Virtual terminal for payment processing

1. A process for performing transactional tasks using a virtual terminal, comprising presenting functions to a user, receiving a selected function, and performing the selected function; wherein the presented functions comprise:

(a) activating at least one card by sending to a central processor over a private network a request to activate the card and associating a value with the card, the request resulting from a purchase of the card, wherein the virtual terminal is in selective communication with the central processor;

(b) inserting value associated with the card into a pre-existing customer account with a provider of goods or services, comprising:

(i) sending to the central processor a redemption request to insert at least some of the value associated with the card into the pre-existing customer account with the provider of goods or services, the redemption request including an identifier of the card and information sufficient to identify the pre-existing customer account;

(ii) determining at the central processor the provider of goods or services based on the redemption request;

(iii) passing from the central processor to the provider of goods or services a request to insert the value into the pre-existing customer at the provider of goods or services.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein said (a) activating at least one card comprises activating a single card, and wherein activating said single card further comprises:

receiving at the central processor the request to activate the card;

determining at the central processor whether an indicia associated with the card has been received, and upon a determination that an indicia associated with the card has not been received then sending an appropriate error message;

determining at the central processor whether the indicia associated with the card has already been activated, and upon a determination that the indicia associated with the card has already been activated then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether the indicia associated with the card belongs to a product that a retailer is authorized to activate, and upon a determination that the indicia associated with the card belongs to a product that a retailer is not authorized to activate, sending an appropriate error message; and

determining whether the indicia associated with the card is valid, and upon a determination that the indicia associated with the card is valid, activating the card.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein said (a) activating at least one card comprises activating a batch of cards having sequential associated indicia, and wherein activating said batch of cards comprises:

receiving at the central processor a request to activate the batch of cards;

determining at the central processor whether a starting and ending indicia associated with the batch of cards was received, and upon a determination that both the starting indicia and the ending indicia were not received, sending an appropriate error message;

determining at the central processor whether one or more indicia associated with the batch of cards have already been activated or redeemed, and upon a determination that one or more indicia associated with the batch of cards have already been activated or redeemed then sending an appropriate error message;

determining at the central processor whether one or more indicia associated with the batch of cards are associated with a product or products that a retailer is not authorized to activate, and upon a determination that one or more indicia associated with the batch of cards are associated with a product or products that a retailer is not authorized to activate then sending an appropriate error message; and

determining at the central processor whether all the indicia associated with the batch of cards are valid, and upon a determination that all the indicia associated with the batch of cards are valid, activating the batch of cards and sending an appropriate confirmation message.

4. The process of claim 1 , further comprising the function of deactivating a card, comprising:

receiving at the central processor a request to deactivate a card;

determining at the central processor whether the indicia associated with the card has already been deactivated or redeemed, and upon a determination that the indicia associated with the card has already been deactivated or redeemed then sending an appropriate error message; and

determining at the central processor whether the indicia is associated with a product that a user is not authorized to deactivate, and upon a determination that the indicia is associated with a product that a user is not authorized to deactivate sending an appropriate error message.

5. The process of claim 1 , further comprising the function of generating a PIN, comprising:

receiving at the central processor a request to generate a PIN;

determining at the central processor whether a product was selected, and upon a determination that a product was not selected, sending an appropriate error message;

determining at the central processor whether a PIN is available, and upon a determination that a PIN is not available, sending an appropriate error message;

determining at the central processor whether a product was selected and a PIN is available for the selected product, and upon a determination that a product was selected and a PIN is not available for the selected product, sending an appropriate error message; and

determining at the central processor whether a product was selected and a PIN is available for the selected product, and upon a determination that a product was selected and a PIN is available for the selected product, sending a confirmation.

6. The process of claim 1 , further comprising the function of generating an End of Day report, comprising:

receiving at the central processor a request to generate the End of Day report;

receiving at the central processor a selected previous date or a selected present date;

receiving at the central processor a selected report format; and

generating at the central processor a report for the selected date in the selected report format, wherein the report comprises a summary of the transactions of the selected day.

