Multi-purse card system and methods

• US 7,316,350 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2003
• Issued: 01/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: First Data Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: First Data Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Algiene, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, UYEN CHAU N
• Application Number:
  US10/421,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20040211830A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,722 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/380, 705/35, 705/42, 705/41
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• 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 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

The invention relates, in part, to a computerized method for managing electronically stored value accounts which comprises storing at a host computer system a plurality of stored value customer accounts that each comprise a unique identifier. At the host computer system, requests are received from a point of sale device to activate at least some of the accounts. The requests to activate comprise unique identifiers and values that are associated with the identifiers. Also received at the host computer system is a request to transfer value from one of the customer accounts to another one of the customer accounts. The requested value is electronically transferred between the accounts.

Claims

1. A computerized method for managing electronically stored value accounts, the method comprising:

storing at a host computer system a plurality of stored value customer accounts that each comprise a unique identifier, wherein each of said stored value customer accounts is associated with a retail entity and associated with a presentation instrument purchased at a retail site, wherein the stored value customer accounts may be used to purchase goods offered for sale at the retail sites;

receiving at the host computer system from a point of sale device requests to activate at least some of the accounts, wherein the requests to activate comprise the unique identifiers and values that are associated with the identifiers;

receiving at the host computer system a request to purchase a good from one of the retail entities, wherein the request includes a cost of the good and the identifier, and debiting the stored value customer account by the cost of the good;

receiving at the host computer system a request to transfer value from one of the customer accounts to another one of the customer accounts; and

electronically transferring the requested value between the accounts.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the request to transfer value includes the unique identifier for each of the associated customer accounts.

3. A method as in claim 1, further comprising receiving at the host computer system a registration request from a customer to associate a plurality of the consumer accounts into a combined account.

4. A method as in claim 3, wherein the registration request includes the account identifiers for each of the customer accounts that are to be associated, and a user name and a password.

5. A method as in claim 4, further comprising generating with the host computer system an electronic summary document containing a summary of each of the customer accounts in the combined account, and transmitting the summary document over a network to a user computing device.

6. A method as in claim 1, further comprising generating with the host computer system an electronic transfer document containing fields for entering the request to transfer value between the customer accounts, and transmitting the transfer document over the network to a user computing device.

7. A method as in claim 6, further comprising generating with the host computer system a confirmation document containing a summary of the transfer request, and transmitting the confirmation document over the network to the user computing device.

8. A method as in claim 1, wherein at least some of the stored value accounts are associated with different retail entities, and further comprising facilitating with the host computer system accounting functions between the entities based on how the value is transferred.

9. A method as in claim 1, wherein at least some of the stored value accounts further comprise multiple purses that correspond to different types of stored values, and wherein the request to transfer value includes a selection of one of the purses from each of the customer accounts involved in the transfer.

10. A method as in claim 1, wherein at least some of the stored value accounts further comprise multiple purses that correspond to different types of stored values, and further comprising receiving an intra customer account transfer request to transfer value between purses of the same customer account.

11. A method as in claim 1, further comprising performing a value conversion with the host computer system when transferring the value between the customer accounts.

12. A method as in claim 1, wherein at least some of the stored value accounts further comprise multiple purses that correspond to different types of stored values, and further comprising performing a value conversion with the host computer system when transferring the value between the purses.

13. A method as in claim 12, wherein the value conversion between the purses is a value of a type selected from a group consisting of points, cash values, and purchases.

14. A method as in claim 1, further comprising storing at the host computer system promotional information.

15. A method as in claim 14, wherein the promotional information indicates promotions to encourage transferring of value between customer accounts.

16. A method as in claim 14, wherein the promotional information indicates promotions to encourage adding value to certain customer accounts.

17. A method as in claim 14, wherein the promotional information indicates promotions to encourage the use of value from certain ones of the customer accounts to purchase certain goods or services.

18. A method as in claim 1, wherein the requests to activate the accounts comprise purchases of stored value cards from retail locations, and wherein the unique identifiers are read from the cards using point of sale devices.

19. A method as in claim 1, further comprising receiving at the host computer system reload information on the purchase of value of one of the existing customer accounts.

20. A method as in claim 1, further comprising setting expiration dates on the customer accounts.

21. A computerized method for managing electronically stored value accounts, the method comprising:

storing at a host computer system a plurality of stored value customer accounts that each comprises a unique identifier and an associate value;

wherein each of said stored value customer accounts is associated with a retail entity and with a presentation instrument that is activated via a point-of-sale device;

and wherein at least some of the stored value accounts are associated with different retail entities, and wherein the stored value accounts may be used to purchase goods offered for sale at the retail entities;

receiving at the host computer system a request to purchase a good from one of the retail entities, wherein the request includes a cost of the good and the identifier, and debiting the stored value account by the cost of the good;

receiving at the host computer system a request to transfer value from one of the customer accounts that is associated with one of the retail entities to another one of the customer accounts that is associated with another one of the retail entities; and

electronically transferring the requested value between the accounts.

22. A method as in claim 21, wherein the request to transfer value includes the unique identifier for each of the associated customer accounts.

23. A method as in claim 21, further comprising receiving at the host computer system a registration request from a customer to associate a plurality of the consumer accounts into a combined account.

24. A method as in claim 23, wherein the registration request includes the account identifiers for each of the customer accounts that are to be associated, and a user name and a password.

