Machine, methods, and program product for electronic order entry

Abstract

Systems, methods, and program product for facilitating electronic ordering of goods, services, or goods and services, or other products, through messaging over a financial services electronic payment network, are provided. A customer provides electronic order registration activation information for an electronic order transaction card. The customer is provided an electronic order card having a unique electronic payment network compatible electronic order card identifier including a non-financial transaction IIN and a customer number, and is provided a catalogue or list including product order codes each associated with a different product, to enable electronic ordering over the financial services electronic payment network. An electronic order card configured to interface with a conventional point-of-sale terminal can be used to facilitate the electronic ordering over the existing financial services electronic payment network when presented to the point-of-sale terminal with a product order code identifying a selected product.

That is claimed:  
     
         1 . A system for facilitating the management and electronic ordering of goods or services over an existing electronic financial network, the system comprising:
 a customer order transaction card for ordering one or more of a plurality of products of a products provider, the transaction card having a storage medium for storing an electronic payment network compatible transaction card identifier unique to a specific customer of a plurality of customers, the card identifier comprising an issuer identifier number and a specific customer account number of a plurality of customer account numbers associated with the product provider;   a point of sale terminal configured to interface with a plurality of cards, including the transaction card and to receive one or more of a plurality of product order codes and the card identifier and transmit the one or more of the plurality of product order codes and the card identifier via an existing financial services electronic payment network to an issuer of the customer order transaction card responsive to the existing financial services electronic payment network identifying the issuer of the customer order transaction card; and   a computer to facilitate electronic ordering and management of products over the existing financial services electronic payment network to define a member interface protocol computer, the member interface protocol computer comprising:   non-transitory memory encoded with computer program operable on the member interface protocol computer, the computer program comprising the instructions of
 determining, by the member interface protocol computer, whether a purchase order message received from the issuer of the transaction card sent through the existing financial services electronic payment network satisfies rule-based criteria, the product order message including one or more of the plurality of product order codes and the identifier of the customer order transaction card used at the point of sale terminal; 
 matching, by the member interface protocol computer, each of the one or more of the plurality of product order codes in the purchase order message with one or more of the plurality of corresponding products of the product provider when the purchase order message satisfies the rule-based criteria to thereby create a valid product order; and 
 creating, by the member interface protocol computer, an order notification for the product provider indicating the one or more of the plurality of corresponding products ordered using the existing financial services electronic financial payment network and the associated one or more of the plurality of customers. 
   
     
     
         2 . A system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the rule-based criteria includes one or more of the following: acknowledgement of sufficient payment for the one or more of the plurality of products, valid transaction card identifier, allowable quantity of the one or more of the plurality of products, and valid electronic card security code associated with the customer transaction card. 
     
     
         3 . A system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the point of sale terminal includes a scanner or keyboard to enter the one or more of the plurality of product order codes, and wherein the transaction card is associated with a customer profile. 
     
     
         4 . A system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the customer account number is associated with a monetary account so that the system can facilitate financial settlement of the valid product order in addition to the ordering of the one or more products. 
     
     
         5 . A system as defined in  claim 4 , wherein the rule-based criteria includes acknowledgement of sufficient payment for the one or more of the plurality of products. 
     
     
         6 . A system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the computer program comprising the instruction of:
 generating a business transaction report for the product provider that indicates number of orders that have been transmitted, processed or fulfilled.   
     
     
         7 . A computer-implemented method for facilitating the management and electronic ordering of goods or services over an electronic financial network, the method comprising the steps of:
 associating, in a first computer process, each of a plurality of products of a products provider with a plurality of product order codes;   enabling, in a second computer process, each of a plurality of customers to use one or more of a plurality of customer order transaction cards, each of the transaction cards having an electronic payment network compatible transaction card identifier unique to a specific customer of the plurality of customers, the card identifier comprising an issuer identifier number;   configuring an electronic payment network interface to receive one or more of the plurality of product order codes and one or more of the plurality of transaction card identifiers, the electronic payment network interface further being configured to transmit one or more of received plurality of product order codes and the one or more of the plurality of transaction card identifiers via an existing financial services electronic payment network to one or more of a plurality of issuer of the plurality of customer order transaction cards responsive to the existing financial services electronic payment network identifying the one or more of the plurality of issuers of the plurality of customer order transaction cards;   determining, in a third computer process, whether a purchase order message satisfies rule-based criteria, the purchase order message being received from the one or more of the plurality of issuers of the customer order transaction cards and sent through the existing financial services electronic payment network from the electronic payment network interface; and   matching, in a fourth computer process, each of the one or more of the plurality of product order codes in the purchase order message with one or more of the plurality of corresponding products of the product provider when the purchase order message satisfies the rule-based criteria to thereby create a valid product order.   
     
