Intelligent transaction router and process for handling multi-product point of sale transactions

• US 7,580,859 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2004
• Issued: 08/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: e2Interactive Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Coinstar E-Payment Services Incorporated (Millennium Prime, Inc.)
• Inventors: Uzar, Leslie A., Sturm, Gregory R., Economy, Theodore F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gart; Matthew S
• Assistant Examiner(s): ADE, OGER GARCIA
• Application Number:
  US10/923,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20050080678A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,828 Days
• Field of Search: 705/16, 705/17, 705/21, 705/14, 235/375, 235/380, 235/381, 235/383
• US Class Current: 705/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/227 characterised in that multiple accounts are available, e.g. to the payer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/208 Use of an ATM as a switch or hub
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0833 Card having specific functional components
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0873 Details of the card reader
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/02 Coin-freed or check-freed systems , e.g. mobile- or card-operated phones, public telephones or booths
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/106 using commercial credit or debit cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/20 with provision for recharging the prepaid account or card, or for credit establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/204 on-line recharging, e.g. cashless
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/205 by calling a service number, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] or menu

Abstract

A transaction router and corresponding process that enables the point-of-sale activation (POSA) of POSA type devices, such as POSA pre-paid gift cards, debit cards, telephone cards and cellular replenishment cards, while utilizing a standard credit card swipe terminal (reader). The transaction router, during use, receives the output of the reader and allows standard credit and debit card transactions to pass to the financial transaction processing entity that is called by the reader, to allow the financial transaction to be carried out. If the card or device being read by the reader is a POSA type device to be activated, then the router routes the communication initiated by the reader to another processing entity capable of activating the POSA device. The reader is unaware of the existence of the router and operates in its ordinary manner, whether standard credit and debit cards are being processed, or whether a POSA card or other POSA device is being activated. Increasing the value of a previously activated POSA card also may be carried out.

Claims

1. A process for activating a point-of-sale activation (POSA) device, comprising the steps of:

obtaining a point-of-sale activation (POSA) device, the POSA device having identification data stored thereon or therein;

obtaining by a reader the identification data of the obtained POSA device;

commencing by the reader a financial transaction by initiating a communication to communicate with a first processing entity capable of processing financial transactions;

routing, prior to when communication between the reader and the first processing entity is established, the communication to a second processing entity capable of activating the POSA device; and

communicating the identification data to the second processing entity to cause the POSA device to be activated.

2. The process of claim 1, further comprising the step of communicating to the reader a rejection code encoded to indicate to the reader that the commenced financial transaction is rejected.

3. The process of claim 1, further comprising the step of communicating to the reader a communication to cause the reader to terminate its communication.

4. The process of claim 3, wherein the step of communicating to the reader a communication to cause the reader to terminate its communication is carried out prior to the step of communicating the identification data to the second processing entity.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein the step of routing is carried out by a router distinct from the reader.

6. The process of claim 5, wherein the step of communicating the identification data to the second processing entity is carried out by the router.

7. The process of claim 6, further comprising the step of terminating communication between the reader and the router prior to the step of communicating the identification data to the second processing entity.

8. The process of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a payment instrument to pay for the POSA device.

9. The process of claim 8, wherein the payment instrument is a payment device having payment device identification data store thereon or therein;

the process further comprising the steps of identifying a monetary value to be placed on the obtained POSA card;

using the reader to commence a financial transaction pertaining to the payment card by initiating and achieving communication with the first processing entity; and

providing the payment card data and the identified monetary value to the first processing entity to cause the commenced financial transaction for the identified monetary value to be carried out.

10. The process of claim 9, wherein the step of communicating the identification data to the second processing entity includes also communicating the identified monetary value to the second processing entity to cause the POSA device to be activated to the identified monetary value.

11. The process of claim 1, further comprising identifying a monetary value to be placed on the obtained POSA card;

wherein the step of obtaining by a reader includes obtaining the identified monetary value; and

the step of communicating the identification data to the second processing entity includes also communicating the obtained monetary value to the second processing entity to cause the POSA device to be activated to the identified monetary value.

12. The process of claim 1, further comprising the step of identifying that the obtained device is a POSA device;

and wherein the routing step is carried out only if the obtained device is identified as a POSA device.

13. The process of claim 1, wherein the step of routing is carried out by a router distinct from the reader;

the process further comprising manually depressing an access button disposed on the router; and

wherein the routing step is carried out only if the access button is depressed within a preset time period prior to when communication with the first processing entity is initiated during the commencing step.

