System and method for a multiple merchant stored value card

• US 8,321,270 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2009
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2002
• 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: Antonucci, Donna A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alvarez, Raquel
• Application Number:
  US12/563,278
• Publication Number:
  US 20100010889A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.3, 705/14.27, 705/14.39, 705/16, 705/26.1, 705/400
• US Class Current: 705/14.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3437 the counter having non-monetary units, e.g. trips
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/389 Keeping log of transactions for guaranteeing non-repudiation of a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0227 Frequent usage incentive value reconciliation between diverse systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0229 Multi-merchant loyalty card systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0233 Method of redeeming a frequent usage reward
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1016 Devices or methods for securing the PIN and other transaction-data, e.g. by encryption arrangements for secret communication, see H04L9/00

Abstract

The loyalty system allows a consumer to accumulate general loyalty points from one or more merchants, and convert any desired subset of general points to loyalty dollars associated with a specific merchant. The system stores, for each consumer, the merchant loyalty dollars (or monetary equivalent) by merchant within a remotely-accessible host database or within a smart card database. Upon conducting a purchase at a particular merchant, the consumer may utilize a code key to facilitate access to the consumer'"'"'s own loyalty dollars for the particular merchant. The loyalty dollars are then applied to the purchase transaction as a discount or rebate. The consumer may also re-load the merchant loyalty dollar accounts.

Claims

1. An incentive engine configured to facilitate allocation, conversion, and redemption of loyalty points including:

a processor and a memory;

an enrollment module configured to enroll at least one of consumers and merchants;

an authentication module configured to authenticate consumer IDs;

a participating merchant database in communication with said enrollment module;

a promotion rules database configured to determine if a reward or general loyalty points are earned based on purchase data;

a conversion rules database configured to facilitate a conversion request for converting the general loyalty points into a specific first merchant loyalty dollar value or into a specific second merchant loyalty dollar value;

a transfer module for transferring at least a portion of the second merchant value into the first merchant value for use in a purchase; and

a consumer accounts database having a general loyalty point database and a plurality of merchant loyalty dollar value databases configured to store the general loyalty points and the specific merchant dollar values.

2. The incentive engine of claim 1, wherein said incentive engine is located within a remotely-accessible host.

3. The incentive engine of claim 1, wherein said incentive engine is located within a smart card.

4. The incentive engine according to claim 1, wherein the conversion rules database is configured to interact with the promotion rules database.

5. The incentive engine of claim 1, wherein said incentive engine is configured to provide a suggestion of various awards to a consumer for which the consumer is eligible based upon the loyalty points generated by the consumer.

6. The incentive engine of claim 1, wherein the incentive engine is configured to operate partially in real-time and partially in batch mode with respect to storing loyalty points and merchant dollars in the consumer accounts database.

7. A method comprising:

determining, by a computer-based incentive system for converting points, if a reward or general loyalty points are earned based on transaction data;

facilitating, by the computer-based system, a conversion request for converting the general loyalty points into a first merchant loyalty dollar value or into a second merchant loyalty dollar value;

transferring, by the computer-based system, at least a portion of the second merchant loyalty dollar value into the first merchant loyalty dollar value for use in a transaction; and

storing, by the computer-based system and in a consumer accounts database, the general loyalty points and the specific merchant dollar values, wherein the consumer accounts database includes a general loyalty'"'"' point database and a plurality of merchant loyalty dollar value databases.

8. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computer-based incentive system for converting points, cause the computer-based system to be capable of performing operations comprising:

determining, by the computer-based system, if a reward or general loyalty points are earned based on transaction data;

facilitating, by the computer-based system, a conversion request for converting the general loyalty points into a first merchant loyalty dollar value or into a second merchant loyalty dollar value;

transferring, by the computer-based system, at least a portion of the second merchant loyalty dollar value into the first merchant loyalty dollar value for use in a transaction; and

storing, by the computer-based system and in a consumer accounts database, the general loyalty points and the specific merchant dollar values, wherein the consumer accounts database includes a general loyalty point database and a plurality of merchant loyalty dollar value databases.