WO2007046785A1

WO2007046785A1 - Companion card system and method

Info

Publication number: WO2007046785A1
Application number: PCT/US2005/036866
Authority: WO
Inventors: Rick L. Willard; Omar F. Khandaker; Daniel L. Neistadt
Original assignee: Wow! Technologies, Inc.
Priority date: 2005-10-12
Filing date: 2005-10-12
Publication date: 2007-04-26

Abstract

A method of associating a companion card with a main card by obtaining main account information (705) and companion account information (795), associating said companion account information with a main account associated (708) with said main account information, and creating a companion account (795) for a companion device associated with said companion account information, wherein said companion account is loadable from said main account (775).

Description

COMPANION CARD SYSTEM AND METHOD

DESCRIPTION

FIELD

[Para 1 ] The present invention generally relates to payment systems and, more particularly, to associated payment accounts

BACKGROUND

[Para 2] Debit cards and gift cards are well known in the art. Such cards are typically linked to a user's bank account or are purchased from a vendor and come in fixed value increments, for example, $ 10, $20 and $50 A $10 card provides the customer with $ 10 of purchasing power utilizing an existing debit card system In the operation of prior art systems, cards are batch activated by the card provider in a limited number of predetermined values. A customer purchases one of these pre activated cards by paying a fee. The cards typically include a predetermined identification code. [Para 3] Such systems have proved commercially successful and desirable for a number of reasons Gift cards allow customers to present recipients of gifts with a convenient and easy to use payment mechanism However, once the card has been used by the recipient, its usefulness is exhausted, and it is generally thrown away.

[Para 4] Furthermore, regulatory schemes and other/or restrictions may not allow certain type of loadable debit cards. Likewise, regulatory schemes and/or other restrictions may not allow multiple cards or other payment devices to have full access to a main account

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[Para 5] Figure 1 is a pictorial diagram of a number of interconnected devices suitable for use in accordance with various embodiments

[Para 6] Figure 2 is a block diagram of a card managing server device that provides an exemplary operating environment for an embodiment

[Para 7] Figure 3 is an exemplary diagram of a point-of-sale device that provides an exemplary operating environment for an embodiment [Para 8] "'Figure

of a loadable debit card in accordance with various embodiments

[Para 9] Figure 5 is a front plan view of the card package of an embodiment.

[Para 10] Figure 6 is a rear plan view of a portion of the card package of an embodiment with the access flap in the closed position.

[Para 1 1 ] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating the actions taken by devices in a card system for associating a companion card in accordance with one embodiment

[Para 1 2] Figure 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a companion card association routine in accordance with one embodiment.

[Para 1 3] Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating the actions taken by devices in a card system for and alternate way of associating a companion card in accordance with one embodiment

[Para 14] Figure 10 is a flow diagram illustrating an alternate companion card association routine in accordance with one embodiment

[Para 1 5] Figure 1 1 is a flow diagram illustrating a companion card load routine in accordance with one embodiment.

[Para 16] Figure 1 2 is a diagram illustrating the actions taken by devices in a card system for a companion card purchase transaction in accordance with one embodiment

[Para 1 7] Figure 1 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a companion card purchase transaction routine in accordance with one embodiment

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[Para 1 8] In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout, and in which are shown, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. Those of ordinary skill in the art and others will appreciate that other embodiments, including additional devices, or combinations of illustrated devices, may be added to or combined in the present invention without changing the spirit or scope of the present invention It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents

[Para 1 9] Embodiments of the present invention include companion cards that are associated with main accounts

[Para 20] In the following description, various aspects of selected embodiments of the present invention will be described However, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art ahd¹ others¹ thai

may be practiced with only some or all of the aspects of the present invention For purposes of explanation, specific numbers, materials and configurations are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art and others that alternate embodiments may be practiced without the specific details. In other instances, well-known features are omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the illustrated embodiments

[Para 21 ] The various operations will be described as multiple discreet steps in turn, in a manner that is most helpful to understanding of the present invention However, the order of description should not be construed to imply that these operations are necessarily order dependent. In particular, these operations may not be performed in the order of presentation

[Para 22] The phrase "in one embodiment" is used repeatedly. The phrase generally does not refer to the same embodiment, however, it may. The terms "comprising," "having" and "including" are synonymous, unless the context dictates otherwise

[Para 23] In various embodiments, companion cards are provided as associated cards that are associated with a main card's account (debit, credit or other banking card) The companion cards are linked to the mam card's account, such that the mam card that has full access to the mam account (or at least load/funding access to the account) has one (or more) associated companion cards that do not have full access to a companion account associated with the mam account

[Para 24] In one embodiment, the companion card's companion account is a sub-account of the main account and therefore money moved between the main account and the companion account is not a transfer between accounts or banks, rather it is a re-allocation of money within the main account.

