Community concept for payment using RF ID transponders

Abstract

Payment systems and methods using wireless transponders in a community of retailers are disclosed. The disclosed systems and method include a community of retailers, an RFID transponder card, a number of readers for reading an identification number from the RFID transponder card when a subscriber carrying the card enters the community, a local computer in communication with the plurality of points of sale for receiving the identification number and associating the identification number with a subscriber account, and a Clearinghouse computer for validating the transponder card and notifying the local computer of the card's validation.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A payment system comprising: 
 a community comprised of a plurality of points of sale;    a wireless identification tag;    at least one reader for interrogating the wireless identification tag and reading information from the tag when the tag is in a vicinity of the community; and    a local computer for receiving the information from the at least one reader and authorizing payment with the tag at a first point of sale, being any point of sale from the plurality of points of sale, upon validation of the tag.    
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a remote computer for selecting a source of funds for the payment with the tag.    
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the remote computer conducts the validation of the wireless identification tag and sends a notification of said validation to the local computer.  
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the local computer conducts the validation of the wireless identification tag.  
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the source of funds is a credit card account.  
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the source of funds is a check card account.  
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the source of funds is a pre-paid balance in a subscriber account.  
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a reader connected to the first point of sale for reading information from the tag at the time of payment.  
     
     
         9 . The system if  claim 1 , further comprising a data input connected to the first point of sale for reading secondary data provided by a carrier of the tag.  
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the local computer cross-correlates the secondary data with the information read from the tag before authorizing payment with the tag.  
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the secondary data comprises a personal identification number.  
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the secondary data comprises a bar code and the data input comprises a bar code reader.  
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the data input comprises a key fob reader.  
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the data input comprises a magnetic stripe card reader.  
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the information read from the tag comprises an account index number.  
     
     
         16 . A payment method comprising: 
 reading information from a wireless identification tag when the tag is located in a vicinity of a plurality of points of sale;    validating the wireless identification tag;    authorizing a payment with the tag at a first point of sale, the first point of sale being any point of sale from the plurality of points of sale; and    selecting a source of funds for payment with the tag.    
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein validating comprises: 
 searching for active subscriber account numbers; and    approving the payment if the information from the tag corresponds to an active subscriber account.    
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the selecting a source of funds comprises selecting a subscriber account when a pre-paid balance in the subscriber account exceeds an amount due at payment.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the selecting a source of funds comprises selecting a credit card account when a pre-paid balance in a subscriber account does not exceed an amount due at payment.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the selecting a source of funds comprises selecting a check card account when a pre-paid balance in a subscriber account does not exceed an amount due at payment.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising topping up a subscriber account and selecting the subscriber account.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein topping up the subscriber account comprises: 
 transferring funds from a secondary account into the subscriber account when a balance in the subscriber account does not exceed an amount due at payment.    
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the topping up the subscriber account comprises: 
 transferring funds from a secondary account into the subscriber account when a balance in the subscriber account is below a predetermined threshold.    
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising: 
 cross-correlating secondary data provided by a carrier of the tag to the information read from the tag.    
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising: 
 forwarding a subscriber account status to a local computer associated with the plurality of points of sale immediately after reading information from the tag.    
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising: 
 consolidating payments with the tag into a single payment before selecting the source of funds.