Changing a financial account after initiating a payment using a proxy card

• US 9,836,739 B1
• Filed: 02/19/2014
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Inventors: Borovsky, Andrew, Aaron, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Frenel, Vanel
• Application Number:
  US14/184,503
• Time in Patent Office: 1,385 Days
• Field of Search: 705 17, 705 21, 705 44, 705 39, 705 18, 705 41, 705 35, 235385
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3276 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being read by the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3572 Multiple accounts on card
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods for changing a financial account after initiating a payment using a proxy object, such as a proxy card, are disclosed. The proxy card is associated with multiple financial accounts, such as accounts associated with credit cards, debit cards, and pre-paid gift cards. A consumer presents the proxy card to a merchant to make a payment, and the merchant swipes the proxy card and processes the payment by sending transaction information to a financial system. A computer system associated with the financial system selects a payment account associated with the proxy card to use for the payment, and an authorization for the transaction is obtained. Later, the consumer is given a limited time within which he may change the financial account used for the payment, such as by using his mobile device to select a different account associated with the proxy card to use to obtain funds for the payment.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a point-of-sale (POS) system and by a computer system, transaction information associated with a financial transaction involving a payment between a merchant and a consumer,

the financial transaction involving a reading of a payment card by a card reader associated with the POS system,

the payment card being associated with a plurality of financial accounts,

the plurality of financial accounts each being associated with one of a credit card, a debit card, an automated teller machine (ATM) card, or a stored value card;

receiving, from the POS system and by the computer system, payment card information obtained from the payment card by the card reader;

accessing, by the computer system and based on the payment card information, a database to identify the plurality of financial accounts and to identify a mobile device associated with the payment card;

selecting, by the computer system, a first financial account of the plurality of financial accounts associated with the payment card to use for the payment;

sending, by the computer system, information associated with the first financial account to a financial system that processes payments to cause the financial system to send an authorization for the payment to the POS system; and

after the POS system has received the authorization;

sending a message, by the computer system, for delivery to the mobile device, to prompt the mobile device to output an indication that the first financial account has been selected for use for the payment;

sending a message, by the computer system, for delivery to the mobile device, to prompt the mobile device to output an indication of a time limit for the customer to specify that a second financial account of the plurality of financial accounts should be used to obtain funds for the payment;

causing the mobile device to output an indication of the second financial account of the plurality of accounts, to provide to the consumer an option to select the second financial account instead of the first financial account to process the payment; and

upon indication of a selection by the consumer of the second financial account for processing of the payment received within the time limit, initiating, by the computer system, a process to cause funds for the transaction to be obtained from the second financial account, wherein the time limit corresponds to a time when the financial system begins batch processing of a plurality of payments including the payment.

2. A method comprising:

selecting, by a computer system, a first account of a plurality of financial accounts associated with a payment object, said selecting being performed in association with the payment object being used at a merchant terminal to initiate a payment for a transaction;

sending a message, by the computer system, to initiate a process that causes a server associated with a financial system that processes payments to send an authorization to the merchant terminal, the authorization indicating that the first account has sufficient funds available for use for the transaction;

identifying, by the computer system, a mobile device associated with the payment object; and

after sending the message;

sending, by the computer system, an indication of a second account of the plurality of financial accounts to the mobile device, to cause information associated with the second account to be output by the mobile device; and

causing the payment for the transaction to be processed using the second account based on an indication of a selection of the second account being received by the computer system from the mobile device within a specified period of time after the sending of the indication, wherein a time when the specified period of time is specified to end is based on another time at which a computing device performs batch processing of payment transactions, the payment transactions including the payment for the transaction.

3. The method of claim 2, further including:

when the indication of the selection of the second account is received within the specified period of time, initiating a process that causes a transfer of funds for the payment from the second account.

