GIFT CARD SERVICES FOR MOBILE DEVICES

• US 20090210318A1
• Filed: 04/30/2009
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: First Data Resources Incorporated (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Transaction Wireless, Inc. (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Abifaker, Basil Munir
• Granted Patent: US 8,521,629 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for gift card services. In general, data characterizing a request to provide a merchant credit service to an intended recipient is received and a message to be sent to the intended recipient is generated, where the message characterizes a phone number to call to activate the merchant credit service. Data characterizing authentication by a call to the phone number to activate the merchant credit service from the mobile phone number of the intended recipient is received, where the authentication includes checking caller identification of the call to ensure the call is from the mobile phone number of the intended recipient. The merchant credit service is activated. Credit associated with an account of a merchant credit service may be redeemed by providing an account number of the service. Redemption may be authorized based on caller identification of a mobile phone number associated with an account.

Claims

1. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a computer-readable storage medium, the computer program product being operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving first data characterizing a request to provide a merchant credit service to an intended recipient;

generating a message for the intended recipient, the message characterizing a phone number to call to authenticate activation of the merchant credit service, the message being transmitted to the intended recipient by a wireless messaging service;

receiving second data characterizing authentication by a call to the phone number to activate the merchant credit service from a mobile phone number of the intended recipient, the authentication comprising checking caller identification of the call to ensure the call is from the mobile phone number of the intended recipient; and

activating the merchant credit service.

2. A product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the merchant credit service includes a feature for increasing merchant credit.

3. A product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the merchant credit service is managed through a web site.

4. A product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the merchant credit service operates without the use of a client-side application at the mobile device other than a messaging service application provided by a carrier of mobile services with the mobile device.

5. A product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the receiving the first data comprises receiving data characterizing personalization to the message to be generated for the intended recipient and the message comprises the personalization.

6. A product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

tracking use of merchant card services associated with the mobile phone number; and

causing a targeted marketing promotional message to be sent to the mobile phone number, the targeted marketing based on the tracking of the use of the merchant card services.

7. A product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining whether the mobile device supports Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) messages based on at least one of the mobile phone number, a lookup of a model of the mobile device based on the mobile phone number, and a lookup of features of the mobile device based on the model; and

if the device supports MMS messages, the message is an MMS message;

otherwise, the message is a Short Message Service message.

8. A product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the second data comprises a first code to associate with the merchant credit service and the operations further comprise:

storing an association of the first code with the merchant credit service;

receiving third data comprising a request to authorize a transaction associated with an account number for the merchant credit service;

requesting fourth data to authorize the transaction;

receiving fifth data characterizing a second code;

determining whether the second code matches the first code; and

if the second code matches the first code, authorizing the transaction;

otherwise, declining the transaction.

9. A product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the message comprises a bar code corresponding to an account number associated with the merchant credit service and the operations further comprise:

receiving third data comprising a request to authorize a transaction associated with the account number for the merchant credit service, the request based on a scan of the bar code; and

authorizing the transaction based at least in part on the account number being authorized for the transaction.

10. A product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the operations are performed by a wireless gift card server that connects to a gift card server that contains gift card account information for plastic gift cards.

11. A product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

associating a plurality of merchant credit services to a same account based on the mobile phone number of the intended recipient being the same for each of the plurality of merchant credit services.

12. A product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving third data comprising a request to activate a plastic gift card comprising an account number; and

activating the plastic gift card, the activating comprising associating the account number with an account of the merchant credit service.

13. A product in accordance with claim 12, wherein the request is based on a call or text message comprising an indication of the account number.

14. A product in accordance with claim 12, wherein the third data is part of the second data.

15. A product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving third data comprising a request for balance remaining for the merchant credit service; and

causing a message to be sent to the mobile phone number, the message comprising fourth data characterizing the balance.

16. A product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the merchant credit service is a service of pre-paid credit for purchasing products or services of a merchant.

17. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a computer-readable storage medium, the computer program product being operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving data characterizing a request to use a feature of a merchant credit service by a mobile device having an associated mobile phone number to receive phone calls, the data being received through a message in accordance with a messaging service protocol;

associating the mobile device with an account based on the mobile phone number obtained from caller identification identifying the mobile phone number of the mobile device from which the message was sent, the account being associated with the merchant credit service; and

providing the feature of the merchant credit service.

18. A product in accordance with claim 17, wherein the feature comprises a balance remainder feature and the providing the feature comprises causing a message to be message to the mobile device comprising data characterizing a remaining balance of credit associated with the merchant credit service of the mobile device, the merchant credit service being a gift card service.

19. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a computer-readable storage medium, the computer program product being operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving data characterizing a request to use a feature of a merchant credit service by a mobile device having an associated mobile phone number to receive phone calls, the data being received through an interactive voice response telephone system, and the merchant credit service having been purchased through a web site;

associating the mobile device with an account based on the mobile phone number obtained from caller identification to the interactive voice response telephone system, the account being associated with the merchant credit service, the caller identification being provided based on call information provided through a mobile carrier; and

providing the feature of the merchant credit service.

20. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a computer-readable storage medium, the computer program product being operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving user-generated input customizing a wireless merchant credit service to an intended recipient;

determining a messaging service with the largest message length supported by a mobile device associated with the intended recipient;

optimizing features of the user-generated customized wireless merchant credit service based on the determined messaging service;

delivering the user-generated customized wireless merchant credit service with the optimized features to the intended recipient via the determined messaging service.