Credit card messenger

• US 7,698,215 B1
• Filed: 03/04/2002
• Issued: 04/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: McQuaide, A. Chet, Nguyen, Hong, Silver, Edward Michael, Roberts, Linda Ann
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell; James P
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIU, I JUNG
• Application Number:
  US10/090,180
• Time in Patent Office: 2,962 Days
• Field of Search: 705 1- 66, 380/247, 380/270, 235/375, 283/58
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4037 Remote solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A credit alert system. The system includes an account server for receiving an alert regarding at least one of available credit and credit status for a credit account. The system also includes an account database in communication with the server for storing information assigned to the account. The system further includes an application module in communication with the account server for receiving credit alerts for preparing a message to communicate to a wireless device.

Claims

1. A credit alert system, comprising:

a wireless subscriber account server for receiving a credit card alert from a credit card account database regarding at least one of available credit and credit status for a credit card account, wherein the credit card account database does not have or have access to wireless subscriber account information for a person associated with the credit card account, wherein the credit card alert is unsolicited by the person associated with the credit card account;

a wireless subscriber account database in communication with the wireless subscriber account server for storing wireless subscriber account information;

an application module in communication with the wireless subscriber account server for comparing information contained in the unsolicited credit card alert to subscriber information contained in the wireless subscriber database to determine a wireless subscriber associated with a credit card account and for preparing a message to communicate to a wireless device of a subscriber in response to receiving the unsolicited credit card alert from the credit card account database; and

a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) push proxy gateway in communication with the wireless subscriber account server that sends the message to the wireless device of the subscriber using a mobile network service.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) enabled.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is a wireless telephone.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is a personal digital assistant.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is a pager.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is a portable computer having a wireless modem.

7. A method for alerting a wireless device regarding a credit card account, the method comprising:

receiving a credit card alert from a credit card account database at an application module in communication with a wireless subscriber account database, wherein the credit card account database does not have or have access to wireless subscriber account information for a person associated with the credit card account, wherein the credit card alert is unsolicited by the person associated with the credit card account;

matching the alert to a wireless subscriber'"'"'s account by comparing information contained in the unsolicited credit card alert to subscriber information contained in the wireless subscriber database;

generating a message relating to the credit card account; and

pushing the message to the wireless device of the wireless subscriber via a WAP enabled push proxy gateway that sends the message using a network service.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the wireless device is Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) enabled.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the message is a WAP push initiator.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the message is transmitted when the credit card account exceeds a predetermined amount.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the message is transmitted upon non-receipt of a credit payment.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the message is transmitted when the credit card account is past due.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the message is transmitted upon suspension of the credit card account.

14. A system for alerting a wireless device regarding a credit card account, comprising:

means for receiving a credit card alert from a credit card account database, wherein the credit card account database does not have or have access to wireless subscriber account information for a person associated with the credit card account, wherein the credit card alert is unsolicited by the person associated with the credit card account;

means for matching the unsolicited credit card alert to a wireless subscriber'"'"'s account;

means for generating a message relating to the credit card account; and

means for pushing the message to the wireless device of the wireless subscriber via a WAP enabled push proxy gateway that sends the message using a network service.