METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PROVIDING DYNAMIC FEEDBACK TO CUSTOMERS USING TRANSACTIONAL ACCOUNTS FOR PURCHASES

• US 20080027795A1
• Filed: 07/27/2006
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: MEDLIN, JENNIFER, REED, JIM, Myers, Jerome
• Application Number:
  US11/460,622
• Publication Number:
  US 20080027795A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/227 characterised in that multiple accounts are available, e.g. to the payer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures

Abstract

Feedback is provided to customers based on the use of transactional accounts. The feedback may be of various forms such as a coupon or lottery number resulting from use of a particular transactional account to make a purchase. Other forms of feedback include purchase related feedback such as current sale prices at a merchant based on use of a particular transactional account or items previously purchased from a merchant when using the particular transactional account. The feedback may be of other forms as well such as transactional account information such as the current interest rate applicable to the current purchase or the remaining balance after the purchase is complete.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium containing instructions for performing acts to provide coupons to customers using a transactional account when making a purchase from a seller system, the acts comprising:

during payment for the purchase, receiving by the seller system a transactional account identifier from the customer wherein the transactional account identifier indicates the transactional account to be used to pay for the purchase, wherein the transactional account is managed by an entity distinct from the seller;

querying by the seller system a database operated by the entity who manages the transaction account for the transactional account identifier to find coupons relevant to the customer that has provided the transactional account identifier, wherein the database has coupons relevant to the customer stored in relation to the transactional account identifier provided by the customer; and

printing by the seller system the coupons from the database for the customer while contemporaneously completing the payment with the transactional account.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein printing the coupons comprises printing a receipt for the completed payment and printing the coupons on a back of the receipt.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising transferring data reflecting the coupons that have been printed by the seller system to the entity that manages the transactional account.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein querying the database includes looking for coupons related to products included in the purchase.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the database has coupons relevant to the customer based on a product purchase history of the customer that is associated with the transactional account identifier.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein receiving the transactional account identifier comprises reading the transactional account identifier from a machine-readable strip of a transactional card in the possession of the customer.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising detecting from the account identifier whether coupons from certain entities are blocked and are not printed for the customer.

8. A computer readable medium containing instructions for performing acts that provide purchase related information to a customer that utilizes a transactional account to pay for purchases, the acts comprising:

obtaining a transactional account identifier from the customer while the customer is selecting items to purchase and prior to payment for the purchase occurring;

querying a database for the transactional account identifier to find purchase related information that is associated with the transactional account identifier so as to be relevant to the customer while the customer is selecting items to purchase; and

displaying the purchase related information for viewing by the customer while the customer selects items to purchase.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the purchase related information comprises a listing of products previously purchased by the customer.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the information further comprises route information for finding the products previously purchased by the customer.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the purchase related information comprises advertisements for products previously purchased by the customer.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising detecting from the account identifier whether advertisements from certain entities are blocked and are not displayed for the customer.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the purchase related information comprises current sales for one or more of the products that have been previously purchased by the customer.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 8, further comprising receiving from the customer an identification of products to be purchased by the customer, and wherein the purchase related information further comprises information based on the received identification of products.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the purchase related information comprises route information for finding the products that have been identified.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the purchase related information comprises current sales for one or more of the products that have been identified.

17. A computer readable medium containing instructions that perform acts for providing transactional account information to customers using a transactional account when making a purchase, the acts comprising:

during payment for the purchase, receiving a transactional account identifier from the customer wherein the transactional account identifier indicates the transactional account to be used to pay for the purchase;

querying a database for the transactional account identifier to find multiple forms of transactional account information relevant to the purchase by the customer that has provided the transactional account identifier; and

outputting the multiple forms of transactional account information to the customer.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the multiple forms of transactional account information includes a current interest rate that applies to payment of the purchase.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the multiple forms of transactional account information includes available funds from the transactional account.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein outputting the transactional account information comprises producing a visual display on a screen.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein outputting the transactional account information comprises printing a paper copy.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein printing the paper copy comprises printing a receipt for the purchase and including the transactional account information on the receipt.

23. A computer readable medium containing instructions that perform acts for providing entry into a lottery for customers using a transactional account when making a purchase, the acts comprising:

during payment for the purchase, receiving a transactional account identifier from the customer wherein the transactional account identifier indicates the transactional account to be used to pay for the purchase;

in response to receiving the transactional account identifier, obtaining a lottery number that serves as entry to the lottery; and

printing the lottery number for the customer while contemporaneously completing the payment with the transactional account.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein prior to obtaining the lottery number, determining whether the account identifier is eligible for entry into the lottery.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein determining whether the account identifier is eligible comprises determining whether an amount of the purchase has met a threshold.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein printing the lottery number comprises printing a receipt for the purchase and including the lottery number on the receipt.