System for notifying a user when a limit is approaching

• US 7,870,027 B1
• Filed: 12/05/2006
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fintegraph, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Niaco Data Mgmt II LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Tannenbaum, Mary C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender; F. Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): ADE, OGER GARCIA
• Application Number:
  US11/567,032
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• Field of Search: 705/16, 705/18
• US Class Current: 705/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• 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 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A credit facility for controlling financial transactions is arranged with the ability of users to establish self-imposed limits on a category by category basis. The processing system provides messages and other information to the user, both on-demand and at the point of sale, based upon the category of the transaction and the limit set for that category. In one embodiment, both the user and, if desired, third parties, can obtain or be notified, of account balances on a category by category basis. Also, the main user can assign category limits, or prohibitions, on subusers of the same account. In one embodiment, information pertaining to a specific transaction is communicated to a third party.

Claims

1. A credit facilitation system comprising:

a processing system for processing transactions involving at least one user who is identified at least one point of sale;

a storage element configured to contain a profile that is keyed to said user, said profile specifying a transaction amount limit applicable to a cumulative amount of the transaction, said transaction amount limit being less than a total amount of credit available to said user for conducting the transactions, and

said processing system configured to send a message when the cumulative amount of the transactions approaches said transaction amount limit, said processing system being configured to send the message without request by said user for a particular transaction, and wherein said message is indicative that the cumulative amount of the transactions is approaching said transaction amount limit.

2. The credit facilitation system set forth in claim 1, wherein said processing system is configured to send said message to one or both of:

said user;

or

a party other than said user.

3. The credit facilitation system set forth in claim 1, wherein said storage element is configured to specify the transaction amount limit on a per-category basis.

4. The credit facilitation system set forth in claim 1, wherein said processing system is configured to enable the transaction amount limit to be changed.

5. The credit facilitation system set forth in claim 1, wherein said processing system is configured to enable the transaction amount limit to be changed by said user.

6. The credit facilitation system set forth in claim 5, wherein the storage element is configured to store a transaction amount limit that is preestablished on a monthly basis.

7. The credit facilitation system set forth in claim 1, wherein said processing system is configured to enable the transaction amount limit to be resettable on a periodic basis.

8. The credit facilitation system set forth in claim 7, wherein said processing system is configured to enable the transaction amount limit to be reset based on an accounting cycle.

9. The credit facilitation system set forth in claim 8, wherein said processing system is configured to enable the transaction amount limit to be changed based at least in part on said accounting cycle.

10. The credit facilitation system set forth in claim 8, wherein said processing system is configured to enable different transaction amount limits to apply to different accounting cycles.

11. The credit facilitation system set forth in claim 7, wherein said processing system is configured to enable the transaction amount limit to be selectively reset on an accounting cycle basis.

12. The credit facilitation system set forth in claim 1, wherein said processing system is configured to send the message over a network useable by said processing system for processing transactions pertaining to said user at said point of sale.

13. The credit facilitation system set forth in claim 1, wherein said processing system is configured to send the message over a network different from a network useable by said processing system for processing transactions from said user at said point of sale.

14. The credit facilitation system set forth in claim 1, wherein said processing system is configured to send said message for printing on a receipt to be printed for said user at said point of sale.

15. The credit facilitation system set forth in claim 1, wherein said processing system is configured to send said message for display to said user at said point of sale.

16. The credit facilitation system set forth in claim 1, wherein said processing system is further configured to inhibit certain transactions based upon said transaction amount limit.

17. The credit facilitation system set forth in claim 1, wherein said storage element is configured to contain a profile that specifies times during which the user is permitted to conduct the transactions.

18. The credit facilitation system set forth in claim 17, wherein said storage element is configured to contain a profile that is further keyed to additional users'"'"' identities, and wherein said specified times are associated with at least one of:

said user;

or

one or more of said additional users.

19. The credit facilitation system set forth in claim 1, wherein said storage element is configured to contain a profile that is further keyed to additional users'"'"' identities, and wherein said processing system is further configured to inhibit at least one transaction based upon a transaction category and user identity associated with the at least one transaction.

