Systems and methods for providing payment hotspots

• US 10,296,890 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2017
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sundaram, Magesh Babu Meignana
• Primary Examiner(s): Savusdiphol, Paultep
• Application Number:
  US15/729,467
• Publication Number:
  US 20180130043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 588 Days
• Field of Search: 235375, 235379
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/027 involving a payment switch or gateway
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/223 based on the use of peer-to-peer networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/326 Payment applications installed on the mobile devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/384 using social networks

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for facilitating payments between users of the system such as person-to-person payments using a payment hotspot. A payment hotspot or payspot may be generated by a first user device of a first user to facilitate a transfer of funds between the first user and the second user. The payspot may be a virtual payment portal that allows secure payment between the users without either of the users having to provide identifying information to the other user. The payspot may be accessed by the second user based on the proximity of a second user device of the second user to the first user device or the first user may provide an identification code of the payspot to the second user. The second user may access the payspot by communicating with a payment server with the second user device, through the first user device.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a non-transitory memory; and

one or more hardware processors coupled to the non-transitory memory and configured to read instructions from the non-transitory memory to cause the system to perform operations comprising;

receiving a first request from a first user device associated with a first user account to generate a payment hotspot;

in response to receiving the first request, generating, for the first user account, the payment hotspot and an identification code that uniquely identifies the payment hotspot;

transmitting the identification code to the first user device;

receiving a second request for a payment from a second user device associated with a second user account, wherein the second request is associated with the identification code; and

in response to receiving the second request, facilitating a transfer of funds from the second user account to the first user account.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second request is received directly from the second user device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second request is received indirectly from the second user device via the first user device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the generating the payment hotspot comprises configuring the first user device to be electronically discoverable by the second user device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the payment hotspot is associated with a geographical boundary, wherein the operations further comprise determining that the second user device is within the geographical boundary when the second request is received.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the geographical boundary is determined based on a geographical location of the first user device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise in response to determining that the first user device has left the geographical location, terminating the payment hotspot.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise prior to receiving the second request:

receiving, from the second user device, a message comprising the identification code;

in response to receiving the message from the second user device, granting the second user device access to the payment hotspot; and

causing the first user device to establish a peer-to-peer communication channel with the second user device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the second request lacks information that identifies the first user account.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise in response to detecting a predetermined condition, terminating the payment hotspot.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second request lacks information that identifies the first user account.

12. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more hardware processors, a first request from a first user device associated with a first user account to generate a payment hotspot;

in response to receiving the first request, generating, by the one or more hardware processors for the first user account, the payment hotspot, wherein the payment hotspot is associated with a geographical boundary;

receiving, by the one or more hardware processors via the payment hotspot, a second request for a payment from a second user device associated with a second user account, wherein the second request lacks information that identifies the first user account;

determining that the second user device is located within the geographical boundary associated with the payment hotspot; and

in response to receiving the second request and determining that the second user device is located within the geographical boundary, facilitating, by the one or more hardware processors, a transfer of funds from the second user account to the first user account.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second request is received directly from the second user device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the second request is received indirectly from the second user device via the first user device.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

generating an identification code for the payment hotspot; and

transmitting the identification code to the first user device, wherein the second request comprises the identification code.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the geographical boundary is determined based on a geographical location of the first user device.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising in response to determining that the first user device has left the geographical location, terminating the payment hotspot.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising prior to receiving the second request:

receiving, from the second user device, a message comprising the identification code;

in response to receiving the message from the second user device, granting the second user device access to the payment hotspot; and

causing the first user device to establish a peer-to-peer communication channel with the second user device.

19. A non-transitory machine readable medium having stored thereon machine-readable instructions executable to cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving a first request from a first user device associated with a first user account to generate a payment hotspot;

in response to receiving the first request, generating, for the first user account, the payment hotspot and an identification code that uniquely identifies the payment hotspot;

receiving a second request for a payment from a second user device associated with a second user account, wherein the second request comprises the identification code but lacks information that identifies the first user account; and

in response to receiving the second request, facilitating a transfer of funds from the second user account to the first user account.

20. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise prior to receiving the second request:

receiving, from the second user device, a message comprising the identification code;

in response to receiving the message from the second user device, granting the second user device access to the payment hotspot; and

causing the first user device to establish a peer-to-peer communication channel with the second user device.