Classifying open-loop and closed-loop payment cards based on optical character recognition

• US 9,569,796 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2016
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Xiaohang, Berntson, Glenn
• Primary Examiner(s): Marshall, Christle I
• Application Number:
  US15/139,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20160239911A1
• Time in Patent Office: 294 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/34 using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/351 Virtual cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/36 using electronic wallets or electronic money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/63 Scene text, e.g. street names
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/224 of printed characters having additional code marks or containing code marks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/57 Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices

Abstract

A user captures an image of a payment card via a user computing device camera. An optical character recognition system receives the payment card image from the user computing device. The system performs optical character recognition and visual object recognition algorithms on the payment card image to extract text and visual objects from the payment card image, which are used by the system to identify a payment card type. The system may categorize the payment card as an open-loop card or a closed-loop card, or as a credit card or a non-credit card. In an example embodiment, the system allows or prohibits extracted financial account information from the payment card to be saved in the digital wallet account based on the determined payment card category. In another example embodiment, the system transmits an advisement to the user based on the determined payment card category.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method to categorize payment cards, comprising:

receiving, using one or more computing devices and from a user computing device, an image comprising an image of a payment card;

extracting, using the one or more computing devices, one or more text objects and one or more visual objects from the image of the payment card;

determining, using the one or more computing devices and based on the one or more extracted text objects and the one or more extracted visual objects, a categorical designation for the payment card and financial account information associated with the payment card; and

transmitting, using the one or more computing devices and to the user computing device, the financial account information associated with the payment card and the categorical designation for the payment card for storage in the user computing device based on the categorical designation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the categorical designation comprises one of an open-loop payment card and a closed-loop payment card.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the user computing device discards the received financial account information associated with the payment card if the payment card has a categorical designation comprising an open-loop payment card.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user computing device discards the received financial account information based on the categorical designation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a user computing device captures the image of the payment card and transmits the image of the payment card to the one or more computing devices.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user computing device captures the image of the payment card via a camera device communicating with the user computing device via a network and transmits the image of the payment card to the one or more computing devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user computing device initiates a transaction using the saved financial account information associated with the payment card.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the one or more extracted visual objects comprise a logo associated with an issuer system, an acquirer system, or a financial institution system.

9. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage device having computer-readable program instructions embodied thereon that when executed by a computer cause the computer to categorize payment cards, the computer-readable instructions comprising;

computer-readable program instructions to extract one or more text objects and one or more visual objects from an image of a payment card;

computer-readable program instructions to determine, based on the one or more extracted text objects and the one or more extracted visual objects, a categorical designation for the payment card and financial account information associated with the payment card; and

computer-readable program instructions to transmit, to a user computing device, the financial account information associated with the payment card and the categorical designation for the payment card for storage in the user computing device based on the categorical designation.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the categorical designation comprises one of an open-loop payment card and a closed-loop payment card.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the user computing device discards the received financial account information associated with the payment card if the payment card has a categorical designation comprising an open-loop payment card.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the user computing device discards the received financial account information based on the categorical designation.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the user computing device captures the image of the payment card via a camera device communicating with the user computing device via a network.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein one or more of the one or more extracted visual objects comprise a logo associated with an issuer system, an acquirer system, or a financial institution system.

15. A system to categorize payment cards, comprising:

a storage device; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the storage device, wherein the processor executes application code instructions that are stored in the storage device to cause the system to;

receive, from a user computing device, an image comprising an image of a payment card captured via the user computing device;

extract one or more text objects and one or more visual objects from the image of the payment card;

determine, based on the one or more extracted text objects and the one or more extracted visual objects, a categorical designation for the payment card and financial account information associated with the payment card; and

transmit, to the user computing device, the financial account information associated with the payment card and the categorical designation for the payment card for storage in the user computing device based on the categorical designation.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the categorical designation comprises one of an open-loop payment card or a closed-loop payment card.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the user computing device discards the received financial account information based on the categorical designation.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the user computing device discards the received financial account information associated with the payment card if the payment card has a categorical designation comprising an open-loop payment card.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the user computing device captures the image of the payment card via a camera device communicating with the user computing device via a network.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein one or more of the one or more extracted visual objects comprise a logo associated with an issuer system, an acquirer system, or a financial institution system.