Patents Assigned to Bill Me Later, Inc.
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Publication number: 20140316950Abstract: A computer-implemented method of engaging in a transaction between a merchant and a business entity. The method includes: initiating a transaction by the business entity with a merchant; obtaining, by the merchant, a business entity data set including at least one data field; communicating an authorization request from the merchant to a provider, the request including at least one data field from the business entity data set and at least one field from a transaction data set; establishing a credit-based relationship between the provider and the business entity; communicating an authorization response from the provider to at least one of the merchant and the business entity; and engaging in the transaction between the provider and the business entity based at least in part upon the established credit-based relationship. A system and apparatus are also disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 5, 2014Publication date: October 23, 2014Applicant: Bill Me Later, Inc.Inventors: Thomas H. Keithley, Thomas E.` Whitford
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Publication number: 20140249949Abstract: Disclosed is a consumer processing system for identifying and recognizing a consumer engaged in a transaction with a merchant. The system includes a consumer processing system interface for receiving, from a merchant, a consumer/transaction data set with a plurality of fields. A consumer/transaction database is populated with data sets, and each data set is related to a specific consumer and also includes multiple data fields therein. The consumer/transaction data set is established as part of an initial data set in the consumer/transaction database, and thereafter, during subsequent transactions, compared to an existing data field in an existing data set in the consumer/transaction database. Based upon the establishment or comparison, a consumer activity data set is communicated from the consumer processing system interface to the merchant. A method of identifying and recognizing a consumer engaged in a transaction with a merchant is also disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 21, 2014Publication date: September 4, 2014Applicant: BILL ME LATER, INC.Inventors: Thomas H. Keithley, Vincent W. Talbert, Mark L. Lavelle
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Patent number: 8756099Abstract: Disclosed is a consumer processing system for identifying and recognizing a consumer engaged in a transaction with a merchant. The system includes a consumer processing system interface for receiving, from a merchant, a consumer/transaction data set with a plurality of fields. A consumer/transaction database is populated with data sets, and each data set is related to a specific consumer and also includes multiple data fields therein. The consumer/transaction data set is established as part of an initial data set in the consumer/transaction database, and thereafter, during subsequent transactions, compared to an existing data field in an existing data set in the consumer/transaction database. Based upon the establishment or comparison, a consumer activity data set is communicated from the consumer processing system interface to the merchant. A method of identifying and recognizing a consumer engaged in a transaction with a merchant is also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: April 11, 2005Date of Patent: June 17, 2014Assignee: Bill Me Later, Inc.Inventors: Thomas H. Keithley, Vincent W. Talbert, Mark L. Lavelle
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Patent number: 8719159Abstract: A method for offering at least one credit product by at least one credit issuer to a consumer at a point-of-sale between a merchant and the consumer. The method includes the steps of: providing a credit issuer data set including a plurality of data fields to a central database; initiating a transaction between the consumer and the merchant at the point-of-sale; offering, to the consumer at the point-of-sale, the at least one credit product; and presenting, to the consumer at the point-of-sale, at least one data field in the credit issuer data set. The at least one data field presented to the consumer is populated with data directed to the credit product, the credit issuer, or any combination thereof. An apparatus and system are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 2013Date of Patent: May 6, 2014Assignee: Bill Me Later, Inc.Inventor: Thomas H. Keithley
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Patent number: 8719164Abstract: A computer-implemented method of engaging in a transaction between a merchant and a business entity. The method includes: initiating a transaction by the business entity with a merchant; obtaining, by the merchant, a business entity data set including at least one data field; communicating an authorization request from the merchant to a provider, the request including at least one data field from the business entity data set and at least one field from a transaction data set; establishing a credit-based relationship between the provider and the business entity; communicating an authorization response from the provider to at least one of the merchant and the business entity; and engaging in the transaction between the provider and the business entity based at least in part upon the established credit-based relationship. A system and apparatus are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: June 19, 2008Date of Patent: May 6, 2014Assignee: Bill Me Later, Inc.Inventors: Thomas H. Keithley, Thomas E. Whitford