[Para 25] In an alternate embodiment, the companion card's account is not part of the mam account. Rather the companion account is connected to the mam account, but money moved between the mam account to the companion account may be transferred between accounts or banks. However, in some embodiments, the companion account can only be loaded from the mam account In further embodiments, the amount of money that may be loaded into the companion account is limited In still further embodiments, the companion card may actually be a companion device (e g., an electronic wallet of some form, cell phone, radio frequency

[Para 26] The owner or authorized users of the mam account can allocate money to a companion account, such that, a user of the companion card may make purchases or cash withdrawals using the companion card. In various embodiments, companion cards could be of any of a number of conventional purchasing cards. In some embodiments, companion cards are used as debit cards and may be used for point-of-sale purchases and/or at ATM m ac h I n eife ^! fd^'r wrt Hi ci Rawing casW aiicf'/oir'Other dispensed goods (e.g., stamps, tickets, etc.). In other embodiments, the companion cards may be credit cards that may only be used with purchases

[Para 27] In some embodiments, by limiting the amount that may be loaded into a companion account and by making that companion account part of an existing main account, it is possible to meet regulatory requirements in some jurisdictions, as to the types of cards that are usable in that jurisdiction For example, in some jurisdictions, it may not be permissible to have two cards that are tied identically to the same mam account, such that both cards would have full (e.g., loading and withdrawing of funds, as well as other account activities) access to an existing account However, it may be permissible to have one mam card with full access and a companion card with limited access both in its capabilities, and in the amount of funds it has access to

[Para 28] Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a number of devices used in embodiments of the present invention Figure 1 illustrates a user devices 1 30A-B connected via a network 1 10 to portable devices 140A-B and a gateway server 1 70 The network 1 10 may be any form of network or networks that is capable of passing communications between user devices 130A-B and portable devices 140A-B, and the gateway server 1 70 The gateway server 1 70 serves as an interface to the online payment processing in accordance with embodiments of the present invention The gateway server

1 70 may be communicatively linked to the card managing server 200, illustrated in FIGURE

2 and described below. The card managing server 200, is in turn connected to the card network 1 50 The card network may include such networks as provided by any of the well known debit/credit card/financial transaction network providers, (e g , Star, Cirrus, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club and the like) In some embodiments, the card network will span one or more additional card network. Furthermore, the card network may include additional devices (e.g , international gateway servers, national gateway servers, and the like, not shown).

[Para 29] Also in communication with the card network 1 50 is a central account server 120 for managing individual accounts. In various embodiments, there may be a plurality of central account servers 120 for managing accounts, or even that the role of the central account server 1 20 may be performed by another device such as bank server 1 80, companion bank server and/or card managing server 200 The card managing server 200 interfaces with the card network 1 50 to communicate with other financial service devices Such other devices include a central account server 120, bank server 1 80, companion bank server 1 85 and Point-Of-Sale ("POS") device 300 In various embodiments, more or fewer devices may be present in a system 100 in an actual embodiment of the present invention The system 100 shown on Figure 1 is meant to illustrate one simplified embodiment of the present irHtenWri aWd y 'not lPn^aWtd limit the actual implementations that embodiments of the present invention may form

[Para 3O] FICURE 2 illustrates several of the key components of the card managing server 200 Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the card managing server 200 may include many more components than those shown in FIGURE 2 However, it is not necessary that all of these generally conventional components be shown in order to disclose an illustrative embodiment for practicing the present invention. As shown in FIGURE 2, the card managing server 200 includes a network interface 230 for connecting to the card network 1 50. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the network interface 230 includes the necessary circuitry for such a connection and is constructed for use with the appropriate protocol.

[Para 31 ] The card managing server 200 also includes a processing unit 210, may include an optional display 240, and a memory 250, all inter collected along with the network interface 230 via a bus 220. The memory 250 generally comprises a random access memory ("RAM"), a read only memory ("ROM"), and a permanent mass storage device, such as a disk drive The memory 250 stores the program code necessary for a card real-time load routine 600, a card activation routine 800, a fee settlement routine 1000 and a statement retrieval routine 1 300, in addition to the card transaction/authorization database 260 (that maintains information about individual cards and the transactions associated with them) and fee distribution database 265 (for determining how card fees will be distributed) In various embodiments, the card transaction/authorization database 260 and fee distribution database 265 may comprise a plurality of databases or may be a single database. In addition, the memory 250 also stores an operating system 255 In some embodiments, these software components may be loaded from a computer readable medium into memory 250 of the card managing server 200 using a drive mechanism (not shown) associated with a computer readable medium, such as a floppy disc, tape, DVD/CD-ROM drive or via the network interface 230. Illustrated in FIGURE 2 the card managing server 200 also includes a card transaction/authorization database 260, which maintains information about individual cards and the transactions associated with them, and a fee distribution database 265 for determining how card fees will be distributed. In some embodiments, the card transaction/authorization database 260 and fee distribution database 265 may comprise a plurality of databases or may be a single database.

