Integrated communication solution

• US 8,606,670 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2007
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: First Data Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: First Data Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Patton, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brandenburg, William A
• Application Number:
  US11/619,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20080162313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,534 Days
• Field of Search: 705 1- 28
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide methods, systems, and machine-readable media for integrating communications between multiple systems and/or processes related to different aspects of financial transactions of a consumer. Generally speaking, an integrated communications engine can be communicatively coupled with and adapted to manage communications between a plurality of routines or processes to manage interactions with a consumer throughout a lifecycle of a financial relationship with the consumer. According to one embodiment, the integrated communications engine can further comprise a rules engine. The rules engine can be adapted to monitor the plurality of routines, determine whether a condition specified in a rule is satisfied, and in response to determining that the condition is satisfied, trigger an action by one or more of the routines of the plurality of routines based on the rule.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more computers communicatively coupled with a communications network, wherein;

the one or more computers are operated by a service provider,

the one or more computers execute a plurality of routines, and

the plurality of routines comprises;

processing a plurality of financial transactions of a consumer with a plurality of merchants for a financial institution, wherein;

the consumer has a financial account with the financial institution and the financial institution is different from the service provider and the consumer, and

the plurality of merchants is different from the service provider, the consumer, and the financial institution,

a strategic communications routine that manages correspondences to the consumer during generation of a statement of the financial account of the consumer,

an access device routine that manages processing of a payment card used by the consumer in the plurality of financial transactions, and

a broker routine that manages communications between a third-party advertiser and the consumer, wherein the third-party advertiser is different from the service provider, the consumer, the financial institution, and the plurality of merchants; and

an integrated communications engine comprising one or more processors communicatively coupled with the communications network, wherein the integrated communications engine;

monitors the plurality of routines to determine that the consumer has engaged in a cancellation of the payment card,

manages communications between the plurality of routines to generate a promotional check with a monetary value based on the cancellation of the payment card,

monitors the plurality of the financial transactions of the consumer with the plurality of merchants for a purchase of a particular good, and

manages correspondence to the consumer to include an advertisement from the third-party advertiser with the statement of the financial account based on the purchase of the particular good.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of routines comprises a two-way communications routine, the two-way communications routine managing communications between the consumer and financial institution.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of routines comprises an Item Level Processing (ILP) routine, the ILP routine managing actions related to individual goods or services purchased by the consumer.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of routines comprises an e-messenger routine, the e-messenger routine managing generation and delivery of electronic statements of financial transactions for the consumer.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of data stores communicatively coupled with the communications network.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the plurality of data stores includes a data link data store, the data link data store having stored therein information related to the consumer and the plurality of financial transactions by one or more of the routines for handling different aspects of the plurality of financial transactions.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of data stores includes an operational data store, the operational data store having stored therein information related to activity on one or more financial accounts of the consumer.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of data stores includes a marketing data store, the marketing data store having stored therein marketing information from a financial institution maintaining one or more financial accounts for the consumer.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of data stores includes a third-party data store, the third-party data store having stored therein marketing information provided by the third-party advertisers.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of data stores includes a merchant masterfile data store, the merchant masterfile data store having stored therein information related to details of the plurality of financial transactions.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the integrated communications engine further comprises an Application Program Interface (API), the API providing for interaction between the integrated communications engine and the plurality of routines.

12. A system comprising:

a first set of computers communicatively coupled with a communications network, wherein;

the first set of computers are operated by a merchant that is party to a financial transaction of a consumer,

the first set of computers execute a plurality of merchant processes,

each merchant process of the plurality of merchant processes processing aspects of the financial transaction of the consumer on behalf of the merchant;

a second set of computers communicatively coupled with the communications network, wherein;

the second set of computers are operated by an issuing financial institution,

the issuing financial institution is different from the merchant and the consumer, and

the second set of computers execute a plurality of issuer processes, each issuer process of the plurality of issuer processes processing aspects of the financial transaction of the consumer on behalf of the issuing financial institution of a payment card used by the consumer in the financial transaction;

