Universal electronic payment apparatuses, methods and systems

• US 10,223,691 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2012
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Katzin, Edward, Hua, Julian, Storey, Gregory Kenneth, Mori, Michael, Shrivastava, Abhinav, Bhargava, Amit, Beck, Andrew, Hammad, Ayman, Pfisterer, Ben, Salmon, Diane, Karpenko, Igor, Schulz, Jennifer, Gavrilov, Miroslav, Ciurea, Peter, Faith, Patrick, Kumnick, Phillip, Chatterjee, Saurav, Badea, Sebastian, Li, Shaw, Jha, Shipra, Pourfallah, Stacy, French, Susan, Theurer, Tenni, Harris, Theodore, Purves, Thomas, Pandey, Vanita, Graham, Victoria, Hariramani, Prakash
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen, William J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Loharikar, Anand R
• Application Number:
  US13/520,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20140337175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,568 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/326 Payment applications installed on the mobile devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/36 using electronic wallets or electronic money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/384 using social networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0886 the card reader being portable for interacting with a POS or ECR in realizing a payment transaction

Abstract

The UNIVERSAL ELECTRONIC PAYMENT APPARATUS, METHODS AND SYSTEMS (“UEP”) transform touchscreen inputs into a virtual wallet mobile application interface via UEP components into purchase transaction triggers and receipt notices. In one implementation the UEP provides, via a user device, a product information search request; and obtains, in response to the product information search request, information on a first product for sale by a first merchant and a second product for sale by a second merchant. The UEP generates a single purchase transaction request, using the information on the first product for sale by the first merchant and the second product for sale by the second merchant. The UEP provides, via the user device, the single purchase transaction request for payment processing. Also, the UEP obtains an electronic purchase receipt for the first product for sale by the first merchant and the second product for sale by the second merchant.

Claims

1. A multi-merchant virtual wallet shopping processor-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, at a pay network server from a virtual wallet application executing on a data processor of a user device, a product information search request, wherein the product information search request corresponds to both;

a first product included in at least a first inventory of a first merchant of a plurality of merchants within a vicinity of the user device, and

a second product included in at least a second inventory of a second merchant of the plurality of merchants within the vicinity of the user device;

querying, by the pay network server, a first merchant server and a second merchant server for information on the first product for sale by the first merchant and for information on the second product for sale by the second merchant, respectively;

displaying, in response to the product information search request and in a single user interface of the virtual wallet application executing on the user device, information on the first product for sale by the first merchant and the second product for sale by the second merchant;

generating, by the virtual wallet application, a single purchase transaction request for both the first product and the second product by the virtual wallet application, based on the information on the first product for sale by the first merchant and the second product for sale by the second merchant, wherein the single purchase transaction request includes only a session ID for a shopping session including the first product for sale by the first merchant and the second product for sale by the second merchant;

providing, to the pay network server that is remote from the plurality of merchants within the vicinity of the user device, via the virtual wallet application executing on the user device, the single purchase transaction request for payment processing, wherein the single purchase transaction request includes only the session ID for the shopping session including the first product for sale by the first merchant and the second product for sale by the second merchant;

providing, by the pay network server to a first merchant server, and in response to the single purchase transaction request, a first checkout request for the first product and, to a second merchant server, a second checkout request for the second product; and

obtaining, by the virtual wallet application from the pay network server, an electronic purchase receipt for the first product for sale by the first merchant and the second product for sale by the second merchant.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user device is a mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the product information search request is generated in response to user entry of a search keyword into the virtual wallet application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the product information search request is generated using information on a prior purchase via the virtual wallet application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the product information search request is provided via a virtual wallet application executing on the user device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first merchant and the second merchant are different from each other.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the product information search request includes information identifying a location of the user device, as well as a request for product information from merchant in the vicinity of the user device.