[Para 32] Although an exemplary card managing server 200 has been described that generally conforms to conventional general purpose computing devices, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that a card managing server 200 may be any of a great number of devices capable of communicating with the card network 1 50, bank server 1 80, central account server 1 20, POS device 300 and/or gateway Server 1 70 [Para 331 PIC(JRt ¹CJi¹BeI(DlCtS an'hexέrrfpl&ry POS device 300 for use in the present invention. The POS device 300 includes a card reader 310 and a transaction reversal button 325 Although an exemplary POS device 300 has been described and shown in FIGURE 3, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that POS devices may take many forms and may include many additional components other than those shown in FIGURE 3 For example, the POS device 300 may include a connection to a printer (not shown) for printing information received at the POS device 300 Likewise, POS devices may accept other devices other than cards, and accordingly may come in many shapes and sizes

[Para 34] FIGURE 4 illustrates an exemplary card 400, such as a loadable mam card or companion card The card 400 may include a magnetic strip 405, a smart card chip interface 430, embossed account numbers 435 and/or fraud prevention components 410 (e g., decals, photographs, holograms, etc.). In various embodiments, the card 400 may include any of the magnetic strip 405, smart card chip interface 430, and embossed numbers 435 to be effective as a banking card In some embodiments, additional means of storing information or providing information on the card may also be used In one exemplary embodiment, a security code may be printed or embossed on the card 400 as well. Of course, card may also come in a variety of form factors and sizes and still function as payment devices.

[Para 35] Embodiments shown in Figures 5-6 and described below, illustrate an exemplary dual card package While the package may advantageously be used with multiple cards to provide a single activation (and/or loading and/or association of a companion card) of the jointly packaged cards, in other embodiments, only a single card is packaged, activated, associated and/or loaded at a time

[Para 36] A card package, according to one embodiment, is illustrated in Figure 5 and generally designated 500. The package 500 includes front 51 2 and rear 514 panels (see Figure 6) that close about and secure a card 5O5A (such as an exemplary card 400). The front panel 51 2 defines an opening 550 that permits viewing of the card 5O5A The access flap 51 7 can be swung out from between the rear 514 panels to facilitate point-of-sale activation. This permits a card 5O5B to be passed through a card reader without removing the card 5O5B from the package 500. For purposes of disclosure, and not by way of limitation, exemplary embodiments are described in connection with a loadable card having activation data stored in a magnetic strip Various embodiments are suited for use with other types of cards, such as bankcards, credit cards, non-loadable debit cards, rental cards, gift cards, information cards, telephone cards, companion cards and other similar cards, and with other mechanisms for representing the activation information, such as bar codes or smart chips

[Para 37] The front panel 51 2 may be a generally rectangular, planar sheet of paperboard The front panel 51 2 defines a card opening 550 that permits viewing a card 5O5A The openingF5£0 biay^{1 '}b^ islrli'ilsir ]^'Hϊ s(ϊέ|>fe^!1liD, but slightly smaller than, the periphery of the card 5O5A. As a result, the front panel 51 2 overlaps the card 5O5A around its entire periphery. This prevents the card 5O5A from being pulled forwardly through the opening 550 without damaging the package 500.

[Para 38] In Figure 6, the rear panel 514 is similar to the front panel 51 2, and may be a generally rectangular, planar sheet of paperboard The rear panel 514 includes an access flap 51 7 and an access panel 520, both of which may be defined by a plurality of cut lines 51 8 The cut lines leave a plurality of bridges across of the cut lines 51 8 such that the access flap 51 7 and an access panel 520 are held in the closed positioned until appropriate force is applied to the cut lines 51 8. The size, location and number of bridges can be varied from application to application to provide the desired resistance to opening In some applications, the bridges can be eliminated and other forms of resistance to folding can be relied upon to retain the access flap 51 7 and access panel 520 in the closed position until forcibly opened Alternatively, the partial cut lines 51 8 can be replaced by perforations or partial cut lines (i.e. cut lines in which the cut does not extend entirely through the panel) or the like

[Para 39] As shown in Figures 6, the access flap 51 7 is intended to fold or swing out from the rear panel 514 Score lines or fold lines 519 may be formed in the rear panel 514 to facilitate folding of the access flap 51 7 along the desired line The respective sizes of the access flap 51 7 and an access panel 520 will vary from application to application The access flap 51 7 is preferably sized and configured so that it does not interfere with passage of the card 5O5B through a conventional card reader. For example, the folded edge of the access flap 51 7 preferably terminates a sufficient distance from the magnetic strip 51 1 B so that it is not required to pass through the card slot on the card reader (not shown) In debit card or other PIN-based card applications, the access flap 517 may include copy of the cards' 5O5A-B PIN 525, permitting viewing of the PIN 525.

