Method and system for completing transactions involving partial shipments

1. A method, comprising:

receiving using a computer, at a financial account issuer, an initial authorization request, said initial authorization request including transaction information identifying a transaction including merchant information, an account identifier corresponding to a said financial account, and a transaction amount;

identifying, using said computer, a pre-authorization record associated with said account identifier and corresponding to a predetermined purchase transaction;

determining, using said computer, that said transaction information complies with authorization criteria including a pre-authorized amount in said pre-authorization record and said merchant information related to a merchant;

facilitating, using said computer, communicating an authorization message from said financial account issuer to said merchant;

determining, using said computer, based on said transaction information, that said transaction involves a partial shipment; and,

in response to said transaction involving said partial shipment:

calculating, using said computer, a new pre-authorized amount based upon a predetermined rule comprising reducing said pre-authorized amount by at least a portion of said transaction amount;

using said computer, at least one of: updating said pre-authorization record with said new pre-authorized amount or creating a new pre-authorization record comprising said new pre-authorized amount.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said determining that said transaction involves said partial shipment further comprises determining an amount of said pre-authorized amount that is unused.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said determining that said transaction involves said partial shipment further comprises calculating a percentage of said pre-authorized amount that is unused.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said determining that said transaction involves said partial shipment indicates that said transaction involves said partial shipment in response to said percentage that is unused being greater than a threshold percentage associated with said account identifier.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said determining that said transaction involves said partial shipment further comprises:

identifying a client associated with said account identifier;

identifying at least a first partial shipment rule specified by said client; and

applying said at least a first partial shipment rule to said transaction information to determine that said transaction involves said partial shipment.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said determining that said transaction involves said partial shipment further comprises determining that a maximum number of partial shipments has been exceeded.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein said determining that said transaction involves said partial shipment further comprises comparing at least one of said amount that is unused or said transaction amount to a threshold amount.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said predetermined rule comprises setting said new pre-authorized amount approximately equal to said pre-authorized amount minus said transaction amount identified in said initial authorization request.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising transmitting a request to a pre-authorization system in order to at least one of: modify a pre-existing authorization message or establish a new pre-authorization message.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

receiving a subsequent authorization request from said merchant, said subsequent authorization request including subsequent transaction information including said account identifier and a subsequent transaction amount;

identifying at least one of: said updated pre-authorization record or said new pre-authorization record associated with said account identifier and determining that said subsequent transaction amount is less than said new pre-authorized amount; and

transmitting a subsequent authorization message to said merchant.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

prior to said transmitting said authorization message, determining that said subsequent transaction is prior to an expiration date associated with said new pre-authorization record.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein said subsequent authorization request further includes merchant information, further comprising:

prior to said transmitting said authorization message, comparing said merchant information with information in at least one of: said updated pre-authorization record or said new pre-authorization record.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

determining, based on said subsequent transaction information, that said subsequent transaction involves a partial shipment.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

identifying a start date and an expiration date for at least one of: said updated pre-authorization record or said new pre-authorization record.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein said start date is a date of creation of at least one of: said updated pre-authorization record or said new pre-authorization record.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein said expiration date is the same as an expiration date of said pre-authorization record associated with said account identifier.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein said expiration date is a period of days after an expiration date of said pre-authorization record associated with said account identifier.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein a length of said period is specified by a client associated with said account identifier.

19. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

replicating expiration date information and a merchant identifier from said pre-authorization record in said new pre-authorization record.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a communication device, receiving, at a financial account issuer, an initial authorization request from a merchant; and

a memory in operative communication with said processor, said memory for storing a plurality of processing instructions enabling said processor to:

identify a pre-authorization record associated with said account identifier and corresponding to a predetermined purchase transaction;

determine that said transaction information complies with authorization criteria including a pre-authorized amount in said pre-authorization record and said merchant information related to a merchant;

cause an authorization message to be transmitted from said financial account issuer to said merchant;

determine, based on said transaction information, that said transaction involves a partial shipment; and,

in response to said transaction involving said partial shipment:

calculate, using said computer, a new pre-authorized amount based upon a predetermined rule comprising said pre-authorized amount reduced by at least a portion of said transaction amount;

at least one of: update said pre-authorization record or create a new pre-authorization record to include said new pre-authorized amount.

21. A computer readable medium encoded with processing instructions for implementing a method, performed by a computer, said method comprising:

receiving at a financial account issuer, an initial authorization request, said initial authorization request including transaction information identifying a transaction including merchant information, an account identifier corresponding to a said financial account, and a transaction amount;

identifying a pre-authorization record associated with said account identifier and corresponding to a predetermined purchase transaction;

determining that said transaction information complies with authorization criteria including a pre-authorized amount in said pre-authorization record and said merchant information related to a merchant;

facilitating communicating an authorization message from said financial account issuer to said merchant;

determining, based on said transaction information, that said transaction involves a partial shipment; and,

in response to said transaction involving said partial shipment:

calculating a new pre-authorized amount based upon a predetermined rule comprising said pre-authorized amount reduced by at least a portion of said transaction amount; and

at least one of: updating said pre-authorization record with said new pre-authorized amount or creating a new pre-authorization record to include said new pre-authorized amount.

22. The method of claim 1 , wherein said at least one of: updating said pre-authorization record or creating a new pre-authorization record is in response to said transaction amount being at least one of: equal to or above a predetermined transaction value.

23. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a financial account issuer computer, a pre-authorization request from a client, wherein said pre-authorization request comprises merchant information, an account identifier corresponding to a financial account associated with said client and issued by said financial account issuer, and a pre-approval amount request;

creating, using said computer, a pre-authorization record corresponding to said pre-authorization request, wherein said pre-authorization record comprises authorization criteria comprising said account identifier corresponding to said financial account, merchant information and a pre-authorized amount;

receiving, using said computer, an initial authorization request from a merchant, said initial authorization request including transaction information identifying a transaction including merchant information, said account identifier corresponding to said financial account, and a transaction amount;

matching, using said computer, said pre-authorization record with said initial authorization request;

determining, using said computer, that said transaction amount complies with said authorization criteria;

transmitting, using said computer, an authorization message to said merchant;

determining, using said computer, based on said transaction information and said pre-authorization record, that said transaction involves a partial shipment; in response to said transaction involving said partial shipment:

calculating, using said computer, a new pre-authorized amount based upon a predetermined rule comprising reducing said pre-authorized amount by at least a portion of said transaction amount; and,

using said computer, at least one of: updating said pre-authorization record or creating a new pre-authorization record in response to said transaction involving said partial shipment.