MOBILE PAYMENT SYSTEM WITH REWARDS POINTS

• US 20150006271A1
• Filed: 07/01/2013
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Airlines, Inc. (United Airlines Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Airlines, Inc. (United Airlines Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Oppenheim, David, Sharma, Praveen
• Granted Patent: US 10,192,231 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/32 using wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A mobile device transaction system provides a mechanism by which a user of a mobile device may complete a transaction (for goods or services) with a merchant, using an electronic gift card, or other payment type, generated by through the transaction system and chosen to bypass payment using an authorized credit card, where the user is incentivized to use the mobile device transaction system by the award of rewards points to a user account at the time of the transaction.

Claims

1. A method of performing a transaction between a merchant and a consumer using a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving, at a mobile payment transaction system, transaction information pertaining to the transaction, wherein the transaction information includes a transaction amount and wherein the transaction information is transmitted by the mobile device over a mobile device communication network, the mobile payment transaction system having at least one processor;

in response to receiving the transaction information, generating, at the mobile payment transaction system, an electronic gift card having a gift card amount determined from the transaction amount using a gift card valuation rule, the gift card amount being acceptable to the merchant for completing the transaction, wherein the generated electronic gift card is funded in response to authorization by a payment processing system separate from an electronic gift card processing system;

generating, at the mobile payment transaction system, an amount of rewards points to be awarded to the consumer as a result of completion of the transaction, wherein the amount of the rewards points is determined from the transaction amount or from the gift card amount using a rewards points valuation rule; and

in response to receiving, from the mobile device, confirmation of the consumer accepting the transaction, (i) communicating, from the mobile payment transaction system for receipt at the mobile device, the electronic gift card for completion of the transaction and (ii) communicating, from the mobile payment transaction system for receipt at a rewards account associated with the consumer, the amount of rewards points to be awarded to the consumer in response to completion of the transaction.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying, at the mobile device, the information for completing the transaction by scanning an identification code or keying in a numeric string created for the transaction amount.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information for completing the transaction further comprises consumer identifier data and merchant identifier data.

4. The method of claim 1, generating the gift card amount in the same amount as the transaction amount using the gift card valuation rule.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile payment transaction system comprises a mobile payment system and the electronic gift card processing system, wherein generating the electronic gift card comprises:

receiving the transaction information at the mobile payment system;

communicating the transaction information from the mobile payment system to the electronic gift card processing system; and

generating, at the electronic gift card processing system, the electronic gift card.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein communicating the electronic gift card for completion of the transaction comprises:

communicating the electronic gift card from the electronic gift card processing system to the mobile payment system; and

communicating, from the mobile payment system to the mobile device, the electronic gift card.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein communicating the electronic gift card for completion of the transaction comprises:

communicating the electronic gift card from the electronic gift card processing system to the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating the electronic gift card amount to the merchant by (i) presenting the electronic gift card at the mobile device and (ii) scanning the electronic gift card at the mobile device to distribute the gift card amount.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the rewards points valuation rule is determined, by the mobile payment transaction system, before the user accepts the transaction.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the rewards points valuation rule is determined, by the mobile payment transaction system, from (i) information pertaining to the merchant and not from information pertaining to the consumer or (ii) information pertaining to the consumer and not from information pertaining to the merchant.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the rewards points valuation rule is determined, by the mobile payment transaction system, from information pertaining to the merchant, the consumer, or a combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the information pertaining to the consumer is selected from the group consisting of consumer transaction history, merchant transaction amount, participation in one or more rewards programs, and combinations thereof;

and wherein the information pertaining to the merchant is selected from the group consisting of merchant transaction history, merchant transaction amount, merchant product catalog, seasonal relevance, and combinations thereof.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile payment transaction system comprises a mobile payment system, the electronic gift card processing system, and a rewards points processing system, the method further comprising:

generating the electronic gift card having the gift card amount at the electronic gift card processing system; and

generating, at the rewards points processing system, the amount of rewards points to be awarded as a result of the transaction.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

communicating, from the electronic gift card processing system to the mobile payment system, the electronic gift card for subsequent communication of the electronic gift card to the mobile device; and

communicating, from the rewards points processing system to the mobile payment system, a record of the rewards points to be awarded as a result of the transaction.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining authorization of the transaction, at the mobile payment transaction system, where if the transaction is denied, then sending a denial of transaction message from the mobile payment transaction system to the mobile device, otherwise, if the transaction is authorized, then continuing with the generation of the electronic gift card and the generation of the rewards points amount.

