The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 08, 2012
Filed:
Mar. 28, 2008
Tonya Andersen, Denver, CO (US);
Karen Kaukol, Highlands Ranch, CO (US);
Deborah Rex, Parker, CO (US);
Gary Jeffords, Centennial, CO (US);
Tonya Andersen, Denver, CO (US);
Karen Kaukol, Highlands Ranch, CO (US);
Deborah Rex, Parker, CO (US);
Gary Jeffords, Centennial, CO (US);
The Western Union Company, Englewood, CO (US);
Abstract
A method of validating and activating a purchase card includes providing a purchase card that is removably attached to a card carrier. The purchase card has an account identifier associated therewith and has a card indicium affixed thereto. The purchase card includes a machine-readable information encoding region into which the account identifier is encoded. The card carrier has a carrier indicium affixed thereto. The method includes populating a database with a stored card indicium that relates to the card indicium, a stored carrier indicium that relates to the carrier indicium, and a stored account identifier that relates to the account identifier, thereby uniquely coupling the account identifier to the card indicium. Activating the card by associating value to it includes comparing the information from the card indicium and the information from the carrier indicium with the stored card indicium and the stored carrier indicium.