Co-branded correlated redeemable cards

[0001] This application is a Non-Provisional Utility application which claims benefit of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/831,622 filed Jul. 18, 2006, entitled “CO-BRANDED CORRELATED REDEEMABLE CARDS” which is hereby incorporated by reference.

[0002] FIG. 1 is a flowchart of one embodiment of the settlement system for valuing multiple accounts with a barcode.

[0003] FIG. 2 is an illustration of a card carrier that may be utilized with the settlement system illustrated in FIG. 1 during each step of the manufacturing process.

[0004] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the process for encoding the barcode associated with the two accounts.

[0005] The purpose of this design is to house two completely different cards specific to two different entities or clients that will want to share the same distribution channel without the need of making lengthy and expensive point-of-sale (POS) changes. This package will accomplish a 3-way match; two distinct card numbers cross reference to a third account number that a card issuer and its third-part distribution channels can accept. The idea arose out of the necessity of having synergetic clients share distribution channels with minimal POS intervention.

[0006] More particularly, an embodiment of the present invention is directed toward the display and sale of at least two cards on a single card carrier wherein each card is associated with a particular retailer and both cards are valuated by a single barcode displayed on the package. An important aspect is the process by which data is managed, transmitted, and valued with respect to the issuing and valuation of the co-branded partnership cards. The “Dinner & Movie” concept relies on a 3-way data match necessary for proper valuation. SVS will produce 3 account numbers, one for the Dinner (Restaurant) card, a second card number for the Movie (Theater) card and a third account number from a dedicated BIN range that will tie the aforementioned accounts together. Please refer to FIG. 1 for a visual representation of this process. The process begins with data entry. An SVS data entry manager orders 3 batches of data; order A, B, & C. SVS produces the card range through a batch process; batch A, B, and C.

[0007] The data batches are then transmitted to the supplier in charge of the personalization process. In this example, Magnetic Ticket and Label (MT&L) will perform this operation. Once MT&L processes the SVS batches, they are then sent to the individual personalization machines that will encode each magnetic stripe with a unique account number and a cross-reference barcode used for data retrieval. Orders A and B are processed and Quality Assured, Order C is directly sent to an affixing piece of equipment or (Ga-vhe-ren). The affixing equipment (Process 1) will then perform the affixing or tipping process; feed each card individually (Card A and B), glue affix onto the paper carrier with fugitive glue, read the cross reference barcode, write it to a database, and tie it to the common account number (Barcode C) ink jetted onto the paper carrier. Each data record will consist of Mag Stripe A (data field Aa), Mag Stripe B (data field Bb), and Barcode C (data field Cc). Once Process 1 concludes, each package will be personalized and sealed ready to be encoded. Thus we move on to Process 2, each package will be loaded onto a encoding piece of equipment that will read Barcode C, download the record (Record C) from the man MT&L database, encode the paper carriers' magnetic stripe with track and track 2 data. At this point the packaging is complete. Each package now holds two fully functional cards with a common account number (barcode C and ready for final distribution.

[0008] The data file containing records A, B and C are subsequently transmitted to a third party supplier that will store the information and wait for valuation requests. This brings us to the last part of the invention. Once the cards are distributed to the field, when a customer purchases a card and requests a valuation, the carrier magnetic stripe is then swiped (SVS Processing) an activation request hits the SVS database and SVS recognizes the special BIN, it then routes the message to Accent Imtermedia where the account number (C) is looked up and validated. Once the account is verified, the accounts associated it with it (A and B) are then communicated back to SVS with a valuation request, both A and B at the same time, if approved, then Cards A and B are live.

[0009] Thus, although there have been described particular embodiments of the present invention of a new and useful CO-BRANDED CORRELATED REDEEMABLE CARDS, it is not intended that such references be construed as limitations upon the scope of this invention except as set forth in the following claims.