6. (canceled)

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a set of instructions, executable by a processor, for performing a transaction between a merchant and a consumer using a mobile device, the instructions comprising:

instructions for receiving, at a mobile payment transaction system, transaction information pertaining to the transaction, the transaction information including a transaction amount and wherein the transaction information is transmitted by the mobile device over a mobile device communication network, the mobile payment transaction system having at least one processor;

instructions for generating, at the mobile payment transaction system and in response to receiving the transaction information, an electronic gift card having a gift card amount determined from the transaction amount using a gift card valuation rule, the gift card amount being acceptable to the merchant for completing the transaction, wherein the electronic gift card is funded in response to authorization by a payment processing system separate from an electronic gift card processing system;

instructions for generating, at the mobile payment transaction system, an amount of rewards points to be awarded to the consumer as a result of completion of the transaction, wherein the amount of the rewards points is determined from the transaction amount or from the gift card amount using a rewards points valuation rule; and

instructions for, in response to receiving, from the mobile device, confirmation of the consumer accepting the transaction, (i) communicating, from the mobile payment transaction system for receipt at the mobile device, the electronic gift card for completion of the transaction and (ii) communicating, from the mobile payment transaction system for receipt at a rewards account associated with the consumer, the amount of rewards points to be awarded to the consumer in response to completion of the transaction.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, having stored thereon a set of further instructions comprising instructions for identifying, at the mobile device, the information for completing the transaction by scanning an identification code or keying in a numeric string created for the transaction amount.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the information for completing the transaction further comprises consumer identifier data and merchant identifier data.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions for generating the electronic gift card comprises:

instructions for receiving the transaction information at a mobile payment system;

instructions for communicating the transaction information from the mobile payment system to the electronic gift card processing system; and

instructions for generating, at the gift card processing system, the electronic gift card.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions for communicating the electronic gift card for completion of the transaction comprises:

instructions for communicating the electronic gift card from the electronic gift card processing system to a mobile payment system; and

instructions for communicating, from the mobile payment system to the mobile device, the electronic gift card.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, having stored thereon a set of further instructions comprising instructions for presenting the electronic gift card at the mobile device for scanning of the electronic gift card at the mobile device to confirm distribution of the gift card amount to the merchant.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, having stored thereon a set of further instructions comprising instructions for determining the rewards points valuation rule from (i) information pertaining to the merchant and not from information pertaining to the consumer or (ii) information pertaining to the consumer and not from information pertaining to the merchant.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, having stored thereon a set of further instructions comprising instructions for determining the rewards points valuation rule from information pertaining to the merchant, the consumer, or a combination thereof.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, having stored thereon a set of further instructions comprising:

instructions for generating the electronic gift card having the gift card amount at the electronic gift card processing system; and

instructions for generating the amount of rewards points to be awarded as a result of the transaction at a rewards points processing system.

26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, having stored thereon a set of further instructions comprising:

instructions for communicating, from the electronic gift card processing system to a mobile payment system, the electronic gift card for subsequent communication of the electronic gift card to the mobile device; and

instructions for communicating, from a rewards points processing system to the mobile payment system, a record of the rewards points awarded as a result of the transaction.

27. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, having stored thereon a set of further instructions comprising:

instructions for determining authorization of the transaction, at the mobile payment transaction system, where if the transaction is denied, then sending a denial of transaction message from the mobile payment transaction system to the mobile device, otherwise, if the transaction is authorized, then continuing with the generation of the electronic gift card and the generation of the rewards points amount.

28. A system for performing a transaction between a merchant and a consumer using a mobile device, the system comprising:

a mobile payment transaction system comprising a processor and a memory;

wherein the mobile payment transaction system is configured,

to receive transaction information pertaining to the transaction, the transaction information including a transaction amount and transmitted by the mobile device over a mobile device communication network;

in response to receiving the transaction information, to generate an electronic gift card having a gift card amount determined from the transaction amount using a gift card valuation rule, the gift card amount being acceptable to the merchant for completing the transaction, wherein the generated electronic gift card is funded in response to authorization by a payment processing system separate from an electronic gift card processing system;

to generate an amount of rewards points to be awarded to the consumer as a result of completion of the transaction, wherein the amount of the rewards points is determined from the transaction amount or the gift card amount using a rewards points valuation rule; and

in response to receiving, from the mobile device, confirmation of the consumer accepting the transaction,

(i) to communicate, from the mobile payment transaction system for receipt at the mobile device, the electronic gift card for completion of the transaction and

(ii) to communicate, from the mobile payment transaction system for receipt at a rewards account associated with the consumer, the amount of rewards points to be awarded to the consumer in response to completion of the transaction.

29. A system for performing a transaction between a merchant and a consumer using a mobile device, the system comprising:

a mobile payment system comprising a processor and a memory;

wherein the mobile payment system is configured,

to receive transaction information pertaining to the transaction, the transaction information including a transaction amount and transmitted by the mobile device over a mobile device communication network, the mobile payment transaction system having at least one processor;

to receive, from a gift card processing system, an electronic gift card having a gift card amount determined from the transaction amount using a gift card valuation rule, the gift card amount being acceptable to the merchant for completing the transaction;

to receive, from a rewards points processing system, an amount of rewards points to be awarded to the consumer as a result of completion of the transaction, wherein the amount of the rewards points is determined from the transaction amount or the gift card amount using a rewards points valuation rule; and

in response to receiving, from the mobile device, confirmation of the consumer accepting the transaction,

(i) to communicate, from the mobile payment system for receipt at the mobile device, the electronic gift card for completion of the transaction and

(ii) to communicate, from the mobile payment system for receipt at a rewards account associated with the consumer, the amount of rewards points to be awarded to the consumer in response to completion of the transaction.

30-55. -55. (canceled)