Wide area network person-to-person payment

• US 7,941,346 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Issued: 05/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Western Union
• Original Assignee: Western Union
• Inventors: Karas, Peter M., Sherrard, Jeff D., Neofytides, Cheryl L., Cowell, James E., Milberger, Susan M., Macfarlane, Jackie M., Golub, Matthew F., Dunker, Amy M., Abrahams, Susan F., Yoder, James R., Platte, Eric L., Baig, Aamer Ali
• Primary Examiner(s): Zurita; James
• Application Number:
  US12/241,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20090089210A1
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/37, 705/26.1, 705/37.1
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• 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 20/40 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• 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 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

According to the invention, transferring money using a computer network is disclosed. In one step, information is saved on credit received for a first user (110) in a stored value account on a server computer system (170). At the server computer system (170), a request from the first user (110) to send money to a second user (130) based on the stored value account is received. An electronic notification is sent from the server computer (170) to the second user (130) to notify the second user (130) of the request. A debit in the stored value account of the first user (110) is created. The requested money is sent to the second user (130) upon a receipt of a request at the server computer (170) from the second user (130).

Claims

1. A system for enabling person-to-person payments over a wide area network, the system comprising:

a payment enabler web site that receives input from a payor;

a first stored value account associated with the payor;

a second stored value account associated with a payee;

a first transfer intermediary interface that receives a credit that is applied to the first stored value account; and

a second transfer intermediary interface that transmits the credit from the second stored value account, wherein the payment enabler web site organizes transfer of the credit between a first transfer intermediary, the second stored value account, and a second transfer intermediary.

2. The system for enabling person-to-person payments over the wide area network as recited in claim 1, wherein the first transfer intermediary includes one of a bank, a credit card company, a debit card company, a retail storefront, and a third stored value account.

3. The system for enabling person-to-person payments over the wide area network as recited in claim 1, further comprising a database of counter parties accessible by either the payee or the payor.

4. The system for enabling person-to-person payments over the wide area network as recited in claim 3, wherein the database comprises at least one group of counter parties that can be selected as the payee or the payor for a person-to-person payment.

5. The system for enabling person-to-person payments over the wide area network as recited in claim 3, wherein the database of counter parties accessible by either the payee or the payor comprises previous payees or payors.

6. The system for enabling person-to-person payments over the wide area network as recited in claim 3, wherein the payee is selected by the payor from the database of counter parties.

7. The system for enabling person-to-person payments over the wide area network as recited in claim 3, wherein the payor is selected by the payee from the database of counter parties.

8. The system for enabling person-to-person payments over the wide area network as recited in claim 1, wherein the second transfer intermediary includes at least one of a bank, a credit card company, a debit card company, a retail storefront, a third stored value account, an airline mileage program, a gift certificate issuer, an electronic gift certificate issuer, and a money order issuer.

9. The system for enabling person-to-person payments over the wide area network as recited in claim 1, wherein the first transfer intermediary comprises a plurality of intermediaries.

10. The system for enabling person-to-person payments over the wide area network as recited in claim 1, wherein the second transfer intermediary comprises a plurality of intermediaries.

11. The system for enabling person-to-person payments over the wide area network as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the credit that is applied to the first stored value account is received via a first money transfer method; and

the transmission of the credit from the second stored value account is conducted via a second money transfer method, wherein the second money transfer method is different than the first money transfer method.

12. The system for enabling person-to-person payments over the wide area network as recited in claim 1, wherein the first stored value account and the second stored value account are the same account.

13. The system for enabling person-to-person payments over the wide area network as recited in claim 1, wherein the credit that is applied to the first stored value account is received before the credit from the second stored value account is transmitted.

14. The system for enabling person-to-person payments over the wide area network as recited in claim 1, wherein the credit that is applied to the first stored value account is received after the credit from the second stored value account is transmitted.

15. The system for enabling person-to-person payments over the wide area network as recited in claim 14, wherein a third party to the payment enabler web site assumes a risk associated with the credit not being received and applied to the first stored value account.

16. The system for enabling person-to-person payments over the wide area network as recited in claim 1, wherein transferring of the credit between a first transfer intermediary, the second stored value account, and a second transfer intermediary comprises:

transferring of the credit from the first transfer intermediary to the first stored value account;

transferring of the credit from the first stored value account to the second stored value account; and

transferring of the credit from the second stored value account to the second transfer intermediary.

17. The system for enabling person-to-person payments over the wide area network as recited in claim 1, wherein transferring of the credit between a first transfer intermediary, the second stored value account, and a second transfer intermediary comprises:

transferring of the credit from the first transfer intermediary to the second stored value account; and

transferring of the credit from the second stored value account to the second transfer intermediary.