System and method for card-linked services

• US 9,754,275 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2013
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mastercard International Incorporated (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mastercard International Incorporated (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Inventors: Feldman, Jason A
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Luis A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Andrei, Radu
• Application Number:
  US14/071,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20150127441A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• Field of Search: 705 141, 705 1424, 705 1425, 705 1458, 705 1449, 713176, 382100, 382106
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/02 Affine transformations for image registration G06T3/147; for image mosaicing G06T3/4038
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41415 involving a public display, viewable by several users in a public space outside their home, e.g. movie theatre, information kiosk

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for applying a rebate or promotion associated with a transaction account. Offer information representing an offer for a promotion or rebate provided to a purchaser is received, and at least some of the offer information is processed to associate the purchaser with at least one transaction account. Account information representing the at least one transaction account associated with the purchaser is transmitted to a computing device associated with the first party. Transaction information representing a transaction associated with the offer information and the account information is received from a computing device associated with the first party or a second party, and is processed to associate the transaction with the transaction account associated with the purchaser and the promotion or rebate. The rebate or promotion is applied as a function of the transaction information.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for applying a promotion or rebate associated with a transaction account, the method comprising:

receiving, with one or more processors from a computing device associated with a first party, offer information representing an offer for a promotion or rebate provided to a purchaser while the purchaser is operating a computing device that is connected to a publisher'"'"'s Internet web site;

in response to a selection of the promotion or offer and while the computing device operated by the purchaser is connected to the publisher'"'"'s Internet web site, receiving, from a computing device associated with the publisher'"'"'s Internet website, information representing the purchaser;

generating, with the one or more processors, a match key that is associated with the purchaser and usable to access information representing a plurality of transaction accounts of the purchaser;

transmitting, with the one or more processors, to a computing device having access to information representing the plurality of transaction accounts, the match key;

receiving, with the one or more processors in response to the transmitted match key, the information representing the plurality of transaction accounts;

transmitting, with the one or more processors to a computing device associated with the publisher'"'"'s Internet website, the information representing the plurality of transaction accounts for generating and displaying for the computing device operated by the purchaser, without controlling the appearance of the publisher'"'"'s Internet web site on other computing devices operated simultaneously by other users, a prompt for a selection of one of the plurality of transaction accounts;

receiving, with the one or more processors, from the computing device operated by the purchaser in response to the prompt, a selection of one of the plurality of transaction accounts for future application of the promotion or rebate, wherein the selection of the one transaction account represents an acceptance of the offer; and

associating, with the one or more processors, at least some of the offer information with the selected one transaction account

wherein the rebate or promotion is applied, without user assistance, to the selected one transaction account as a function of transaction information representing a purchase made by the purchaser using the selected one transaction account in accordance with the offer information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer information is received and maintained for access prior to receiving the transaction information, or determined substantially in real-time as a function of an offer received by the purchaser.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the offer information is determined based on one or more of an identification of the offer, a number of offers redeemed by the purchaser, and a value of the purchaser to a merchant.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one transaction account is a securely and operatively coupled to a trusted service manager or a transaction card.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the transaction card is a credit card.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the transaction card is associated with a database, wherein the database includes characteristic and/or registration information that is usable to be matched to the purchaser.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, to a computing device associated with a third party, at least some of the offer information;

receiving, from a computing device associated with the third party, purchaser identification information representing at least an identification associated with the purchaser; and

associating the purchaser identification information with the plurality of transaction accounts.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the purchaser identification information includes information representing at least one selected from a group consisting of:

name;

email address;

zip code;

address;

gender;

telephone number;

income;

education;

debt;

at least one family member;

census tract; and

demographics.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing one or more databases that include information associated with purchasers and transaction accounts; and

selecting at least some of the information included in the database that corresponds with at least the purchaser.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first party is associated with a social network.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first party is associated with a merchant.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising formatting the account information to include information associated with at least the promotion or rebate and the selected one transaction account.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the account information includes a credit card number and expiration date.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the account information includes information associated with the purchaser.