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Publication number: 20140089197Abstract: Disclosed is a computer-implemented method (100) for the dynamic verification of a consumer engaged in a transaction with a merchant (12) and authorization of the transaction. The method (100) comprises the steps of: providing a consumer transaction data set (16) including a plurality of data fields to a central credit issuer database (14); determining a processing queue (22) based upon the data contained in at least one of the data fields in the consumer transaction data set (16), the processing queue (22) including a plurality of prioritized target transactions (24); comparing at least one data field from the consumer transaction data set (16) directed to the consumer engaged in the prioritized target transaction (24) with at least one data field in at least one of the central credit issuer database (14) and a third party database (26); and determining a consumer/transaction identifier (36) based upon the comparison.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 29, 2013Publication date: March 27, 2014Applicant: Bill Me Later, Inc.Inventors: Vincent W. Talbert, Thomas H. Keithley, Daniel A. Hirschfeld, Mark L. Lavelle
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Publication number: 20140040056Abstract: A method for offering at least one credit product by at least one credit issuer to a consumer at a point-of-sale between a merchant and the consumer. The method includes the steps of: providing a credit issuer data set including a plurality of data fields to a central database; initiating a transaction between the consumer and the merchant at the point-of-sale; offering, to the consumer at the point-of-sale, the at least one credit product; and presenting, to the consumer at the point-of-sale, at least one data field in the credit issuer data set. The at least one data field presented to the consumer is populated with data directed to the credit product, the credit issuer, or any combination thereof. An apparatus and system are also disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 7, 2013Publication date: February 6, 2014Applicant: BILL ME LATER, INC.Inventor: Thomas H. Keithley
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Patent number: 8571972Abstract: Disclosed is a computer-implemented method (100) for the dynamic verification of a consumer engaged in a transaction with a merchant (12) and authorization of the transaction. The method (100) comprises the steps of: providing a consumer transaction data set (16) including a plurality of data fields to a central credit issuer database (14); determining a processing queue (22) based upon the data contained in at least one of the data fields in the consumer transaction data set (16), the processing queue (22) including a plurality of prioritized target transactions (24); comparing at least one data field from the consumer transaction data set (16) directed to the consumer engaged in the prioritized target transaction (24) with at least one data field in at least one of the central credit issuer database (14) and a third party database (26); and determining a consumer/transaction identifier (36) based upon the comparison.Type: GrantFiled: February 23, 2004Date of Patent: October 29, 2013Assignee: Bill Me Later, Inc.Inventors: Vincent W. Talbert, Thomas H. Keithly, Daniel A. Hirschfeld, Mark L. Lavelle
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Patent number: 8554669Abstract: A method for offering at least one credit product by at least one credit issuer to a consumer at a point-of-sale between a merchant and the consumer. The method includes the steps of: providing a credit issuer data set including a plurality of data fields to a central database; initiating a transaction between the consumer and the merchant at the point-of-sale; offering, to the consumer at the point-of-sale, the at least one credit product; and presenting, to the consumer at the point-of-sale, at least one data field in the credit issuer data set. The at least one data field presented to the consumer is populated with data directed to the credit product, the credit issuer, or any combination thereof. An apparatus and system are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: January 9, 2007Date of Patent: October 8, 2013Assignee: Bill Me Later, Inc.Inventor: Thomas H. Keithley
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Patent number: 8433648Abstract: Disclosed is a method for engaging in a transaction between a consumer and a merchant. In particular, the present invention is directed to a method and system for providing instant credit by a credit issuer to the consumer at a point-of-sale of the merchant. In addition, the present invention is directed to a method and system for identifying at least one optimal credit product from a plurality of credit products of at least one credit issuer to a consumer.Type: GrantFiled: February 26, 2007Date of Patent: April 30, 2013Assignee: Bill Me Later, Inc.Inventors: Thomas H. Keithley, Mark L. Lavelle, Vincent W. Talbert
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Patent number: 8010446Abstract: A method of providing a variable credit account to a consumer (12) is provided. The method includes the steps of: offering, by a credit issuer (14), a variable credit account to a consumer (12) by telephone, electronically, mail or at an in-store location; accepting, by the consumer (12), the offer; opening, by the credit issuer, the variable credit account (18) for the consumer (12), where the account includes an open-ended loan portion (22) and a close-ended loan portion (20). The method may further include the steps of initially activating the open-ended loan portion (22) when the initial offer is made electronically, by mail or at an in-store location; and initially activating a close-ended loan portion (20) of the account when the initial offer is made at any point-of-sale. A system and apparatus for providing a variable credit account to a consumer (12) is also discussed.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 2004Date of Patent: August 30, 2011Assignee: Bill Me Later Inc.Inventors: Vincent W. Talbert, Thomas H. Keithley, Daniel A. Hirschfeld, Mark L. Lavelle
