System for providing an online account statement having hyperlinks

• US 8,620,757 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2003
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank Of America NA (Bank of America Corp.)
• Inventors: Kramer, Kevin L., Wagner, William W., Wren, Kevin P., Tavormina, Peter A., Boettger, Thomas E., Mathur, Sunil
• Primary Examiner(s): JOHNSON, GREGORY L
• Application Number:
  US10/366,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20040162778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,973 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• 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 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

A computer system including at least one computer-readable medium has software to provide online account statements for accounts of customers of a company. The at least one computer-readable medium includes: a transaction database comprising a transaction history for an account of a customer of the company; a merchant database comprising variations of merchant names for merchants; software to compare the merchant name of the transaction entry of the transaction history from the transaction database with the variations of merchant names from the merchant database; software to provide a hyperlinked special offer indicia if a match occurs between the merchant name from the transaction database and one of the variations of merchant names from the merchant database; and software to provide an online account statement web page to the customer via the network.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising at least one computer-readable medium having software to provide online account statements for accounts of customers of a company, said at least one computer-readable medium comprising:

a transaction database comprising a transaction history for an account of a customer of said company, said transaction history comprising at least one transaction entry, said transaction entry comprising a merchant name for a first merchant;

a merchant database comprising variations on said merchant name for said first merchant;

a first set of computer executable instructions to compare said merchant name of said at least one transaction entry from said transaction database with said variations on said merchant name from said merchant database;

a second set of computer executable instructions to provide a hyperlinked special offer indicia if a match occurs between said merchant name from said transaction database and one of said variations on said merchant name from said merchant database, to select said hyperlinked special offer indicia from a plurality of hyperlinked special offer indicia based on at least one of a rolling serial determination and a random determination, to determine whether there is a related special offer corresponding to a second merchant that is identified by a name different than the merchant name and said variations of said merchant name, and to provide a related hyperlinked special offer indicia with the hyperlinked special offer indicia when the related special offer has been determined; and

a third set of computer executable instructions to provide an online account statement web page to said customer via said network, said online account statement web page comprising said transaction history of said account of said customer, said transaction history comprising said transaction entry, said transaction entry comprising said merchant name, said hyperlinked special offer indicia corresponding to said first merchant, and said related hyperlinked special offer indicia corresponding to said second merchant.

2. A computer system as in claim 1, wherein said hyperlinked special offer indicia is adjacent to said merchant name in said at least one transaction entry in said transaction history of said online account statement web page.

3. A computer system as in claim 1, wherein said hyperlinked special offer indicia is hyperlinked to a merchant web page, said merchant web page comprising second hyperlinked special offer indicia.

4. A computer system as in claim 3, wherein said merchant web page further comprises a description of said special offer.

5. A computer system as in claim 1, wherein said hyperlinked special offer indicia is hyperlinked to a merchant special offer web page comprising a description of said special offer.

6. A computer system as in claim 1, wherein said special offer is provided by said first merchant.

7. A computer system as in claim 1, wherein said special offer is provided by a company different from said first merchant and said second merchant.

8. A computer system as in claim 1, wherein said transaction history of said online account statement comprises a second transaction entry, said second transaction entry having second hyperlinked special offer indicia, said second hyperlinked special offer indicia corresponding to a second special offer different from said special offer.

9. A computer system as in claim 1, wherein said computer system further comprises:

a fourth set of computer executable instructions to provide said at least one transaction entry as a hyperlinked transaction entry if said match occurs between said merchant name from said transaction database and one of said variations on said merchant name from said merchant database.

10. A computer system as in claim 9, wherein the fourth set of computer executable instructions determines whether to configure said merchant name as a hyperlinked merchant name or a non-hyperlinked merchant name in said at least one transaction entry.

11. A computer system as in claim 10, wherein said hyperlinked special offer indicia is adjacent to said hyperlinked merchant name in said hyperlinked transaction entry.

12. A computer system as in claim 1, wherein said online account statement is for a credit card of said customer.

13. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the second set of computer executable instructions provides one or more additional special offers when providing said special offer, wherein each of the one or more additional special offers are each related to said at least one transaction entry and the one or more additional special offers includes the related special offer.

21. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the second set of computer executable instructions provides the one or more additional special offers as a listing in a drop-down menu along with one or more unrelated special offers that are unrelated to said at least one transaction entry.

