Patents by Inventor Walter Lo Faro

Walter Lo Faro has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20230385906
    Abstract: A computer system for recommending merchants to a candidate cardholder is provided. The computer system includes a memory device and a processor. The processor receives transaction information for a plurality of cardholders from a payment network. The transaction information includes data relating to purchases made by the cardholders at a plurality of merchants, where the purchases satisfy a first criteria. The processor also receives candidate cardholder preference information for at least one of the merchants input by the candidate cardholder. The processor further determines a merchant rank for each merchant based on the received transaction information and the candidate cardholder preference information, and determines a neutral merchant rank for each merchant based on the received transaction information and neutral cardholder preferences of the plurality of cardholders.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2023
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Inventors: Christopher J. Merz, Walter Lo Faro, Adam K. Hosp, Matthew Richard Stocke, Stephen P. Hendrix, Robert T. Grothe, JR.
  • Publication number: 20230351349
    Abstract: A computer system including a processor, in communication with a database, programmed to identify a plurality of billers from the database, including biller information, and receive a payee file including payee information identifying a payee which issued a bill to a payor. The processor determines an approximate match score for each of the billers in a first set of billers of the plurality of billers by comparing payee information to biller information and identifies a candidate list of billers from the first set of billers having an approximate match score indicating a likelihood of matching the payee information. The processor adjusts the candidate list of billers by altering the match score of at least one candidate biller by comparing a payee account number of the payee information to an account mask associated with the candidate biller and generates an output file of candidate biller information from the adjusted candidate list.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2023
    Publication date: November 2, 2023
    Inventors: Amy C. Milam, Anita C. Galliani, Stephan J. Klaus, Walter Lo Faro, Lorrie M. Littlefield, Pauline Ow, Gautam Uppalapati, Thakur B. Kondasani
  • Patent number: 11727462
    Abstract: A computer system for recommending merchants to a candidate cardholder is provided. The computer system includes a memory device in communication with a processor. The processor is programmed to receive transaction information for a plurality of cardholders from a payment network. The transaction information includes data relating to purchases made by the cardholders at a plurality of merchants, the purchases satisfying a first criteria. The processor receives candidate cardholder preference information for at least one of the merchants input by the candidate cardholder. The computer system determines a merchant rank for each merchant based on the received transaction information and the candidate cardholder preference information, and determines a neutral merchant rank for each merchant based on the received transaction information and neutral cardholder preferences of the plurality of cardholders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: MASTERCARD INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Christopher J. Merz, Walter Lo Faro, Adam K. Hosp, Matthew Richard Stocke, Stephen P. Hendrix, Robert T. Grothe, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11694172
    Abstract: A computer system including a processor, in communication with a database, programmed to identify a plurality of billers from the database, including biller information, and receive a payee file including payee information identifying a payee which issued a bill to a payor. The processor determines an approximate match score for each of the billers in a first set of billers of the plurality of billers by comparing payee information to biller information and identifies a candidate list of billers from the first set of billers having an approximate match score indicating a likelihood of matching the payee information. The processor adjusts the candidate list of billers by altering the match score of at least one candidate biller by comparing a payee account number of the payee information to an account mask associated with the candidate biller and generates an output file of candidate biller information from the adjusted candidate list.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: Mastercard International Incorporated
    Inventors: Amy C. Milam, Anita C. Galliani, Stephan J. Klaus, Walter Lo Faro, Lorrie M. Littlefield, Pauline Ow, Gautam Uppalapati, Thakur B. Kondasani
  • Patent number: 10719834
    Abstract: A method and a recommender computer system are provided. The recommender computer system is programmed to receive payment card transaction information for a payment cardholder from the interchange network. The payment card transaction information includes data relating to a plurality of purchases made by the cardholder at a plurality of different merchants. The recommender computer system is further programmed to receive merchant rating information, receive merchant descriptive information, and determine location information of each of the plurality of different merchants relative to at least one of a predetermined selectable location and a current location of the cardholder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: MASTERCARD INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Walter Lo Faro, Christopher J. Merz
  • Publication number: 20200058052
    Abstract: A computer system for recommending a merchant to a candidate consumer is provided. The computer system includes a memory device for storing data and a processor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Publication date: February 20, 2020
    Inventors: David Weis, Gary Sofko, Gary Kearns, Walter Lo Faro
  • Publication number: 20200034913
    Abstract: A computer system for recommending merchants to a candidate cardholder is provided. The computer system includes a memory device in communication with a processor. The processor is programmed to receive transaction information for a plurality of cardholders from a payment network. The transaction information includes data relating to purchases made by the cardholders at a plurality of merchants, the purchases satisfying a first criteria. The processor receives candidate cardholder preference information for at least one of the merchants input by the candidate cardholder. The computer system determines a merchant rank for each merchant based on the received transaction information and the candidate cardholder preference information, and determines a neutral merchant rank for each merchant based on the received transaction information and neutral cardholder preferences of the plurality of cardholders.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2019
