MULTI-ACCOUNT PAYMENT CARD

• US 20150356551A1
• Filed: 09/17/2014
• Published: 12/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mastercard International Incorporated (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mastercard International Incorporated (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Inventors: Dogin, Jennifer R., Kirch, Sean
• Granted Patent: US 10,861,007 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3572 Multiple accounts on card
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/36 using electronic wallets or electronic money safes

Abstract

A method includes reading a card number from a payment device at a point of sale (POS) terminal. The method further includes transmitting a message from the POS terminal to a remote host computer, where the message includes the card number. Still further, the method includes receiving wallet data at the POS terminal from the host computer. The wallet data indicates a plurality of payment accounts associated with the card number. In addition, the method includes displaying the wallet data at the POS terminal and receiving a selection indication from a user at the POS terminal, where the selection indication is for selecting one of the payment accounts.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

reading a card number from a payment device at a point of sale (POS) terminal;

transmitting a message from the POS terminal to a remote host computer, the message including the card number;

receiving wallet data at the POS terminal from the remote host computer, the wallet data indicative of a plurality of payment accounts associated with the card number;

displaying the wallet data at the POS terminal; and

receiving a selection indication from a user at the POS terminal, the selection indication for selecting one of said payment accounts.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before the transmitting step, reading a flag from the payment device by the POS terminal, the flag for indicating that the card number should be transmitted by the POS terminal to the host computer and not to a transaction acquirer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted message is a first message;

and further comprising;

transmitting a second message from the POS terminal to the remote host computer, the second message including data that represents the received selection indication.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying step includes displaying the wallet data on a display device that is part of the POS terminal.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the displayed wallet data includes card images that respectively represent the payment accounts.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the displayed wallet data includes account nicknames assigned to the payment accounts by the user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the POS terminal, instructions from the user to split payment for a transaction between at least two of the payment accounts.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment device is an integrated circuit card.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting an authorization request from the POS terminal to a transaction acquirer, the authorization request including an indicator number that represents the selected one of the payment accounts.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, in a computer, a message from a point of sale (POS) terminal, the message including a card number read by the POS terminal from a payment device presented at the POS terminal;

using the card number to look up a wallet account that corresponds to a user of the payment device, the wallet account containing wallet data, the wallet data including data indicative of a plurality of payment accounts associated with the card number; and

transmitting at least some of the wallet data to the POS terminal from the computer.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the transmitted wallet data includes data that represents all of said plurality of payment accounts.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the received message is a first message, and further comprising:

receiving, in the computer, a second message from the POS terminal, the second message including data that indicates a selection of one of the plurality of payment accounts by the user.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting an authorization request from the computer, the authorization request containing an indicator number that represents said selected one of the plurality of payment accounts.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the transmitted wallet data includes no more than one indicator number, said indicator number corresponding to a one of said plurality of payment accounts, said one of said payment accounts having been pre-selected as a default payment account.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the received message indicates that the POS terminal is not equipped to display wallet data.

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

a processor;

a memory in communication with the processor, the memory storing program instructions that control the processor;

a card reader operatively coupled to the processor;

a display device operatively coupled to the processor;

a communication device operatively coupled to the processor; and

a user input device operatively coupled to the processor;

wherein;

the processor receives a card number that is read by the card reader from a payment card;

the processor controls the communication device to transmit a message to a remote host computer, the message including the card number;

the processor receives, via the communication device, wallet data transmitted by the remote host computer to the POS terminal, the wallet data indicative of a plurality of payment accounts associated with the card number;

the processor controls the display device to display the wallet data received from the remote host computer; and

the processor receives, via the user input device, a selection indication from a user, the selection indication for selecting one of said payment accounts.

17. The POS terminal of claim 16, wherein the display device and the user input device are both constituted by a touchscreen that is operatively coupled to the processor.

18. The POS terminal of claim 16, wherein the processor receives a flag that is read by the card reader from the payment card, the flag for indicating that the card number should be transmitted by the POS terminal to the host computer and not to a transaction acquirer.

19. The POS terminal of claim 16, wherein:

the transmitted message is a first message; and

the processor controls the communication device to transmit a second message to the remote host computer, the second message including data that represents the received selection indication.

20. The POS terminal of claim 16, wherein the processor receives, via the user input device, instructions from the user to split payment for a transaction between at least two of the payment accounts.