[Para 40] The cards 5O5A-B may be constructed in a conventional manner, and may be manufactured from a sheet of plastic material In various embodiments, the cards 5O5A-B include card numbers 51 OA-B and magnetic strip 51 I B (magnetic strip of card 5O5A not shown) The magnetic strip 51 1 B is applied to a surface of the card 505 B, such that the magnetic strip 51 1 B may be passed through a card reader when the access flap 51 7 is open (as described below). The dimensions of the cards 5O5A-B may vary from application to application as desired In addition, if desired, the magnetic strip 51 1 B can be replaced by a bar code or other form of machine-readable identification and/or activation information. [Para 41 ] The cards 5O5A-B may be manufactured using conventional techniques and apparatus One surface of card 5O5A, which is visible through the opening 550 in the front panel 51 2, may be printed with desired graphics. [Para 42'FlfihelicarU!s'¹SΦ!5^!A₁-B iriiyϋfcϊe secured to the package 500 by a layer of peelable adhesive (not shown). The adhesive may be either a hot melt or cold glue A suitable hot melt is available from L&D Adhesives of Comstock Park, Mich under the trade name INSTANT-LOK Suitable cold glues include formulated rubber latex available from L&D Adhesives under the trade name National 35-6148 and compounded natural rubber latex available from P-H-X, lnc Of Milwaukee, Wis under the trade name PHX 401 1 . The peelable adhesive is characterized by its relatively high shear strength and relatively low peel strength The low peel strength permits the cards 5O5A-B to be easily peeled up from the package 500 when the panels 51 2 and 514 are separated Alternatively, as desired, the cards 5O5A-B may be secured to the package 500 by other conventional methods [Para 43] A rack-hanging hole 540 is defined within the front 51 2 and rear 514 panels. The two holes 540 are aligned to form a single hole when the package 500 is closed The rack- hanging hole 40 is used for hanging the package 500 from a conventional display hook (not shown). Obviously, the hole 540 can be eliminated if desired.

[Para 44] If desired, a transparent window (not shown), such as a transparent plastic film, can be secured in the opening 550 to protect the front surface of the card 5O5A The transparent window may be secured to the front panel 51 2

[Para 45] As best seen in Figure 6, the cut lines 518 may include intermittent bridges that hold the access flap 51 7 and access panel 520 closed As noted above, in some applications, the intermittent bridges 51 8 may be eliminated Crease lines 519 may also be formed in the rear panel 514 during the die cutting step to facilitate a clean, straight fold of the access flap 51 7. The crease or score lines 519 can be eliminated, if desired, and the fold line can be defined as the access flap 51 7 is opened In addition, the rack hanging holes 540 may be cut in the panels 512 and 514 during die cutting to permit the package to be hung for display from a conventional display hanger (not shown) Alternatively, the front 512 and rear 514 panels can be die cut as separate elements or they can be adjoined to each other along a different edge. Various type retention mechanisms for the access panel 520 may include not only intermittent bridges, partial cut lines, perforations and other weakened lines, but shall also include, without limitation, the inherent tendency of the access panel 520 to resist folding or bending.

[Para 46] In the completed package 500, the cemented front 512 and rear 514 panels entrap cards 5O5A-B, with card 5O5A visible through opening 550 Prior to purchase, for example, when the package 500 is on display, the cards 5O5A-B are in an inactive state, and the access flap is in the closed position. When the cards 5O5A-B are purchased, it may be necessary to activate the cards 5O5A-B In one embodiment, the cards 5O5A-B may be activated by reading the activation information encoded on the magnetic strip 51 1 B and communicating that activation information to card managing server 200 and/or central account server 1 20. [Para 47|J TC. Activate d c'krd SdEB^ahd associated card 5O5A), it is necessary to obtain access to the magnetic strip 51 1 B Access to the magnetic strip 51 1 B is obtained by applying a force to the access flap 51 7 to separate it from the rear panel 514 Once sufficient force is applied, the cut line 51 8 is ruptured or broken and the access flap 51 7 is free to swing rearwardly away from the package 500. The access flap 51 7 is then swung rearwardly into the open position substantially perpendicular to the plane of the package 500 In use, the secured card 5O5B stays within the package 500 The access flap 51 7, which initially covers the magnetic strip 51 1 B, swings rearwardly and out of the way as the card 5O5B and magnetic strip 51 1 B are exposed. The exposed strip 51 1 B can then be passed through a conventional magnetic strip card reader (not shown), to provide activation information, while the card 5O5B remains attached within the package 500. [Para 48] Once the card 5O5B (and 5O5A) is activated, PIN 525 printed on the access flap 51 7 may be used to initiate a load transaction to load a stored value to the card 5O5B (i.e., to an account associated with the card number)

