MOBILE REMITTANCES/PAYMENTS

• US 20090061831A1
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Shastry, Vishwanath
• Granted Patent: US 8,504,450 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/227 characterised in that multiple accounts are available, e.g. to the payer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/32 using wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

A method and a system for mobile remittance and/or payment are provided. Example embodiments may include receiving a request, at a financial entity and from a first party, to remit an amount from an account, associated with the first party to a mobile phone number associated with a second party; notifying the second party of the amount to be remitted and an identity of the first party; receiving a personal identification component from the second party; accessing a mobile account associated with the mobile phone number based on the personal identification component; and depositing the amount into the mobile account. According to example embodiments, the system may include a communication module, a mobile remittance module, a payment processor, a mobile accounts module, an agent management module, and a mobile transfer module.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request from a first party to a financial entity to remit an amount from an account at the financial entity associated with the first party, to a mobile phone number associated with a second party;

notifying the second party of the amount to be remitted and an identity of the first party;

receiving a personal identification component from the second party;

accessing a mobile account associated with the mobile phone number based on the PIN; and

depositing the amount into the mobile account.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the notifying includes calling the mobile phone number associated with the second party.

3. The method of claim 1, including accessing the account associated with the first party at the financial entity responsive to receiving the request and transferring an initial amount less than or equal to the amount from the account associated with the first party to the mobile account.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the transferring includes at least one of:

a fund transfer from a mobile account associated with the first party,

a fund transfer from a bank account associated with the first party, or

a charge against a credit card account associated with the first party.

5. The method of claim 1, including receiving by an agent of a payment from the first party for deposit into the account associated with the first party.

6. The method of claim 1, including receiving a request from the second party to transfer at least a portion of the amount to a third party, the transfer to the third party including at least one of:

a fund transfer to a mobile account associated with the third party,

a fund transfer to a bank account associated with the third party,

a cash transfer via an agent to the third party, or

a fund transfer to a bank account associated with the second party.

7. The method of claim 6, including identifying the second party by a personal identification component before allowing the second party to transfer any portion of the amount.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the transferring by the first party includes using at least one of a near field communication (NFC) or a Bluetooth device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein using NFC includes using a radio frequency identification (RFID) card installed in a mobile phone and a RFID reader.

10. The method of claim 6, including receiving, at the financial entity and from the second party, a request to identify an agent from which the amount to be redeemed, and sending a message from the financial entity to the second party, the message informing the second party of a location of a selected agent.

11. The method of claim 10, including determining a geographic location of the second party, and identifying the selected agent based on the selected agent being geographically proximate to the second party, the geographic location of the second party being determined using information received from a mobile phone of the second party.

12. The method of claim 1, including creating a new mobile account associated with the mobile phone number and correlating the new mobile account with the personal identification component at a first instance of remittance to the mobile phone number.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the personal identification component includes at least one of a personal identification number (PIN) or a biometric identification signature.

14. A system comprising:

a mobile remittance module to receive a request from a first party to a financial entity to remit an amount from an account at the financial entity, associated with the first party, at a financial entity to a mobile phone number associated with a second party;

a communication module to notify the second party of the amount to be remitted and an identity of the first party;

the communication module to receive a personal identification component from the second;

an accounts module to access a mobile account associated with the mobile phone number, based on the personal identification component; and

a payment processor to deposit the amount into the mobile account.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the communication module is to notify the second party by calling the mobile phone number associated with the second party receiving the amount.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the mobile remittance module is to access the account associated with the first party at the financial entity responsive to receiving the request and to transfer an initial amount less than or equal to the amount from the account associated with the first party to the mobile account.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the accounts module is to identify the second party by an identification component before allowing the second party to transfer any portion of the amount.

18. The system of claim 14, including a mobile transfer module to receive a request from the second party to transfer at least a portion of the amount to a third party, the mobile transfer module including at least one of:

a mobile account transfer sub-module to transfer a fund to a mobile account associated with the third party,

a bank account transfer sub-module to transfer a fund to a bank account associated with the third party, or

an agent to perform a cash transfer to the third party.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the mobile transfer module is to use NFC, including a radio frequency identification (RFID) card installed in a mobile phone and a RFID reader.

20. The system of claim 14, including an agent management module to receive, from the second party, a request to identify an agent from which the amount to be redeemed, and sending a message from the financial entity to the second party, the message informing the second party of a location of a selected agent.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the accounts module is to create a new mobile account associated with the mobile phone number and to correlate the new mobile account with the personal identification component, at a first instance of remittance to the mobile phone number.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the agent management module is to receive a payment made at an agent by the first party for deposit into the account associated with the first party.

23. A system comprising:

means for receiving a request, first party to a financial entity to remit an amount from an account at the financial entity, associated with the first party, to a mobile phone number associated with a second party;

means for notifying the second party of the amount to be remitted and an identity of the first party;

means for receiving a personal identification component from the second party;

means for accessing a mobile account associated with the mobile phone number based on the personal identification component; and

means for depositing the amount into the mobile account

24. A machine-readable medium comprising instructions, which when implemented by one or more processors perform the following operations:

receiving a request, from a first party to a financial entity to remit an amount from an account at the financial entity, associated with the first party, to a mobile phone number associated with a second party;

notifying the second party of the amount to be remitted and an identity of the first party;

receiving a personal identification component from the second party;

accessing a mobile account associated with the mobile phone number based on the personal identification component; and

depositing the amount into the mobile account.