Reload protocol at a transaction processing entity

• US 9,454,752 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2002
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Chartoleaux KG LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hood, Matthew C., Perry, Trevor J., Elwood, Jennifer Anne, Mayers, Alexandra, Williamson, John R., Bonalle, David, Isenberg, Susan E., VonWald, Kristin L., Bliman, Michal, Shah, Sejal Ajit, Berardi, Michael J., Scheding, Kathryn D., Saunders, Peter D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Winter, John M
• Application Number:
  US10/318,432
• Publication Number:
  US 20040010449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 5,037 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/1.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/26 using a biometric sensor integrated in the pass
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/29 the pass containing active electronic elements, e.g. smartcards

Abstract

A transponder-reader payment system includes a fob including a transponder, and a RFID reader for interrogating the transponder. In exemplary operation, the fob identifying information may be presented to the RFID reader for completion of a transaction request. The transaction request may be provided to a fob issuer system which retrieves a value for satisfying the transaction request from a fob associated transaction data file. The issuer system may deplete the transaction data file in accordance with the transaction request and replenish the data file in accordance with fob user or fob issuer defined reload protocol.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by an issuer system, a reload protocol update request from a Radio Frequency (RF) payment device

in RF communication with an RFID reader via a merchant system,

wherein the RFID reader includes an RF module communicatively connected to a control module communicatively connected to an antenna, and

wherein the RF payment device includes an antenna communicatively connected to an transponder communicatively connected to processing circuitry;

updating, by the issuer system, a reload protocol data file in response to the reload protocol update request, wherein the reload protocol data file and the reload protocol update request are associated with an RF payment device identifier in an issuer system database;

receiving, by the issuer system, an RF payment device transaction request from the RF payment device in RF communication with the RFID reader via the merchant system, the RF payment device transaction request comprising a transaction value;

requesting, by the issuer system, a fund value corresponding to the transaction value of the RF payment device transaction request from a preloaded value data file maintained in a database and associated with the RF payment device identifier in response to an instruction from the reload protocol data file;

increasing, by a preloaded value authorization server, the preloaded value data file maintained in the database by an amount of the transaction value from a first funding source maintained by an issuer server, the preloaded value data file maintained in the database functioning as a placeholder including a zero value prior to the increasing the preloaded value data file maintained in the database by the amount of the transaction value from the first funding source maintained by the issuer server; and

processing, by the issuer system, the RF payment device transaction request in response to the increasing the preloaded value data file maintained in the database, the processing including debiting the preloaded value data file maintained in the database of the amount of the transaction value thereby maintaining the zero value of the preloaded value data file maintained in the database.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating a reload indicia with an update reload indicia, wherein the reload protocol update request comprises the update reload indicia, and the reload protocol data file comprises the reload indicia.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the updating the reload indicia is performed in real-time.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving, at the issuer system, a merchant transaction request from the merchant system, wherein the merchant transaction request comprises the RF payment device identifier and the RF payment device transaction request.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the processing the RF payment device transaction request comprises applying an amount from the preloaded value data file in response to the transaction value.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the merchant transaction request further comprises a merchant system identifier, and wherein the reload indicia corresponds to the merchant system identifier.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the preloaded value data file comprises a monetary value.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising deducting the transaction value from the monetary value to generate a depleted value, and incrementing the monetary value in response to the reload protocol data file and in response to the depleted value being less than or equal to a minimum depletion value, wherein the reload indicia corresponds to the minimum depletion value.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the reload indicia comprises at least one of a maximum load value or a periodic reload value.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising increasing the monetary value in accordance with a predetermined time period.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising increasing the monetary value in accordance with a predetermined number of transactions.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising requesting a second predetermined amount of funds from a second funding source in response to the RF payment device transaction request and in response to the instruction from the reload protocol data file.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising retrieving a portion of the second predetermined amount of funds and increasing the monetary value with the portion of the second predetermined amount of funds.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the requesting the predetermined amount of funds comprises automatically requesting the predetermined amount of funds from the first funding source in response to the reload protocol data file, and wherein the requesting the second predetermined amount of funds comprises automatically requesting the second predetermined amount of funds from the second funding source in response to the reload protocol data file.

15. The method of claim 7, further comprising assigning the RF payment device identifier to the RF payment device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising loading the preloaded value data file with the monetary value, and issuing the RF payment device in response to the loading the preloaded value data file with the monetary value.

17. The method of claim 7, further comprising comparing the transaction value to the monetary value.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising providing a portion of the monetary value and a transaction approved message to the merchant system in response to the comparing the transaction value to the monetary value.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising deducting the portion of the monetary value from the monetary value in response to providing the monetary value to the merchant system.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising providing a real-time transaction authorization in response to the monetary value being less than the transaction value.

