TRANSIT AGENCY AS AN ISSUER AND/OR PROGRAM MANAGER OF PREPAID PRODUCTS

• US 20100089995A1
• Filed: 10/09/2009
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: El-Awady, Khalid, Dixon, Philip B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,881,971 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/106 using commercial credit or debit cards

Abstract

Described is processing for requested user access, starting with receiving transaction data from a portable consumer device presented by the user at a gate access device of an access agency for the requested access. The transaction data from the gate access device is processed and a fee amount for the requested access is determined. The processing next involves determining an account balance in accordance with the determined fee amount and a prior balance amount associated with the portable consumer device, and reconciling the determined account balance and account data associated with the portable consumer device at a processing computer of the access agency such that the access request is indicated as either approved or declined.

Claims

1. A method of processing data initiated by a user, the method comprising:

receiving transaction data from a portable consumer device presented by the user at a gate access device of an access agency for requested access wherein the portable consumer device is previously personalized to the user by an access agency central computer;

processing the transaction data from the gate access device and determining a fee amount at the access agency central computer for the requested access;

determining an account balance in accordance with the determined fee amount and determining a prior balance amount associated with the portable consumer device;

reconciling the determined account balance and account data associated with the portable consumer device at an access agency system computer and generating an authorization message from the access agency system computer to the access agency central computer if the access request is authorized by the access agency system computer.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the prior balance amount comprises a numerical funds amount that is maintained on the portable consumer device by the access terminal.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein the prior balance amount comprises a numerical funds amount that is stored in a data store that is external to the portable consumer device and is maintained by the access agency system computer.

4. A method as in claim 1, further including:

issuing the portable consumer device to the user from the access agency;

initiating a prior balance amount comprising a numerical funds amount that is associated with the portable consumer device.

5. A system for processing an access request, the system comprising:

an access agency central computer that is configured to receive transaction data from a portable consumer device presented by a user at a gate access device of an access agency for requested access and is configured to process the transaction data from the gate access device and determine a fee amount for the requested access, wherein the portable consumer access device is previously personalized to the user by the access agency central computer;

an access agency system computer that is configured to determine an account balance in accordance with the determined fee amount and a prior balance amount associated with the portable consumer device, and is configured to reconcile the determined account balance and account data associated with the portable consumer device, and is configured to generate an authorization message to the access agency central computer if the access request is authorized by the access agency system computer.

6. A system as in claim 5, wherein the prior balance amount comprises a numerical funds amount that is maintained on the portable consumer device by the access terminal.

7. A system as in claim 5, wherein the prior balance amount comprises a numerical funds amount that is stored in a data store that is external to the portable consumer device and is maintained by the access agency system computer.

8. A system as in claim 5, wherein the portable consumer device comprises a device that is issued to the user from the access agency, and includes a prior balance amount comprising a numerical funds amount that is associated with the portable consumer device.