Payment Processing For Qualified Transaction Items

• US 20130339167A1
• Filed: 06/12/2013
• Published: 12/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Taylor, Mary Theresa, Cervenka, Karen Louise, Bischoff, Marla, Chace, Justin
• Granted Patent: US 9,864,988 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/21
• 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 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatuses for providing a portable consumer device (e.g., a plastic card) that includes a coupon code and an account number (e.g., embedded on a magnetic stripe or a chip) where the portable consumer device is configured to apply a coupon to goods and services purchased at a merchant (e.g., store). Upon identifying the goods and services under a particular category specified by the coupon code (e.g., healthy food category), a user may pay for a predetermined portion (e.g., 50%) of the goods and services under the particular category using the portable consumer device. The user may pay for the remaining portion using a benefits card (e.g., state benefits card). As such, by allowing the user to pay for the predetermined portion using the portable consumer device, the user has incentive to purchase goods and services that fall under the particular category.

Claims

1. A point of sale (POS) terminal, comprising:

a computing device having a processor and memory storing instructions configured to instruct the processor to;

receive, during a check-out process of a user purchasing a set of purchase items of different types, in the POS terminal a single code representing a category of eligible items of different types, the category of eligible items eligible for a benefit sponsored by a funding source;

receive, in the POS terminal, an account number identifying the funding source of the benefit in a payment processing network;

identify, via the POS terminal using the code, a subset of the purchase items based on the code representing the category and a schema of eligible items classified under the category; and

generate, by the POS terminal, a split transaction in which an authorization request for the benefit applied to the subset of the purchase items is processed in accordance with the account number in the payment processing network;

wherein, in the split transaction, the POS terminal is configured to accept the benefit applied to the subset of the purchase items as a first payment for the set of purchase items and configured to accept a second payment for the set of purchase items.

2. The point of sale (POS) terminal of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further configured to instruct the POS terminal to read a bar code from a portable consumer device having the account number and read the account number from the portable consumer device.

3. The point of sale (POS) terminal of claim 2, wherein the instructions are further configured to instruct the processor to determine whether a first purchase item in the set of purchase items is in the category based on whether an item identification code of the first purchase item is classified under the category in accordance with the schema.

4. The point of sale (POS) terminal of claim 3, wherein the first payment is charged to an account identified by the account number via the payment transaction processing network.

5. The point of sale (POS) terminal of claim 4, wherein the bar code has a hierarchy taking into account of manufacturer identification numbers.

6. The point of sale (POS) terminal of claim 3, wherein the item identification code includes one of:

a product lookup unit (PLU) and a stock keeping unit (SKU).

7. The point of sale (POS) terminal of claim 3, wherein funds in an account identified by the account number in the payment transaction processing network are pre-paid.

8. The point of sale (POS) terminal of claim 1, wherein the code is loaded in a portable consumer device that is configured to present the account number to the POS terminal.

9. The point of sale (POS) terminal of claim 1, wherein the single code identifies a manufacturer identification number;

and the schema determines whether or not a purchase item is eligible for the benefit based at least in part on whether the purchase item is associated with the manufacturer identification number.

10. A computer-implemented method performed in a point of sale (POS) terminal, the method comprising:

receiving, during a check-out process of a user purchasing a set of purchase items of different types, in the POS terminal a single code representing a category of eligible items of different types, the category of eligible items eligible for a benefit sponsored by a funding source;

receiving, in the POS terminal, an account number identifying the funding source of the benefit in a payment processing network;

identifying, via the POS terminal using the code, a subset of the purchase items based on the code representing the category and a schema of eligible items under the category; and

generating, by the POS terminal, a split transaction in which an authorization request for the benefit applied to the subset of the purchase items is processed in accordance with the account number in the payment processing network;

wherein, in the split transaction, the POS terminal is configured to accept the benefit applied to the subset of the purchase items as a first payment for the set of purchase items and configured to accept a second payment for the set of purchase items.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving of the single code includes reading a bar code from a portable consumer device having the account number;

and the receiving of the account number includes reading the account number from the portable consumer device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the category of eligible items includes different types of healthy foods.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the identifying of the subset includes determining whether a first purchase item in the set of purchase items is in the category based on whether an item identification code of the first purchase item is classified under the category in accordance with the schema.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first payment is charged to an account identified by the account number via the payment transaction processing network.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the bar code has a hierarchy taking into account of manufacturer identification numbers.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the item identification code includes one of:

a product lookup unit (PLU) and a stock keeping unit (SKU).

17. The method of claim 13, wherein funds in an account identified by the account number in the payment transaction processing network are pre-paid.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the code is loaded in a portable consumer device that is configured to present the account number to the POS terminal.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein the single code identifies a manufacturer identification number;

and the schema determines whether or not a purchase item is eligible for the benefit based at least in part on whether the purchase item is associated with the manufacturer identification number.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions configured to instruct a point of sale (POS) terminal to:

receive, during a check-out process of a user purchasing a set of purchase items of different types, in the POS terminal a single code representing a category of eligible items of different types, the category of eligible items eligible for a benefit sponsored by a funding source;

receive, in the POS terminal, an account number identifying the funding source of the benefit in a payment processing network;

identify, via the POS terminal using the code, a subset of the purchase items based on the code representing the category and a schema of eligible items under the category; and

generate, by the POS terminal, a split transaction in which an authorization request for the benefit applied to the subset of the purchase items is processed in accordance with the account number in the payment processing network;

wherein, in the split transaction, the POS terminal is configured to accept the benefit applied to the subset of the purchase items as a first payment for the set of purchase items and configured to accept a second payment for the set of purchase items.