SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO MANAGE AND CONTROL USE OF A VIRTUAL CARD

• US 20110307377A1
• Filed: 06/10/2011
• Published: 12/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: e2Interactive Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Giftango Corp. (Millennium Prime, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nelsen, David A., Fletcher, Michael J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,068,287 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/41
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/229 Hierarchy of users of accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/348 Single-use cards, i.e. without possibility of recharging
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/351 Virtual cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for creating and using versions of a shared virtual card. In one example, a system for sharing stored value is provided. The system may include a virtual card manager configured to manage one or more shared virtual cards and a first computing device including a virtual card engine executable by a processor to manage the shared virtual card. The first computing device may be communicatively coupled to the virtual card manager via a network. In the example, stored value of the shared virtual card may be split between a first version and a second version. The first version may receive a first portion of the stored value and the second version may receive a second portion of the stored value; the first version available for use on the first computing device and the second version available for use on a second computing device.

Claims

1. A system for sharing stored value, the system comprising:

a virtual card manager, the virtual card manager configured to manage one or more shared virtual cards; and

a first computing device including a mass storage device holding a virtual card engine executable by a processor to manage a shared virtual card, the first computing device communicatively coupled to the virtual card manager via a network;

wherein a stored value of the shared virtual card is split between a first version and a second version, the first version receiving a first portion of the stored value and the second version receiving a second portion of the stored value, wherein the first version is available for use on the first computing device and the second version is available for use on a second computing device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual card engine of each computing device is configured to manage one or more shared virtual cards, wherein each shared virtual card is configured to be split into one or more versions.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual card manager includes an enablement module configured to selectively enable use of a version of the shared virtual card, if the version is authenticated according to a virtual stored value account associated with the shared virtual card, by toggling a portion of the stored value associated with the version on to enable use of the portion of the stored value for a transaction.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a card service provider communicatively coupled to the virtual card manager via the network, the card service provider including a provider-side associative card profile corresponding to the shared virtual card.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising one or more goods and services systems communicatively coupled to the first and second computing devices and the card service provider via the network, the one or more goods and services systems configured to process transactions associated with versions of the shared virtual card.

6. A method for sharing a virtual card, the method comprising:

at a first computing device;

requesting to share the virtual card; and

at a virtual card manager;

receiving the request for sharing the virtual card;

creating a first version and a second version of the virtual card;

applying selected shared settings to the first version and the second version;

delivering the first version to the first computing device; and

delivering the second version to a second computing device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving the first version at a virtual card engine of the first computing device; and

receiving the second version at a virtual card engine of the second computing device.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

after creating, modifying card data in a manager-side associative card profile.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

maintaining card data and stored value account for the shared virtual card at a card service provider.

10. A method for a virtual card manager to monitor use of versions of a shared value card, the method comprising:

receiving an access request to use stored value of a version of the shared value card for a transaction at a merchant;

enabling use of the version after authentication of the shared virtual card according to a stored value account associated with the shared value card;

retrieving a transaction history from a card service provider, wherein the transaction history includes information regarding use of the stored value account;

comparing the transaction history from the card service provider and a transaction history from the virtual card manager; and

identifying and tracking use of the version.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein comparing includes a comparison of a transaction time logged in the transaction history of the card service provider to a time of the access request to determine which version of the shared value card was used.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the version is a first version, the method further comprising:

if a second version is being used at the merchant;

receiving an access request to use stored value of the second version of the shared value card for a transaction at the merchant;

determining a time associated with the access request associated with the second version;

comparing the time of the second version access request to a time of the first version access request;

enabling use of the first version and the second version if the time between the second version access request and the first access request is greater than a threshold value.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

disabling use of at least one of the first version and the second version if the time between the second version access request and the first access request is less than the threshold value.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein if the time between the second version access request and the first access request is less than the threshold value, and at least one of the versions cannot be identified by comparing the access request times, identifying the version via an alternate tracking system.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the alternate tracking system includes:

reviewing rules established by a goods and services system, card service provider, and/or an open loop administrative body;

engaging verification processes based upon the rules; and

enabling use of the first or second version if the rules are satisfied.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein attempts to use the first version and the second version occur at a same merchant location.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the alternate tracking system includes:

correlating time and date stamps to match the first version with a first transaction; and

correlating time and date stamps to match the second version with a second transaction.

18. The method of claim 17, further including:

matching a geographical identifier of the first transaction with a geographical identifier of a first computing device using the first version to identify the first version; and

matching a geographical identifier of the second transaction with a geographical identifier of a second computing device using the second version to identify the second version.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first version and the second version are identified by user returned data cross-compared with a user device identifying the transaction and the version.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein attempts to use the first version and the second version occur at merchants with different geographical locations.