Contactless prepaid product for transit fare collection

Abstract

Transaction processing in an offline environment for a prepaid product comprising a portable consumer device includes responding to presentation of the prepaid product at a reader for offline processing by initiating operation of the prepaid product, receiving data from the prepaid product at the reader that indicates the prepaid product is associated with a prepaid account balance, determining that the prepaid product is in a negative balance condition, and taking preventive action in response to the negative balance condition such that future acceptance of the prepaid product at a reader is prevented.

1 .- 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A comprising:
 receiving data from a first device for a current transaction with a second device, wherein the received data indicates that the first device is associated with an account, and wherein the first device operates in a locked status or a not locked status, and wherein the first device is a wireless communication device;   determining that an account balance associated with the account would be in a negative balance condition if the transaction proceeds; and   taking preventive action in response to the negative balance condition such that future acceptance of the first device to conduct a transaction with any other device is prevented, wherein taking preventive action comprises issuing a locking command to the first device, wherein the locking command is set at the first device,   wherein setting the locking command comprises an instruction that causes the first device to execute a locking code that causes the first device to be unusable for subsequent transactions at the second device, wherein the first device receives the locking command in an over-the-air communication, and   wherein the preventive action is not taken if the account balance was not determined to be in the negative balance condition.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein taking preventive action further comprises setting a blocking bit in a memory location of the first device. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein determining that the account balance associated with the account is in the negative balance condition comprises initiating a predictive analysis that determines if the first device has an insufficient account balance for an expected future account activity. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 ,
 wherein determining that the account balance associated with the account is in the negative balance condition is in response to predictive processing that determines a next anticipated charge to the account balance and identifies a situation in which the next anticipated charge to the account balance will result in an insufficient account balance to cover the next anticipated charge, and   wherein the predictive analysis comprises processing that assesses past account activity of the first device and determines a value for the account balance below which comprises the negative balance condition such that the account balance is not sufficient for the expected future account activity.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein determining that the account balance associated with the account is in the negative balance condition is performed by the second device. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21  wherein the second device is a reader device. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 21  wherein the account is a prepaid account. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising:
 issuing an unblock command to the first device to reverse a status of a blocking bit in the memory location of the first device. 
 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 21  wherein determining that the account balance associated with the account is in a negative balance condition is in response to predictive processing that determines a next anticipated charge to the account balance and identifies a situation in which the next anticipated charge to the account balance will result in an insufficient account balance to cover the next anticipated charge. 
     
     
         30 . A system comprising:
 one or more processors; and   a computer readable medium coupled to the one or more processors, the computer readable medium comprising code, executable by the one or more processors, for implementing a method comprising   receiving data from a first device for a current transaction with a second device, wherein the received data indicates that the first device is associated with an account, and wherein the first device operates in a locked status or a not locked status, and wherein the first device is a wireless communication device,   determining that an account balance associated with the account would be in a negative balance condition if the transaction proceeds, and   taking preventive action in response to the negative balance condition such that future acceptance of the first device to conduct a transaction with any other device is prevented, wherein taking preventive action comprises issuing a locking command to the first device, wherein the locking command is set at the first device,   wherein setting the locking command comprises an instruction that causes the first device to execute a locking code that causes the first device to be unusable for subsequent transactions at the second device, wherein the first device receives the locking command in an over-the-air communication, and   wherein the preventive action is not taken if the account balance was not determined to be in the negative balance condition.   
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 30 , wherein taking preventive action further comprises setting a blocking bit in a memory location of the first device. 
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 30  wherein the second device is a reader device. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 30  wherein the first device is a wireless portable consumer device. 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 30  wherein the account is a prepaid account. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 30  wherein the method further comprises:
 issuing an unblock command to the first device to reverse a status of a blocking bit in the memory location of the first device. 
 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 30  wherein determining that the account balance associated with the account is in the negative balance condition is in response to predictive processing that determines a next anticipated charge to the account balance and identifies a situation in which the next anticipated charge to the account balance will result in an insufficient account balance to cover the next anticipated charge.