7. The process of claim 1 , further comprising the function of managing users, comprising:

receiving at the central processor a request to manage users;

receiving at the central processor a selected user name;

determining at the central processor whether a request to delete was received, and upon a determination that a request to delete was received then sending an appropriate confirmation message; and

determining at the central processor whether a request to add was received, and upon a determination that a request to add was received then sending an appropriate confirmation message.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein:

(a) said activating at least one card comprises activating a single card, and wherein activating said single card comprises:

receiving a request to activate a card;

determining whether an indicia associated with the card has not been received, and upon a determination that an indicia associated with the card has not been received then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether an indicia associated with the card has already been activated, and upon a determination that an indicia associated with the card has already been activated then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether an indicia associated with the card belongs to a product that a retailer is not authorized to activate, and upon a determination that an indicia associated with the card belongs to a product that a retailer is not authorized to activate then sending an appropriate error message; and

determining whether an indicia associated with the card is valid, and upon a determination that an indicia associated with the card is valid then confirming that the indicia is valid;

and further comprising the functions of:

deactivating a card, comprising:

receiving a request to deactivate a card;

determining whether an indicia associated with the card was not received, and upon a determination that the indicia associated with the card was not received then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether an indicia associated with the card has already been deactivated or redeemed, and upon a determination that the indicia associated with the card has already been deactivated or redeemed then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether the indicia is associated with a product that a user is not authorized to deactivate, and upon a determination that the indicia is associated with a product that a user is not authorized to deactivate then sending an appropriate error message; and

determining whether an indicia associated with the card is valid and whether a user is authorized to deactivate the card, and upon a determination that the indicia associated with the card is valid and the user is authorized to deactivate the card then deactivating the card;

generating a PIN, comprising:

receiving a request to generate a PIN;

determining whether no product was selected, and upon a determination that no product was selected then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether no PIN is available, and upon a determination that no PIN is available then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether a product was selected and no PIN is available for the selected product, and upon a determination that a product was selected and no PIN is available for the selected product then sending an appropriate error message; and

determining whether a product was selected and a PIN is available for the selected product, and upon a determination that a product was selected and a PIN is available for the selected product then sending a confirmation;

generating an End of Day report comprising:

receiving a request to generate the End of Day report;

receiving a selected previous date or a selected present date;

receiving a selected report format; and

generating a report for the selected date in the selected report format, wherein the report comprises a summary of the transactions of the selected day; and

managing users, comprising:

receiving a request to manage users;

receiving a selected user name;

determining whether a request to delete was received, and upon a determination that a request to delete was received then sending an appropriate confirmation message; and

determining whether a request to add was received, and upon a determination that a request to add was received then sending an appropriate confirmation message.

9. A virtual terminal system adapted to present functions to a user, receive a selected function, and perform the selected function; wherein the functions comprise:

(a) activating at least one card by sending to a central processor over a private network a request to activate the card and associating a value with the card, the request resulting from a purchase of the card, wherein the virtual terminal is in selective communication with the central processor;

(b) generating a personal identification number (PIN);

(c) inserting value associated with the card into a pre-existing customer account with a provider of goods or services, comprising:

(i) sending to the central processor a redemption request to insert at least some of the value associated with the card into the pre-existing customer account with the provider of goods or services, the redemption request including an identifier of the card and information sufficient to identify the pre-existing customer account;

(ii) determining at the central processor the provider of goods or services based on the redemption request;

(iii) passing from the central processor to the provider of goods or services a request to insert the value into the pre-existing customer at the provider of goods or services.

10. The virtual terminal system of claim 9 , wherein said (a) activating at least one card comprises activating a single card, and wherein activating said single card comprises:

receiving a request to activate a card;

determining whether an indicia associated with the card has not been received, and upon a determination that an indicia associated with the card has not been received then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether an indicia associated with the card has already been activated, and upon a determination that an indicia associated with the card has already been activated then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether an indicia associated with the card belongs to a product that a retailer is not authorized to activate, and upon a determination that an indicia associated with the card belongs to a product that a retailer is not authorized to activate then sending an appropriate error message; and

determining whether an indicia associated with the card is valid, and upon a determination that an indicia associated with the card is valid then confirming that the indicia is valid.