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Publication number: 20110125619Abstract: A computer-implemented method for completing a transaction between a customer and at least one merchant receives, by a transaction system, an authorization request including customer data and transaction specific data from the merchant, wherein, prior to the authorization request, the customer is unknown to the transaction system; authenticates the customer by the transaction system based at least in part upon at least one of the following: at least a portion of the customer data, at least a portion of the transaction specific data or any combination thereof; authorizes the transaction by the transaction system based at least in part upon at least one of the following: at least a portion of the customer data, at least a portion of the transaction specific data or any combination thereof; and communicates the authorization response to the merchant during the transaction. An apparatus for implementing the method is disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 16, 2010Publication date: May 26, 2011Applicants: BILL ME LATER, INC.Inventors: Vincent W. Talbert, Thomas H. Keithly, Daniel A. Hirschfeld, Mark L. Lavelle
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Publication number: 20090319387Abstract: A computer-implemented method of engaging in a transaction between a merchant and a business entity. The method includes: initiating a transaction by the business entity with a merchant; obtaining, by the merchant, a business entity data set including at least one data field; communicating an authorization request from the merchant to a provider, the request including at least one data field from the business entity data set and at least one field from a transaction data set; establishing a credit-based relationship between the provider and the business entity; communicating an authorization response from the provider to at least one of the merchant and the business entity; and engaging in the transaction between the provider and the business entity based at least in part upon the established credit-based relationship. A system and apparatus are also disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 19, 2008Publication date: December 24, 2009Applicant: BILL ME LATER, INC.Inventors: Thomas H. Keithley, Thomas E. Whitford
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Publication number: 20090319396Abstract: Provided is a system for facilitating a transaction between at least one merchant and at least one consumer. The system includes at least one transaction portal located in a network environment, where the at least one transaction portal associated with at least one consumer affinity. The consumer affinity is an entity, a cause, an affiliation, an organization, a concept, a benefit, an association and/or a sponsor or any combination thereof. The system further includes a communication system for facilitating the transmission of data between the transaction portal, the at least one merchant, the at least one consumer, an entity associated with the consumer affinity or any combination thereof. Also provided is a matching system, a method for facilitating a transaction between at least one merchant and at least one consumer and a method for facilitating a credit-based transaction between at least one merchant and at least one consumer.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 19, 2008Publication date: December 24, 2009Applicant: BILL ME LATER, INC.Inventor: Thomas H. Keithley
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Patent number: 7527195Abstract: Disclosed is a risk management system for providing risk data to an entity engaged in a transaction with a consumer. The system includes an authorization denial system having an authorization denial system interface for receiving a transaction data set having a plurality of data fields from the entity; and a denial rule set with multiple rules for outputting risk data directed to the transaction based upon the result of applying the rules to the data fields in the transaction data set. The authorization denial system interface transmits the resulting risk data to the entity. A method of authorizing a transaction between a consumer and an entity is also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: April 11, 2005Date of Patent: May 5, 2009Assignee: Bill Me Later, Inc.Inventors: Thomas H. Keithley, Vincent W. Talbert, Mark L. Lavelle
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Publication number: 20090037290Abstract: A distributed system for commerce including a merchant system with a communication system for receiving, processing and transmitting data. The system further includes an intermediate server system in communication with the merchant system, and this intermediate server system includes a data storage system for storing data transmitted thereto, as well as a communication system for receiving, processing and transmitting data.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 14, 2008Publication date: February 5, 2009Applicant: Bill Me Later, Inc.Inventors: Thomas H. Keithley, Thomas E. Whitford