Payment service capable of being integrated with merchant sites

• US 8,160,935 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2011
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• 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:
  US13/006,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20110173096A1
• Time in Patent Office: 460 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1, 705/27, 705/26.41, 709/203, 715/205, 715/760
• 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 providing a payment service, the method comprising:

registering a user and a 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 a merchant site of said merchant, said service being separate from the merchant site;

receiving, at the server, a request to use the service to perform a purchase transaction, said request generated in response to a user action performed by the user on the merchant site;

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

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

in response to the order message, charging the user 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 is performed in its entirety by said computer-implemented service.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating information regarding the user 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 user comprises 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.

5. The method of claim 4, 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 the 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 a product 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. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to use the service is received by the server from a user computing device of the user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the request to use the service includes a cookie that identifies the user, said cookie associated with said first network domain.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising, by said server, authenticating the user using authentication information entered by the user in connection with said order.

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

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

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

said server system configured to;

receive a request to use the service to perform a purchase transaction initiated by a user on a merchant site of a merchant, said merchant and said user registered with the service, said merchant site operating in a second network domain that is separate from the first network domain;

respond to the request by generating and returning a purchase object for display to the user on a page of the merchant site, said purchase object being selectable by the user to place an order with the merchant;

receive an order message generated in response to user selection of the purchase object as displayed on said page, said order message representing an order placed by the user for fulfillment by the merchant; and

charge an account of said user for the order such that the user is charged by said service on behalf of the merchant, whereby the service acts as a payment intermediary between the user and the merchant.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the server system is further configured to communicate a shipping address of the user to the merchant to enable the merchant to fulfill the order.

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

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the single-action purchase object is a single-action purchase frame.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the server system is configured to collect credit card information of the user, and to use the credit card information to charge the user for the order.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the server system is further configured to personalize the purchase object with a name of the user.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the server system is further configured to charge the merchant a commission for using the service to collect payment from the user.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the server system is further configured to process a cookie received with the request, said cookie identifying the user.