Cloud service facilitator apparatuses, methods and systems

• US 9,996,838 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2012
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Harris, Theodore David, Faith, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Ebersman, Bruce I
• Application Number:
  US13/411,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20120271660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,293 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales

Abstract

The CLOUD SERVICE FACILITATOR APPARATUSES, METHODS AND SYSTEMS (“CSF”) transforms user purchase requests, refund requests, and product/service replacement requests via CSF components into transaction records, refunds, and replacement products/services outputs. The CSF may receive a consumer purchase request for a cloud service from a merchant. In response to the request, the CSF may generate a unique record key for the purchase and may transmit the unique record key to the merchant. The CSF may further receive additional transaction information and the unique record key from the merchant. In response to the received information and the unique key, the CSF may provide additional service to the merchant or the consumer.

Claims

1. A processor-implemented method of refund apportionment, comprising:

receiving, via a processor at a cloud service facilitator (CSF) server, a unique purchase record key and a provisioning notice from a merchant server, wherein the provisioning notice indicates usage of a cloud-based product or service that was provisioned by the merchant server to a user computing device, the cloud-based product or service corresponding to the unique purchase record key;

receiving, via a processor at the CSF server, an application store user refund request for an application store purchase of the cloud-based product or service, the application store refund request received from the user computing device via the merchant server, wherein the application store refund request includes the unique purchase record key;

obtaining, via a processor at the CSF server, an application store purchase record of the application store purchase using the unique purchase record key;

retrieving, via a processor, threshold refund rules for the application store purchase record of the application store purchase, wherein the threshold refund rules specify a variation of refund based on one or more of a time since the cloud-based product or service was provisioned by the merchant server to the user computing device and a usage of the cloud-based product or service by the user computing device indicated by the provisioning notice;

determining, via a processor, using information in the application store purchase record of the purchase and the threshold refund rules, an amount of the refund;

providing the user computing device with a confirmation of refund request form including the refund amount;

obtaining the confirmation of refund request from the user computing device;

transmitting the unique purchase record key to the participating merchant;

receiving from the merchant a usage reporting message along with the unique purchase record key; and

issuing the refund to the user computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application store purchase is made at a participating merchant.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the application store purchase record is obtained from the participating merchant upon authorization of a purchase transaction.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the refund is credited to an original purchase tender.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the refund is loaded into a prepaid card.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the application store purchase comprises a downloadable product.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating at least one of a merchant and a product record; and

providing an access request declined message to the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of the refund is a residual value of the application store purchase after depreciation.

9. A refund apportionment apparatus, comprising:

a memory;

a processor disposed in communication with said memory, and configured to issue a plurality of processing instructions stored in the memory, wherein the processor issues instructions to;

receive at a cloud service facilitator (CSF) server, a unique purchase record key and a provisioning notice from a merchant server, wherein the provisioning notice indicates usage of a cloud-based product or service that was provisioned by the merchant server to a user computing device, the cloud-based product or service corresponding to the unique purchase record key;

receive, at the CSF server, an application store user refund request for an application store purchase of the cloud-based product or service, the application store refund request received from the user computing device via the merchant server, wherein the application store refund request includes the unique purchase record key;

obtain, at the CSF server, an application store purchase record of the application store purchase using the unique purchase record key;

retrieve threshold refund rules for the application store purchase record of the application store purchase, wherein the threshold refund rules specify a variation of refund based on one or more of a time since the cloud-based product or service was provisioned by the merchant server to the user computing device and a usage of the cloud-based product or service by the user computing device indicated by the provisioning notice;

determine, using information in the application store purchase record of the purchase and the threshold refund rules, an amount of the refund;

provide the user computing device with a confirmation of refund request form including the refund amount;

obtain the confirmation refund request from the user computing device;

transmit the unique purchase record key to the participating merchant;

receive from the merchant a usage reporting message along with the unique purchase record key; and

issue the refund to the user computing device.

10. A non-transitory, processor-readable medium storing processor-issuable instructions to:

receive a unique purchase record key and a provisioning notice from a merchant server, wherein the provisioning notice indicates usage of a cloud-based service that was provisioned by the merchant server to a user computing device, the cloud-based product or service corresponding to the unique purchase record key;

receive an application store user refund request for an application store purchase of the cloud-based product or service, the application store refund request received from the user computing device via the merchant server, wherein the application store refund request includes the unique purchase record key;

obtain an application store purchase record of the application store purchase using the unique purchase record key;

retrieve threshold refund rules for the application store purchase record of the application store purchase, wherein the threshold refund rules specify a variation of refund based on one or more of a time since the cloud-based product or service was provisioned by the merchant server to the user computing device and a usage of the cloud-based product or service by the user computing device indicated by the provisioning notice;

determine, using information in the application store purchase record of the purchase and the threshold refund rules, an amount of the refund;

provide the user computing device with a confirmation of refund request form including the refund amount;

obtain the confirmation refund request from the user computing device;

transmit the unique purchase record key to the participating merchant;

receive from the merchant a usage reporting message along with the unique purchase record key; and

issue the refund to the user computing device.