초록 ▼

Apparatus, system and method are provided for processing charge vouchers against charge card accounts administered by a host institution that issues an approval/disapproval to a merchant for a proposed transaction. The apparatus is processor based and broadly includes a keyboard input having command

Apparatus, system and method are provided for processing charge vouchers against charge card accounts administered by a host institution that issues an approval/disapproval to a merchant for a proposed transaction. The apparatus is processor based and broadly includes a keyboard input having command keys and a charge card reader. Upon activation, account identification data is read from a customer\s charge card and the customer enters a maximum charge amount. An autodialer connects the processor to the host institution by way of a transmitter/receiver and a communication line. The host verifies the credit limit of the customer account to ascertain availability of funds. If the host approves the proposed transaction, the maximum charge amount is reversed and an approval signal is sent to the processor; if the host does not approve the transaction, a disapproval signal is sent. The processor stores the transaction data and causes a printer to produce a voucher good for the maximum charge amount upon receipt of the approval signal. The customer then endorses the voucher and subsequently purchases goods/services for an actual purchase amount less than or equal to the maximum charge amount. The merchant updates the voucher at the time of purchase and either simultaneously or subsequently edits the memory of the processor to reflect the actual purchase amount. The actual transaction is then forwarded to the host institution which updates the customer account to release excess credit resulting from any difference between the maximum charge amount and the actual purchase amount. The broad method embodies the above procedure implemented in processing steps.

대표청구항 ▼

A payment voucher processing apparatus adapted to be used in conjunction with a family of charge cards wherein a customer who has a member charge card can execute a proposed transaction to obtain a guaranteed voucher for a selected maximum charge amount for purchase of goods or services from a merch

A payment voucher processing apparatus adapted to be used in conjunction with a family of charge cards wherein a customer who has a member charge card can execute a proposed transaction to obtain a guaranteed voucher for a selected maximum charge amount for purchase of goods or services from a merchant wherein a host institution administers customer accounts for the family of charge cards and has verification means for inquiring into the customer account to determine an availability of funds for a proposed charge and issues an approval status signal when funds are available and a disapproval status signal when funds are not available in the customer account, the payment voucher processing apparatus comprising: a processing means for processing a proposed transaction; a start means for producing a start signal to initiate a transaction event; entry means for inputting into said processing means the proposed transaction including account identification data of a member charge card correlated to a customer account administered by the host institution and a maximum charge amount; means for establishing communication with the host institution; means for transmitting the identification data and the maximum charge amount to the host institution to interrogate the host institution regarding the availability of funds in customer account at least equal to the maximum charge amount; receiving means for receiving approval and disapproval signals from the host institution; said processing means including means responsive to an approval signal for producing a print signal; voucher producing means responsive to the print signal to produce a voucher indexed with a maximum transaction charge equal to the maximum charge amount, and with the account identification data; means for storing the account identification data and the maximum charge amount for each approved transaction; means for retrieving each approved transaction; and edit means for editing each approved transaction to charge the maximum charge amount to an actual purchase amount whereby the actual purchase amount and the account identification data may be communicated to the host institution by way of the transmitting means. A payment voucher apparatus for use in conjunction with a family of charge cards wherein customers who have a respective member of said family of charge cards can each execute a transaction to obtain a guaranteed voucher for a selected maximum charge amount for use in purchasing goods or services from a merchant wherein a host institution administers accounts for the family of charge cards and issues approval/disapproval status signals for a proposed charge and a guarantee of payment of the proposed charge along with approval identifier data when the merchant receives an approval thereof, the payment voucher apparatus comprising: data transmitting and receiving means for transmitting and receiving data respectively to and from the host institution over a communication line established therebetween; a microprocessor in communication with said data transmitting and receiving means; manual entry means for inputting into said microprocessor transaction data corresponding to the proposed charge including the maximum charge amount, said manual entry means including a start key means for initiating the transactions; an autodialer means responsive to activation of the start key means for automatically opening the communication line with the host institution; a charge card reader operative to receive a customer\s charge card and produce identification data corresponding to the charge card, said identification data transmitted to the host institution by said data transmitting and receiving means over the communication line opened by the autodialer means; said microprocessor operative in response to input of transaction data from said manual entry means to interrogate the host institution by way of said data transmitting and receiving means in order to obtain the approval/disapproval status for the proposed charge, said microprocessor operative in response to an approval signal and approval identifier data to produce a print signal, said microprocessor including data storage means for storing the identification data and the transaction data for each approved transaction; a printer operative in response to the print signal to produce a voucher being exchangeable for goods or services of the merchant; said voucher being for an approved charge corresponding to the maximum charge amount, said voucher indexed with transaction identification data, the maximum charge amount and the approval identifier data; and said microprocessor operative in response to input of the actual purchase amount for the respective transaction by the manual entry means to retrieve the respective transaction data stored in said data storage means and edit the respective maximum charge amount to reflect the actual purchase amount for the respective transaction and store said actual purchase amount, whereby each voucher is corrected at a point of purchase to create an updated receipt reflecting an actual purchase amount. A method for processing charge card transactions for a family of charge cards administered by a host institution wherein the host institution maintains a cardholder file of available credit limit for each member card account in the family of charge cards and wherein a merchant can obtain an approval for a proposed credit charge against a charge card of a customer which charge card is a member of the family of charge cards comprising the steps of: providing at least one payment voucher producing apparatus at a first location at a facility of the merchant including a data processor with memory; providing at least one point of purchase sales station at a second location at the facility of the merchant remote from said first location; entering identification data into said payment voucher producing apparatus corresponding to a respective customer charge card; entering a maximum charge amount into said payment voucher producing apparatus corresponding to a proposed charge transaction; electronically transmitting to the host institution over a communication line the identification data and the maximum charge amount correlated thereto; verifying at the host institution the available credit limit in the member card account corresponding to the respective customer charge card to determine if the credit limit of the member card account to be exceeded; issuing one of an approval signal if the maximum charge amount does not cause the credit limit to be exceeded while reserving the maximum charge amount in the member card account concurrently with the issuance of the approval signal and a disapproval signal if the maximum charge amount will cause the credit limit of the member card account to be exceeded; automatically producing a voucher at the payment voucher producing apparatus in response to receipt of an approval signal from the host institution, said voucher being automatically indexed with the identification data and maximum charge amount; storing the proposed charge transaction in memory of the data processor; completing a purchase transaction for selected goods or services at the point of purchase station for an actual purchase amount less than or equal to the maximum charge amount; updating the voucher at the point of purchase station to reflect the actual purchase amount; editing the proposed charge transaction utilizing the data processor at the payment voucher apparatus to edit the maximum charge amount to an updated charge amount equal the actual charge amount; electronically transmitting the updated charge amount and the identification data of the respective customer charge card to the host institution; and retrieving and updating the respective member card account at the host institution to edit the maximum charge amount to the updated charge amount and release the difference therebetween back into the member charge account so that it is again available in the credit limit of the member card account.