User-to-user payment service with payee-specific pay pages
First Claim
1. A server system for providing a user-to-user payment service, the system comprising:
- a pay page generation module which provides functionality for payees to remotely generate, via a web browser, customized pay pages for receiving payments from other users;
a server that provides access to a plurality of payee-specific pay pages generated using the pay page generation module, said payee-specific pay pages including content specified by the corresponding payees, each pay page corresponding to a respective payee, and being accessible at a respective Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that contains an identifier of the respective payee, said URLs of the pay pages otherwise being identical, wherein the pay pages include functionality for allowing pay page visitors to enter payment amounts and to initiate payments to corresponding payees, and are capable of being used to make payments that are not associated with sales transactions;
a transaction processing module which is responsive to a payment request, said payment request initiated by a pay page visitor using a pay page accessed via said server, by transferring funds from an account of the visitor to an account of a payee associated with the accessed pay page, and by redirecting a browser of the visitor to a URL pre-specified by the payee; and
a link generation module which provides functionality for payees to define links to their respective pay pages and to make such links available, via the server system, for other users to install within external web pages.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A network-based payment service provides various features for facilitating online, user-to-user payments. One feature involves the ability for users to define customized pay pages for receiving payments from other users. The pay pages are preferably hosted by a service provider site that handles the collection process, and may be created using pay page templates that specify the layouts and behaviors of the pay pages. In one embodiment, a pay page owner can also define one or more “pay boxes” to allow payments to be initiated from other web sites, which may include the web sites of associates who receive commissions on resulting payments. Another feature involves the ability for users to make single-action payments from web sites external to the service provider site. Also disclosed are various features for controlling access to content and services based on whether, or an extent to which, a visitor has made voluntary or mandatory payments.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. A server system for providing a user-to-user payment service, the system comprising:
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a pay page generation module which provides functionality for payees to remotely generate, via a web browser, customized pay pages for receiving payments from other users; a server that provides access to a plurality of payee-specific pay pages generated using the pay page generation module, said payee-specific pay pages including content specified by the corresponding payees, each pay page corresponding to a respective payee, and being accessible at a respective Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that contains an identifier of the respective payee, said URLs of the pay pages otherwise being identical, wherein the pay pages include functionality for allowing pay page visitors to enter payment amounts and to initiate payments to corresponding payees, and are capable of being used to make payments that are not associated with sales transactions; a transaction processing module which is responsive to a payment request, said payment request initiated by a pay page visitor using a pay page accessed via said server, by transferring funds from an account of the visitor to an account of a payee associated with the accessed pay page, and by redirecting a browser of the visitor to a URL pre-specified by the payee; and a link generation module which provides functionality for payees to define links to their respective pay pages and to make such links available, via the server system, for other users to install within external web pages. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 36, 37, 38)
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19. A method of effecting network based user-to-user payments, comprising:
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providing a web-based service for users to set up customized, payee-specific pay pages to receive payments from other users; hosting a plurality of payee-specific pay pages on a web site associated with said service, said pay pages created via said service, at least some of the pay pages corresponding to different payees than others, said pay pages including content specified by corresponding payees; generating, via a link generation tool of said web-based service, link coding that is adapted to be incorporated into an external web page to install a payment object on the external web page, said payment object providing a link to a particular one of said payee-specific pay pages; receiving, at a server of said web site, a page request from a browser of a visitor, said page request initiated by said visitor using the payment object as installed on the external web page via said link coding, wherein the page request identifies said payee-specific pay page; returning the pay page to the browser for display to the visitor, wherein the pay page includes a link for initiating payment to a payee associated with the pay page, and includes a field for the visitor to specify an amount of the payment, said pay page not associated with a sales transaction; in response to selection of the link, initiating a payment transaction to transfer funds from an account of the visitor to an account of the payee; and redirecting the browser of the visitor to an external URL pre-specified by the payee. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 39, 40)
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31. A computer-implemented method of effecting user-to-user payments, comprising, through a service provider site:
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providing a service for payees to generate customized pay pages for receiving payments from other users; receiving and storing pay page settings specified by a payee through the service, said pay page settings specifying content and a behavior of a payee-specific pay page of the payee, said pay page not being associated with a sales transaction; generating and outputting link coding that is adapted to be incorporated into an external web page to install a payment object on the external web page, said payment object providing a link to said payee-specific pay page; generating, and outputting to a visitor, a customized version of the pay page indicating a single action to be performed by the visitor within the pay page to pay the payee; and responding to performance by the visitor of the single action by at least (a) initiating payment, and (b) redirecting a browser of the visitor to an external page pre-specified by the payee, said external page being a page that is not hosted by the service provider site. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification