Alterable Account Number Personalization Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Consumers face difficulties in remembering and accessing their 16-digit account numbers for credit, debit, and prepaid cards, leading to inconvenience and potential loss of service, especially when needing to add value to prepaid accounts quickly.
Innovation Solution
Embedding personalized data into the primary account number (PAN) associated with consumer devices, allowing the PAN to include a bank identification number and personalized information such as phone numbers, dates, or other meaningful data, which can be stored on the device or printed on it, enabling easier recall and use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If consumers use traditional 16-digit account numbers, then transaction processing is straightforward, but consumers have difficulty remembering and accessing the account numbers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the traditional 16-digit account number into two parts: a memorable personalized identifier (such as a name, phone number, or custom code) and a unique identifier component. This segmentation allows consumers to remember only the personalized part while the system handles the complete account identification, resolving the contradiction between ease of remembering and maintaining unique account identification.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary system (the payment processing system or issuer system) that maps the simplified personalized identifier to the complete account number. This intermediary resolves the contradiction by allowing consumers to use easy-to-remember identifiers while the system translates them into the full account numbers needed for transaction processing.
2Ease of operation
If personalized data is embedded into the primary account number, then consumer convenience and recall are improved, but the account number structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic account number system where the personalized identifier can be customized by consumers and changed over time, while the underlying account structure remains managed by the system. This dynamic approach allows consumer convenience to improve without permanently complicating the core account structure, as the system adapts to consumer preferences while maintaining operational integrity.
3Productivity
If consumers need to quickly add value to prepaid accounts, then service continuity is maintained, but delays occur when consumers cannot locate or remember their account numbers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent allows consumers to pre-select and register their personalized identifiers when opening accounts or through self-service interfaces. This preliminary action ensures that the memorable identifier is already associated with their account before they need to use it, eliminating the time loss that would occur if they needed to search for or recall the account number at the moment of adding value.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the invention are directed to apparatuses, systems, and methods that allow for personalized data to be embedded in a primary account number associated with a consumer device. In one embodiment, a consumer device comprises a body and personalized data embedded into a primary account number, associated with the body. The primary account number includes a bank identification number and the bank identification number and the personalized data overlap.