[Para 49] Access flap 51 7 can be returned to the closed position by manually swinging the Access flap 51 7 back into a substantially closed position without substantially deforming the appearance of the package 500. The access flap 51 7 will generally partially close by virtue of its inherent tendency to return to the closed position As a result, the access flap 51 7 also helps to hide the PIN 525 from inadvertent exposure.

[Para 50] Eventually, it will be desirable to remove the cards 5O5A-B from the package 500 so that they can be easily carried, for example, in a wallet To remove the cards 5O5A-B, the access panel is opened along cut lines 518 to provide easy access to the cards 5O5A-B The cards 5O5A-B may be separated from the access panel 520 by simply peeling the cards 5O5A-B up from the peelable adhesive to separate it from the access panel 520. The low peel strength of the peelable adhesive permits relatively easy removal of the cards 5O5A-B. [Para 51 ] The foregoing descriptions disclose various embodiments of the present invention in which the access flap 51 7 is hinged or foldably joined to the panel along its adjacent to card 5O5B. In alternate embodiments, the access flap can alternatively be hinged or foldably joined to the panel along other edges

[Para 52] Not all embodiments utilize a dual package card system as shown in Figures 5-6 However, many embodiments employ some mechanism for associating a companion card with a mam card Figures 7-10 illustrate exemplary transactions and methods for associating a companion card with a main card

[Para 53] Figure 7 illustrates communications and interactions between a user A, POS device 300, card network 1 50, card managing server 200, gateway server 1 70 and a user B to process a companion card association transaction. The companion card association transaction begins with a user A acquiring 705, a mam card. The user A tenders the card and payment 710 to an operator of the POS device 300 At the POS device 300, card

S fctøLftw-fdβtføfflety bank identification number ("BIN"¹), or the like) is retrieved 71 5, along with payment information 720 and security information 725 Next, the operator on the POS device 300 generates a load request 730 that corresponds to the payment amount allocated for loading onto the mam card The load request 730 is sent via the card network 1 50 to the card managing server 200. The card managing server 200 parses 735 the load request and checks 740 the card status of the main card in a card/transaction database (e g , card/transaction database 260) The main account is updated 745 in the card/transaction database and the card managing server 200 returns a load confirmation 750 via the card network 1 50 to the POS device 300 Once the card has been loaded, user A may then receive their loaded main card 755. User A may then send association security information 760 to the gateway server 1 70. The gateway server 1 70 sends the association security information 765 to the card-managing server 200 for placement in the card/transaction database associated cards and transaction database record associated with the mam card User A also may communicate association security information 775 to user B, possibly in an out of band communication (e.g verbally in writing or via some other method) Once user B has association security information (such as a code word number, key phrase or some other information), they may then send an association request 780 via the gateway server 1 70 to the card managing server 200 The card managing server 200 verifies association security information 785 in the association request and assuming that the association security information is correct associates 790 a companion card, possessed by user B and specified in the association request with the main card of user A The card managing server 200 also creates a companion account 795 associated with (or contained as a sub-account within) user A's main account for allocation of funds to the companion card of user B The card managing server 200 then communicates an association confirmation 799 to both user A and user B [Para 54] In various embodiments, the card association transaction communications and interactions illustrated in figure 7 are merely illustrative of one exemplary embodiment for associating a companion card with a mam card and that other embodiments may have different communications and interactions between similar and dissimilar devices Additionally, while two users are illustrated, the same person may act as bother user A and user B.

