METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TRANSFERRING MONEY IN BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS INTERNET TRANSACTIONS
First Claim
1. A method for providing a business-to-business payment service through a payment enabler computer server independent of the businesses involved in a transaction, comprising the computer-implemented steps of:
- receiving and storing in a database registration information corresponding to a transaction privilege assigned to an authorized person associated with a first business;
receiving at the server notification of an amount owed from the first business to a second business per an agreed upon transaction;
verifying that a first employee of the first business is an authorized person associated with the first business who has been granted a privilege on behalf of the first business by reference to registration information stored in the database;
receiving from a remote computer of the first employee of the first business a command to pay the second business the amount owed;
in response to receipt of the command to pay the second business from the first employee verified in the verifying step, ordering a first transfer of the amount owed from a bank account of the first business into an intermediary bank account through direct debit of the bank account of the first business; and
ordering a second transfer of the amount owed from the intermediary bank account to a bank account of the second business via a direct deposit into the bank account of the second business.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method for enabling two businesses to complete a transaction that includes payment from one business (the buyer) to another business (the seller). A payment enabler operates the money transfer service over a computer network of nodes, such as the Internet. Typically, the buyer and the seller use the money transfer service of the payment enabler to consummate a transaction that they have arranged over the computer network through a business-to-business transaction facilitator that enables businesses to arrange deals over the computer network. During registration with the payment enabler, a buyer typically provides information about a bank account from which the seller will be paid, and the seller typically provides information about a bank account for receiving the funds from the buyer. The payment enabler facilitates payments for transactions between businesses by enabling the employees of a business registered with the payment enabler to direct the various phases of the payment process on behalf of the business for which those employees work. A super user employee, identified by the business during registration with the payment enabler, has the power to register other employees of the business with the payment enabler and to specify the privileges that the payment enabler should grant each employee to act on behalf of the business.
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Citations
92 Claims
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1. A method for providing a business-to-business payment service through a payment enabler computer server independent of the businesses involved in a transaction, comprising the computer-implemented steps of:
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receiving and storing in a database registration information corresponding to a transaction privilege assigned to an authorized person associated with a first business;
receiving at the server notification of an amount owed from the first business to a second business per an agreed upon transaction;
verifying that a first employee of the first business is an authorized person associated with the first business who has been granted a privilege on behalf of the first business by reference to registration information stored in the database;
receiving from a remote computer of the first employee of the first business a command to pay the second business the amount owed;
in response to receipt of the command to pay the second business from the first employee verified in the verifying step, ordering a first transfer of the amount owed from a bank account of the first business into an intermediary bank account through direct debit of the bank account of the first business; and
ordering a second transfer of the amount owed from the intermediary bank account to a bank account of the second business via a direct deposit into the bank account of the second business. - View Dependent Claims (3, 13, 14, 16)
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2. (canceled)
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4-12. -12. (canceled)
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15. (canceled)
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17-20. -20. (canceled)
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21. In an online commerce system including a buyer computer associated with a buyer, a seller computer associated with a seller, a data communications network for connecting the buyer computer and the seller computer for an electronic commercial transaction, and a payment enabling system including a payment enabler server connected for electronic communications with the seller computer and the buyer computer via the network, a method for effecting a payment from a buyer to a seller in connection with a transaction utilizing the payment enabling system, comprising the computer-implemented steps of:
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(1) prior to a specific transaction between the buyer and the seller, effecting a registration process comprising the steps of;
at the payment enabler server, receiving buyer registration information input via the buyer computer and communicated to the payment enabler server via the data communications network, the buyer registration information including identification information corresponding to a buyer authorized person, buyer transaction privilege information corresponding to transaction privileges granted to such buyer authorized person, and buyer account information identifying a buyer account associated with buyer financial institution from which a payment from the buyer will be drawn; and
storing the buyer registration information in a database associated with the payment enabler server;
(2) subsequent to the foregoing registration process, effecting a payment from the buyer to the seller with a payment process comprising the steps of;
at the payment enabler server, receiving transaction details information corresponding to a proposed transaction between the buyer and the seller involving a particular transaction amount;
at the payment enabler server, receiving transaction information input by a person purporting to act on behalf of the buyer;
at the payment enabler server, retrieving buyer transaction privilege information from the database to determine whether the person purporting to act on behalf of the buyer is a buyer authorized person possessing transaction privileges proper to act on behalf of the buyer;
at the payment enabler server, in response to a determination that the person purporting to act on behalf of the buyer is a buyer authorized person having proper privileges, receiving payment authorization information from the buyer authorized person;
