System and method for managing account addresses
View Patent ↗A network for managing account addresses (such as for credit card accounts) where correspondence and other communications mailed to account holders may have different purposes (e.g., credit card statement, new credit card, marketing correspondence). The network has a database for storing addresses and a database management system for retrieving those addresses. A default address is provided when there is no address stored in the database for the intended purpose of a mailing. The addresses are in categories, with each category associated with a different communication purpose, and with multiple addresses in each category. The multiple addresses within each category may be permanent, temporary or repeating. If temporary or repeating, effective start and end dates are associated with the addresses. There may be multiple cardholders for each account, in which case the address categories (and multiple addresses within each category) are associated with each cardholder.
1. A computerized system for managing account addresses, wherein communications concerning the account and for more than one purpose are transmitted to account holders, the system comprising:
a database having fields for storing, in relation to each account, data representing addresses for use in transmitting communications to the account holder including
a first, default account address,
a second account address, and
a third account address,
wherein the first, second and third addresses stored in relation to each account are all associated with that single account, wherein the second and third addresses are associated with account communications having different purposes, wherein the field for storing the first default address in relation to each account is populated with data, and wherein the fields for storing the second and third addresses in relation to each account may not be populated with data; and
a database management system for retrieving an address for a specific communication associated with one of the second and third addresses, the database management system providing the one of the second and third addresses associated with the specific communication if such address is stored in the database, and providing the first address as a default if the one of the second and third addresses associated with the specific communication is not stored in the database.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein one of the second and third addresses is associated with a purpose of transmitting a statement to the account holder.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the other of the second and third addresses is associated with a purpose of transmitting a presentation instrument to the account holder.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the presentation instrument is a credit card.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the database further has a field for storing in relation to each account holder a fourth account address, the fourth address associated with a communication having a purpose different than the purpose of the communications associated with the second and third addresses.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the fourth address is associated with a purpose of transmitting correspondence to the account holder.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein there are plural account holders associated with each account, and wherein the database further has fields for storing at least one of the first, second, and third addresses for each account holder, and wherein the database management system determines whether communications associated with the second and third addresses are to be sent to more than one of the account holders.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the plural account holders include a primary account holder and at least one secondary account holder, wherein the primary account holder has a primary financial responsibility for the account, wherein one of the second and third addresses is associated with a purpose of transmitting a statement to the account holders, and wherein the database management system always transmits such statement to the primary account holder by using one of the first, second and third addresses associated with the primary account holder.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the account is a merchant account for processing presentation-instrument transactions.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the presentation instrument is a credit card.
11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the database further has a field for storing in relation to each account holder a fourth account address, the fourth address associated with a communication having the same purpose as the purpose of the communication associated with the second address.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the database management system provides the fourth address in addition to the second address when the specific communication is associated with the second address.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the communication is sent to each of the second and fourth addresses.
14. A computerized system for managing account addresses, wherein communications for more than one purpose are transmitted to account holders, wherein one of the purposes is the transmission to an account holder of a statement reflecting transactions for such account, and wherein another of the purposes is the transmission to an account holder of a presentation instrument, the system comprising:
a database having fields for storing in relation to each account
a first, default account address,
a second, statement account address,
a third, presentation instrument account address, and
an address type associated with at least one of the second and third addresses, for indicating whether or not the associated address is a permanent address;
wherein the field for storing the first default address is populated with data, and wherein the field for storing the second and third addresses may not be populated with data;
a database management system for retrieving at least one of the second and third addresses, the database management system providing the address to be retrieved if stored in the database, and providing the first address as a default if the address to be retrieved is not stored in the database.
15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the presentation instrument is a card.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the card is a credit card.
17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the database further has a field for storing in relation to each account holder a fourth, letter account address, and wherein correspondence other than the statement to be transmitted to the account holder is transmitted to the letter account address.
18. The system of claim 14 , wherein communications are transmitted by mail.
19. The system of claim 14 , wherein communications are transmitted electronically and wherein at least one of the addressees includes an electronic address.
20. The system of claim 14 , wherein the electronic address is an email address.
21. The system of claim 14 , wherein the address type in the address type field indicates whether an associated address is temporary, wherein the database further has a field for storing an effective date period for any address that is temporary, and wherein the database management system provides the address with an address type of temporary if the date of transmission is within the effective period.
22. The system of claim 14 , wherein the address type in the address type field indicates whether an associated address is repeating, wherein the database further has a field for storing an effective date period for any address that is repeating, and wherein the database management system provides the address with an address type of repeating if the date of transmission is within the effective period.
23. A computerized system for managing account addresses, wherein communications relating to an account are transmitted to account holders having plural addresses and wherein at least one of the addresses is not permanent, the system comprising:
a database for storing in relation to each account
a plurality of addresses, each address used for a communication to the account holder and each relating to that single account, but each address used for an account communication having a different purpose, and
an effective date for any one of the addresses that is not permanent; and
a database management system for retrieving an address from the database for use in transmission of an account communication to an account holder, the database management system comparing the date of transmission to the effective date stored in the database for any address that is not permanent, and providing that address if the date of transmission and the effective date match, and providing another address if the date of transmission and the effective date do not match.
24. The system of claim 23 , wherein an address that is not permanent is a temporary address having an effective date defined by a start date and an end date.
25. The system of claim 23 , wherein an address that is not permanent is a repeating address having an effective date that repeats itself at a predetermined intervals.
26. The system of claim 25 , wherein the effective date is defined by a start date and an end date and wherein the predetermined intervals are annual.
27. The system of claim 26 wherein the effective date extends for a period of time during the winter months.
28. The system of claim 23 , wherein the database further stores an address type for each of the addresses for indicating whether or not the address is permanent.
29. The system of claim 28 wherein the address type indicates whether the address is one of permanent, temporary and repeating.