Patent Application
20120130842
Aspects of the disclosure relate to providing apparatus and methods for selecting auctioning service opportunities in connection with a transaction. In particular, the disclosure relates to apparatus and methods for bidding-out opportunities to participate in the execution of the transaction.
In a typical credit card transaction, a card holder purchases from a merchant or service provider (“the merchant”) goods or services (“the goods”) using credit. The credit is extended to the card holder by an issuing bank (the “issuer”). The merchant presents a debit to an acquiring bank (the “acquirer”). The acquirer pays the merchant for (and thus “acquires”) the goods. A transaction processing network in communication with the issuer and the acquirer settles the transaction between the issuer and the acquirer. The transaction processing network may collect transaction processing network fees from the issuer and the acquirer in connection with the settlement.
The issuer may impose upon the acquirer a fee for participating in the transaction. The fee may be referred to as “interchange.” Interchange may be a fixed fee for the transaction or a percentage of the transaction. Interchange flows from the acquirer, through the transaction processing network, to the issuer. The issuer typically uses interchange to cover costs of acquiring credit card customers, servicing credit card accounts, providing incentives to retain customers, mitigating fraud, covering customer credit risk, group comp and other expenses.
The acquirer may deduct a “transaction fee” from the amount that the acquirer pays the merchant in exchange for the goods. The transaction fee may cover the acquirer's transaction processing network fee, interchange, and other expenses. The acquirer may obtain a profit from the transaction fee.
At step 5, the acquirer pays an interchange amount ($1.50), via the transaction processing network, to the issuer. At step 6, both the acquirer and the issuer pay a transaction processing network fee ($0.07 for acquirer and $0.05 for the issuer) to the transaction processing network.
In settlement 100 (shown in
Transaction processing networks and transaction processing network services offered under the trademarks VISA, MASTERCARD, NYCE and PULSE are known. Transaction processing networks typically set interchange rates. Interchange rates often depend for each transaction processing network on merchant type and size, transaction processing method and other factors. Some transaction processing networks set rules that prohibit merchants from charging an incremental fee for credit card payments, establishing minimum or maximum purchase price amounts or refusing to accept selected cards.
Table 2 shows benefits of settlement flow 100 (shown in
The economic relationships between the entities shown in
It would be desirable, therefore, to provide apparatus and methods for executing a reverse auction of transaction services.
Apparatus and methods for providing a reverse auction for transaction services are provided. An electronic reverse auction platform for selecting a transaction service may include: a receiver module configured to receive a request for a transaction service; a server module configured to present the request; and a processor module configured to select a transaction service based on a fee bid corresponding to the transaction service.
The objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout, and in which:
Apparatus and methods for selecting a transaction service are provided. The apparatus and methods may involve a receiver module that is configured to receive a request for a transaction service, a server module that is configured to present the request, and a processor module configured to select a transaction service based on a fee bid corresponding to the transaction service.
Authorization service AS may provide reconciliation of customer and bank data via one or more of electronic authorization channels A, B, C, etc. The authorization service may charge an authorization fee to the merchant or the issuer. Merchant M may use an authorization channel (A, B, C, e.g.) to obtain authorization of the transaction based on the customer C's account managed by issuer I.
The transaction service may be provided by one of arrangement 200 participants M, AS, C, I, TPN and ACQ to another of the participants. A participant that receives the service may select a supplier of the service based on a value associated with the service. The value may be a fee, a rate, a reward, an incentive, an opportunity and the like, and any suitable combination thereof. A lower fee may correspond to a higher value.
For example, merchant M may require execution of a transaction between merchant M and customer C at the lowest available interchange rate. Different issuers I may provide, via their associated transaction processing networks, different interchange rates. Merchant M may select the issuer that is willing to provide the execution at the lowest interchange rate.
The server module may present merchant M's request to issuers I. In some embodiments, the server module may present the request and issuers I may respond to the request by proffering bids. In some embodiments, the request may be matched to a highest value bid based on previously identified bids and preset rules that may be applied to the previously identified bids. The processor module may be used to select the bid with the highest value to the requesting participant.
