Method and apparatus for providing pre-existing and prospective customers with an immediately accessible account

• US 7,778,920 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2002
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Zarin, Marjorie Faith, Cichon, Robert P., Meyer, Rhene, Kay, Heather D., Lewis, Timothy Patrick, Glim, Rachel, Sarnoff, Dafna
• Primary Examiner(s): Borlinghaus, Jason M
• Application Number:
  US10/082,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20020138418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,095 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/38
• US Class Current: 705/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof

Abstract

A system and method for providing in real-time an immediately accessible customized transaction account via the internet is disclosed. In particular, the system and method recognizes distinct access codes which are correlated to the credit profile of a person accessing an on-line application system via a computer network. During operation of the invention, a party may be driven to the on-line application system via the internet to conduct a transaction in response to an invitation to enroll in a special program. Upon entering the on-line application system, the accessing party may be unilaterally given the opportunity to apply for a special offer, which has been tailored to the accessing party'"'"'s credit profile.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for facilitating a transaction account approval, the method comprising the steps of:

providing, by a server of a card provider, a plurality of access codes to a plurality of both prospective customers and existing customers of the card provider, wherein each of the plurality of access codes can not be used to transfer funds via the card provider;

receiving a respective access code from a customer of the plurality of prospective customers and existing customers of a card provider at an interface of the card provider;

determining whether the customer is a prospective customer or an existing customer based at least in part on the respective access code;

providing an offer from a plurality of stored offers to the customer based at least in part on the determining, and wherein a customized offer for the at least one prospective customer and existing customer is based at least in part on the respective access code; and

performing at least one of a removal of fields and a population of fields at the interface of the card provider based at least in part on a profile associated with the respective access code.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer is an existing customer and wherein the providing further comprises matching the respective access code to the profile in an existing customer database.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the offer is associated with the profile.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing the offer in an application for a transaction account.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising providing at least a portion of the profile in a form of a plurality of modifiable entry fields.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of validating the profile.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising approving the application for the transaction account, wherein the approving is performed in real-time and wherein the transaction account is associated with transaction account information.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising providing the transaction account information.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of the modifiable entry fields is modified.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the providing further comprises matching the respective access code to a pre-approval code.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing the offer in an application for a transaction account.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing at least a portion of the profile in a form of a plurality of modifiable entry fields.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising validating the profile.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising approving the application for the transaction account, wherein the approving is performed in real-time and wherein the transaction account is associated with transaction account information.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising providing the transaction account information.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of the plurality of the modifiable entry fields is modified.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer is a prospective customer and the method further comprises providing at least a portion of the profile in an application for a transaction account, and wherein the at least a portion of the profile is provided in a form of a plurality of modifiable entry fields.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising validating the profile.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising approving the application for the transaction account, wherein the approving is performed in real-time and wherein the transaction account is associated with transaction account information.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising providing the transaction account information.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein at least one of the plurality of the modifiable entry fields is modified.

44. The method of claim 1, wherein an amount of personal information requested from the customer when the customer is an existing customer is less than an amount of personal information requested from a prospective customer.

22. A system for facilitating a transaction account approval, the system comprising:

a transaction account provider server;

a customer interface in communication with the transaction account provider server, the customer interface configured to receive an access code and provide the access code to the transaction account provider server; and

a customer database in communication with the transaction account provider server, the customer database being configured to store at least one of customer profiles, existing customer profiles, offers, and pre-approval codes,

wherein the transaction account provider server is configured to;

provide a plurality of access codes to a plurality of both prospective customers and existing customers of a card provider, wherein each of the plurality of access codes can not be used to transfer funds;

receive a respective access code from a customer of the plurality of prospective customers and existing customers of a card provider at the customer interface;

determine whether the customer is a prospective customer or an existing customer based at least in part on the respective access code;

provide an offer from a plurality of stored offers to the customer based at least in part on the determining, and wherein a customized offer for the at least one prospective customer and existing customer is based at least in part on the respective access code; and

perform at least one of a removal of fields and a population of fields at the customer interface based at least in part on a profile associated with the respective access code.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the customer is an existing customer and wherein the transaction account provider server is further configured to match the respective access code to the profile associated with the respective access code, wherein the profile associated with the respective access code is an existing customer profile stored in the customer database.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the transaction account provider server is further configured to associate the offer with the profile associated with the respective access code.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the transaction account provider server is further configured to provide the offer in an application for a transaction account.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the transaction account provider server is further configured to provide at least a portion of the profile associated with the respective access code in a form of a plurality of modifiable entry fields.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the transaction account provider server is further configured to validate the profile associated with the respective access code.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the transaction account provider server is further configured to:

approve the application for the transaction account in real-time; and

associate the transaction account with a transaction account information.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the transaction account provider server is further configured to provide the transaction account information.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein at least one of the plurality of the modifiable entry fields is modified.

31. The system of claim 23, wherein the transaction account provider server is further configured to match the respective access code to at least one pre-approval code.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the transaction account provider server is further configured to provide the offer in an application for a transaction account.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the transaction account provider server is further configured to provide at least a portion of the profile associated with the respective access code in a form of a plurality of modifiable entry fields.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the transaction account provider server is further configured to validate the profile associated with the respective access code.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the transaction account provider server is further configured to:

approve the application for the transaction account in real time; and

associate the transaction account with a transaction account information.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the transaction account provider server is further configured to provide the transaction account information.

37. The system of claim 33, wherein at least one of the plurality of the modifiable entry fields is modified.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the transaction account provider server is further configured to:

process the application for the transaction account under a predetermined processing procedure associated with an ineligible accessing party; and

provide a message informing that the application for the transaction account is processed under the predetermined processing procedure associated with an ineligible accessing party.

39. The system of claim 22, wherein the customer is a prospective and wherein the transaction account provider server is further configured to provide at least a portion of the profile associated with the respective access code in an application for a transaction account, and wherein the at least a portion of profile associated with the respective access code is provided in a form of a plurality of modifiable entry fields.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the transaction account provider server is further configured to validate the profile associated with the respective access code.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the transaction account provider server is further configured to:

approve the application for the transaction account in real-time; and

associate the transaction account with a transaction account information.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the transaction account provider server is further configured to provide the transaction account information.

43. The system of claim 39, wherein at least one of the plurality of the modifiable entry fields is modified.

45. The system of claim 22, wherein an amount of personal information requested from the customer when the customer is an existing customer is less than an amount of personal information requested from a prospective customer.