SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR LOYALTY POINT DISTRIBUTION

• US 20190108542A1
• Filed: 10/09/2017
• Published: 04/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Durvasula, Sastry, Ferenczi, Andras, Naik, Harish, Subrahmanyam, Vishnuvajhala
• Granted Patent: US 11,449,887 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/065 using e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/36 using electronic wallets or electronic money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/00 Business processing using cryptography postage metering system using cryptography G06Q2250/05
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3239 involving non-keyed hash functions, e.g. modification detection codes [MDCs], MD5, SHA or RIPEMD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3297 involving time stamps, e.g. generation of time stamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees

Abstract

A blockchain-based loyalty point system may include a blockchain API host that receives a request to transfer an amount of loyalty points from a first customer account to a second customer account. The system may validate the request by performing a cryptographic operation on the request using a public key associated with the first customer account. The system may also propagate a proposal to consensus participants for writing to a blockchain, wherein the proposal comprises the first customer account, the second customer account, and the amount of loyalty points. The system may also receive an exchange request from a loyalty wallet associated with the second customer account, validate the exchange request by performing the cryptographic operation on the exchange request using a public key, and propagate an exchange proposal to the consensus participants for writing to the blockchain.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a blockchain API host, a request to transfer an amount of loyalty points from a first customer account to a second customer account;

validating, by the blockchain API host, the request by performing a cryptographic operation on at least a portion of the request using a public key associated with the first customer account; and

propagating, by the blockchain API host, a proposal to consensus participants for writing to a blockchain, wherein the proposal comprises the first customer account, the second customer account, and the amount of loyalty points.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a loyalty wallet running on a computing device transmits the request using an API call.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the consensus participants achieve consensus on the proposal using at least one of proof of work, proof of stake, practical byzantine fault tolerance, or delegated proof of stake.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the blockchain API host and from a loyalty wallet, a registration request for the first customer account comprising the public key;

validating, by the blockchain API host, the registration request by performing the cryptographic operation on at least a portion of the registration request using the public key; and

propagating, by the blockchain API host, a registration proposal to the consensus participants for writing to the blockchain.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a loyalty wallet encrypts and stores a private key corresponding to the public key.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the blockchain API host, a registration request for a loyalty partner site;

validating, by the blockchain API host, the registration request by performing the cryptographic operation on at least a portion of the registration request using a public key associated with the loyalty partner site; and

propagating, by the blockchain API host, a registration proposal to the consensus participants for writing to the blockchain.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, by the blockchain API host, a payment request from a loyalty wallet associated with the second customer account, wherein the payment request comprises a merchant account and a payment amount;

validating, by the blockchain API host, the payment request by performing the cryptographic operation on at least a portion of the payment request using a public key associated with the second customer account; and

propagating, by the blockchain API host, a payment proposal to the consensus participants for writing to the blockchain, wherein the payment proposal includes the merchant account, the payment amount, and the second customer account.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the blockchain API host, an exchange request from a loyalty wallet associated with the second customer account, wherein the exchange request comprises a currency exchange account, a fiat currency type, an exchange rate, and a loyalty point amount;

validating, by the blockchain API host, the exchange request by performing the cryptographic operation on at least a portion of the exchange request using a public key associated with the second customer account; and

propagating, by the blockchain API host, an exchange proposal to the consensus participants for writing to the blockchain, wherein the exchange proposal includes the currency exchange account, the fiat currency type, the exchange rate, and the loyalty point amount.

9. A loyalty point network, comprising:

a processor;

a tangible, non-transitory memory configured to communicate with the processor, the tangible, non-transitory memory having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause a blockchain API host to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by the blockchain API host, a request to transfer an amount of loyalty points from a first customer account to a second customer account;

validating, by the blockchain API host, the request by performing a cryptographic operation on at least a portion of the request using a public key associated with the first customer account; and

propagating, by the blockchain API host, a proposal to consensus participants for writing to a blockchain, wherein the proposal comprises the first customer account, the second customer account, and the amount of loyalty points.

10. The loyalty point network of claim 9, wherein a loyalty wallet running on a computing device transmits the request using an API call.

11. The loyalty point network of claim 9, wherein the consensus participants achieve consensus on the proposal using at least one of proof of work, proof of stake, practical byzantine fault tolerance, or delegated proof of stake.

12. The loyalty point network of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, by the blockchain API host and from a loyalty wallet, a registration request for the first customer account comprising the public key;

validating, by the blockchain API host, the registration request by performing the cryptographic operation on at least a portion of the registration request using the public key; and

propagating, by the blockchain API host, a registration proposal to the consensus participants for writing to the blockchain.

13. The loyalty point network of claim 9, wherein a loyalty wallet encrypts and stores a private key corresponding to the public key.

14. The loyalty point network of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, by the blockchain API host, a registration request for a loyalty partner site;

validating, by the blockchain API host, the registration request by performing the cryptographic operation on at least a portion of the registration request using a public key associated with the loyalty partner site; and

propagating, by the blockchain API host, a registration proposal to the consensus participants for writing to the blockchain.

15. The loyalty point network of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving, by the blockchain API host, a payment request from a loyalty wallet associated with the second customer account, wherein the payment request comprises a merchant account and a payment amount;

validating, by the blockchain API host, the payment request by performing the cryptographic operation on at least a portion of the payment request using a public key associated with the second customer account; and

propagating, by the blockchain API host, a payment proposal to the consensus participants for writing to the blockchain, wherein the payment proposal includes the merchant account, the payment amount, and the second customer account.

16. The loyalty point network of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, by the blockchain API host, an exchange request from a loyalty wallet associated with the second customer account, wherein the exchange request comprises a currency exchange account, a fiat currency type, an exchange rate, and a loyalty point amount;

validating, by the blockchain API host, the exchange request by performing the cryptographic operation on at least a portion of the exchange request using a public key associated with the second customer account; and

propagating, by the blockchain API host, an exchange proposal to the consensus participants for writing to the blockchain, wherein the exchange proposal includes the currency exchange account, the fiat currency type, the exchange rate, and the loyalty point amount.

17. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a blockchain API host, cause the blockchain API host to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the blockchain API host, a request to transfer an amount of loyalty points from a first customer account to a second customer account;

validating, by the blockchain API host, the request by performing a cryptographic operation on at least a portion of the request using a public key associated with the first customer account; and

propagating, by the blockchain API host, a proposal to consensus participants for writing to a blockchain, wherein the proposal comprises the first customer account, the second customer account, and the amount of loyalty points.

18. The article of claim 17, wherein a loyalty wallet running on a computing device transmits the request using an API call.

19. The article of claim 17, wherein the consensus participants achieve consensus on the proposal using at least one of proof of work, proof of stake, practical byzantine fault tolerance, or delegated proof of stake.

20. The article of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, by the blockchain API host, a payment request from a loyalty wallet associated with the second customer account, wherein the payment request comprises a merchant account and a payment amount;

validating, by the blockchain API host, the payment request by performing the cryptographic operation on at least a portion of the payment request using a public key associated with the second customer account; and

propagating, by the blockchain API host, a payment proposal to the consensus participants for writing to the blockchain, wherein the payment proposal includes the merchant account, the payment amount, and the second customer account.