20. A system for processing financial transactions from a user identified at a point of sale, said system comprising:

a storage element configured to contain a profile that is keyed to said user'"'"'s identity, said profile containing a set of transaction categories, individual categories containing a respective limit amount that applies to a cumulative amount of one or more transactions that are associated with the individual categories; and

wherein said system is configured to send a message based upon transactions involving said user approaching a category'"'"'s limit amount, said system being further configured to send the message without a specific request from the user.

21. The system set forth in claim 20, wherein said system is configured to send said message to said user at said point of sale.

22. The system set forth in claim 20, wherein said system is configured to send the message in response to said user conducting a financial transaction in said category.

23. The system set forth in claim 20, wherein said system is configured to send said message to one or both of:

said user, or

a party other than said user.

24. The system set forth in claim 20, wherein said system is configured to send said message over a communication network useable by said system for processing transactions from said user.

25. The system set forth in claim 20, wherein said system is configured to send said message for printing on a receipt to be printed at said point of sale.

26. The system set forth in claim 20, wherein said system is configured to send said message for display at said point of sale.

27. The system set forth in claim 20, wherein said system is configured to send said message over a first network different from a second network useable by said system for processing transactions from said user.

28. The system set forth in claim 27, wherein said first network is associated with at least one of:

telecommunications, paging, e-mail, or the Internet.

29. The system set forth in claim 20, wherein at least a portion of said profile is user changeable.

30. The system set forth in claim 20, wherein at least a portion of said profile is accessible by said user.

31. A computer-implemented method comprising:

accessing, via a data storage device, a profile for a user associated with a transaction, wherein said profile is keyed to said user'"'"'s identity and contains a user-set limit amount; and

sending a message when a cumulative amount of one or more transactions involving said user approaches said user-set limit amount, wherein sending said message includes sending the message without request by said user and includes indicating that the cumulative amount of the one or more transactions is approaching said user-set limit amount.

32. The computer-implemented method set forth in claim 31, wherein sending a message includes sending the message to one or both of:

said user;

or

a party other than said user.

33. The computer-implemented method set forth in claim 31, further comprising enabling different respective user-set limit amounts to be specified for different categories of the transactions.

34. The computer-implemented method set forth in claim 31, further comprising enabling said user-set limit amount to be reset based on an accounting cycle.

35. The computer-implemented method set forth in claim 31, wherein sending a message includes sending said message over a network used by said processing system for processing said transaction.

36. The computer-implemented method set forth in claim 31, wherein sending a message includes sending said message over a first network different from a second network used by said processing system for processing said transaction.

37. The computer-implemented method set forth in claim 31, wherein sending a message includes sending said message for printing at a point of sale.

38. The computer-implemented method set forth in claim 31, wherein sending a message includes sending said message for display at a point of sale.

39. The computer-implemented method set forth in claim 31, further comprising inhibiting said transaction based at least in part on said user-set limit amount.

40. The computer-implemented method set forth in claim 31, wherein further comprising enabling said profile to specify one or more transaction times at which the user is permitted to engage in the transactions.

41. The computer-implemented method set forth in claim 40, further comprising inhibiting said transaction based at least in part on one or both of:

said user-set limit amount;

or

one or more of said permitted transaction times.

42. The computer-implemented method set forth in claim 40, further comprising keying said profile to additional users'"'"' identities.

43. The computer-implemented method set forth in claim 42, wherein individual permitted transaction times are associated with at least one of:

said user;

or

one or more of said additional users.

44. The computer-implemented method set forth in claim 42, further comprising inhibiting completion of said transaction based at least in part on one or both of:

said user-set limit amount;

one or more of said permitted transaction times;

said user'"'"'s identity;

or

a transaction category of said transaction.

45. The computer-implemented method set forth in claim 31, wherein accessing a profile includes accessing a profile for a user associated with a point of sale transaction.