Children's credit or debit card system

US5953710A · kind A · utility

Inventor

• Stephen Fleming · Dallas, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 9, 1996
• Grant date: Sep 14, 1999
• Expiry date: Oct 9, 2016

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G07F7/08
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Methods and credit or debit card systems are disclosed that allow the available credit to be determined by someone other than the card issuer and that allow a limit to be set on the number of expenditures that can be made. The methods and systems can be used to provide a mechanism for supervising credit or debit card usage. Methods and systems are disclosed which include a child's credit card account linked to a parent's credit or debit card account. The parent may change the child's available credit without changing the total combined available credit for the child's and the parent's accounts. In addition, an expenditure counter figure associated with the child's account is disclosed which can be used by the parent to enable the child to make an unlimited number of purchases, a limited number of purchases, or no purchases. The parent may make a single payment for both the child's and the parent's credit card accounts. The methods and systems disclosed may be used outside of the parent/child context whenever supervision is required. They may also be used by a single individual to provide limited credit card usage in less secure environments.