SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COLLECTING AND DISTRIBUTING DIGITAL RECEIPTS

• US 20120191597A1
• Filed: 01/21/2011
• Published: 07/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Integrated Bank Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Integrated Bank Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Capel, Charles W., Kunze, Joel
• Granted Patent: US 9,626,663 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/047 using payment protocols involving electronic receipts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

According to certain embodiments of the present invention, a method for coordinating the provision of a digital receipt associated with a financial transaction is provided. According to the method, a digital receipt and an identifier corresponding to the digital receipt are communicated from an acquirer and received at a digital receipt server. The digital receipt and the corresponding identifier may be communicated through a second network, such as the Internet. The digital receipt and the identifier corresponding to the digital receipt are then stored in the digital receipt server. The digital receipt server also receives an inquiry and an identifier corresponding to the inquiry, which are communicated from an issuer. The inquiry and the corresponding identifier may be communicated through the second network. Prior to this, the identifier is transmitted from the acquirer to the issuer, for example, through a first network such as an electronic funds transfer (“EFT”) network.

Claims

1. A method for coordinating the provision of a digital receipt associated with a financial transaction, the method comprising:

receiving, at a digital receipt server, a digital receipt and an identifier corresponding to the digital receipt;

storing, in the digital receipt server, the digital receipt and the identifier corresponding to the digital receipt;

receiving, at the digital receipt server, an inquiry and an identifier corresponding to the inquiry;

wherein the digital receipt and the identifier corresponding to the digital receipt are communicated from an acquirer to the digital receipt server;

wherein the inquiry is communicated from an issuer to the digital receipt server; and

wherein the identifier corresponding to the inquiry is transmitted from the acquirer to the issuer and subsequently communicated from the issuer to the digital receipt server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the identifier corresponding to the inquiry with the identifier corresponding to the digital receipt; and

transmitting at least a portion of the digital receipt to the issuer if the identifier corresponding to the inquiry corresponds to the identifier corresponding to the digital receipt.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising validating the issuer prior to the step of transmitting the digital receipt to the issuer.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the digital receipt and the identifier corresponding to the digital receipt are communicated from an acquirer to the digital receipt server through a second network,

wherein the inquiry is communicated from an issuer to the digital receipt server through the second network,

wherein the digital receipt is transferred to the issuer through the second network, and

wherein the identifier corresponding to the inquiry is transmitted from the acquirer to the issuer through a first network and subsequently communicated from the issuer to the digital receipt server through the second network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first network comprises an electronic funds transfer network.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the identifier corresponding to the inquiry is transmitted through the first network in an ISO 8583 message.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the second network comprises the Internet.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein a bandwidth of the second network is substantially greater than a bandwidth of the first network.

9. A system for coordinating the provision of a digital receipt associated with a financial transaction, the system comprising:

a digital receipt server including;

at least one memory configured to store a digital receipt and an identifier corresponding to the digital receipt; and

at least one network interface in the digital receipt server, wherein the at least one network interface is configured to;

receive, from an acquirer, the digital receipt and the identifier corresponding to the digital receipt; and

receive, from an issuer, an inquiry and an identifier corresponding to the inquiry.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the digital receipt server is configured to compare the identifier corresponding to the inquiry with the identifier corresponding to the digital receipt, and

wherein the at least one network interface is configured to transmit at least a portion of the digital receipt to the issuer if the identifier corresponding to the inquiry corresponds to the identifier corresponding to the digital receipt.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the digital receipt server is further configured to validate the issuer and to cause the at least one network interface to transmit the digital receipt to the issuer if the issuer is validated.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one network interface is configured to interface with the Internet.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one memory comprises a first memory configured to store the digital receipt and a second memory configured to store the identifier corresponding to the digital receipt, and

wherein the digital receipt server comprises a cloud computing arrangement including a first server portion including the first memory and a second server portion including the second memory.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the second server portion comprises a file server.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including a set of instructions for execution on a processor, the set of instructions comprising:

a reception routine for receiving, at a digital receipt server, a digital receipt and an identifier corresponding to the digital receipt;

a storage routine for storing, in the digital receipt server, the digital receipt and the identifier corresponding to the digital receipt; and

a reception routine for receiving, at the digital receipt server, an inquiry and an identifier corresponding to the inquiry,

wherein the digital receipt and the identifier corresponding to the digital receipt are communicated from an acquirer to the digital receipt server,

wherein the inquiry is communicated from an issuer to the digital receipt server, and

wherein the identifier corresponding to the inquiry is transmitted from the acquirer to the issuer and subsequently communicated from the issuer to the digital receipt server.

16. The set of instructions of claim 15, further comprising:

a comparison routine for comparing the identifier corresponding to the inquiry with the identifier corresponding to the digital receipt; and

a transmission routine for transmitting at least a portion of the digital receipt to the issuer if the identifier corresponding to the inquiry corresponds to the identifier corresponding to the digital receipt.

17. The set of instructions of claim 16, further comprising a validation routine for validating the issuer prior to transmitting the digital receipt to the issuer.

18. The set of instructions of claim 16, wherein the digital receipt and the identifier corresponding to the digital receipt are communicated from an acquirer to the digital receipt server through a second network,

wherein the inquiry is communicated from an issuer to the digital receipt server through the second network,

wherein the digital receipt is transferred to the issuer through the second network, and

wherein the identifier corresponding to the inquiry is transmitted from the acquirer to the issuer through a first network and subsequently communicated from the issuer to the digital receipt server through the first network.

19. The set of instructions of claim 18, wherein the first network comprises an electronic funds transfer network.

20. The set of instructions of claim 18, wherein the identifier corresponding to the inquiry is transmitted through the first network in an ISO 8583 message.