System, program product and methods for retail activation and reload associated with partial authorization transactions

• US 9,508,067 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2013
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pathward National Association
• Original Assignee: MetaBank (Meta Financial Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Brooks, Jason, Wells, Mike
• Primary Examiner(s): GUDORF, LAURA A
• Application Number:
  US13/849,925
• Publication Number:
  US 20130218695A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,345 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/380, 705/17, 705/44
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/227 characterised in that multiple accounts are available, e.g. to the payer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/354 Card activation or deactivation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/355 Personalisation of cards for use

Abstract

Systems, program product, apparatus and method for transmitting and processing the sale of a transaction card product over an existing payment network using partial authorization messaging, are provided. An example of such a system can include a merchant POS apparatus equipped to support partial authorization messaging, a transaction card issuer server in communication therewith, and a transaction card product. The transaction card product can include a conventional transaction card securely wrapped within a tamper evident container that can carry its own magnetic strip. The container magnetic strip can store an assigned unique card identifier linked to, but different from, the card identifier normally associated with the card. The container card identifier stored in the container magnetic strip is compatible with the merchant POS card reader and is usable to activate the card without the merchant or consumer having access to the card, the card identifier, or the card magnetic strip.

Claims

1. A computer associated with a financial institution for activating a serialized transaction card product over an open electronic financial payment network utilizing partial-authorization messaging, the computer comprising:

one or more input/output units;

one or more processors;

one or more non-transitory memories having one or more computer programs stored therein, the one or more computer programs operable to cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of;

associating each of a plurality of transaction cards with one of a plurality of first unique identifiers and with one of a plurality of second unique identifiers, the plurality of first identifiers comprising a transaction Bank Identification Number (“

BIN”

) and the plurality of second identifiers comprising an activation BIN different from the transaction BIN,

determining receipt of activation request data, the activation request data including one or more of the plurality of second unique identifiers and a flag indicating a capability of a payment interface associated with a merchant to support partial-authorization messaging, the activation request data being sent through an open electronic financial payment network from one or more of a plurality of merchant acquirer computers associated with the merchant; and

activating, by the computer, the selected transaction card product associated with the activation request data responsive to receipt of one or more transaction messages sent through the electronic financial payment network from the one or more of the plurality of merchant acquirer computers indicating a purchase acknowledgement of the selected transaction card product.

2. A computer as defined in claim 1, wherein the steps further include:

sending via the electronic financial payment network responsive to the determining receipt of the activation request data, partial-authorization approval data to the one or more of the plurality of merchant acquirer computers to thereby use the partial authorization messaging to facilitate the activation of the selected one of the plurality of retail transaction card products using the electronic financial payment network, wherein the partial-authorization approval data includes a partial authorization approval balance of zero dollars available to thereby indicate a requirement to tender funds to complete activation of the selected transaction card product associated with the activation request data.

3. A computer-assisted method of activating a serialized transaction card product over an open electronic financial payment network utilizing partial-authorization messaging, the method comprising the steps of:

associating, by a computer, each of a plurality of transaction cards with one of a plurality of first unique identifiers and with one of a plurality of second unique identifiers, the plurality of first identifiers comprising a transaction Bank Identification Number (“

BIN”

) and the plurality of second identifiers comprising an activation BIN different from the transaction BIN,

packaging each of the plurality of transaction cards in a respective container of a plurality of containers, each container including indicia of one of the plurality of second unique identifiers,

determining, by the computer, receipt of activation request data, the activation request data including one or more of the plurality of second unique identifiers and a flag indicating a capability of a payment interface associated with a merchant to support partial-authorization messaging, the activation request data being sent through an open electronic financial payment network from one or more of a plurality of merchant acquirer computers associated with the merchant;

activating, by the computer, a selected transaction card product associated with the activation request data responsive to receipt of one or more transaction messages sent through the electronic financial payment network from the one or more of the plurality of merchant acquirer computers indicating a purchase acknowledgement of the selected transaction card product.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein the method further includes the step of:

sending, by the computer via the electronic financial payment network responsive to the determining receipt of the activation request data, partial-authorization approval data to the one or more of the plurality of merchant acquirer computers to thereby use the partial authorization messaging to facilitate the activation of the selected one of the plurality of retail transaction card products using the electronic financial payment network;

and wherein the activating is responsive to the sending step.

5. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein the step of packaging each of the plurality of cards includes the steps of:

positioning a product identification indicator on a first portion of an external surface of the respective container; and

positioning an account activation indicator on a second portion of the external surface of the respective container, the account activation indicator including the respective assigned second unique transaction card identifier.

6. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein the step of completing activation of the selected transaction card comprises the steps of:

transferring monetary funds into a transaction card transaction account associated with the selected transaction card product; and

retiring the second unique transaction card identifier associated with the selected transaction card.

7. Non-transitory computer readable memory having one or more computer programs stored therein, the one or more computer programs comprising instructions operable to cause a computer associated with a financial institution to perform the steps of:

associating each of a plurality of transaction cards with one of a plurality of first unique identifiers and with one of a plurality of second unique identifiers, the plurality of first identifiers comprising a transaction Bank Identification Number (“

BIN”

) and the plurality of second identifiers comprising an activation BIN different from the transaction BIN;

determining receipt of activation request data, the activation request data including one or more of the plurality of second unique identifiers and a flag indicating a capability of a payment interface associated with a merchant to support partial-authorization messaging, the activation request data being sent through an open electronic financial payment network from one or more of a plurality of merchant acquirer computers associated with the merchant;

activating, by the computer, the selected transaction card product associated with the activation request data responsive to receipt of one or more transaction messages sent through the electronic financial payment network from the one or more of the plurality of merchant acquirer computers indicating a purchase acknowledgement of the selected transaction card product.

8. Non-transitory memory as defined in claim 7, wherein the payment interface is a Point of Sale (POS) magnetic strip card reader slot adapted to read magnetic card strips.

9. Non-transitory memory as defined in claim 7, the one or more compute programs further comprising instructions operable to cause a computer associated with a financial institution to perform the steps of:

sending via the electronic financial payment network responsive to the determining receipt of the activation request data, partial-authorization approval data to the one or more of the plurality of merchant acquirer computers to thereby use the partial authorization messaging to facilitate the activation of the selected one of the plurality of retail transaction card products using the electronic financial payment network, wherein the partial-authorization approval data includes a partial authorization approval balance of zero dollars available to thereby indicate a requirement to tender funds to complete activation of the selected transaction card product associated with the activation request data.

10. Non-transitory memory as defined in claim 7, the one or more compute programs further comprising instructions operable to cause a computer associated with a financial institution to perform the steps of:

sending, by the computer via the electronic financial payment network responsive to the determining receipt of the activation request data, partial-authorization approval data to the one or more of the plurality of merchant acquirer computers to thereby use the partial authorization messaging to facilitate the activation of the selected one of the plurality of retail transaction card products using the electronic financial payment network;

and wherein the activating is responsive to the sending step.

11. Non-transitory memory as defined in claim 7, the one or more compute programs further comprising instructions operable to cause a computer associated with a financial institution to perform the steps of:

transferring monetary funds into a transaction card transaction account associated with the selected transaction card product; and

retiring the second unique transaction card identifier associated with the selected transaction card.