Systems and Methods for Identifying Merchant Locations Based on Transaction Records

• US 20160066136A1
• Filed: 07/01/2015
• Published: 03/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mastercard International Incorporated (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mastercard International Incorporated (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Inventors: Weinberger, Henry, Hu, Po, Mac Nair, Bruce W., Howe, Justin X.
• Granted Patent: US 10,382,882 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/389 Keeping log of transactions for guaranteeing non-repudiation of a transaction
• 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: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Disclosed are exemplary embodiments of systems and methods for identifying a merchant location based on transaction records for the merchant. In an exemplary embodiment, a method generally includes accessing multiple router records. Each router record is assigned to one of multiple cells of a grid structure indicative of geographic location. Each router record is associated with a target merchant. The method further includes, for each of the multiple router records, searching for a match between the router record and at least one of multiple transactions at the target merchant, based on time, and reporting one or more of the multiple cells as a location associated with the target merchant, when a number of matching router records assigned to said one or more of the multiple cells exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for identifying a merchant location for a target merchant based on one or more transactions, the method comprising:

accessing multiple router records, each router record assigned to one of multiple cells of a grid structure indicative of geographic location;

for each of the multiple router records, searching, by a computing device, for a match between the router record and at least one of multiple transactions associated with the target merchant based on time; and

reporting one or more of the multiple cells as a location associated with the target merchant, when a number of matching router records assigned to said one or more of the multiple cells exceeds a predetermined threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the router records includes a time, and each of the transactions occurred at a transaction time;

and

wherein searching for the match between the router record and the at least one of multiple transactions includes searching for the match between the router record and the at least one of the multiple transactions based on the time of the router record being within a predetermined interval of the transaction time of said one of the multiple transactions.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising filtering out one or more of the router records, transactions, or matches of router records and transactions, when the time of a router record and/or the transaction time of a transaction record is within a high intensity interval;

and

wherein the high intensity interval includes an interval in which an authorization intensity of the merchant is above a predetermined threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the grid structure including the multiple cells, said cells being mutually exclusive of each other;

and

assigning the multiple router records to at least one of the multiple cells of the grid structure.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein generating the grid structure includes clustering router records within at least one standard deviation of a center of the cluster, whereby each cluster defines one of the multiple cells of the grid structure;

and

wherein no more than one merchant is included in each of the multiple cells.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each router record includes a merchant ID, a merchant name, and/or a merchant address.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising, for each of the multiple router records, appending the merchant ID, the merchant name, and/or the merchant address to the router record based on at least one router name included in the router record.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing, by a location provider, the multiple router records;

purging data identifying a consumer and/or a portable communication device from each of the multiple router records; and

transmitting the purged router records to a payment network;

wherein for each of the multiple router records, searching, by the computing device, for the match between the router record and the at least one of multiple transactions includes, for each of the purged router records, searching for the match between the purged router record and the at least one of multiple transactions.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing, by a location provider, the multiple router records;

and

creating a router graph based on the multiple accessed router records.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, by a location provider, creating at least one rule, based on at least one signal intensity range for at least one router, for determining location of a portable communication device, based on the reported one or more of the multiple cells.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing the multiple transactions based on a merchant ID;

and

wherein searching for the match between the router record and the at least one of multiple transactions includes searching for the match between the router record and the at least one of the multiple accessed transaction records, based on the merchant ID.

12. A system for identifying a merchant location based on one or more transactions, the system comprising:

a memory including a data structure, the data structure including multiple transaction records associated with a target merchant; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to;

access multiple router records, each router record associated with the target merchant;

for each of the multiple router records, search for a match between the router record and at least one of the multiple transactions associated with the target merchant based on time; and

report the at least one of the matched router record to a location provider.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to:

generate a grid structure indicative of geographic location, the grid structure including multiple, mutually exclusive cells, such that no more than one merchant is included in each of the multiple cells; and

assign each of the router records to one of the multiple cells.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein each of the router records is assigned to a grid structure having multiple cells;

and

wherein the processor is configured to report the at least one of the matched router records when the at least one of the matched router record is assigned to one of the multiple gird cells and a number of matched router records assigned to said one of the multiple cells exceeds a predetermined threshold.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein each router record includes a merchant ID, a merchant name, and/or a merchant address;

and

wherein the processor is configured to search, based on the merchant ID, the merchant name, and/or the merchant address for the match between the router record and the at least one of the multiple transactions.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one of the matched router record includes a transaction indicator and an authorization intensity;

and

wherein the authorization intensity exceeds a predefined intensity.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to search for the match between the router record and the at least one of multiple transactions based on a time of the router record being within a predetermined interval of a time of the at least one of the multiple transactions.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to identify the location of the merchant based on the router specific data in at least some of the matched router records.

19. A non-transitory computer readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

access multiple router records, each router record associated with a target merchant;

for each of the multiple router records, search for a match between the router record and at least one of multiple transactions associated with the target merchant based on time; and

report the at least one of the matched router record to a location provider.

20. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to eliminate ones of the router records, transaction records, and/or matched router records, when the time of the router record and/or the transaction time of the transaction record is within a high intensity interval;

wherein the high intensity interval includes an interval in which an authorization intensity of the merchant is more frequent than about four transactions per minute;

wherein the at least one of the matched router record includes a transaction indicator and an authorization intensity; and

wherein the authorization intensity exceeds a predefined intensity.