Online revenue sharing

• US 20020082911A1
• Filed: 12/22/2000
• Published: 06/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: InterCept Payment Solutions LLC (Solidus Networks Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: InterCept Payment Solutions LLC (Solidus Networks Incorporated)
• Inventors: Germano, Blair Todd, Dunn, Charles L.
• Application Number:
  US09/745,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20020082911A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0214 Referral reward systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0274 Split fees
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

Online billing includes determining if a third party referred an online buyer of a good not requiring physical delivery to an online seller of the good not requiring physical delivery and apportioning revenue from sale of the good not requiring physical delivery between the online seller and, if a third party referred the online buyer to the online seller, to the third party.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining if a third party referred an online buyer of a good not requiring physical delivery to an online seller of the good not requiring physical delivery; and

apportioning revenue from sale of the good not requiring physical delivery between the online seller and, if a third party referred the online buyer to the online seller, to the third party.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the determining is performed automatically.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the apportioning is performed automatically.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising registering the third party with the online seller as eligible to receive a portion of revenues from goods not requiring physical delivery sold by the online seller to an online buyer who navigated across a network to the online seller via the third party.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining if a fourth party referred the third party to the online seller and if so, apportioning revenue from the sale of the good not requiring physical delivery between the online seller and, if the third party referred the online buyer to the online seller, to the third party and to the fourth party.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising delivering the good not requiring physical delivery to the online buyer after confirming payment for the good not requiring physical delivery.

7. The method of claim 1 in which the revenue is apportioned between the third party and the online seller in accordance with predetermined percentages.

8. The method of claim 7 in which the revenue is also apportioned in accordance with predetermined percentages to a fourth party responsible for performing the determining and the apportioning.

9. The method of claim 1 in which the online buyer purchases the good not requiring physical delivery over the Internet.

10. The method of claim 1 in which the good not requiring physical delivery includes a subscription to a web site.

11. The method of claim 1 in which the good not requiring physical delivery includes a donation.

12. The method of claim 1 in which the good not requiring physical delivery includes an electronic file deliverable over a network that the online buyer used in purchasing the good not requiring physical delivery from the online seller.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing data online regarding the sale of the good not requiring physical delivery.

14. The method of claim 13 in which access to the online data is secure.

15. The method of claim 13 in which the data includes how the revenue is apportioned between the third party and the online seller in accordance with predetermined percentages.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing the online seller with resources on a network on which to sell the good not requiring physical delivery.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining which of a plurality of third parties associated with the online seller is the third party that referred the online buyer to the online seller.

19. The article of claim 18 in which the determining is performed automatically.

20. The article of claim 18 in which the apportioning is performed automatically.

21. The article of claim 18 further causing a machine to register the third party with the online seller as eligible to receive a portion of revenues from goods not requiring physical delivery sold by the online seller to an online buyer who navigated across a network to the online seller via the third party.

22. The article of claim 18 further causing a machine to determine if a fourth party referred the third party to the online seller and if so, apportioning revenue from the sale of the good not requiring physical delivery between the online seller, and, if the third party referred the online buyer to the online seller, to the third party and to the fourth party.

23. The article of claim 18 further causing a machine to deliver the good not requiring physical delivery to the online buyer after confirming payment for the good not requiring physical delivery.

24. The article of claim 18 in which the revenue is apportioned between the third party and the online seller in accordance with predetermined percentages.

25. The article of claim 24 in which the revenue is also apportioned in accordance with predetermined percentages to a fourth party responsible for performing the determining and the apportioning.

26. The article of claim 18 in which the online buyer purchases the good not requiring physical delivery over the Internet.

27. The article of claim 18 in which the good not requiring physical delivery includes a subscription to a web site.

28. The article of claim 18 in which the good not requiring physical delivery includes a donation.

29. The article of claim 18 in which the good not requiring physical delivery includes an electronic file deliverable over a network that the online buyer used in purchasing the good not requiring physical delivery from the online seller.

30. The article of claim 18 further causing a machine to provide data online regarding the sale of the good not requiring physical delivery.

31. The article of claim 30 in which access to the online data is secure.

32. The article of claim 30 in which the data includes how the revenue is apportioned between the third party and the online seller in accordance with predetermined percentages.

33. The article of claim 18 further causing a machine to providing the online seller with resources on a network on which to sell the good not requiring physical delivery.

34. The article of claim 18 further causing a machine to determine which of a plurality of third parties associated with the online seller is the third party that referred the online buyer to the online seller.

36. The system of claim 35 in which the second mechanism automatically confirms the payment.

37. The system of claim 35 in which the second mechanism automatically apportions the payment.

39. The method of claim 38 in which the good includes a good not requiring physical delivery.

18. An article comprising a machine-readable medium which stores machine-executable instructions, the instructions causing a machine to:

determine if a third party referred an online buyer of a good not requiring physical delivery to an online seller of the good not requiring physical delivery; and

apportion revenue from sale of the good not requiring physical delivery between the online seller and, if a third party referred the online buyer to the online seller, to the third party.

35. A system comprising:

a first mechanism configured to connect to a public network and to enable a buyer to purchase a good not requiring physical delivery over the public network from a seller; and

a second mechanism configured to connect to the public network, to confirm payment for the good not requiring physical delivery before the good not requiring physical delivery is delivered to the buyer, and to apportion the payment between the seller and a third party that referred the buyer to the seller via the public network.

38. A method comprising:

registering an online seller of a good with an entity;

registering a third party with the entity as eligible to receive a portion of revenues from sales of the good sold by the online seller to an online buyer who navigated across a network to the online seller via the third party.

automatically determining if the third party referred the online buyer of the good to the online seller of the good;

automatically apportioning revenue from sale of the good between the online seller and, if a third party referred the online buyer to the online seller, to the third party according to a predetermined payment structure;

automatically determining if a fourth party referred the third party to the online seller and if so, automatically apportioning revenue from the sale of the good between the online seller and, if the third party referred the online buyer to the online seller, to the third party and to the fourth party according to a predetermined payment structure; and

automatically providing data online regarding the sale of the good to the online seller, to the third party if the third party referred the online buyer to the online seller, and the fourth party if the fourth party referred the third party to the online seller.