Transaction ID system and process

• US 8,145,567 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wells Fargo Bank NA (Wells Fargo & Company)
• Original Assignee: Wells Fargo Bank NA (Wells Fargo & Company)
• Inventors: Banaugh, Michelle, Knowlton, Timothy R., Wood, George L.
• Primary Examiner(s): KAZIMI, HANI M
• Application Number:
  US11/172,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20060010070A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,462 Days
• Field of Search: 705/39, 705/40
• US Class Current: 705/40
• 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 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

A system and process for creating, maintaining, and using transaction identifiers, i.e. a transaction DNA, is provided. The DNA, along with other transactional information, is sent through a set of intermediary entities as found in a standard transaction processing system. The DNA is based on information that may include source ID, merchant ID, and order ID. The order ID is a unique number that can be generated by the merchant. The DNA is maintained throughout the lifecycle of the transaction, including authorization requests, settlement requests, and exception item processing. The DNA allows the bank to provide precise transactional matching to the original transaction for the merchant, making reconciliation always possible, fast, and automatic, and ensuring information is presented in a manner that the merchant chooses.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for a merchant to track an original transaction throughout a lifecycle of the original transaction, the method comprising the steps of:

sending, by a global payment gateway server, an authorization response along with a merchant reference identifier and an order identifier to the merchant, a merchant authorization request including the merchant reference identifier and the order identifier, said original transaction associated with the merchant authorization request and the authorization response, the order identifier being a unique number received from the merchant, the merchant reference identifier being an identifier for said original transaction received from said merchant;

sending, by the global payment gateway server, a settlement acknowledgment along with the order identifier and a client settlement identifier to the merchant, a merchant settlement request including said order identifier and said client settlement identifier, said original transaction associated with the merchant settlement request and the settlement acknowledgment, the client settlement identifier being a unique identifier used by the global payment gateway server to avoid duplicate settlements; and

sending, by the global payment gateway server, an exception item request along with said order identifier, a transaction reference identifier, and said client settlement identifier to the merchant, said original transaction associated with said exception item request, the transaction reference identifier received from an acquirer of the original transaction.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

generating, by the global payment gateway server, a source identifier, the source identifier being a value assigned by the global payment gateway server to said merchant;

sending, by the global payment gateway server, the source identifier to the merchant, wherein said source identifier is unique to said merchant;

receiving, at the global payment gateway server, said merchant authorization request from said merchant, wherein said merchant authorization request comprises said source identifier, said order identifier, and said merchant reference identifier;

generating, by said global payment gateway server, an authorization reference identifier using said order identifier;

sending, by said global payment gateway server, said authorization reference identifier to said acquirer for processing;

receiving, by said global payment gateway server, said authorization response from the acquirer, wherein said authorization response comprises said authorization reference identifier; and

responsive to receiving said authorization response, using, by said global payment gateway server, said authorization reference identifier to retrieve said order identifier and said merchant reference identifier.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2 further comprising the step of:

determining that said order identifier was not received by said global payment gateway server; and

in response to determining that the order identifier was not received by the global payment gateway server, generating, by said global payment gateway server, the order identifier, the order identifier associated with said original transaction.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

receiving, at said global payment gateway server, said merchant settlement request from said merchant, said merchant settlement request comprising said source identifier, said order identifier, and said client settlement identifier;

generating, by said global payment gateway server, a cross reference identifier;

sending said merchant settlement request to said acquirer along with a settlement date and said cross reference identifier, the cross reference identifier embedded in said transaction reference identifier;

receiving, at said global payment gateway server, said settlement acknowledgment from said acquirer, said settlement acknowledgment responsive to said merchant settlement request; and

using, by said global payment gateway server, said cross reference identifier to retrieve said order identifier and said client settlement identifier.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

receiving, at the global payment gateway server, said exception item request from said acquirer prior to sending the exception item request to the merchant, said exception item request comprising said transaction reference identifier in which is embedded said cross reference identifier; and

responsive to receiving said exception item request, extracting, by said global payment gateway server, said cross reference identifier from the transaction reference identifier.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 4, further comprising the step of:

providing, by said global payment gateway server, a cross reference table to associate said transaction reference identifier, said cross reference identifier, said client settlement identifier, and said order identifier.

7. A global payment gateway server on a computer network for a merchant to track an original transaction throughout a lifecycle of the original transaction, the global payment gateway server comprising:

means for sending an authorization response for the original transaction to said merchant, the authorization response including a merchant reference identifier and an order identifier, a merchant authorization request including the merchant reference identifier and the order identifier, said original transaction associated with the merchant authorization request and the authorization response, said order identifier being a unique number, the merchant reference identifier being an identifier received from said merchant;

means for sending a settlement acknowledgment to said merchant, the settlement acknowledgment including the order identifier and a client settlement identifier, a merchant settlement request including said order identifier and said client settlement identifier, said original transaction associated with the merchant settlement request and the settlement acknowledgment, said client settlement identifier being a unique identifier used by the global payment gateway server to avoid duplicate settlements; and

means for sending an exception item request to said merchant, the exception item request including said order identifier, a transaction reference identifier, and said client settlement identifier, said original transaction associated with said exception item request, the transaction reference identifier received from an acquirer of the original transaction.

8. The global payment gateway server of claim 7, further comprising:

means for generating a source identifier, said source identifier being unique to said merchant, the source identifier being a value assigned by the global payment gateway server to said merchant;

means for sending said source identifier to said merchant;

means for receiving the merchant authorization request from said merchant, said merchant authorization request comprising said source identifier, said order identifier, and the merchant reference identifier;

means for generating an authorization reference identifier using said order identifier;

means for sending said authorization reference identifier to said acquirer;

means for receiving said authorization response from said acquirer, wherein said authorization response comprises said authorization reference identifier; and

means for using, responsive to receiving said authorization response, said authorization reference identifier to retrieve said order identifier and said merchant reference identifier.

9. The global payment gateway server of claim 7 further comprising:

means for generating the order identifier, said order identifier was not available and not sent to said global payment gateway server.

10. The global payment gateway server of claim 8, further comprising:

means for receiving said merchant settlement request, said merchant settlement request comprising said source identifier, said order identifier, and said client settlement identifier, said merchant settlement request received from said merchant, said client settlement identifier received from said merchant;

means for generating a cross reference identifier;

means for sending said merchant settlement request to said acquirer, said merchant settlement request further comprising a settlement date and said cross reference identifier, said merchant settlement request further comprising said transaction reference identifier, said transaction reference identifier including said cross reference identifier;

means for receiving said settlement acknowledgment from the acquirer, the settlement acknowledgment responsive to said merchant settlement request; and

means for using said cross reference identifier to retrieve said order identifier and said client settlement identifier.

11. The global payment gateway server of claim 10, further comprising:

means receiving the exception item request from said acquirer, said exception item request comprising said transaction reference identifier, said cross reference identifier being embedded in said transaction reference identifier; and

means for extracting, responsive to receiving said exception item request, said cross reference identifier.

12. The global payment gateway server of claim 10, further comprising:

a cross reference table to associate said transaction reference identifier, said cross reference identifier, said client settlement identifier, and said order identifier.