[Para 55] Additionally, in alternate embodiments, the card managing server 200 does not create a sub-account within a main account, rather, the card managing server 200 ties together two separate accounts, a main account and a companion account (possibly served by different financial institutions, e g companion bank server 1 85) such that the main account is used to fund the companion account

[Para 56] In some embodiments, the mam account and companion account both share the same financial institution (bank, card issuer, account issuer and the like) However, in other embodiments!,

tompanion account do not share the same financial institution Accordingly, in some embodiments, the companion account will have a difference identifier or type of identifier than the main account For example, a card issuer in the United States may use a BIN to identify a mam card account. However, a companion card (or similarly used device) may use a separate BIN from another financial institution to identify the companion account Of course, in embodiments with multiple companion accounts, multiple identifiers may be used, both from the same financial institution and from others financial institutions

[Para 57] Likewise, in some embodiments, cards may be used to interact with both the mam account and the companion account. However, in alternate embodiments, one or more mam account and companion account(s) may be accessed with other forms of account access devices For example, a device with a smartcard chip (regardless of form factor) may be used as a substitute for a conventional payment card Similarly, a cellular telephone or other electronic device with account access information may be used is further embodiments

[Para 58] Given that electronic devices may be used as account holders themselves (electronic wallets), in further embodiments, the companion account may actually reside on such an electronic device (cellular phone 14OB, personal data assistant 140 A, custom electronic wallet (not shown), personal computer 1 30A, laptop computer 1 30B, or the like). Accordingly, in such embodiments, the electronic device acts as the repository of the companion account and may actually hold payment data that would allow a user to may payments with the electronic device In other exemplary embodiments, the electronic device would act as an account access tool for the companion account on another device Accordingly, for ease of explanation the term "cards" is used throughout this application's references, electronic devices may be substituted as equivalents to the described cards. [Para 59] Figure 8 illustrates an exemplary card association transaction routine for associating a companion card with a mam card Companion card association transaction routine 800 begins at block 805 where an association request is obtained. In block 810, the mam card permissions are verified and in block 81 5, the companion card permissions are verified In block 820, card association security information is verified. Next, in decision block 825 a determination is made whether all of the verifications for main card permissions, companion card permissions and security information were verified and that association between the cards is permissible. In some embodiments, a variety of different types of permission schemes may be used to determine whether cards may be associable For example, cards between certain jurisdictions may not have permission to be associated with one another In a more specific example, a companion card purchased in Cuba may not be permissibly associated with a main card that was purchased in the United States However, it may be perfectly permissible to have a Mexican companion card associated with a main da'rtk pWcha^'SeltiN'ri¹ thefilSl'nϊt'e'tø¹ States or a Cuban mam card associated with a Cuban companion card

[Para 60] Accordingly, if in decision block 825 it is determined that association between the cards is permissible and that all the verifications were successful, processing proceeds to block 830 where the companion card is associated with the mam card In block 835 a (sub) account (or other companion account) for the companion card is created in the mam account (or elsewhere as a separate account, e g , at companion bank server 185) and in block 840, the association is confirmed to the respective cardholders of the main card and the companion card, routine 800 then ends in block 899

[Para 61 ] If in decision block 825 it was determined that association between the main cards and the companion cards was not permissible, then processing would proceed to block 845 where an association failure notice would be sent to one or more of the cardholders of the mam card and the companion card. In one embodiment, only the cardholder generating the association request is notified of the association failure Processing for card association routine 800 ends in block 899

[Para 62] In an alternate companion card association scheme, Figure 9 illustrates communications and interactions between a user A, POS device 300, card network 1 50, card managing server 200, gateway server 1 70 and a user B to process an alternate companion card association transaction The companion card association transaction begins with a user A acquiring 905, a mam card The user A tenders the card and payment 910 to an operator of the POS device 300 At the POS device 300, card information is retrieved 91 5, along with payment information 920 and security information 925 Next, the operator on the POS device 300 generates a load request 930 that corresponds to the payment amount allocated for loading onto the mam card The load request 930 is sent via the card network 1 50 to the card managing server 200. The card managing server 200 parses 935 the load request and checks 940 the card status of the main card in a card/transaction database (e.g., card/transaction database 260). The card account is updated 945 in the card/transaction database and the card managing server 200 returns a load confirmation 950 via the card network 1 50 to the POS device 300 Once the card has been loaded, user A may then receive their loaded mam card 955

[Para 63] The mam card number (e g., card number 435) is communicated 960 from user A to user B. User B sends 965 an association request (including the mam card number) via the gateway server 1 70 to the card managing server 200 The card managing server 200 sends 970 an association request notice to user A User A responds 975 with an association request notice response to the card managing server 200. The card managing server 200 verifies 980, the association request notice response and assuming it is successful associates 985, the mam card with the companion card The card managing server 200 also creates a (sub) account 990 for the companion card in the main account The card managing" Verier Wd 'isen'ds 9lfø iWόAfirmatιon to user A (the main cardholder) and user B (the companion cardholder), confirming that the main card and the companion card are now associated

[Para 64] Figure 10 illustrates an alternate exemplary card association routine 1000 for associating a companion card with a mam card Companion card association routine 1000 begins at block 1005 where an association request is obtained. In block 1010, the association request is verified Next, in decision block 101 5 a determination is made whether the verification was successful If in decision block 101 5 it is determined that the verification was unsuccessful, processing proceeds to block 1050 to indicate that there was a failure to associate the companion card with the mam card, routine 1000 then ends in block 1 099.

