Patents by Inventor Michael B. Grear

Michael B. Grear 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: 7552074
    Abstract: A network for managing account addresses (such as for credit card accounts) where correspondence and other communications mailed to account holders may have different purposes (e.g., credit card statement, new credit card, marketing correspondence). The network has a database for storing addresses and a database management system for retrieving those addresses. A default address is provided when there is no address stored in the database for the intended purpose of a mailing. The addresses are in categories, with each category associated with a different communication purpose, and with multiple addresses in each category. The multiple addresses within each category may be permanent, temporary or repeating. If temporary or repeating, effective start and end dates are associated with the addresses. There may be multiple cardholders for each account, in which case the address categories (and multiple addresses within each category) are associated with each cardholder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2009
    Assignee: First Data Corporation
    Inventors: Heather Bruce, Doug Stewart, Margaret A. Henry, Jacquelyn S. Rongish, Gretchen L. Donlin, Matthew A. Rademacher, John L. Johnson, Jeffrey A. Harpenau, Michael B. Grear
  • Patent number: 7419094
    Abstract: According to one embodiment of the invention, an architecture for a data processing system can be implemented that processes data for a service provider itself or a client of a service provider as in the case of a third party processor. The elements of the architecture can be managed separately. For example, the architecture can be organized around eight subject areas, such as account, party, communication point, presentation instrument, rules, balances, transactions, and product. Relationships between each of the subject areas as well as between sub-types of each subject area can be established to provide flexibility in the management of the data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Assignee: First Data Corporation
    Inventors: Michael B. Grear, Thomas M. Miller
  • Patent number: 7099878
    Abstract: A network for managing account addresses (such as for credit card accounts) where correspondence and other communications mailed to account holders may have different purposes (e.g., credit card statement, new credit card, marketing correspondence). The network has a database for storing addresses and a database management system for retrieving those addresses. A default address is provided when there is no address stored in the database for the intended purpose of a mailing. The addresses are in categories, with each category associated with a different communication purpose, and with multiple addresses in each category. The multiple addresses within each category may be permanent, temporary or repeating. If temporary or repeating, effective start and end dates are associated with the addresses. There may be multiple cardholders for each account, in which case the address categories (and multiple addresses within each category) are associated with each cardholder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: First Data Corporation
    Inventors: Heather Bruce, Doug Stewart, Margaret A. Henry, Jacquelyn S. Rongish, Gretchen L. Donlin, Matthew A. Rademacher, John L. Johnson, Jeffrey A. Harpenau, Michael B. Grear
  • Patent number: 7050996
    Abstract: Linking accounts corresponding to different products together to create a group so that group processing can be performed at the group level while independent processing of the accounts is performed at the account level. The method links the accounts into a group by linking a financial record for each account to group master data for the group. The group master data includes information about the group, including group parameters and a group identifier. A group typically includes a key account and one or more dependent accounts. The relationship between a dependent account and the group is specified by a dependent strategy. A dependent strategy specifies group level processing options for the account. The relationships between the accounts and the group are flexible to accommodate changes in the status of the group cardholders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
    Assignee: First Data Corporation
    Inventors: Lynn Holm Blagg, Eugene F. Kathol, Gretchen L. Donlin, Michael B. Grear