Mobile remittances/payments

• US 8,504,450 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Shastry, Vishwanath
• Primary Examiner(s): Subramanian, Narayanswamy
• Application Number:
  US11/848,745
• Publication Number:
  US 20090061831A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,167 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 705/35, 705 41- 45
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/227 characterised in that multiple accounts are available, e.g. to the payer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/32 using wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

A method and a system for mobile remittance and/or payment are provided. Example embodiments may include receiving a request, at a financial entity and from a first party, to remit an amount from an account, associated with the first party to a mobile account associated with a phone number of a second party; notifying the second party of the amount to be remitted and an identity of the first party; receiving a personal identification component from the second party; accessing the mobile account based on the personal identification component; and depositing the amount into the mobile account. A request may be received from the second party to transfer a portion of the amount to a third party.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, via a network interface device, a request from a first party, who is a remittance requester, to a financial entity to transfer a remittance from an account at the financial entity, associated with the first party, to a mobile account associated with a mobile phone number of a mobile phone of a second party who is a remittance receiver;

responsive to receiving the request, notifying the second party of the amount of the remittance and an identity of the first party;

receiving, via the network interface device, a personal identification component from the second party, the personal identification component sent responsive to the notification;

receiving, at the financial entity, from the second party, and responsive to the notification, a request to identify an agent from which the amount is to be redeemed, and, responsive to the request from the second party, sending a message from the financial entity to the second party, the message informing the second party of a location of a selected agent that is determined based on geographic information from the mobile phone;

determining whether the remittance is a first instance of a remittance to the mobile phone number;

responsive to the remittance being the first instance of a remittance to the mobile phone number, creating a new mobile account associated with the mobile phone number and correlating the new mobile account with the personal identification component;

accessing the mobile account associated with the mobile phone number of the second party based on the personal identification component; and

depositing the amount into the mobile account.

2. The method of claim 1, the notifying including calling the mobile phone number associated with the second party.

3. The method of claim 1, including accessing the account associated with the first party at the financial entity responsive to receiving the request and transferring an initial amount less than or equal to the amount from the account associated with the first party to the mobile account.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the transferring includes at least one of:

a fund transfer from a mobile account associated with the first party,

a fund transfer from a bank account associated with the first party, or

a charge against a credit card account associated with the first party.

5. The method of claim 4, the transferring by the first party including using at least one of a near field communication (NFC) or a Bluetooth device.

6. The method of claim 5, using NFC including using a radio frequency identification (RFID) card installed in a mobile phone and a RFID reader.

7. The method of claim 1, including receiving by an agent of a payment from the first party for deposit into the account associated with the first party.

8. The method of claim 1, including receiving a request from the second party to transfer at least a portion of the amount to a third party, the transfer to the third party including at least one of:

a fund transfer to a mobile account associated with the third party,

a fund transfer to a bank account associated with the third party, and

a cash transfer via an agent to the third party.

9. The method of claim 8, including identifying the second party by a personal identification component before allowing the second party to transfer any portion of the amount.

10. The method of claim 1, the personal identification component including at least one of a personal identification number (PIN) or a biometric identification signature.

11. A system comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

computer storage coupled to the one or more computer processors,

the one or more computer processors and the computer storage configured to execute,

a mobile remittance module to receive, via a network interface device, a request from a first party who is a remittance requester to a financial entity to transfer a remittance from an account at the financial entity, associated with the first party, to a mobile account associated with a mobile phone number of a mobile phone of a second party who is a remittance receiver;

a communication module to notify, based on receiving the request and via the network interface device, the second party of the amount of the remittance and an identity of the first party, the communication module to receive, via the network interface device, a personal identification component from the second party and responsive to the notification;

an agent management module to receive, from the second party and responsive to the notification, via the network interface device, a request to identify an agent from which the amount is to be redeemed, and sending a message from the financial entity to the second party, the message informing the second party of a location of a selected agent that is determined based on geographic information from the mobile phone; and

an accounts module responsive to a determination that the remittance is a first instance of a remittance to the mobile phone number, to create a new mobile account associated with the mobile phone number and correlate the new mobile account with the personal identification component, the accounts module to access the mobile account associated with the mobile phone number the accessing being responsive to receiving, and based on, the personal identification component, to have a payment processor deposit the amount into the mobile account.

12. The system of claim 11, the communication module being configured to notify the second party by calling the mobile phone number associated with the second party receiving the amount.

13. The system of claim 11, the mobile remittance module being configured to access the account associated with the first party at the financial entity responsive to receiving the request and to transfer an initial amount less than or equal to the amount from the account associated with the first party to the mobile account.

14. The system of claim 11, the accounts module being configured to identify the second party by an identification component before allowing the second party to transfer any portion of the amount.

15. The system of claim 11, the mobile transfer module including at least one of:

a mobile account transfer sub-module to transfer a fund to a mobile account associated with the third party,

a bank account transfer sub-module to transfer a fund to a bank account associated with the third party, and

an agent to perform a cash transfer to the third party.

16. The system of claim 15, the mobile transfer module being configured to use near field communication (NFC), including a radio frequency identification (RFID) card installed in a mobile phone and a RFID reader.

17. The system of claim 11, the accounts module being configure to create a new mobile account associated with the mobile phone number and to correlate the new mobile account with the personal identification component, at a first instance of remittance to the mobile phone number.

18. The system of claim 11, the agent management module being configured to receive a payment made at an agent by the first party for deposit into the account associated with the first party.

19. A system comprising:

means for receiving a request from a first party to a financial entity to transfer a remittance from an account at the financial entity, associated with the first party who is a remittance requester, to a mobile account associated with a mobile phone number of a mobile phone of a second party who is a remittance receiver;

interface means for receiving and transmitting information,

means responsive to receiving the request for notifying the second party of the amount of the remittance and an identity of the first party;

means for receiving a personal identification component from the second party, the personal identification component sent by the second party responsive to the notification;

means for receiving a request from the second party responsive to the notification to identify an agent from which the amount is to be redeemed;

means, responsive to receiving the request, for transmitting the request from the second party to the financial entity;

means for receiving a message from the financial entity identifying a location of the agent that is based on geographic information from the mobile phone, and sending the message to the second party;

means, responsive to a determination that the remittance is the first instance of a remittance to the mobile phone number, for creating a new mobile account associated with the mobile phone number and correlating the new mobile account with the personal identification component;

means for accessing the mobile account associated with the mobile phone number, responsive to and based on the personal identification component; and

means for depositing the amount into the mobile account.

20. A machine-readable hardware storage device having recorded therein instructions, which when implemented by one or more processors perform the following operations:

receiving a request, from a first (party who is a remittance requester to a financial entity to transfer a remittance from an account at the financial entity, associated with the first party, to a mobile account associated with a mobile phone number of a mobile phone of a second party who is a remittance receiver;

responsive to receiving the request, notifying the second party of the amount of the remittance and an identity of the first party;

receiving, at the financial entity, from the second party and responsive to the notification, a request to identify an agent from which the amount is to be redeemed, and sending a message from the financial entity to the second party, the message informing the second party of a location of a selected agent that is based on geographic information from the mobile phone, the request to identify an agent being sent responsive to the notification;

receiving a personal identification component that is sent from the second party responsive to the notification;

responsive to the remittance being the first instance of a remittance to the mobile phone number, creating a new mail account associated with the mobile phone number and correlating the new mobile account with the personal identification component;

accessing the mobile account responsive to receiving, and based on, the personal identification component; and

depositing the amount into the mobile account.