[Para 65] If, however, in decision block 101 5 it is determined that the verification was successful, processing proceeds to block 1020 where an association request response is obtained from the main cardholder. In block 1025, the association request response is verified. Next, in decision block 1030 a determination is made whether the verification was successful. If in decision block 1030 it is determined that the verification was unsuccessful, processing proceeds to block 1055 to indicate that there was a failure to associate the companion card with the mam card, routine 1000 then ends in block 1099. [Para 66] If, however, in decision block 1030 it is determined that the verification was successful, processing proceeds to block 1035 where the companion card is associated with the mam card In block 1040, a (sub) account for the companion card is created in the main account and in block 1045, the association is confirmed to the respective cardholders of the mam card and the companion card, routine 1000 then ends in block 1099 [Para 67] While Figures 7-10 illustrate requests for associating a companion card with a mam card, in alternate embodiments a main card may request associations with a companion card in a similar manner. Likewise, in still further embodiments, cards may be acquired that already have been associated with each other prior to a user gaming access to them. Furthermore, additional association techniques may be used For example, a user may call (or visit) a bank or other financial institution that has issued either the mam card or a companion card and request that the financial institution handle the association of the cards.

[Para 68] Once a companion card is associated with a mam card, it is possible to "load" the companion card. Figure 1 1 illustrates an exemplary companion card load routine 1 100. Companion card load routine 1 100 begins at block 1 105 where a companion card load request is obtained In block 1 1 10, a determination is made whether there are sufficient funds in the main account If there are insufficient funds, processing continues to block 1 1 30 where the mam cardholder (and possibly the companion cardholder) is notified that the main¹ "'at^'co'u niϋ

and processing of companion card load routine 1 100 ends at block 1 199.

[Para 69] If however, in decision block 1 1 1 0 it is determined that there are sufficient funds in the mam account, processing proceeds to decision block 1 1 1 5 where determination is made whether the load amount is below the remaining companion (sub) account load limit. [Para 70] For example, if a companion card has a load limit of $200 00 and there is already a $ 100 00 in the companion (sub) account, then, if more than $ 100 00 was attempted in a load to the companion (sub) account then decision block 1 1 1 5 would fail. [Para 71 ] Accordingly, if the load amount is below the remaining companion (sub) account's limit, processing proceeds to block 1 1 20 where the load amount usable by the companion card is designated in the companion (sub) account In block 1 1 25 the cardholder of the mam account and the companion (sub) account are notified of their successful load transactions and companion load routine 1 100 ends at block 1 1 99. If, however, in decision block 1 1 1 5 it was determined that the load amount is not below the remaining companion (sub) account limit then processing proceeds to block 1 1 35 where the mam cardholder is notified that the companion card load limit would be exceeded and no amount is loaded into the companion (sub) account Companion card loader chain 1 100 ends in block 1 1 99. [Para 72] Purchase transactions for companion cards operate in a similar manner to purchase transaction with conventional banking card with a few exceptions As the companion card is actually accessing the mam card's account, a purchase transaction "flows" through to the mam card's account to reach the companion account. [Para 73] Figure 12 illustrates communications and interactions between a POS device 200, card network 1 50, card managing server 200, portable device A 140A and the portable device B 140B to process a companion card purchase transaction. The companion card purchase transaction begins with a companion card purchase transaction data 1 205 being sent from the POS device 300 via the card network 1 50 to the card managing server 200. The card managing server 200 processes 1210 the purchase transaction, and checks 1 21 5 the companion (sub) account associated with the mam account to determine if there are sufficient funds in the companion account for the purchase transaction Assuming there are sufficient funds, the card managing server 200 approves 1 220, the companion card purchase transaction and returns a companion card purchase transaction confirmation 1 225 via the card network 1 50 to the POS device 300 The card managing server 200 may also communicate companion card transaction notice 1 230 to a portable device A 140A, as well as a companion card transaction notice 1 235 to portable device B 140B [Para 74] In various embodiments, the companion card transaction notices 1 230 and 1 235 may be any form of conventional communication However, in some embodiments, these communications may take the form of e-mail messages, SMS messages, MMS messages or other forms of electronic communications In some embodiments, the card managing server

for forming and generating such messages, as well as the communication and/or network connections (wired and/or wireless) for communicating the companion card transaction notices to portable devices A and B, 140A- B.