    Publication date: January 30, 2020
    Inventors: Christopher J. Merz, Walter Lo Faro, Adam K. Hosp, Matthew Richard Stocke, Stephen P. Hendrix, Robert T. Grothe
  • Patent number: 10438269
    Abstract: A computer system for recommending merchants to a candidate cardholder is provided. The computer system includes a memory device in communication with a processor. The processor is programmed to receive transaction information for a plurality of cardholders from a payment network. The transaction information includes data relating to purchases made by the cardholders at a plurality of merchants, the purchases satisfying a first criteria. The processor receives candidate cardholder preference information for at least one of the merchants input by the candidate cardholder, determines a merchant rank for each merchant based on the received transaction information and the candidate cardholder preference information, determines a neutral merchant rank for each merchant based on the received transaction information and neutral cardholder preferences of the plurality of cardholders, and determines a merchant score for each of the plurality of merchants by comparing the merchant rank to the neutral merchant rank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: MASTERCARD INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Christopher J. Merz, Walter Lo Faro, Adam K. Hosp, Matthew Richard Stocke, Stephen P. Hendrix, Robert T. Grothe, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20190188662
    Abstract: A computer system including a processor, in communication with a database, programmed to identify a plurality of billers from the database, including biller information, and receive a payee file including payee information identifying a payee which issued a bill to a payor. The processor determines an approximate match score for each of the billers in a first set of billers of the plurality of billers by comparing payee information to biller information and identifies a candidate list of billers from the first set of billers having an approximate match score indicating a likelihood of matching the payee information. The processor adjusts the candidate list of billers by altering the match score of at least one candidate biller by comparing a payee account number of the payee information to an account mask associated with the candidate biller and generates an output file of candidate biller information from the adjusted candidate list.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2019
    Publication date: June 20, 2019
    Inventors: Amy C. Milam, Anita C. Galliani, Stephan J. Klaus, Walter Lo Faro, Lorrie M. Littlefield, Pauline Ow, Gautam Uppalapati, Thakur B. Kondasani
  • Publication number: 20160239846
    Abstract: Networks and methods are provided for processing support messages related to one or more features of a payment network. In connection therewith, a support message is initially received from a customer of the payment network, including text related to an issue encountered by the customer with one or more features of the payment network. The text of the support message is normalized, and a score vector is assigned to the normalized support message. The score vector is indicative of a number of occurrences of multiple words in the normalized support message. A response message for the support message is then identified, based on the score vector, and transmitted to the customer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2015
    Publication date: August 18, 2016
    Inventors: Ravi Santosh Arvapally, Walter Lo Faro, Jeffrey Gordley, Craig Borgmeyer
  • Publication number: 20150032543
    Abstract: A computer system for recommending a merchant to a candidate consumer is provided. The computer system includes a memory device for storing data and a processor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2014
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Applicant: MASTERCARD INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED
    Inventors: David Weis, Gary Sofko, Gary Kearns, Walter Lo Faro
  • Publication number: 20140278744
    Abstract: A computer system for recommending potential competitor merchants to a subscriber merchant and/or a market analyst is provided. The computer system includes a memory device in communication with a processor. The processor is programmed to receive transaction information for a plurality of cardholders from a payment network. The transaction information includes data relating to purchases made by the cardholders at a plurality of merchants. The processor may receive subscriber merchant preference information for at least one of the merchants input by the cardholder. The computer system determines a merchant rank for each merchant based on the received transaction information and/or the subscriber merchant preference information, and determines a neutral merchant rank and a merchant score for each merchant. After ranking, a ranked list of potential competitor merchants is generated for presentation to a subscriber merchant and/or a market analyst for further analysis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: MASTERCARD INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Walter Lo Faro, Christopher J. Merz
  • Publication number: 20140279185
    Abstract: A computer system for recommending merchants to a candidate cardholder is provided. The computer system includes a memory device in communication with a processor. The processor is programmed to receive transaction information for a plurality of cardholders from a payment network. The transaction information includes data relating to purchases made by the cardholders at a plurality of merchants, the purchases satisfying a first criteria. The processor receives candidate cardholder preference information for at least one of the merchants input by the candidate cardholder. The computer system determines a merchant rank for each merchant based on the received transaction information and the candidate cardholder preference information, and determines a neutral merchant rank for each merchant based on the received transaction information and neutral cardholder preferences of the plurality of cardholders.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: MASTERCARD INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Christopher J. Merz, Walter Lo Faro, Adam K. Hosp, Matthew Richard Stocke, Stephen P. Hendrix, Robert T. Grothe, JR.
