METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR UNIVERSAL PAYMENT ACCOUNT TRANSLATION

• US 20120123940A1
• Filed: 11/16/2010
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mastercard International Incorporated (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mastercard International Incorporated (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Inventors: Malhotra, Sandeep, Killian, Patrick L.
• Granted Patent: US 10,176,477 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/44
• 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

Abstract

A method and system of transferring value from a payer participant of a first online community website to a payee participant of a second online community website through a payment account translation system is provided. The method includes initiating a first payment request, validating that the payer and payee are registered participants of the online community, translating the payer alias into a payer pseudo-account number using business rules and community participant profiles associated with the community website from which the payment request is made, and mapping the payer pseudo-account number to a respective funding/repository account primary account number (PAN). The method further includes transmitting the PANs and a validation code to a payments network for processing through the payments network and approving the transfer of value from the payer to the payee such that the PAN of the payer is unknown to the community website.

Claims

1. A method of transferring value from a payer participant of a first online community website to a payee participant of at least one of the first online community website and a second online community website through a payment account translation system, said method comprising:

initiating a first payment request at a first payer payment application including inputting a payer alias, a payer secret code, a payee alias, and payment data using a mobile or PC browser client, wherein the payer alias and payer secret code are selected by the payer during a first registration of the payer with the first online community website, the first online community website having been previously registered with the payment account translation system and wherein the payee alias is selected by the payee during a second registration process with the at least one of the first online community website and the second online community website;

validating that the payer and payee are registered participants of a respective one of the at least one of the first online community website and the second online community website;

translating the payer alias into a payer pseudo-account number using business rules and community participant profiles associated with the at least one of the first online community website and the second online community website from which the payment request is made;

mapping the payer pseudo-account number to a respective funding/repository account primary account number (PAN);

transmitting the PANs and a validation code to a payments network for processing through the payments network;

approving the transfer of value from the payer to the payee such that the PAN of the payer is unknown to the at least one of the first online community website and the second online community website.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising initiating a second payment request at a second payer payment application of a second online community website, wherein an alias used by the payer at the second online community website is associated with the funding/repository account primary account number.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the validation code is an indication that the inputted secret code has been authenticated.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein mapping the payer pseudo-account number to a respective funding/repository account PAN comprises mapping a plurality of payer pseudo-account numbers to the funding/repository account PAN.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein mapping the payer pseudo-account number to a respective funding/repository account PAN comprises mapping a plurality of payer pseudo-account numbers each associated with a respective one of at least one of the first online community website and the second online community website to the funding/repository account PAN.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of the first online community website and the second online community website operate a proprietary payment system to define business rules and capabilities applied to payment activity specific to that online community website.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising registering a payer with at least one online community website wherein the payer associates the alias and secret code with a payment card account or bank Demand Deposit Account (DDA) as the funding account for use with a payment service of the at least one online community website while maintaining payment credentials of the funding account unknown to a the payment service of the at least one online community website.

8. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

validating by a funding account issuer a payment card account or DDA during the registration process; and

applying issuer-specific business rules prior to approving the use of the payment card account or bank DDA as a funding account for the online community website payment service.

9. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

generating pseudo-account number specific to the payment service associated with the first online community website using the payer alias and secret code;

mapping the pseudo-account number to a payment card account or DDA PAN selected by the payer; and

communicating the pseudo-account number to the online community website payment service provider during the registration process.

10. A method of registering a participant of an online community website for conducting commerce through the online community website, said method comprising:

receiving registration information including an alias name of a potential online community participant and funding account payment credentials associated with the potential online community participant;

validating the funding account payment credentials based on a primary account number (PAN) or DDA;

generating a pseudo account number associated with the validated funding account payment credentials;

associating the pseudo account number with the alias; and

transmitting to the potential online community participant a registration result.

11. A method in accordance with claim 10, wherein receiving registration information comprises receiving by at least one of an online community website and a site payment service associated with the online community website registration information from a potential participant of the online community website.

12. A method in accordance with claim 10, further comprising generating by a payment account translation service a payment authorization request message including a funding account primary account number (PAN) included in the funding account payment credentials.

13. A method in accordance with claim 12, further comprising routing the payment authorization request message to a funding account issuer through a financial card payment network based on the funding account PAN.

14. A method in accordance with claim 10, further comprising routing a payment authorization response message including an approval or decline to the payment account translation service through the financial card payment network.

15. A method in accordance with claim 10, further comprising generating by the payment account translation service a community participant profile in an account mapping data store.

16. A method in accordance with claim 10, further comprising generating by the payment account translation service a pseudo-account number and writing the PAN to a pseudo-account number mapping to account mapping data store.

17. A method in accordance with claim 10, further comprising storing by at least one of the online community website and a site payment service the community participant alias name, community participant registration data, and pseudo-account number to a community participant profile data store received from the payment account translation service.

18. A non-transient computer readable medium encoded with a program configured to instruct a computer to:

receive a first payment request initiated at a first payer payment application including a payer alias, a payer secret code, a payee alias, and payment data, the first payer payment application executed using a mobile or PC browser client, wherein the payer alias and payer secret code are selected by the payer during a first registration of the payer with an online community website, the community website having been previously registered with a payment account translation system and wherein the payee alias is selected by the payee during a second registration process with the community website;

validate that that the payer and payee are registered participants of the online community;

translate the payer alias into a payer pseudo-account number using business rules and community participant profiles associated with the community website from which the payment request is made;

map the payer pseudo-account number to a respective funding/repository account primary account number (PAN);

transmit the PAN and a validation code to a payments network for processing through the payments network;

approve the transfer of value from the payer to the payee such that the PAN of the payer is unknown to the community website.

19. A medium in accordance with claim 18, further configured to instruct a computer to initiate a second payment request at a second payer payment application of a second community website, wherein an alias used by the payer at the second community website is associated with the funding/repository account primary account number.

20. A medium in accordance with claim 18, further configured to instruct a computer to map a plurality of payer pseudo-account numbers to the funding/repository account PAN.