25. A method as in claim 24, further comprising generating with the host computer system an electronic summary document containing a summary of each of the customer accounts in the combined account, and transmitting the summary document over a network to a user computing device.

26. A method as in claim 21, further comprising generating with the host computer system an electronic transfer document containing fields for entering the request to transfer value between the customer accounts, and transmitting the transfer document over the network to a user computing device.

27. A method as in claim 26, further comprising generating with the host computer system a confirmation document containing a summary of the transfer request, and transmitting the confirmation document over the network to the user computing device.

28. A method as in claim 21, wherein at least some of the stored value accounts further comprise multiple purses that correspond to different types of stored values, and wherein the request to transfer value includes a selection of one of the purses from each of the customer accounts involved in the transfer.

29. A method as in claim 21, wherein at least some of the stored value accounts further comprise multiple purses that correspond to different types of stored values, and further comprising receiving an intra customer account transfer request to transfer value between purses of the same customer account.

30. A method as in claim 21, further comprising performing a value conversion with the host computer system when transferring the value between the customer accounts.

31. A method as in claim 21, wherein at least some of the stored value accounts further comprise multiple purses that correspond to different types of stored values, and further comprising performing a value conversion with the host computer system when transferring the value between the purses.

32. A method as in claim 31, wherein the value conversion between the purses is a value of the type selected from a group consisting of points, cash values, and purchases.

33. A method as in claim 21, further comprising storing at the host computer system promotional information.

34. A method as in claim 33, wherein the promotional information indicates promotions to encourage transferring of value between customer accounts.

35. A method as in claim 33, wherein the promotional information indicates promotions to encourage adding value to certain customer accounts.

36. A method as in claim 33, wherein the promotional information indicates promotions to encourage the use of value from certain ones of the customer accounts to purchase certain goods or services.

37. A method as in claim 21, wherein the requests to activate the accounts comprise purchases of stored value cards from retail locations, and wherein the unique identifiers are read from the cards using point of sale devices.

38. A method as in claim 21, further comprising receiving at the host computer system reload information on the purchase of value of one of the existing customer accounts.

39. A method as in claim 21, further comprising setting expiration dates on the customer accounts.

40. A computerized method for managing electronically stored value customer accounts from a customer computer, the method comprising:

receiving at the customer computer from a host computer system an electronic document used to produce a display having fields for requesting value to be transferred from purses of one customer stored value account to purses of the same customer stored value account or to another customer stored value account;

wherein each of said customer stored value accounts is associated with a retail entity and associated with a presentation instrument that is activated via a point-of-sale device;

transmitting the request from the customer computer to the host computer system;

receiving at the customer computer from the host computer system an electronic document having a summary of the transfer request including a conversion of value between the purses; and

transmitting a confirmation of the request from the customer computer to the host computer system.

41. A computerized method for managing electronically stored value accounts, the method comprising:

storing at a host computer system a plurality of stored value customer accounts that each comprise a unique identifier and an associated value, wherein each of said stored value customer accounts is associated with a retail entity and associated with a presentation instrument that is activated via a point-of-sale device, wherein the stored value customer accounts may be used to purchase goods offered for sale at the retail entities;

receiving at the host computer system a request to purchase a good from one of the retail entities, wherein the request includes a cost of the good and the identifier, and debiting the stored value customer account by the cost of the good;

receiving at the host computer system a registration request from a customer to associate a plurality of the consumer accounts into a combined account, wherein the request includes the account identifiers for each of the customer accounts that are to be associated;

receiving at the host computer system a request to transfer value from one of the customer accounts to another one of the customer accounts; and

electronically transferring the requested value between the accounts.

42. A method as in claim 41, wherein the registration information further includes rules for allocating how values are to be credited and debited to and from the customer accounts.

43. A method as in claim 42, further comprising receiving at the host computer system from a point of sale device purchase or reload values for one of the accounts and allocating the purchase or reload values based on the registration information.

44. A host computer system comprising:

a first input that is adapted to receive information over a network from at least one point of sale device;

a second input that is adapted to receive information over a network from a customer computer;

an output that is adapted to send information over the network to at least one point of sale device;

a processor; and

a memory accessible by the processor that includes a plurality of stored value customer accounts that each comprise a unique identifier, wherein each of said stored value customer accounts is associated with a retail entity and associated with a presentation instrument purchased at a retail site;

wherein the first input is further adapted to receive from the point of sale device requests to activate at least some of the accounts, wherein the requests to activate comprise unique identifiers and values that are associated with the identifiers;

wherein the second input is configured to receive requests to transfer values between at least some of the accounts; and

wherein the processor is configured to transfer value from one of the customer accounts to another one of the customer accounts based on information received from the second input.

45. A host computer system comprising:

a first input that is adapted to receive information over a network from point of sale devices that are located at different retail entities;

a second input that is adapted to receive information over a network from a customer computer;

an output that is adapted to send information over the network to the point of sale devices;

a processor; and

a memory accessible by the processor that includes a plurality of stored value customer accounts that each comprise a unique identifier and an associate value, wherein each of said stored value customer accounts is associated with a retail entity and associated with a presentation instrument that is activated via a point-of-sale device;

wherein the second input is further configured to receive a request to transfer value from one of the customer accounts that is associated with one of the retail entities to another one of the customer accounts that is associated with another one of the retail entities; and

wherein the processor is configured to electronically transfer the requested value between the accounts.