Method and system for implementing a loyalty merchant component
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A system for processing a transaction under a loyalty program, comprising:
- a loyalty host configured to maintain rules and logic relating to the loyalty program;
a cardholder system configured to retrieve and forward a device image from a portable device, the device image including portable device information and loyalty program information relating to a cardholder;
a merchant server configured to provide transaction information relating to the transaction;
an open programming engine (OPE) configured to retrieve the rules and logic relating to the loyalty program based on the transaction information and determine a loyalty amount for the transaction using the rules and logic and the device image; and
a loyalty merchant component (LMC) configured to facilitate interactions amongst the OPE, the cardholder system and the merchant server for purposes of processing the transaction under the loyalty program, wherein the LMC is configured to receive the transaction information from the merchant server and forward the transaction information to the OPE and configured to receive the device image from the cardholder system and forward the device image to the OPE.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A loyalty merchant component for facilitating communications amongst cardholder systems, merchant servers and a loyalty host for purposes of processing loyalty transactions is provided. The loyalty merchant component performs a number of interface functions between the loyalty host and the merchant systems and the cardholder systems.
423 Citations
43 Claims
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1. A system for processing a transaction under a loyalty program, comprising:
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a loyalty host configured to maintain rules and logic relating to the loyalty program;
a cardholder system configured to retrieve and forward a device image from a portable device, the device image including portable device information and loyalty program information relating to a cardholder;
a merchant server configured to provide transaction information relating to the transaction;
an open programming engine (OPE) configured to retrieve the rules and logic relating to the loyalty program based on the transaction information and determine a loyalty amount for the transaction using the rules and logic and the device image; and
a loyalty merchant component (LMC) configured to facilitate interactions amongst the OPE, the cardholder system and the merchant server for purposes of processing the transaction under the loyalty program, wherein the LMC is configured to receive the transaction information from the merchant server and forward the transaction information to the OPE and configured to receive the device image from the cardholder system and forward the device image to the OPE. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A system for processing transactions under a plurality of loyalty programs, comprising:
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a loyalty host configured to maintain corresponding rules and logic relating to the plurality of loyalty programs;
a plurality of cardholder systems, each cardholder system configured to retrieve and forward respective device images from a plurality of portable devices, each device image including portable device information and loyalty program information relating to a cardholder;
a plurality of merchant servers, each merchant server configured to provide respective transaction information relating to an associated transaction;
a plurality of open programming engines (OPEs) configured to retrieve the corresponding rules and logic relating to the plurality of loyalty programs based on the respective transaction information relating to the transactions associated with one or more merchant servers and determine respective loyalty amounts for the transactions using the corresponding rules and logic and the respective device images; and
a plurality of loyalty merchant components (LMCs) configured to facilitate interactions amongst the plurality of OPEs, the plurality of cardholder systems and the plurality of merchant servers for purposes of processing the transactions under the plurality of loyalty programs, wherein a first LMC is configured to receive the transaction information from the merchant server and forward the transaction information to the OPE and configured to receive the device image from the cardholder system and forward the device image to the OPE. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for processing a transaction in connection with a loyalty program using a system having a loyalty host, an open programming engine (OPE), a loyalty merchant component (LMC), a cardholder system and a merchant server, the method comprising:
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directing the merchant server to communicate with the cardholder system to determine whether a cardholder is eligible to participate in the loyalty program, the cardholder having a portable device, the portable device having stored thereon a device image, the device image including portable device information and loyalty program information relating to the cardholder;
upon determining that the cardholder is eligible to participate in the loyalty program, directing the merchant server to forward transaction information to the cardholder system and redirect the cardholder system to communicate with the LMC and pass the transaction information to the LMC;
passing the transaction information from the LMC to the OPE;
directing the OPE to generate a transaction ID and linking the transaction ID to the transaction information;
passing the transaction ID to the LMC;
directing the LMC to forward a processing page to the cardholder system, the processing page including the transaction ID;
directing the cardholder system to establish communication with the OPE using the processing page;
directing the cardholder system to forward the device image retrieved from the portable device and the transaction ID to the OPE via the LMC;
directing the OPE to match the transaction information with the device image using the transaction ID;
directing the OPE to retrieve rules and logic pertaining to the loyalty program from the loyalty host based on the transaction information; and
directing the OPE to use the rules and logic to determine a loyalty amount for the transaction based on the transaction information and the device image. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method for handling a transaction in connection with a loyalty program using a system having a loyalty host, an open programming engine (OPE), a loyalty merchant component (LMC), a cardholder system and a merchant server, comprising:
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directing the cardholder system to communicate with the LMC upon determining that a cardholder is eligible to participate in the loyalty program, the cardholder having a portable device, the portable device having stored thereon a device image, the device image including loyalty program information relating to the cardholder;
directing the cardholder system to forward transaction information relating to the transaction to the LMC;
forwarding the transaction information to the OPE;
directing the OPE to generate a transaction ID and linking the transaction ID to the transaction information;
using the LMC to pass the transaction ID from the OPE to the cardholder system;
directing the cardholder system to link the transaction ID received from the OPE with the device image retrieved from the portable device;
using the LMC to forward the linked transaction ID and device image from the cardholder system to the OPE;
directing the OPE to match the transaction information with the device image using the transaction ID;
directing the OPE to retrieve rules and logic pertaining to the loyalty program from the loyalty host based on the transaction information; and
directing the OPE to use the rules and logic to determine a loyalty amount for the transaction based on the transaction information and the matched device image. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A system for processing a transaction under a loyalty program, comprising:
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a loyalty host configured to maintain rules and logic relating to the loyalty program;
a cardholder system configured to retrieve and forward a device image from a portable device, the device image including portable device information and loyalty program information relating to a cardholder;
a merchant server configured to provide transaction information relating to the transaction;
an open programming engine (OPE) configured to retrieve the rules and logic relating to the loyalty program based on the transaction information and determine a loyalty amount for the transaction using the rules and logic and the device image; and
a loyalty merchant component (LMC) configured to facilitate interactions amongst the OPE, the cardholder system and the merchant server for purposes of processing the transaction under the loyalty program, wherein the OPE, cardholder system and merchant server are separate entities from each other and interact through the LMC. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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Specification