4. The method of claim 2, further including:

after sending the message to initiate the process, receiving at the computer system a message from the mobile device that indicates that a payer made a selection to cause funds for the transaction to be obtained from the second account.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the message from the mobile device indicates a selection by the payer indicating that funds for the transaction should not be obtained from the first account.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the specified period of time is specified to start at substantially the same time that the selection of the first account happens.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the specified period of time is specified to end a fixed amount of time after the period of time starts.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the first account is a credit account, and wherein the funds that are available for use include funds borrowed from the credit account.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

after the server sends the authorization, sending a message for delivery to the mobile device to prompt the mobile device to output an indication of a time limit for the payer to indicate that funds for the financial transaction should be obtained from the second financial account.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

after the server sends the authorization, receiving a message from the mobile device that indicates that the payer made a selection to cause funds for the transaction should be obtained from the second account.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the payment object is a magnetic stripe card, a smart card, a proximity card, a re-programmable magnetic stripe card, a card or device containing a quick response (QR) code, a card containing a bar code, a proxy card, a credit card, a charge card, an automated teller machine (ATM) card, a debit card, a pre-paid credit card, a pre-paid debit card, a gift card, a stored value card, a fleet card, or a mobile device.

12. A method comprising:

receiving a message from a computer system, in association with a financial transaction involving a payment initiated by a payer at a first point of sale (POS) system using a first financial account associated with a payment object, at a mobile device associated with the payer, after the computer system has sent an authorization for the financial transaction to the POS system, the message indicating that a second financial account associated with the payment object can be used to obtain funds for the payment,

the payment object being associated with a plurality of financial accounts of the payer,

the first financial account being one of the financial accounts,

the first financial account used to obtain an authorization from a financial system that processes payments,

the authorization indicating that the first financial account has sufficient funds available for use for the payment; and

based on the receiving of the message, sending a message to the computer system, in response to an indication by the payer to use the second financial account for the payment received within a time limit, to initiate a process that causes the funds for the payment to be obtained from the second financial account, wherein the time limit corresponds to a time when the financial system begins batch processing of a plurality of payments including the payment.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a message that prompts the mobile device to output an indication of the time limit for the payer to indicate that the second financial account should be used for the payment.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

obtaining account information from a payment card, the account information being associated with a payment account; and

sending a message to prompt the computer system to associate the payment account with the payment object.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a message from the computer system that indicates that the first financial account was used to initiate the payment; and

displaying an indication that the first financial account was used to initiate the payment.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

displaying an indication that funds for the payment can be obtained from the second financial account; and

receiving an indication from the payer to use the second financial account for the payment.

17. A system comprising:

a processor;

a communication interface, coupled to the processor, through which to communicate over a network with remote devices;

a store of association information that associates a payment object with a plurality of financial accounts of a payer and a computing device; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions which when executed by the processor cause the system to perform operations including;

selecting, based on the association information, a first financial account associated with a payment object in association with the payment object being used at a merchant terminal to initiate a payment for a transaction involving the payer;

sending a message to cause a server to send an authorization to the merchant terminal, the authorization indicating that the first financial account has sufficient funds available for use for the transaction;

identifying, based on the association information, the computing device associated with the payment object; and

after sending the message;

sending an indication of a second financial account of the plurality of financial accounts to the identified computing device, causing information associated with the second financial account to be output by the identified computing device; and

causing the payment for the transaction to be processed using the second financial account based on an indication of a selection of the second financial account being received from the computing device within a predetermined period of time after the sending of the indication of the second financial account, wherein a time when the predetermined period of time is specified to end is based on another time at which a computing device performs batch processing of payment transactions, the payment transactions including the payment for the transaction.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the operations further include:

selecting the first financial account based on the first financial account being the most recently selected financial account of the plurality of financial accounts.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the operations further include:

selecting the first financial account based on a previous indication by the payer to use the first financial account, the processor deriving the indication to use the first financial account based on the store of association information.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the operations further include:

after the server sends the authorization, sending a message for delivery to the computing device to prompt the computing device to output an indication of a time limit for the payer to indicate that funds for the financial transaction should be obtained from the second financial account.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the operations further include:

receiving, via the communication interface, a message indicating a selection by the payer indicating that funds for the transaction should be obtained from the second financial account associated with the payment object.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein receiving the message via the communication interface includes receiving the message from the computing device after the server sends the authorization.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the operations further include:

sending a message for delivery to the computing device to prompt the computing device to output an indication of a time limit for the payer to indicate that funds for the financial transaction should be obtained from the second financial account.