# US 2021/0241260 A1 · Systems and methods for conditionally gifting funds

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- Number: US 2021/0241260 A1
- Document ID: US20210241260A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/162,522
- Filed: 2021-01-29
- Published: 2021-08-05
- Earliest claimed: 2020-01-30
- Inventors: Jacob James Nicks; David Steven Sargent
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210241260A1

## CPC

- G06Q 40/02: Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance (credit or loans G06Q40/03)
- G06Q 10/40: Business processes related to social networking or social networking services
- G06Q 20/342: {Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities}
- G06Q 20/354: {Card activation or deactivation}
- G06Q 20/355: {Personalisation of cards for use}
- G06Q 20/3558: {Preliminary personalisation for transfer to user}
- G06Q 20/387: {Payment using discounts or coupons (relating to marketing G06Q30/02)}
- G06Q 20/4015: {using location information}
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

Described herein are examples of gift card management systems that provide gift cards that must be activated prior to being used in a transaction. In some examples, a purchaser may be refunded some or all of a purchase price for the gift card when the gift card is not activated. In some examples, the activation may additionally include certain safeguards to prevent fraud.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of conditionally gifting funds, comprising:
issuing a gift card having a card identifier;
associating the card identifier with an activation deadline in memory circuitry;
determining, via processing circuitry, whether the activation deadline has passed; and
in response to activating the gift card via a non-purchasing process and determining, via the processing circuitry, that the activation deadline has not passed, initiating, via communication circuitry, a transfer of funds from a first account to a second account of a financial system.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first account is a holding account or associated with a purchaser of the gift card.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
initiating, via communication circuitry, a transfer of funds from a third account to the first account in response to a purchase of the gift card or a purchase of a marketing service; and
initiating, via communication circuitry, a return of the funds to the third account in response to determining, via the processing circuitry, that the activation deadline has passed, wherein the third account is associated with a purchaser of the gift card, and the first account is a holding account.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein activating the gift card comprises collecting one or more personal characteristics of a recipient of the gift card according to one or more activation requirements set forth in a database.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more personal characteristics comprise contact information.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the contact information comprises a residential address, a business address, an email address, a phone number, a social media account, or a gaming account.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein activating the gift card comprises:
identifying an activation area associated with a request to activate the gift card;
determining, via the processing circuitry, whether the activation area is within a predetermined geographic area;
in response to determining the activation area is not within the predetermined geographic area, declining the activation, via the processing circuitry; and
in response to determining the activation area is within the predetermined geographic area, activating the gift card, via the processing circuitry.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:
transmitting, via the communication circuitry, a signal in response to determining that the activation deadline has passed, the signal being indicative of an offer to extend the activation deadline; and
extending, via the processing circuitry, the activation deadline in response to receiving a second signal indicating acceptance of the offer.

### Claim 9 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, wherein the offer is contingent upon successful completion of an activity.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the gift card is a closed loop gift card.

### Claim 11

A system for conditionally gifting funds, comprising:
a gift card database that associates a card identifier with an activation deadline and one or more activation requirements of a non-purchasing activation process;
a computing system comprising:
processing circuitry; and
memory circuitry comprising machine readable instructions which, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to:
receive one or more signals representative of an attempted activation of a gift card, the gift card being associated with the card identifier,
determine whether the attempted activation satisfies the one or more activation requirements,
determine whether the attempted activation occurred prior to the activation deadline, and
activate the gift card in response to determining the attempted activation comprises the non-purchasing activation process, satisfies the one or more activation requirements, and occurred prior to the activation deadline, and
initiate a transfer funds from a first account to a second account in response to activating the gift card.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the computing system further comprises communication circuitry, the one or more signals received via the communication circuitry.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the computing system further comprises communication circuitry in communication with an electronic or radio frequency (RF) communication network, wherein activating the gift card or transferring funds comprises communicating with a financial system over the electronic or RF communication network via the communication circuitry.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the memory circuitry comprises machine readable instructions which, when executed by the processing circuitry, further cause the processing circuitry to:
initiate a transfer of funds from a third account to the first account in response to a purchase of the gift card via communication with the banking system via the communication circuitry, and
return the funds to the third account in response to determining the activation deadline has passed, wherein the third account is associated with a purchaser of the gift card, and the first account is a holding account.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein activating the gift card comprises collecting of one or more personal characteristics of a recipient of the gift card.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more personal characteristics comprise contact information.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16, wherein the contact information comprises a residential address, a business address, an email address, a phone number, a social media account, or a gaming account.

### Claim 18 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the memory circuitry comprises machine readable instructions which, when executed by the processing circuitry, further case the processing circuitry to:
identify an activation area associated with a request to activate the gift card,
determine whether the activation area is within a predetermined geographic area associated with the card identifier in the gift card database,
in response to determining the activation area is not within the predetermined geographic area, decline the activation, and
in response to determining the activation area is within the predetermined geographic area, activate the gift card.

### Claim 19 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the computing system further comprises communication circuitry, and the memory circuitry comprises machine readable instructions which, when executed by the processing circuitry, further case the processing circuitry to:
transmit, via the communication circuitry, a first signal in response to determining that the activation deadline has passed, the first signal being indicative of an offer to extend the activation deadline; and
extend the activation deadline in response to receiving, via the communication circuitry, a second signal indicating acceptance of the offer.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The system of claim 19, wherein the offer is contingent upon successful completion of an activity.