ELECTRONIC RECEIPT-LINKING DATABASE SYSTEM

• US 20160328803A1
• Filed: 05/06/2016
• Published: 11/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Truist Bank (Private Banking) (Truist Financial Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Branch Banking & Trust Company (Truist Financial Corp.)
• Inventors: Whitley, Matthew, Spriggs, Matthew, Rajagopal, Gopinath, Espinola, Nixa, Kinney, Patricia, Meyer, Seneca
• Granted Patent: US 10,540,724 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

An electronic receipt system may generate electronic documents including receipt content associated with a transaction between an account holder and a third party, and automatically link the electronic documents to secure records corresponding to account transaction records in a secure database. An account holder may subsequently view an electronic document including the receipt from a secure network platform displaying the secure records for multiple transactions in the account. In some aspects, the electronic receipt system may retrieve the receipt from an email message transmitted to an email address assigned to the account holder by the electronic receipt system. In other aspects, the electronic receipt may be retrieved using an application on a user device corresponding to the electronic receipt system.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processing device communicatively couplable to an electronic mail (email) server having a common inbox for storing a plurality of email messages received in the common inbox based on a domain part of corresponding email addresses for the plurality of email messages;

a memory device accessible to the processing device and including instructions executable by the processing device to cause the processing device to;

retrieve the plurality of email messages from the common inbox;

determine an account holder associated with an email message of the plurality of email messages using a local part of an email address corresponding to the email message;

identify receipt content within the email message, the receipt content corresponding to a receipt for a transaction between the account holder and a third party using an account associated with the account holder;

extract metadata from the email message, the metadata including information corresponding to the receipt content for the transaction;

generate an electronic document including the receipt content and having a format displayable to the account holder on a user device communicatively coupled to the processing device via a network;

identify, using the metadata, a secure record of the transaction stored in a database having account information associated with the account, the account information including a plurality of secure records corresponding to a plurality of transactions and stored authentication information;

associate the receipt content, the metadata, and the electronic document with the secure record; and

authenticate the account holder to allow the account holder to view, on the user device, the secure record and the electronic document by comparing the stored authentication information with authentication information received from the account holder via the user device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory device includes instructions executable by the processing device to cause the processing device to:

generate, subsequent to authenticating the account holder, a first user interface displayable on the user device and including an input option for allowing the account holder to enter a username and a selection option for transmitting the username to the system via the network;

receive, via the network, the username entered by the account holder into the input option in response to a selection of the selection option by the account holder;

generate the email address using the username as the local part of the email address;

associate the username with the account information; and

use the authentication information to identify the account information corresponding to the account holder.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory device includes instructions executable by the processing device to cause the processing device to:

generate, subsequent to authenticating the account holder, a first user interface displayable on the user device and including transaction details corresponding to the transaction and a selection option selectable by the account holder to transmit a selection signal to the processing device corresponding to a request to view the electronic document including the receipt content;

retrieve, in response to receiving the selection signal, the electronic document from the database; and

generate a second user interface displayable on the user device and including the electronic document.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory device includes instructions executable by the processing device to cause the processing device to:

generate, subsequent to authenticating the account holder, a first user interface displayable on the user device and including transaction details corresponding to a first transaction of the plurality of transactions, and a selection option selectable by the account holder to transmit a selection signal to the processing device, the selection signal corresponding to a request to link an unassociated electronic document to the transaction details corresponding to the first transaction;

generate, in response to receiving the selection signal, a second user interface displayable on the user device and including a plurality of selection options corresponding to a plurality of email records including a plurality of unassociated electronic documents that are unassociated with any of the plurality of secure records, the plurality of selection options including a second selection option corresponding to an email record of the plurality of email records having the unassociated electronic document for the first transaction, the second selection option being selectable by the account holder to transmit a second signal to the processing device corresponding to a selection of the email record; and

associate the unassociated electronic document with a first secure record of the first transaction stored in the database.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the metadata includes (1) sender information corresponding to an identity of a sender of the email message to the email server and (2) timestamp information corresponding to a date that the email message was received by the email server or stored in the common inbox.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the secure record includes merchant information corresponding to an identity of the third party in the transaction and a transaction date corresponding to a time of the transaction between the account holder and the third party,

wherein the memory device includes instructions executable by the processing device to cause the processing device to identify the secure record of the transaction by:

querying a plurality of secure records, each record of the plurality of secure records including corresponding sender information;

comparing the merchant information with the corresponding sender information of the plurality of secure records to identify the sender information;

determining a time range by including a predetermined time length before and after the date that the email message was received by the email server or stored in the common inbox; and

comparing the transaction date with the time range to determine that the transaction date is within the time range.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory device includes instructions executable by the processing device to cause the processing device to:

receive a receipt image from the user device, the receipt image being captured by a camera device of the user device, the receipt image including the receipt for the transaction;

receive receipt metadata from the user device, the receipt metadata being input by the account holder and corresponding to information about the transaction; and

generate a second electronic document including the receipt image and having the format displayable to the account holder on the user device.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising device software storable in a second memory device of the user device, the device software including instructions executable by a second processing device of the user device to cause the second processing device to generate one or more user interfaces displayable on a display of the user device, the one or more user interfaces including a first user interface for displaying transaction details corresponding to a first transaction of the plurality of transactions and including a first selection option selectable by the account holder to transmit a signal from the user device to the processing device via the network.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the second memory device is communicatively couplable to the email server via the network, wherein the device software includes instructions executable by the second processing device to cause the second processing device to:

actuate a camera device of the user device to record an image of the receipt for the transaction between the account holder and the third party;

generate a user interface displayable on the user device and including one or more input options to allow the account holder to input receipt details corresponding to the receipt; and

transmit, via the network, the image and the receipt details from the user device to a network interface coupled to the processing device and the memory device for storing in the database.

10. A method, comprising:

retrieving, by a processing device, an electronic mail (email) message from a common inbox of an email server, the email message including an email address having a local part corresponding to a username of an account holder and a domain part useable to direct the email message to the common inbox;

determining, by the processing device, an identity of the account holder associated with the email message using the local part;

extracting, by the processing device, receipt content within the email message, the receipt content corresponding to a receipt for a transaction between the account holder and a third party using an account associated with the account holder;

extracting, by the processing device, metadata from the email message, the metadata including information corresponding to the receipt content for the transaction;

generating an electronic document including the receipt content and having a format displayable to the account holder on a user device communicatively coupled to the processing device via a network;

identifying, using the metadata, a secure record of the transaction stored in a database having account information associated with the account, the account information including stored authentication information and the secure record;

associating the receipt content, the metadata, and the electronic document with the secure record; and

authenticating the account holder to allow the account holder to view, on the user device, the secure record, the electronic document, and the metadata by comparing the stored authentication information with authentication information received from the account holder via the user device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

generating, subsequent to authenticating the account holder, a first user interface including an input option for allowing the account holder to enter the username and a selection option selectable to request a unique email address for the account holder;

receiving, via the network, the username entered by the account holder into the input option in response to a selection of the selection option by the account holder;

associating the username with the account information; and

generating the email address using the username as the local part of the email address; and

using the authentication information to identify the account information corresponding to the account holder.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

generating, subsequent to authenticating the account holder, a first user interface displayable on the user device and including transaction details corresponding to the transaction and a selection option selectable by the account holder to transmit a selection signal to the processing device corresponding to a request to view the electronic document including the receipt content;

retrieving, in response to receiving the selection signal, the electronic document from the database; and

generating a second user interface displayable on the user device and including the electronic document.

13. The method of claim 10, further including:

generating, subsequent to authenticating the account holder, a first user interface displayable on the user device and including transaction details corresponding to a first transaction of a plurality of transactions and a selection option selectable by the account holder to transmit a selection signal to the processing device, the selection signal corresponding to a request to link an unassociated electronic document to the transaction details corresponding to the first transaction;

generating, in response to receiving the selection signal, a second user interface displayable on the user device and including a plurality of selection options corresponding to a plurality of email records including a plurality of unassociated electronic documents that are unassociated with any of the plurality of secure records, the plurality of selection options including a second selection option corresponding to an email record of the plurality of email records having the unassociated electronic document for the first transaction, the second selection option being selectable by the account holder to transmit a second signal to the processing device corresponding to a selection of the email record; and

associating the unassociated electronic document with a first secure record of the first transaction stored in the database.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein identifying the secure record of the transaction includes:

