System and Method for Providing a Pre-Paid Rebate Card

• US 20120296719A1
• Filed: 11/10/2011
• Published: 11/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Young America Corporation (Young America Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Young America Corporation (Young America Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Pearson, Mark, Gregory, Kelley, Hoffer, Cletis D., Custer, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US13/293,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20120296719A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.17
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0234 Rebates after completed purchase

Abstract

A system and method for providing pre-paid rebate cards. A rebate offer may be provided to a consumer in relation to a particular purchase. The consumer may then submit a request for redemption of the rebate. A rebate processing center may validate the request for redemption from the consumer and notify a financial institution of the request. The financial institution may subsequently issue the pre-paid rebate card to the consumer. In the case of a reusable rebate card, the financial institution may subsequently add value in the amount of the rebate to a pre-existing reusable rebate card. The financial institution may further fulfill payment obligations upon consumer use of the pre-paid rebate card.

Claims

1. A system for providing a rebate comprising:

a rebate processing computer system having a processing instruction component configured to validate rebate information; and

a rebate generation system configured to receive validated rebate information from the rebate processing computer system and thereupon generate or reload a reloadable rebate card, wherein;

a merchant provides a rebate offer to one or more consumers in relation to at least one of a purchase of an item, a purchase of a plurality of items, and a purchase of a combination of items and provides rebate information to a rebate processing center operating the rebate processing computer system;

the rebate processing center uses the rebate processing computer system and the rebate information provided by the merchant to validate one or more rebate claims received from the one or more consumers and generates information relating to the one or more validated rebate claims; and

a financial institution receives the information relating to the one or more validated rebate claims and uses the rebate card generation system to;

in the case of consumers that do not already have a reloadable rebate card, issue, to the consumers, one or more reloadable rebate cards based on the information relating to the one or more validated rebate claims and in the case of consumers that do already have a reloadable rebate card, add value to such consumers'"'"' reloadable cards based on the information relating to the one or more validated rebate claims;

wherein the financial institution further fulfills payment obligations upon use of the one or more reloadable rebate cards by the one or more consumers.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the reloadable rebate card is provided in an open loop format.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the reloadable rebate card is provided in a closed loop format.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the reloadable rebate card is provided in a format that is partially open loop and partially closed loop.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the reloadable rebate card has a media storage component configured to store information regarding a consumer.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the media storage component is a magnetic stripe.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the information regarding a consumer is demographic information configured for use with marketing purposes.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the information regarding the consumer is information regarding previous purchases made by the consumer.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the value of a rebate added to a reloadable rebate card is less than a cost of generating a reusable rebate card.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the rebate card includes a merchant indication on a face thereof.

11. A method for providing a rebate in response to a request from a consumer for rebate redemption for a rebate offered by a first entity comprising:

using a rebate processing computer system having a processing instruction component configured to validate rebate information to receive and validate the request from the consumer for redemption of the rebate;

providing information relating to the rebate redemption request to a second entity, wherein the second entity;

in the case of a consumer that does not already have a reusable pre-paid rebate card, issues a reusable pre-paid rebate card to the consumer and fulfills payment obligations upon subsequent use of the pre-paid rebate card by the consumer and in the case of a consumer that does already have a reusable pre-paid rebate card, adds a value to such reusable pre-paid rebate card and fulfills payment obligations upon subsequent use of the reusable pre-paid rebate card by the consumer.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first entity pays a fee for the provision of the reusable rebate card, or for the value addition to the reusable rebate card.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the fee is a fixed dollar amount.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the fee is a percentage of a value of the rebate.

15. A method for providing a rebate in response to a request therefor from a first entity comprising:

receiving from the first entity information relating to one or more validated rebate claims submitted by one or more a consumers;

based on information provided by the first entity, using a rebate generation computer system to;

in the case of a consumer that does not already have a reusable pre-paid rebate card, generate a reusable pre-paid rebate card, associate information related to the consumer and a rebate value with the reusable pre-paid rebate card, and issue the pre-paid rebate card to the consumer and in the case of a consumer that does already have a reusable pre-paid rebate card, add a rebate value to such reusable pre-paid rebate card by associating information related to the rebate value with the reusable pre-paid rebate card;

receiving from the first entity a first monetary amount; and

fulfilling payment obligations relating to use of the one or more pre-paid rebate cards by the one or more consumers.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the rebate card is configured to redeem the value of the rebate at only a single merchant'"'"'s locations.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the rebate card is configured to redeem the value of the rebate at a plurality of merchant locations.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the reusable rebate card does not expire.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the first monetary amount is a percentage of the rebate value.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the rebate card includes a merchant indication on a face thereof.