Dynamic content for online transactions

• US 8,028,041 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2007
• Issued: 09/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Tanaka, Ray, Vella, Roy, Tien, Alan, Olliphant, Hugo
• Primary Examiner(s): WASEL, MOHAMED A
• Application Number:
  US11/697,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20070245022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/225, 709217-219, 705/35
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/227 characterised in that multiple accounts are available, e.g. to the payer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• 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 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like

Abstract

Various methods and systems provide dynamic content to users of online payment service providers without requiring users to log in or otherwise actively engage the payment service providers. In one example, a method includes providing a client device with access to an online marketplace over a network. The method also includes facilitating transmission of a user identifier stored by the client device to a payment service provider. The method further includes receiving dynamic content from the payment service provider in response to the user identifier. In addition, the method includes serving the dynamic content to the client device over the network.

Claims

1. A method of providing dynamic content, wherein the method is performed by a merchant system, the method comprising:

providing a client device with access to an online marketplace over a network;

receiving at the merchant system a user identifier stored by the client device, wherein the user identifier is associated with a user account maintained by a payment service provider system;

passing the user identifier from the merchant system over the network to the payment service provider system;

receiving dynamic content at the merchant system over the network from the payment service provider system in response to the user identifier, wherein the dynamic content is determined by the payment service provider system; and

serving the dynamic content from the merchant system over the network to the client device without requiring a user of the client device to actively engage with the payment service provider.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising reading the user identifier from the client device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing instructions to the payment service provider system to permit the payment service provider system to read the user identifier, wherein the passing is performed in response to an execution of the instructions by the payment service provider system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising embedding the dynamic content in a webpage, wherein the serving comprises serving the webpage having the embedded dynamic content to the user device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising filtering out user-identifiable information from the dynamic content prior to the serving.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic content comprises text.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic content comprises a graphic image.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic content identifies rating information associated with a merchant associated with the merchant system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic content identifies the existence of an account balance associated with the user account.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user identifier is a cookie stored by the client device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the user identifier is a registry entry of the client device.

12. A method of providing dynamic content, wherein the method is performed by a payment service provider system, the method comprising:

maintaining a user account comprising financial information associated with a user of a client device;

receiving a user identifier from a merchant system over a network;

associating the user identifier with the user account;

determining dynamic content to be provided to the user client device from the merchant system; and

serving the dynamic content from the payment service provider system over the network to the merchant system in response to the user identifier without requiring the user of the client device to actively engage with the payment service provider.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving user browsing information from the merchant system over the network, wherein the determining is performed using the browsing information.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising filtering out user-identifiable information from the dynamic content prior to the serving.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the dynamic content comprises text.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the dynamic content comprises a graphic image.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the dynamic content corresponds to rating information associated with a merchant associated with the merchant system.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the dynamic content identifies the existence of an account balance associated with the user account.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the user identifier is a cookie stored by the client device.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the user identifier is a registry entry of the client device.