KR20060102339A - Dual card - Google Patents

Abstract

A dual card (102A), which facilitates payment for goods or services (106A) from either a credit account or a stored value account, operates on both an open network(104A) and a closed network. The dual card is a payment card that integrates the ability to provide credit privileges and stored value privileges to a cardholder of a dual card. The features, benefits and advantages of a stored value card are integrated with the credit card aspects of the dual card. The benefits, features, and advantages of a credit card are integrated with a stored value card.

Description

Dual card {DUAL CARD}

The present invention relates generally to payment cards, and more particularly to payment cards that can be used in both open and closed networks.

Payment cards are flat, hard, and usually made of rectangular plastic that is small in size and contains financial information that can be processed to make payments for goods or services. In the 1960s, charge cards allowed cardholders to traverse purchased goods or services in their accounts for trauma and to aggregate the total account balance to be paid by the end of the month. In the 1970s, bankers in Seattle and Washington did not have to pay the full amount each month, but they created a credit card system of payment cards that provided interest to the registered members, giving them credit privileges that would increase over time. . This credit card is a Visa card. In the 1980s, Visa's leading competitor, MasterCard, developed a debit card, a payment card that allows transactions to be paid out directly from registered members' bank accounts without paying interest associated with credit cards. . In the 1990s, a combination credit / debit card 102a was developed.

In order to purchase a product or service, such as a purchased product 106a (e.g., a sweater), a registered member may swipe a credit / debit card 102a through an open network card reader 104a. Hand the debit card to the clerk. See FIG. 1A. The financial information obtained by the swiping process causes the payment to appear in a credit account or bank account to make a payment for the purchased product 106a. If credit cards, credit cards, debit cards, and credit / debit cards are considered pervasiveness (more than 1 billion), the exchange of financial transactions to which credit cards, credit cards, debit cards, and credit / debit cards belong is open. May be considered in the network.

Credit cards, credit cards, debit cards, and credit / debit cards are issued by banks. These payment cards are usually decorated with the brand name of the issuing bank. Like other businesses, banks rely on advertising to publicly promote the sale of certain goods or services. The brand name on the payment card is in the form of so-called corporate advertising, which is designed to create a reputation and public interest in a particular company (and form a mind in the minds of ordinary consumers). This type of commercial persuasion only mentions goods or services for sale by the company only as the focus is on the company itself. When people use credit cards, credit cards, debit cards, or credit / debit cards, the reputation that results in their minds is closely tied to the banks that issue these payment cards on behalf of the companies providing the goods or services. Is connected.

1B is a completely different payment card issued by a company that sponsors a payment card called a stored value card 102b, which is not issued by a bank. In order to build reputation and public interest for the sponsored company, their unique brand name may be decorated on the value storage card 102b to generate advertisements of their own company. Unlike other payment cards, the value storage card 102b is a card that allows payments to be withdrawn for payment of costs from a registered member's value storage account in which the registered member has preloaded a certain amount of money. Unlike a debit card, cash cannot be withdrawn from a value storage account. The value store card 102b is a purchase product 106b (e.g., provided by a sponsor of the value store card 102b (Starbucks Card) (e.g., Starbucks Corporation opened in Seattle, Washington by a retailer) , Coffee) and the like. The value store card 102b is recognized by a closed network card reader 104b that can be used at a sponsor company's store or at its merchant. When the value store card 102b is recognized by the closed network card reader 104b, the amount of the purchased product 106b is reduced from the corresponding value store account amount associated with the value store card 102b.

Even if operating in a closed network, if a value storage card 102b is accommodated on an open network that is readily accessible by a credit card, credit card, debit card, or credit / debit card, a particular value storage card may be widely used by consumers. Will be adopted to make the consumer convenient. The problem is that closed networks are managed by sponsor companies of value storage accounts, while open networks are managed by banks. The value storage cards are not recognized by the open network card reader 104a because they are not issued by the bank and the value storage accounts corresponding to these value cards are not managed by the bank. Consumers cannot buy goods and services on their value cards over an open network. Modified value storage cards operating on open networks present a new problem that allows sponsor companies to modify all closed network card readers in their sponsor stores. This can be very expensive, especially if all closed card readers need to be replaced. Thus, it is possible to purchase goods or services on both the open network associated with a credit card account and the closed network associated with a value storage account while simultaneously avoiding and alleviating the above and other problems associated with existing systems. There is a need for payment cards, systems, and methods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above-mentioned aspects of the present invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will become easier and better understood with reference to the following detailed description, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A dual card 202 is shown in FIG. 2A to help pay for goods or services in a credit or value store account. The dual card 202 is a payment card incorporating a function that provides a registered member of the dual card 202 with a privilege of credit and a privilege of storing a value. Features, benefits, and benefits of the value storage card have been incorporated into the side of the credit card of the dual card 202. The features, benefits, and advantages of the credit card have been incorporated into the value storage card of the dual card 202. A dual card 202 is sponsored by a sponsoring company that inscribes its brand name on the dual card 202 and gains favor and reputation from registered members beyond the simple value sold by the sponsoring company. Unlike credit or value storage cards, dual card 202 can be used in both open network 206 and closed network 210 of system 200. When used in the open network 206, the dual card 202 can be used anywhere in the world where a credit card can be accepted as a payment for goods or services.

