SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING AN ONLINE LINK TO ALTERNATIVE OFFERS RELATED TO A BILL ASSESSMENT IN ASSOCIATION WITH AN ONLINE FINANCIAL ACCOUNT

• US 20110246346A1
• Filed: 04/08/2011
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Truaxis, Inc. (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Billshrink Inc (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Inventors: Daredia, Shehzad, Kothari, Samir, Satyavolu, Ramakrishna V.
• Application Number:
  US13/082,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20110246346A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8011 using class of subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/805 Bidding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/84 Types of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/85 characterised by the type of condition triggering a notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/851 Determined tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0108 Customization according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. customer preferences, friends and family, selecting services or billing options, Personal Communication Systems [PCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/018 On-line real-time billing, able to see billing information while in communication, e.g. via the internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0184 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions, volume discounts, cell discounts, group billing, frequent calling destination(s) or user history list
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 : Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/74 : Rating aspects, e.g. rating parameters or tariff determination apects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7407 : class of subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 : Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7457 : Biding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/81 : Notifying aspects, e.g. notifications or displays to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8129 : Type of notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/815 : Notification when a specific condition, service or event is met

Abstract

This disclosure relates to comparison shopping and usage based service analysis for consumers, primarily for financial products. A consumer may not be aware of a provider'"'"'s services, options, terms, conditions, costs, or how the service options change based on the consumer'"'"'s particular usage characteristics. The disclosed comparison shopping method uses the consumer'"'"'s actual or predicted service usage data. Service provider information is used to present the consumer with relevant alternative service offering options. Transaction data is gathered from a user'"'"'s financial account and is analyzed for a savings opportunity indication. The analysis is used to match a savings opportunity from a database of savings opportunities, and the savings opportunity may be displayed in a statement of a user'"'"'s financial account. Past responses to a savings opportunity indication may be gathered and analyzed. In one example, a savings opportunity is presented in relation to a transaction on the user'"'"'s graphical interface.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

presenting, in a user financial account graphical user interface, an opportunity to assess alternative offerings related to a transaction that is presented within the account graphical user interface, wherein the transaction is related to a presently selected offering; and

in response to the selection of the opportunity, redirecting the user to an alternative offering graphical user interface adapted to present the user with alternative offerings.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the bill'"'"'s details are analyzed and normalized for comparison with an alternative offering that has been normalized;

and if the alternative offering presents an improvement in comparison to the presently selected offering, the alternative offering is presented in the alternative offering graphical user interface.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the bill details include at least one of a merchant name, a merchant category, a merchant location, a transaction amount, a transaction frequency, a zip code, a store name, a store category, a store number a transaction description, a purchase frequency, and a total spending amount.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the improvement is related to at least one of a cost, a coverage, a quality, and a rating.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the financial account is at least one of a credit card account, a bank account, a checking account, a savings account, a personal finance program account, and a loan account.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising anonymizing the transaction.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the opportunity to assess alternative offerings relates to a plurality of transactions.