customer, as issued by the issuer, being submitted by a merchant to the acquirer processor, the issuer processor controlled by the issuer to make the payment on behalf of the customer, the acquirer processor controlled by the acquirer to receive the payment on behalf of the merchant;

receiving one or more parameters;

analyzing spending activities of a user based on the transaction data and the one or more parameters;

generating spending activity information regarding transactions in a plurality of accounts of the user based on the analyzing of the spending activities of the user; and

transmitting the spending activity information for presentation.

19. A system, comprising:

a transaction handler to process transactions, each of the transactions being processed via the transaction handler communicating with an issuer processor and an acquirer processor to make a payment from an issuer to an acquirer in response to an account identifier of a customer, as issued by the issuer, being submitted by a merchant to the acquirer processor, the issuer processor controlled by the issuer to make the payment on behalf of the customer, the acquirer processor controlled by the acquirer to receive the payment on behalf of the merchant;

a data warehouse to store transaction data recording the transactions processed by the transaction handler;

a portal coupled with the data warehouse, the portal to receive one or more parameters as an input and to provide spending activity information for presentation as a response to the input; and

an analytics engine coupled with the portal and the data warehouse, the analytics engine to analyze spending activities of a user based on the transaction data and the one or more parameters to generate the spending activity information regarding transactions in a plurality of accounts of the user.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the data warehouse is to further store a communication reference;

and the portal is to use the communication reference to provide an alert to the user when a condition specified by the user via the portal is satisfied.