When the dual card 202 is used in the third party store 204a, the credit perks extend to dual card 202 registered members. The credit payment transaction communicates from the third party store 204a to the credit card processor via an open network 206, which is a system of computers, terminals, and databases connected by communication lines to reliably exchange credit payment information. Third party store 204a is a retail enterprise store that sells goods or provides services directly to consumers. The third party store 204a is not associated with a sponsor company, nor is it licensed by the sponsor company to use the dual card 202.

 The sponsored company has a number of sponsored stores 204b-204c, which are corporate stores where products of a particular theme are kept for retail sale or where services of a similar theme are provided to consumers. When the dual card 202 is used in the sponsor shops 204b-204c, the credit privilege and the value storage privilege are extended to registered members of the dual card 202. That is, a registered member of the dual card 202 can use the dual card 202 as a credit card or a value storage card in the sponsor shops 204b-204c. Sponsor stores 204b-204c include corporate stores of sponsor stores where the dual card 202 is commonly used, as well as other corporate stores that are licensed to sell or provide goods made by the sponsor companies.

Payment transactions generated by using dual cards 202 in sponsored stores 204b-204c are sent to the dual card support center 212 via the closed network 210. Closed network 210 consists of many large and small computers distributed over a wide geographic area (WAN or wide area network). One embodiment of a WAN is the Internet, which is a worldwide set of networks and gateways that use a TCP / IP protocol suite to communicate with each other. The heart of the Internet is the backbone of high-speed data communication lines between major nodes and host computers, including thousands of business, government, education, and other computer systems that route data and messages.

The dual card support center 212 preferably provides support services, such as access to an account file associated with a registered member of the dual card, or routing payment transactions to the credit card processor 208 or the value storage processor 214. In order to be maintained by a sponsor company that accommodates multiple computers. The credit card processor 208 processes the credit payment transaction linked to the credit card of the dual card 202 while the value storage processor 214 processes the value storage payment transaction linked to the value storage account of the dual card 202. .

POS machines placed in sponsor stores 204b-204c may detect whether a customer wants a credit payment transaction or a value store payment transaction. If the payment transaction is a credit payment transaction, the credit payment transaction will be sent to the dual card support center 212 via the closed network 210 at the POS machine located in either of the sponsor stores 204b-204c. The dual card support center 212 communicates with the credit card processor 208 to authenticate for credit payment transactions. Authorization or denial of a credit payment transaction is sent from the credit card processor 208 to the dual card support center 212. The dual card support center 212 sends the approval or rejection of the credit payment transaction to the POS machines of the sponsored stores 204b-204c where the credit payment transaction occurred. Confirmation of the credit payment transaction is preferably processed at the end of the business day for the credit or credit / debit account of the dual card and the registered member of the sponsoring business.

If the payment transaction is a value store payment transaction, the value store payment transaction is sent to the dual card support center 212 via the closed network 210 at the POS machine located in either of the sponsor stores 204b-204c. The dual card support center 212 communicates with the value store processor 208 to authenticate for the value store payment transaction. The authorization or denial of the value store payment transaction is sent from the value store processor 208 to the dual card support center 212. The dual card support center 212 sends the approval or rejection of the value store payment transaction to the POS machines of the sponsored stores 204b-204c where the value store payment transaction occurred.