[Para 75] Figure 1 3 illustrates an exemplary purchasing routine 1 300 for processing a companion card purchase request. Routine 1 300 begins at block 1 305 where companion card purchase request is obtained Next, in block 1 310, the companion (sub) account balance is checked versus a purchase amount in the companion card purchase request (the companion card is also identified in the companion card purchase request). In decision block 1 305, a determination is made whether the purchase is allowable If so, processing proceeds to block 1 320 where the companion (sub) account is debited by the purchase amount

[Para 76] In one embodiment, the main account is debited and the allocation of the main debit card account's funds that are allocated to the (sub) account are likewise reduced In block 1 325 the companion cardholder is notified (and optionally the mam cardholder may be notified as well) of the purchase Routine 1 300 then ends in block 1 399 However, in an alternate embodiment, the mam card may be used to load a separate companion account. Accordingly, the main account would not be debited, rather, only the companion account would be debited

[Para 77] If in decision block 1 31 5 it was determined that the purchase was not allowable then in block 1 330 the companion cardholder is notified of a failed purchase Afterwards companion card purchase routine 1 300 ends at block 1 399

[Para 78] Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a wide variety of alternate and/or equivalent implementations may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the present invention This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein Therefore, it is manifestly intended that this invention be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof

Claims

WhW is clai med is-

[Claim 1 ] A method of associating a companion card with a main card, the method comprising obtaining mam account information and companion account information, associating said companion account information with a main account associated with said main account information, and, creating a companion account for a companion device associated with said companion account information, wherein said companion account is loadable from said main account

[Claim 2] The method of claim 1 , wherein the mam account has a loadable debit card.

[Claim 3] The method of claim 1 , wherein said companion account has a maximum allowable balance.

[Claim 4] The method of claim 3, wherein said maximum allowable balance corresponds to jurisdictional regulations.

[Claim 5] The method of claim 4, wherein said companion account information comprises jurisdiction information

[Claim 6] The method of claim 1 , further comprising loading a balance from said mam account into said companion account.

[Claim 7] The method of claim 6, wherein loading said companion account comprises sending an inter card transfer request

[Claim 8] The method of claim 1 , further comprising activating said companion card for use with said companion account.

[Claim 9] The method of claim 8, where an activating said companion card is substantially contemporaneous with an activation of the mam card.

[Claim 1 0] The method of claim 8, where an activating said companion card is separate from any activation of the main card

[Claim 1 l ] The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining companion account information comprises obtaining an association request

[Claim 1 2] The method of claim 1 1 , wherein said associational request comprises association security information

[Claim 1 3] The method of claim 1 1 , further comprising processing and association request approval

[Claim 1 4] The method of claim 1 , further comprising communicating transaction information to a remote device.

[Clai m 1 5] The method of claim 1 , wherein said transaction information is communicated via at least one of a web page, e-mail message, SMS message, MMS message, network protocol message, and a wireless message

[Claim 1''6¹J The rlilthWof clai'lfiN¹ J¹ Wherein said companion account is only loadable from said mam account

[Clai m 1 7] The method of claim 1 , wherein said companion account is a sub-account of said main account

[Claim 1 8] The method of claim 1 , wherein said companion account is an account at a separate bank from said main account

[Claim 1 9] The method of claim 1 , wherein said companion device is a payment card.

[Clai m 20] The method of claim 1 , wherein said companion device is an electronic device having said companion account information.

[Claim 2 I ] A computing system comprising a processor and a memory having executable instructions for performing the method of Claim 1

[Claim 22] A computer readable medium having computer readable instructions for performing the method of Claim 1 .

[Claim 23] A main card associated with a main account accessible via a point-of-sale device, wherein said main account is associated to load funds into at least one companion account associated with at least one companion card

[Claim 24] A companion card designed to be associated with a companion sub-account of a main account, wherein said companion account is only loadable from said main account

[Claim 25] A companion card designed to be associated with a companion account separate from a mam account, wherein said companion account is only loadable from said main account

[Claim 26] A mam card associated with a mam account accessible via a point-of-sale device, wherein said main account is associated to load funds into at least one companion account associated with at least one companion device.

[Claim 27] A companion device associated with a companion account accessible via a point-of-sale device, wherein said companion account is associated to only receive funds from a mam account associated with a mam card.

[Claim 28] The companion device of Claim 27, wherein said companion account comprises an electronic wallet.