Methods and systems for payment transactions in a mobile environment

• US 8,160,959 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2006
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Firethorn Mobile, Inc. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rackley, Brady Lee III, Porter, Warren Derek, Rickman, Gregory Michael, Cochran, Kyle Leighton
• Primary Examiner(s): Monfeldt, Sarah
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shaikh, Mohammad Z
• Application Number:
  US11/428,857
• Publication Number:
  US 20080010190A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,112 Days
• Field of Search: 705 35- 42
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/042 characterized in that the payment protocol involves at least one cheque
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/223 based on the use of peer-to-peer networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3221 Access to banking information through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/325 using wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/326 Payment applications installed on the mobile devices

Abstract

Methods and systems for conducting financial transactions in a mobile environment utilizing a mobile device such as a mobile telephone or wireless connected personal digital assistant (PDA) that communicates with a mobile financial transaction system (MFTS) that stores user and transaction information. The MFTS receives information on behalf of a mobile device user corresponding to bills to pay or other payments to make. The MFTS also receives information corresponding to payment sources available for use in making payments. Selected payments information and payment source information are communicated to the mobile user via a wireless network and displayed for user selection. The user selects a payment to make and a payment source. A mobile payment instruction is generated and communicated to the MFTS. The MFTS instructs a payment instruction recipient to make a payment to an identified payee. Real-time updated account and payment balances are provided to the user'"'"'s mobile device.

Claims

1. A mobile phone comprising:

a display for presenting information relating to a plurality of selectable payment sources, each payment source comprising a financial service provider at which one or more accounts are maintained, a plurality of selectable payment methods, and a plurality of selectable payments to make, the plurality of selectable payments to make comprises unpaid payment obligations of a mobile phone user;

a user input for receiving user selection of a payment source from the plurality of selectable payment sources, user selection of a payment method from the plurality of selectable payment methods, and user selection of a payment to make from the plurality of selectable payments to make, the plurality of selectable payment methods includes a recipient-defined method;

a wireless communications component for communicating with a mobile financial transaction system (MFTS) via a wireless network; and

a mobile phone processor operative to;

receive summarized payment to make information from the MFTS transmitted wirelessly to the mobile phone via the wireless communications component, the summarized payment to make information comprising a predetermined selected subset of the payment to make information stored at the MFTS;

present information on the mobile phone display corresponding to the plurality of selectable payments to make, the plurality of selectable payments to make including the summarized payment to make information received from the MFTS;

present information on the mobile phone display corresponding to the plurality of selectable payment sources for making a payment;

present information on the mobile phone display corresponding to the plurality of selectable payment methods for making the payment, the plurality of selectable payment methods comprises a plurality of financial instruments for effecting the payment to a payee;

receive via the user, input corresponding to selection of a payment to make from the plurality of selectable payments to make, selection of a payment source from the plurality of selectable payment sources, and selection of a payment method from the plurality of selectable payment methods for making the payment, the plurality of selectable payment methods includes a recipient-defined method;

generate a mobile payment instruction comprising information corresponding to the selected payment to make, the selected payment source, and the selected payment method for making the payment; and

wirelessly communicate the mobile payment instruction via the wireless communications component to the MFTS for effecting the payment to an identified payee associated with the selected payment to make via the selected payment method.

2. The phone of claim 1, wherein the information corresponding to the plurality of selectable payment sources displayed at the mobile phone comprises summarized payment source information.

3. The phone of claim 1, wherein the payment to make information is provided to the MFTS by an external source, is input via an Internet-accessible web site accessible for input of payment to make information and payee information, or is input at the mobile phone.

4. The phone of claim 3, wherein the external source for the payment to make information is selected from the group comprising:

a bill presentment system that provides bill information from a plurality of billing entities or an individual billing entity.

5. The phone of claim 1, wherein the payment to make information comprises information corresponding to one or more of the following:

a recurring bill, a bill from a billing aggregator, a bill from an individual billing company, a “

pay anyone”

payment.

6. The phone of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying information corresponding to one or more payments to make is provided in response to user activation of a “

View Bills”

function.

7. The phone of claim 1, wherein the display of information corresponding to the plurality of selectable payments to make is provided in response to receipt at the mobile phone of a text message from the MFTS.

8. The phone of claim 1, wherein the mobile phone further comprises mobile phone software comprising a Mobile Wallet application operative on the mobile phone processor.

9. The phone of claim 8, wherein the Mobile Wallet application provides a display on the mobile phone of selectable commands including one or more of a View Bills command, a View Payment Sources command, and a Pay Bill(s) command.

10. The phone of claim 9, wherein the user input corresponding to selection of a payment to make is provided in response to display of a View Bills command.

11. The phone of claim 9, wherein user activation of the View Bills selectable command causes the MFTS to retrieve payment to make information from a bill presentment system and communicate the summarized payment to make information to the mobile phone upon receipt of the payment to make information from the bill presentment system.

12. The phone of claim 9, wherein the user input corresponding to selection of a payment source for making a payment is provided in response to display of a View Payment Sources command.

13. The phone of claim 12, wherein the selection of a payment source for making a payment includes selection of a financial service provider and selection of a particular account associated with the selected financial service provider for making the payment.

14. The phone of claim 9, wherein user activation of the View Payment Sources command causes the MFTS to retrieve current account information from one or more financial service providers and communicate the current account information to the mobile phone upon receipt of such information from the one or more financial service providers.

15. The phone of claim 1, wherein the identified payee corresponds to a billing entity that communicated bill information to the MFTS.

16. The phone of claim 1, wherein the summarized payment to make information communicated to the mobile phone from the MFTS is limited to a payee identifier, an amount, and a due date.

17. The phone of claim 16, wherein the mobile phone utilizes the payee identifier in the summarized payment to make information and retrieves payee name information from a mobile phone local memory corresponding to an identified payee and displays the payee name information on the mobile phone display.

18. The phone of claim 1, wherein the mobile phone processor is further operative to receive a payment confirmation message provided by the MFTS in response to receipt of a payment confirmation message from a selected financial service provider at a predetermined stage of completion of making the payment.

19. The phone of claim 1, wherein the plurality of selectable payment methods includes:

an ACH funds transfer, a paper check, a credit to a financial account, a wire transfer, a money order, a default method, and a stored value (SV) card.

20. The phone of claim 1, wherein the mobile financial payment includes a balance transfer from one account to another account.

21. The phone of claim 1, wherein the mobile phone stores a cached account balance in the mobile phone representative of the balance in at least one account as of a particular date;

wherein the mobile phone receives updated account balance information for the account; and

wherein in response to receipt of updated account balance information, the mobile phone displays updated account balance information corresponding to the account.

22. A method for making a mobile financial payment via a mobile phone, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving summarized payment to make information from a mobile financial transaction system (MFTS) transmitted wirelessly to the mobile phone, the summarized payment to make information comprising a predetermined selected subset of the payment to make information stored at the MFTS and corresponding to a plurality of payments to make to one or more payees;

displaying information on the mobile phone corresponding to a plurality of selectable payments to make, the plurality of selectable payments to make including the summarized payment to make information received from the MFTS, the plurality of selectable payments to make comprises unpaid payment obligations of a mobile phone user;

displaying information on the mobile phone corresponding to a plurality of selectable payment sources for making a payment, each payment source comprising a financial service provider at which one or more accounts are maintained;

displaying information on the mobile phone corresponding to a plurality of selectable payment methods for making the payment, the plurality of selectable payment methods comprises a plurality of financial instruments for effecting the payment to a payee;

receiving user input at the mobile phone corresponding to selection of a payment to make from the plurality of selectable payments to make, selection of a payment source from the plurality of selectable payment sources, and selection of a payment method from the plurality of selectable payment methods for making the payment, the plurality of selectable payment methods includes a recipient-defined method;

generating a mobile payment instruction at the mobile phone comprising information corresponding to the selected payment to make, the selected payment source, and the selected payment method for making the payment; and

wirelessly communicating the mobile payment instruction to the MFTS for effecting the payment to an identified payee associated with the selected payment to make via the selected payment method.

23. A mobile phone system for making a mobile financial payment via a wireless network, the system comprising:

means for receiving summarized payment to make information from a mobile financial transaction system (MFTS) transmitted wirelessly to the mobile phone, the summarized payment to make information comprising a predetermined selected subset of the payment to make information stored at the MFTS and corresponding to a plurality of payments to make to one or more payees;

a mobile phone display for presenting information corresponding to a plurality of selectable payments to make, the plurality of selectable payments to make including the summarized payment to make information received from the MFTS, the plurality of selectable payments to make comprises unpaid payment obligations of a mobile phone user;

the mobile phone display for presenting information corresponding to a plurality of selectable payment sources for making a payment;

the mobile phone display for presenting information corresponding to a plurality of selectable payment methods for making the payment, the plurality of selectable payment methods comprises a plurality of financial instruments for effecting the payment to a payee;

means for receiving user input at the mobile phone corresponding to selection of a payment to make from the plurality of selectable payments to make, selection of a payment source from the plurality of selectable payment sources, and selection of a payment method from the plurality of selectable payment methods for making the payment, the plurality of selectable payment methods includes a recipient-defined method;

means for generating a mobile payment instruction at the mobile phone comprising information corresponding to the selected payment to make, the selected payment source, and the selected payment method for making the payment; and

means for wirelessly communicating the mobile payment instruction to the MFTS for effecting the payment to an identified payee associated with the selected payment to make via the selected payment method.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that is usable by a mobile phone, the non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

receiving summarized payment to make information from a mobile financial transaction system (MFTS) transmitted wirelessly to the mobile phone, the summarized payment to make information comprising a predetermined selected subset of the payment to make information stored at the MFTS and corresponding to a plurality of payments to make to one or more payees, the plurality of payments to make comprises unpaid payment obligations of a mobile phone user;

displaying information on the mobile phone corresponding to a plurality of selectable payments to make, the plurality of selectable payments to make including the summarized payment to make information received from the MFTS;

displaying information on the mobile phone corresponding to a plurality of selectable payment sources for making a payment, each payment source comprising a financial service provider at which one or more accounts are maintained;

displaying information on the mobile phone corresponding to a plurality of selectable payment methods for making the payment, the plurality of selectable payment methods comprises a plurality of financial instruments for effecting the payment to a payee;

receiving user input at the mobile phone corresponding to selection of a payment to make from the plurality of selectable payments to make, selection of a payment source from the plurality of selectable payment sources, and selection of a payment method from the plurality of selectable payment methods for making the payment, the plurality of selectable payment methods includes a recipient-defined method;

generating a mobile payment instruction at the mobile phone comprising information corresponding to the selected payment to make, the selected payment source, and the selected payment method for making the payment; and

wirelessly communicating the mobile payment instruction to the MFTS for effecting the payment to an identified payee associated with the selected payment to make via the selected payment method.