8. A multi-merchant virtual wallet shopping apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory disposed in communication with the processor and storing processor-executable instructions to;

receive, at a pay network server from a virtual wallet application executing on a data processor of a user device, a product information search request, wherein the product information search request corresponds to both;

a first product included in at least a first inventory of a first merchant of a plurality of merchants within a vicinity of the user device, and

a second product included in at least a second inventory of a second merchant of the plurality of merchants within the vicinity of the user device;

query, by the pay network server, a first merchant server and a second merchant server for information on the first product for sale by the first merchant and for information on the second product for sale by the second merchant, respectively;

display, in response to the product information search request and in a single user interface of the virtual wallet application executing on the user device, information on the first product for sale by the first merchant and the second product for sale by the second merchant;

generate, by the virtual wallet application, a single purchase transaction request for both the first product and the second product by the virtual wallet application, based on the information on the first product for sale by the first merchant and the second product for sale by the second merchant, wherein the single purchase transaction request includes only a session ID for a shopping session including the first product for sale by the first merchant and the second product for sale by the second merchant;

provide, to the pay network server that is remote from the plurality of merchants within the vicinity of the user device, via the virtual wallet application executing on the user device, the single purchase transaction request for payment processing, wherein the single purchase transaction request includes only the session ID for the shopping session including the first product for sale by the first merchant and the second product for sale by the second merchant;

provide, by the pay network server to a first merchant server, and in response to the single purchase transaction request, a first checkout request for the first product and, to a second merchant server, a second checkout request for the second product; and

obtain, by the virtual wallet application from the pay network server, an electronic purchase receipt for the first product for sale by the first merchant and the second product for sale by the second merchant.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the user device is a mobile device.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the product information search request is generated in response to user entry of a search keyword into the virtual wallet application.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the product information search request is generated using information on a prior purchase via the virtual wallet application.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the product information search request is provided via a virtual wallet application executing on the user device.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first merchant and the second merchant are different from each other.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the product information search request includes information identifying a location of the user device, as well as a request for product information from merchant in the vicinity of the user device.

15. A processor-readable tangible medium storing processor-executable multi-merchant virtual wallet shopping instructions to:

receive, at a pay network server from a virtual wallet application executing on a data processor of a user device, a product information search request, wherein the product information search request corresponds to both;

a first product included in at least a first inventory of a first merchant of a plurality of merchants within a vicinity of the user device, and

a second product included in at least a second inventory of a second merchant of the plurality of merchants within the vicinity of the user device;

query, by the pay network server, a first merchant server and a second merchant server for information on the first product for sale by the first merchant and for information on the second product for sale by the second merchant, respectively;

display, in response to the product information search request and in a single user interface of the virtual wallet application executing on the user device, information on the first product for sale by the first merchant and the second product for sale by the second merchant;

generate, by the virtual wallet application, a single purchase transaction request for both the first product and the second product by the virtual wallet application, based on the information on the first product for sale by the first merchant and the second product for sale by the second merchant, wherein the single purchase transaction request includes only a session ID for a shopping session including the first product for sale by the first merchant and the second product for sale by the second merchant;

provide, to the pay network server that is remote from the plurality of merchants within the vicinity of the user device, via the virtual wallet application executing on the user device, the single purchase transaction request for payment processing, wherein the single purchase transaction request includes only the session ID for the shopping session including the first product for sale by the first merchant and the second product for sale by the second merchant;

provide, by the pay network server to a first merchant server, and in response to the single purchase transaction request, a first checkout request for the first product and, to a second merchant server, a second checkout request for the second product; and

obtain, by the virtual wallet application from the pay network server, an electronic purchase receipt for the first product for sale by the first merchant and the second product for sale by the second merchant.

16. The medium of claim 15, wherein the user device is a mobile device.

17. The medium of claim 15, wherein the product information search request is generated in response to user entry of a search keyword into the virtual wallet application.

18. The medium of claim 15, wherein the product information search request is generated using information on a prior purchase via the virtual wallet application.

19. The medium of claim 15, wherein the product information search request is provided via a virtual wallet application executing on the user device.

20. The medium of claim 15, wherein the first merchant and the second merchant are different from each other.

21. The medium of claim 15, wherein the product information search request includes information identifying a location of the user device, as well as a request for product information from merchant in the vicinity of the user device.