Systems and methods for establishing an allocation of an amount between transaction accounts

• US 7,962,408 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2008
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1999
• 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: Thomas, Tracey R., Sharma, Bansi L., Bishop, Fred A.
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, JAGDISH
• Application Number:
  US12/325,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20090076958A1
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 705/38, 705/39, 705/26.1
• 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 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• 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 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• 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 financial account issuer facilitating transactions between accounts is disclosed. The invention provides sellers with an irrevocable method of receiving funds from a purchaser and for improving purchaser willingness to transact with an unknown party. The invention also enables the allocation of a portion or all of a charge or loyalty points to different transaction accounts issued by different issuers, or to sub-accounts.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing, by a computer-based system for allocating an amount associated with a transaction, at least a portion of an allocation rule associated with a first identifier; and

sending, by the computer-based system and to a first financial account issuer server, the allocation rule and a request to debit the amount from a first financial account having the first identifier, wherein the first financial account issuer server issued the first financial account, and wherein the sending is via a communication link between the computer-based system and the first financial account issuer server;

wherein the first financial account issuer server debits a first portion of the amount from the first financial account based on the allocation rule, and allocates a second portion of the amount to a second financial account having a second identifier based on the allocation rule; and

wherein a second financial account issuer server issued the second financial account, wherein the second financial account issuer server is different from the first financial account issuer server, and wherein the second financial account issuer server debits the second portion of the amount from the second financial account.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing at least a portion of the allocation rule comprises at least one of entering the allocation rule into a webpage, submitting the allocation rule via email, submitting the allocation rule via facsimile, submitting the allocation rule via cellular telephone, submitting the allocation rule via personal digital assistant, submitting the allocation rule via customer service agent, confirming a suggested allocation rule, or non-response to an allocation rule request.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of requesting, by the computer-based system, approval of the allocation rule and receiving, by the computer-based system, approval of the allocation rule.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first account issuer server establishes another portion of the allocation rule.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the allocation rule is based upon at least one of:

the amount, consumer goals, demographic data, location information, loyalty point information, historical transactions, frequency of transactions, time period of the transaction, past behavior of consumer, past behavior of merchant, payment system, consumer transaction fees, late fees, interest rates, merchant transaction fees, exchange rates, account fees, vendor information, company guidelines, biometric information, authorization levels, consumer information, merchant information, issuer information, payment processor information, record of charge, summary of charges, consumer confirmation, employer confirmation, lack of confirmation, type of account or financial instrument.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first financial account or the second financial account includes at least one of:

a transaction account, an escrow account, a digital cash account, a demand deposit account, a credit line, checking account, savings account, a gift card account, a pre-paid account, a credit union account, a bank account, an investment account, a money market account, a corporate account, personal account, a loyalty account, gift card account, procurement account, fuel account, shared account, a third party billing account, a revolving credit card account or a charge card account.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the allocation rule is at least one of:

stored on a transaction device, stored on a personal digital assistant, acquired from an employer, acquired from a third party, generated at a point of sale, associated with the first financial account, stored in a merchant database, or stored in a payment processor database.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the allocation rule is at least one of:

a pre-defined rule, a dynamic rule, entered via a webpage, or entered via a personal digital assistant.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of:

the amount, the first portion or the second portion are included on a billing statement associated with at least one of the first financial account or the second financial account.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount comprises at least one of a monetary amount, a non-monetary amount, loyalty points, or monetary equivalent value.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first financial account and the second financial account are associated with the same consumer.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first financial account issuer server retains a third portion of the amount as a transaction fee.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first financial account issuer server is associated with at least one of a transaction account issuer, charge card issuer, credit card issuer, debit card issuer, gift card issuer, bank, lender, credit union, or a third party issuer under contract with the financial account issuer.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein a second authorization request is received by the second financial account issuer server from at least one of the first financial account issuer server or a merchant associated with the transaction.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein a second authorization approval is sent from the second financial account issuer server to at least one of the first financial account issuer server or a merchant associated with the transaction.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting, by the computer-based system, the type of at least one of the first financial account or the second financial account, to facilitate the transaction.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first identifier or the second identifier is at least one of a proxy number, a limited-use number and a single use number.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first identifier or the second identifier includes restrictions.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first identifier or the second identifier is selected from a pool of limited use account identifiers.

20. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory, tangible computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computer-based system allocating an amount associated with a transaction, cause the computer-based system to perform operations comprising:

establishing, by a computer-based system, at least a portion of an allocation rule associated with a first identifier; and

sending, by the computer-based system and to a first financial account issuer server, the allocation rule and a request to debit the amount from a first financial account having the first identifier, wherein the first financial account issuer server issued the first financial account, and wherein the sending is via a communication link between the computer-based system and the first financial account issuer server;

wherein the first financial account issuer server debits a first portion of the amount from the first financial account based on the allocation rule, and allocates a second portion of the amount to a second financial account having a second identifier based on the allocation rule; and

wherein a second financial account issuer server issued the second financial account, wherein the second financial account issuer server is different from the first financial account issuer server, and wherein the second financial account issuer server debits the second portion of the amount from the second financial account.