E-MAIL INVOKED ELECTRONIC COMMERCE

• US 20090132273A1
• Filed: 01/23/2009
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.), Paypal International Limited (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: BOESCH, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 8,301,510 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/389 Keeping log of transactions for guaranteeing non-repudiation of a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4012 Verifying personal identification numbers [PIN]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted

Abstract

A system and method for merchant invoked electronic commerce allowing consumers to purchase items over a network and merchants to receive payment information relating to the purchases. The system includes a server having software which gathers the purchasing information from a consumer to complete a purchasing transaction over a network. The system has a consumer data structure that stores purchasing information for registered consumers. The software is able to access the consumer data structure and enter the consumer'"'"'s purchasing information during subsequent purchases. Having the software obtain and enter the consumer'"'"'s purchasing information, the consumer does not have to enter the same information every time they purchase an item over the network. In alternate embodiments, the same technology can be applied to other arenas where a user may have to enter the same repetitive information. In addition, consumers can register with the consumer information server prior to making purchase. In an alternate embodiment, a merchant can gather the purchasing information from a consumer and pass the information to the consumer information server to allow the consumer to register with the consumer information server.

Claims

1. In a system for conducting electronic transactions with any of a plurality of merchants over a network, a consumer information server comprising:

structure that receives a connection request based on a communication from a merchant computer which has compiled purchase information based on a request for a consumer transaction,

structure that determines whether the consumer information server contains registration information to complete the consumer transaction with the merchant computer,

structure that, if the consumer information server does not have the registration information, sends a request for the registration information,

structure that receives registration information in response to the request, the registration information including a consumer identification number, a consumer electronic mail address, and consumer payment information, and

structure that stores the registration information for use in subsequent consumer transactions so that the consumer does not have to register separately with respective merchants.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the connection request includes the Internet address of the consumer information server.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the registration information includes a consumer passphrase.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the registration information includes a consumer shipping address.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the registration information includes a consumer shipping method.

6. The system of claim 1, the consumer information server further comprising:

structure that checks the registration information for errors; and

structure that sends a cookie.

7. The system of claim 1, the consumer information server further comprising:

structure that sends an electronic mail message indicating that the registration information was stored.