System and method for providing a gift card which affords benefits beyond what is purchased

• US 8,267,313 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2006
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2006
• 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: Harper, Taryn C., Scovel, Scott, Gordon, Lisa, Stickley, Patricia W., Alejandro, Miriam
• Primary Examiner(s): Hess, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): KELLY, RAFFERTY D
• Application Number:
  US11/555,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20080099551A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,149 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380, 705/35
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3433 the counter having monetary units
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered

Abstract

A system, computer product and method are provided for a card issuer providing a prepaid gift card to a purchaser, the gift card usable by a recipient of the card to pay merchants who participate in a financial network. The method includes receiving a payment of a predetermined amount, and loading the predetermined amount received from the purchaser into the prepaid gift card. The method further includes activating the loaded prepaid gift card, the activated prepaid gift card being usable by the recipient for paying any of the merchants in the financial network until the predetermined amount loaded in the prepaid gift card is exhausted, and being usable by the recipient to obtain a benefit beyond what is purchased from at least some of the merchants in the financial network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

issuing, by a computer based system for maintaining a financial network, a stored value transaction account, wherein new stored value transaction account offers are provided via a website, wherein the stored value transaction account is associated with a theme of a plurality of themes, wherein a particular stored value transaction account is selected by a purchaser based in part on a particular offer;

receiving, by the computer based system, purchase transaction data including data representing the merchant, wherein the purchase transaction data is a result of using the stored value transaction account in a transaction with the merchant, wherein the stored value transaction account is usable in transactions with any merchant in the financial network;

determining, by the computer based system, that the merchant is part of the subset of the merchants within the financial network;

obtaining, by the computer based system and in response to the determination that the merchant is part of the subset of the merchants, benefit data associated with the merchant, wherein at least one of the merchant or the subset of merchants within the financial network provide a benefit, wherein benefit data represents the benefit that is beyond what is purchased by the stored value transaction account, wherein the benefit data associated with use of the stored value transaction account is provided via the website, wherein the merchant is part of a subset of merchants associated with the theme, and wherein the merchant provides benefit data to the website; and

associating, by the computer based system, the benefit with the stored value transaction account.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored value transaction account includes a transaction instrument associated with the stored value transaction account including a surface displaying an indication of the associated theme, and wherein the benefit data is related to the theme.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the theme is at least one of a wedding, movies, dining out, kids, teens, or birthdays.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the computer based system, discount data or promotion code data for use in connection with the benefit data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the issuing further comprises:

associating, by the computer based system, an identifier with the stored value transaction account to obtain the benefit.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating, by the computer based system, a value with the stored value transaction account, the value based on a monetary value amount received from the stored value transaction account purchaser.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the benefit beyond what is purchased by the stored value transaction account comprises at least one of discounts, gifts, special offers, special services, free goods, free services, store credits, benefits under a merchants loyalty program, and monetary value.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the benefit data is automatically obtained in response to using the stored value transaction account in the transaction with the merchant determined to be part of the subset of the merchants within the financial network.

9. A computer based system, comprising:

a computer network communicating with a memory;

the memory communicating with a processor; and

the processor, when executing a computer program for maintaining a financial network, is configured to;

issue, by the processor, a stored value transaction account, wherein new stored value transaction account offers are provided via a website, wherein the stored value transaction account is associated with a theme of a plurality of themes, and wherein a particular stored value transaction account is selected by a purchaser based in part on a particular offer;

receive, by the processor, purchase transaction data including data representing the merchant, wherein the purchase transaction data is a result of using the stored value transaction account in a transaction with the merchant, wherein the stored value transaction account is usable in transactions with any merchant in the financial network;

determine, by the processor, that the merchant is part of the subset of the merchants within the financial network;

obtain, by the processor, in response to the determination that the merchant is part of the subset of the merchants, benefit data associated with the merchant, wherein at least one of the merchant or the subset of merchants within the financial network provide the benefit, wherein benefit data represents the benefit that is beyond what is purchased by the stored value transaction account, wherein the benefit data associated with use of the stored value transaction account is provided via the website, wherein the merchant is part of a subset of merchants associated with the theme, and wherein the merchant provides benefit data to the website; and

associate, by the processor, the benefit with the stored value transaction account.

10. The computer based system of claim 9, wherein the stored value transaction account includes a transaction instrument associated with the stored value transaction account including a surface displaying an indication of the associated theme, and wherein the benefit data is related to the theme.

11. The computer based system of claim 9, wherein the theme is at least one of a wedding, movies, dining out, kids, teens, or birthdays.

12. The computer based system of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, by the computer based system, discount data or promotion code data for use in connection with the benefit data.

13. The method computer based system of claim 9, wherein the benefit data is automatically obtained upon using the stored value transaction account in the transaction with the merchant determined to be part of the subset of the merchants within the financial network.

14. The computer based system of claim 9, further comprising:

associating, by the computer based system, a value with the stored value transaction account, wherein the value is based on a monetary value amount received from the stored value transaction account purchaser.

15. A tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instruction, the sequences on instruction when executed by a computer based system for managing stored value transaction account use, causes the computer based system to perform the operations comprising:

issuing, by the computer based system, a stored value transaction account, wherein new stored value transaction account offers are provided via a website, wherein the stored value transaction account is associated with a theme of a plurality of themes, and wherein a particular stored value transaction account is selected by a purchaser based in part on a particular offer;

receiving, by the computer based system, purchase transaction data including data representing the merchant, wherein the purchase transaction data is a result of using the stored value transaction account in a transaction with the merchant, wherein the stored value transaction account is usable in transactions with any merchant in the financial network;

determining, by the computer based system, that the merchant is part of the subset of the merchants within the financial network;

obtaining, by the computer based system, in response to the determination that the merchant is part of the subset of the merchants, benefit data associated with the merchant, wherein at least one of the merchant or the subset of merchants within the financial network provide the benefit, wherein benefit data represents the benefit that is beyond what is purchased by the stored value transaction account, wherein the benefit data associated with use of the stored value transaction account is provided via the website, wherein the merchant is part of a subset of merchants associated with the theme, and wherein the merchant provides benefit data to the website; and

associating, by the computer based system, the benefit with the stored value transaction account.

16. The medium of claim 15, further comprising:

associating, by the computer based system, a value with the stored value transaction account, the value based on a monetary value amount received from the stored value transaction account purchaser.

17. The medium of claim 15, wherein the benefit data is automatically obtained in response to using the stored value transaction account in the transaction with the merchant determined to be part of the subset of the merchants within the financial network.