System and method for providing a savings opportunity in association with a financial account

• US 8,650,105 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2011
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Truaxis, Inc. (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Truaxis, Inc. (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Inventors: Satyavolu, Ramakrishna V., Kothari, Samir, Daredia, Shehzad
• Primary Examiner(s): RANKINS, WILLIAM E
• Application Number:
  US13/300,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20120066046A1
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705 35- 45
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8011 using class of subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/805 Bidding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/84 Types of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/85 characterised by the type of condition triggering a notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/851 Determined tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0108 : Customization according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. customer preferences, friends and family, selecting services or billing options, Personal Communication Systems [PCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/018 : On-line real-time billing, able to see billing information while in communication, e.g. via the internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0184 : involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions, volume discounts, cell discounts, group billing, frequent calling destination(s) or user history list
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 : Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/74 : Rating aspects, e.g. rating parameters or tariff determination apects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7407 : class of subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 : Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7457 : Biding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/81 : Notifying aspects, e.g. notifications or displays to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8129 : Type of notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/815 : Notification when a specific condition, service or event is met

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to comparison shopping and usage based service analysis for consumers, primarily for financial products. A consumer may not be aware of a provider'"'"'s services, options, terms, conditions, costs, or how the service options change based on the consumer'"'"'s particular usage characteristics. The disclosed comparison shopping method uses the consumer'"'"'s actual or predicted service usage data. Service provider information is used to present the consumer with relevant alternative service offering options. Transaction data is gathered from a user'"'"'s financial account and is analyzed for a savings opportunity indication. The analysis is used to match a savings opportunity from a database of savings opportunities, and the savings opportunity may be displayed in a statement of a user'"'"'s financial account. Past responses to a savings opportunity indication may be gathered and analyzed. In one example, a savings opportunity is presented with a statement of the consumer'"'"'s financial account.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for finding a savings opportunity, comprising:

importing transaction data from a user'"'"'s financial account using at least one computer;

analyzing the transaction data by the at least one computer for a savings opportunity indication;

matching a savings opportunity from a database of savings opportunities to the user based on the savings opportunity indication by the at least one computer, wherein the savings opportunity comprises an offer to perform a bill analysis;

displaying the savings opportunity in association with a statement of the user'"'"'s financial account; and

generating and displaying a link, in a graphical user interface to the user'"'"'s financial account, to a transaction assessment user interface to compare at least one transaction among the transaction data to a plurality of alternative offers.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising gathering a past response to a savings opportunity indication and analyzing it, wherein the savings opportunity is based on both the analyzed transaction data and past response data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the statement is at least one of an online statement, an online graphical user interface associated with the user'"'"'s financial account, an online bill pay area, a dialog box associated with the user'"'"'s financial account, an ATM receipt, a teller receipt, a mobile statement, and a paper statement.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of analyzing comprises extracting at least one of a merchant name, a merchant category, a merchant location, a store number, a transaction amount, a transaction frequency, a zip code, a store category, a transaction description, and a total spending amount.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of analyzing comprises analyzing the transaction data for a savings opportunity indication relating to a merchant.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of analyzing comprises analyzing the transaction data for a savings opportunity indication relating to a market segment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the savings opportunity comprises displaying the savings opportunity within a field of the statement where prior transaction data is presented.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising clicking on the link to the transaction assessment user interface and comparing the at least one transaction to a plurality of alternative offers.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user'"'"'s financial account is at least one of a credit card account, a bank account, a checking account, a savings account, a personal finance program account, and a loan account.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of analyzing comprises anonymizing the transaction data.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the savings opportunity comprises an offer to perform a bill analysis from at least one alternative provider.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one alternative provider is not listed among the merchants in the user'"'"'s financial account.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the savings opportunity is a coupon.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the savings opportunity is an automatic discount on a subsequent transaction.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the savings opportunity is a credit on a subsequent transaction.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the savings opportunity is a pre-paid offer.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the savings opportunity is a merchant loyalty program.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the merchant loyalty program is implemented through the use of a transaction card associated with the financial account.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the transaction data comprises analyzing market segment information.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of matching is limited to savings opportunities near a user'"'"'s identified location.