14. The process of claim 1, further comprising the step of learning a format of communication by the reader;

and wherein the step of communicating the identification data to the second processing entity is carried out by transmitting a communication from the reader to the second processing entity and extracting the identification data of the POSA device from the transmitted communication in accordance with the learned format to cause the POSA device identified by the extracted identification data to be activated.

15. A process for activating a point-of-sale activation (POSA) device, comprising the steps of:

obtaining a payment device, the payment device being one of a point-of-sale activated (POSA) device and a non-point-of-sale activated (non-POSA) device, the payment device having identification data stored thereon or therein;

identifying the payment device as a POSA device or a non-POSA device;

obtaining by a reader the identification data of the obtained payment device;

commencing by the reader a financial transaction by initiating a communication to

communicate with a first processing entity capable of processing financial transactions, the

communication being supplied to a router distinct from the reader;

allowing, by the router, the initiated communication to pass to the first processing entity if the payment device is identified as a non-POSA device;

blocking, by the router, the initiated communication if the payment device is identified as a POSA device, and after blocking the initiated communication, carrying out the steps of receiving by the router the obtained identification data from the reader, and transmitting the obtained identification data from the router to a second processing entity to cause the second processing entity to activate the payment device as identified by the transmitted identification data.

16. The process of claim 15, wherein the step of receiving by the router the obtained identification data from the reader is carried out by communicating by the router to the reader a command code instructing the reader to supply the obtained identification data of the payment device and receiving the identification data by the router in response to the communicated command code.

17. The process of claim 16, wherein, after the identification data is received by the router, the router communicates to the reader a transaction rejection code sufficient to cause the reader to terminate the commenced financial transaction.

18. The process of claim 16, wherein, after the identification data is received by the router, the router communicates to the reader a control code to cause the reader to discontinue the communication initiated by the reader.

19. The process of claim 15, further comprising, if the payment device is a POSA device, the steps of identifying a monetary value to be placed on the POSA device and supplying the identified monetary value to the reader;

and wherein, after the initiated communication by the reader is blocked by the router, the router also receives the supplied monetary value from the reader, and the supplied monetary value is also transmitted from the router to the second processing entity to cause activation of the POSA device to the transmitted monetary value.

20. The process of claim 15, further comprising, if the obtained payment device is a POSA device, the step of providing a payment instrument to pay for the obtained POSA device.

21. The process of claim 20, wherein the payment instrument is a credit or debit instrument having identification data store thereon or therein;

and wherein the obtaining by a reader and commencing by the reader steps are carried out two times, one of the two times for the credit or debit instrument to pay for the POSA device, the other of the two times for the POSA device to activate the POSA device.

22. The process of claim 15, wherein the step of identifying the payment device as a POSA device or a non-POSA device is carried out by depressing a button on the router when the payment device is a POSA device and not depressing the button on the router when the payment device is a non-POSA device.

23. The process of claim 15, wherein the step of identifying the payment device as a POSA device or a non-POSA device is carried out by the router monitoring the communication initiated by the reader to commence the financial transaction.

24. The process of claim 15, further comprising the step of learning a format of communication between the reader and the first processing entity;

and wherein the step of receiving by the router the obtained identification data from the reader is carried out by receiving by the router from the reader a communication containing the identification data, and extracting by the router the identification data from the received communication in accordance with the learned format.

25. The process of claim 24, further comprising the step of supplying by the router to the reader a transaction rejection code in accordance with the learned format to cause the reader to terminate the commenced financial transaction.

26. The process of claim 24, wherein the step of learning a format of communication between the reader and the first processing entity is carried out by:

providing a learn payment device having known, pre-set identification data stored thereon or therein;

obtaining by the reader the pre-set identification data of the learn payment device;

carrying out the step of commencing by the reader a financial transaction

carrying out the allowing step to allow the initiated communication to pass to the first processing entity;

capturing by the router the communication between reader and the first processing entity; and

ascertain the format of communication between the reader and the first processing entity based on the known, pre-set identification data of the learn payment device and the captured communication.

27. The process of claim 15, further comprising the step of printing a report containing an authorization code necessary to be utilized by a holder of the activated POSA device.

28. The process of claim 15, wherein the step of blocking is carried out when the payment device is an already activated POSA device having a value to be increased, and the step of transmitting the obtained identification data from the router to the second processing entity causes the second processing entity to increase the value of the already activated payment device.