Parental controls

• US 8,127,982 B1
• Filed: 01/09/2009
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Casey, Brandon J, Wipfler, Gary, Cressall, Erik
• Primary Examiner(s): Hess, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Savusdiphol, Paultep
• Application Number:
  US12/351,724
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/380, 235/382.5
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/2295 Parent-child type, e.g. where parent has control on child rights
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

Various techniques are provided for establishing financial transaction rules to control one or more subsidiary financial accounts. In one embodiment, a financial account management application stored on a processor-based device may provide an interface for defining financial transaction rules to be applied to a subsidiary account. The financial transaction rules may be based upon transaction amounts, aggregate spending amounts over a period, merchant categories, specific merchants, geographic locations, or the like. The device may update the financial transaction rules associated with a subsidiary account by communicating the rules to an appropriate financial server. Accordingly, transactions made using the subsidiary account by a subsidiary account holder may be evaluated against the defined rules, wherein an appropriate control action is carried out if a financial transaction rule is violated.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

defining one or more rules using a handheld electronic device, wherein the one or more rules establish restrictions on transactions made using a financial account associated with an account holder other than the user of the handheld electronic device; and

applying the one or more rules to the financial account;

defining one or more authorization response times using the handheld electronic device, wherein the one or more authorization response times define respective periods of time in which the handheld electronic device may send a response to a transaction authorization request;

wherein the transaction is either automatically approved or automatically declined if no response is sent from the handheld electronic device within a period of time corresponding to one of the one or more authorization response times, wherein the one or more authorization response times includes a first authorization response time and a second authorization response time, wherein the handheld electronic device is allotted the first authorization response time for responding to the transaction authorization request if the transaction is an in-person transaction and the second authorization response time for responding to the transaction authorization request if the transaction is an online transaction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the handheld electronic device is operated by an account holder of a primary account with which the financial account is linked.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the one or more rules to the account comprises communicating the one or more rules to an external server controlled by a financial entity associated with the financial account, wherein the financial entity updates user preference settings associated with the financial account based upon the communicated rules.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein communicating the one or more rules to an external server comprises first communicating the one or more rules to a proxy server controlled by an third party entity other than the financial entity, wherein the proxy server is configured to provide at least one of security measures, manageability measures, and auditing measures, or any combination thereof, and wherein the proxy server is configured to communicate the one or more rules to the external server controlled by the financial entity associated with the financial account.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the proxy server is configured to provide a programming interface that is compatible with a programming interface on the handheld electronic device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the restrictions established by the one or more rules are based upon a single transaction amount, an aggregate transaction amount over a period of time, a merchant category, a specific merchant, or a geographic region, or any combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more defined rules is associated with a corresponding control action, wherein the control action is applied in response to a transaction initiated using the financial account, and wherein the control action comprises at least one of sending a notification to the handheld electronic device, sending a transaction authorization request to the handheld electronic device, or declining the transaction.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first authorization response time is less than the second authorization response time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein if the handheld electronic device authorizes the online transaction within the second authorization response time, the handheld electronic device is configured to, within a defined period of time following the authorization of the online transaction, transmit an instruction to decline the transaction to at least one of an issuing bank, a card association, a merchant, or a merchant bank, or any combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the defined period of time is established by one of the user of the handheld electronic device, the issuing bank, the card association, the merchant, or the merchant bank, or any combination thereof.

11. A device, comprising:

one or more input structures;

a storage structure encoding routines for a financial account management application, wherein the encoded routines comprise;

a routine for receiving a first set of one or more inputs via the input structures, wherein the first set of received inputs define one or more rules for establishing restrictions on transactions initiated by a subsidiary financial account associated with an account holder other than a user of the device; and

a routine for storing the one or more defined rules;

a routine for receiving a second set of one or more inputs via the input structures, wherein the second set of received inputs define a first authorization response time and a second authorization response time for authorization of transactions, wherein the device is allotted the first authorization response time for responding to an in-person transaction authorization request and allotted the second authorization response time for responding to an online transaction authorization request; and

a processor configured to execute the encoded routines.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the encoded routines further comprise a routine for transmitting the one or more rules to an external server controlled by a financial entity associated with the subsidiary financial account, wherein the financial entity updates user preference settings associated with the subsidiary financial account based upon the transmitted rules.

