Real time balance on card plastic

• US 8,955,744 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2012
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Granucci, Nicole Janine, Vriheas, Carrie Elaine, Hammad, Ayman, Sze, James Y. C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mai, Thien T
• Application Number:
  US13/632,682
• Publication Number:
  US 20130037610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380, 235/449, 235/493, 705/17, 705/35
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07 with integrated circuit chips
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07703 the interface being visual
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4033 Local solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4037 Remote solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0846 On-card display means

Abstract

A system, method and credit card configured to display a current card balance on the credit card. The credit card receives a balance request from a button on the card. After retrieving the current card balance encoded on the credit card, the card displays the current card balance. Remote terminals may be configured to support the real-time display of a balance on a credit card by writing the current balance to the card after a payment transaction has occurred.

Claims

1. A method of encoding a current card balance on a credit card comprising:

reading, by a point of sale device, the credit card to determine primary account data associated with the credit card for a financial transaction;

transmitting, by the point of sale device, the primary account data to an issuer computer;

determining, by the point of sale device, the current card balance; and

after a completion of the financial transaction,

prompting, by the point of sale device, a user for re-presentation of the credit card, and

upon the re-presentation of the credit card, encoding, by the point of sale device, the current card balance on the credit card.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the current card balance is determined by querying an acquirer, a payment processor, or the issuer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the current card balance is determined by subtracting a transaction amount of the financial transaction from a previous card balance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the current card balance is encoded on a magnetic stripe on the credit card.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the current card balance is encoded on track 3 of the magnetic stripe on the credit card.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the current card balance is encoded on a non-volatile programmable memory of the credit card.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising validating, by the point of sale device, the financial transaction, wherein the financial transaction is conducted using the credit card if the financial transaction is validated.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein validating the financial transaction comprises consulting hot list storage to determine whether the primary account data is valid.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein validating the financial transaction comprises contacting an acquirer computer.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the point of sale device, an amount of funds;

transmitting, by the point of sale device, the amount of funds to the issuer computer; and

determining that the transmission is successful, wherein the amount of funds is added to the current card balance.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein validating the financial transaction comprises contacting an acquirer computer.

7. A computer-readable medium, encoded with data and instructions, such that when executed by a device, the instructions cause the device to:

read a credit card to determine primary account data associated with the credit card for a financial transaction;

transmit the primary account data to an issuer computer;

determine a current card balance of the credit card; and

after a completion of the financial transaction,

prompt a user for re-presentation of the credit card, and

upon the re-presentation of the credit card, encode the current card balance on the credit card.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the current card balance is determined by querying an acquirer, a payment processor, or the issuer.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the current card balance is determined by subtracting a transaction amount of the financial transaction from a previous card balance.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the current card balance is encoded on a magnetic stripe on the credit card.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the current card balance is encoded on track 3 of the magnetic stripe of the credit card.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the current card balance is encoded on a non-volatile programmable memory of the credit card.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the instructions further cause the device to validate the financial transaction, wherein the financial transaction is conducted using the credit card if the financial transaction is validated.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein validating the financial transaction comprises consulting hot list storage to determine whether the primary account data is valid.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the instructions further cause the device to:

receive an amount of funds;

transmit the amount of funds to the issuer computer; and

determine that the transmission is successful, wherein the amount of funds is added to the current card balance.

21. A device, comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the device to encode a current account value on a credit card by performing operations comprising;

reading the credit card to determine primary account data associated with the credit card for a financial transaction;

transmitting the primary account data to an issuer computer;

determining the current account value; and

after a completion of the financial transaction,

prompting a user for re-presentation of the credit card, and

upon the re-presentation of the credit card, encoding the current account value on the credit card.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein said current account value comprises a current balance value of the credit card.

23. The device of claim 21, wherein said current account value comprises an available credit value or an available cash balance value.