System, Method, and Computer-Readable Storage Medium for Payment of Online Purchases via a Portable Computing Device

• US 20130297390A1
• Filed: 10/11/2012
• Published: 11/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monolith Technologies, Inc. (Purch Group, Inc.), SV Acquisition Holdings, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Shopsavvy
• Inventors: Jaquez, Abiel, Muse, Alexander, Boyd, John, Weathers, Matthew, Roberts, Scott Gordon, Clark, Kevin Henry, Barnes, Rylan
• Granted Patent: US 9,953,314 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.23
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/36 using electronic wallets or electronic money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A system, method, and computer-readable storage medium for enabling an individual to use a purchase-proxy mechanism to conduct a financial transaction from a computing device with an online merchant, whereby the individual is enabled to use stored personal data, such as financial account information and fulfillment information, without having to store the personal data with the online merchant. The system, method, and computer-readable storage medium furthermore enable an individual to change a payment and/or fulfillment option at the time of purchase with minimal inconvenience.

Claims

1. A purchase-proxy computer comprising a processor and a memory storing executable instructions that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the purchase-proxy computer to at least:

receive a product-purchase request from a client device, the product-purchase request indicating a product to be purchased, and including a user-wallet identifier;

access user-wallet data identified by the user-wallet identifier;

receive purchase data from one or more online merchants based upon the user-wallet data, the purchase data including merchant data, price data, and fulfillment data;

cause communication of the purchase data to the client device;

receive purchase-selection data from the client device in response to the purchase data, the purchase-selection data including selection of an online merchant and a fulfillment option for a purchase of the product; and

cause communication of an instruction to the selected online merchant, the instruction being to conduct the purchase of the product according to the selected fulfillment option.

2. The purchase-proxy computer of claim 1, wherein the memory stores further executable instructions that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the purchase-proxy computer to:

select one of a plurality of different types of interfaces for communication of the user-wallet data to an online merchant, the different types of interfaces including a user interface, a mobile user interface or an application programming interface; and

cause communication of the user-wallet data to the respective online merchant via the selected type of interface.

3. The purchase-proxy computer of claim 1, wherein the one or more online merchants include a plurality of online merchants, and wherein the purchase-proxy computer being caused to access user-wallet data further includes being caused to cause communication of the user-wallet data to the online merchants via different types of interfaces of the online merchants, one of the types of interfaces including a user interface or mobile user interface via which the user-wallet data communicable by automated data entry.

4. The purchase-proxy computer of claim 1, wherein the purchase-proxy computer being caused to access the user-wallet data further includes being caused to cause communication of the user-wallet data to the one or more online merchants including the selected online merchant, the user wallet data and instruction being communicated via different types of interfaces of the selected online merchant, one of the types of interfaces including a user interface or mobile user interface via which the user-wallet data communicable by automated data entry.

5. The purchase-proxy computer of claim 1, wherein the user-wallet data includes one or more of credential information, contact information, demographic data, reward card data, financial account data, or a user preference.

6. The purchase-proxy computer of claim 1, wherein the memory stores further executable instructions that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the purchase-proxy computer to receive user-wallet data from the client device, and wherein the purchase-proxy computer being caused to access the user-wallet data includes being caused to access user-wallet data stored at the purchase-proxy computer or received from the client device.

7. The purchase-proxy computer of claim 1, wherein the memory stores further executable instructions that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the purchase-proxy computer to receive incentive data relevant to the product from one or more incentive systems, the instruction communicated to the selected online merchant being to conduct the purchase of the product according to the incentive data.

