Systems and methods to apply the benefit of offers via a transaction handler

Abstract

A system includes a transaction handler configured to split a transaction, initiated between an acquirer processor representing a merchant and an issuer processor representing an account holder, into separate transactions with the issuer processor and at least one sponsor processor that is configured to provide the benefit of offers to applicable transactions. A portal is configured to notify the account holder of the award/redemption of the benefit of an offer using a communication channel separate from the transaction terminal that initiates and approves the transaction between the account holder and the merchant.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A payment processing system having at least one microprocessor and memory storing instructions configured to instruct the at least one microprocessor to perform operations, the system comprising:
 a transaction handler configured to interconnect issuer processors and acquirer processors in a payment processing network, wherein each of the issuer processors is configured to control consumer accounts issued to consumers and make payments on behalf of the consumers using the consumer accounts and each of the acquirer processors is configured to receive payments on behalf of merchants using merchant accounts set up for the merchants;   a data warehouse configured to store transaction data recording payment transactions processed by the transaction handler, wherein
 the data warehouse is further configured to store data associating an offer with a consumer account issued to a user, the offer having a benefit applicable to the consumer account when a plurality of conditions are met, 
 the data warehouse is further configured to store a trigger record identifying the offer and a subset of the plurality of conditions, 
 the transaction handler is further configured to use the trigger record in processing payment transactions and detect an authorization request received from an acquirer processor for a first transaction that satisfies the subset of conditions identified in the trigger record, 
 in response to the authorization request for the first transcation being detected to satisfy the subset of conditions identified in the trigger record, the transaction handler is further configured to process the offer identified by the trigger record and determine whether the plurality of conditions specified for the offer are met in entirety in view of the first transaction, 
 in response to a determination that the plurality of conditions of the offer are met in entirety in view of the first transaction, the transaction handler is further configured to
 communicate with a sponsor processor of the benefit for authorization of the benefit, 
 communicate with an issuer processor of the consumer account of the user for authorization of the first transaction in the consumer account, and 
 combine an authorization response from the sponsor processor and an authorization response from the issuer processor to generate a single authorization response to the authorization request received from the acquirer processor, and 
 
 the data warehouse is further configured to store data associating a communication reference with the consumer account issued to the user; and 
   a portal coupled with the transaction handler, configured to generate a notification to the communication reference assciated in the data warehouse with the consumer account, and further configured to transmit the notification in parallel with the transaction handler transmitting to the acquirer processor the single authorization response approving the authorization request received from the acquirer processor.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the authorization request received from the acquirer processor for the first transaction identifies the consumer account as a single source of funds for the authorzation request received from the acquirer processor. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the notification is not generated and transmitted when the single authorization response rejects the authorization request received from the acquirer processor for the first transaction. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the single authorization response is generated by the transaction handler to approve the authorization request received from the acquirer processor for the first transaction, when a sum of the benefit approved in the authorization response from the sponsor processor and a transaction amount in the authorization response from the issuer processor is equal to a transaction amount requested in the authorization request received from the acquirer processor. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the transaction handler is configured to determine a transaction amount for authorization in the consumer account based on the benefit of the offer and the transaction amount requested in the authorization request received from the acquirer processor. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the transaction handler is configured to concurrently communicate with the sponsor processor and the issuer processor for authorization of the benefit and for authorization of the first transaction in the consumer account. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the authorization request received from the acquirer processor for the first transaction does not identify the offer. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the authorization request received from the acquirer processor for the first transaction does not identify the benefit. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the transaction handler is configured to generate an authorization request to the sponsor processor, in accordance with the offer idetified by the transaction handler and in response to the determination that the plurality of conditions of the offer are met in entirety in view of the first transaction; and the authorization response from the sponsor processor is in response to the authorization request to the sponsor processor generated in accordance with the offer. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the transaction handler is configured to generate an authorization request to the issuer processor to apply the benefit of the offer to the first transaction, in accordance with the offer idetified by the transaction handler and in response to the determination that the plurality of conditions of the offer are met in entirety in view of the first transaction; and the authorization response from the issuer processor is response to the authorization request to the issuer processor generated to apply the beneift of the offer. 
     
