Value insertion using bill pay card preassociated with biller

• US 7,437,328 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2007
• Issued: 10/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: e2Interactive Incorporated
• Original Assignee: e2Interactive Incorporated
• Inventors: Smith, Merrill Brooks, Graves, Phillip C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Diaz; Susanna M
• Application Number:
  US11/672,204
• Publication Number:
  US 20070118477A1
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• Field of Search: 705 39- 41
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• 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 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered

Abstract

The present invention is directed at systems and methods of inserting value into a customer account with a provider of goods or services. Methods may comprise distributing to a customer a bill pay card wherein the bill pay cards comprise information sufficient to identify the provider of goods or services, the customer, and the customer'"'"'s account with the provider of goods or services; presenting the bill pay card at a point of sale (POS) location; reading or otherwise obtaining from the bill pay card the information thereon; receiving value from the customer; and crediting the value received from the customer to the customer'"'"'s account with the provider of goods or services. Systems may comprise a bill pay card; a provider of goods or services; and a POS.

Claims

1. A method of utilizing a merchant'"'"'s point of sale (POS) location to insert value into a preexisting customer account with a provider of goods or services other than the merchant, wherein the process of inserting value into the pre-existing customer account is facilitated by a central processor, a POS terminal and the provider of goods or services, the central processor being in selective communication with the provider of goods or services and the POS terminal, comprising:

distributing to a customer having a pre-existing account with a specific provider of goods or services a payment information card, the pre-existing account having an identifying account number, the payment information card associated with the provider of goods or services and having an associated identifier, the identifier associated with the account number at a central processor;

presenting the payment information card at the POS location;

reading or otherwise obtaining from the payment information card the information thereon;

receiving value from the customer;

receiving at the central processor a request to add value to the pre-existing account, the request comprising the identifier of the payment information card;

determining at the central processor, based on information received from the POS location, whether the POS terminal is authorized to make a payment using the payment information card by;

accessing a database record of identifiers of trusted sources for payment information card processing requests, and

determining whether the POS terminal has a terminal identifier stored in the database record of identifiers of trusted sources;

determining at the central processor the account number of the pre-existing account by determining the account number associated with the identifier of the payment card, wherein the determining of the account number associated with the identifier of the payment card comprises;

accessing the database record at the central processor to identify a matching identifier; and

retrieving the account number associated with the identifier at the central processor upon identifying the matching identifier;

sending a confirmation to the payment card user confirming that the value transfer has been initiated; and

passing from the central processor to the provider of goods and services the request to add value to the pre-existing account.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

settling accounts between the POS and the provider of goods or services other than the merchant.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the POS is a merchant POS location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the POS is a dedicated bill pay device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an amount owed by the customer to the provider of goods or service other than the merchant;

presenting the customer with the amount owed.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

crediting the value received from the customer to the pre-existing customer account, wherein the step of crediting the value received from the customer to the customer'"'"'s account with the provider of goods or services other than the merchant comprises;

crediting the value, minus any applicable fees, from the central processor to the provider of goods or services other than the merchant.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment information card additionally comprises information sufficient to identify financial accounts associated with the customer.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

providing the customer with information regarding associated financial accounts;

responsive to a determination that the customer wishes to transfer value from the associated financial account, transferring value from the financial account;

responsive to a determination that the customer does not wish to transfer value from the associated financial account, receiving value from the customer at the POS.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein responsive to the determination that the customer wishes to transfer value from the associated financial account, transferring value from the financial account to a central processor.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:

settling accounts between the central processor and the provider of goods or services other than the merchant.

11. A system for utilizing a merchant'"'"'s point of sale (POS) location to insert value into a pre-existing customer account with a business entity, the business entity providing goods or services other than the merchant, wherein the process of inserting value into the pre-existing customer account is facilitated by a central processor, a POS terminal and the business entity providing goods or services, the central processor being in selective communication with the business entity and the POS terminal, the system comprising:

a payment information card, associated with the business entity providing goods or services and having an associated identifier, wherein the payment information card is distributed to a customer having the pre-existing customer account with the business entity, the pre-existing customer account having an identifying account number, the identifier associated with the account number at the central processor;

a POS, adapted to read or otherwise obtain from the payment information card the information thereon and receive value from a customer; and

the central processor being configured to;

receive a request to add value to the pre-existing account with the business entity, the request comprises the identifier of the payment information card;

determine, based on information received from the POS location, whether the POS terminal is authorized to make a payment using the payment information card by;

accessing a database record of identifiers of trusted sources for payment information card processing requests, and

determining whether the POS terminal has a terminal identifier stored in the database record of identifiers of trusted sources;

determine the account number of the pre-existing account by determining the account number associated with the identifier of the payment information card, wherein the determining of the account number associated with the identifier of the payment card comprises;

accessing the database record at the central processor to identify a matching identifier; and

retrieving the account number associated with the identifier at the central processor upon identifying the matching identifier;

pass to the business entity the request to add value to the pre-existing account.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the central processor comprises information associated with the customer and the business entity providing goods or services other than the merchant.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the central processor is in selective communication with the POS and the business entity providing goods or services other than the merchant, and wherein the central processor acts as an intermediary between the POS and the business entity providing goods or services other than the merchant.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a financial institution associated with the customer; and

the central processor in selective communication with the POS, the business entity providing goods or services other than the merchant, and the financial institution.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein

the central processor comprises information sufficient to identify financial accounts associated with the customer held by the financial institution.