Real time account update

• US 7,966,257 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2008
• Issued: 06/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: DiGioacchino, Laura
• Primary Examiner(s): Merchant; Shahid R
• Assistant Examiner(s): GREGG, MARY M
• Application Number:
  US12/267,117
• Publication Number:
  US 20090063346A1
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: 705/40, 705/44
• US Class Current: 705/44
• 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 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• 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 20/407 Cancellation of a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof

Abstract

A method is used in a system that includes a financial service provider coordinating accounts issued by an issuer to cardholders requesting credit from merchants. The method can be performed by a merchant sending a transmission to its acquirer including a request for a transaction against one account to which the merchant receives a denial or prior to receiving such a denial. The merchant then requests information from the financial service provider who responds by sending the requested information, upon which the merchant determines whether to extend the credit. When the method is performed by a financial service provider, in response to the denial received by one merchant or prior to such denial, the financial service provider receives a transmission from the merchant including a request for information about the account. In response, the financial service provider sends the merchant the requested information.

Claims

1. In a system with a transaction handler coordinating accounts issued by issuers to corresponding respective account holders each making a requests for an authorization of a transaction on a corresponding said account to a corresponding merchant, the corresponding merchant having an acquirer with whom the transaction handler also coordinates the corresponding said accounts, a computer implemented method comprising:

electronically forming, at a merchant processor, a first transmission destined for the acquirer of the one said merchant including a request for an authorization of a transaction against one said account for a corresponding said account holder;

electronically receiving, at the merchant processor, a second transmission from the acquirer of the one said merchant including a denial of the request for the authorization of the transaction for the one said account in response to the request for the authorization of the transaction for the one said account;

in response to the received denial, electronically forming a third transmission, at the merchant processor, destined for the transaction handler and including a request of the merchant for information about the one said account;

electronically receiving, at the merchant processor, a fourth transmission from the transaction handler including the requested information about the one said account; and

as an automatic response to the electronically receiving the requested information and without querying the corresponding said account holder, electronically comparing, at the merchant processor, the received requested information with a predetermined criterion to determine whether to complete the transaction against the one said account of the corresponding said account holder.

2. The computer implemented method as defined in claim 1, further comprising electronically providing, at the merchant processor, an interactive user interface to contain data corresponding to:

the request for information about the one said account for which the denial was received; and

the requested information about the one said account for which the denial was received.

3. The computer implemented method as defined in claim 1, wherein the electronically forming the first transmission, the electronically receiving the second transmission, the electronically forming the third transmission, the electronically receiving the fourth transmission, and the electronically querying the received request occur sequentially, each in real-time.

4. The computer implemented method as defined in claim 3, wherein the electronically forming the first transmission and the electronically receiving the second transmission occur using, at the merchant processor, a browser application for a network of servers.

5. The computer implemented method as defined in claim 1, further comprising, after the receiving of the fourth transmission, electronically storing, in a database of the merchant processor, the requested information in association with data about the one said account.

6. The computer implemented method as defined in claim 1, further comprising, after the transaction against the one said account is complete, electronically forming, at the merchant processor, a fifth transmission destined for the acquirer of the one said merchant including a request to clear and settle the transaction against the one said account.

7. The computer implemented method as defined in claim 1, wherein the received requested information includes data that is selected from the group consisting of:

an address information change;

an expiration date information change;

a name information change for the account holder of the one said account; and

an account number information change of the one said account.

8. The computer implemented method as defined in claim 1, further comprising, prior to said forming of the first transmission, electronically reading, using the merchant processor, an account identifier from a card of the one said account, wherein:

the first transmission further includes the account identifier read at the card reader; and

the transaction against the one said account is an extemporaneous card present transaction.

9. The computer implemented method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

prior to said electronically forming of the first transmission, electronically receiving, at the merchant processor from the transaction handler, a fifth transmission including data about the one said account; and

electronically storing, within a database of the merchant processor, the received data from the transaction handler, wherein;

the data about the one said account becomes outdated at the time of the electronically forming of the first transmission; and

the first transmission includes at least a portion of the outdated data about the one said account.

10. The computer implemented method as defined in claim 1, wherein electronically forming the third transmission is an automated response to the said received reply.

