Identifier-based charge on delivery transaction

• US 8,392,275 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2012
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Scipioni, German
• Primary Examiner(s): STOPP, COURTNEY L
• Application Number:
  US13/551,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20120284191A1
• Time in Patent Office: 231 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1, 705/27.1, 705/39, 705/4, 705/144
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• 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 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0637 Approvals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

Guaranteed funds from a buyer are held until a delivery to the buyer is confirmed by a payment provider. The funds are then released to the seller immediately upon confirmation. Confirmation may be accomplished by the buyer entering an identifier upon delivery or some other confirmation by the shipper, where the identifier was provided to the buyer during the transaction with the seller. In other embodiments, the identifier generated by the payment provider is provided partially to the buyer and partially to the seller. Upon receiving a match of the identifier from the buyer and seller on delivery, buyer funds are released to the seller.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a memory storing information about user accounts, wherein the information comprises at least one identifier associated with at least one transaction between a buyer and a seller; and

one or more processors configured for

receiving purchase data for the transaction from a marketplace;

generating an identifier associated with the transaction and providing a first partial identifier to a buyer and a second partial identifier to a seller, wherein the identifier associated with the transaction comprises the first and second partial identifiers;

determining the buyer has committed funds for the transaction, wherein the funds are held pending resolution of the transaction;

receiving the first partial identifier from the buyer;

receiving the second partial identifier from the seller;

comparing the received first partial identifier and the received second partial identifier with the generated identifier associated with the transaction; and

releasing funds held from an account of the buyer to an account of the seller when the comparing results in a positive match between the generated identifier associated with the transaction and the received first and second partial identifiers.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the transaction is for a purchase of digital goods.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second partial identifiers are provided at the time of the transaction.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifier comprises an audio or text message, a sequence of symbols, letters, numbers, and/or characters, a phrase, an image, or a combination thereof.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first partial identifier is received from a third party delivery device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the second partial identifier is sent by the seller after delivery.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first partial identifier is received from a buyer device after the buyer receives delivery of one or more items purchased in the transaction.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions that cause a purchase provider facilitating purchase transactions over a network to perform a method comprising:

receiving purchase data for the purchase transaction from a marketplace;

generating an identifier associated with the purchase transaction and providing a first partial identifier to a buyer and a second partial identifier to a seller, wherein the identifier associated with the purchase transaction comprises the first and second partial identifiers;

determining the buyer has committed funds for the transaction, wherein the funds are held pending resolution of the transaction;

receiving the first partial identifier from the buyer;

receiving the second partial identifier from the seller;

comparing the received first partial identifier and the received second partial identifier with the generated identifier associated with the transaction; and

releasing funds held from an account of the buyer to an account of the seller when the comparing results in a positive match between the generated identifier associated with the purchase transaction and the received first and second partial identifiers.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the purchase transaction is for a purchase of digital goods.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the first partial identifier is selected or entered by the buyer at the time of the purchase transaction.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the identifier comprises an audio or text message, a sequence of symbols, letters, numbers, and/or characters, a phrase, an image, or a combination thereof.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the first partial identifier is known to the buyer and a payment provider holding the funds.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the first partial identifier is communicated by the buyer after receiving one or more items from the purchase transaction.

14. A method comprising:

receiving, at the payment provider, purchase data for the transaction from a marketplace;

generating, by a processor of the payment provider, an identifier associated with the transaction and providing a first partial identifier to a buyer and a second partial identifier to a seller, wherein the identifier associated with the transaction comprises the first and second partial identifiers;

determining the buyer has committed funds for the transaction, wherein the funds are held pending resolution of the transaction;

receiving the first partial identifier from the buyer;

receiving the second partial identifier from the seller;

comparing the received first partial identifier and the received second partial identifier with the generated identifier associated with the transaction; and

releasing funds held from an account of the buyer to an account of the seller when the comparing results in a positive match between the generated identifier associated with the transaction and the received first and second partial identifiers.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the transaction is for a purchase of digital goods.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first partial identifier is selected or entered by the buyer at the time of the transaction.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the identifier comprises an audio or text message, a sequence of symbols, letters, numbers, and/or characters, a phrase, an image, or a combination thereof.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the first partial identifier is known to the buyer and a payment provider holding the funds.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the first partial identifier is received from a third party delivery device.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the second partial identifier is sent by the seller after delivery.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the first partial identifier is received from a buyer device after the buyer receives delivery of one or more items purchased in the transaction.