11. The virtual terminal system of claim 9 , wherein said (a) activating at least one card comprises activating a batch of cards having sequential associated indicia, and wherein activating said batch of cards comprises:

receiving a request to activate a batch of cards;

determining whether a starting indicia associated with the batch of cards was not received, and upon a determination that the starting indicia was not received then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether an ending indicia associated with the batch of cards was not received, and upon a determination that the ending indicia was not received then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether one or more indicia associated with the batch of cards have already been activated or redeemed, and upon a determination that one or more indicia associated with the batch of cards have already been activated or redeemed then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether one or more indicia associated with the batch of cards are associated with a product or products that a retailer is not authorized to activate, and upon a determination that one or more indicia associated with the batch of cards are associated with a product or products that a retailer is not authorized to activate then sending an appropriate error message; and

determining whether all the indicia associated with the batch of cards are valid, and upon a determination that all the indicia associated with the batch of cards are valid then sending an appropriate confirmation message.

12. The virtual terminal system of claim 9 , further comprising the function of deactivating a card, comprising:

receiving a request to deactivate a card;

determining whether an indicia associated with the card was not received, and upon a determination that the indicia associated with the card was not received then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether an indicia associated with the card has already been deactivated or redeemed, and upon a determination that the indicia associated with the card has already been deactivated or redeemed then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether the indicia is associated with a product that a user is not authorized to deactivate, and upon a determination that the indicia is associated with a product that a user is not authorized to deactivate then sending an appropriate error message; and

determining whether an indicia associated with the card is valid and whether a user is authorized to deactivate the card, and upon a determination that the indicia associated with the card is valid and the user is authorized to deactivate the card then deactivating the card.

13. The virtual terminal system of claim 9 , said (b) generating a PIN comprises:

receiving a request to generate a PIN;

determining whether no product was selected, and upon a determination that no product was selected then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether no PIN is available, and upon a determination that no PIN is available then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether a product was selected and no PIN is available for the selected product, and upon a determination that a product was selected and no PIN is available for the selected product then sending an appropriate error message; and

determining whether a product was selected and a PIN is available for the selected product, and upon a determination that a product was selected and a PIN is available for the selected product then sending a confirmation.

14. The virtual terminal system of claim 9 , further comprising the function of generating an End of Day report, comprising:

receiving a request to generate the End of Day report;

receiving a selected previous date or a selected present date;

receiving a selected report format; and

generating a report for the selected date in the selected report format, wherein the report comprises a summary of the transactions of the selected day.

15. The virtual terminal system of claim 9 , further comprising managing users, comprising:

receiving a request to manage users;

receiving a selected user name;

determining whether a request to delete was received, and upon a determination that a request to delete was received then sending an appropriate confirmation message; and

determining whether a request to add was received, and upon a determination that a request to add was received then sending an appropriate confirmation message.

16. The virtual terminal system of claim 9 , wherein:

(a) said activating at least one card comprises activating a single card, and wherein activating said single card comprises:

receiving a request to activate a card;

determining whether an indicia associated with the card has not been received, and upon a determination that an indicia associated with the card has not been received then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether an indicia associated with the card has already been activated, and upon a determination that an indicia associated with the card has already been activated then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether an indicia associated with the card belongs to a product that a retailer is not authorized to activate, and upon a determination that an indicia associated with the card belongs to a product that a retailer is not authorized to activate then sending an appropriate error message; and

determining whether an indicia associated with the card is valid, and upon a determination that an indicia associated with the card is valid then confirming that the indicia is valid;

