Linking a merchant account with a financial card

• US 7,856,399 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2003
• Issued: 12/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Propay USA Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Propay USA Incorporated
• Inventors: Wilkes, W. Bradley
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Jagdish N
• Assistant Examiner(s): POE, KEVIN T
• Application Number:
  US10/358,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20040153399A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,876 Days
• Field of Search: 705/39, 705/42, 705/44
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• 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: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0873 Details of the card reader

Abstract

Systems and methods for linking a merchant card with a merchant account. A financial institution that issues the merchant card to a merchant acts as both issuer and acquirer for the merchant. The merchant uses the merchant card to accept other financial cards as payment. Funds due the merchant are added to an available balance of the merchant card rather than depositing the funds in a settlement account. The funds can be added to the available balance before the transactions settle and can be accessed by the merchant. The financial institution also authorizes transactions when the merchant uses the merchant card as a regular cardholder to make payment. The merchant name can be changed on a per transaction basis if desired.

Claims

1. In a computer-implemented system that includes one or more modules for generating and managing a merchant account of a financial institution, wherein the merchant account is not required to be linked to a checking account, savings account, or settlement account of an owner of the merchant account, a method for enabling the merchant account to accept financial cards as payment, the method comprising:

using a financial module associated with the financial institution and executed by a computer,

linking, by the computer, the merchant card to the merchant account, wherein the merchant account is not required to be linked to a checking account, savings account or settlement account associated with an owner of the merchant account;

accepting, by the computer, a financial card of a particular cardholder in a transaction associated with the merchant account;

adding, by the computer, an amount authorized by an issuer of the financial card of the particular cardholder of the particular transaction to an available balance of the merchant account;

making the available balance of the merchant account immediately available for use as stored value on the merchant card linked to the merchant account without transferring funds to or from a checking account, savings account, or settlement account associated with the owner of the merchant account and without waiting until the transaction has settled with the issuer of the financial card of the particular cardholder; and

while the available balance of the merchant account is available to the merchant for use as stored value on the merchant card linked to the merchant account, settling, by the computer, the transaction with the issuer of the financial card of the particular cardholder.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein linking the merchant card to the merchant account comprises associating a merchant number of the merchant account uniquely with a merchant card number of the merchant card.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the financial institution acting as both an issuer and an acquirer.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein adding an amount authorized by an issuer of the financial card of the particular cardholder of the particular transaction to an available balance of the merchant account further comprises deducting settlement fees from the available balance.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising maintaining an acquiring BIN account that includes transactions where the merchant accepts other financial cards for payment, wherein the acquiring BIN account includes an amount owed to the merchant before settlement.

6. A method as defined in claim 5, further comprising adding the amount owed to the merchant to the available balance either before settlement of the transactions or after settlement of the transactions.

7. A method as defined in claim 5, further comprising maintaining an issuing BIN account that includes transactions where the merchant uses the merchant card to make payment to another merchant, wherein the issuing BIN account includes an amount owed by the merchant.

8. A method as defined in claim 7, further comprising deducting the amount owed by the merchant from the available balance of the merchant card.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the merchant account is used to receive payment from other cardholders, further comprising changing a merchant name on a per transaction basis.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

setting an amount limit on each transaction where the merchant card is used to accept payment from the financial institution;

setting a per day limit on transactions where the merchant card is used to accept payment from the financial institution; and

setting a limit on a withdrawal amount when the merchant accesses the available balance of the merchant card to make payment.

11. A computer program product having computer-executable instructions executable by a computing device to perform operations comprising:

linking a merchant card to a merchant account of a financial institution, wherein the merchant account is not required to be linked to a checking account, savings account, or settlement account associated with an owner of the merchant account;

accepting a financial card of a particular cardholder in a transaction associated with the merchant account;

adding an amount authorized by an issuer of the financial card of the particular cardholder of the particular transaction to an available balance of the merchant account;

making the available balance of the merchant account immediately available for use as stored value on the merchant card linked to the merchant account without transferring funds to or from a checking account, savings account, or settlement account associated with the owner of the merchant account and without waiting until the transaction has settled with the issuer of the financial card of the particular cardholder; and

while the available balance of the merchant account is available to the merchant for use as stored value on the merchant card linked to the merchant account, settling the transaction with the issuer of the financial card of the particular cardholder.