Machine, methods, and program product for electronic order entry

• US 8,108,977 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2009
• Issued: 02/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pathward National Association
• Original Assignee: MetaBank (Meta Financial Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Miller, Eric D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Desai, Resha
• Application Number:
  US12/609,896
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 26/82
• 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 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

Systems, methods, and program product for facilitating electronic ordering of goods, services, or goods and services, or other products, through messaging over a financial services electronic payment network, are provided. A customer provides electronic order registration activation information for an electronic order transaction card. The customer is provided an electronic order card having a unique electronic payment network compatible electronic order card identifier including a non-financial transaction IIN and a customer number, and is provided a catalogue or list including product order codes each associated with a different product, to enable electronic ordering over the financial services electronic payment network. An electronic order card configured to interface with a conventional point-of-sale terminal can be used to facilitate the electronic ordering over the existing financial services electronic payment network when presented to the point-of-sale terminal with a product order code identifying a selected product.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating the management and electronic ordering of goods and services over an existing electronic financial network, the system comprising:

a product identification medium including identification indicia for each of a plurality of products of a products provider presented in association with identification indicia for each of a plurality of product order codes to thereby allow a plurality of customers to identify a desired product;

a customer order transaction card for ordering one or more of the plurality of products of the products provider, the transaction card having a storage medium for storing an electronic payment network compatible transaction card identifier unique to a specific customer of the plurality of customers, the identifier comprising an issuer identifier number and a specific customer account number of a plurality of customer account numbers associated with the product provider;

a point of sale terminal configured to interface with a plurality of cards, including the transaction card and to receive one or more of the plurality of product order codes and the identifier of the customer order transaction card and transmit the one or more of the plurality of product order codes and the identifier via an existing financial services electronic payment network to an issuer of the customer order transaction card responsive to the existing financial services electronic payment network identifying the issuer of the customer order transaction card; and

a computer to facilitate electronic ordering and management of products over the existing financial services electronic payment network defining a member interface protocol computer, the member interface protocol computer comprising;

non-transitory memory encoded with computer program operable on the member interface protocol computer, the computer program comprising the instructions of;

receiving by the member interface protocol computer from the issuer of the customer order transaction card a product order message sent through the existing financial services electronic payment network, the product order message including one or more of the plurality of product order codes and the identifier of the customer order transaction card and being responsive to the point of sale terminal receiving the one or more of the plurality of product orders and interfacing with the customer order transaction card to thereby receive the identifier of the customer order transaction card;

determining, by the member interface protocol computer, whether the purchase order message satisfies rule-based criteria;

creating, by the member interface protocol computer, an error notification to send via the existing financial services electronic payment network when the purchase order message does not satisfy the rule-based criteria;

matching, by the member interface protocol computer, each of the one or more of the plurality of product order codes in the purchase order message with one or more of the plurality of corresponding products of the product provider when the purchase order message satisfies the rule-based criteria to thereby create a valid product order; and

creating, by the member interface protocol computer, an order notification for the product provider indicating the one or more of the plurality of corresponding products ordered using the existing financial services electronic financial payment network and the associated one or more of the plurality of customers.

2. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the order notification includes shipping requirements for the product order, and the computer program further comprising the instruction of:

communicating an order status to the one or more of the plurality of customers via a communication network different from the existing financial services electronic payment network.

3. A system as defined in claim 1, the computer program further comprising the instruction of:

communicating an electronic payment network response code via the existing financial services electronic payment network to thereby communicate an order status to the one or more of the plurality of customers.

4. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the one or more of the plurality of product order codes are entered as a payment amount when payment is not required.

5. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the point of sale terminal includes a scanner or keyboard to enter the one or more of the plurality of product order codes, and wherein the transaction card is associated with a customer profile.

6. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the customer account number is associated with a monetary account so that the system can facilitate financial settlement of the valid product order in addition to the ordering of the one or more products.

7. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of customer accounts are non-financial and financial settlement for the valid product order is not required.

8. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the rule-based criteria includes one or more of the following:

acknowledgement of sufficient payment for the one or more of the plurality of products, valid transaction card identifier, allowable quantity of the one or more of the plurality of products, and valid electronic card security code associated with the customer transaction card.