Table 3 shows illustrative offer/bid participant pairs, corresponding offer types and bid values.
Illustrative embodiments of apparatus and methods in accordance with the principles of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural, functional and procedural modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.
As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the invention described herein may be embodied in whole or in part as a method, a data processing system, or a computer program product. Accordingly, the invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software, hardware and any other suitable approach or apparatus.
Furthermore, such aspects may take the form of a computer program product stored by one or more computer-readable storage media having computer-readable program code, or instructions, embodied in or on the storage media. Any suitable computer readable storage media may be utilized, including hard disks, CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, and/or any combination thereof. In addition, various signals representing data or events as described herein may be transferred between a source and a destination in the form of electromagnetic waves traveling through signal-conducting media such as metal wires, optical fibers, and/or wireless transmission media (e.g., air and/or space).
Input/output (“I/O”) module 309 may include a microphone, keypad, touch screen, and/or stylus through which a user of device 301 may provide input, and may also include one or more of a speaker for providing audio output and a video display device for providing textual, audiovisual and/or graphical output. Software may be stored within memory 325 and/or storage to provide instructions to processor 303 for enabling server 301 to perform various functions. For example, memory 325 may store software used by server 301, such as an operating system 317, application programs 319, and an associated database 321. Alternatively, some or all of server 301 computer executable instructions may be embodied in hardware or firmware (not shown). As described in detail below, database 321 may provide storage for customer information, transaction information, merchant information, transaction fee information, transaction fee factors and any other suitable information.
Server 301 may operate in a networked environment supporting connections to one or more remote computers, such as terminals 341 and 351. Terminals 341 and 351 may be personal computers or servers that include many or all of the elements described above relative to server 301. The network connections depicted in
Additionally, application program 319, which may be used by server 301, may include computer executable instructions for invoking user functionality related to communication, such as email, short message service (SMS), and voice input and speech recognition applications.
Computing device 301 and/or terminals 341 or 351 may also be mobile terminals including various other components, such as a battery, speaker, and antennas (not shown).
Terminal 351 and/or terminal 341 may be portable devices such as a laptop, cell phone, blackberry, or any other suitable device for storing, transmitting and/or transporting relevant information.
Any information described above in connection with database 321, and any other suitable information, may be stored in memory 325.
One or more of applications 319 may include one or more algorithms that may be used to receive requests for bids, receive bids, apply rules to match requests for bids and bids, select high value bids and output a selection of a transaction service provider and perform any other suitable tasks related to executing a reverse auction for transactional services.
The invention may be operational with numerous other general purpose or special purpose computing system environments or configurations. Examples of well known computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with the invention include, but are not limited to, personal computers, server computers, hand-held or laptop devices, mobile phones and/or other personal digital assistants (“PDAs”), multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, distributed computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices, and the like. In a distributed computing environment, devices that perform the same or similar function may be viewed as being part of a “module” even if the devices are separate (whether local or remote) from each other.
The invention may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a computer. Generally, program modules may include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or store or process data structures, objects and other data types. The invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by separate (local or remote) processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote computer storage media including memory storage devices.
Reverse auction platform 400 (shown in
A customer may purchase goods by transferring customer information from a personal data storage device, such as a credit card, to POS terminal 808. POS terminal 808 may read the customer information from the card. The customer information may include issuer information, account information and any other suitable information.
POS terminal 808 may transmit transaction information to POS controller 810. The transaction information may include some or all of the customer information and any other suitable information, such as the transaction amount and information regarding the purchased goods.
POS controller 810 may act as a server for providing user prompts and display layout information to one or more POS terminals such as POS terminal 808. POS controller 810 may receive transaction information from one or more of the POS terminals.
POS controller 810 may transmit the transaction information to host data capture system 812. Host data capture system 812 may store transaction information from POS controller 810. Host data capture system 812 may store accounting data, inventory data and other suitable data that may be included in the transaction information.
