Patents by Inventor Karen Louise Cervenka

Karen Louise Cervenka 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).

  • Patent number: 9864988
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatuses for providing a portable consumer device (e.g., a plastic card) that includes a coupon code and an account number (e.g., embedded on a magnetic stripe or a chip) where the portable consumer device is configured to apply a coupon to goods and services purchased at a merchant (e.g., store). Upon identifying the goods and services under a particular category specified by the coupon code (e.g., healthy food category), a user may pay for a predetermined portion (e.g., 50%) of the goods and services under the particular category using the portable consumer device. The user may pay for the remaining portion using a benefits card (e.g., state benefits card). As such, by allowing the user to pay for the predetermined portion using the portable consumer device, the user has incentive to purchase goods and services that fall under the particular category.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: Visa International Service Association
    Inventors: Mary Theresa Taylor, Karen Louise Cervenka, Marla Bischoff, Justin Chace
  • Publication number: 20150120418
    Abstract: A system includes a POS terminal configured to store a list of products/items eligible for rewards and/or discounts, check items purchased by a user via a transaction against the list to identify items eligible for rewards and/or discounts, aggregate the eligible items according to reward/discount categories, and provide information about the eligible items aggregated according to the categories in an authorization request for the transaction in a payment account of the user. The system further includes a transaction handler receiving the authorization request that contains the information aggregated according to the categories, and provide rewards and/or discounts to the transaction during the authorization and/or settlement of the transaction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2014
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Inventors: Karen Louise Cervenka, Mary Theresa Taylor, Renee Yvonne Lutzen, Laura A. Long
  • Publication number: 20150106185
    Abstract: A transaction handler receives, for forwarding to a sponsor account's issuer, a coupon authorization request message from a merchant's acquirer that identifies the sponsor account and a coupon for an item being purchased by a consumer in a transaction with the merchant. The issuer determines eligibility of the coupon for use by the consumer, and sends an authorization response message to the merchant via its acquirer and the transaction handler for the application of a corresponding discount for the item when the coupon is eligible. One or more coupon eligibilities for the purchase of the item by the consumer from the merchant can be derived from comparisons of the transaction to predetermined times, geographies, jurisdictions, sets of merchants, and/or the number of times that coupons have been used in other transactions. The transaction handler can further process the transaction for authorization the consumer's account to pay of the transaction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2014
    Publication date: April 16, 2015
    Inventors: Karen Louise Cervenka, Mary Theresa Taylor, Gwen Diane Ma
  • Patent number: 8965810
    Abstract: A transaction handler receives, for forwarding to a sponsor account's issuer, a coupon authorization request message from a merchant's acquirer that identifies the sponsor account and a coupon for an item being purchased by a consumer in a transaction with the merchant. The issuer determines eligibility of the coupon for use by the consumer, and sends an authorization response message to the merchant via its acquirer and the transaction handler for the application of a corresponding discount for the item when the coupon is eligible. One or more coupon eligibilities for the purchase of the item by the consumer from the merchant can be derived from comparisons of the transaction to predetermined times, geographies, jurisdictions, sets of merchants, and/or the number of times that coupons have been used in other transactions. The transaction handler can further process the transaction for authorization the consumer's account to pay of the transaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Visa U.S.A. Inc.
    Inventors: Karen Louise Cervenka, Mary Theresa Taylor, Gwen Diane Ma
  • Patent number: 8939356
    Abstract: The PORTABLE PRESCRIPTION PAYMENT DEVICE MANAGEMENT PLATFORM APPARATUSES, METHODS AND SYSTEMS (“PPD”) provides a portable coupon payment device includes a substrate having surface with an image rendering thereon that corresponds to a free sample. The portable coupon payment device also has memory, in contact with the substrate, having data encoded therein including (i) an identifier for the free sample, (ii) a quantity for the free sample; (iii) a sponsor company account for a selling merchant to charge the cost of the free sample for payment to a selling merchant account to reimburse the selling merchant for the free sample; (iv) an image corresponding to the free sample; and (v) an identifier for a coupon provider donating the free sample to a consumer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Visa International Service Association
    Inventors: Stacy Pourfallah, Karen Louise Cervenka
  • Publication number: 20140229260
    Abstract: A transaction handler receives, for forwarding to a sponsor account's issuer, a coupon authorization request message from a merchant's acquirer that identifies the sponsor account and a coupon for an item being purchased by a consumer in a transaction with the merchant. The issuer determines eligibility of the coupon for use by the consumer, and sends an authorization response message to the merchant via its acquirer and the transaction handler for the application of a corresponding discount for the item when the coupon is eligible. One or more coupon eligibilities for the purchase of the item by the consumer from the merchant can be derived from comparisons of the transaction to predetermined times, geographies, jurisdictions, sets of merchants, and/or the number of times that coupons have been used in other transactions. The transaction handler can further process the transaction for authorization the consumer's account to pay of the transaction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2014
    Publication date: August 14, 2014
    Applicant: VISA INTERNATIONAL SERVICE ASSOCIATION
    Inventors: Karen Louise Cervenka, Mary Theresa Taylor, Gwen Diane Ma
  • Patent number: 8725568
    Abstract: A transaction handler receives, for forwarding to a sponsor account's issuer, a coupon authorization request message from a merchant's acquirer that identifies the sponsor account and a coupon for an item being purchased by a consumer in a transaction with the merchant. The issuer determines eligibility of the coupon for use by the consumer, and sends an authorization response message to the merchant via its acquirer and the transaction handler for the application of a corresponding discount for the item when the coupon is eligible. One or more coupon eligibilities for the purchase of the item by the consumer from the merchant can be derived from comparisons of the transaction to predetermined times, geographies, jurisdictions, sets of merchants, and/or the number of times that coupons have been used in other transactions. The transaction handler can further process the transaction for authorization the consumer's account to pay of the transaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Visa U.S.A. Inc.
