Patent ID: 7575152

Claim:
A method for conducting a purchase transaction of goods or services from a provider, the purchase transaction facilitated by a computerized kiosk disposed at a retailer other than the provider, wherein value for the purchased goods or services is received at the computerized kiosk in the form of a temporary value card, the method comprising: receiving at an intermediate computer processor a request for a temporary value card from an electronic point of sale terminal at the retailer, the request comprising an indication of a specific value needed to purchase goods or services selected by a customer at the computerized kiosk; activating at the intermediate computer processor a temporary value card account number and card verification value; associating the indication of the specific value received from the point of sale terminal with the temporary value card account number; providing the temporary value card account number and card verification value from the intermediate computer processor to the retailer for recordation of the temporary value card account number and card verification value on to a tangible medium and distribution of the tangible medium to the customer; settling accounts between the intermediate computer processor and the retailer; receiving at the intermediate computer processor a redemption request from the provider, the redemption request comprising the temporary value card account number, wherein the provider receives the temporary value card account number via the computerized kiosk; and settling accounts between the intermediate computer processor and the provider.