querying a plurality of secure records, each record of the plurality of secure records including corresponding sender information;

comparing merchant information included in the secure record and corresponding to the third party of the transaction with corresponding sender information of the plurality of secure records to identify second information included in the metadata and corresponding to a sender of the email message;

determining a time range by including a predetermined time length before and after a date included in the metadata as timestamp information corresponding to when the email message was received by the email server or stored in the common inbox; and

comparing a transaction date included in the secure record and corresponding to when the transaction occurred or when the secure record was stored in the database with the time range to determine that the transaction date is within the time range.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a receipt image from the user device the receipt image being captured by a camera device of the user device or a stored image on the user device, the receipt image including the receipt for the transaction;

receiving receipt metadata from the user device, the receipt metadata being input by the account holder and corresponding to information about the transaction; and

generating a second electronic document including the receipt image and having the format displayable to the account holder on the user device.

16. A system, comprising:

a user device operable by an account holder to view secure account information for an account associated with the account holder, the secure account information being stored in a remote database of an electronic receipt system accessible to the user device via a network, the remote database including a secure record corresponding to a transaction between the account holder and a third party using the account, the user device comprising;

a processing device;

a memory device including instructions executable by the processing device to cause the processing device to;

receive authentication information from the account holder via a keyboard tool of the user device, the authentication information matching stored authentication information located in the remote database to authenticate the account holder to view the secure record on a display of the user device; and

receive from the electronic receipt system, via the network, one or more user interfaces displayable on the display of the user device, the one or more user interfaces including;

a first user interface for displaying transaction details included in the secure record and corresponding to the transaction, the first user interface including a first selection option selectable by the account holder using a selection tool of the user device and corresponding to a first request to view an electronic document corresponding to a receipt for the transaction; and

a second user interface for displaying the electronic document and a second selection option selectable by the account holder via the selection tool and corresponding to a second request to view or modify metadata associated with the receipt, the metadata including (1) sender information corresponding to a sender of the receipt to an electronic mail (email) server via an email message and (2) timestamp information corresponding to a date that the email message was received by the email server or stored in a common inbox of the email server.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the memory device includes additional instructions executable by the processing device to cause the processing device to:

receive from the electronic receipt system, via the network, a third user interface of the one or more user interfaces, the third user interface displayable on the display and including one or more input options, the one or more input options including;

a first input option to allow the account holder, via the keyboard tool of the user device, to modify the sender information;

a second input option to allow the account holder, via the keyboard tool of the user device, to modify the timestamp information; and

a third input option to allow the account holder, via the keyboard tool of the user device, to input a description of the transaction.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the user device includes a recording device, the memory device including additional instructions executable by the processing device to cause the processing device to:

actuate the recording device to capture an image of a new receipt for a second transaction between the account holder and a new third party;

receive from the electronic receipt system, via the network, third user interface of the one or more user interfaces, the third user interface displayable on the user device and including an input option to allow the account holder to input a receipt detail corresponding to the new receipt, the receipt detail including at least one of (1) a name of the new third party, (2) a transaction date of the second transaction, or (3) a description of the second transaction;

transmit, via the network, the image and the receipt detail from the user device to the remote system for storing in the remote database.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the memory device includes additional instructions executable by the processing device to cause the processing device to:

receive, from the electronic receipt system, via the network, and subsequent to an authentication of the account holder;

a fourth user interface displayable on the user device and including details corresponding to the second transaction and a second selection option selectable by the account holder using the selection tool of the user device and corresponding to a third request to associate the image and the receipt detail to a second secure record including the details and being stored in the remote database;

a fifth user interface displayable on the user device and including a plurality of selection options corresponding to a plurality of stored receipt details that are unassociated with any of a plurality of secure records, the plurality of selection options including a third selection option corresponding to the receipt detail for the second transaction and selectable by the account holder using the selection tool of the user device; and

a sixth user interface, subsequent to a user selection of the third selection option, a sixth user interface displayable on the user device and including the details corresponding to the second transaction and a fourth selection option selectable by the account holder using the selection tool of the user device and corresponding to a fourth request to view a second electronic document including the image.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the user device is a mobile device, wherein the selection tool is a touchscreen surface of the display, wherein the keyboard tool is a touchscreen keyboard including characters that are selectable using the touchscreen surface.