SPLIT TENDER IN A PREPAID ARCHITECTURE

• US 20140351072A1
• Filed: 12/26/2013
• Published: 11/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Wieler, Bobby, Butler, Harry Lee IV, Fleming, Colin
• Granted Patent: US 9,870,556 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/21
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/22 Payment schemes or models
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A method for maintaining a prepaid payment system comprises a user account that can be utilized to complete a purchase transaction with a merchant. A delayed processing window is introduced between a time when the merchant receives a payment approval notification from the payment system and a time when the payment system transmits a payment request to an issuer of a funding account associated with the user'"'"'s payment system account. The payment system utilizes a user'"'"'s stored value account maintained by the payment system to satisfy the requirements of a prepaid program, and therefore processes the payment request received from the merchant and transmits the payment approval notification without obtaining prior authorization from the issuer of the funding account. The payment system submits one or more payment requests for the funding transaction at a time after the completion of the purchase transaction between the user and the merchant.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for processing split tender purchase transactions utilizing delayed processing windows, comprising:

receiving, by one or more computing devices, a merchant payment request from one or more computing devices operated by a merchant system, the merchant payment request comprising an account identifier for a user account maintained by a payment management system and a transaction value, and wherein the merchant payment request seeks authorization for a payment transaction between the a user and the merchant system;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, which user account corresponds to the account identifier;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, to approve the merchant payment request prior to requesting a funding payment request from an issuer of the one or more financial accounts;

in response to determining to approve the merchant payment request, transmitting, by the one or more computing device, a merchant payment authorization to the one or more computing devices operated by the merchant system for the payment transaction between the user and the merchant system;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, which of the one or more financial accounts saved in the user account maintained by the payment management system to request a first funding payment from by submitting a first backing payment request for a first portion of the transaction value;

in response to determining the financial account to request the first funding payment from, submitting, by the one or more computing devices, the first backing payment request for the first portion of the transaction value, wherein a window of time has passed between the transmission of the merchant payment authorization and the submission of the first backing payment request;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, which of the one or more financial accounts saved in the user account maintained by the payment management system to request a second funding payment from by submitting a second backing payment request for a second portion of the transaction value; and

in response to determining the financial account to request the second funding payment from, submitting, by the one or more computing devices, the second backing payment request for the second portion of the transaction value, wherein a window of time has passed between the transmission of the merchant payment authorization and the submission of the second backing payment request.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining which of the one or more financial accounts saved in the user account maintained by the payment management system to request the first funding payment from comprises:

identifying, by the one or more computing devices, a stored value account balance, wherein the stored value account is maintained by the payment management system; and

if the stored value account has a balance greater than zero, deducting, by the one or more computing devices, a portion of the transaction value from the balance, wherein a resulting balance is greater than or equal to zero.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the resulting balance is zero and further comprising identifying, by the one or more computing devices, one or more rules associated with the one or more financial accounts saved in the user account maintained by the payment management system, wherein the one or more rules comprise an identification of one or more preferred funding accounts.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second backing request is submitted prior to receiving a first payment notification from an issuer of the first financial account.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more financial accounts comprise bank accounts, debit accounts, credit accounts, gift accounts, or loyalty rewards accounts.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the account identifier comprises an account number, proxy account number, user account device, magnetic stripe card, bar code, or QR code that corresponds to the user'"'"'s payment management system account and can be understood to route the merchant payment request to the account management system.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining to approve the merchant payment request comprises executing an algorithm or a logic program to determine to approve the payment request without receiving notification of the approved funding transaction.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, receiving, by the one or more computing devices, approval of the first backing payment request and approval of the second backing payment request.

9. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable program instructions embodied therein that when executed by a computer cause the computer to process split tender purchase transactions utilizing delayed processing windows, the computer-readable program instructions comprising;

computer-readable program instructions to receive a merchant payment request from one or more computing devices operated by a merchant system, the merchant payment request comprising an account identifier for a user account maintained by a payment management system and a transaction value, and wherein the merchant payment request seeks authorization for a payment transaction between the a user and the merchant system;

computer-readable program instructions to determine which user account corresponds to the account identifier;

computer-readable program instructions to determine to approve the merchant payment request prior to requesting a funding payment request from an issuer of the one or more financial accounts;

computer-readable program instructions to, in response to determining to approve the merchant payment request, transmit a merchant payment authorization to the one or more computing devices operated by the merchant system for the payment transaction between the user and the merchant system;

computer-readable program instructions to determine which of the one or more financial accounts saved in the user account maintained by the payment management system to request a first funding payment from by submitting a first backing payment request for a first portion of the transaction value and a request for a second funding payment from by submitting a second backing payment request for a second portion of the transaction value;

computer-readable program instructions to submit the first backing payment request for the first portion of the transaction value, wherein a window of time has passed between the transmission of the merchant payment authorization and the submission of the first backing payment request; and

computer-readable program instructions to submit the second backing payment request for the second portion of the transaction value, wherein a window of time has passed between the transmission of the merchant payment authorization and the submission of the second backing payment request.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein determining which of the one or more financial accounts saved in the user account maintained by the payment management system to request the first funding payment from comprises:

computer-readable program instructions to identify a stored value account balance, wherein the stored value account is maintained by the payment management system; and

computer-readable program instructions to, if the stored value account has a balance greater than zero, deduct a portion of the transaction value from the balance, wherein a resulting balance is greater than or equal to zero.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the second backing request is submitted prior to receiving a first payment notification from an issuer of the first financial account.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the one or more financial accounts comprise bank accounts, debit accounts, credit accounts, gift accounts, or loyalty rewards accounts.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein determining to approve the merchant payment request comprises executing an algorithm or a logic program to determine to approve the payment request without receiving notification of the approved funding transaction.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising computer-readable program instructions to receive approval of the first backing payment request and approval of the second backing payment request.

15. A system for processing split tender purchase transactions utilizing delayed processing windows, the system comprising:

a storage medium; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the storage medium, wherein the processor executes application code instructions that are stored in the storage medium and that cause the system to;

receive a merchant payment request from one or more computing devices operated by a merchant system, the merchant payment request comprising an account identifier for a user account maintained by a payment management system and a transaction value, and wherein the merchant payment request seeks authorization for a payment transaction between the a user and the merchant system;

determine which user account corresponds to the account identifier;

determine to approve the merchant payment request prior to requesting a funding payment request from an issuer of the one or more financial accounts;

in response to determining to approve the merchant payment request, transmit a merchant payment authorization to the one or more computing devices operated by the merchant system for the payment transaction between the user and the merchant system;

determine which of the one or more financial accounts saved in the user account maintained by the payment management system to request a first funding payment from by submitting a first backing payment request for a first portion of the transaction value and a request for a second funding payment from by submitting a second backing payment request for a second portion of the transaction value;

submit the first backing payment request for the first portion of the transaction value, wherein a window of time has passed between the transmission of the merchant payment authorization and the submission of the first backing payment request; and

submit the second backing payment request for the second portion of the transaction value, wherein a window of time has passed between the transmission of the merchant payment authorization and the submission of the second backing payment request.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein determining which of the one or more financial accounts saved in the user account maintained by the payment management system to request the first funding payment from further comprises computer-executable instructions stored in the storage medium to cause the system to:

identify a stored value account balance, wherein the stored value account is maintained by the payment management system; and

if the stored value account has a balance greater than zero, deduct a portion of the transaction value from the balance, wherein a resulting balance is greater than or equal to zero.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the second backing request is submitted prior to receiving a first payment notification from an issuer of the first financial account.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more financial accounts comprise bank accounts, debit accounts, credit accounts, gift accounts, or loyalty rewards accounts.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein determining to approve the merchant payment request comprises executing an algorithm or a logic program to determine to approve the payment request without receiving notification of the approved funding transaction.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to execute computer-executable instructions stored in the storage medium to cause the system to receiving approval of the first backing payment request and approval of the second backing payment request.