REVERSE PAYMENT FLOW

• US 20110264543A1
• Filed: 04/25/2011
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Taveau, Sebastien, Duprat, Eric
• Application Number:
  US13/093,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20110264543A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3255 using mobile network messaging services for payment, e.g. SMS
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/326 Payment applications installed on the mobile devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/353 Payments by cards read by M-devices

Abstract

Systems and methods for facilitating transactions using contactless proximity communication technology include information or payment flows that are reversed from the conventional sense in that information may flow in direction from a merchant via a consumer mobile device to a financial services provider (FSP). Such payment and information flows can be accomplished without needing to modify infrastructure—such as point-of-sale NFC readers, mobile handsets, or advertising tags and may provide “bridge solutions” for quickly implementing mobile proximity purchase payments. Embodiments provide for receiving some transaction information at a financial services provider in response to a contactless proximity communication that occurs between either a consumer proximity tag and a merchant device, consumer mobile device and merchant proximity tag, or consumer mobile device and merchant device, in which some of the transaction information flow is reverse; validating the transaction; sending payment confirmation to the merchant; and sending transaction confirmation to the consumer.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a network computing device of a financial service provider (FSP) for communicating with a consumer mobile device and a merchant device, wherein;

in response to a contactless proximity communication between either a consumer proximity tag and the merchant device, or the consumer mobile device and a merchant proximity tag, or the consumer mobile device and the merchant device;

transaction information is sent to the FSP via the consumer mobile device;

the network computing device validates the transaction information;

the network computing device sends a payment credit confirmation to the merchant device; and

the network computing device sends a transaction confirmation message to the consumer mobile device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the contactless proximity communication is between the consumer proximity tag and the merchant device;

the consumer proximity tag is a passive tag having a unique consumer identification (ID); and

the transaction information sent to the FSP includes the consumer ID associated with the consumer proximity tag, and a geo-location of the transaction.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the contactless proximity communication is between the consumer mobile device and the merchant proximity tag;

the consumer mobile device has a mobile device ID;

the merchant proximity tag is a proximity tag having a unique merchant ID; and

the transaction information sent to the FSP includes the mobile device ID, the unique merchant ID associated with the merchant proximity tag, and a geo-location of the transaction.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the contactless proximity communication is between the consumer mobile device and the merchant device;

the consumer mobile device has a mobile device ID;

the merchant device has a unique merchant ID; and

the transaction information sent to the FSP includes the mobile device ID, the unique merchant ID associated with the merchant device, and a geo-location of the transaction.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the FSP validates the transaction information by matching a consumer ID with a consumer FSP account, matching a merchant ID with a merchant FSP account, and matching a geo-location sent to the FSP via the consumer mobile device with a known location for the merchant.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the merchant device is an internet protocol (IP)-connected device; and

the FSP sends the payment credit confirmation to the merchant device via IP.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the consumer mobile device has either an e-mail or Short Message Service (SMS) capability; and

the FSP sends the transaction confirmation message to the consumer mobile device using SMS or e-mail.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a transaction information at a financial services provider (FSP) in response to a contactless proximity communication that occurs either between a consumer proximity tag and a merchant device, between a consumer mobile device and a merchant proximity tag, or between the consumer mobile device and the merchant device, wherein at least a portion of the transaction information flows in a direction from the consumer mobile device to the FSP;

validating, by the FSP, the transaction information;

sending a payment credit confirmation from the FSP to the merchant device; and

sending a transaction confirmation message from the FSP to the consumer mobile device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the contactless proximity communication is between the consumer proximity tag and the merchant device;

the consumer proximity tag is a passive tag having a unique consumer identification (ID); and

the transaction information received by the FSP includes the consumer ID associated with the consumer proximity tag, and a geo-location of the transaction.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the contactless proximity communication is between the consumer mobile device and the merchant proximity tag;

the consumer mobile device has a mobile device ID;

the merchant proximity tag is a proximity tag having a unique merchant ID; and

the transaction information received by the FSP includes the mobile device ID, the unique merchant ID associated with the merchant proximity tag, and a geo-location of the transaction.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the contactless proximity communication is between the consumer mobile device and the merchant device;

the consumer mobile device has a mobile device ID;

the merchant device has a unique merchant ID; and

the transaction information sent to the FSP includes the mobile device ID, the unique merchant ID associated with the merchant device, and a geo-location of the transaction.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the FSP validates the transaction information by matching a consumer ID with a consumer FSP account, matching a merchant ID with a merchant FSP account, and matching a geo-location received by the FSP via the consumer mobile device with a known location for the merchant.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the merchant device is an internet protocol (IP)-connected device; and

the FSP sends the payment credit confirmation to the merchant device via IP.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein

the consumer mobile device has either an e-mail or Short Message Service (SMS) capability;

and

the FSP sends the transaction confirmation message to the consumer mobile device using SMS or e-mail.

15. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having computer readable and executable code for instructing a processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving a transaction information at a financial services provider (FSP) in response to a contactless proximity communication that occurs either between a consumer proximity tag and a merchant device, between a consumer mobile device and a merchant proximity tag, or between the consumer mobile device and the merchant device, wherein at least a portion of the transaction information flows in a direction from the consumer mobile device to the FSP;

validating, by the FSP, the transaction information;

sending a payment credit confirmation from the FSP to the merchant device; and

sending a transaction confirmation message from the FSP to the consumer mobile device.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein:

the contactless proximity communication is between the consumer proximity tag and the merchant device;

the consumer proximity tag is a passive tag having a unique consumer identification (ID); and

the transaction information received by the FSP includes the consumer ID associated with the consumer proximity tag, and a geo-location of the transaction.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein:

the contactless proximity communication is between the consumer mobile device and the merchant proximity tag;

the consumer mobile device has a mobile device ID;

the merchant proximity tag is a proximity tag having a unique merchant ID; and

the transaction information received by the FSP includes the mobile device ID, the unique merchant ID associated with the merchant proximity tag, and a geo-location of the transaction.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein

the contactless proximity communication is between the consumer mobile device and the merchant device;

the consumer mobile device has a mobile device ID;

the merchant device has a unique merchant ID; and

the transaction information sent to the FSP includes the mobile device ID, the unique merchant ID associated with the merchant device, and a geo-location of the transaction.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein

the FSP validates the transaction information by matching a consumer ID with a consumer FSP account, matching a merchant ID with a merchant FSP account, and matching a geo-location received by the FSP via the consumer mobile device with a known location for the merchant.

20. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein

the merchant device is an internet protocol (IP)-connected device;

and

the FSP sends the payment credit confirmation to the merchant device via IP.