Method For Requesting and Receiving an Online Payment Through a Payment Enabler System
7 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method for processing person-to-person payments and money requests using a computer network. A payment enabler linked to the Internet enables an individual to register for an account through which the individual can make payments to other individuals, request money from other individuals, and access other functionality to facilitate the management of the individual'"'"'s financial transactions. At the time an individual authorizes a payment to another person or directs the payment enabler to request money from another person, the person to whom the payment or money request is directed may, but need not, have already registered for an account with the payment enabler. To communicate with individuals, the payment enabler may use both Web pages and e-mail. An intermediary typically operates the payment enabler and acts as a conduit for the money transfer from one individual (the payor) to another individual (the payee). This enables the payor to pay through a variety of different payment methods and the payee to receive payment through a variety of different methods. Individuals may make payments from and receive money transfers into a stored value account. In addition to initiating immediate money transfer and request money transactions, an individual may use the payment enabler to schedule future or recurring transactions. Address book functionality may provide users the ability to retain information on counter parties. The address book may be integrated into the money transfer and money request interfaces to allow an individual to quickly select the counter party for a transaction.
119 Citations
148 Claims
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1-130. -130. (canceled)
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131. A computer implemented method for enabling a first party to request and receive an online payment from a second party through a payment enabler system, comprising the steps of:
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maintaining at the payment enabler system a database of registered users that have registered with the payment enabler system, the database comprising a plurality of records that include an email address and other account information;
maintaining at the payment enabler system an address book database for storing address book records comprising names associated with second parties from whom a first party may request a payment, each address book record including a name and an associated email address;
in response to selection by a first party of an address book entry of a particular second party for purposes of requesting an online payment from the selected second party, retrieving the email address associated with the selected second party from the first party'"'"'s associated address book records in the address book database;
accessing the registered users database and determining whether the retrieved email address associated with the selected particular second party has a record in the registered users database;
in response to a determination that the second party has no entry in the registered users database, sending the second party a registration invitation email utilizing the retrieved email address to notify the second party that a payment is requested and instructing the second party to register with the payment enabler system by accessing the payment enabler system;
in response to accessing of the payment enabler system by the second party after the registration invitation email, conducting a user registration process comprising steps including receiving registration information comprising an email address of the registering user, identification information, and a default money transfer method;
in response to receiving registration information from a registering user, creating a database record in the registered users database including the registration information; and
completing the payment from the second party to the first party by the payment enabler transferring money from the second party to the first party utilizing a determined money transfer method. - View Dependent Claims (132, 133, 134, 135, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148)
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Specification