Systems and methods for facilitating transactions

• US 7,962,406 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Thomas, Tracey R., Sharma, Bansi L., Bishop, Fred
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Jagdish N
• Application Number:
  US12/242,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20090043705A1
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: 705/38, 705/39, 705/26.35
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof

Abstract

A financial account issuer facilitating transactions between accounts is disclosed. The invention provides sellers with an irrevocable method of receiving funds from a purchaser and for improving purchaser willingness to transact with an unknown party. The invention also includes the options of interest payments, the use of different account issuers, different financial accounts, budget transfers, spend compartmentalization, cost-splitting, adjusting credit limits, loans, gifting, intermediary facilitating the transaction, transaction tracking, rapid funds availability, confidential transfer of funds, immediate initiation of shipment by a seller, releasing funds to a seller only after approval of the goods, services, or other value, demonstrating proof of payment, and recourse against a remote seller.

Claims

1. A method for a financial account issuer server to facilitate a transaction, the method comprising:

receiving, by the financial account issuer server, a first application for a first financial account from a first party, wherein the financial account issuer server is a processing engine having a non-transitory memory, and wherein the first application comprises fields which include financial account information for establishing the first financial account and transaction management information relating to facilitating transaction management between the first party and a second party;

facilitating, by the financial account issuer server, creation of the first financial account for the first party and a registration of the first party to participate in the transaction management, wherein the registration includes a first financial account identifier for identifying the first financial account associated with the first party;

obtaining, by the financial account issuer server, first party credit information from at least one of the financial account issuer server or a third party;

determining, by the financial account issuer server, that the first party is eligible for obtaining the first financial account based on the first party credit information and the transaction management information;

obtaining, by the financial account issuer server, first party fraud risk information from at least one of the financial account issuer server or the third party;

determining, by the financial account issuer server, that the first party is eligible to participate in the transaction management based on a fraud risk analysis of the first party fraud risk information;

transmitting, by the financial account issuer server, the first financial account identifier to the first party;

receiving, at the financial account issuer server, a second application for a second financial account from a second party, wherein the second application comprises fields which include financial account information for establishing the second financial account and transaction management information relating to facilitating transaction management between the second party and the first party;

facilitating, by the financial account issuer server, creation of the second financial account for the second party and a registration of the second party to participate in the transaction management, wherein the registration includes a second financial account identifier for identifying the second financial account associated with the second party;

obtaining, by the financial account issuer server, second party credit information from at least one of the financial account issuer server or the third party;

determining, by the financial account issuer server, that the second party is eligible for obtaining the second financial account based on the second party credit information and the transaction management information;

obtaining, by the financial account issuer server, second party fraud risk information from at least one of the financial account issuer server or the third party;

determining, by the financial account issuer server, that the second party is eligible to participate in the transaction management based on a fraud risk analysis of the second party fraud risk information;

transmitting, by the financial account issuer server, the second financial account identifier to the second party;

receiving, by the financial account issuer server, a request to debit a first amount from the first financial account;

receiving, by the financial account issuer server, a request to credit at least a portion of the first amount to the second financial account;

determining, by the financial account issuer server, if at least one of the request to debit the first financial account or the request to credit the second financial account is fraudulent;

facilitating debiting, by the financial account issuer server, the first amount from the first financial account, if the request to debit the first financial account is not fraudulent; and

,

facilitating crediting, by the financial account issuer server, at least a portion of the first amount to the second financial account, if the request to credit the second financial account is not fraudulent.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first amount comprises at least one of a monetary amount, a non-monetary amount, loyalty points, or monetary equivalent value.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising depositing at least a portion of the first amount in an escrow account, prior to crediting at least a portion of the first amount to the second financial account.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving at least one of the request to debit or the request to credit from at least one of a seller, buyer or intermediary.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the financial account issuer server comprises a first financial account issuer server and a second financial account issuer server, and wherein the second financial account issuer server issued the second financial account, wherein the second financial account issuer server is different from the first financial account issuer server.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving registration information from an intermediary.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a selection of the type of at least one of the first financial account or the second financial account, to facilitate the transaction.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein no items are exchanged between the owner of the first financial account and the owner of the second financial account.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising retaining, by the financial account issuer server, a portion of the first amount as a transaction fee.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising debiting, by the financial account issuer server, a transaction fee from at least one of the first financial account or the second financial account.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising analyzing, at the financial account issuer server, previous transactions associated with at least one of the first financial account identifier or the second financial account identifier.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first financial account and the second financial account belong to the same customer.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing, by the financial account issuer server, at least a portion of the first amount from the second financial account.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the debiting is irrevocable.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising tracking the debiting and crediting.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying at least one of the first party associated with the first financial account or the second party associated with the second financial account, in response to at least one of the debiting or the crediting.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing proof of the transaction to at least one of the first party associated with the first financial account or the second party associated with the second financial account, in response to at least one of the debiting or the crediting.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising facilitating dispute resolution between the first party associated with the first financial account and the second party associated with the second financial account.

19. A method for using a financial account issuer server to facilitate a transaction, the method comprising:

sending, by a user computer and to the financial account issuer server, a first financial account identifier associated with a first financial account, wherein the financial account issuer server issued the first financial account;

sending, by the user computer and to the financial account issuer, a request to debit a first amount from the first financial account, wherein the financial account issuer server determines if the request to debit the first financial account is fraudulent, and wherein the financial account issuer server facilitates debiting the first amount from the first financial account if the request to debit the first financial account is not fraudulent;

sending, by the user computer and to the financial account issuer server, a second financial account identifier associated with a second financial account; and

,

sending, by the user computer and to the financial account issuer server, a request to credit at least a portion of the first amount to the second financial account, wherein the financial account issuer server determines if the request to credit the second financial account is fraudulent, and wherein the financial account issuer server facilitates crediting at least a portion of the first amount to the second financial account, if the request to credit the second financial account is not fraudulent,

wherein the financial account issuer server;

receives a first application for the first financial account from a first party, wherein the financial account issuer server is a processing engine having a non-transitory memory, and wherein the first application comprises fields which include financial account information for establishing the first financial account and transaction management information relating to facilitating transaction management between the first party and a second party;

facilitates creation of the first financial account for the first party and a registration of the first party to participate in the transaction management, wherein the registration includes the first financial account identifier for identifying the first financial account associated with the first party;

obtains first party credit information from at least one of the financial account issuer server or a third party;

determines that the first party is eligible for obtaining the first financial account based on the first party credit information and the transaction management information;

obtains first party fraud risk information from at least one of the financial account issuer server or the third party;

determines that the first party is eligible to participate in the transaction management based on a fraud risk analysis of the first party fraud risk information;

transmits the first financial account identifier to the first party;

receives a second application for the second financial account from a second party, wherein the second application comprises fields which include financial account information for establishing the second financial account and transaction management information relating to facilitating transaction management between the second party and the first party;

facilitates creation of the second financial account for the second party and a registration of the second party to participate in the transaction management, wherein the registration includes the second financial account identifier for identifying the second financial account associated with the second party;

obtains second party credit information from at least one of the financial account issuer server or the third party;

determines that the second party is eligible for obtaining the second financial account based on the second party credit information and the transaction management information;

obtains second party fraud risk information from at least one of the financial account issuer server or the third party;

determines that the second party is eligible to participate in the transaction management based on a fraud risk analysis of the second party fraud risk information; and

transmits the second financial account identifier to the second party.

20. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory, tangible computer readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions for a financial account issuer server to facilitate a transaction that, in response to execution by a computer-based system, cause the computer-based system to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the financial account issuer server, a first application for a first financial account from a first party, wherein the financial account issuer server is a processing engine having a non-transitory memory, and wherein the first application comprises fields which include financial account information for establishing the first financial account and transaction management information relating to facilitating transaction management between the first party and a second party;

facilitating, by the financial account issuer server, creation of the first financial account for the first party and a registration of the first party to participate in the transaction management, wherein the registration includes a first financial account identifier for identifying the first financial account associated with the first party;

obtaining, by the financial account issuer server, first party credit information from at least one of the financial account issuer server or a third party;

determining, by the financial account issuer server, that the first party is eligible for obtaining the first financial account based on the first party credit information and the transaction management information;

obtaining, by the financial account issuer server, first party fraud risk information from at least one of the financial account issuer server or the third party;

determining, by the financial account issuer server, that the first party is eligible to participate in the transaction management based on a fraud risk analysis of the first party fraud risk information;

transmitting, by the financial account issuer server, the first financial account identifier to the first party;

receiving, at the financial account issuer server, a second application for a second financial account from a second party, wherein the second application comprises fields which include financial account information for establishing the second financial account and transaction management information relating to facilitating transaction management between the second party and the first party;

facilitating, by the financial account issuer server, creation of the second financial account for the second party and a registration of the second party to participate in the transaction management, wherein the registration includes a second financial account identifier for identifying the second financial account associated with the second party;

obtaining, by the financial account issuer server, second party credit information from at least one of the financial account issuer server or the third party;

determining, by the financial account issuer server, that the second party is eligible for obtaining the second financial account based on the second party credit information and the transaction management information;

obtaining, by the financial account issuer server, second party fraud risk information from at least one of the financial account issuer server or the third party;

determining, by the financial account issuer server, that the second party is eligible to participate in the transaction management based on a fraud risk analysis of the second party fraud risk information;

transmitting, by the financial account issuer server, the second financial account identifier to the second party;

receiving, by the financial account issuer server, a request to debit a first amount from the first financial account;

receiving, by the financial account issuer server, a request to credit at least a portion of the first amount to the second financial account;

determining, by the financial account issuer server, if at least one of the request to debit the first financial account or the request to credit the second financial account is fraudulent;

facilitating debiting, by the financial account issuer server, the first amount from the first financial account, if the request to debit the first financial account is not fraudulent; and

,

facilitating crediting, by the financial account issuer server, at least a portion of the first amount to the second financial account, if the request to credit the second financial account is not fraudulent.