Account permanence

• US 8,190,523 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2011
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Patterson, Barbara
• Primary Examiner(s): Dixon, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fields, Benjamin S
• Application Number:
  US13/072,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20110238576A1
• Time in Patent Office: 431 Days
• Field of Search: 705/40, 705/38
• 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 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 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof

Abstract

A system and method for using derived account identifiers. The derived account identifiers are associated with a single permanent account identifier. Each derived account identifier is associated with a communication channel or portable consumer device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

creating, using a server computer, a plurality of derived account identifiers, wherein each derived account identifier is derived from a permanent account identifier associated with a consumer, wherein the plurality of derived account identifiers includes a first derived account identifier usable with a first payment mechanism, the first payment mechanism comprising a physical device, wherein the plurality of derived account identifiers further includes a second derived account identifier usable with a second payment mechanism, further wherein the first derived account identifier is not usable with the second payment mechanism and the second derived account identifier is not usable with the first payment mechanism;

providing the plurality of derived account identifiers to the consumer; and

providing a replacement derived account identifier if an account identifier in the plurality of derived account identifiers has expired or has been comprised, wherein if one of the derived account identifiers in the plurality of derived account identifiers is used fraudulently, any other derived account identifiers are not comprised.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of payment mechanisms comprises a communication channel using a portable consumer device, a communication channel using a POS terminal, and a communication channel using a computer connected to the Internet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the permanent account identifier is not directly used to conduct transactions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the permanent account identifier and the derived account identifiers are in the form of different account numbers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the permanent account identifier comprises a base account identifier, and each derived account identifier comprises manipulating the base account identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the derived account identifiers in the plurality of account identifiers are manipulated using different methods for each different payment mechanism.

7. A server computer comprising a processor and a computer readable medium comprising code executable by the processor to implement a method, the method comprising:

creating a plurality of derived account identifiers, wherein each derived account identifier is derived from a permanent account identifier associated with a consumer, wherein the plurality of derived account identifiers includes a first derived account identifier usable with a first payment mechanism, the first payment mechanism comprising a physical device, wherein the plurality of derived account identifiers further includes a second derived account identifier usable with a second payment mechanism, further wherein the first derived account identifier is not usable with the second payment mechanism and the second derived account identifier is not usable with the first payment mechanism;

providing the plurality of derived account identifiers to the consumer; and

providing a replacement derived account identifier if an account identifier in the plurality of derived account identifiers has expired or has been comprised, wherein if one of the derived account identifiers in the plurality of derived account identifiers is used fraudulently, any other derived account identifiers are not comprised.

8. A method comprising:

using a plurality of derived account identifiers, including a first derived account identifier usable with a first payment mechanism, in a plurality of payment mechanisms, in a first transaction, the first payment mechanism comprising a physical device;

using a second derived account identifier, in the plurality of derived account identifiers, usable with a second payment mechanism, in the plurality of payment mechanisms, in a second transaction, wherein the first derived account identifier is not usable with the second payment mechanism and the second derived account identifier is not usable with the first payment mechanism, and further wherein the first and second derived account identifiers are derived from a permanent account identifier associated with a consumer; and

using a replacement derived account identifier if an account identifier in the plurality of derived account identifiers has expired or has been comprised, wherein if one of the derived account identifiers in the plurality of derived account identifiers is used fraudulently, any other derived account identifiers are not comprised.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and second derived account identifiers include different account numbers.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and second transactions are purchase transactions.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of payment mechanisms comprises a communication channel using a portable consumer device, a communication channel using a POS terminal, and a communication channel using a computer connected to the Internet.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the permanent account identifier is not directly used to conduct transactions.

13. A method comprising:

receiving an authorization request message comprising a derived account identifier in a plurality of derived account identifiers, wherein the derived account identifier is usable with a payment mechanism, the payment mechanism comprising a physical device, further wherein the derived account identifier is associated with a permanent account identifier, wherein a replacement derived account identifier is used if an account identifier in the plurality of derived account identifiers has expired or has been comprised, and further wherein if one of the derived account identifiers in the plurality of derived account identifiers is used fraudulently, any other derived account identifiers are not comprised;

determining the permanent account identifier associated with the derived account identifier; and

forwarding the authorization request message to an issuer using the permanent account identifier.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the authorization request message is a first authorization request message and the derived account identifier is a first derived account identifier usable with a first payment mechanism, and the method further comprising:

receiving a second authorization request message comprising a second derived account identifier usable with a second payment mechanism, wherein the second derived account identifier is associated with the permanent account identifier, further wherein the first derived account identifier is not usable with the second payment mechanism and the second derived account identifier is not usable with the first payment mechanism; and

forwarding the second authorization request message to the issuer using the permanent account identifier associated with the first and the second derived account identifiers.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving an authorization response message from the issuer;

converting the permanent account identifier back to the derived account identifier; and

forwarding the authorization response message to a consumer associated with the permanent account identifier.

16. A server computer comprising a processor, and a computer readable medium comprising code executable by the processor to implement a method, the method comprising:

receiving an authorization request message comprising a derived account identifier in a plurality of derived account identifiers, wherein the derived account identifier is usable with a payment mechanism, the payment mechanism comprising a physical device, and wherein the derived account identifier is associated with a permanent account identifier, wherein a replacement derived account identifier is used if an account identifier in the plurality of derived account identifiers has expired or has been comprised, and further wherein if one of the derived account identifiers in the plurality of derived account identifiers is used fraudulently, any other derived account identifiers are not comprised;

determining the permanent account identifier associated with the derived account identifier; and

forwarding the authorization request message to an issuer using the permanent account identifier.