Patent Abstract:
A package for preventing forgery and theft of transaction card information. Transaction card information is concealed inside package so as to deter theft and forgery. Retailers can identify security breaches of prepaid transaction cards by observing the condition of the packaging prior to card activation. Consequently, forgery and tempering are deterred as retailers will not activate cards contained in packages that have either been tampered with or damaged.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/581,553 filed Jun. 21, 2004, the disclosure of which is entirely incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to a package for a transaction card. More specifically, the subject matter relates to a package for packaging prepaid or gift cards to be sold at the retail level and a method of constructing the package.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Prepaid transaction cards are becoming more and more popular with consumers. An example of such a card is the American Express Gift Card. Issuers of prepaid cards would like to sell the cards through retailers to obtain a broad sales base. Due to increased fraud, risk and other security concerns associated with selling prepaid cards through retailers, issuers would like to take as many precautions as possible to prevent the cards from being fraudulently obtained or activated. This is particularly a concern for issuers of open system cards.  
         [0004]     It is desirable to provide packaging for such cards that is attractive to customers, easy for a retailer to process and provides security features to deter fraud and theft.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     The package for a transaction card has a first section, a second section and a third section. Fold lines may be provided between each of the sections to allow the package to be folded around a transaction card. The transaction card may be affixed to the inside of the package.  
         [0006]     For example, the transaction card may be affixed to a center panel with a removable adhesive. The package may then be folded around the affixed card, with a right panel being folded over the center panel, and sealing the top and bottom of the right panel to the center panel. A left panel can be folded over the right panel and sealed to the right panel with an adhesive as well. Thus, the entire card, including any magnetic stripe, card number, expiration date and signature panel, are completely enclosed within the package.  
         [0007]     An advantage is to provide a package for secure retail sales of prepaid transaction cards.  
         [0008]     It is another advantage to provide a package to be displayed on racks or sold from behind service desks at retail stores.  
         [0009]     It is an advantage to provide a package whose design deters fraud and theft.  
         [0010]     It is an advantage to provide a package enabling retail merchants to track transaction card inventory.  
         [0011]     It is yet another advantage to provide a package that is simple, streamlined and easy to carry and/or handle.  
         [0012]     It is also an advantage to provide a secure card package that allows card activation at a point of sale.  
         [0013]     Additional advantages and novel features of the examples will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following and the accompanying drawings or may be learned by production or operation of the examples. The advantages may be realized and attained by means of the methodologies, instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]     The drawing figures depict one or more implementations in accord with the present concepts, by way of example only, not by way of limitation. In the figures, like reference numbers refer to the same or similar elements.  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  illustrates the front or outside of one example of a transaction card package.  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  illustrates the back or inside of the transaction card package shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  illustrates the front or outside of another example of a transaction card package.  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  illustrates the back or inside of the transaction cards package shown in  FIG.3 .  
         [0019]      FIG. 5  illustrates a method for securing a transaction card. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0020]     A typical financial transaction card, such as a prepaid or gift card, includes the card issuer&#39;s name, a card number and an expiration date embossed onto the card. These features are often located on the front of a card. In addition, the card may include a signature field for the cardholder to provide a signature to protect against forgery and tempering. The signature field is typically located on the back of a card. In addition to the portions described above, a magnetic stripe can be incorporated on the back of the card, thereby allowing data, such as, for example, account information and expiration date, to be stored in machine readable form. As such, magnetic stripe readers, which are associated with a cash register device and connected to a host computer, are used in conjunction with magnetic stripe cards to communicate purchase data, as well as data stored in the magnetic stripe, to the host computer. The gift card may also be activated by using the magnetic stripe, magnetic stripe reader and the host computer.  
         [0021]     Referring now to  FIGS. 1-4 , a package  10  for a transaction card is shown. Package  10  has a first section  12 , a second section  14  and a third section  16 . First section  12 , second section  14  and third section  16  are referred to collectively as sections  12 ,  14  and  16 . Sections  12 ,  14 ,  16  are shown in  FIGS. 1-4  as rectangular panels. However, sections  12 ,  14 ,  16  may be panels of another shape. Fold lines  18  and  20  may be provided between each of the sections  12 ,  14  and  16  to allow package  10  to more easily be folded around the transaction card.  