at the payment enabler server, in response to the payment authorization information input by the buyer authorized person, effecting a debit to the buyer account in an amount corresponding to at least the transaction amount and depositing the said amount into a second account; and
at the payment enabler server, effecting a transfer of funds from the second account to the seller account. - View Dependent Claims (22, 28, 31, 40)
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23-27. -27. (canceled)
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29-30. -30. (canceled)
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32-39. -39. (canceled)
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41-77. -77. (canceled)
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78. A system for providing a business-to-business payment service through a payment enabler computer server independent of the businesses involved in a transaction, comprising:
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a payment enabler computer server, independent of the businesses involved in the transaction, operative for receiving and storing in a database registration information corresponding to a transaction privilege assigned to an authorized person associated with the first business;
the payment enabler computer server further operative for receiving notification of an amount owed from the first business to the second business per an agreed upon transaction;
the payment enabler computer server further operative for verifying that a first employee of the first business is an authorized person associated with the first business who has been granted a privilege on behalf of the first business by reference to registration information stored in the database;
the payment enabler computer server further operative for receiving from a remote computer of the first employee of the first business a command to pay the second business the amount owed;
in response to receipt of the command to pay the second business from the first employee verified in the verifying operation, the payment enabler computer server further operative for ordering a first transfer of the amount owed from a bank account of the first business into an intermediary bank account through direct debit of the bank account of the first business; and
the payment enabler computer server further operative for ordering a second transfer of the amount owed from the intermediary bank account to a bank account of the second business via a direct deposit into the bank account of the second business. - View Dependent Claims (79, 80, 81, 82)
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83. In an online commerce system including a buyer computer associated with a buyer, a seller computer associated with a seller, a data communications network for connecting the buyer computer and the seller computer for an electronic commercial transaction, and a payment enabling system including a payment enabler server connected for electronic communications with the seller computer and the buyer computer via the network, a method in connection with a transaction utilizing the payment enabling system, comprising the computer-implemented steps of:
prior to a specific transaction between the buyer and the seller, effecting a registration process comprising the steps of;
at the payment enabler server, receiving buyer registration information input by a buyer representative via the buyer computer and communicated to the payment enabler server via the data communications network, the buyer registration information including identification information corresponding to an identified super user employee of the buyer and buyer account information identifying a buyer account associated with buyer financial institution from which a payment from the buyer will be drawn;
storing the buyer registration information in the database associated with the payment enabler server;
at the payment enabler server, receiving additional buyer registration information input by the identified super user employee of the buyer, the additional buyer registration information including identification information corresponding to other identified employees of the buyer and buyer transaction privilege information corresponding to transaction privileges granted to such other identified employees of the buyer; and
storing the additional buyer registration information in the database associated with the payment enabler server;
whereby for a subsequent transaction, an identified buyer employee that has been granted transaction privileges authorized by an identified super user employee of the buyer is enabled to conduct a specific transaction with the seller in accordance with transaction privileges corresponding to buyer transaction privilege information. - View Dependent Claims (84, 85, 86, 87)
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88. In an online commerce system including a buyer computer associated with a buyer, a seller computer associated with a seller, a data communications network for connecting the buyer computer and the seller computer for an electronic commercial transaction, a payment enabling system for effecting a payment from a buyer to a seller in connection with a transaction, comprising:
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a payment enabler server connected for electronic communications with the seller computer and the buyer computer via the network; and
a database for storing buyer registration information, employee identification information including privilege information corresponding to transaction privileges assigned to employees of a buyer, buyer account information, and transaction information;
the payment enabler server operative in connection with a transaction by the computer-implemented steps of;
prior to a specific transaction between the buyer and the seller, effecting a registration process comprising the steps of;
receiving buyer registration information input by a buyer representative via the buyer computer and communicated to the payment enabler server via the data communications network, the buyer registration information including identification information corresponding to an identified super user employee of the buyer and buyer account information identifying a buyer account associated with buyer financial institution from which a payment from the buyer will be drawn;
storing the buyer registration information in the database associated with the payment enabler server;
at the payment enabler server, receiving additional buyer registration information input by the identified super user employee of the buyer, the additional buyer registration information including identification information corresponding to other identified employees of the buyer and buyer transaction privilege information corresponding to transaction privileges granted to such other identified employees of the buyer; and
storing the additional buyer registration information in the database associated with the payment enabler server;
whereby for a subsequent transaction, an identified buyer employee that has been granted transaction privileges authorized by an identified super user employee of the buyer is enabled to conduct a specific transaction with the seller in accordance with transaction privileges corresponding to buyer transaction privilege information. - View Dependent Claims (89, 90, 91, 92)
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Specification