U.S. patent application number 15/635369 was filed with the patent office on 2018-03-22 for system and method for satisfying a transaction amount from an alternative funding source.
The applicant listed for this patent is III Holdings 1, LLC. Invention is credited to I-Hsin Chuang, Leigh Malnati, Aravind Narasimhan.
Application Number | 20180082292 15/635369 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46753855 |
Filed Date | 2018-03-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180082292 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chuang; I-Hsin ; et
al. |
March 22, 2018 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SATISFYING A TRANSACTION AMOUNT FROM AN
ALTERNATIVE FUNDING SOURCE
Abstract
Systems and methods for paying a transaction amount at a point
of sale (e.g. a physical point of sale or a virtual point of sale)
are disclosed. The systems and methods are configured to monitor
transaction information to identify eligible transactions at the
point of sale. Alternative funding options may be presented at
substantially the same time as a transaction is being processed at
a point of sale. Based on the user's selection, a credit may be
applied to the transaction account corresponding with at least a
portion of the transaction amount from the alternative funding
source.
Inventors: |
Chuang; I-Hsin; (Brooklyn,
NY) ; Malnati; Leigh; (Mountain Lakes, NJ) ;
Narasimhan; Aravind; (New York, NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
III Holdings 1, LLC |
Wilmington |
DE |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
46753855 |
Appl. No.: |
15/635369 |
Filed: |
June 28, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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14067834 |
Oct 30, 2013 |
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15635369 |
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13039057 |
Mar 2, 2011 |
8595133 |
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14067834 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 20/322 20130101;
G06Q 30/06 20130101; G06Q 20/22 20130101; G06Q 30/0207 20130101;
G06Q 40/02 20130101; G06Q 20/20 20130101; G06Q 20/40 20130101; G06Q
20/12 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 20/40 20060101
G06Q020/40; G06Q 20/20 20060101 G06Q020/20 |
Claims
1. A method comprising: displaying, by a computer system for paying
a transaction amount and through a module, an indicator of an
alternative funding source, in response to transaction information
conforming with a first rule, wherein the transaction information
comprises a payment transaction account used to pay for a completed
transaction and the transaction amount, wherein the module
installed in a web browser as at least one of an add-on and an
extension, and wherein the module is configured to overlay the web
browser in response to detecting the point of sale device;
receiving, by the computer system and through the module, a
selection of the alternative funding source; and applying, by the
computer system, a credit to the payment transaction account
corresponding with at least a portion of the transaction amount
from the alternative funding source, in response to the completed
transaction at the point of sale device.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting, by the
computer system, an initiation of the payment transaction at the
point of sale device.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein an alternative funding source is
a rewards account.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein an alternative funding source is
a checking account.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the point of sale device is a
virtual point of sale device.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring, by the
computer system, the transaction information at the point of sale
device.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing, by the
computer system, the payment transaction account to a list of
eligible payment transaction accounts.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the
computer system, identification information, wherein the
identification information is used to authorize the alternative
funding source.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, displaying a balance
of the alternative funding source at the point of sale device.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the point of sale device is a
web based point of sale device, and wherein the alternative funding
source is presented within the web based point of sale device.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein a user applies at least a
portion of the alternative funding source to the payment
transaction account, regardless of accessing a web page associated
with the alternative funding source.
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the
computer system, a second amount associated with the transaction
amount, in response to the selection of the alternative funding
source, wherein the second amount is determined based on a second
rule.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein the module is configured to
actively detect the presence of a virtual point of sale device.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein the module is configured to
passively detect the presence of a point of sale device, and
wherein the module is activated in response to receiving a signal
from the point of sale device.
15. The method of claim 1, wherein the alternative funding source
is selected without notifying the point of sale device.
16. The method of claim 1, wherein a merchant providing the point
of sale device processes the payment through the payment
transaction account.
17. A method comprising: displaying, by a computer system for
paying a transaction amount and through a module, an indicator of
an alternative funding source, in response to transaction
information conforming with a first rule, wherein the transaction
information comprises a payment transaction account used to pay for
a completed transaction and the transaction amount; receiving, by
the computer system and through the module, a selection of the
alternative funding source; determining, by the computer based
system, a second amount associated with the transaction amount, in
response to the selection of the alternative funding source,
wherein the second amount is determined based on a set of
predefined rules; and applying, by the computer system, a credit to
the payment transaction account corresponding with at least a
portion of the transaction amount from the alternative funding
source, in response to the completed transaction at the point of
sale device.
18. A method comprising: displaying, by a computer system for
paying a transaction amount and through a module, an indicator of
an alternative funding source, in response to transaction
information conforming with a first rule, wherein the transaction
information comprises a payment transaction account used to pay for
a completed transaction and the transaction amount, and wherein the
module installed on a smartphone; receiving, by the computer system
and through the module, a selection of the alternative funding
source; and applying, by the computer system, a credit to the
payment transaction account corresponding with at least a portion
of the transaction amount from the alternative funding source, in
response to the completed transaction at the point of sale device.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of, claims priority to
and the benefit of, U.S. Ser. No. 13/039,057 filed on Mar. 2, 2011
and entitled "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SATISFYING A TRANSACTION AMOUNT
FROM AN ALTERNATIVE FUNDING SOURCE," which is hereby incorporated
by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONS
[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to payment of
transaction amounts, and more particularly, to a method and system
for paying transaction amounts with alternative funding sources at
a point of sale.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONS
[0003] Traditional loyalty (e.g., incentive awards, frequency
rewards, etc.) programs have been around for years. Loyalty
programs are typically used to help businesses develop and maintain
participant loyalty and are used as marketing tools to develop new
clientele. A merchant and a transaction account issuer will often
enter into a strategic alliance to offer a customer a branded
transaction account with a loyalty program. The loyalty program
provides incentives from both the merchant and the transaction
account issuer. Moreover, the merchant and the transaction account
issuer usually offer a consumer additional incentives for using
earned incentives with the particular merchant, or allow the user
to redeem loyalty awards that are stored with the transaction
account issuer at the merchant.
[0004] Providing the user with the ability to use the incentive
with the merchant typically requires technology and infrastructure
which allows that merchant and the transaction account issuer to
exchange incentive data (e.g. a loyalty account balance,
eligibility, etc.). Given the variety of merchant and transaction
account issuer systems, providing a solution that allows the
transaction account issuer and the merchant to share information
often requires the creation of custom technology. This custom
technology typically is implemented on both the transaction account
issuer and merchant systems. These systems are expensive to produce
and must be individually maintained. Moreover, if the strategic
alliance is terminated, the capital investment associated with
creating the technology to link the merchant and the transaction
account issuer is lost. Creating a strategic alliance also raises
other business issues, including cross branding, sharing of
confidential information, and potential competing business
interest.
[0005] As such, it is desirable to a transaction account issuer to
provide a user with the ability to use alternative funding sources
in connection with purchases from a merchant, without the need to
integrate an alternative funding payment system with the
merchant.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONS
[0006] The present disclosure describes systems and methods for
paying a transaction amount at a point of sale (e.g. a physical
point of sale, a virtual point of sale, website, etc). The systems
and methods are configured to monitor transaction information. The
transaction information comprises a transaction account used to pay
for the transaction and the transaction amount. In an embodiment,
where the transaction information conforms to predetermined rules,
an indicator of an alternative funding source is provided by a
module. The module may be an application, a portion of an
application, a hardware or hardware-software combination provided
through a browser, portable electronic device, or any other
suitable device or medium. A user may select one or more of the
alternative funding sources corresponding to the provided
indicators. Based on the user's selection, a credit may be applied
to the transaction account corresponding with at least a portion of
the transaction amount from the alternative funding source. The
credit may be applied in response to a completed transaction at the
point of sale device. Moreover, the credit associated with the
alternative funding source may not be communicated to the point of
sale or the corresponding merchant, but rather is applied directly
to the transaction account associated with the purchase of an
item.
[0007] The systems and methods described herein may be configured
to facilitate an initiation, processing or completion of a
transaction at the point of sale. The various alternative funding
sources described herein may include, for example a rewards
account, checking account, a transaction account, and/or the
like.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] A more complete understanding of the present disclosure may
be derived by referring to the detailed description and claims when
considered in connection with the Figures, wherein like reference
numbers refer to similar elements throughout the Figures, and:
[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating major system
components for satisfying a transaction amount with alternative
funding sources, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;
[0010] FIG. 2 is an exemplary browser session, in accordance with
an exemplary embodiment;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating modules and processes
for satisfying a transaction amount with alternative funding
sources, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment; and
[0012] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for
satisfying a transaction amount with alternative funding sources,
in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] The detailed description of exemplary embodiments herein
shows exemplary embodiments by way of illustration and its best
mode. While these exemplary embodiments are described in sufficient
detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the
disclosure, it should be understood that other embodiments may be
realized and that logical, chemical and mechanical changes may be
made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
disclosure. Thus, the detailed description herein is presented for
purposes of illustration only and not of limitation. For example,
the steps recited in any of the method or process descriptions may
be executed in any order and are not necessarily limited to the
order presented. Moreover, many of the functions or steps may be
outsourced to or performed by one or more third parties.
Furthermore, any reference to singular includes plural embodiments,
and any reference to more than one component or step may include a
singular embodiment or step.
[0014] For the sake of brevity, conventional data networking,
application development and other functional aspects of the systems
(and components of the individual operating components of the
systems) may not be described in detail herein.
[0015] In general, the systems and methods include a unique
combination of one or more features associated with the redemption
and application of alternative funding sources (e.g., debit
accounts, transaction accounts, bank accounts, loyalty points,
award accounts, incentive accounts, etc.). The alternative funding
sources may be applied to transactions charged or otherwise applied
against a transaction account at the time the transaction is
initiated, processed, or completed at a point of sale. More
specifically, a system and method is disclosed for detecting a
transaction at a merchant point of sale (e.g. at a physical point
of sale, at a virtual point of sale, a website, etc) and presenting
the option to satisfy the transaction amount with a funding source
that is different than the primary source of payment for the
transaction. For example, a customer may purchase an item through a
merchant website, and select a transaction account (e.g. an
American Express Charge Card account) to pay for the transaction.
In response to the indication that the customer is using a
transaction account, the systems may provide the customer with an
option to use an alternative payment source to satisfy the
obligation on the transaction account corresponding to the
purchase.
[0016] The systems may also be configured to provide the user with
an option at a physical point of sale through a portable electronic
device (e.g., a smart-phone, tablet computer, personal digital
assistant, or other similar device known in the art or discussed
herein). In one embodiment, a customer may conduct a purchase
transaction for an item at a physical point of sale. The portable
electronic device may be configured to passively detect a point of
sale device. In response to either the initiation, processing, or
completion of the transaction at the point of sale device, the
customer (through a portable electronic) may be presented with
alternative funding sources to satisfy the obligation corresponding
to the purchase such that the customer may select a desired
alternative funding source.
[0017] Alternative Funding Management System ("AFMS") 110 may allow
a user to create credits and pay through various mediums using
alternative funding sources, as further described in U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 12/847,832, entitled System and Method for
Rewards Redemption, and filed on Jul. 30, 2010, which is herein
incorporated by reference in its entirety. Systems and methods for
managing a rewards account are provided. In this context, AFMS 110
may be configured to receive a request to redeem loyalty points for
a monetary value. The monetary value can be applied to particular
eligible transactions associated with a transaction account. In an
embodiment, to determine whether a transaction is an eligible
transaction, the system analyzes transaction data for a plurality
of transactions associated with a transaction account. The system
then identifies an eligible transaction from the plurality of
transactions, wherein the eligible transaction is based on a set of
predefined rules (e.g. the type of item purchased, the vendor who
provides the item, the merchant from whom the item was purchased).
The system then displays the eligible transactions via a user
interface. The system is configured to receive a selection of an
eligible transaction, such that a monetary credit can be directed
to the eligible transaction. In response to the selection, the
system debits the loyalty points from a loyalty account, credits
the monetary value (associated with the loyalty points) to the
eligible transaction and revises the transaction account statement
with the reduced amount owed.
[0018] Generally, users who conduct transactions with a transaction
account enjoy benefits such as extended warranties, loyalty
incentives, purchase incentives, discounts, extended return
periods, satisfaction guarantees, and the like. However, some users
prefer not to defer payment for an item until the bill for the
transaction account arrives. As such, the system allows users to
satisfy the payment obligations associated with purchases at the
time of purchase, while still receiving the benefits of using a
particular transaction account. Moreover, transaction account
issuers that provide loyalty points and other similar incentives
prefer to reduce the liability associated with such programs, by
encouraging the account owner to spend rewards. The systems
accomplish the transaction issuers' objectives by allowing loyalty
and reward accounts to function as alternative funding sources at
the point of sale. Moreover, the systems allow transaction accounts
issuers to avoid investing substantial resources to create the
infrastructure to allow an account owner to pay with loyalty
points.
[0019] "User" may include any individual, customer, cardmember,
employee, contractor, group, participant, beneficiary, account
holder, account owner, recipient, charitable organization,
software, hardware, and/or other entity that has an interest in a
transaction account and/or a loyalty account award.
[0020] A "transaction account" as used herein refers to an account
associated with an open account or a closed account system (as
described below). The transaction account may exist in a physical
or non-physical embodiment. For example, a transaction account may
be distributed in non-physical embodiments such as an account
number, frequent-flyer account, telephone calling account or the
like. Furthermore, a physical embodiment of a transaction account
may be distributed as a financial instrument (or card). The term
"transaction instrument" is used herein to be synonymous with the
term "transaction account," unless indicated otherwise.
[0021] The terms "transaction", "purchase" and similar terms may be
used interchangeably, and include any monetary or non-monetary
agreement, exchange, negotiation, procedure, arrangement or other
type of deal. The transaction may or may not include an exchange of
an item.
[0022] A "transaction account code," "account," "account number" or
"account code," as used herein, may include any device, code,
number, letter, symbol, digital certificate, smart chip, digital
signal, analog signal, biometric or other identifier/indicia
suitably configured to allow a consumer to access, interact with or
communicate with a financial transaction system. The account number
may optionally be located on or associated with any financial
transaction instrument (e.g., rewards, charge, credit, debit,
prepaid, telephone, embossed, smart, magnetic stripe, bar code,
transponder or radio frequency card).
[0023] A "monetary value" or "credit value" as used herein, may
include any statement credit, statement payment, statement debit,
statement value, monetary credit, monetary transfer, credit
monetary value, credit, discount, coupon, or similar benefit,
provided to a user, directly or through a transaction account.
[0024] Phrases and terms similar to an "item" may include any good,
service, information, experience, reward, points, coupons, credits,
monetary equivalent, anything of value, something of minimal or no
value, etc.
[0025] A "financial institution" may include any entity that offers
transaction account services to recipients. Although often referred
to as a "financial institution," the financial institution may
represent any type of bank, brokerage, lender or other type of
account issuing institution. It is further noted that other
participants may be involved in some phases of the transaction,
such as an intermediary settlement institution.
[0026] With reference to FIG. 1, and in accordance with an
embodiment, system 100 may be any system configured to track,
manage, analyze, identify, redeem, satisfy, and/or store financial
transactions associated with a transaction account. System 100 may
monitor, detect and/or acquire data from a point of sale device.
System 100 may also track, manage, analyze, store, earn and/or
redeem a monetary value from an alternative funding source. In an
exemplary embodiment, system 100 comprises an AFMS 110 in
electronic communication with a financial institution 150 and/or a
user 115. In an embodiment, AFMS 110 may also be part of financial
institution 150 or provided by financial institution 150.
[0027] AFMS 110 may comprise an alternative funding module, one or
more alternative funding sources ("AFS"), and alternative funding
middleware. AFMS 110 may be configured to interface with various
systems at financial institution 150 including, for example, a card
authorization system ("CAS") 151 and an account management system
("AMS") 153.
[0028] AFMS 110 may be provided independently of financial
institution 150. AFMS 110 may be in communication with various
components and/or systems of financial institution 150. AFMS 110
may be in electronic communication with CAS 151 and/or account
manager 153. CAS 151 may be any software or hardware-software
system configured to facilitate transactions associated with a
transaction account. For example, an exemplary CAS 151 receives an
authorization request from a merchant to determine if the financial
transaction account associated with a transaction card number is
valid and has sufficient credit. CAS 151 includes systems for
comparing the transaction details (e.g., account number, monetary
amount of transaction, expiration date, etc) with the users
financial transaction account information to determine if the
financial transaction account is active and if a sufficient credit
limit exists to complete a transaction. If these conditions are
satisfied, CAS 151 returns to the merchant an approval code
reflecting that the merchant is authorized to complete the
transaction.
[0029] AFMS 110 may also be configured to detect and/or receive
transaction data from a point of sale. AFMS 110 may be configured
to actively or passively detect a point of sale device. More
particularly, with reference to FIG. 1, AFMS 110 may comprise an
alternative funding module 120, one or more AFS 130A, AFS 130B and
AFS 130X, an alternative funding source middleware 140, and may be
configured to communicate with CAS 151, AMS 153, and/or other
systems. Other systems may include, for example, reporting engines,
management information systems, business information systems,
third-party data providers and the like. Each of the systems may be
interconnected by a network via any method and/or device described
herein.
[0030] Alternative funding module 120 comprises any hardware and/or
software suitably configured to facilitate requesting, retrieving,
updating, analyzing, entering, selecting and/or modifying data. In
one embodiment, alternative funding module 120 is configured to
facilitate input, receipt and/or review of information relating to
transactions initiated by user 115 at a point of sale. Alternative
funding module 120 includes any device (e.g., personal computer),
software, software component, add-on, extension, and/or the like,
which communicates (in any manner discussed herein) with a point of
sale 117 and/or AFMS 110 via any network discussed herein. Such
browser applications comprise Internet browsing software installed
within a computing unit or system to conduct online transactions
and/or communications. These computing units or systems may take
the form of a computer or set of computers, although other types of
computing units or systems may be used, including laptops,
notebooks, net books, smart phones, mobile phones, hand held
computers, set-top boxes, workstations, computer-servers, main
frame computers, mini-computers, PC servers, pervasive computers,
network sets of computers, and/or the like. Practitioners will
appreciate that alternative funding module 120 may or may not be in
direct contact with AFMS 110. For example, alternative funding
module 120 may access the services of AFMS 110 through another
server, which may have a direct or indirect connection to Internet
server 108.
[0031] An exemplary alternative funding module 120 may be
configured to actively or passively detect a point of sale as
discussed above. For example, alternative funding module 120 may
operate within or as a portion of an Internet web browser such as,
for example, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Chrome, or
any other suitable browser. Alternative funding module 120 may be
configured to actively monitor and evaluate data on each web page
viewed in the browser. Alternative funding module 120 may also be
configured to evaluate data entered in the browser by a user (e.g.
name, transaction account information, identity information, and/or
the like). Alternative funding module 120 may comprise or take
action based on a set of predefined set of rules.
[0032] The predefined rules may be stored at AFMS 110 or may be
stored in alternative funding module 120. These predefined rules
may comprise triggers, such that alternative funding module 120
communicates data, and/or displays options to a user in response to
detecting particular content during a browser session such as, web
page content or user provided content. In response to detecting a
trigger, AFMS 110 and/or alternative funding module 120 may provide
information to or request an input from a user.
[0033] In one embodiment and with momentary reference to FIG. 2,
alternative funding module 220 may be over-laid or presented within
a browser. Alternative funding module 220 may be continuously
present in the browser session or may over-lay the browser session
in response to detecting a point of sale. Alternative funding
module may comprise a list of one or more AFSs. These AFSs may
include debit accounts (e.g. checking accounts, savings accounts,
and the like), credit accounts, transactions accounts, rewards
accounts, loyalty accounts, and the like. These AFSs may be
provided by one or more account issuers. The AFSs may be selectable
by a user. In response to the selection of one or more AFSs by the
user, AFMS 110 and/or alternative funding module 220 may be
configured to compile a credit from the selected AFSs. This credit
may be associated with the transaction account used to purchase an
item in the browser session or may be transmitted to the account
issuer of the transaction account used to make the purchase. It
should be noted that the selection by the user and transmission of
the credit occur at substantially the same time as the purchase
transaction. As such, a user does not need to separately access a
transaction account, rewards account, a do business with a merchant
that allows, a user to pay with a transaction account and fund a
purchase with an integrated alternative funding system. In other
words, the AFMS 120 and/or alternative funding module 220 allow the
user to select an AFS and transmit the credit from the AFS
independent of a the particular merchant or point of sale.
[0034] In an embodiment and with reference again to FIG. 1,
alternative funding module 120 may also be configured to passively
detect a point of sale device. For example, where alternative
funding module 120 is present in a portable electronic device,
alternative funding module 120 may be configured with a trigger
that provides or requests information in response to receiving a
trigger (e.g. a signal from a point of sale). In the context of a
mobile device, alternative funding module 120 may also be embodied
as an application or extension of an application, and may actively
detect a point of sale as discussed above.
[0035] As those skilled in the art will appreciate, alternative
funding module 120 may comprise of be configured to interact and
operate within an operating system (e.g., Windows NT,
95/98/2000/XP/Vista/7, OS2, UNIX, Linux, Solaris, MacOS, Android,
iOS, etc.). Alternative funding module 120 may include any suitable
personal computer, network computer, workstation, minicomputer,
mainframe or the like. Alternative funding module 120 can operate
in a home or business environment with access to a network. In an
exemplary embodiment, access is through a network or the Internet
through a commercially available web-browser software package.
[0036] Alternative funding module 120 may be independently,
separately or collectively suitably coupled to the network via data
links which includes, for example, a connection to an Internet
Service Provider (ISP) over the local loop as is typically used in
connection with standard modem communication, cable modem, Dish
networks, ISDN, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), or various wireless
communication methods, see, e.g., Gilbert Held, Understanding Data
Communications (1996), which is hereby incorporated by reference.
It is noted that the network may be implemented as other types of
networks, such as an interactive television (ITV) network.
[0037] Alternative funding module 120 may include any number of
applications, code modules, cookies, and/or the like to facilitate
interaction with AFMS 110, point of sale 117 and/or financial
institution 150 in order to for example, view statements, view
transactions terms, view transaction information, submit/authorize
a transactions, access AFSs, create credits, and the like. In one
embodiment, alternative funding module 120 may store, receive,
access, or otherwise have user 115 preferences and/or any other
information disclosed herein on a hard drive or any other local
memory device. Accordingly, alternative funding module 120 may
retrieve and store recipient information within a memory structure
of alternative funding module 120 in the form of a browser cookie,
for example. In another embodiment, alternative funding module 120
retrieves information relating to user 115 from AFMS 110, point of
sale 117, and/or financial institution 150 on establishing a
session with Internet server 108.
[0038] In an embodiment, account manager 153 is any software and/or
hardware suitably configured to receive, store, and/or reconcile
pending and posted transaction to a transaction account. For
example, upon completion of a transaction (or a series of
transactions), the merchant transmits a record of charges (ROC) and
summary of charges (SOC) request to the account manager 153
requesting to be paid for the transaction. The ROC file generally
contains transaction details which could include the merchant
identification number, amount of purchase, date of purchase, and
expiration date. The account manager 153 posts the ROC to the
transaction account. At the end of a billing cycle, account manger
153 consolidates any pending posted ROCs to the account and issues
a statement summarizing the ROCs and requesting payment. Typically,
the statement contains a minimum obligation associated with the
transaction account (e.g. a minimum payment) and a variety of other
payment options. The statement may be provided as a physical paper
statement, and electronic statement, or any other suitable
form.
[0039] Firewall 109, as used herein, may comprise any hardware
and/or software suitably configured to protect AFMS 110 components
from users of other networks. Firewall 109 may reside in varying
configurations including stateful inspection, proxy based and
packet filtering among others. Firewall 109 may be integrated as
software within Internet server 108, any other AFMS 110 components
or may reside within another computing device or may take the form
of a standalone hardware component.
[0040] Internet server 108 may include any hardware and/or software
suitably configured to facilitate communications between
alternative funding module 120 and one or more AFMS 110 components.
Further, Internet server 108 may be configured to transmit data to
alternative funding module 120 within markup language documents. As
used herein, "data" may include encompassing information such as
commands, queries, files, data for storage, and/or the like in
digital or any other form. Internet server 108 may operate as a
single entity in a single geographic location or as separate
computing components located together or in separate geographic
locations.
[0041] Internet server 108 may provide a suitable web site or other
Internet-based graphical user interface which is accessible by
recipients. In one embodiment, the Microsoft Internet Information
Server (IIS), Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS), and Microsoft SQL
Server, are used in conjunction with the Microsoft operating
system, Microsoft NT web server software, a Microsoft SQL Server
database system, and a Microsoft Commerce Server. Additionally,
components such as Access or Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase,
Informix MySQL, InterBase, etc., may be used to provide an Active
Data Object (ADO) compliant database management system.
[0042] AFMS 110 or any other components discussed herein may
further include one or more of the following: a host server or
other computing systems including a processor for processing
digital data; a memory coupled to the processor for storing digital
data; an input digitizer coupled to the processor for inputting
digital data; an application program stored in the memory and
accessible by the processor for directing processing of digital
data by the processor; a display device coupled to the processor
and memory for displaying information derived from digital data
processed by the processor; and a plurality of databases.
[0043] Alternative funding middleware 140 may include any hardware
and/or software suitably configured to facilitate communications
and/or process transactions between disparate computing systems.
Alternative funding middleware server and/or application 140 may
serve as an intermediary between the various systems to ensure
appropriate communications between disparate platforms. Middleware
components are commercially available and known in the art.
Alternative funding middleware 140 may be implemented through
commercially available hardware and/or software, through custom
hardware and/or software components, or through a combination
thereof. Alternative funding middleware 140 may reside in a variety
of configurations and may exist as a standalone system or may be a
software component residing on the Internet server 108. Alternative
funding middleware 140 may be configured to process transactions
between the various components of AFMS 110 and financial
institution 150 and any number of internal or external systems 100
for the purposes disclosed herein.
[0044] As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art,
one or more of the components of system 100 may be embodied as a
customization of an existing system, an add-on product, upgraded
software, a stand alone system (e.g., kiosk), a distributed system,
a method, a data processing system, a device for data processing, a
computer and/or a computer program product. Accordingly, individual
system 100 components may take the form of an entirely software
embodiment, an entirely hardware embodiment, or an embodiment
combining aspects of both software and hardware. In one embodiment,
a system 100 component (e.g. a computer) may include a processor, a
memory, a communications interface, a network interface, etc.
Furthermore, individual system 100 components may take the form of
a computer program product on a computer-readable storage medium
having computer-readable program code means embodied in the storage
medium. Any suitable computer-readable storage medium may be
utilized, including hard disks, CD-ROM, flash memory, optical
storage devices, magnetic storage devices, and/or the like. In one
embodiment, a system 100 components and/or subsystems comprise a
network interface communicating with a memory, the memory
communicating with a processor; and the processor, when executing a
computer program, configured to accomplish a variety of functions
and/or steps.
[0045] The system discussed herein contemplates uses in association
with web services, utility computing, pervasive and individualized
computing, security and identity solutions, autonomic computing,
commodity computing, mobility and wireless solutions, open source,
biometrics, grid computing and/or mesh computing.
[0046] In one embodiment, and with continued reference to FIG. 1,
AFMS 110 may be configured as an alterative funding source broker
system. Transaction accounts, reward accounts, loyalty accounts,
and/or other alternative funding source accounts may originate from
any source and may be associated with AFMS 110. AFMS 110 may be
configured to co-locate AFS 130A, AFS 130B . . . and AFS 130X. AFMS
110 may also be configured to combine portions of one or more AFS
to create credits (e.g. a portion of the credit may be attributable
to a transaction account, a portion of the credit may be
attributable to a reward or loyalty account, and a portion of the
credit may be attributable to a stored value or debit account).
[0047] With respect to loyalty and/or reward points, AFMS 110 may
also be configured to convert the points such that the points have
a standard value. AFMS 110 may also be configured with various
conversion ratios such that points from various sources can be
converted based on the value of the originated account. For
example, providing a weighted conversion where points from a first
account have a higher conversion value than points from a second
account, but where points from both the first and second account
can be combined in a common account such that each point in the
common account has the same value. In other words, ten (10) Delta
Airlines points may be converted to one (1) common account point
and twenty (20) Hilton Hotel points may be converted to five (5)
common account points, so the total points in the common account
from these sources is six (6).
[0048] In an embodiment, AFMS 110 may be configured to provide an
incentive to a user to induce a particular transaction or behavior
(e.g. use reward points to satisfy a particular transaction or
satisfy a transaction prior to a statement being issued or being
due). AFMS 110 may be configured to provide an award of loyalty
points to an associated loyalty account where a user pays for an
eligible transaction, before the statement date for the eligible
transaction. Similarly, AFMS 110 may be configured to provide an
alternative higher point to monetary value conversion ratio where
an eligible transaction is paid before a statement date. As such
AFMS 110 may provide a user with an incentive for prepayment, as
described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/750,030, entitled
Method and Apparatus for Automatically Processing Invoiced Payments
with Selectable Payment Terms, and filed on Dec. 31, 2003, which is
herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
[0049] As discussed above, AFMS 110 and/or an alternative funding
module may comprise predefined rules. The predefined rules or
triggers may be used to analyze points of sale and/or transactions
to determine whether the transactions should be processed by AMFS
110 or alternatively funding source module 120. The predefined
rules may be created by a user, a financial transaction account
issuer, a loyalty account provider, a merchant, a vendor and/or the
like. For example, a user, merchant, transactions account issuer,
or some combination thereof may define the rules or triggers to
include, for example, a threshold amount for a transaction, a
particular list of merchants, a particular transaction account to
initiate a transaction at a point of sale device, and/or the like
to activate AFMS 110 and/or alternative funding module 120.
[0050] In various embodiments, the predefined rules may be based on
any attribute contained in the transaction data, including for
example, the type of merchant from whom the transaction originated
the amount of the transactions, the type of item being purchased,
the transaction history of an eligible financial account and/or any
other suitable criteria. As such, a user, a financial transaction
account issuer, a loyalty account host, a third party and/or the
like may create predefined rules that allow specific transactions
to be identified and/or sorted by an attribute(s) of the
transaction data.
[0051] Transactions (which partially or fully meet the criteria of
a predefined rule) may be identified by AFS 110 and/or alternative
funding module 120. As such, alternative funding module 120 may be
triggered in response to detecting an eligible transactions at a
point of sale at the initiation of a transaction (e.g. adding an
item to a cart or in response to receiving a user selection to
checkout), during a transaction (e.g. in response to providing
transaction account information, user information, or the like),
and/or upon completion of a transaction (e.g. receiving
confirmation of a purchase from a point of sale).
[0052] In an embodiment, where a transaction is partially or fully
ineligible, the AFS 110 and/or alternative funding module 120 may
not be triggered, may provide a message to the user indicating that
the transaction is ineligible, and/or allow the transaction to
proceed without taking any action. Similarly, where a transaction
is partially or fully eligible, but otherwise is subject to another
action (e.g., the transaction has been identified as a possible
fraudulent transaction, the transaction is in dispute, or is
subject to another action), the transaction may not be identified
by AFS 110 and/or alternative funding module 120 and/or selectable
through alternative funding module 120.
[0053] In an embodiment, AFS 110 and/or alternative funding module
120 may be configured to credit a partial amount of a transaction
amount. For example, a partial amount may be applied where at least
a portion of the transaction amount is associated with one or more
eligible transactions and/or the partial amount is based on the
amount of AFSs available.
[0054] In an embodiment, and with continued reference to FIG. 1,
AFS 110 and/or alternative funding module 120 may be at least
partially configured within a mobile device. The mobile device may
be any mobile device which is at least intermittently connectable
to a network and configured to run a customizable micro-application
(hereinafter "micro-app"). The mobile device may be a smart-phone,
including for example a mobile telephone configured with a Palm
mobile operating system, a Windows mobile operating system, an
Android Operating System, Apple iOS, a Blackberry operating system
and the like, a tablet PC, including for example an iPad, a
portable electronic device, including for example a PDA, an iPod
Touch, and the like, or any other suitable mobile device.
[0055] In an embodiment, the mobile device may be configured with
alternative funding module 120. Alternative funding module 120 may
take the form of a micro-app or any other suitable interface.
Alternative funding module 120 may be configured to display various
AFSs which reside within AFMS 110. The AFSs may include, for
example, point balances, account balances, recent eligible
transactions, and the like. Alternative funding module 120 may also
be configured to conduct various activities, including for example,
sorting AFSs, applying points and/or monetary values, consolidating
points/and or monetary values, applying a credit to a transaction,
and/or the like.
[0056] In an embodiment, the mobile device may be configured to
complete transactions with merchant 217 at a point of sale. The
mobile device may be configured to communicate with a point of sale
via any suitable communications protocol in response to an active
or passive indication of the point of sale. The mobile device may
automatically connect to a point of sale.
[0057] In various embodiments, the user may complete transactions
with a network connection present, or where no network connection
is present, based on various authorization rules. In one
embodiment, the mobile device is connected to a network and a point
of sale. The mobile device may be configured to provide account
information to the point of sale. This account information may
enable the point of sale device to communicate with an account
issuer. The account issuer may administer the transaction account
and AFS 110. AFS 110 may also be administered by a third party that
is in contact with the account issuer. In response to the point of
sale receiving the account information, the point of sale may
provide transaction information to the account issuer (e.g. the
product and/or service identifier for each item being purchased and
the transaction amount for each item being purchased). The
transaction account issuer may initiate an authorization process
where each product and/or service identifier is evaluated to
determine whether the product is an eligible transaction. As used
herein, an eligible transaction may be any transaction associated
with a payment initiated by a mobile device. In response to
eligible transactions being identified, alternative funding source
module 120 may present a list of AFSs. This balance of each AFSs
may be compared to transaction amount, to determine which
transactions may be satisfied with AFSs.
[0058] In an embodiment, alternative funding module 120 may be
configured to sync with AFMS 110 each time a network connection is
present. Moreover, alternative funding module 120 may be configured
to complete a predetermined number of transactions before
alternative funding module 120 syncs with AFMS 110 again. For
example, where the mobile device is in airplane mode and there is
no network connection present, the user may complete a transaction
via alternative funding module 120 providing that the transaction
meets the authorization rules within alternative funding module 120
(e.g. the one of more AFS has a sufficient balance of points to
complete the transaction as of the last sync with AFMS 110).
[0059] In an embodiment, alternative funding module 120 and AFMS
110 may be associated with various AFSs. AFMS 110 may be configured
to credit a transaction amount where the transaction meets the
criteria for an eligible transaction, but there are not sufficient
rewards points to satisfy the total amount associated with the
transaction. Where there are not sufficient points, AFMS 110 may be
configured to authorize a payment comprising rewards points and a
monetary value from one or more of the associated transaction
accounts.
[0060] With reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, and in accordance with
various embodiments, alternative funding module 320 may be
configured to detect a point of sale 317 (Step 410). As discussed
above, alternative funding module 320 may be configured to detect a
transaction at any point between the initiation of the transaction
and completion of the transaction. For example, alternative funding
module 320 may be configured to monitor the transaction account,
the transaction amount, and transaction information during the
transaction process (Step 420).
[0061] Alternative funding module 320 may comprise alternative
funding validation 321. Alternative funding validation 321 may be
configured to evaluate the transaction account, the transaction
amount and transaction information detected during the transaction
process and trigger processing of alternative funding based on the
progress of the transaction. Alternative funding validation may be
configured to validate a particular transaction against the
predetermined rules discussed above and determine whether a
particular transaction is eligible for alternative funding. Based
on a positive determination, alternative funding module 320 may
request information from a user 315 regarding selection of one of
more AFS (Step 430). For example, alternative funding module may be
configured to process alternative funding upon completion of the
transaction as evidenced by, for example, a payment authorization
319A or a confirmation 319B (Step 440). In response to the
transaction being completed and a determination that the
transaction is eligible user 315 may be presented with one or more
AFS, which may be selectable through alternative funding module
320. Upon receipt of the alternative funding selection from user
315, alternative funding module 320 may be configured to credit at
least a portion of the transaction amount to the transaction
account associated with the purchase of an eligible item, before
the transaction posts to the transaction account in at
substantially the same time as the transaction is completed (e.g.
in the browser session where the transaction was initiated and
completed by user 315).
[0062] An alternative funding source management system for use in a
telecommunications network may also interface with the embodiments
herein. In particular, such a system includes a mobile
communication device configured to communicate over a wireless
telecommunication network, a telecommunication service provider
configured to facilitate a connection to the wireless
telecommunication network, an alternative funding source management
system, a financial institution, and a communication network
providing communication between the telecommunication service
provider, the alternative funding source management system, and the
financial institution. The alternative funding source management
system includes a one or more AFS and is configured to track
activities associated with the various values of each AFS, and
determine a monetary value associated with the any non-monetary AFS
and a alternative funding middleware which facilitates
communication of the one of more AFSs with a financial institution
such that the AFSs can be used to satisfy obligations associated
with a transaction account processed by the financial institution
on the connection.
[0063] An alternative funding source management system for a
peer-to-peer transaction may also interface with the embodiments
herein. In particular, such a system includes first and second
personal communication devices configured to participate in a
peer-to-peer transaction, an alternative funding source management
system, and a communication network providing two-way communication
between one of said personal communication devices and the
alternative funding source management system. The alternative
funding source management system includes one or more AFS and is
configured to track activities associated with the various values
of each AFS, and determine a monetary value associated with the any
non-monetary AFS and a alternative funding middleware which
facilitates communication of the one of more AFSs with a financial
institution such that the AFSs can be used to satisfy obligations
associated with a transaction account processed by the financial
institution on the connection.
[0064] Any of the communications, inputs, storage, databases or
displays discussed herein may be facilitated through a web site
having web pages. The term "web page" as it is used herein is not
meant to limit the type of documents and applications that might be
used to interact with the user. For example, a typical web site
might include, in addition to standard HTML documents, various
forms, Java applets, JavaScript, active server pages (ASP), common
gateway interface scripts (CGI), extensible markup language (XML),
dynamic HTML, cascading style sheets (CSS), helper applications,
plug-ins, and/or the like. A server may include a web service that
receives a request from a web server, the request including a URL
(e.g. http://yahoo.com/stockquotes/ge) and an IP address (e.g.
123.4.56.789). The web server retrieves the appropriate web pages
and sends the data or applications for the web pages to the IP
address. Web services are applications that are capable of
interacting with other applications over a communications means,
such as the Internet. Web services are typically based on standards
or protocols such as XML, SOAP, WSDL and UDDI. Web services methods
are well known in the art, and are covered in many standard texts.
See, e.g., Alex Nghiem, IT Web Services: A Roadmap for the
Enterprise (2003), hereby incorporated by reference.
[0065] In order to control access to any component of AFMS 110,
Internet server 108 may invoke an authentication server (not shown)
in response to user 115 submissions of authentication credentials
received at Internet server 108 from alternative funding module
120. The authentication server may include any hardware and/or
software suitably configured to receive authentication credentials,
encrypt and decrypt credentials, authenticate credentials, and
grant access rights according to privileges (e.g., pre-defined
privileges) attached to the credentials. The authentication server
may grant varying degrees of application and data level access to
users based on information stored within a database and/or any
other known memory structure.
[0066] One skilled in the art will appreciate that system 100 may
employ any number of databases in any number of configurations.
Further, any databases discussed herein may be any type of
database, such as relational, hierarchical, graphical,
object-oriented, and/or other database configurations. Common
database products that may be used to implement the databases
include DB2 by IBM (White Plains, N.Y.), various database products
available from Oracle Corporation (Redwood Shores, Calif.),
Microsoft Access or Microsoft SQL Server by Microsoft Corporation
(Redmond, Wash.), or any other suitable database product. Moreover,
the databases may be organized in any suitable manner, for example,
as data tables or lookup tables. Each record may be a single file,
a series of files, a linked series of data fields or any other data
structure. Association of certain data may be accomplished through
any desired data association technique such as those known or
practiced in the art. For example, the association may be
accomplished either manually or automatically. Automatic
association techniques may include, for example, a database search,
a database merge, GREP, AGREP, SQL, using a key field in the tables
to speed searches, sequential searches through all the tables and
files, sorting records in the file according to a known order to
simplify lookup, and/or the like. The association step may be
accomplished by a database merge function, for example, using a
"key field" in pre-selected databases or data sectors.
[0067] More particularly, a "key field" partitions the database
according to the high-level class of objects defined by the key
field. For example, certain types of data may be designated as a
key field in a plurality of related data tables and the data tables
may then be linked on the basis of the type of data in the key
field. The data corresponding to the key field in each of the
linked data tables is preferably the same or of the same type.
However, data tables having similar, though not identical, data in
the key fields may also be linked by using AGREP, for example. In
accordance with one aspect of system 100, any suitable data storage
technique may be utilized to store data without a standard format.
Data sets may be stored using any suitable technique, including,
for example, storing individual files using an ISO/IEC 7816-4 file
structure; implementing a domain whereby a dedicated file is
selected that exposes one or more elementary files containing one
or more data sets; using data sets stored in individual files using
a hierarchical filing system; data sets stored as records in a
single file (including compression, SQL accessible, hashed via one
or more keys, numeric, alphabetical by first tuple, etc.); Binary
Large Object (BLOB); stored as ungrouped data elements encoded
using ISO/IEC 7816-6 data elements; stored as ungrouped data
elements encoded using ISO/IEC Abstract Syntax Notation (ASN.1) as
in ISO/IEC 8824 and 8825; and/or other proprietary techniques that
may include fractal compression methods, image compression methods,
etc.
[0068] In one embodiment, the ability to store a wide variety of
information in different formats is facilitated by storing the
information as a BLOB. Thus, any binary information can be stored
in a storage space associated with a data set. As discussed above,
the binary information may be stored on the financial transaction
instrument or external to but affiliated with the financial
transaction instrument. The BLOB method may store data sets as
ungrouped data elements formatted as a block of binary via a fixed
memory offset using either fixed storage allocation, circular queue
techniques, or best practices with respect to memory management
(e.g., paged memory, least recently used, etc.). By using BLOB
methods, the ability to store various data sets that have different
formats facilitates the storage of data associated with system 100
by multiple and unrelated owners of the data sets. For example, a
first data set which may be stored may be provided by a first
party, a second data set which may be stored may be provided by an
unrelated second party, and yet a third data set which may be
stored, may be provided by an third party unrelated to the first
and second party. Each of these three exemplary data sets may
contain different information that is stored using different data
storage formats and/or techniques. Further, each data set may
contain subsets of data that also may be distinct from other
subsets.
[0069] As stated above, in various embodiments of system 100, the
data can be stored without regard to a common format. However, in
one exemplary embodiment, the data set (e.g., BLOB) may be
annotated in a standard manner when provided for manipulating the
data onto the financial transaction instrument. The annotation may
comprise a short header, trailer, or other appropriate indicator
related to each data set that is configured to convey information
useful in managing the various data sets. For example, the
annotation may be called a "condition header", "header", "trailer",
or "status", herein, and may comprise an indication of the status
of the data set or may include an identifier correlated to a
specific issuer or owner of the data. In one example, the first
three bytes of each data set BLOB may be configured or configurable
to indicate the status of that particular data set; e.g., LOADED,
INITIALIZED, READY, BLOCKED, REMOVABLE, or DELETED. Subsequent
bytes of data may be used to indicate for example, the identity of
the issuer, user, transaction/membership account identifier or the
like. Each of these condition annotations are further discussed
herein.
[0070] The data set annotation may also be used for other types of
status information as well as various other purposes. For example,
the data set annotation may include security information
establishing access levels. The access levels may, for example, be
configured to permit only certain individuals, levels of employees,
companies, or other entities to access data sets, or to permit
access to specific data sets based on the transaction, merchant,
issuer, user or the like. Furthermore, the security information may
restrict/permit only certain actions such as accessing, modifying,
and/or deleting data sets. In one example, the data set annotation
indicates that only the data set owner or the user are permitted to
delete a data set, various identified users may be permitted to
access the data set for reading, and others are altogether excluded
from accessing the data set. However, other access restriction
parameters may also be used allowing various entities to access a
data set with various permission levels as appropriate.
[0071] The data, including the header or trailer may be received by
a stand-alone interaction device configured to add, delete, modify,
or augment the data in accordance with the header or trailer. As
such, in one embodiment, the header or trailer is not stored on the
transaction device along with the associated issuer-owned data but
instead the appropriate action may be taken by providing to the
transaction instrument user at the stand-alone device, the
appropriate option for the action to be taken. System 100
contemplates a data storage arrangement wherein the header or
trailer, or header or trailer history, of the data is stored on the
transaction instrument in relation to the appropriate data.
[0072] One skilled in the art will also appreciate that, for
security reasons, any databases, systems, devices, servers or other
components of system 100 may consist of any combination thereof at
a single location or at multiple locations, wherein each database
or system 100 includes any of various suitable security features,
such as firewalls, access codes, encryption, decryption,
compression, decompression, and/or the like.
[0073] In addition to those described above, the various system
components discussed herein may include one or more of the
following: a host server or other computing systems including a
processor for processing digital data; a memory coupled to the
processor for storing digital data; an input digitizer coupled to
the processor for inputting digital data; an application program
stored in the memory and accessible by the processor for directing
processing of digital data by the processor; a display device
coupled to the processor and memory for displaying information
derived from digital data processed by the processor; and a
plurality of databases. Various databases used herein may include:
client data; merchant data; financial institution data; and/or like
data useful in the operation of the present disclosure. As those
skilled in the art will appreciate, user computer may include an
operating system (e.g., Windows NT, 95/98/2000, OS2, UNIX, Linux,
Solaris, MacOS, etc.) as well as various conventional support
software and drivers typically associated with computers. The
computer may include any suitable personal computer, network
computer, workstation, minicomputer, mainframe or the like. User
computer can be in a home or business environment with access to a
network. In an exemplary embodiment, access is through a network or
the Internet through a commercially-available web-browser software
package.
[0074] As used herein, the term "network" shall include any cloud,
cloud computing, electronic communication or other means which
incorporate both hardware and software components of such.
Communication among the parties may be accomplished through any
suitable communication channels, such as, for example, a telephone
network, an extranet, an intranet, Internet, point of interaction
device (point of sale device, personal digital assistant, cellular
phone, kiosk, etc.), online communications, satellite
communications, off-line communications, wireless communications,
transponder communications, local area network (LAN), wide area
network (WAN), networked or linked devices, keyboard, mouse and/or
any suitable communication or data input modality. Moreover,
although the system is frequently described herein as being
implemented with TCP/IP communications protocols, the system may
also be implemented using IPX, Appletalk, IP-6, NetBIOS, OSI or any
number of existing or future protocols. If the network is in the
nature of a public network, such as the Internet, it may be
advantageous to presume the network to be insecure and open to
eavesdroppers. Specific information related to the protocols,
standards, and application software utilized in connection with the
Internet is generally known to those skilled in the art and, as
such, need not be detailed herein. See, for example, Dilip Naik,
Internet Standards And Protocols (1998); Java 2 Complete, various
authors, (Sybex 1999); Deborah Ray And Eric Ray, Mastering Html 4.0
(1997); and Loshin, TCP/IP Clearly Explained (1997) and David
Gourley and Brian Totty, HTTP, The Definitive Guide (2002), the
contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
[0075] "Cloud" or "Cloud computing" includes a model for enabling
convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of
configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage,
applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and
released with minimal management effort or service provider
interaction. Cloud computing may include location-independent
computing, whereby shared servers provide resources, software, and
data to computers and other devices on demand. For more information
regarding cloud computing, see the NIST's (National Institute of
Standards and Technology) definition of cloud computing at
http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/SNS/cloud-computing/cloud-def-v15.doc
(last visited Feb. 4, 2011), which is hereby incorporated by
reference in its entirety.
[0076] In an embodiment, various components, modules, and/or
engines of system 100 may be implemented as micro-applications or
micro-apps. Micro-apps are typically deployed in the context of a
mobile operating system, including for example, a Palm mobile
operating system, a Windows mobile operating system, an Android
Operating System, Apple iOS, a Blackberry operating system and the
like. The micro-app may be configured to leverage the resources of
the larger operating system and associated hardware via a set of
predetermined rules which govern the operations of various
operating systems and hardware resources. For example, where a
micro-app desires to communicate with a device or network other
than the mobile device or mobile operating system, the micro-app
may leverage the communication protocol of the operating system and
associated device hardware under the predetermined rules of the
mobile operating system. Moreover, where the micro-app desires an
input from a user, the micro-app may be configured to request a
response from the operating system which monitors various hardware
components and then communicates a detected input from the hardware
to the micro-app.
[0077] The disclosure may be described herein in terms of
functional block components, screen shots, optional selections and
various processing steps. It should be appreciated that such
functional blocks may be realized by any number of hardware and/or
software components configured to perform the specified functions.
For example, system 100 may employ various integrated circuit
components, e.g., memory elements, processing elements, logic
elements, look-up tables, and/or the like, which may carry out a
variety of functions under the control of one or more
microprocessors or other control devices. Similarly, the software
elements of system 100 may be implemented with any programming or
scripting language such as C, C++, Java, COBOL, assembler, PERL,
Visual Basic, SQL Stored Procedures, extensible markup language
(XML), with the various algorithms being implemented with any
combination of data structures, objects, processes, routines or
other programming elements. Further, it should be noted that system
100 may employ any number of conventional techniques for data
transmission, signaling, data processing, network control, and/or
the like. Still further, system 100 could be used to detect or
prevent security issues with a client-side scripting language, such
as JavaScript, VBScript or the like. For a basic introduction of
cryptography and network security, see any of the following
references: (1) "Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms, And
Source Code In C," by Bruce Schneier, published by John Wiley &
Sons (second edition, 1995); (2) "Java Cryptography" by Jonathan
Knudson, published by O'Reilly & Associates (1998); (3)
"Cryptography & Network Security: Principles & Practice" by
William Stallings, published by Prentice Hall; all of which are
hereby incorporated by reference.
[0078] These software elements may be loaded onto a general purpose
computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data
processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the
instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable
data processing apparatus create means for implementing the
functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks. These
computer program instructions may also be stored in a
computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other
programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular
manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable
memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction
means which implement the function specified in the flowchart block
or blocks. The computer program instructions may also be loaded
onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to
cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer
or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented
process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or
other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the
functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.
[0079] Accordingly, functional blocks of the block diagrams and
flowchart illustrations support combinations of means for
performing the specified functions, combinations of steps for
performing the specified functions, and program instruction means
for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood
that each functional block of the block diagrams and flowchart
illustrations, and combinations of functional blocks in the block
diagrams and flowchart illustrations, may be implemented by either
special purpose hardware-based computer systems which perform the
specified functions or steps, or suitable combinations of special
purpose hardware and computer instructions. Further, illustrations
of the process flows and the descriptions thereof may make
reference to user windows, web pages, web sites, web forms,
prompts, etc. Practitioners will appreciate that the illustrated
steps described herein may comprise in any number of configurations
including the use of windows, web pages, web forms, popup windows,
prompts and/or the like. It should be further appreciated that the
multiple steps as illustrated and described may be combined into
single web pages and/or windows but have been expanded for the sake
of simplicity. In other cases, steps illustrated and described as
single process steps may be separated into multiple web pages
and/or windows but have been combined for simplicity.
[0080] Practitioners will appreciate that there are a number of
methods for displaying data within a browser-based document. Data
may be represented as standard text or within a fixed list,
scrollable list, drop-down list, editable text field, fixed text
field, pop-up window, and/or the like. Likewise, there are a number
of methods available for modifying data in a web page such as, for
example, free text entry using a keyboard, selection of menu items,
check boxes, option boxes, and/or the like.
[0081] Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have
been described herein with regard to specific embodiments. However,
the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any elements
that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or
become more pronounced are not to be construed as critical,
required, or essential features or elements of the invention. The
scope of the disclosure is accordingly to be limited by nothing
other than the appended claims, in which reference to an element in
the singular is not intended to mean "one and only one" unless
explicitly so stated, but rather "one or more." Moreover, where a
phrase similar to `at least one of A, B, or C` or `at least one of
A, B, and C` are used in the claims or specification, it is
intended that the phrase be interpreted to mean that A alone may be
present in an embodiment, B alone may be present in an embodiment,
C alone may be present in an embodiment, or that any combination of
the elements A, B and C may be present in a single embodiment; for
example, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C. All
structural, chemical, and functional equivalents to the elements of
the above-described exemplary embodiments that are known to those
of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by
reference and are intended to be encompassed by the present claims.
Further, a list of elements does not include only those elements
but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to
such process, method, article, or apparatus.
* * * * *
References