Systems, methods and computer program products for performing mass transit merchant transactions

• US 8,117,129 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2008
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• 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: Oh, John J., Chuang, I-Hsin, Leggatt, Lesley, Saunders, Peter D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Merchant, Shahid
• Application Number:
  US12/273,738
• Publication Number:
  US 20090164375A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,182 Days
• Field of Search: 705/21, 705/44
• US Class Current: 705/44
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/352 Contactless payments by cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes
• 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 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/02 taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24; car rental systems per se G07B15/00

Abstract

Methods, systems and computer program products are provided for enabling access to mass transit systems using a financial transaction instrument including reading an identifier including financial payment information from the financial transaction instrument and determining whether the identifier is stored in a database. Access to a holder of the financial transaction instrument is provided based on the determining.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computer based fare collection system, for a first time, an alias account code, wherein the alias account code is associated with a mass transit registration account, wherein the alias account code is an alias for a transaction account code issued by a transaction account issuer, and wherein the alias account code is translated by the transaction account issuer based upon the transaction account code;

determining, by the computer based system, a first time, whether the alias account code is in a temporary database table of restricted alias account codes;

allowing, by the computer based system, access to a mass transit vehicle, in response to the alias account code not being in the temporary database table, prior to obtaining authorization of the alias account code;

obtaining, by the computer based system, the authorization of the alias account code;

updating, by the computer based system, the temporary database table by including the alias account code in the temporary database table in response to a ride limit being reached;

receiving, at the computer based system, for a second time, the alias account code;

determining, by the computer based system, for the second time whether the alias account code is in the temporary database table of restricted alias account codes;

denying, by the computer based system, access to the mass transit vehicle, in response to the alias account code being in the temporary database table;

obtaining, by the computer based system, a status of the alias account code;

adding, by the computer based system, the alias account code to a permanent database table in response to the alias account code not being active; and

removing, by the computer based system, the alias account code from the temporary database table in response to the alias account code being active.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining the authorization is based on authorization for at least one of a single ride pass or a multi-ride pass.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining the authorization is based on confirming that a single ride pass associated with the alias account code, was not previously used.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining the authorization is based on confirming that an amount of rides does not exceed a ride limit of a multi-ride pass associated with the alias account code.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining the authorization further comprises transmitting an authorization request for a transaction to the transaction account issuer and obtaining authorization from the transaction account issuer for the transaction.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining the authorization further comprises transmitting an authorization request for a transaction to the transaction account issuer and obtaining authorization from the transaction account issuer for the transaction, wherein the transaction account issuer translates the alias account code to a transaction account code and confirms that the transaction account code is authorized for the transaction.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding, by the computer based system, the alias account code to the temporary database table of restricted alias account codes, in response to the authorization being rejected.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding, by the computer based system, the alias account code to the temporary database table of restricted alias account codes, in response to a status request resulting in the alias account code being inactive.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing, by the computer based system, the alias account code from the temporary database table of restricted alias account codes, in response to a status request resulting in the alias account code being active.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling, by the computer based system, viewing of a ride history associated with the alias account code.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling, by the computer based system, viewing of a ride history associated with the alias account code, wherein the viewing is via a webpage.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling, by the computer based system, viewing of a ride history associated with the alias account code, in response to registration of the transaction account code associated with the alias account code.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting, by the computer based system, a status of the alias account code from the transaction account issuer.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the alias account code is within a limited range of numbers.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction account code is within a limited range of numbers.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the alias account code comprises receiving the alias account code from a radio frequency identification (RFID) device.

17. A tangible, non-transitory computer readable storage medium, having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, if executed by a computer based fare collection system, cause the computer based system to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the computer based system, for a first time, an alias account code, wherein the alias account code is associated with a mass transit registration account, wherein the alias account code is an alias for a transaction account code issued by a transaction account issuer, and wherein the alias account code is translated by the transaction account issuer based upon the transaction account code;

determining, by the computer based system, for the first time, whether the alias account code is in a temporary database table of restricted alias account codes;

allowing, by the computer based system, access to a mass transit vehicle, in response to the alias account code not being in the temporary database table, prior to obtaining authorization of the alias account code;

obtaining, by the computer based system, the authorization of the alias account code;

updating, by the computer based system, the temporary database table by including the alias account code in the temporary database table in response to a ride limit being reached;

receiving, at the computer based system, for a second time, the alias account code;

determining, by the computer based system, for the second time whether the alias account code is in the temporary database table of restricted alias account codes;

denying, by the computer based system, access to the mass transit vehicle, in response to the alias account code being in the temporary database table;

obtaining, by the computer based system, a status of the alias account code;

adding, by the computer based system, the alias account code to a permanent database table in response to the alias account code not being active; and

removing, by the computer based system, the alias account code from the temporary database table in response to the alias account code being active.

18. A computer based fare collection system, comprising:

a network interface communicating with a memory;

the memory communicating with a processor for a fare collection system; and

the processor, when executing a computer program, is configured to;

receive, by the processor, for a first time, an alias account code, wherein the alias account code is associated with a mass transit registration account, wherein the alias account code is an alias for a transaction account code issued by a transaction account issuer, and wherein the alias account code is translated by the transaction account issuer based upon the transaction account code;

determine, by the processor, for the first time, whether the alias account code is in a database table of restricted alias account codes;

allow, by the processor, access to a mass transit vehicle, in response to the alias account code not being in the database table, prior to obtaining authorization of the alias account code;

obtain, by the processor, the authorization of the alias account code;

update, by the processor, the database table by including the alias account code in the database table in response to a ride limit being reached;

receive, by the processor, for a second time, the alias account code;

determine, by the processor, for the second time whether the alias account code is in the database table of restricted alias account codes;

deny, by the processor, access to the mass transit vehicle, in response to the alias account code being in the database table;

obtain, by the processor, a status of the alias account code;

add, by the processor, the alias account code to a permanent database table in response to the alias account code not being active; and

remove, by the processor, the alias account code from the database table in response to the alias account code being active.