         [0022]     For package  10  shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , for example, the total length of package  10  may be approximately 9⅞ inches (approximately 25 centimeters). Accordingly, the length of first section  12  may be approximately 3 inches (approximately 7½ centimeters), the length of second section  14  may be approximately 4 inches (approximately 10 centimeters) and the length of third section  16  may be approximately 2⅞ inches (approximately 7⅓ centimeters). The total height of package  10  shown in  FIGS. 1-4  may be approximately 5¼ inches (approximately 13⅓ centimeters). These dimensions correspond to the typical transaction card dimensions. Of course, alternatively, other dimensions may be used.  
         [0023]     Package  10  shown in  FIGS. 1-4  contains a display mechanism  35 . In one embodiment, display mechanism  35  may be a cut-out section for hanging package  10 , including transaction card, at a retail station. Alternatively, display mechanism  35  can be a separate attachment to package  10  used to display package  10 . Alternatively, package  10  may include any other type of display mechanism  35  or none at all.  
         [0024]     To enclose a transaction card within package  10 , the card may be affixed to the inside of package  10 . For example, the card may be affixed to second section  14  with a removable adhesive. Package  10  may then be folded around the affixed card, with third section  16  being folded over second section  14  and top and bottom edges  34  of third section  16  being sealed to second section  14 . Then, first section  12  can be folded over third section  16  and the top and bottom edges  36  of first section  12  can be sealed to third section  16 . Thus, the entire card, including any magnetic stripe, card number, expiration date and signature panel, is completely enclosed within package  10 . Sections  12 ,  14  and  16  can be sealed with an adhesive or in any other manner. Further, sections  12 ,  14  and  16  may be sealed at or along other portions of sections  12 ,  14  and  16 .  
         [0025]     For package  10  shown in  FIG. 4 , first section  12  is preferably sealed to third section  16  at perforated section  22  such that when package  10  is opened, perforated section  22  is pulled away from package  10  creating a tab mating portion as described further below. Perforated section  22  shown in  FIG. 4  is half-moon shaped. However, perforated section  22  may be any shape. Sealed package  10  may be opened by tearing it at the seal between first section  12  and third section  16  to gain access to the card. Doing so with package  10  in the example shown in  FIG. 4 , causes perforated half-moon shaped section  22  to be removed from third section  16 , leaving a half-moon shaped cut-out section  24  as shown in  FIG. 3 . Cut-out section  24  of  FIG. 3  can then be used to reseal package  10  by inserting a tab  26  from first section  12  of package  10  into the tab mating portion, which in this example is cut-out section  24 . Perforated section  22  can be perforated around its entire perimeter, or may be perforated only along the arced section and pre-cut along the straight section. Alternately, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , tab receiving section  28  can be pre-cut, or partially pre-cut, in third section  16  to function as the tab mating portion. As  FIG. 1  shows, tab receiving section  28  is cut along three sides and has a fold line along another side. Tab receiving section  28  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  mates with tab  26  similarly to cut-out section  24  shown in  FIG. 3  and perforated section  22  shown in  FIG. 4 . Of course other shapes of perforated section  22 , cut-out section  24  or tab receiving section  28  may be provided using other combinations of pre-cut sections, perforated sections and fold lines. Moreover, cut-out section  24  and tab receiving section  28  are merely two examples of tab mating portions as contemplated herein.  