11. In a system that includes a transaction handler processing a plurality of authorization requests for corresponding transactions each characterized by a merchant and an account holder engaging in the transaction upon an account that an issuer has issued to the account holder and the transaction handler receives updated account information from the issuers about the account, a computer implemented method comprising:

electronically receiving, in batch mode at a merchant processor from the transaction handler, a first transmission including data about a plurality of said accounts;

electronically storing, within a database of the merchant processor, the received data from the transaction handler;

electronically forming in real time, at the merchant processor, a second transmission including an authorization request requesting a corresponding said issuer of a one said account to authorize one said transaction between the one said merchant and a corresponding said account holder of the one said account, wherein the authorization includes at least some of the data about the one said account received in the first transmission;

electronically receiving in real time, at the merchant processor from the acquirer, a reply to the authorization request including a denial of the corresponding said issuer to authorize the one said transaction;

as an automatic response to said received reply, electronically forming, at the merchant processor, a third transmission destined for the transaction handler and including a request for the updated information about the one said account;

electronically receiving, at the merchant processor, a fourth transmission from the transaction handler including the requested updated information about the one said account;

as an automatic response to the electronically receiving the requested updated information and without querying the corresponding said account holder, electronically comparing, at the merchant processor, the received updated information against a predetermined criterion to find a match; and

when a match is found, electronically completing, at the merchant processor, the transaction against the one said account of the corresponding said account holder.

12. The computer implemented method as defined in claim 11, wherein:

each said account holder comprises a cardholder;

the transaction handler comprises a financial service provider; and

each said request for authorization upon each said account for each said transaction of a corresponding said account holder comprises a request to extend credit upon the account of the corresponding said cardholder.

13. The computer implemented method as defined in claim 11, further comprising electronically providing, at the merchant processor, an interactive user interface to contain data corresponding to:

the request for the updated information about the one said account for which the denial was received; and

the updated information about the one said account for which the denial was received.

14. The computer implemented method as defined in claim 11, wherein the electronically forming the third transmission and the electronically receiving the fourth transmission occur using a browser application for a network of servers.

15. The computer implemented method as defined in claim 11, further comprising, after the transaction against the one said account is complete, electronically forming, at the merchant processor, a fifth transmission destined for the acquirer of the one said merchant including a request to clear and settle the transaction against the one said account.

16. The computer implemented method as defined in claim 11, wherein the updated information is selected from the group consisting of:

an address information change;

an expiration date information change;

a name information change for the account holder of the one said account; and

an account number information change of the one said account.

17. A merchant server including a processor communicatively connected to a transaction handler and a computer readable medium storing computer readable code that, when executed in real time by the processor, causes the merchant server to perform a method comprising:

electronically forming a first transmission requesting an authorization of a transaction between a merchant and an account holder against an account of the account holder, wherein the first transmission;

is destined for the issuer of the account; and

includes outdated account information about the account;

electronically receiving a second transmission, responsive to the request for authorization, including a denial of the issuer to authorize the transaction upon the account;

in response to the received denial, electronically forming a third transmission destined for a transaction handler corresponding to the account and including a request for updated information about the account;

electronically receiving a fourth transmission from the transaction handler including the updated information about the account;

as an automatic response to the electronically receiving the requested information and without querying the corresponding said account holder, electronically comparing the received updated information with a predetermined criterion to find a match; and

when a match is found, electronically completing the transaction against the account of the corresponding said account holder.

18. The merchant server as defined in claim 17, wherein:

the merchant server further includes a card reader;

the computer readable medium further stores computer readable code that, when executed in real time by the processor, causes the merchant server to perform the method further comprising, prior to said forming of the first transmission, electronically reading, at the card reader, the outdated account information from a card of the account; and

the first transmission further includes the account identifier read at the card reader.

19. The merchant server as defined in claim 17, wherein

the merchant server further includes a database;

the computer readable medium further stores computer readable code that, when executed in real time by the processor, causes the merchant server to perform the method further comprising;

prior to said real time electronically forming of the first transmission, electronically receiving, from the transaction handler, a fifth transmission including data about the account; and

electronically storing within the database the received data from the transaction handler;

and

the data about the account becomes the outdated account information at a time when the first transmission is electronically formed.

20. The merchant server as defined in claim 17, wherein:

the computer readable medium further stores computer readable code that, when executed in real time by the processor, causes the merchant server to perform the method further comprising, after said match is found, electronically forming a fifth transmission including a request to clear and settle the transaction against the account; and

the fifth transmission is destined for an acquirer of the merchant.