Processing of online payment transactions

• US 10,019,711 B1
• Filed: 09/12/2013
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PiQPiQ, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Edward Adam Lerner
• Inventors: Lerner, Edward Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): Lemieux, Jessica
• Application Number:
  US14/025,778
• Time in Patent Office: 1,762 Days
• Field of Search: 705 69
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists

Abstract

Computer-implemented methods and systems for processing of online payment transactions are provided. An example method comprises registering a merchant with a payment service to create a merchant account and registering a user with the payment service to create a user account. The merchant can registers an entitlement with the payment service to receive a payment service entitlement identifier. A payment request associated with the entitlement is received from a user. The payment request includes the entitlement identifier associated with the payment service or with the merchant and a payment amount. A database is queried to validate the entitlement identifier and a price and, upon successful validation, the user account is credited with purchasing the entitlement, and the payment amount is transferred from the user account to the merchant account.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for processing of online payment transactions, the method comprising:

registering a merchant with a payment service to create a first account, wherein the payment service is associated with a digital currency;

registering a user with the payment service to create a second account;

providing to the merchant, an entitlement identifier associated with an entitlement, the entitlement identifier embedded in a web resource associated with the entitlement, the entitlement being associated with a Uniform Resource Locator (URL);

receiving, from the user, a payment request associated with the entitlement, the payment request including the entitlement identifier and a payment amount, the payment request received in response to activation of a digital coin associated with content of the merchant, the digital coin represented by a graphical user interface (GUI), the activation of the digital coin accompanied by one or more of the following events;

an audio, an animated graphics, an animated video, a haptic feedback;

ascertaining whether the payment service contains the entitlement identifier;

based on the ascertaining, selectively requesting that the merchant registers the entitlement;

querying a database to validate that the entitlement identifier is associated with the entitlement;

based on the validating, crediting the second account with the payment amount;

transferring the payment amount from the second account associated with the user to the first account associated with the merchant;

representing the transfer of payment amount via the GUI, the GUI providing audio, animated graphics, or video, the GUI further providing feedback in response to the payment amount, the feedback corresponding to payment amount size;

monitoring activity of the user, by logging payment history of the user;

presenting a warning to the user if a pattern of abuse is detected, the warning accompanied by an equivalent interface element to the user;

querying an identity service to check if the user is allowed access to content, which provides the user a privilege to remain anonymous; and

controlling access to the content in real-time by processing the payment request and the querying of the identity service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the activation of the digital coin is in response to one or more of the following actions:

touching, pinching, clicking, flicking, dragging, and dropping.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the entitlement is associated with a file name or other identifying characteristic of the entitlement.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment is configured to facilitate one or more of the following actions:

remove a banner ad from a website;

read, wholly or partly, a newspaper, a magazine, or a book;

skip a commercial;

donate to a cause;

unlock an item in an online game;

access a service or additional feature;

access a paywalled content;

listen, wholly or partly, an audio track;

view, wholly or partly, a video;

trigger an event;

access a digital object;

write a comment;

write an annotation;

send a message to an author;

send a copy to a contact;

get early access;

vote for or improve ranking of a digital object;

mark a favorite object;

save a digital object;

get access to additional information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the entitlement identifier is embedded in one or more of the following:

the content, a container of the content, data identifying the entitlement, a web page, a browser toolbar, an application, a piece of digital content, a digital movie, a digital document, a database, and a content management system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is anonymous and identified by a unique user identifier.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

providing the unique user identifier to an identity service; and

receiving user data from the identity service.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

ascertaining whether the user is registered with the payment service; and

selectively registering the user with the payment service.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the registering of the merchant with the payment service includes providing bank account or other payment data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the registering of the merchant includes proving ownership of the content.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising deducting the service fee from the second account associated with the user or the first account associated with the merchant.

12. A system for processing of online payment transactions, the system comprising:

a processor configurable to;

register a merchant with a payment service to create a first account, wherein the payment service is associated with a digital currency;

register a user with the payment service to create a second account;

provide, to the merchant, an entitlement identifier associated with an entitlement, the entitlement identifier embedded in a web resource associated with the entitlement, the entitlement being associated with a Uniform Resource Locator (URL);

receive, from the user, a payment request associated with the entitlement, the payment request including the entitlement identifier and a payment amount, the payment request received in response to activation of a digital coin associated with content of the merchant, the digital coin represented by a graphical user interface (GUI), the activation of the digital coin accompanied by one or more of the following events;

an audio, an animated graphics, an animated video, a haptic feedback;

ascertain whether the payment service contains the entitlement identifier;

based on the ascertaining, selectively request that the merchant registers the entitlement;

query a database to validate that the entitlement identifier is associated with the entitlement;

based on the validating, credit the second account with the payment amount;

transfer the payment amount from the second account associated with the user to the first account associated with the merchant;

represent the transfer of payment amount via the GUI, the GUI providing audio, animated graphics, or video, the GUI further providing feedback in response to the payment amount, the feedback corresponding to payment amount size;

monitor activity of the user, by logging payment history of the user; and

present a warning to the user if a pattern of abuse is detected, the warning accompanied by an equivalent interface element to the user;

a database configurable to store information associated with the merchant, the first account, the user, the second account, and the entitlement;

querying an identity service to check if the user is allowed access to content, which provides the user a privilege to remain anonymous; and

controlling access to the content in real-time by processing the payment request and the querying of the identity service.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the activation of the digital coin is in response to one or more of the following actions:

touching, pinching, clicking, flicking, dragging and dropping.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the entitlement is associated with a file name or another identifying characteristic.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the payment is configured to facilitate one or more of the following actions:

remove a banner ad from a website;

read, wholly or partly, a newspaper, a magazine, or a book;

skip a commercial;

donate to a cause;

unlock an item in an online game;

access a service or additional feature;

access a paywalled content;

listen, wholly or partly, an audio track;

view, wholly or partly, a video;

trigger an event;

access a digital object;

write a comment;

write an annotation;

send a message to an author;

send a copy to a contact;

get early access;

vote for or improve ranking of a digital object;

mark a favorite object;

save a digital object;

get access to additional information.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, perform the following operations:

register a merchant with a payment service to create a merchant account, wherein the payment service is associated with a digital currency;

register a user with the payment service to create a user account;

provide, to the merchant, an entitlement identifier associated with an entitlement, the entitlement identifier embedded in a web resource associated with the entitlement, the entitlement being associated with a Uniform Resource Locator (URL);

receive, from a user, a payment request associated with the entitlement, the payment request including the entitlement identifier and a payment amount, the payment request received in response to activation of a digital coin associated with content of the merchant, the digital coin represented by a graphical user interface (GUI), the activation of the digital coin accompanied by one or more of the following events;

an audio, an animated graphics, an animated video, a haptic feedback;

ascertain whether the payment service contains the entitlement identifier;

based on the ascertaining, selectively request that the merchant registers the entitlement;

query a database to validate that the entitlement identifier is associated with the entitlement and price;

based on the validating, credit the user account with the price;

transfer the payment amount from the user account to the merchant account;

represent the transfer of payment amount via the GUI, the GUI providing audio, animated graphics, or video, the GUI further providing feedback in response to the payment amount, the feedback corresponding to payment amount size;

monitor activity of the user, by logging payment history of the user;

presenting a warning to the user if a pattern of abuse is detected, the warning accompanied by an equivalent interface element to the user;

querying an identity service to check if the user is allowed access to content, which provides the user a privilege to remain anonymous; and

controlling access to the content in real-time by processing the payment request and the querying of the identity service.