(b) said generating a PIN comprises:

receiving a request to generate a PIN;

determining whether no product was selected, and upon a determination that no product was selected then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether no PIN is available, and upon a determination that no PIN is available then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether a product was selected and no PIN is available for the selected product, and upon a determination that a product was selected and no PIN is available for the selected product then sending an appropriate error message; and

determining whether a product was selected and a PIN is available for the selected product, and upon a determination that a product was selected and a PIN is available for the selected product then sending a confirmation;

and further comprising the functions of:

generating an End of Day reports comprising:

receiving a request to generate the End of Day report;

receiving a selected previous date or a selected present date;

receiving a selected report format; and

generating a report for the selected date in the selected report format, wherein the report comprises a summary of the transactions of the selected day; and

managing users, comprising:

receiving a request to manage users;

receiving a selected user name;

determining whether a request to delete was received, and upon a determination that a request to delete was received then sending an appropriate confirmation message; and

determining whether a request to add was received, and upon a determination that a request to add was received then sending an appropriate confirmation message.

17. A computer readable medium or media comprising instructions that when executed cause functions to be presented to a user, receive a selected function, and perform the selected function; and wherein the presented functions comprise:

(a) activating at least one card by sending to a central processor over a private network a request to activate the card and associate a value with the card, the request resulting from a purchase of the card, wherein the virtual terminal is in selective communication with the central processor;

(b) deactivating a card;

(c) generating a personal identification number (PIN);

(d) inserting value associated with the card into a pre-existing customer account with a provider of goods or services, comprising:

(i) sending to the central processor a redemption request to insert at least some of the value associated with the card into the pre-existing customer account with the provider of goods or services, the redemption request including an identifier of the card and information sufficient to identify the pre-existing customer account;

(ii) determining at the central processor the provider of goods or services based on the redemption request;

(iii) passing from the central processor to the provider of goods or services a request to insert the value into the pre-existing customer at the provider of goods or services.

18. The computer readable medium or media of claim 17 , further comprising:

(a) said activating at least one card comprises activating a single card, and wherein activating said single card comprises:

receiving a request to activate a card;

determining whether an indicia associated with the card has not been received, and upon a determination that an indicia associated with the card has not been received then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether an indicia associated with the card has already been activated, and upon a determination that an indicia associated with the card has already been activated then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether an indicia associated with the card belongs to a product that a retailer is not authorized to activate, and upon a determination that an indicia associated with the card belongs to a product that a retailer is not authorized to activate then sending an appropriate error message; and

determining whether an indicia associated with the card is valid, and upon a determination that an indicia associated with the card is valid then confirming that the indicia is valid;

(b) said deactivating a card comprises:

receiving a request to deactivate a card;

determining whether an indicia associated with the card was not received, and upon a determination that the indicia associated with the card was not received then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether an indicia associated with the card has already been deactivated or redeemed, and upon a determination that the indicia associated with the card has already been deactivated or redeemed then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether the indicia is associated with a product that a user is not authorized to deactivate, and upon a determination that the indicia is associated with a product that a user is not authorized to deactivate then sending an appropriate error message; and

determining whether an indicia associated with the card is valid and whether a user is authorized to deactivate the card, and upon a determination that the indicia associated with the card is valid and the user is authorized to deactivate the card then deactivating the card;

(c) said generating a PIN comprises:

receiving a request to generate a PIN;

determining whether no product was selected, and upon a determination that no product was selected then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether no PIN is available, and upon a determination that no PIN is available then sending an appropriate error message;

determining whether a product was selected and no PIN is available for the selected product, and upon a determination that a product was selected and no PIN is available for the selected product then sending an appropriate error message; and

determining whether a product was selected and a PIN is available for the selected product, and upon a determination that a product was selected and a PIN is available for the selected product then sending a confirmation;

and further comprising the functions of:

generating an End of Day reports comprising:

receiving a request to generate the End of Day report;

receiving a selected previous date or a selected present date;

receiving a selected report format; and

generating a report for the selected date in the selected report format, wherein the report comprises a summary of the transactions of the selected day; and

said managing users, comprising:

receiving a request to manage users;

receiving a selected user name;

determining whether a request to delete was received, and upon a determination that a request to delete was received then sending an appropriate confirmation message; and

determining whether a request to add was received, and upon a determination that a request to add was received then sending an appropriate confirmation message.