US 8,521,629 B2 · Gift card services for mobile devices

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for gift card services. In general, data characterizing a request to provide a merchant credit service to an intended recipient is received and a message to be sent to the intended recipient is generated, where the message characterizes a phone number to call to activate the merchant credit service. Data characterizing authentication by a call to the phone number to activate the merchant credit service from the mobile phone number of the intended recipient is received, where the authentication includes checking caller identification of the call to ensure the call is from the mobile phone number of the intended recipient. The merchant credit service is activated. Credit associated with an account of a merchant credit service may be redeemed by providing an account number of the service. Redemption may be authorized based on caller identification of a mobile phone number associated with an account.

Claims29

Dependent claims

A non-transitory computer program product storing instructions, which when executed, cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by a wireless gift card server, first data characterizing a request to provide a merchant credit service to an intended recipient;
determining a wireless messaging service with a largest message length supported by a mobile device associated with the intended recipient;
generating, by the wireless gift card server, a message for the intended recipient, the message characterizing a phone number to call to authenticate activation of the merchant credit service, the message being transmitted to the intended recipient by the determined wireless messaging service;
receiving, by the wireless gift card server, second data characterizing authentication by a call to the phone number to activate the merchant credit service from a mobile phone number of the intended recipient, the authentication comprising checking caller identification of the call to ensure the call is from the mobile phone number of the intended recipient;
and
activating, by the wireless gift card server, the merchant credit service.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Gift card services for mobile devices

Life of this patent

Gift card services for mobile devices

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims29