Multi-party payment object oriented system and method
First Claim
1. A server for accommodating multiple party payments for a single item in an e-commerce transaction, said server comprising:
- a processor with a communications device;
vendor software module capable of execution on said processor, said vendor software module adapted to receive payment requirements from a vendor via said communications device, and to receive payment parameters from an initiator via said communications device, said payment parameters including an item payment amount and an identification of at least one contributor;
contributor software module capable of execution on said processor, said contributor software module adapted to obtain payment information from at least two of the initiator and the at least one contributor wherein said payment information is sufficient to authorize the commitment of points to a transaction; and
aggregation software module capable of execution on said processor, said aggregation software module adapted to send a participation message via said communications device to at least one contributor, said participation message including information on the item, the item payment amount, and directions for the contributor to interact with said contributor software module, said aggregation software module further maintaining a total of committed points and initiating a payment transaction when the committed points are sufficient to pay the vendor the item payment amount.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention involves a server for accommodating multiple payments in an e-commerce transaction. The server includes a processor with a communications device and software modules. The vendor software module is adapted to receive payment requirements from a vendor via the communications device, and also to receive payment parameters from an initiator. The payment parameters include an item payment amount and an identification of at least one contributor. The contributor software module is adapted to obtain payment information from at least one of the initiator and the contributors wherein the payment information is sufficient to authorize the commitment of funds to a transaction. The aggregation software module is adapted to send participation messages via the communications device to at least one contributor. The participation messages include information on the item, the item payment amount, and directions for the contributor to interact with the contributor module. Further, the aggregation software module maintains a total of committed funds and initiates a payment transaction when the committed funds are sufficient to pay the vendor the item payment amount.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A server for accommodating multiple party payments for a single item in an e-commerce transaction, said server comprising:
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a processor with a communications device; vendor software module capable of execution on said processor, said vendor software module adapted to receive payment requirements from a vendor via said communications device, and to receive payment parameters from an initiator via said communications device, said payment parameters including an item payment amount and an identification of at least one contributor; contributor software module capable of execution on said processor, said contributor software module adapted to obtain payment information from at least two of the initiator and the at least one contributor wherein said payment information is sufficient to authorize the commitment of points to a transaction; and aggregation software module capable of execution on said processor, said aggregation software module adapted to send a participation message via said communications device to at least one contributor, said participation message including information on the item, the item payment amount, and directions for the contributor to interact with said contributor software module, said aggregation software module further maintaining a total of committed points and initiating a payment transaction when the committed points are sufficient to pay the vendor the item payment amount. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for accommodating multiple party payments for a single item in an e-commerce transaction, said method comprising the steps of:
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obtaining payment requirements from a vendor via a communications device of a computer, including obtaining payment parameters from an initiator via the communications device, the payment parameters including an item payment amount and an identification of at least one contributor; obtaining payment information from at least two of the initiator and the at least one contributor via a communications device of the computer, wherein the payment information is sufficient to authorize the commitment of points to a transaction; sending a participation message via the communications device of the computer to at least one contributor, the participation message including information on the item, the item payment amount, and directions for the contributor to interact with the computer; and maintaining a total of committed points and initiating a payment transaction when the committed points are sufficient to pay the vendor the item payment amount. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. Computer readable media storing a plurality of instructions for enabling a computer to perform the following method for accommodating multiple party payments for a single item in an e-commerce transaction which comprises the steps of:
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obtaining payment requirements from a vendor via a communications device of a computer, including obtaining payment parameters from an initiator via the communications device, the payment parameters including an item payment amount and an identification of at least one contributor; obtaining payment information from at least two of the initiator and the at least one contributor via a communications device of the computer, wherein the payment information is sufficient to authorize the commitment of points to a transaction; sending a participation message via the communications device of the computer to at least one contributor, the participation message including information on the item, the item payment amount, and directions for the contributor to interact with the computer; and maintaining a total of committed points and initiating a payment transaction when the committed points are sufficient to pay the vendor the item payment amount. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification