A credit card system is provided which has the added feature of providing additional limited use credit card numbers and/or cards. These numbers and/or cards can be used for a single or limited use transaction, thereby reducing the potential for fraudulent reuse of these numbers and/or cards. The credit card system finds application to “card remote” transactions such as by phone or Internet. Additionally, when a single use or limited use credit card is used for “card present” transactions, so called “skimming” fraud is eliminated. Various other features enhance the credit card system, which will allow secure trade without the use of elaborate encryption techniques. Methods for limiting, distributing and using a limited use card number, controlling the validity of a limited use credit card number, conducting a limited use credit card number transaction and providing remote access devices for accessing a limited use credit card number are also provided.

Credit card system and method

A system for electronic commerce (10) having personal agents (12 and 13) that represent consumers and providers in a virtual marketplace (28). Consumer personal agents conceal the identity of the consumer and are capable of creating decision agents (14) that shop for products and assist consumers in comparing and ranking products. Provider personal agents are capable of creating demand agents (16) that quantify demand and target specific consumers without learning the identity of the consumers. Based on data generated by the activities of the decision agents and on preference data maintained by consumer personal agents, provider personal agents can quantify current, historical, and future demand, simulate demand, and target specific consumers for advertising and other messages. Provider personal agents can cooperate with consumer personal agents to collect data about reasons for sales and lost sales and to offer consideration payments to consumers. Consumer personal agents can automatically reject unsolicited messages that do not satisfy the consumer's preferences.

Intelligent agents for electronic commerce

A method for providing unequal allocation of rights among agents while operating according to fair principles, comprising assigning a hierarchal rank to each agent; providing a synthetic economic value to a first set of agents at the a high level of the hierarchy; allocating portions of the synthetic economic value by the first set of agents to a second set of agents at respectively different hierarchal rank than the first set of agents; and conducting an auction amongst agents using the synthetic economic value as the currency. A method for allocation among agents, comprising assigning a wealth generation function for generating future wealth to each of a plurality of agents, communicating subjective market information between agents, and transferring wealth generated by the secure wealth generation function between agents in consideration of a market transaction. The method may further comprise the step of transferring at least a portion of the wealth generation function between agents.

Multifactorial optimization system and method

A system and method for effectuating Electronic Funds Transfer credit messages. The main structural components of the system include a Payment Portal Processor (PPP), an Internet Pay Anyone (IPA) Account, a Virtual Private Lockbox (VPL) and an associated Account Reporter, the existing EFT networks, and a cash card for accessing a VPL or IP account. The PPP is a software application that provides a secure portal for accessing (linking to) either the user's Demand Deposit Account (DDA) or an IPA account and can be combined with the functionality of a traditional digital Wallet. Consumers use a PPP enhanced Wallet to fund their account, shop on the web, pay bills, pay anyone, store electronic receipts and transaction history, and check their recent PPP enhanced Wallet activity. The IPA account is a special purpose account with limited functionality for making electronic payments in the form of EFT credit messages. The VPL is a limited function receive only account for receiving electronic payments through the EFT. The Account Reporter is a portal to view transaction history and balance of IPA and VPL accounts, provide online, real-time transaction reports, and to reconcile accounts receivable/purchase records against incoming EFT payment records. A physical card can be associated with either an IPA or VPL account in order to provide PIN debit capability.

Method and system for processing internet payments using the electronic funds transfer network

The Customer Activated Multi-Value (CAM) card provides a customer with a primary use as a transaction card which can be further activated to have a secondary use as a credit card. The CAM card can be activated as a transaction card or as a transaction card with a credit card feature. Activation of the CAM card as a transaction card allows the customer to purchase goods and services from one specific vendor and to establish a relationship with that vendor for the goods or services rendered (for example, telephone calling card or gasoline product purchasing card) while enjoying reward benefits based on those to purchases. Activation of the credit feature of the card allows the customer to interact with any merchant that accepts traditional credit cards such as VISA®, MASTERCARD®, AMERICAN EXPRESS®, or DISCOVER®. The combination of features allows a customer to purchase various goods and services from several different merchants. If the customer chooses to activate the CAM card as both a transaction card and a credit card, the customer is given the benefit of using the card in both manners described above.

Customer activated multi-value (CAM) card

An electronic statement presentment (ESP) system (200) replaces the preparations and mailing of paper statements and invoices from a biller (102) with electronic delivery. Electronic statements (224) have the same look as paper statements as well as including video, audio, graphics, and custom enclosures. Statements are segmented into mandatory and optional components to minimize download time. The ESP system (200) operates independently or is an enhancement to any suitable electronic bill payment system. A central switch computer (214) coordinates template storage, validation, routing and message passing between billers (102), workstations and consumer financial institutions (CFIs) (130). A template authoring workstation (TAWS) (210) creates a template (212) of static biller information to serve as a basis for the electronic statement. The template (212) is stored in a template library (216) at the switch (214). Batches of customer statement data (206) are sent from a biller's legacy invoicing system (204) to a statement origination workstation (SORG) (208) along with a template identifier. The batch of customer statement data is sorted by a statement generation workstation (SGEN) identifier associated with each customer record.

Electronic statement presentment system

A generation computer apparatus is provided for generating an electronic statement for delivery to a customer of a biller The generation computer apparatus has a receiving mechanism for receiving customer statement data for a customer of a biller, said customer statement data including periodic information desired by said biller to be delivered to said customer and having an associated template identifier and an associated customer identifier A template embodied in a computer-readable medium, received from a template library, is identified by said template identifier associated with said customer statement data, said template including static information desired by said biller to be delivered to said customer The apparatus includes a combining mechanism for combining said customer statement data and said template to generate an electronic statement for said customer, said electronic statement including said periodic information and said static information, whereby said electronic statement is provided to a consumer service provider associated with said customer for delivery to said customer via a medium utilizing said associated customer identifier A related method is also provided

Jeffrey D. Roughgarden

Papers

Electronic statement presentment system

Electronic statement presentation system