a plurality of data stores communicatively coupled with the communications network; and

an integrated communications engine, operated by a service provider, comprising one or more processors communicatively coupled with the communications network, wherein;

the service provider is different from the merchant, the consumer, and the issuing financial institution,

the integrated communications engine manages communications between a third-party advertiser and the consumer,

the third-party advertiser is different from the service provider, the consumer, the merchant, and the financial institution

the integrated communications engine determines the consumer cancelled the payment card, and

the integrated communications engine manages communications with the consumer and generates a promotional check with a monetary value to send to the consumer based on the cancellation of the payment card.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one of the merchant processes and the issuer processes comprises a strategic communications process, the strategic communications process managing correspondences to the consumer during generation of a statement of financial transactions for the consumer on an account of the issuing financial institution associated with the instrument.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the merchant processes and the issuer processes comprises a plastics process, the plastics process managing processing of physical tokens of the financial account of the consumer with the issuing financial institution associated with the instrument.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the merchant processes and the issuer processes comprises a two-way communications process, the two-way communications process managing communications between the consumer and issuing financial institution.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein at least one of the merchant processes and the issuer processes comprises an Item Level Processing (ILP) process, the ILP process managing actions related to individual goods or services purchased by the consumer.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein at least one of the merchant processes and the issuer processes comprises a broker process, the broker process managing communications between the third-party advertiser and the consumer.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one of the merchant processes and the issuer processes comprises an e-messenger process, the e-messenger process managing generation and delivery of electronic statements of financial transactions for the consumer.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of data stores includes a data link data store, the data link data store having stored therein information related to the consumer and the transaction by one or more of the routines for handling different aspects of the transaction.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the plurality of data stores includes an operational data store, the operational data store having stored therein information related to activity on one or more financial accounts of the consumer.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the plurality of data stores includes a marketing data store, the marketing data store having stored therein marketing information from the issuing financial institution.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the plurality of data stores includes a third-party data store, the third-party data store having stored therein marketing information provided by the third-party advertiser or a second third-party advertiser.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the plurality of data stores includes a merchant masterfile data store, the merchant masterfile data store having stored therein information related to details of the financial transaction.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the integrated communications engine further comprises a rules engine, the rules engine monitoring the plurality of merchant processes and the plurality of issuer processes, determining whether a condition specified in a rule is satisfied, and in response to determining that the condition if satisfied, triggering an action by one or more of the merchant processes or one or more of the issuer processes based one the rule.

25. The system of claim 12, wherein the integrated communications engine further comprises an Application Program Interface (API), the API providing for interaction between the integrated communications engine, the plurality of merchant processes and the plurality of issuer processes.

26. A system comprising:

one or more computers communicatively coupled with a communications network, wherein;

the one or more computers are operated by a service provider,

the one or more computers execute a plurality of routines, and

the plurality of routines comprises;

processing a plurality of financial transactions of a consumer with a plurality of merchants for a financial institution, wherein;

the consumer has a financial account with the financial institution and the financial institution is different from the service provider and the consumer, and

the plurality of merchants are different from the service provider, the consumer, and the financial institution,

a strategic communications routine that manages correspondences to the consumer during generation of a statement of the financial account of the consumer,

an access device routine that manages processing of a payment card used by the consumer in the plurality of financial transactions, and

a broker routine that manages communications between a third-party advertiser and the consumer, wherein the third-party advertiser is different from the service provider, the consumer, the financial institution, and the plurality of merchants; and

an integrated communications engine comprising one or more processors communicatively coupled with the communications network, wherein the integrated communications engine;

monitors the plurality of routines for an occurrence of a cancellation of the payment card,

determines that the occurrence of the cancellation of the payment card is satisfied, and

in response to the determines that the occurrence of the cancellation of the payment card is satisfied, generates a promotional check with a monetary value to be sent to the consumer with the statement of the financial account of the consumer.