21. The method of claim 7, wherein the reload indicia comprises at least one of a merchant identifier, the monetary value, the RF payment device identifier, a loyalty points criteria, a rewards points criteria, a periodic criteria, a minimum depletion level criteria, a maximum load value, or a user criteria.

22. The method of claim 7, wherein the monetary value includes at least one of a rewards points value or a barter points value.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the increasing the preloaded value data file comprises increasing the preloaded value data file by an amount equal to the predetermined amount of funds.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the increasing the preloaded value data file comprises automatically increasing the preloaded value data file by the issuer system.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing the RF payment device transaction request comprises deducting an amount from the preloaded value data file equal to an amount of the RF payment device transaction request.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause an issuer system to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the issuer system, a reload protocol update request from a Radio Frequency (RF) payment device in RF communication with an RFID reader via a merchant system;

updating, by the issuer system, a reload protocol data file in response to the reload protocol update request, wherein the reload protocol data file and the reload protocol update request are associated with an RF payment device identifier in an issuer system database;

receiving, by the issuer system, an RF payment device transaction request from the RF payment device in RF communication with the RFID reader via the merchant system, the RF payment device transaction request comprising a transaction value;

requesting, by the issuer system, a fund value corresponding to the transaction value of the RF payment device transaction request from a preloaded value data file maintained in a database and associated with the RF payment device identifier in response to an instruction from the reload protocol data file;

increasing the preloaded value data file maintained in the database by an amount of the transaction value from a first funding source maintained by an issuer server, the preloaded value data file maintained in the database functioning as a placeholder including a zero value prior to the increasing the preloaded value data file maintained in the database by the amount of the transaction value from the first funding source maintained by the issuer server; and

processing, by the issuer system, the RF payment device transaction request in response to the increasing the preloaded value data file maintained in the database, wherein the processing includes debiting the preloaded value data file maintained in the database of the amount of the transaction value thereby maintaining a the zero value of the preloaded value data file maintained in the database.

24. A method, comprising:

communicating, by a merchant system, a reload protocol update request received from a Radio Frequency (RF) payment device in RF communication with an RFID reader to an issuer system,

wherein the RFID reader includes an RF module communicatively connected to a control module communicatively connected to an antenna,

wherein the RF payment device includes an antenna communicatively connected to an transponder communicatively connected to processing circuitry,

wherein the reload protocol update request is associated with an RF payment device identifier in an issuer system database,

wherein the issuer system updates a reload protocol data file in response to the reload protocol update request, and

wherein the reload protocol data file is associated with the RF payment device identifier in the issuer system database; and

communicating, by the merchant system, an RF payment device transaction request from the RF payment device in RF communication with the RFID reader to the issuer system, the RF payment device transaction request comprising a transaction value, wherein the issuer system requests a fund value corresponding to the transaction value of the RF payment device transaction request from a preloaded value data file maintained in the database and associated with the RF payment device identifier in response to an instruction from the reload protocol data file;

wherein the issuer system increases the preloaded value data file maintained in the database by an amount of the transaction value from a first funding source maintained by an issuer server, the preloaded value data file maintained in the database functioning as a placeholder including a zero value prior to the increasing the preloaded value data file maintained in the database by the amount of the transaction value from the first funding source maintained by the issuer server; and

wherein the issuer system processes the RF payment device transaction request in response to increasing the preloaded value data file maintained in the database, wherein the processing includes debiting the preloaded value data file maintained in the database of the amount of the transaction value thereby maintaining the zero value of the preloaded value data file maintained in the database.

25. A Radio Frequency (RF) payment device, comprising

an antenna communicatively coupled to a transponder that communicates a reload protocol update request from the RF payment device in RF communication with an RFID reader to an issuer system via a merchant system,

wherein the reload protocol update request is associated with an RF payment device identifier in an issuer system database,

wherein the issuer system updates a reload protocol data file in response to the reload protocol update request, and

wherein the reload protocol data file is associated with the RF payment device identifier in the issuer system database;

and

the antenna communicatively coupled to the transponder that further communicates an RF payment device transaction request from the RF payment device in RF communication with the RFID reader to the issuer system via the merchant system, wherein the issuer system requests a fund value corresponding to the transaction value of the RF payment device transaction request from a preloaded value data file maintained in a database and associated with the RF payment device identifier in response to an instruction from the reload protocol data file;

wherein the issuer system increases the preloaded value data file maintained in the database by an amount of the transaction value from a first funding source maintained by an issuer server, the preloaded value data file maintained in the database functioning as a placeholder including a zero value prior to the increasing the preloaded value data file maintained in the database by the amount of the transaction value from the first funding source maintained by the issuer server; and

wherein the issuer system processes the RF payment device transaction request in response to increasing the preloaded value data file maintained in the database, wherein the processing includes debiting the preloaded value data file maintained in the database of the amount of the transaction value thereby maintaining the zero value of the preloaded value data file maintained in the database.