System and process for issuing and managing forced redemption vouchers having alias account numbers

• US 6,330,544 B1
• Filed: 03/05/1999
• Issued: 12/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Jindal, Sanjay K., Walker, Jay S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tesfamariam, Mussie
• Application Number:
  US09/263,617
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/16, 705/30, 705/35, 705/44, 235/380, 235/381, 364/479.01
• US Class Current: 705/14.36
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• 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 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

A redemption voucher program having systems and processes for use in a credit card system. The following steps are carried about by the systems and processes and include, but are not limited to, identifying an account issued by an account issuer, generating a redemption voucher identifier corresponding to the account identifier and producing a redemption voucher including the redemption voucher identifier, distributing the redemption voucher to an account owner, and, at a merchant facility, receiving a redemption voucher from the account owner during a transaction having a specified value. Thereafter, such systems and processes take care of transmitting the redemption voucher identifier and the specified value from the merchant facility to an account number clearing authority for clearing against the account. Next, at the account issuer, the systems take care of receiving a request to authorize the redemption voucher during the transaction, identifying the account corresponding to the redemption voucher identifier, authorizing the redemption voucher, updating the account based on the transaction value, and transmitting an authorization notification from the account issuer to the account number clearing authority. Then, the systems and processes take care of receiving the authorization notification and transmitting an authorization status notification in response to the authorization notification received from the account number clearing authority to the merchant facility. Finally, at the merchant facility, the systems and processes take care of receiving the authorization status notification indicating whether the redemption voucher was cleared against the account by the account issuer, accepting the redemption voucher and ensuring that the merchant facility receives a payment from the account issuer based on the transaction.

Claims

1. A process for handling a redemption voucher, comprising the steps of:

identifying an account having an account owner and an account identifier;

generating a redemption voucher identifier corresponding to said account identifier;

producing a redemption voucher including said redemption voucher identifier;

distributing said redemption voucher to said account owner, said redemption voucher being immediately negotiable upon receipt by said account owner; and

redeeming said redemption voucher, said redeeming step including determining whether said account has available credit to cover redemption of said redemption voucher;

said account identifier not being present on said redemption voucher.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein said identifying step and said generating step are carried out within a data processing system having an account database maintaining data related to said account owner and said account identifier.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein said producing step is carried out by a printing device and said redemption voucher is a paper form on which said redemption voucher identifier is printed.

4. The process according to claim 3, wherein said printing device is a laser printer.

5. The process according to claim 1, wherein said redemption voucher is a gift certificate.

6. The process according to claim 1, wherein said producing step further comprises the inclusion of a maximum redemption value to be associated with said redemption voucher.

7. The process according to claim 6, wherein said maximum redemption value is a maximum dollar value.

8. The process according to claim 1, wherein said redemption voucher identifier includes a portion of said account identifier.

9. The process according to claim 1, wherein said distributing step comprises the submission of said redemption voucher to said account owner via a mail service.

10. The process according to claim 1, wherein said account identifier is a credit card account number including a unique set of numbers and said redemption voucher identifier includes a group of numbers matching a sub-set of said unique set of numbers of said credit card account number.

11. The process according to claim 1, wherein said account identifier is a unique credit card account number and said redemption voucher identifier includes a unique sequence of numbers.

12. The process according to claim 1 wherein said generating step includes generating said redemption voucher identifier in a format that is useable by a credit card processor.

13. A process for handling a redemption voucher, comprising the steps of:

identifying an account within a data processing system, said account having an account owner and an account identifier;

generating a redemption voucher identifier corresponding to said account identifier;

producing a redemption voucher including said redemption voucher identifier;

distributing said redemption voucher to said account owner, said redemption voucher for activation by said account owner within said data processing system prior to redemption; and

redeeming said redemption voucher, said redeeming step including determining whether said account has available credit to cover redemption of said redemption voucher.

14. The process according to claim 13, wherein said identifying step and said generating step are carried out within a data processing system having an account database maintaining data related to said account owner and said account identifier.

15. The process according to claim 13, wherein said producing step is carried out by a printing device and said redemption voucher is a paper form on which said redemption voucher identifier is printed.

16. The process according to claim 15, wherein said printing device is a laser printer unit.

17. The process according to claim 13, wherein said redemption voucher is a gift certificate.

18. The process according to claim 13, wherein said producing step further comprises the inclusion of a maximum redemption value to be associated with said redemption voucher.

19. The process according to claim 18, wherein said maximum redemption value is a maximum dollar value.

20. The process according to claim 13, wherein said redemption voucher identifier includes a portion of said account identifier.

21. The process according to claim 13, wherein said distributing step comprises the submission of said redemption voucher to said account owner via a mail service.

22. The process according to claim 13, wherein said account identifier is a credit card account number including a unique set of numbers and said redemption voucher identifier includes a group of numbers matching a sub-set of said unique set of numbers of said credit card account number.

