Payment service capable of being invoked from merchant sites

• US 7,877,299 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2009
• Issued: 01/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Bui, Hong Q.
• Primary Examiner(s): Frenel; Vanel
• Application Number:
  US12/357,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20090157531A1
• Time in Patent Office: 734 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 713/170, 726/6
• US Class Current: 705/26.41
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• 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 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers

Abstract

A computer-implemented service acts as an intermediary between merchant sites and users thereof, and enables the users to purchase items on the merchant sites without having to create accounts with such sites. A user may invoke the service from a web page of a merchant site, and complete a purchase transaction, without having to browse away from the merchant site. The service may either forward the user'"'"'s payment information to the merchant'"'"'s system to enable the merchant to charge the customer, or may charge the user on behalf of the merchant. In some implementations, the service enables users to make single-action purchases from the merchant sites.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of enabling a user to order an item from a merchant site of a merchant, the method comprising:

registering the user and the merchant with a computer-implemented service that acts as a payment intermediary between users and merchants, said service comprising a server that operates in a first network domain that is separate from a network domain of the merchant site, said service being separate from the merchant site;

sending a cookie associated with said service and said first network domain to a user computing device of the user for storage thereon;

subsequently, receiving, with said server, a request generated by a browser running on the user computing device, said request including the cookie, said request generated by the browser in response to a link included in a web page of the merchant site;

responding to the request with said server by generating and returning a purchase object for display on the web page of the merchant site, said purchase object being selectable by the user to order the item from the merchant;

receiving, with said server, an order request message generated by said user computing device in response to user selection of the purchase object as displayed by the browser on the web page, said order request message representing an order placed by the user for said item; and

in response to the order request message, charging the user for the item on behalf of the merchant, such that the user is charged by said service with said service acting as a payment intermediary between the user and the merchant;

wherein the method, including registering the user and the merchant, sending the cookie, receiving the request, responding to the request by generating and returning the purchase object, receiving the order request message, and charging the user on behalf of the merchant, is performed by said computer-implemented service.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating information regarding the order from said service to a computer system associated with the merchant to enable the merchant to fulfill the order.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the information regarding the order comprises an identifier of the item and a shipping address of the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the purchase object is a single-action purchase object that is selectable by the user to complete a purchase of the item.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the single-action purchase object is a single-action purchase frame.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein registering the user and the merchant with the service comprises receiving information submitted by the user and the merchant via web forms of the service.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the information submitted by the user comprises payment information of the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the purchase object comprises personalizing the purchase object with a name of said user such that the user'"'"'s name appears on the web page of the merchant site.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the purchase object comprises generating a URL-encoded purchase link that includes an identifier of the item and an identifier of the merchant.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing the merchant to be charged a commission for using the service to collect payment from the user.

11. A system that enables customers to order items from merchant sites, the system comprising:

a server system that hosts a service web site, said service web site providing functionality for customers to register with a service that acts as a payment intermediary between customers and merchant sites, said server system operating in a first network domain; and

a data repository that stores information regarding customers and merchants that are registered with the service;

said server system operative to;

cause a cookie associated with the service and said first network domain to be written to a customer computing device of a customer of the service;

subsequently, receive a request generated by a browser running on the customer computing device, said request including the cookie, said request generated by the browser in response to a link included in a web page of a merchant site that operates in a second network domain, said merchant site associated with a merchant, said merchant site being separate from the server system and service web site;

respond to the request by generating and returning an object for display on the web page of the merchant site, said object being selectable by the customer to order the item from the merchant;

receive an order message generated by said customer computing device in response to customer selection of the object as displayed by the browser on the web page of the merchant site, said order message representing an order placed by the customer for said item; and

in response to said order message, charge the customer for the order on behalf of the merchant, such that the service operates as a payment intermediary between the customer and the merchant.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the server system is further operative to send information regarding the order to a computer system associated with the merchant site to enable the merchant to fulfill the order.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the information regarding the order comprises an identifier of the item and a shipping address of the customer.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the object is a single-action purchase object that is selectable by the customer to complete a purchase of the item.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the service web site additionally provides functionality for merchants to register to use the service to conduct transactions with registered customers.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the server system is operative to personalize the object with a name of said customer.

17. A system that enables customers to order items from merchants, the system comprising:

a server system that hosts a service that acts as a payment intermediary between customers and merchant systems, said server system operating in a first network domain; and

a data repository that stores information regarding customers and merchants that are registered with the service;

said server system operative to;

cause a customer identifier to be written to a customer computing device of a customer of the service, said customer identifier associated with the first network domain;

subsequently, receive a request generated by a client running on the customer computing device, said request including the customer identifier, said request generated by the client in response to a reference included in a document served by a merchant system that operates in a second network domain, said merchant system associated with a merchant, said merchant system being separate from said server system;

respond to the request by generating and returning an object for display in the document, said object being selectable by the customer to order the item from the merchant;

receive an order message generated by said customer computing device in response to customer selection of the object as displayed by the client in the document, said order message representing an order placed by the customer for said item; and

cause the customer to be charged for the order, and cause the merchant to be paid for said order, such that the service acts as a payment intermediary between the customer and the merchant.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the document is a web page.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the server system is additionally operative to send information regarding the order to the merchant to enable the merchant to fulfill the order, said information including an identifier of the item and a shipping address of the customer.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the server system hosts a web site that provides functionality for (1) merchants to register online to use the service to collect payments from customers, and (2) customers to register online to use the service to make payments.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the web site is operative to provide the customer with a page that displays a history of payments made by the customer to merchants via the service.