System and method for online data processing

• US 8,935,797 B1
• Filed: 02/25/2010
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Bowman, Jean, Silver, Wendy, Shelby, James, Yong, Jackie S
• Primary Examiner(s): SIMITOSKI, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US12/712,355
• Time in Patent Office: 1,783 Days
• Field of Search: 726/26
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6263 during internet communication, e.g. revealing personal data from cookies
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/34 using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3827 Use of message hashing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0615 Anonymizing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0421 Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08

Abstract

Customer online data is collected via script on customer computers and is communicated to a server hosted by an organization, such as a card issuer. The customer online data communicated to the server is non-personally identifiable information (non-PII). In turn, the server aggregates the non-PII customer online data from the set of participating merchants. The server associates the received non-PII customer online data with non-PII demographic data. Other non-PII transaction data, such as previous transactions processed at a card issuer, also can be associated with the non-PII customer online data and non-PII demographic data. These associations are, in turn, used to create reports and to provide services to help merchants or other requesting organizations develop online strategies to drive click thru and conversion rates.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

generating, by a computer-based system configured for protecting consumer privacy, a first hash code;

associating, by the computer-based system, the first hash code with a first user identification (ID),

wherein the first user ID is associated with a consumer,

wherein the consumer is associated with a transaction account code, transaction data, and demographic information,

wherein the transaction account code comprises personally identifiable information (PII) and the first user ID comprises non-personally identifiable information (non-PII), and

wherein the transaction data comprises financial transaction data associated with a transaction account of the first user;

transmitting, by the computer-based system, the transaction data, the demographic information, the first user ID, and the first hash code to a first service;

wherein the first service associates online data associated with a browsing history with the transaction data and demographic information, in response to the first hash code matching a second hash code,

wherein the online data identifies an abandoned online cart of the consumer,

wherein the second hash code is retrieved by the first service based on a second user ID associated with the online data,

wherein the computer-based system does not have access to the online data, and

wherein the first service does not have access to the transaction account code.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first service generates a report based on the first data and online data, wherein PII is not accessed by the first service during the generating.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first service receives the online data and the first user ID from different entities.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first hash code is not communicated outside the computer-based system and the first service.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising enforcing, by the computer-based system, a security policy that restricts the first service from accessing PII.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction data comprises a purchase history associated with the transaction account code.

7. A system comprising:

a processor configured for protecting consumer privacy,

a tangible, non-transitory memory configured to communicate with the processor,

the tangible, non-transitory memory having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

generating, by the processor, a first hash code;

associating, by the processor, the first hash code with a first user identification (ID),

wherein the first user ID is associated with a consumer,

wherein the consumer is associated with a transaction account code, transaction data, and demographic information,

wherein the transaction account code comprises personally identifiable information (PII) and the first user ID comprises non-personally identifiable information (non-PII), and

wherein the transaction data comprises financial transaction data associated with a transaction account of the first user; and

transmitting, by the processor, the transaction data, the demographic information, the first user ID, and the first hash code to a first service;

wherein the first service associates online data associated with a browsing history with the transaction data and demographic information, in response to the first hash code matching a second hash code,

wherein the online data identifies an abandoned online shopping cart of the consumer,

wherein the second hash code is retrieved by the first service based on a second user ID associated with the online data,

wherein the processor does not have access to the online data, and

wherein the first service does not have access to the transaction account code.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first service generates a report based on the first data and online data, wherein PII is not accessed by the first service module during the generating.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the first service receives the online data and the first user ID from different entities.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise enforcing, by the processor, a security policy that restricts the first service from accessing PII.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the transaction data comprises a purchase history associated with the transaction account code.

12. 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 system configured for protecting consumer privacy, cause the computer-based system to perform operations comprising:

generating, by the computer-based system, a first hash code;

associating, by the computer-based system, the first hash code with a first user identification (ID),

wherein the first user ID is associated with a consumer,

wherein the consumer is associated with a transaction account code, transaction data, and demographic information,

wherein the transaction account code comprises personally identifiable information (PII) and the first user ID comprises non-personally identifiable information (non-PII), and

wherein the transaction data comprises financial transaction data associated with a transaction account of the first user; and

transmitting, by the computer-based system, the transaction data, the demographic information, the first user ID, and the first hash code to a first service;

wherein the first service associates online data associated with a browsing history with the transaction data and demographic information, in response to the first hash code matching a second hash code,

wherein the online data identifies an abandoned online shopping cart of the customer,

wherein the second hash code is retrieved by the first service based on a second user ID associated with the online data,

wherein the computer-based system does not have access to the online data, and

wherein the first service does not have access to the transaction account code.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the first service generates a report based on the first data and online data, wherein PII is not accessed by the first service during the generating.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the first service receives the online data and the first user ID from different entities.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the first hash code is not communicated outside the computer-based system and the first service.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise enforcing, by the computer-based system, a security policy that restricts the first service from accessing PII.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the transaction data comprises a purchase history associated with the transaction account code.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the first service receives the online data from an account issuer server.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the online data is not associated with PII at any point between the account issuer server and the first service.