14. A method for providing online account statements for accounts of customers of a company, comprising:

maintaining, by a computer, a transaction database comprising a transaction history for an account of a customer of said company, said transaction history comprising at least one transaction entry, said at least one transaction entry comprising a merchant name for a first merchant;

maintaining, by the computer, a merchant database comprising variations on said merchant name for said first merchant;

comparing, by the computer, said merchant name of said at least one transaction entry of said transaction history from said transaction database with said variations on said merchant name from said merchant database;

providing, by the computer, a hyperlinked special offer indicia if a match occurs between said merchant name from said transaction database and one of said variations on said merchant name from said merchant database, said hyperlinked special offer indicia corresponding to a special offer from said first merchant based on said at least one transaction entry;

selecting, by the computer, said hyperlinked special offer indicia from a plurality of hyperlinked special offer indicia based on at least one of a rolling serial determination and a random determination;

determining, by the computer, whether there is a related special offer for the special offer, said related special offer corresponding to a second merchant that is identified by a name different than the merchant name and said variations of said merchant name;

providing, by the computer, a related hyperlinked special offer indicia with the hyperlinked special offer indicia when the related special offer has been determined;

providing, by the computer, an online account statement web page to said customer via said network, said online account statement web page comprising said transaction history of said account of said customer, said transaction history comprising said at least one transaction entry, said transaction entry comprising said merchant name, said hyperlinked special offer indicia, and said related hyperlinked special offer indicia.

15. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to perform a method comprising:

maintaining a transaction database comprising a transaction history for an account of a customer of said company, said transaction history comprising at least one transaction entry, said at least one transaction entry comprising a merchant name for a first merchant;

maintaining a merchant database comprising variations on said merchant name for said first merchant;

comparing said merchant name of said at least one-transaction entry of said transaction history from said transaction database with said variations on said merchant name from said merchant database;

providing a hyperlinked special offer indicia if a match occurs between said merchant name from said transaction database and one of said variations on said merchant name from said merchant database, said hyperlinked special offer indicia corresponding to a special offer from said first merchant based on said at least one transaction entry;

selecting said hyperlinked special offer indicia from a plurality of hyperlinked special offer indicia based on at least one of a rolling serial determination and a random determination;

determining whether there is a related special offer for the special offer, said related special offer corresponding to a second merchant that is identified by a name different than the merchant name and said variations of said merchant name;

providing a related hyperlinked special offer indicia with the hyperlinked special offer indicia only when the related special offer has been determined;

providing an online account statement web page to said customer via said network, said online account statement web page comprising said transaction history of said account of said customer, said transaction history comprising said at least one transaction entry, said transaction entry comprising said merchant name, said hyperlinked special offer indicia, and said related hyperlinked special offer indicia.

16. A method for providing an online account statement for an account of a customer of a company, comprising:

receiving, by a computer, a request via a network to provide said online account statement for said account of said customer of said company;

providing, by the computer, an online account statement web page via said network, said online account statement web page comprising a transaction history of said account of said customer, said transaction history comprising a transaction entry, said entry comprising a merchant name of a first merchant, a hyperlinked special offer indicia, and a related hyperlinked special offer indicia, said hyperlinked special offer indicia corresponding to a special offer based on said at least one transaction entry, said special offer based on one of variations on said merchant name, said related hyperlinked special offer indicia corresponding to a second merchant that is identified by a name different than the merchant name and the variations of said merchant name, wherein the first merchant and second merchant are competitors; and

selecting, by the computer, said hyperlinked special offer indicia from a plurality of hyperlinked special offer indicia based on at least one of a rolling serial determination and a random determination.

17. A method as in claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a request via said network in response to said hyperlinked special offer indicia being selected to provide a merchant web page;

providing said merchant web page via said network, said merchant web page comprising second hyperlinked special offer indicia corresponding to said hyperlinked special offer indicia.

18. A method as in claim 16, wherein said merchant web page further comprises a description of said special offer.

19. A method as in claim 16, wherein said merchant web page further comprises a third hyperlinked special offer indicia corresponding to a second special offer different from said special offer.

20. A method for receiving an online account statement for an account of a customer of a company, comprising:

providing a request via a network to receive said online account statement for said account of said customer of said company; and

receiving, by a computer, an online account statement web page via said network, said online account statement web page comprising a transaction history of said account of said customer, said transaction history comprising a transaction entry, said transaction entry comprising a merchant name and a plurality of hyperlinked special offer indicia, said plurality of hyperlinked special offer indicia corresponding to a plurality of special offers, each of the plurality of special offers are related to said transaction entry, wherein at least two of the plurality of special offers are for different merchants, wherein the different merchants are competitors.