    Inventors: Karen Louise Cervenka, Mary Theresa Taylor, Gwen Diane Ma
  • Publication number: 20130339167
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatuses for providing a portable consumer device (e.g., a plastic card) that includes a coupon code and an account number (e.g., embedded on a magnetic stripe or a chip) where the portable consumer device is configured to apply a coupon to goods and services purchased at a merchant (e.g., store). Upon identifying the goods and services under a particular category specified by the coupon code (e.g., healthy food category), a user may pay for a predetermined portion (e.g., 50%) of the goods and services under the particular category using the portable consumer device. The user may pay for the remaining portion using a benefits card (e.g., state benefits card). As such, by allowing the user to pay for the predetermined portion using the portable consumer device, the user has incentive to purchase goods and services that fall under the particular category.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2013
    Publication date: December 19, 2013
    Inventors: Mary Theresa Taylor, Karen Louise Cervenka, Marla Bischoff, Justin Chace
  • Publication number: 20130254004
    Abstract: A transaction handler receives, for forwarding to a sponsor account's issuer, a coupon authorization request message from a merchant's acquirer that identifies the sponsor account and a coupon for an item being purchased by a consumer in a transaction with the merchant. The issuer determines eligibility of the coupon for use by the consumer, and sends an authorization response message to the merchant via its acquirer and the transaction handler for the application of a corresponding discount for the item when the coupon is eligible. One or more coupon eligibilities for the purchase of the item by the consumer from the merchant can be derived from comparisons of the transaction to predetermined times, geographies, jurisdictions, sets of merchants, and/or the number of times that coupons have been used in other transactions. The transaction handler can further process the transaction for authorization the consumer's account to pay of the transaction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2013
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: Visa International Service Association
    Inventors: Karen Louise Cervenka, Mary Theresa Taylor, Gwen Diane Ma
  • Publication number: 20130226609
    Abstract: The PORTABLE PRESCRIPTION PAYMENT DEVICE MANAGEMENT PLATFORM APPARATUSES, METHODS AND SYSTEMS (“PPD”) provides a portable coupon payment device includes a substrate having surface with an image rendering thereon that corresponds to a free sample. The portable coupon payment device also has memory, in contact with the substrate, having data encoded therein including (i) an identifier for the free sample, (ii) a quantity for the free sample; (iii) a sponsor company account for a selling merchant to charge the cost of the free sample for payment to a selling merchant account to reimburse the selling merchant for the free sample; (iv) an image corresponding to the free sample; and (v) an identifier for a coupon provider donating the free sample to a consumer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2013
    Publication date: August 29, 2013
    Inventors: Stacy Pourfallah, Karen Louise Cervenka
  • Publication number: 20120136780
    Abstract: The ACCOUNT NUMBER BASED BILL PAYMENT PLATFORM APPARATUSES, METHODS AND SYSTEMS (“Bill-Pay”) transforms user key-entered billing and account inputs and/or barcode reading inputs via Bill-Pay components into bill payment outputs. In one embodiment, a method is disclosed, comprising: receiving a bill payment transaction request from a bill payment third party agent via a bill payment vehicle; obtaining bill information and payer identifying information; verifying the obtained bill information including a payment amount; retrieving payer account information based on the obtained payer identifying information; and transferring an approved amount to a biller's account from the payer account.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2011
    Publication date: May 31, 2012
    Inventors: Khalid El-Awady, Karen Louise Cervenka
  • Publication number: 20110288918
    Abstract: In one aspect, a computing apparatus is configured to automate the redemption of offers, such as manufacturer coupons, which require the purchase of specific items identified in the offers for their redemption. The computing apparatus is to store offers in connection with accounts of users (e.g., credit cards, debit cards, prepaid cards). When the accounts are used to make purchases, the authorization response messages from the transaction handler may include indicators to request purchase details, if the corresponding accounts have associated offers pending for redemption. When the purchase details show that the users have made the purchases required for the redemption of the offers, the benefits of the offers are provided to the accounts of the users via statement credits. Optional email or mobile alerts may be provided to the users to report the automated redemption of the offers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2011
    Publication date: November 24, 2011
    Inventors: Karen Louise Cervenka, Gwen Diane Ma