1A is a block diagram illustrating a system for purchasing goods or services using a conventional credit / debit card;

1B is a block diagram illustrating a system for purchasing goods or services using a conventional value storage card;

2A is a block diagram illustrating a system that is an example of processing dual cards operating in both open and closed networks, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

2B is a block diagram illustrating a system for processing dual cards as both a credit card and a value storage card over a closed network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

2C is a block diagram illustrating a system for creating a dual card, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

3A-3C are process diagrams illustrating a method of creating and activating dual cards for a consumer, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

4A-4D are process diagrams illustrating a method of adding value to a value storage account of a dual card, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a process diagram illustrating a method of merging dual cards, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, and

6A-6C are process diagrams illustrating a method of making a payment transaction through a dual card, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

2B illustrates the use of dual card 202 in POS machine 204b-1 located at sponsor store 204b in more detail. The payment transaction is sent from the POS machine 204b-1 through the closed network 210 to the transaction router 212a located in the dual card support center 212. The transaction router 212a has one or more relay devices on a closed network that facilitates the transfer of credit payment and value store payment transactions. On a single network that connects multiple POS machines via a meshable connection, transaction router 212a receives the transmitted payment transactions and forwards them to their correct destination. Depending on whether the payment transaction is a credit payment transaction or a value storage payment transaction, transaction router 212a routes the payment transaction to credit card processor 208 or value storage processor 214.

Prior to making a payment transaction, the registered member informs the clerk of the sponsor store 204b that the dual card 202 will be used for a credit payment transaction or a value store payment transaction. The clerk presses a button on the POS machine to instruct the desired type of payment transaction and scratch the dual card 202 through the POS machine 204b-1. The payment transaction is sent from the POS machine 204b-1 as described above. The POS machine 204b-1 may also be used to replenish the value card of the dual card 202 with cash provided by a credit card account, such as the credit side of the dual card 202, or a registered member of the dual card 202. Can be used for

With a change in software, the POS machine 204b-1 may be programmed to recognize that the payment card is a dual card based on the identification of the dual card. For example, if the identification number of the dual card is within a certain numerical range, the POS 204b-1 may infer whether the payment card is a dual card. If the POS machine 204b-1 recognizes that the dual card 202 is being used for a payment transaction, one of two payment transactions, credit or value storage, may occur. This information can be used to allow the clerk to request the registered member of the dual card 202 to request information for using the desired payment transaction or specific payment transaction. The numerical range of the dual card 202 allows the POS machine 204b-1 to distinguish the dual card 202 from a credit card or other value storage card. Preferably, the identification number of the dual card 202 is stored in a second track of the magnetic strip on the back of the dual card 202.

The creation of the dual card 202 is shown in FIG. 2C. The customer 222 may apply for the dual card 202 by filling in the online dual card application 216 of the website associated with the sponsor company or by filling out the printed application. The dual card application 216 may also be filled in by a customer service representative of the sponsoring company when the customer wants to apply for a dual card by telephone. After the dual card application 216 is filled in, it is sent or sent to the credit card issuing bank 209. Unlike the credit card, where the credit issuing bank prints its brand name, the dual card 202 is stamped with the brand name of the sponsoring company. On the dual card application 216, the customer 222 may enter an initial amount to be loaded into the value storage account associated with the dual card 202. If the initial loading amount is designated by the customer 222, the amount specified upon activation of the dual card 202 by the customer 222 is put into the value storage account.

After the credit card issuing bank 209 receives the dual card application 216, the credit card issuing bank 209 processes the dual card application 216, and the customer 222 is associated with the dual card 202. Determine if you have credit enough to earn credit privileges. If the credit rating of the customer 222 determines that the credit privilege is expanded, the credit card issuing bank 209 creates a new account file in the dual card data file 218 indicating that a new account linked to the customer 222 has been created. Serve Preferably, the new account file in dual account file 218 includes the name, address, and account number of customer 222. The supplier makes a dual card 202 made of flat, rigid, usually small, rectangular plastic bearing the brand name of the sponsoring company.

Preferably at the end of the business day, the dual card support center 212 extracts a new account file from the dual card data file 218 to reflect the new dual card account authorized by the credit card issuing bank 209. The database of the dual card support center 212 is updated. For an authorized account, the dual card support center 212 creates a value store data file 220, which includes a new account number associated with the dual card; Transaction type (eg, activation of a new account, management of an account, or closure of an account); And an initial loading amount predefined by the customer 222. After processing the value store data file 220, the value store processor 214 notifies the dual card support center 212 that the value store account associated with the dual card 202 is active. The dual card support center 212 then notifies the credit card issuing bank 209 that the dual card 202 is valid and can be activated by the customer 222.

If the value storage processor 214 refuses to create a value storage account associated with the dual card 202, the dual card 202 provides only the credit privileges authorized by the credit issuing bank 202. If the value storage processor 214 refuses to create a credit account associated with the dual card 202, the dual card 202 provides only the value storage privileges authorized by the value storage processor 214. If the customer 222, credit card issuing bank 209, or sponsor company decides to close the account associated with the dual card 202, the credit card issuing bank 209 closes out of the dual card data file 218. Generated account files. The dual card support center 212 processes the closed account file and notifies the value storage processor 214. The value storage processor 214 freezes the value storage account associated with the dual card 202 and sends the balance to the dual card support center 212 that issued the value storage card to the customer 222.

When the customer 222 first uses the dual card 202 to pay for the goods or services purchased, the credit card issuing bank 209 preferably uses bonuses, rewards, premiums, incentives ( subsidy, or grant, to encourage sponsoring companies to facilitate the use of dual cards by added customers. Also, preferably, when the customer renews the dual card every year, a certain amount of bonus, reward, premium, incentive, or subsidy is paid to the sponsor company by the credit card issuing bank 209. This amount constitutes a flow of revenue for the sponsoring company in addition to the privileges or privileges earned by the customer's use of dual cards beyond the value of the sponsoring company simply selling and providing the service.

3A-3C illustrate a method 300 of creating and activating a dual card 202 for a customer 222. In the starting block (FIG. 3A), the method 300 proceeds to block 302 where the customer 322 completes the dual card application 216. When the dual card application 216 is sent to the credit card issuing bank 209, the credit card issuing bank 209 processes the dual card application 216. See block 304. At block 306, the credit card issuing bank 209 creates a dual card data file. The method then proceeds to another continuous terminal ("terminal A1").

From terminal A1 (FIG. 3B), the method 300 proceeds to block 308 where the dual card support center 212 of the sponsor company tracks the dual card data file. The method 300 proceeds to block 312 where the dual card support center 212 establishes a new dual card account. The dual card support center 212 generates a value storage data file 220. See block 314. At block 316, the value store processor 214 retrieves and processes the value store data file 220. The method 300 proceeds to block 320 where the value store processor 214 produced the exception file. The method 300 then enters another continuous terminal ("terminal A2").

 From terminal A2 (FIG. 3C), the method 300 proceeds to block 322 where the dual card support center 212 tracks the exception file and builds a dual card verification file. The credit card issuing bank 209 tracks and processes the dual card verification file. See block 324. In block 326, the credit card issuing bank 209 sends the dual card 202 to the customer. The method 300 proceeds to block 328 where the customer 222 activates the dual card 202 by calling a telephone number printed on a label detachably attached to the dual card 202. Let's do it. The method 300 enters a decision block 330 where a test is made to determine whether a customer 222 specifies loading an initial value store value into a value store account linked to the dual card 202. If the answer to the test is NO at decision block 330, then the method 300 ends execution. Otherwise, if the answer to the test at decision block 330 is YES, then at block 332, the dual card support center 212 is designated by the credit card issuing bank 209 or the sponsoring company of the dual card 202. Load the initial value store with the amount.

4A-4D illustrate how to add values to the value storage account of dual card 202. From the start block (FIG. 4A), the method 400 proceeds to decision block 402 where a test is made to determine whether to load the value store account through the website associated with the sponsor company. If the answer to the test at decision block 402 is NO, then the method 400 proceeds to another continuous terminal ("terminal B2").

 If the answer to the test at decision block 402 is YES, the method 400 proceeds to block 404 where the customer 222 reloads the web page on the sponsor company's website. The customer 222 provides the dual card number, the account to be loaded, and the access code on the recharged webpage. See block 406. In block 408, the customer 222 provides a payment account number, such as a credit card number, on the refilled webpage. The method 400 then enters another continuous terminal ("terminal B1").

From terminal B1 (FIG. 4B), the method 400 includes a block in which a dual card sponsored website passes a dual card number and a CVN (" card verification number ") number to a credit card processor 208 for verification. Proceed to 422). The credit card processor 208 verifies the dual card number and communicates the result to the dual card sponsor web site. See block 424. At block 430, the dual card sponsored website sends the dual card number, access number, and recharge account to the value storage processor 214. The method 400 then proceeds to block 432 where the value storage processor 214 updates the value storage account associated with the dual card 202 by the recharge account. The dual card sponsored website sends a payment authorization request to the credit card processor 208. See block 426. In block 428, the credit card processor 208 processes the payment. The method 400 then terminates execution.

From terminal B2 (FIG. 4C), the method 400 is a block in which the customer 222 requests a clerk, such as a barista in a coffee shop, to load a certain amount into the value storage account of the dual card 202. Proceed to 410. The clerk selects a recharge transaction at a POS machine, such as POS machine 204b-1. See block 412. At block 414, the clerk inserts the amount to be loaded using the POS machine 204b-1. The method 400 then proceeds to block 416 where the clerk passes through the POS machine 204b-1 to scratch the dual card 202.

