Method and system for co-branding an electronic payment platform such as an electronic wallet

• US 6,601,761 B1
• Filed: 09/15/1999
• Issued: 08/05/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Citibank NA (Citigroup Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Citibank NA (Citigroup Incorporated)
• Inventors: Katis, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US09/396,242
• Time in Patent Office: 1,420 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/379, 235/380, 235/381, 235/382, 235/382.5, 235/492, 705/2, 705/9, 705/10, 705/14, 705/26, 705/40
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence

Abstract

A method and system of co-branding an electronic payment platform, such as an electronic wallet, makes use of computer hardware and software including, for example, one or more electronic wallet related servers controlled by a financial institution, which can be coupled over the Internet to a user'"'"'s personal computer and merchant'"'"'s website server. The electronic wallet is co-branded, for example, with the brand of the financial institution and the brand or brands of one or more cooperating merchants. The co-branded electronic payment platform makes use of a payment mechanism related, for example, to a credit card account of the user or digital payment tokens pre-allocated for the user. The user is given an incentive award for use of the co-branded electronic payment platform which is stored for the user and redeemable on one or more of the cooperating merchants.

Claims

1. A method of co-branding an electronic payment platform, comprising:

providing an on-line access for a user to an electronic payment platform co-branded by a financial institution and at least one cooperating merchant;

allowing the user to use the co-branded electronic payment platform for making a payment;

automatically storing an incentive award for the user for the use of the electronic payment platform for making the payment; and

allowing the user to redeem the stored incentive award;

wherein providing the on-line access for the user to the electronic payment platform further comprises providing the on-line access to a digital bearer certificate payment system storing digital payment tokens for the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the on-line access to the digital bearer certificate payment system storing digital payment tokens for the user further comprises providing the on-line access to the digital bearer certificate payment system storing digital payment tokens for the user on an electronic cash purse server.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein providing the on-line access to the digital bearer certificate payment system storing the digital payment tokens for the user on the electronic cash purse server further comprises storing value representing the digital tokens for the user on the electronic cash purse server pre-allocated from at least one user'"'"'s account selected from a group of user'"'"'s accounts consisting of a user'"'"'s credit card account, a user'"'"'s debit card account, a user'"'"'s checking account, and a user'"'"'s savings account.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the on-line access for the user to the electronic payment platform further comprises providing the on-line access to the co-branded electronic payment platform controlled at least in part by the financial institution.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein providing the on-line access to the co-branded electronic payment platform controlled at least in part by the financial institution further comprises providing the on-line access to the electronic payment platform with at least one of accounts, linkages to accounts, and payment instruments controlled by the financial institution.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein providing the on-line access for the user to the electronic payment platform controlled at least in part by the financial institution further comprises providing the on-line access to the co-branded electronic payment platform controlled at least in part by the at least one cooperating merchant.

7. A method of co-branding an electronic payment platform, comprising:

providing an on-line access for a user to an electronic payment platform co-branded by a financial institution and at least one cooperating merchant;

allowing the user to use the co-branded electronic payment platform for making a payment;

automatically storing an incentive award for the user for the use of the electronic payment platform for making the payment; and

allowing the user to redeem the stored incentive award;

wherein the co-branded electronic payment platform is controlled at least in part by the financial institution and in part by the at least one cooperating merchant; and

wherein providing the on-line access to the co-branded electronic payment platform further comprises providing the on-line access to the electronic payment platform with at least one of a link to a website of the cooperating merchant and an award point database of the cooperating merchant controlled by the cooperating merchant.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein providing the on-line access for the user to the on-line electronic payment platform further comprises providing the on-line access for the user to an electronic wallet application on a wallet server controlled by one of the financial institution and another party for the financial institution.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein allowing the user to use the co-branded electronic payment platform for making the payment further comprises allowing the user to store payment information for the user in a wallet server of the co-branded electronic payment platform.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein allowing the user to store the payment information in the wallet server further comprises allowing the user to store the payment information in the wallet server related to at least one user'"'"'s account selected from a group of user'"'"'s accounts consisting of a user'"'"'s credit card account, a user'"'"'s debit card account, a user'"'"'s checking account, and a user'"'"'s savings account.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein allowing the user to store the payment information in the wallet server further comprises allowing the user to store digital tokens on an electronic cash purse server of the wallet server of the co-branded electronic payment platform pre-allocated from at least one user'"'"'s account selected from a group of user'"'"'s accounts consisting of a user'"'"'s credit card account, a user'"'"'s debit card account, a user'"'"'s checking account, and a user'"'"'s savings account.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein allowing the user to use the co-branded electronic payment platform for making the payment further comprises invoking a co-branded electronic wallet application of a wallet server by the user.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein invoking the co-branded electronic wallet application by the user further comprise automatically displaying a co-branded electronic wallet window for the user by the wallet server.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein allowing the user to use the co-branded electronic payment platform for making the payment further comprises entering a selection by the user to make the payment with payment information stored for the user by a wallet server.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein entering the selection by the user to make the payment with the stored payment information further comprises automatically sending the stored payment information to a merchant'"'"'s website server for the user.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein automatically sending the stored payment information to the merchant'"'"'s website server for the user further comprises automatically sending the stored payment information related to a least one user'"'"'s account selected from a group of user'"'"'s accounts consisting of a user'"'"'s credit card account, a user'"'"'s debit card account, a user'"'"'s checking account, and a user'"'"'s savings account.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein automatically sending the stored payment information to the merchant'"'"'s website server for the user further comprises automatically sending stored digital payment tokens pre-allocated for the user from at least one user'"'"'s account selected from a group of user'"'"'s accounts consisting of a user'"'"'s credit card account, a user'"'"'s debit card account, a user'"'"'s checking account, and a user'"'"'s savings account.

18. The method of claim 7, wherein automatically storing the incentive award for the user further comprises automatically storing reward points for the user in a rewards database of a wallet server.

19. The method of claim 7, wherein automatically storing the incentive award for the user further comprises automatically storing reward points for the user in a rewards point server of a wallet server.

20. The method of claim 7, wherein automatically storing the incentive award for the user further comprises automatically storing the incentive award calculated on an amount of the payment.

21. The method of claim 7, wherein automatically storing the incentive award for the user further comprises automatically storing the incentive award sponsored by the at least one cooperating merchant.

22. The method of claim 7, wherein automatically storing the incentive award for the user further comprises automatically storing the incentive award sponsored at least in part by the at least one cooperating merchant and at least in part by the financial institution.

23. The method of claim 7, wherein allowing the user to redeem the stored incentive award further comprises invoking a co-branded electronic wallet application of a wallet server by the user.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein invoking the co-branded electronic wallet application by the user further comprises automatically displaying a co-branded wallet window for the user by the wallet server.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein automatically displaying the co-branded wallet window further comprises automatically displaying an option on the co-branded wallet window for the user to make the payment from the stored incentive award.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein allowing the user to redeem the stored incentive award further comprises entering a selection by the user for the option for making the payment from the stored incentive award.