Prepaid account funds transfer apparatuses, methods and systems

• US 9,355,390 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2011
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vasten, Brett, Mathias, Virgil
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil, Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US13/028,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20110202455A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,932 Days
• Field of Search: 705 3- 44, 705/36.R
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"

Abstract

The PREPAID ACCOUNT FUNDS TRANSFER APPARATUSES, METHODS AND SYSTEMS (“PAFT”) transform prepaid account invitation requests via PAFT components into scheduled prepaid account transactions. In one embodiment, the PAFT obtains, from a transferor user holding a transferor prepaid account, a prepaid account invitation request specifying a transferee user and a prepaid funds transfer amount. The PAFT generates a customized prepaid account invitation for the transferee user based on the prepaid account invitation request, and provides the customized prepaid account invitation for the transferee user. Upon obtaining an invitation acceptance from the transferee user in response to the provided customized prepaid account invitation, the PAFT creates a transferee prepaid account for the transferee user, and transfers, upon creating the transferee prepaid account, the prepaid funds transfer amount of funds specified in the prepaid account invitation request from the transferor prepaid account to the created transferee prepaid account.

Claims

1. A prepaid account funds transfer processor-implemented method for automatically scheduling a prepaid funds transfer based on a prepaid accounts receivable request, comprising:

receiving at a prepaid accounts receivable request server, via an electronic payment processing network, from a transferee user holding a transferee prepaid account, a prepaid account receivables request specifying i) a transferee user identifier and ii) a prepaid funds transfer amount to be transferred from a transferor prepaid account of the transferor user to the transferee prepaid account of the transferee user;

in response to receiving the prepaid account receivables request, retrieving, via the prepaid accounts receivable request server, a prepaid account link data record based on the received transferee user identifier from a links database, the prepaid link data record i) providing a link between the transferor prepaid account and the transferee prepaid account and ii) being generated at the time of creation of the transferee prepaid account;

determining, via the prepaid accounts receivable request server, using the retrieved prepaid account link data record, the transferor prepaid account that is linked with the transferee prepaid account; and

generating, via the prepaid accounts receivable request server, a prepaid account funds transfer schedule record for storage in a schedules database, the prepaid account funds transfer schedule record indicating a date when the prepaid funds transfer amount of funds specified in the prepaid account receivables request are to be automatically transferred from the transferor prepaid account to the transferee prepaid account.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein creation of the transferee prepaid account is contingent upon the transferee user passing a screening test based on the completed prepaid account application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transferee prepaid account is created locally.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transferring a scheduled transfer amount from the transferor prepaid account to the created transferee prepaid account based on the generated prepaid account funds transfer schedule.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one scheduled funds transfer included in the prepaid account funds transfer schedule specifies transferring funds from the transferee prepaid account to the transferor prepaid account.

6. A prepaid account funds transfer system for automatically scheduling a prepaid funds transfer based on a prepaid accounts receivable request, comprising:

a prepaid accounts receivable request server that includes a memory and a processor communicatively coupled with the memory, the prepaid accounts receivable request server configured to;

receive at the prepaid accounts receivable request server, via an electronic payment processing network, from a transferee user holding a transferee prepaid account, a prepaid account receivables request specifying i) a transferee user identifier and ii) a prepaid funds transfer amount to be transferred from a transferor prepaid account of the transferor user to the transferee prepaid account of the transferee user;

in response to receiving the prepaid account receivables request, retrieve, via the prepaid accounts receivable request server, a prepaid account link data record based on the received transferee user identifier from a links database, the prepaid link data record i) providing a link between the transferor prepaid account and the transferee prepaid account and ii) being generated at the time of creation of the transferee prepaid account;

determine, via the prepaid accounts receivable request server, using the retrieved prepaid account link data record, the transferor prepaid account that is linked with the transferee prepaid account; and

generating via the prepaid accounts receivable request server, a prepaid account funds transfer schedule record for storage in a schedules database, the prepaid account funds transfer schedule record indicating a date when the prepaid funds transfer amount of funds specified in the prepaid account receivables request are to be automatically transferred from the transferor prepaid account to the created transferee prepaid account.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein creation of the transferee prepaid account depends on the transferee user passing a screening test based on the completed prepaid account application.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the transferee prepaid account is created locally.

9. The system of claim 6, the prepaid accounts receivable request server further configured to:

transfer a scheduled transfer amount from the transferor prepaid account to the created transferee prepaid account according to the generated prepaid account funds transfer schedule.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein at least one scheduled funds transfer included in the prepaid account funds transfer schedule specifies transferring funds from the transferee prepaid account to the transferor prepaid account.

11. A tangible computer readable medium storing processor-issuable prepaid account funds transfer instructions to:

receive at the prepaid accounts receivable request server, via an electronic payment processing network, from a transferee user holding a transferee prepaid account, a prepaid account receivables request specifying i) a transferee user identifier and ii) a prepaid funds transfer amount to be transferred from a transferor prepaid account of the transferor user to the transferee prepaid account of the transferee user;

in response to receiving the prepaid account receivables request, retrieve, via the prepaid accounts receivable request server, a prepaid account link data record based on the received transferee user identifier from a links database, the prepaid link data record i) providing a link between the transferor prepaid account and the transferee prepaid account and ii) being generated at the time of creation of the transferee prepaid account;

determine, via the prepaid accounts receivable request server, using the retrieved prepaid account link data record, the transferor prepaid account that is linked with the transferee prepaid account; and

generating, via the prepaid accounts receivable request server, a prepaid account funds transfer schedule record for storage in a schedules database, the prepaid account funds transfer schedule record indicating a date when the prepaid funds transfer amount of funds specified in the prepaid account receivables request are to be automatically transferred from the transferor prepaid account to the created transferee prepaid account.

12. The medium of claim 11, wherein creation of the transferee prepaid account depends on the transferee user passing a screening test based on the completed prepaid account application.

13. The medium of claim 11, wherein the transferee prepaid account is created locally.

14. The medium of claim 11, further storing processing instructions to:

transfer a scheduled transfer amount from the transferor prepaid account to the created transferee prepaid account according to the generated prepaid account funds transfer schedule.

15. The medium of claim 14, wherein at least one scheduled funds transfer included in the prepaid account funds transfer schedule specifies transferring funds from the transferee prepaid account to the transferor prepaid account.