Systems, methods, and computer products for processing payments using a proxy card

• US 9,367,834 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2010
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: III Holdings 1, LLC
• Inventors: Seth, Hitesh, Morgan, Robert E.
• Primary Examiner(s): GUDORF, LAURA A
• Application Number:
  US12/692,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20110180598A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,335 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380, 235/382, 705/35, 705/39, 705/41
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3255 using mobile network messaging services for payment, e.g. SMS
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/351 Virtual cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3572 Multiple accounts on card
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/409 Device specific authentication in transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/425 using two different networks, one for transaction and one for security confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/10 together with a coded signal , e.g. in the form of personal identification information, like personal identification number [PIN] or biometric data

Abstract

Systems, methods and computer program products for processing payments for a proxy card are provided. Embodiments of the system include a processor, and a memory in communication with the processor. The memory may be configured to store processing instructions for directing the processor to receive a request for authorization of a payment. In various embodiments, the request is triggered at a merchant server, by the use of a proxy card of the customer. The processor attempts to identify at least one desired payment mode for making the payment, from among payment mode(s) associated with the proxy card. The processor first selects the payment modes based at least in part on one or more selection criteria, such as predefined customer goals, and then the processor performs an authorization check to identify the desired payment modes. Subsequently, the processor authorizes the payment if at least one desired payment mode is identified.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computer system, a transaction request that identifies a proxy transaction account number, wherein the proxy transaction account number is associated with a plurality of transaction accounts associated with a customer;

selecting, by the computer system, at least one transaction account from the plurality of transaction accounts;

authorizing, by the computer system, the transaction request; and

in response to authorizing the transaction request, the computer system charging the at least one transaction account;

wherein the selecting includes;

identifying the plurality of transaction accounts based at least in part on the proxy transaction account number;

retrieving behavior data corresponding to a plurality of previous transactions, including previous transactions by a plurality of other customers;

performing one or more comparisons of one or more transaction details of the transaction request to one or more previous transaction details of one or more of the previous transactions by the plurality of the other customers; and

based at least in part on the one or more comparisons, determining that at least one particular transaction of the one or more of the previous transactions by the plurality of the other customers has a similarity to the transaction request, wherein selecting the at least one transaction account is based on a particular transaction account used by another customer for the at least one particular transaction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the at least one transaction account comprises:

identifying, by the computer system, transaction account selection criteria associated with the proxy transaction account number; and

selecting, by the computer system, the at least one transaction account based at least in part on the transaction account selection criteria.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the at least one transaction account comprises:

sending, by the computer system to the customer, a payment account identification request; and

receiving, by the computer system from the customer in response to the payment account identification request, a selection of the at least one transaction account.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the payment account identification request includes a suggestion of a particular transaction account of the plurality of transaction accounts.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the transaction account selection criteria includes one or more pre-defined preferences received from the customer.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining, by the computer system, a particular good or service associated with the transaction request, wherein the transaction account selection criteria indicates that the at least one transaction account should be selected for transaction requests that include the particular good or service.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more pre-defined preferences indicate a default transaction account, and wherein selecting the at least one transaction account comprises determining, by the computer system, whether the transaction request is authorized for the default transaction account.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more pre-defined preferences indicate a first default transaction account for a first transaction amount and the one or more pre-defined preferences indicate a second default transaction account for a second transaction amount, and wherein selecting the at least one transaction account comprises determining, by the computer system, a transaction amount indicated by the transaction request.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of transaction accounts include a debit account, a credit account, a charge account, a bank account, a free savings account, a flexible spending account, a health savings account, a gift card account, a stored-value card account, or a reward points account, or any combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the at least one transaction account comprises:

selecting, by the computer system, a different transaction account from the plurality of transaction accounts;

determining, by the computer system, that the transaction request is not authorized for the different transaction account; and

selecting, by the computer system, the at least one transaction account.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein authorizing the transaction request comprises sending, by the computer system to the customer, one or more authentication requests associated with the at least one transaction account.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting comprises determining that a majority of the plurality of the other customers used a particular payment method in the previous transactions by the plurality of the other customers;

and

wherein the selected at least one transaction account corresponds to the particular payment method.

13. A system comprising:

a processor; and

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

receiving a transaction request that includes a proxy transaction account number, wherein the proxy transaction account number is associated with a plurality of transaction accounts associated with a customer;

selecting, in response to receiving the proxy transaction account number, at least one transaction account from the plurality of transaction accounts; and

determining, based at least in part on the selected at least one transaction account, whether to authorize the transaction request;

wherein the selecting includes;

identifying the plurality of transaction accounts based at least in part on the proxy transaction account number;

identifying one or more other customers, wherein at least a portion of payment preferences of the one or more other customers are similar to one or more defined payment preferences of the customer;

retrieving at least some of the payment preferences of the one or more other customers; and

determining the at least one transaction account based at least in part on at least one of the payment preferences of the one or more other customers.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise rejecting the transaction request in response to transaction data associated with the transaction request failing to meet one or more respective requirements associated with each of the plurality of transaction accounts.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the transaction data associated with the transaction request is a transaction amount, and wherein the one or more respective requirements is a respective credit limit.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein determining whether to authorize the transaction request comprises comparing transaction data from the transaction request to a credit limit of the at least one transaction account, to an expiration date of the at least one transaction account, to one or more customer preferences associated with the at least one transaction account, or any combination thereof.

17. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform operations comprising:

sending, to a customer, a proxy transaction account number associated with a plurality of transaction accounts of the customer;

receiving, from a merchant, a transaction request that identifies the proxy transaction account number;

selecting, based at least in part on receiving the proxy transaction account number, at least one transaction account from the plurality of transaction accounts;

authorizing the transaction request based at least in part on the at least one transaction account; and

sending, to the merchant, an indication that the transaction request is authorized;

wherein the selecting includes;

identifying the plurality of transaction accounts based at least in part on the proxy transaction account number;

retrieving behavior data corresponding to a plurality of previous transactions, including previous transactions by a plurality of other customers;

performing one or more comparisons of one or more transaction details of the transaction request to one or more previous transaction details of one or more of the previous transactions by the plurality of other customers; and

based at least in part on the one or more comparisons, determining that at least one particular transaction of the one or more of the previous transactions by the plurality of the other customers has a similarity to the transaction request, wherein selecting the at least one transaction account is based on a payment method used by another customer for the at least one particular transaction.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise, after authorizing the transaction request, initiating charging the at least one transaction account based at least in part on the transaction request.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the customer after authorizing the transaction request, a request to charge a different transaction account of the plurality of transaction accounts; and

initiating charging the different transaction account based at least in part on the transaction request.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from a second merchant, a second transaction request that identifies the proxy transaction account number;

selecting, based at least in part on receiving the proxy transaction account number, a different transaction account from the plurality of transaction accounts, wherein the different transaction account is not included in the at least one transaction account;

authorizing the second transaction request in response to identifying the different transaction account; and

sending, to the second merchant, a second indication that the second transaction request is authorized.