Real-time balance on a mobile phone

• US 8,170,527 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2007
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Granucci, Nicole Janine, Vriheas, Carrie Elaine, Hammad, Ayman A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin, Jean
• Application Number:
  US11/904,409
• Publication Number:
  US 20090081990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,679 Days
• Field of Search: 455405-407, 455/410, 455/411, 705/30, 705/37, 705/40, 705/5, 705/7, 705/39
• US Class Current: 455/406
• 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 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3221 Access to banking information through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1421 Indication of expected costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1467 involving prepayment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A system, method and prepaid payment mobile phone configured to display a current prepaid balance. The prepaid payment mobile phone receives a debit balance request from input on the mobile phone. After retrieving an encoded current balance, the mobile phone displays the amount. The current balance may be calculated by the phone after a transaction, or the phone may receive a debit balance via a short message service notification.

Claims

1. A prepaid payment mobile phone comprising:

a processor;

a non-volatile programmable memory coupled to the processor and configured to store a current balance associated with a primary account number;

an input device coupled to the processor and configured to receive a request for the current balance of the prepaid payment mobile phone;

a display coupled to the processor and configured to show the current balance;

a radio frequency (RF) transceiver coupled to the processor and configured to transmit transaction data associated with a transaction comprising the primary account number to a point of sale device, wherein the primary account number is stored on the non-volatile programmable memory; and

a cellular transceiver coupled to the processor and configured to receive information regarding the current balance after the transaction, wherein the information regarding the current balance is received via a Short Message Service (SMS) message and the current balance is encoded onto the non-volatile programmable memory using the processor.

2. The prepaid payment mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the SMS message is received from an issuer or a payment processor.

3. The prepaid payment mobile phone of claim 2,

wherein the SMS message comprises a transaction amount representing an amount of a last transaction completed using the prepaid payment mobile phone;

wherein the last transaction amount is subtracted from a previous balance using the processor; and

wherein the result of the subtraction comprises the current balance.

4. The prepaid payment mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the transaction is a reload transaction initiated at the point of sale device and the prepaid payment mobile phone is loaded with additional funds.

5. The prepaid payment mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the display is further configured to prompt for input of a personal identification number (PIN).

6. The prepaid payment mobile phone of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the PIN is valid and display the current balance if the PIN is determined to be valid.

7. The prepaid payment mobile phone of claim 6, wherein the PIN is stored in the non-volatile programmable memory on the prepaid payment mobile phone.

8. The prepaid payment mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the current balance is a debit balance of the prepaid payment mobile phone, indicating an amount of currency remaining on the prepaid payment mobile phone.

9. The prepaid payment mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the SMS message is sent in response to initiating a transaction at the point of sale device.

10. The prepaid payment mobile phone of claim 9, wherein the SMS message is received from an issuer or a payment processor.

11. A method of encoding a current balance on a prepaid payment mobile phone comprising:

storing a primary account number on a non-volatile programmable memory;

transmitting, with a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, transaction data associated with a transaction to a point of sale device, the transaction data comprising the primary account number;

receiving, with a cellular transceiver, information regarding a current balance of an account associated with the primary account number, wherein the receiving of information regarding the current balance comprises receiving a Short Message Service (SMS) message;

encoding, with a processor, the current balance in the non-volatile programmable memory on the prepaid payment mobile phone.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the receiving of information regarding the current balance comprises receiving the SMS message comprising the current balance as calculated by an issuer, an acquirer, a merchant, or a payment network.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the SMS message is saved to the prepaid payment mobile phone as a SMS notification or as data for a payment program.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the SMS message comprises a transaction amount and the current balance is determined, using the processor, by subtracting the transaction amount from a previous balance.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the SMS message is received from an issuer or a payment processor.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the SMS message is sent in response to initiating a payment transaction or a reload transaction request at the point of sale device.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying a current balance of the prepaid payment mobile phone, wherein in response to receipt of a balance request from an input device on the prepaid payment mobile phone, the current balance is retrieved from the non-volatile memory within the prepaid payment mobile phone and the current balance is displayed on a screen.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising prompting for input of a personal identification number (PIN), determining whether the PIN is valid, and displaying the current balance of the prepaid payment mobile phone if the PIN is determined to be valid.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein, when a customer uses the prepaid payment mobile phone in a transaction at a merchant, the merchant sends a message to a payment processing network to determine whether there are sufficient funds on the prepaid payment mobile phone to pay for the transaction or a portion of the transaction.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein, the balance is calculated after the SMS is received from the issuer, the acquirer, the merchant, or the payment network, using the information regarding the current balance.

21. The method of claim 11, wherein the payment processing network analyzes whether there are sufficient funds on the prepaid payment mobile phone to pay for the transaction or a portion of the transaction after determining whether the primary account number is valid by using a hot list storage database containing valid and invalid primary account numbers.