Merchant cash payment systems and methods

• US 7,487,127 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Issued: 02/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: First Data Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated), Western Union
• Original Assignee: First Data Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated), Western Union
• Inventors: Wilber, Richard G., Karas, Peter M., Mascavage, John Joseph III, Weichert, Margaret Morgan, Hansen, David L., Baumgart, Mark D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Colbert; Ella
• Application Number:
  US10/262,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20030187791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,318 Days
• Field of Search: 705/35, 705/39, 705/40
• US Class Current: 705/40
• 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 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/381 Currency conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A method for facilitating the sale of goods or services comprises receiving at an ordering system payment information relating to a payment instrument that is being used to purchase a good or a service from a merchant. The ordering system transmits a message to the merchant that includes information on the good or service being purchased to permit the merchant to provide the good or service. Funds are collected from an account associated with the payment instrument, and the ordering system transmits to a money transfer computer system information useable by the money transfer computer system to provide a cash payment to the merchant.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for facilitating the sale of goods or services, the method comprising:

receiving, at an ordering system, payment information relating to a payment instrument being used to provide payment over the Internet for purchase of a good or a service;

transmitting from the ordering system a message to a merchant that includes information on the good or service being purchased to permit the merchant to provide the good or service;

collecting funds from an account associated with the payment instrument; and

transmitting a money transfer request from the ordering system to a money transfer computer system operable to process requests to transfer monetary values to designated recipients independently of a banking account of the recipients, the money transfer request including information usable by the money transfer computer system to provide a cash payment to the merchant for the Internet purchase, so that a cash payment is made rather than a deposit to a bank account of the merchant.

2. A computer-implemented method as in claim 1, wherein the information relating to the payment instrument is received from a web server computer system of the ordering system that hosts a website that offers the good or service for sale over a network and which collects a payment instrument number.

3. A computer-implemented method as in claim 1, wherein the information relating to the payment instrument is received from a customer computer at a host payment computer system of the ordering system and comprises a payment instrument number.

4. A computer-implemented method as in claim 1, further comprising transmitting from the ordering system to a merchant bank a request for authorization to charge the account associated with the payment instrument.

5. A computer-implemented method as in claim 4, further comprising receiving at the ordering system an authorization to charge the account.

6. The computer-implemented method as in claim 5, wherein the payment instrument is a credit card, debit card or the like, whereby a customer may use a payment instrument account for the Internet purchase, and whereby the merchant may receive payment for the purchase through the money transfer computer system in the form of cash without payment attributable to the purchase from a card issuer being paid into a banking account of the merchant.

7. A computer-implemented method as in claim 1, further comprising shipping the good from the merchant to the customer.

8. A computer-implemented method as in claim 1, wherein the funds are collected by transmitting from the ordering system to a merchant bank a ticket requesting payment, and by transferring funds from the merchant bank to a host account.

9. A computer-implemented method as in claim 8, further comprising transmitting the ticket to an issuing bank to permit the issuing bank to pay the merchant bank and to bill the account of the customer.

10. A computer-implemented method as in claim 8, further comprising transmitting funds from the host account to an account associated with money transfer computer system.

11. A computer-implemented method as in claim 1, further comprising transmitting to the merchant from the ordering system or from the money transfer computer system a cash pick-up identifier.

12. A computer-implemented method as in claim 11, further comprising receiving the cash pick-up identifier at a money transfer location computer, transmitting the identifier to the money transfer computer system for verification, and providing the cash payment to the merchant.

13. A method for facilitating the sale of goods or services using a payment instrument over the Internet, the method comprising:

receiving at a money transfer computer system a request to make a cash payment to a merchant independently of a banking account of the merchant;

transmitting from the money transfer computer system to the merchant a cash pick-up identifier; and

receiving at a money transfer location the cash pick-up identifier from the merchant; and

making the cash payment to the merchant rather than a deposit to a bank account of the merchant.

14. A method as in claim 13, further comprising receiving a reimbursement into an account associated with the money transfer computer system based on the cash payment.

15. A computerized system for facilitating the sale of goods or services, the computerized system comprising:

an ordering computer system having at least one computer readable storage medium having at least one computer-readable program for operation of the ordering computer system; and

wherein the ordering computer system is configured;

to receive and store payment information relating to a payment instrument being used to provide payment over the Internet for purchase of good or a service from a merchant;

to transmit to the merchant a message that includes information on the good or service being purchased;

to receive collection information on funds collected from an account associated with the payment instrument; and

to transmit a money transfer request to a money transfer computer system operable to process requests to transfer monetary values to designated recipients independently of banking accounts of the recipients, the money transfer request including information usable by the money transfer system to provide a cash payment to the merchant for the Internet purchase rather than a deposit to a bank account of the merchant.

16. A computerized system as in claim 15, wherein the ordering computer system further comprises a server computer that is configured to produce web pages on a customer computer to permit a customer to enter and transmit ordering information back to the server computer.

17. A computerized system as in claim 15, wherein the ordering computer system further comprises a host payment computer system that is configured to receive the payment information, to transmit an authorization request to a merchant bank to charge the account associated with the payment instrument, and to receive an authorization to charge the account.

18. A computerized system as in claim 17, wherein the host payment computer system is further configured to transmit to the merchant bank a ticket requesting payment for the purchase.

19. A computerized system as in claim 17, wherein the host payment computer system is further configured to transmit to the merchant and to the money transfer computer system a cash pick-up identifier.