Credit intermediary system, credit intermediary apparatus and method thereof, recording medium and program

• US 7,827,098 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hasumi, Yoshitsugu, Shiotani, Keiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Karmis; Stefanos
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lemieux; Jessica L
• Application Number:
  US10/259,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20040064403A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,955 Days
• Field of Search: 705/39
• US Class Current: 705/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4016 involving fraud or risk level assessment in transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/403 Solvency checks
• 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

Abstract

An affiliated store terminal obtains a security code and a card holder'"'"'s attribution information of a credit card, such as a card holder'"'"'s attribution information consists of a date of birth, lower four figures of a home telephone number, a last name and a first name of a card holder. An authorization request transmitted from the affiliated terminal is transmitted to a card company apparatus, and further transmitted to a card issuing company apparatus through an intermediary center apparatus. The card company apparatus executes an authorization process and return a result of the authorization process to the affiliated store terminal through the intermediary center apparatus and the previous card company apparatus.

Claims

1. A credit intermediary system, comprising:

a first, a second and a third information processing apparatus to be connected with each other through a network, wherein;

said first information processing apparatus transmits a credit electronic message including a credit card number, a plurality of a card holder'"'"'s attributes independent of the credit card number and a security code of the card holder'"'"'s credit card to said second information processing apparatus;

said second information processing apparatus determines an issuing credit company that issued said credit card on the basis of said credit card number, requires credit card companies to preregister with a credit intermediary database, and uses the credit intermediary database of preregistered credit card companies to transmit said credit electronic message to said third information processing apparatus disposed in said issuing credit company;

said third information processing apparatus executes a credit authorization process on the basis of said credit electronic message received, verifies each of the plurality of the card holder'"'"'s attributes received, and transmits a result of credit authorization process and a confirmation result of the security code and confirmation results of the card holder'"'"'s attributes indicating for each individual attribute of the plurality of the card holder'"'"'s attributes whether the individual attribute matches a stored value, to said second information processing apparatus;

said second information processing apparatus transmits said result of credit authorization process and said confirmation result of the security code and the card holder'"'"'s attribution information received to said first information processing apparatus;

said first information processing apparatus compares said result of credit authorization process and said confirmation result of the security code and the confirmation results of the card holder'"'"'s attributes against a selected condition specifying which card holder'"'"'s attributes need to be confirmed to determine whether a sales process is to be allowed or disallowed; and

said first information processing apparatus includes

a receiver that receives said result of credit authorization process and said confirmation results of the card holder'"'"'s attributes and said security code of said credit card from one of said user'"'"'s credit card company system or said credit intermediary system;

a store table which is stored in a storage device, defining a plurality of conditions for one card holder corresponding to increasing transaction amount thresholds under which a sales process is approved, said first information processing apparatus selecting one condition of the plurality of conditions based on a transaction amount;

a comparing unit that compares said result of credit authorization process and said confirmation results of the card holder'"'"'s attributes and said security code of said credit card against the selected condition stored in the store table;

a computation unit that determines whether or not said result of credit authorization process and said confirmation results of the card holder'"'"'s attributes and said security code of said credit card satisfy the selected condition; and

an execution unit that executes a sales process if the selected condition is satisfied.

2. The credit intermediary system according to claim 1, wherein:

said card holder'"'"'s attributes include a birth date of a card holder of said credit card, a telephone number of said card holder, a last name of said card holder and a first name of said card holder.

3. The credit intermediary system according to claim 1, wherein

a first condition corresponding to a first transaction threshold requires verification of no card holder'"'"'s attribution information,

a second condition corresponding to a second transaction threshold greater than the first transaction threshold requires verification of the birth date of the card holder,

a third condition corresponding to a third transaction threshold greater than the second transaction threshold requires verification of the birth date of the card holder, the last name of the card holder, and the security code of the card holder, and

a fourth condition corresponding to a fourth transaction threshold greater than the third transaction threshold requires verification of the birth date of the card holder, the telephone number of the card holder, the last name of the card holder, the first name of the card holder and the security code of the card holder.

4. A credit intermediary system for performing credit-intermediacy process between an issuing credit company system and one of a user'"'"'s credit card company system or an affiliated store system, said credit intermediary system comprising:

receiving means for receiving a credit electronic message regarding a credit card including a credit card number, a plurality of a card holder'"'"'s attributes independent of the credit card number and a security code of said credit card from one of said user'"'"'s credit card company system or said affiliated store system;

credit request means for determining an issuing credit company that issued said credit card on the basis of said credit card number, requiring credit card companies to preregister with a credit intermediary system database, and using the credit intermediary database of preregistered credit card companies to output a credit electronic message corresponding to the received credit electronic message to said issuing credit company system for performing a credit authorization request;

transmitting means for receiving a result of credit authorization process and a confirmation result of the security code and confirmation results of the card holder'"'"'s attributes indicating for each individual attribute of the plurality of the card holder'"'"'s attributes whether the individual attribute matches a stored value, with regards to said credit authorization requested by said credit request means from said issuing credit company system, and transmitting said result of credit authorization process and said confirmation result of the security code and the confirmation results of the card holder'"'"'s attributes to one of said user'"'"'s credit card company system or said affiliated store system;

receiving means for receiving said result of credit authorization process and said confirmation results of the card holder'"'"'s attributes and said security code of said credit card from one of said user'"'"'s credit card company system or said credit intermediary system;

defining means for defining a plurality of conditions for one card holder corresponding to increasing transaction amount thresholds under which a sales process is approved, one condition of the plurality of conditions being selected;

storage means for storing said conditions in a store table;

comparing means for comparing said result of credit authorization process and said confirmation results of the card holder'"'"'s attributes and said security code of said credit card with the selected condition specifying which card holder'"'"'s attributes need to be confirmed;

determining means for determining whether or not the result of credit authorization process and the confirmation results of the card holder'"'"'s attributes and said security code of said credit card satisfy the selected condition; and

executing means for executing the sales process if the conditions are satisfied.