         [0026]     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , package  10  may include machine readable data portions  32  for placing information about the card on package  10 . For example, the prepaid amount associated with the card, the card number or any other desired information may be encoded in the information on the outside of package  10 , such as within machine readable data portions  32  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 . The card information may be provided using barcodes, or other machine readable encoded data. A barcode placed on package  10  can contain information that can be read by a retailer&#39;s point-of-sale (“POS”) system. The encoded data can be a universal product code (“UPC”) symbol, which a retailer can use to cross-reference the retailer&#39;s product number with the card. In addition, the encoded data may provide a unique identification number that can be used to activate the card. For example, the unique identification number can be read by the POS system and transmitted to another computer, e.g. a third-party computer. The third-party computer can contain data or a cross-reference table which can be used to look up the card number from the unique identification number. The card number, or other activation information, can then be sent to a card issuer computer, which upon verifying the card number or other information, can activate the card or set the card to an “activateable” state. The card issuer may require that a purchaser take some action (e.g., call the card issuer) to fully activate a card. By placing the card in an “activateable” state, the card issuer is informed that a particular card was actually and/or properly purchased by a purchaser and that the card can be fully activated when the card issuer is contacted by the purchaser. When a card issuer receives the card number or other activation information, the card issuer further informed that the retailer now owes the card issuer money for that particular transaction card.  
         [0027]     Alternatively, the unique identification number can be sent directly to the card issuer computer for verification and partial or full activation. Alternately, the card may be fully or partially activated at the retailer by opening package  10  and reading the magnetic stripe on the retailer&#39;s card reader system. In order to read the magnetic stripe, the card may be affixed within package  10  so as to require package  10  be partially opened, i.e., unsealing first section  12  from third section  16  to expose a portion of the card&#39;s magnetic stripe. With a portion of the magnetic stripe exposed, the magnetic stripe may then be read on the retailer&#39;s card reader system. A request can be sent from the retailer&#39;s card reader system to the card issuer, either directly or indirectly, requesting that the card issuer either partially or fully activate the card. In this instance, after the card has been activated, package  10  can be resealed as described above with reference to tab  26  and cut-out section  24  or tab receiving section  28 . For the purpose of verification and/or activating, the card&#39;s magnetic stripe can be coded with the card number. Of course the magnetic stripe on the card can contain other information, such as information needed to make customary transactions using prepaid transaction cards.  
         [0028]     If package  10  is opened before it is presented to a retailer for purchase or activation, it may be considered a breach of the card&#39;s security, and the retailer can choose not to request activation of that particular card.  
         [0029]     Alternatively, card activation can be done or completed by having a purchaser call the card issuer and request activation. Instructions for this process and others processes, e.g. how to report a lost card, may be provided on the card package as well.  
         [0030]     In addition, an information attachment  30 , such as, for example, a pamphlet may be included in package  10 . For example, information attachment  30  may be affixed to package  10  with an adhesive or other means to the inside of third section  16 , as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4 . Information attachment  30  may contain terms and conditions regarding the use of the card, an advertisement or other information for a card purchaser or user.  
         [0031]     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , method  37  for securing a transaction card is shown. In step  38 , a transaction card package including three sections, such as, for example, package  10  described above with reference to  FIGS. 1-4 . In step  40 , a first side of the transaction card is attached to package  10 . For example, as described above, the first side of the transaction card may be secured to second section  14  of package  10 . The transaction card may be secured to package  10  using a removable adhesive or any other means of attaching the card may be used. Next, in step  42 , third section  16  of package  10  is folded over a second side of the transaction card. Third section  16  may then be attached to second section  14  of package  10 . For example, the top and bottom edges of third section  16  may be secured to second section  14 . Next, in step  44 , third section  16  may be folded over third section  16  of package  10 . First section  12  may then be attached to third section  16  and second section  14  of package  10 . For example, first section  12  is folded over third section  16  and second section  14 , including the transaction card and secured to third section  16  and second section  14  of package  10  with a removable adhesive. In one embodiment, as described above, first section  12  may be secured to third section  16  and second section  14  along top and bottom edges  34  and  36 , as shown in  FIGS. 1-4 .  
         [0032]     While the foregoing has described what is considered to be the best mode and/or other examples, it is understood that various modifications may be made therein and that the technology disclosed herein may be implemented in various forms and examples, and that they may be applied in numerous applications, only some of which have been described herein.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1