Host data capture system 812 may route merchant information to processor 814. Processor 814 may include a credit card transaction processing network “processor,” which is known to those of ordinary skill in the art. The illustrative systems shown in
Authorization engine 820 may transmit authorization information back to POS terminal 808 through transaction processing network 816, processor 814, host data capture system 812 and POS controller 810. The authorization information may include the authorization decision (e.g., “GRANTED” or “DENIED”). The authorization information may include some or all of the merchant information. The merchant information may be used by processor 814 to route the authorization information back to the merchant and the POS terminal where the customer is present.
Transaction fee information may include some or all of the information that is necessary to identify the transaction fee for the transaction. The transaction fee may depend on one or more transaction fee factors, such as interchange rate, transaction processing network rates, merchant type, merchant size, transaction processing method, and any other suitable factors. Transaction fee information may include one or more of the foregoing factors and any other suitable factors.
The transaction fee information may be stored in any suitable element of merchant component 802, transaction processing network component 804 and issuer component 806. For example, transaction fee information may be stored in processor 814. Processor 814 may include algorithms that may be used in conjunction with the transaction fee information to identify the transaction fee corresponding to the customer transaction taking place at POS terminal 808. After the transaction fee is identified, processor 814 may transmit the transaction fee, via merchant components 802, to POS terminal 808. POS terminal 808 may display the transaction fee for viewing by the customer.
POS terminal may have one or more interactive features that the customer may use. The features may provide the customer with information that may help the customer decide whether to execute the transaction. The customer may use the features to obtain more information about the merchant, the transaction, the transaction fee, transaction fees associated with different purchasing instruments (e.g., credit cards, debit cards, instruments or devices that include a contact chip, such as an IS014443-compliant contactless chip, or other electronic purchasing devices) or other suitable information.
Purchasing instruments may store data in a magnetic strip, a bar code, a silicon chip or any other suitable data storage device or format.
In system 900, processor 914 may be present in merchant component 902. Corresponding processor 814 is present in transaction processing network component 804 (shown in
Processes in accordance with the principles of the invention may include one or more features of the process illustrated in
In some embodiments, the system may provide live bidding. In such embodiments, process 1000 may continue at step 1008. At step 1008, the offer may be posted for viewing by suppliers. At step 1010, a bidding session may be opened. The suppliers may bid values such as those of the types identified in Table 3 or any other suitable values. At step 1012, the system may identify the highest value supplier bid. At step 1014, the system may output the highest value bid supplier information. The system may output the highest value bid supplier information, for example, to merchant component 800 (shown in
In some embodiments, the system may provide automatic bidding. In those embodiments, process 1000 may continue at step 1016. At step 1016, the offer may be input into a bid-offer engine (software or hardware). At step 1018, rules may be applied to apply bids to the offer. (For example, bids may be screened for appropriateness, goodness of match to the bid, quantitative overall value (for example if they include a fee amount and an incentive) or other metrics. Offers may be screened for offeror qualifications, creditworthiness, past behavior and other criteria.) At step 1020, the highest value supplier bid may be identified. Process 1000 may continue at step 1014, which is described above.
One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the steps shown and described herein may be performed in other than the recited order and that one or more steps illustrated may be optional. The methods of the above-referenced embodiments may involve the use of any suitable elements, steps, computer-executable instructions, or computer-readable data structures. In this regard, other embodiments are disclosed herein as well that can be partially or wholly implemented on a computer-readable medium, for example, by storing computer-executable instructions or modules or by utilizing computer-readable data structures.
Thus, systems and methods for providing a reverse auction platform for selecting a transaction service have been provided. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be practiced by other than the described embodiments, which are presented for purposes of illustration rather than of limitation. The present invention is limited only by the claims that follow.
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/184,349, filed on Jun. 5, 2009, said Provisional patent application which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61184349 | Jun 2009 | US |