A test is made to determine whether the dual card number 202 is within the valid area associated with it. See decision block 418. If the answer to the test at decision block 418 is NO, then at block 420 the POS machine 204b-1 notifies the clerk that the dual card 202 is not valid for loading a predetermined amount of money. The method 400 returns to block 410 where the processing step is repeated. If the answer to the test is YES at decision block 418, then the method 418 enters another successive terminal ("terminal B3").

From terminal B3 (FIG. 4D), the method 400 proceeds to block 422 where the POS machine 204b-1 forwards the loading transaction to the value storage processor 214 for processing. The customer 222 pays the clerk for the loading transaction through scratching the dual card 202 or through another payment type at the POS machine 204b-1. See block 424. At block 426, the payment is processed (if the payment is by credit card, the payment is processed by credit card processor 208). The method 400 then proceeds to block 428 where the POS machine 204b-1 prints the receipt. The clerk provides the customer with a receipt showing the new value of the value storage account linked to the dual card 202. The method 400 then terminates execution.

5 illustrates a method for providing an integrated service for dual card 202. From the start block (FIG. 5), the method 500 proceeds to decision block 502 where a test is made to determine if the customer 222 wants to integrate several dual cards. If the answer to the test at decision block 502 is NO, then the method 500 ends execution. Otherwise, if the answer to the test at decision block 502 is YES, the customer 222 goes to the consolidated web page on the sponsor company's website and provides several dual card numbers to be consolidated. See block 504. At block 506, the dual card sponsored website sends the integrated transaction to the value storage processor 214. The value storage processor 214 integrates the dual card and sends a response back to the dual card sponsored website. See block 512. The method 500 then terminates execution.

6A-6C illustrate a method 600 of making a payment transaction via the dual card 202. From the start block (FIG. 6A), the method 600 proceeds to block 602 where the customer 222 provides the dual card 202 as a payment for the goods or service to the clerk. The clerk scratches the dual card 202 at the POS machine 204b-1 of the sponsor store 204b. See block 604. At block 606, the POS machine 204b-1 recognizes the dual card 202 from its identification number. The method 600 proceeds to block 608 which causes the POS machine 204b-1 to confirm the credit or value store transaction as a payment to the clerk. The clerk confirms the payment choice to the customer 222. See block 610. At decision block 612, a test is made to determine whether a value store transaction has been selected. If the answer to the test at decision block 612 is NO, the method 600 enters another continuous terminal ("terminal C1"). Otherwise, if the answer to the test at decision block 612 is YES, the method 600 enters another successive terminal ("terminal C2").

From terminal C1 (FIG. 6B), the method 600 proceeds to block 614 where the dual card support center 212 receives the credit transaction and sends the credit transaction to the credit card processor 208. The dual card support center 212 receives the processed credit transaction from the credit card processor 208 and sends the credit transaction to the POS machine 204b-1. See block 620. The method 600 proceeds to block 616 where the customer 222 receives a receipt from the clerk (and, if necessary, signs the receipt). The method 600 ends execution.

From terminal C2 (FIG. 6B), the method 600 proceeds to block 618 where the dual card support center 212 receives a value store transaction and sends the value store transaction to the value store processor 214. Proceed. The dual card support center 212 receives the processed value store transaction from the value store processor 214 and sends the value store transaction to the POS machine 204b-1. See block 620. At decision block 622, a test is made to determine if there is sufficient funds. If the answer to the test is NO at decision block 622, the method 600 enters another consecutive terminal ("terminal C3"). Otherwise, if the answer to the test at decision block 622 is YES, then the method 600 proceeds to another consecutive terminal ("terminal C4").

From terminal C3 (FIG. 6C), method 600 proceeds to block 624, which displays the amount still owed by POS machine 204b-1. The customer submits another type of payment method, such as a credit card, to pay the amount owed.

From terminal C4 (FIG. 6C), POS machine 204b-1 prints a receipt and displays the balance of the value storage account. See block 628. At block 630, POS machine 204b-1 prompts a recharge transaction if the balance is below a threshold of, for example, $ 5. See block 630. The method 600 proceeds to block 632 where the customer 222 receives a receipt from the cashier indicating the balance of the value storage account. The method 600 then terminates execution.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be understood that various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Embodiments of the present invention that claim exclusive rights and privileges are defined as follows.

Claims (3)

A network system, as shown and described above. A computer readable medium, as shown and described above. A method as shown and described above.

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