Peer-to-peer and group financial management systems and methods

• US 8,280,788 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2010
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Perlman, Jeffrey William
• Primary Examiner(s): Gart, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Danzig, Reva R
• Application Number:
  US12/778,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20110106675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 705/64, 705/79, 705/30, 709/224
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0655 e-cash managed centrally
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/227 characterised in that multiple accounts are available, e.g. to the payer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing peer-to-peer and group financial management are provided herein. An example system includes a payment processor that executes software instructions for creating and managing electronic payment accounts and an accounts database to store account data from the payment processor. The payment processor may be configured to receive a payment request from a payer, the payment request including information to identify a payee and a payment amount. The payment processor may be further configured to determine if the accounts database includes an account associated with the payee, and based on a determination that the accounts database includes an account associated with the payee, send an electronic message to the payee that notifies the payee of the payment request. The payment processor may also be configured to access the accounts database to determine if the payee is identified as having a trusted relationship with the payer, and based on a determination that the payee is identified in the accounts database as having a trusted relationship with the payer, access the accounts database to transfer the payment amount from an account associated with the payer to the account associated with the payee without first receiving authorization for the transfer from the payee.

Claims

1. A method of transferring funds from a payer to a payee in an electronic payment system, the electronic payment system including a payment processor and an accounts database, wherein the payment processor is a hardware payment processor, comprising:

receiving, by the payment processor, a payment request from the payer, the payment request including information to identify the payee and a payment amount;

accessing, by the payment processor, the accounts database to determine if the accounts database includes an existing account associated with the payee;

if the accounts database includes an existing account associated with the payee, then sending, by the payment processor, an electronic message from the payment processor to the payee that notifies the payee of the payment request;

if the accounts database does not include an existing account associated with the payee, then the payment processor enabling the payee to register for a new account;

accessing, by the payment processor, the accounts database to determine if the payee, having the existing account, is identified as having a trusted relationship with the payer;

if the payee, having the existing account, is not identified in the accounts database as having a trusted relationship with the payer, then the payment processor transferring the payment amount from an account associated with the payer to the existing account associated with the payee only after receiving authorization from the payee for the transfer; and

if the payee, having the existing account, is identified in the accounts database as having a trusted relationship with the payer, then the payment processor transferring the payment amount from the account associated with the payer to the existing account associated with the payee without first receiving authorization from the payee for the transfer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising after the receiving step:

based on a determination that the accounts database does not include an account associated with the payee, sending an electronic communication to the payee with information for accessing the electronic payment system to create a new account in the accounts database; and

based on a successful creation of the new account by the payee, the payment processor transferring the payment amount from the account associated with the payer to the new account.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

based on a determination that the payee is not identified in the accounts database as having a trusted relationship with the payer, receiving authorization for the transfer from the payee prior to transferring the payment amount from the account associated with the payer to the account associated with the payee.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the payment request is cancelled if authorization is not received from the payee before expiration of a predetermined time limit.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the payment request is cancelled if the new account is not successfully created before expiration of a predetermined time limit.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment request includes an email address to identify the payee.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the payee is identified as having a trusted relationship with the payer if the payee is included in a friends list associated with the payer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment request further includes a password that is used by the payment processor to authenticate the identity of the payer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment request further includes a time limit for completion of the transfer, wherein the payment request is cancelled if not completed within the time limit.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment request further requests multiple payments be made at a recurring payment interval to the payee'"'"'s account, so as to cause the payment processor to automatically transfer the payment amount from the payer'"'"'s account to the payee'"'"'s account on a periodic basis.

11. An electronic payment system, comprising:

a payment processor to execute software instructions for creating and managing electronic payment accounts, wherein the payment processor is a hardware payment processor; and

an accounts database to store account data from the payment processor;

the payment processor being configured to receive, from a payer, a payment request requesting a transfer of funds to a payee and including information to identify the payee and a payment amount;

the payment processor being configured to;

determine if the accounts database includes an existing account associated with the payee,

if the accounts database includes an existing account associated with the payee then send an electronic message to the payee that notifies the payee of the payment request,

if the accounts database does not include an existing account associated with the payee then enable the payee to register for a new account,

access the accounts database to determine if the payee having the existing account is identified as having a trusted relationship with the payer,

if the payee is not identified as having the trusted relationship with the payer, then transfer the payment amount from an account associated with the payer to the existing account associated with the payee only after receiving authorization from the payee for the transfer, and

if the payee is identified as having the trusted relationship with the payer, then transfer the payment amount from the account associated with the payer to the existing account associated with the payee without first receiving authorization from the payee for the transfer.

12. The electronic payment system of claim 11, wherein the payment request is received via a graphical user interface.

13. The electronic payment system of claim 11, wherein:

the payment processor is further configured to receive a request for payment from a payee, the request for payment including information to identify a payer and a requested payment amount;

the payment processor being configured to determine if the accounts database includes an account associated with the payer, and based on a determination that the accounts database includes an account associated with the payer, send an electronic message to the payer that includes the requested payment amount and that includes a request for authorization to transfer the requested payment amount from the account associated with the payer to an account associated with the payee; and

the payment processor being configured to transfer the requested payment amount upon receiving authorization from the payer.

14. The electronic payment system of claim 11, wherein the payment processor is further configured to, based on a determination after receiving the request, that the accounts database does not include an account associated with the payee, send an electronic communication to the payee with information for accessing the electronic payment system to create a new account in the accounts database, and based on a successful creation of the new account by the payee, transfer the payment amount from the account associated with the payer to the new account.

15. The electronic payment system of claim 11, wherein the payment processor is further configured to, based on a determination that the payee is not identified in the accounts database as having a trusted relationship with the payer, receive authorization for the transfer from the payee prior to transferring the payment amount from the account associated with the payer to the account associated with the payee.

16. The electronic payment system of claim 15, wherein the payment request is cancelled if authorization is not received from the payee before expiration of a predetermined time limit.

17. The electronic payment system of claim 14, wherein the payment request is cancelled if the new account is not successfully created before expiration of a predetermined time limit.

18. The electronic payment system of claim 11, wherein the payment request includes an email address to identify the payee.

19. The electronic payment system of claim 11, wherein the payee is identified as having a trusted relationship with the payer if the payee is included in a friends list associated with the payer.

20. The electronic payment system of claim 11, wherein the payment request further includes a password that is used by the payment processor to authenticate the identity of the payer.

21. The electronic payment system of claim 11, wherein the payment request further includes a time limit for completion of the transfer, wherein the payment request is cancelled if not completed within the time limit.

22. The electronic payment system of claim 11, wherein the payment request further requests multiple payments be made at a recurring payment interval to the payee'"'"'s account, so as to cause the payment processor to automatically transfer the payment amount from the payer'"'"'s account to the payee'"'"'s account on a periodic basis.

23. The electronic payment system of claim 11, wherein the payment processor and the accounts database are included within one or more servers.