     
         8 . A computer-implemented method as defined in  claim 7 , wherein the rule-based criteria includes one or more of the following: acknowledgement of sufficient payment for the one or more of the plurality of products, valid transaction card identifier, allowable quantity of the one or more of the plurality of products, and valid electronic card security code associated with the customer transaction card. 
     
     
         9 . A computer-implemented method as defined in  claim 7 , wherein the electronic payment network interface includes a scanner or keyboard to enter the one or more of the plurality of product order codes, and wherein the transaction card is associated with a customer profile. 
     
     
         10 . A computer-implemented method as defined in  claim 7 , wherein the method further comprising the steps of:
 associating each of the plurality the customers with a customer account number that is associated with a monetary account so that the method can facilitate financial settlement of the valid product order in addition to the ordering of the one or more products.   
     
     
         11 . A computer-implemented method as defined in  claim 7 , wherein the rule-based criteria includes acknowledgement of sufficient payment for the one or more of the plurality of products. 
     
     
         12 . A computer-implemented method as defined in  claim 7 , wherein the computer-implemented method further comprising the step of:
 generating a business transaction report for the product provider that indicates number of orders that have been transmitted, processed or fulfilled.   
     
     
         13 . A computer-implemented method for facilitating the management and electronic ordering of goods or services over an electronic financial network, the method comprising the steps of:
 associating, in a first computer process, each of a plurality of products of a products provider with a plurality of product order codes;   enabling, in a second computer process, each of a plurality of customers to use one or more of a plurality of customer order transaction cards, each of the transaction cards having an electronic payment network compatible transaction card identifier unique to a specific customer of the plurality of customers, the card identifier comprising an issuer identifier number;   determining, in a third computer process, whether a purchase order message satisfies rule-based criteria, the purchase order message being received from the one or more of the plurality of issuers of the customer order transaction cards and sent through the existing financial services electronic payment network from an electronic payment network interface; and   matching, in a fourth computer process, each of the one or more of the plurality of product order codes in the purchase order message with one or more of the plurality of corresponding products of the product provider when the purchase order message satisfies the rule-based criteria to thereby create a valid product order.   
     
     
         14 . A computer-implemented method as defined in  claim 13 , wherein the rule-based criteria includes one or more of the following: acknowledgement of sufficient payment for the one or more of the plurality of products, valid transaction card identifier, allowable quantity of the one or more of the plurality of products, and valid electronic card security code associated with the customer transaction card. 
     
     
         15 . A computer-implemented method as defined in  claim 13 , wherein the electronic payment network interface includes a scanner or keyboard to enter the one or more of the plurality of product order codes, and wherein the transaction card is associated with a customer profile. 
     
     
         16 . A computer-implemented method as defined in  claim 13 , wherein the method further comprising the steps of:
 associating each of the plurality the customers with a customer account number that is associated with a monetary account so that the method can facilitate financial settlement of the valid product order in addition to the ordering of the one or more products.   
     
     
         17 . A computer-implemented method as defined in  claim 13 , wherein the rule-based criteria includes acknowledgement of sufficient payment for the one or more of the plurality of products. 
     
     
         18 . A computer-implemented method as defined in  claim 13 , wherein the computer-implemented method further comprising the step of:
 generating a business transaction report for the product provider that indicates number of orders that have been transmitted, processed or fulfilled.   
     
     
         19 . A computer-implemented method as defined in  claim 13 , wherein the existing financial services electronic payment network is controlled by one or more credit card companies. 
     
     
         20 . A computer-implemented method as defined in  claim 13 , wherein the method further includes:
 creating, in a fifth computer process, an order notification for the product provider indicating the one or more of the plurality of products ordered using the existing financial services electronic financial payment network, the one or more of the plurality of customers associated with the product order, and shipping requirements for the product order.