15. A system for applying a promotion or rebate associated with a transaction account, the system comprising:

one or more processors configured to interact with a computer-readable medium in order to perform operations that include;

receiving, from a computing device associated with a first party, offer information representing an offer for a promotion or rebate provided to a purchaser while the purchaser is operating a computing device that is connected to a publisher'"'"'s Internet web site;

in response to a selection of the promotion or offer and while the computing device operated by the purchaser is connected to the publisher'"'"'s Internet web site, receiving, from a computing device associated with the publisher'"'"'s Internet website, information representing the purchaser;

generating a match key that is associated with the purchaser and usable to access information representing a plurality of transaction accounts of the purchaser;

transmitting to a computing device having access to information representing the plurality of transaction accounts, the match key;

receiving, in response to the transmitted match key, the information representing the plurality of transaction accounts;

transmitting, to a computing device associated with the publisher'"'"'s Internet website, the information representing the plurality of transaction accounts for generating and displaying for the computing device operated by the purchaser, without controlling the appearance of the publisher'"'"'s Internet web site on other computing devices operated simultaneously by other users, a prompt for a selection of one of the plurality of transaction accounts;

receiving, from the computing device operated by the purchaser in response to the prompt, a selection of one of the plurality of transaction accounts for future application of the promotion or rebate, wherein the selection of the one transaction account represents an acceptance of the offer; and

associating at least some of the offer information with the selected one transaction account

wherein the rebate or promotion is applied, without user assistance, to the selected one transaction account as a function of transaction information representing a purchase made by the purchaser using the selected one transaction account in accordance with the offer information.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the offer information is received and maintained for access prior to receiving the transaction information, or determined substantially in real-time as a function of an offer received by the purchaser.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the offer information is determined based on one or more of an identification of the offer, a number of offers redeemed by the purchaser, and a value of the purchaser to a merchant.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one transaction account is a securely and operatively coupled to a trusted service manager or a transaction card.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the transaction card is a credit card.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the transaction card is associated with a database, wherein the database includes characteristic and/or registration information that is usable to be matched to the purchaser.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to perform operations that include:

transmitting, to a computing device associated with a third party, at least some of the offer information;

receiving, from a computing device associated with the third party, purchaser identification information representing at least an identification associated with the purchaser; and

associating the purchaser identification information with the plurality of transaction accounts.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein the purchaser identification information includes information representing at least one selected from a group consisting of:

name;

email address;

zip code;

address;

gender;

telephone number;

income;

education;

debt;

at least one family member;

census tract; and

demographics.

23. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to perform operations that include:

accessing one or more databases that include information associated with purchasers and transaction accounts; and

selecting at least some of the information included in the database that corresponds with at least the purchaser.

24. The system of claim 15, wherein the first party is associated with a social network.

25. The system of claim 15, wherein the first party is associated with a merchant.

26. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to format the account information to include information associated with at least the promotion or rebate and the selected one transaction account.

27. The system of claim 15, wherein the account information includes a credit card number and expiration date.

28. The system of claim 15, wherein the account information includes information associated with the purchaser.

29. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more data processing apparatus, cause the one or more data processing apparatus to perform operations for applying a promotion or rebate associated with a transaction account, comprising:

receiving, with one or more processors from a computing device associated with a first party, offer information representing an offer for a promotion or rebate provided to a purchaser while the purchaser is operating a computing device that is connected to a publisher'"'"'s Internet web site;

in response to a selection of the promotion or offer and while the computing device operated by the purchaser is connected to the publisher'"'"'s Internet web site, receiving, from a computing device associated with the publisher'"'"'s Internet website, information representing the purchaser;

generating, with the one or more processors, a match key that is associated with the purchaser and usable to access information representing a plurality of transaction accounts of the purchaser;

transmitting, with the one or more processors, to a computing device having access to information representing the plurality of transaction accounts, the match key;

receiving, with the one or more processors in response to the transmitted match key, the information representing the plurality of transaction accounts;

transmitting, with the one or more processors to a computing device associated with the publisher'"'"'s Internet website, the information representing the plurality of transaction accounts for generating and displaying for the computing device operated by the purchaser, without controlling the appearance of the publisher'"'"'s Internet web site on other computing devices operated simultaneously by other users, a prompt for a selection of one of the plurality of transaction accounts;

receiving, with the one or more processors, from the computing device operated by the purchaser in response to the prompt, a selection of one of the plurality of transaction accounts for future application of the promotion or rebate, wherein the selection of the one transaction account represents an acceptance of the offer; and

associating, with the one or more processors, at least some of the offer information with the selected one transaction account,

wherein the rebate or promotion is applied, without user assistance, to the selected one transaction account as a function of transaction information representing a purchase made by the purchaser using the selected one transaction account in accordance with the offer information.