AU2016204596A1

AU2016204596A1 - Electronic voucher redemption

Info

Publication number: AU2016204596A1
Application number: AU2016204596A
Authority: AU
Inventors: David Tymm
Original assignee: MOVO Ltd I
Current assignee: I-MOVO Ltd
Priority date: 2005-11-25
Filing date: 2016-07-01
Publication date: 2016-07-21

Abstract

5 A method of authorizing the redemption of an electronic voucher is described using a standards compliant top up or [EFTPOS terminal The method includes the steps of providing a cash value voucher comprising an alphanumeric string and a cash value, entering the alphanumeric string at the top up terminal, wherein the voucher is validated by the host system, and the host system determines whether the Voucher 10 Number is valid and or whether the Voucher Number has been used before or whether is has any "balance of uses" left against it. The host system generates an invalid redemption message or the host system generates a valid redemption message, which is a concatenated alphanumeric string comprising a further alphanumeric string and the cash value stored in the host system database.

Description

ELECTRONiC VOUCHER REDEMPTION

The invention relates to a method of redeeming an electronic voucher via a standards compliant ETU terminal in particular, but not exclusively, vouchers distributed via portable electronic devices, such as mobile telephones.

Paper based gift voucher schemes are long established and popular with consumers and issuing retailers alike as unredeemed vouchers represent guaranteed turnover for the retailer and predictable levels of under-redemption are accounted for as profit by many retailers. However, such schemes suffer from a high up front cost in producing the vouchers and as they are paper based transaction also suffer from high handling costs. There is also an increasing demand from some consumers for an electronic voucher as consumers Increasingly adapt to a paperless world. GB2397684 proposes an electronic voucher scheme that broadly replicates the existing paper voucher schemes based on centrally held accounts represented by a number often distributed as a plastic card with magnetic stripe. The value of the voucher is stored on a centralised server and the vaiidation and redemption of the voucher is carried out on a central server with the decreasing balance of such a card held on the server. This approach suffers from a number of problems in that it requires the installation of software on terminals capable of both reading such a card but also writing to the card to record an updated balance following a transaction that decrements the previous balance. This has an associated high implementation cost, and also suffers from the high costs of maintaining the accounts.

The present invention therefore seeks to provide a method of redeeming an electronic voucher that more closely replicates existing gift voucher schemes using existing point of sale infrastructure.

According to the invention there is provided a method of authorising the redemption of an electronic voucher via a standards compliant top up or EFTPOS terminal comprising the steps of providing a cash value voucher comprising an alphanumeric string and a cash value, which cash value is not related to the number, entering the alphanumeric string at the top up terminal, wherein the voucher is validated by the host system, which host system determines whether the Voucher Number is valid and or whether the Voucher Number has been used before or whether it has any “balance of uses” left against it, such that if either the Voucher Number is not valid or the Voucher Number has been used before or the Voucher Number does not have “balance of uses" left against it, the host system generates an invalid redemption message depending on the parameters specified in the host system for that particular voucher or campaign under which the voucher was issued, whereas if either the Voucher Number is valid or the Voucher Number has no! been used before or the Voucher -Number does have ‘‘balance of uses” left against it, the host system generates a valid redemption message, wherein the redemption message comprises a concatenated alphanumeric string comprising a further alphanumeric string and the cash value stored in the host system database.

This sequence of redemption avoids unnecessary processing time by determining the simplest conditions first with each subsequent step having a greater range of responses. This makes the voucher processing very fast and so reduces time for the retailer to process a voucher. The combination of variable also make fraudulent redemption statistically unlikely.

Preferably, the string is entered by swiping a card through the terminal. Preferably, the redemption logic comprises the. further step of determining whether the Voucher Number valid at a specific time.

Preferably, the redemption logic comprises the further step of: Which redemption device is requesting redemption where the redemption device serial number or other means of identification is associated in the host system with a specific physical location. Preferably, the redemption logic comprises the further step of determining whether the Voucher Number is valid at the Device ID. Preferably, the method comprises the further step of returning the cash value voucher to the mobile phone.

The method according to the invention closely replicates how tokens are handled today and effectively dematerialises the token and redemption process.

An exemplary embodiment will now be described in greater detail will) reference to the example.

The most widely adopted point of sale (POS) equipment is a device to process EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) payments initiated by the use of credit, debit or charge cards and these have been accepted by many retailers for some time. Recently, mobile telephone pre-pay top up terminal have been installed in many smaller retailers such as convenience stores and CTN's (Confectioners, Tobacconists and Newsagents) and these are terminals are also capable of processing EFT transactions I op up terminals use an industry standard message and redemption protocol.

All the parameters for a specific campaign are set at the campaign level in the host system. In an exemplary embodiment, these would include: 1. How many times can a voucher from this campaign be used? 2. When can this voucher be used? Vouchers may be valid FROM a date/ time TO a date/time. They may also be valid on a number of days between specified times. 3. Where can the voucher be used? Again, this can be an individual or a range of locations.