23. The process according to claim 13, wherein said account identifier is a unique credit card account number and said redemption voucher identifier includes a unique sequence of numbers.

24. The process according to claim 13, wherein said generating step includes generating said redemption voucher identifier in a format that is useable by a credit card processor.

25. A system for handling a redemption voucher comprising:

a data processing sub-system maintaining a database of information related to an account having an account identifier and an account owner and generating a redemption voucher identifier corresponding to said account identifier;

a production sub-system producing a redemption voucher including said redemption voucher identifier, said account identifier not being present on said redemption voucher;

a distribution sub-system distributing said redemption voucher to said account owner, said redemption voucher being immediately negotiable upon receipt by said account owner; and

a redemption sub-system redeeming said redemption voucher and determining whether said account has available credit to cover redemption of said redemption voucher.

26. The system according to claim 25, wherein said data processing sub-system is a general purpose computing system and said production sub-system includes a laser printing device.

27. The system according to claim 25, wherein said redemption voucher is a paper form having said redemption voucher identifier printed thereon.

28. The system according to claim 25, wherein said redemption voucher is a gift certificate.

29. The system according to claim 25, wherein said account identifier is a credit card number including a set of numbers and said redemption voucher identifier includes a sub-set of numbers equal to a sub-set of said set of numbers of said credit card number.

30. The system according to claim 25, wherein said account identifier and said redemption voucher identifier are unique sets of numbers.

31. The system according to claim 25, wherein said account identifier comprises a format useable by a credit card processor.

32. The system according to claim 25, wherein said redemption voucher includes a maximum value designator.

33. The system according to claim 32, wherein said maximum value designator is adapted to be set by said account owner.

34. The system according to claim 25, wherein said redemption voucher includes a merchant designator.

35. The system according to claim 33, wherein said merchant designator is adapted to be set by said account owner.

36. A system for handling a redemption voucher comprising:

a data processing sub-system maintaining a database of information related to an account having an account identifier and an account owner and generating a redemption voucher identifier corresponding to said account identifier;

a production sub-system producing a redemption voucher including said redemption voucher identifier, said redemption voucher for activation within said data processing system by said account owner prior to redemption of said redemption voucher;

a distribution sub-system distributing said redemption voucher to said account owner; and

a redemption sub-system redeeming said redemption voucher and determining whether said account has available credit to cover redemption of said redemption voucher.

37. The system according to claim 36, wherein said data processing sub-system is a general purpose computing system and said production sub-system includes a laser printing device.

38. The system according to claim 36, wherein said redemption voucher is a paper form having said redemption voucher identifier printed thereon.

39. The system according to claim 36, wherein said redemption voucher is a gift certificate.

40. The system according to claim 36, wherein said account identifier is a credit card number including a set of numbers and said redemption voucher identifier includes a sub-set of numbers equal to a sub-set of said set of numbers of said credit card number.

41. The system according to claim 36, wherein said account identifier is a unique credit card number and said redemption voucher identifier includes a unique sequence of numbers.

42. The system according to claim 36, wherein said account identifier comprises a format useable by a credit card processor.

43. The system according to claim 36, wherein said redemption voucher includes a maximum value designator.

44. The system according to claim 43, wherein said maximum value designator is adapted to be set by said account owner.

45. The system according to claim 36, wherein said redemption voucher includes a merchant designator.

46. The system according to claim 45, wherein said merchant designator is adapted to be set by said account owner.

47. A process for handling redemption vouchers, comprising the steps of:

analyzing a database including information related to an account having an account owner and an account identifier;

determining a redemption value based on an analysis of said information conducted during said analyzing step;

establishing a redemption voucher identifier to correspond to said account identifier;

producing a redemption voucher including said redemption voucher identifier and said redemption value, said account identifier not being present on said redemption voucher;

updating said database based on said redemption voucher identifier and said redemption value;

issuing said redemption voucher to said account owner; and

redeeming said redemption voucher, said redeeming step including determining whether said account has available credit to cover redemption of said redemption voucher.

48. The process according to claim 47, wherein said producing step is carried out by a laser printing device and said redemption voucher is a paper form.

49. The process according to claim 47, wherein said redemption voucher is negotiable upon receipt by said account owner.

50. The process according to claim 47, wherein said account is a credit card account and said account identifier is a credit card number.

51. The process according to claim 50, wherein said analyzing step includes the analysis of the credit worthiness of said credit card account.

52. The process according to claim 47, wherein said redemption value is a maximum redemption value.

53. The process according to claim 47, wherein said issuing step includes mailing said redemption voucher to said account.

54. The process according to claim 47, wherein said database comprises an account table maintaining data related said account, a redemption voucher table maintaining data related to said redemption voucher including said redemption voucher identifier and said redemption value.

55. The process according to claim 54, wherein said updating step includes storing said redemption voucher identifier and said redemption value in said redemption voucher table.

56. The process according to claim 47, wherein said account is a debit card account and said account identifier is a debit card number.