     
         11 . A method in a payment processing network having a transaction handler configured to interconnect issuer processors and acquirer processors in a payment processing network, wherein each of the issuer processors is configured to control consumer accounts issued to consumers and make payments on behalf of the consumers using the consumer accounts and each of the acquirer processors is configured to receive payments on behalf of merchants using merchant accounts set up for the merchants, the method comprising:
 storing, in a data warehouse coupled with the transaction handler, transaction data recording payment transactions processed by the transaction handler;   storing, in the data warehouse, data associating an offer with a consumer account issued to a user, the offer having a benefit applicable to the consumer account when a plurality of conditions are met;   storing, in the data warehouse, data associating a communication reference with the consumer account issued to the user;   storing, in the data warehouse, a trigger record identifying the offer and a subset of the plurality of conditions;   processing payment transactions, by the transaction handler, using the trigger record to detect an authorization request received from an acquirer processor for a first transaction that satisfies the subset of conditions identified in the trigger record;   in response to the authorization request for the first transcation being detected to satisfy the subset of conditions identified in the trigger record, processing by the transaction handler the offer identified by the trigger record to determine whether the plurality of conditions specified for the offer are met in entirety in view of the first transaction;   in response to a determination that the plurality of conditions of the offer are met in entirety in view of the first transaction,
 communicating by the transaction handler with a sponsor processor of the benefit for authorization of the benefit, 
 communicating by the transaction handler with an issuer processor of the consumer account of the user for authorization of the first transaction in the consumer account, and 
 combining, by the transaction handler, an authorization response from the sponsor processor and an authorization response from the issuer processor to generate a single authorization response to the authorization request received from the acquirer processor; and 
   transmitting, by a portal coupled with the transaction handler, a notification to the communication reference assciated in the data warehouse with the consumer account, in parallel with the transaction handler transmitting to the acquirer processor the single authorization response approving the authorization request received from the acquirer processor.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the authorization request received from the acquirer processor for the first transaction identifies the consumer account as a single source of funds for the authorzation request received from the acquirer processor. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the notification is not generated and transmitted when the single authorization response rejects the authorization request received from the acquirer processor for the first transaction. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the single authorization response is generated by the transaction handler to approve the authorization request received from the acquirer processor for the first transaction, when a sum of the benefit approved in the authorization response from the sponsor processor and a transaction amount in the authorization response from the issuer processor is equal to a transaction amount requested in the authorization request received from the acquirer processor. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the transaction handler is configured to determine a transaction amount for authorization in the consumer account based on the benefit of the offer and the transaction amount requested in the authorization request received from the acquirer processor. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the transaction handler is configured to concurrently communicate with the sponsor processor and the issuer processor for authorization of the benefit and for authorization of the first transaction in the consumer account. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the authorization request received from the acquirer processor for the first transaction does not identify the offer and the benefit. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the transaction handler is configured to generate an authorization request to the sponsor processor, in accordance with the offer idetified by the transaction handler and in response to the determination that the plurality of conditions of the offer are met in entirety in view of the first transaction; and the authorization response from the sponsor processor is in response to the authorization request to the sponsor processor generated in accordance with the offer. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the transaction handler is configured to generate an authorization request to the issuer processor to apply the benefit of the offer to the first transaction, in accordance with the offer idetified by the transaction handler and in response to the determination that the plurality of conditions of the offer are met in entirety in view of the first transaction; and the authorization response from the issuer processor is response to the authorization request to the issuer processor generated to apply the beneift of the offer. 
     
     
         20 . A non-transitory computer-storage medium storing instructions configured to instruct a computing apparatus to perform operations in a payment processing network having a transaction handler configured to interconnect issuer processors and acquirer processors in a payment processing network, wherein each of the issuer processors is configured to control consumer accounts issued to consumers and make payments on behalf of the consumers using the consumer accounts and each of the acquirer processors is configured to receive payments on behalf of merchants using merchant accounts set up for the merchants, the instructions configured to instruct the computing apparatus at least to:
 store, in a data warehouse coupled with the transaction handler, transaction data recording payment transactions processed by the transaction handler;   store, in the data warehouse, data associating an offer with a consumer account issued to a user, the offer having a benefit applicable to the consumer account when a plurality of conditions are met;   store, in the data warehouse, data associating a communication reference with the consumer account issued to the user;   store, in the data warehouse, a trigger record identifying the offer and a subset of the plurality of conditions;   process payment transactions, by the transaction handler, using the trigger record to detect an authorization request received from an acquirer processor for a first transaction that satisfies the subset of conditions identified in the trigger record;   in response to the authorization request for the first transcation being detected to satisfy the subset of conditions identified in the trigger record, processe by the transaction handler the offer identified by the trigger record to determine whether the plurality of conditions specified for the offer are met in entirety in view of the first transaction;   in response to a determination that the plurality of conditions of the offer are met in entirety in view of the first transaction,
 communicate by the transaction handler with a sponsor processor of the benefit for authorization of the benefit, 
 communicate by the transaction handler with an issuer processor of the consumer account of the user for authorization of the first transaction in the consumer account, and 
 combine, by the transaction handler, an authorization response from the sponsor processor and an authorization response from the issuer processor to generate a single authorization response to the authorization request received from the acquirer processor; and 
   transmit, by a portal coupled with the transaction handler, a notification to the communication reference assciated in the data warehouse with the consumer account, in parallel with the transaction handler transmitting to the acquirer processor the single authorization response approving the authorization request received from the acquirer processor.