8. A method to conduct a purchase with an online merchant, the method comprising:

receiving a product-purchase request from a client device, the product-purchase request indicating a product to be purchased, and including a user-wallet identifier;

accessing user-wallet data identified by the user-wallet identifier;

receiving purchase data from one or more online merchants based upon the user-wallet data, the purchase data including merchant data, price data, and fulfillment data;

causing communication of the purchase data to the client device;

receiving purchase-selection data from the client device in response to the purchase data, the purchase-selection data including selection of an online merchant selection and a fulfillment option for a purchase of the product; and

causing communication of an instruction to the selected online merchant, the instruction being to conduct the purchase of the product according to the selected fulfillment option,

wherein receiving the product-purchase request, accessing the user-wallet data, receiving and causing communication of the purchase data, receiving the purchase-selection data and causing communication of the instruction are operations performed by a purchase-proxy computer including a processor and memory storing executable instructions that in response to execution by the processor cause the purchase-proxy computer to perform the respective operations.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

selecting one of a plurality of different types of interfaces for communication of the user-wallet data to an online merchant, the different types of interfaces including a user interface, a mobile user interface or an application programming interface; and

causing communication the user-wallet data to the respective online merchant via the selected type of interface.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more online merchants include a plurality of online merchants, and wherein accessing user-wallet data further includes causing communication of the user-wallet data to the online merchants via different types of interfaces of the online merchants, one of the types of interfaces including a user interface or mobile user interface via which the user-wallet data communicable by automated data entry.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein accessing the user-wallet data further includes causing communication of the user-wallet data to the one or more online merchants including the selected online merchant, the user wallet data and instruction being communicated via different types of interfaces of the selected online merchant, one of the types of interfaces including a user interface or mobile user interface via which the user-wallet data communicable by automated data entry.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the user-wallet data includes one or more of credential information, contact information, demographic data, reward card data, financial account data, or a user preference.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving user-wallet data from the client device, wherein accessing the user-wallet data includes accessing user-wallet data stored at the purchase-proxy computer or received from the client device.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving incentive data relevant to the product from one or more incentive systems, the instruction communicated to the selected online merchant being to conduct the purchase of the product according to the incentive data.

15. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein that, in response to execution by a processor, cause a purchase-proxy computer to at least:

receive a product-purchase request from a client device, the product-purchase request indicating a product to be purchased, and including a user-wallet identifier;

access user-wallet data identified by the user-wallet identifier;

receive purchase data from the one or more online merchants based upon the user-wallet data, the purchase data including merchant data, price data, and fulfillment data;

cause communication of the purchase data to the client device;

receive purchase-selection data from the client device in response to the purchase data, the purchase-selection data including selection of an online merchant and a fulfillment option for a purchase of the product; and

cause communication of an instruction to the selected online merchant, the instruction being to conduct the purchase of the product according to the selected fulfillment option.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 having further computer-readable program code portions stored therein that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the purchase-proxy computer to:

select one of a plurality of different types of interfaces for communication of the user-wallet data to an online merchant, the different types of interfaces including a user interface, a mobile user interface or an application programming interface; and

cause communication of the user-wallet data to the respective online merchant via the selected type of interface.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more online merchants include a plurality of online merchants, and wherein the purchase-proxy computer being caused to access user-wallet data further includes being caused to cause communication of the user-wallet data to the online merchants via different types of interfaces of the online merchants, one of the types of interfaces including a user interface or mobile user interface via which the user-wallet data communicable by automated data entry.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the purchase-proxy computer being caused to access the user-wallet data further includes being caused to cause communication of the user-wallet data to the one or more online merchants including the selected online merchant, the user wallet data and instruction being communicated via different types of interfaces of the selected online merchant, one of the types of interfaces including a user interface or mobile user interface via which the user-wallet data communicable by automated data entry.

19. The purchase-proxy computer of claim 15, wherein the user-wallet data includes one or more of credential information, contact information, demographic data, reward card data, financial account data, or a user preference.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 having further computer-readable program code portions stored therein that, in response to execution by the processor, causes the purchase-proxy computer to receive user-wallet data from the client device, and wherein the purchase-proxy computer being caused to access the user-wallet data includes being caused to access user-wallet data stored at the purchase-proxy computer or received from the client device.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 having further computer-readable program code portions stored therein that, in response to execution by the processor, causes the purchase-proxy computer to receive incentive data relevant to the product from one or more incentive systems, the instruction communicated to the selected online merchant being to conduct the purchase of the product according to the incentive data.