  • Publication number: 20130311362
    Abstract: A computer system including a processor, in communication with a database, programmed to identify a plurality of billers from the database, including biller information, and receive a payee file including payee information identifying a payee which issued a bill to a payor. The processor determines an approximate match score for each of the billers in a first set of billers of the plurality of billers by comparing payee information to biller information and identifies a candidate list of billers from the first set of billers having an approximate match score indicating a likelihood of matching the payee information. The processor adjusts the candidate list of billers by altering the match score of at least one candidate biller by comparing a payee account number of the payee information to an account mask associated with the candidate biller and generates an output file of candidate biller information from the adjusted candidate list.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2013
    Publication date: November 21, 2013
    Applicant: MasterCard International Incorporated
    Inventors: Amy C. Milam, Anita C. Galliani, Stephan J. Klaus, Walter Lo Faro, Lorrie M. Littlefield, Pauline Ow, Gautam Uppalapati, Thakur B. Kondasani
  • Publication number: 20120296724
    Abstract: A method and a recommender computer system are provided. The recommender computer system is programmed to receive payment card transaction information for a payment cardholder from the interchange network. The payment card transaction information includes data relating to a plurality of purchases made by the cardholder at a plurality of different merchants. The recommender computer system is further programmed to receive merchant rating information, receive merchant descriptive information, and determine location information of each of the plurality of different merchants relative to at least one of a predetermined selectable location and a current location of the cardholder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2011
    Publication date: November 22, 2012
    Inventors: Walter Lo Faro, Christopher J. Merz
  • Publication number: 20110106607
    Abstract: Systems and methods for analyzing and segregating payment card account profiles into clusters and targeting offers to cardholders. Offers may be targeted based on analyzing customer transactions with merchants from a merchant category as compared with transactions with merchants from a universe of merchants. Customers who have no transaction history with a merchant may be selected for offers based on similarities with respect to other customers of the merchant. Multiple merchant offers may be combined into a single mailing based on a scoring algorithm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2007
    Publication date: May 5, 2011
    Inventors: Chris Alfonso, Walter Lo Faro, Sheryl Sleeva, Wendy Murdock, Brian Prascak, Ruven Cohen, Brad Furman, Craig Stanek, Chris Merz
  • Publication number: 20090307060
    Abstract: A computer-based method and system for determining a loyalty profile for a cardholder is provided. The cardholder having an account associated with a payment card. The payment card is issued by an issuer to the cardholder. The method is performed using a computer coupled to a database. The method includes electronically receiving transaction information of the cardholder at the computer wherein the transaction information includes data representing each transaction initiated by the cardholder and associated with the cardholder account, electronically storing the transaction information within the database, and transforming the transaction information at the computer to generate the loyalty profile for the cardholder wherein the loyalty profile represents a pattern of usage of the payment card and the associated account by the cardholder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2009
    Publication date: December 10, 2009
    Inventors: Christopher J. Merz, Walter Lo Faro