Optional parameters are: 4. Check that redeemed voucher was issued to the corresponding mobile number 5. Check that submitted voucher value corresponds with stored voucher value

In use, a consumer will be provided with an electronic voucher comprising an alphanumeric string and a cash value for the voucher. The voucher can be distributed via SMS fo a mobile phone, e-mail or more traditional methods such as paper. The voucher number may be prefixed by an (UN) Issuers Identification Number issued by rfaiioiia] standards bodies such as APACS in the UK. The voucher number presented ίο the consumer now resembles a credit or charge card number in that it is represented as sixteen numeric digits which may be split into four groups of four for easier reading. By way of example, a voucher number 12345678 from Issuer 633729 might be represented by the number 6337 2910 1234 5678 where additional digitals (} & 0) in this case used to denote the transaction type of other information To redeem the voucher, the retailer may process the number as if it where a credit card by typing the full 16-digit numeric string is typed in at the electronic top up terminal followed by the value of the voucher as stated on the SMS on the consumers phone or other media. In this manner, a voucher redemptions mirrors exactly an EFT transaction and so can be accepted by any retailer who processes EFT transactions and whose terminal can be configured to route transactions based on UN’s. Alternatively, depending on the terminal design a swipe card could be used or a small software program could be installed and preconfigured to add the UN to the Voucher No. to streamline the process. The top up terminal then transmits a redemption message to s service provider’s server. The redemption message contains the following elements: Voucher number; redemption device type (in this example a top up terminal) and the terminal ID and a mobile telephone number.

The voucher is then validated using the following sequential logic:

3. Is the Voucher Number valid? Y/N

In the case that the device used to validate the voucher may be programmed to collect the mobile phone number of the consumer redeeming the voucher, then the redemption message may include the mobile phone number and the following steps:

2. Does the message contain a Mobile Phone Number? Y/N

3. Was the Voucher Number issued to the Mobile Phone Number? Y/N

Then for both EFTPOS and top up terminals 4. Has the Vouches Number been used before/does it have any "balance

of uses" left against it? Y/N

An N value at any stage of the sequential validation logic will generate an Invalid Redemption message, which is transmitted to the device requesting redemption detailing why the redemption has failed. Step I relates to the validity of the request message and Step 4 provides the feature of checking whether an attempt has been made to previously redeem the voucher and if so, whether the whole voucher was redeemed or merely part of the voucher. It would also permit multiple use of a voucher. For example, if the voucher related to a cinema ticket, it would be possible for a single voucher to enable say 4 trips to the cinema rather than having to issue four separate vouchers for the same value to the same mobile telephone.

Depending on the scheme design, it is possible to include further steps, which can be switched on or off depending on she requirements of the individual scheme. These additional steps include:

5. Is the voucher number valid at tins time? Y/N 6. Is the Voucher number valid at the Device ID?

Step 5 permits a time limited scheme for example. Step 6 permits schemes that are limited to a particular retailer or retail group, for example.

In the event that all Y values are generated, then a valid redemption message is generated. The redemption message may comprise a concatenated alphanumeric string comprising a further alphanumeric string and if not ali the voucher value has been exhausted, a cash value, which may be zero. If not all of the voucher value has been exhausted, a non zero value is returned to the redemption device, which value will be lower than the original cash value.

The cash value returned as part of the valid redemption message is then stored against tire device ID. The system then only needs to hold the balance against a retailer account rather than a personal account with the known systems. The retailer account comprises simply the balance of net difference of issued and redeemed vouchers, reflecting any payments or credits at any given point in time. The balance of this account could then be settled on a monthly basis using the standard industry mechanisms.

Once the redemption message is returned to the device, if there is a balance on the voucher value, then this is returned to the consumer. This can be in the same manner that the original voucher was distributed suds as a slip of paper from the top up terminal, an SMS to the mobile phone number, by re-swiping the swipe card or via an e-mail. This approach permits a much quicker and cheaper roil out of individual schemes.

The method according to the invention permits the sale and redemption of variable value vouchers which replicates all aspects of traditional gift voucher schemes without die need to maintain personal accounts.

Claims

Claims

1. A method of redeeming an electronic voucher via an ISO/IEC 7812-1:2000 compliant top up or EFTPOS terminal comprising the steps of: providing a cash value voucher comprising a voucher number to a mobile phone, the voucher number having a cash value that is not included in the voucher number; and entering the voucher number at the ISO/IEC 7812-1:2000 compliant top up or EFTPOS terminal, wherein the voucher is authenticated by the following steps: determining whether the voucher number is valid, and determining whether the voucher number has been used before and whether it has any "balances of uses" left against it, generating an N value when (i) the voucher number is not valid or (ii) the voucher number has been used before and does not have any "balance of uses" left against it, such that any N value generates an invalid redemption message depending on the parameters specified in the host system for that particular voucher or campaign under which the voucher was issued, and generating a Y value and a valid redemption message when (i) the voucher number is valid and (ii) the voucher number has "balance of uses" left against it, wherein the redemption message comprises a concatenated string that further includes a cash value stored in the host system database.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the string is entered by swiping a card through the terminal or by a program installed on the redemption device simulating part of the string.
3. The method according to claim 1, comprising the further step of: determining whether the voucher number is valid at a time of redemption, and generating an N value and an invalid redemption message when the voucher number is not valid at the time of redemption, and generating a Y value and a valid redemption message when the voucher number is valid at the time of redemption.
4. The method according to claim 3, comprising the further step of: determining whether the voucher number is valid at the Device ID, generating an N value and an invalid redemption message when the voucher number is not valid at the Device ID, and generating a Y value and a valid redemption message when the voucher number is valid at the device ID.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the concatenated string comprises a further cash value voucher, which further cash value voucher is stored on the terminal and has a lower cash value than the first cash value.
6. The method according to claim 5, comprising the further step of returning the cash value voucher to the mobile phone.