9. A computer-implemented method for facilitating the management and electronic ordering of goods and services over an electronic financial network, the method comprising the steps of:

associating, in a first computer process, each of a plurality of products of a products provider with a plurality of product order codes;

associating, in a second computer process, each of a plurality of customers with a customer account number;

associating, in a third computer process, each of the plurality of customers with a customer order transaction card, each of the transaction cards having an electronic payment network compatible transaction card identifier unique to a specific customer of the plurality of customers, the identifier comprising an issuer identifier number;

configuring an electronic payment network interface to receive one or more of the plurality of product order codes and one or more of the plurality of transaction card identifiers, the electronic payment network interface further being configured to transmit one or more of received plurality of product order codes and the one or more of the plurality of transaction card identifiers via an existing financial services electronic payment network to one or more of the plurality of issuer of the plurality of customer order transaction cards responsive to the existing financial services electronic payment network identifying the one or more of the plurality of issuers of the plurality of customer order transaction cards;

determining, in a fourth computer process, whether a purchase order message satisfies rule-based criteria responsive to receiving from the one of the plurality of issuers of the customer order transaction cards a product order message sent through the existing financial services electronic payment network from the electronic payment network interface, the product order message being responsive to the electronic payment network interface receiving one or more of the transaction card identifiers and one or more of the plurality of product order codes to identify one or more products desired by one or more of the plurality of customers; and

matching, in a fifth computer process, each of the one or more of the plurality of product order codes in the purchase order message with one or more of the plurality of corresponding products of the product provider when the purchase order message satisfies the rule-based criteria to thereby create a valid product order.

10. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 9, wherein the electronic payment network interface comprises at least one of the following:

a telephone, a wireless personal digital assistant, or a point of sale terminal.

11. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 9, wherein the existing financial services electronic payment network is controlled by one or more credit card companies.

12. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 9, wherein the method further includes:

creating, in a sixth computer process, an order notification for the product provider indicating the one or more of the plurality of products ordered using the existing financial services electronic financial payment network, the one or more of the plurality of customers associated with the product order, and shipping requirements for the product order.

13. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 9, wherein the method further includes:

communicating an order status to the one or more of the plurality of customers via a communication network different from the existing financial services electronic payment network.

14. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 9, wherein the method further includes:

communicating an electronic payment network response code via the existing financial services electronic payment network to thereby communicate an order status to the one or more of the plurality of customers.

15. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 9, wherein the one or more of the plurality of product order codes are entered as a payment amount when payment is not required.

16. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 9, wherein one or more of the plurality of customer account numbers are each associated with a monetary account to thereby enable financial settlement of the valid product order in addition to the ordering of the one or more products.

17. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 9, wherein the plurality of customer accounts are non-financial and financial settlement for the valid product order is not required.

18. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 9, wherein the rule-based criteria includes one or more of the following:

acknowledgement of sufficient payment for the one or more of the plurality of products, valid transaction card identifier, allowable quantity of the one or more of the plurality of products, and valid electronic card security code associated with the customer transaction card.

19. A system for facilitating the management and ordering of goods and services over an existing electronic financial network, the system comprising:

a customer order transaction card for ordering one or more of a plurality of products of a products provider, the transaction card having a storage medium for storing an electronic payment network compatible transaction card identifier unique to a specific customer of the plurality of customers, the identifier comprising an issuer identifier number and a specific customer account number of a plurality of customer account numbers associated with the product provider;

an electronic payment network interface configured to receive one or more of a plurality of product order codes and one or more of the plurality of identifiers of the customer order transaction card and transmit the one or more of the plurality of product order codes and the plurality of identifiers via an existing financial services electronic payment network to an issuer of the customer order transaction card responsive to the existing financial services electronic payment network identifying the issuer of the customer order transaction card; and

a computer to facilitate electronic ordering of products over the existing financial services electronic payment network defining a member interface protocol computer, the member interface protocol computer comprising;

non-transitory memory encoded with computer program operable on the member interface protocol computer, the computer program comprising the instructions of;

receiving by the member interface protocol computer from the issuer of the customer order transaction card a product order message sent through the existing financial services electronic payment network, the product order message including one or more of the plurality of product order codes and one or more of the identifiers of customer order transaction cards;

determining, by the member interface protocol computer, whether the purchase order message satisfies rule-based criteria;

creating, by the member interface protocol computer, an error notification to send via the existing financial services electronic payment network when the purchase order message does not satisfy the rule-based criteria; and

matching, by the member interface protocol computer, each of the one or more of the plurality of product order codes in the purchase order message with one or more of the plurality of corresponding products of the product provider when the purchase order message satisfies the rule-based criteria to thereby create a valid product order.

20. A system as defined in claim 19, wherein the rule-based criteria includes one or more of the following:

acknowledgement of sufficient payment for the one or more of the plurality of products, valid transaction card identifier, allowable quantity of the one or more of the plurality of products, and valid electronic card security code associated with the customer transaction card.