5. The credit intermediary system according to claim 4, wherein:

said card holder'"'"'s attributes include a birth date of a card holder of said credit card, a telephone number of said card holder, a last name of said card holder and a first name of said card holder.

6. A credit intermediary method of a credit intermediary apparatus for performing credit-intermediacy process between an issuing credit company system and one of a user'"'"'s credit card company system or an affiliated store system, said credit intermediary method comprising:

receiving a credit electronic message regarding a credit card including a credit card number, a plurality of a card holder'"'"'s attributes independent of the credit card number and a security code of said credit card from one of said user'"'"'s credit card company system or said affiliated store system;

determining an issuing credit company that issued said credit card on the basis of said credit card number included in said credit electronic message that is received in the receiving a credit electronic message;

outputting a credit electronic message corresponding to the received credit electronic message;

requiring credit card companies to preregister with a credit intermediary database;

using the credit intermediary database of preregistered credit card companies to transmit the outputted credit electronic message to said issuing credit company system for requesting a credit authorization;

receiving a result of credit authorization process and a confirmation result of the security code and confirmation results of the card holder'"'"'s attributes indicating for each individual attribute of the plurality of the card holder'"'"'s attributes whether the individual attribute matches a stored value, from said issuing credit company system;

transmitting said result of credit authorization process and the confirmation result of the security code and the confirmation results of the card holder'"'"'s attributes to one of said user'"'"'s credit card company system or said affiliated store system;

receiving said result of credit authorization process and the confirmation results of the card holder'"'"'s attributes and said security code of said credit card from one of said user'"'"'s credit card company system or a credit intermediary system;

defining a plurality of conditions for one card holder corresponding to increasing transaction amount thresholds under which a sale process is approved;

storing said conditions in a store table;

selecting one condition of the plurality of conditions;

comparing said result of credit authorization process and said confirmation results of the card holder'"'"'s attributes and said security code of said credit card with the selected condition specifying which card holder'"'"'s attributes need to be confirmed;

determining whether or not the result of credit authorization process and said confirmation results of the card holder'"'"'s attributes and said security code of said credit card satisfy the selected condition; and

executing a sales process if the selected condition is satisfied.

7. The credit intermediary method according to claim 6, wherein:

said card holder'"'"'s attributes include a birth date of a card holder of said credit card, a telephone number of said card holder, a last name of said card holder and a first name of said card holder.

8. A recording medium in which a computer-readable program for realizing a credit intermediary apparatus is recorded, said computer-readable program performing credit-intermediacy process regarding a credit card, between an issuing credit company system and one of a user'"'"'s credit card company system and an affiliated store system, said computer readable program comprising:

receiving a credit electronic message including a credit card number, a plurality of a card holder'"'"'s attributes independent of the credit card number and a security code of said credit card from one of said user'"'"'s credit card company system or said affiliated store system;

determining an issuing credit company that issued said credit card on the basis of said credit card number included in said credit electronic message that is received in the receiving a credit electronic message;

outputting a credit electronic message corresponding to the received credit electronic message;

requiring credit card companies to preregister with a credit intermediary database;

using the credit intermediary database of preregistered credit card companies to transmit the outputted credit electronic message to said issuing credit company system for requesting a credit authorization;

receiving a result of credit authorization process and a confirmation result of the security code and confirmation results of the card holder'"'"'s attributes indicating for each individual attribute of the plurality of the card holder'"'"'s attributes whether the individual attribute matches a stored value, from said issuing credit company system;

transmitting said result of credit authorization process and said confirmation result of the security code and the confirmation results of the card holder'"'"'s attributes to one of said user'"'"'s credit card company system or said affiliated store system;

receiving said result of credit authorization process and the confirmation results of the card holder'"'"'s attributes and said security code of said credit card from one of said user'"'"'s credit card company system or a credit intermediary system;

defining a plurality of conditions for one card holder corresponding to increasing transaction amount thresholds under which a sale process is approved;

storing said conditions in a store table;

selecting one condition of the plurality of conditions;

comparing said result of credit authorization process and said confirmation results of the card holder'"'"'s attributes and said security code of said credit card with the selected condition specifying which card holder'"'"'s attributes need to be confirmed;

determining whether or not the result of credit authorization process and said confirmation results of the card holder'"'"'s attributes and said security code of said credit card satisfy the selected condition; and

executing a sales process if the selected condition is satisfied.

9. The recording medium according to claim 8, wherein:

said card holder'"'"'s attributes include a birth date of a card holder of said credit card, a telephone number of said card holder, a last name of said card holder and a first name of said card holder.