Interactive voice response quick credit system and associated methods

• US 7,505,938 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2002
• Issued: 03/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bread Financial Payments Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Alliance Data Systems Corporation
• Inventors: Lang, Daniel J, Rush, Ann K, Starner, Brian D
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell; James P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Badii; Behrang
• Application Number:
  US10/176,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20030236740A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,462 Days
• Field of Search: 705/35, 705/38, 235/380
• US Class Current: 705/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

A system and method for applying for a credit card, preferably at a point of sale, is disclosed. The system employs an automated interactive voice response system preferably sponsored by a credit card issuer. The user calls into the system using a standard telephone, and enters credit assessment information about the customer using the key pad of the telephone in response to verbal questions posed by the system. In one embodiment, only numeric information concerning the customer is entered, such as the customer'"'"'s social security number. This credit assessment information is used to retrieve a credit report or score from a credit bureau database, which is used by the system to electronically decide whether to issue credit and to what extent and to establish a customer account. The system verbally provides information to the user regarding the credit assessment so that the customer'"'"'s credit purchase can be quickly consummated.

Claims

1. An electronically automated credit processing method, comprising:

transmitting a first initial electronic voice prompt from a system to a telephone during a current transaction at a point of sale, the first initial electronic voice prompt requesting a client identification to be input by a system user;

receiving a first initial electronic response at the system from the telephone in response to the first initial electronic voice prompt;

permitting access to the system by electronically verifying the client identification in the first initial electronic response;

transmitting a second initial electronic voice prompt from the system to the telephone during the current transaction, the second initial electronic voice prompt requesting an indication that a customer wishes to establish a credit card account during the current transaction at the point of sale;

receiving a second initial electronic response at the system from the telephone in response to the second initial electronic voice prompt;

transmitting a first informational electronic voice prompt from the system to the telephone during the current transaction, the first informational electronic voice prompt requesting a first piece of strictly numeric, non-alphabetic information about the customer;

receiving a first set of numbers at the system from the telephone in response to the first informational electronic voice prompt, wherein the first set of numbers is the customer'"'"'s social security number;

transmitting at least one second informational electronic voice prompt from the system to the telephone during the current transaction, the at least one second informational electronic voice prompt requesting at least one second piece of strictly numeric, non-alphabetic information about the customer;

receiving at least one second set of numbers at the system from the telephone in response to the at least one second electronic voice prompt, wherein the at least one second set of numbers is selected from the group consisting of the customer'"'"'s house number, zip code, birth date, and phone number;

retrieving credit information for the customer by transmitting only the first set of numbers for the first piece of strictly numeric, non-alphabetic information about the customer from the system to a remote database during the current transaction;

verifying the retrieved credit information by using the at least one second set of numbers;

determining with the system during the current transaction at the point of sale whether to establish a credit card account for the customer by automatically assessing the retrieved and verified credit information;

receiving supplemental sets of numbers for strictly numeric, non-alphabetic information about the customer at the system to assist in determining whether to establish the credit card account for the customer, wherein the supplemental sets of numbers are selected from the group consisting of the customer'"'"'s income, age, and the amount of a purchase;

establishing a credit card account at the system for the customer based on the determination; and

completing the current transaction at the point of sale using information from the established credit card account.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting an indication of the determining whether to establish the credit card account for the customer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote database is a credit bureau database.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the credit information comprises a credit report.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the credit information comprises a credit score.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the system user is a store clerk.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, as a first step, having the system user dial into the system using the telephone.