13. The device of claim 12, comprising a network device configured to establish a network connection with the external server for transmitting the one or more rules.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the network device is configured to provide for a local area network (LAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), or a wide area network (WAN), or any combination thereof in transmitting the one or more rules to the external server.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the routine for transmitting the one or more rules is executed by the processor in response to a request from the user of the device to update the user preference settings associated with the subsidiary account.

16. The device of claim 11, comprising a display, wherein the routine for receiving the one or more inputs defining the one or more rules defines a graphical user interface, and wherein the execution of the routine for receiving the one or more inputs by the processor causes the graphical user interface to be displayed on the display.

17. The device of claim 11, wherein the first authorization response time is less than the second authorization response time.

18. The device of claim 11, wherein the encoded routines comprise a routine for receiving a third set of inputs via the input structures, wherein, if the device authorizes an online transaction within the second response authorization time, the third set of inputs overrides the authorization of the online transaction and declines the online transaction if the third set of inputs is received within a defined period of time following the authorization of the online transaction.

19. A method, comprising:

defining a multiple-tier transaction rule having a plurality of transaction limits using a handheld electronic device;

associating each of a plurality of control actions with a respective one of the plurality of limits, wherein defining the multiple-tier transaction rule and associating each of the plurality of control actions with a respective one of the plurality of transaction limits comprises defining a first transaction limit and associating the first transaction limit with a first control action, defining a second transaction limit and associating the second transaction limit with a second control action, defining a third transaction limit and associating the third transaction limit with a third control action, and defining a fourth transaction limit and associating the fourth transaction limit with a fourth control action, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth transaction limits are different from one another; and

applying the multiple-tier transaction rule to a subsidiary financial account associated with an account holder other than the user of the handheld electronic device;

wherein the first control action comprises receiving a notification message on the handheld electronic device if the first transaction limit of the multiple-tier transaction rule is violated by a transaction initiated using the subsidiary account;

wherein the second control action comprises receiving a first type of authorization request message on the handheld electronic device for authorization of the transaction initiated using the subsidiary account if the second transaction limit of the multiple-tier transaction rule is violated by the transaction, wherein the transaction is approved if the handheld electronic device does not respond to the first type of authorization request message within a defined period of time, wherein the defined period of time for responding to either the first or second type of authorization request message is selected from a first period of time and a second period of time, wherein the first period of time is selected if the transaction is an in-person transaction, and wherein the second period of time is selected if the transaction is an online transaction;

wherein the third control action comprises receiving an second type of authorization request message on the handheld electronic device for authorization of the transaction initiated using the subsidiary account if the third transaction limit of the multiple-tier transaction rule is violated by the transaction, wherein the transaction is declined if the handheld device does not respond to the second type of authorization request message within the defined period of time; and

wherein the fourth control action comprises declining the transaction initiated using the subsidiary account without an authorization request message being received by the handheld electronic device if the fourth transaction limit of the multiple-tier transaction rule is violated by the transaction.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein applying the multiple-tier transaction rule to the subsidiary account comprises communicating the multiple-tier transaction rule to an external server controlled by a financial entity associated with the subsidiary financial account, wherein the financial entity updates user preference settings associated with the subsidiary financial account based upon the communicated rules.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the financial entity comprises one of an issuing bank, a credit card association, or a merchant loyalty account entity.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth transaction limits are defined as either individual transaction amounts or aggregate transaction amounts over a period of time.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the second transaction limit is greater than the first transaction limit, wherein the third transaction limit is greater than the second transaction limit, and wherein the fourth transaction limit is greater than the third transaction limit.