Methods and systems for accepting offers via checks

• US 7,664,705 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2004
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Fincham, Magdalena M., Walker, Jay S., Alderucci, Dean P., Tedesco, Daniel E., Krantz, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Felten, Daniel S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rankins, William E
• Application Number:
  US10/855,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20050027650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,091 Days
• Field of Search: 705/45
• US Class Current: 705/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/042 characterized in that the payment protocol involves at least one cheque
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• 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 20/4037 Remote solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02

Abstract

In accordance with one or more embodiments, a method and system are provided for facilitating the output of an offer to an account holder of a financial account, which offer the account holder may accept via a check being presented by the account holder as payment for a transaction. For example, the account holder may alter an indicium on the check to indicate acceptance of the offer. An example of an offer is an offer to sell to the account holder transactional overdraft protection for the transaction for which a check is provided as payment. Another example of an offer to provide a benefit to the account holder in exchange for a commitment by the account holder to an obligation. Such an offer may be provided by, for example, a merchant different than the merchant at which the check is being provided as payment for a transaction. In one or more embodiments, the offer or an indication of the offer may be printed on the check or handwritten on the check.

Claims

1. A method for processing a check, comprising:

Determining, via a check processing device an offer indicated on a check;

Determining that the offer has been accepted by the payor of the check via the check processing device; and

Processing the check via the check processing device in accordance with the offer and with a back-up financial account, wherein the back-up financial account is indicated on the check, and wherein the back-up financial account is used to pay at least a portion of an amount indicated on the check when a checking account associated with the check has insufficient funds.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer comprises an offer to provide information related to the processing of the check to the payor, the information comprising information in addition to general information provided by a bank associated with the check to all payors of processed checks.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer comprises an offer for a product in addition to a product being paid for by the check.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the offer is an offer from a merchant that is a primary payee of the check.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the offer is printed by a point of sale terminal device operated by the merchant that is the primary payee of the check.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the offer is an offer from a merchant that is not a primary payee of the check.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the offer is printed on the check at a time the check is printed for the payor.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer is printed on the check by a printing machine.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein an indication of the offer is printed on the check by a printing machine.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein an indication of the offer is handwritten on the check.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the offer has been accepted by the payor comprises:

determining which of a plurality of signature lines printed on the check has been signed by the payor.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the offer has been accepted by the payor of the check comprises:

determining that a code has been included in a predetermined area of the check.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the offer comprises determining a code and retrieving, from memory, the offer that corresponds to the code.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the offer comprises determining a code and querying another entity for the offer that corresponds to the code.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the predetermined area comprises a memo line printed on the check.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the offer and determining that the offer has been accepted by the payor of the check comprises:

determining that an indicium printed on the check has been altered by the payor.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the offer and determining that the offer has been accepted by the payor of the check comprises:

determining that a mark has been made in a predetermined area of the check, the predetermined area corresponding to the offer.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the check has printed thereon a plurality of offers, each offer of the plurality of offers corresponding to a respective area of the check in which a mark can be made by the payor.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the check has printed thereon a plurality of offers, each offer of the plurality of offers corresponding to a respective indicium alterable by the payor.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein determining an offer comprises determining the offer based on information stored in memory as associated with the payor.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein determining an acceptance comprises determining the acceptance based on information stored in memory as associated with the payor.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the acceptance comprises a conditional acceptance, such that at least one condition is associated with the acceptance, and further comprising:

determining whether a condition associated with the acceptance has been satisfied; and

processing the check in accordance with the acceptance only if the condition has been satisfied.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the check comprises:

determining additional data indicated on the check and processing the check based on the data.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the check comprises:

determining, based on the offer, an amount of funds to be disbursed from a financial account associated with the check;

determining a payee associated with the offer; and

providing the amount of funds to the payee.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the check comprises:

determining an action to be performed that is identified by the offer; and

causing the action to be performed.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer comprises an offer to provide a monetary amount to the payor in exchange for the payor'"'"'s commitment to an obligation, such that the payor'"'"'s acceptance of the offer comprises the payor'"'"'s agreement to commit to the obligation, and wherein processing the check comprises:

causing the monetary amount to be added to a financial account associated with the payor; and

communicating, to a merchant associated with the offer, the payor'"'"'s commitment to the obligation.

27. A computer readable medium storing instructions configured to direct a processor to;

Determine an offer indicated on a check;

Determine that the offer has been accepted by a payor of the check, the acceptance also being indicated on the check; and

Process the check in accordance with the offer and with a back-up financial account, wherein the back-up financial account is indicated on the check, and wherein the back-up financial account is used to pay at least a portion of an amount indicated on the check when a checking account associated with the check has insufficient funds.