Electronic payment method for making payments using a mobile identifier

• US 8,504,472 B1
• Filed: 08/17/2012
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GoFigure Payments, LLC
• Original Assignee: GoFigure Payments, LLC
• Inventors: Rolf, Devon A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dixon, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fields, Benjamin S
• Application Number:
  US13/588,064
• Time in Patent Office: 354 Days
• Field of Search: 705/38, 705/40
• US Class Current: 705/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A method for providing electronic access to an electronic payment system includes receiving, in conjunction with a purchase by an accountholder at a merchant, information for identifying a payment account of the accountholder based upon entry into a POS terminal of the merchant of an identifier that enables identification of the accountholder and a mobile communications device of the accountholder. The method further includes providing electronic access to an electronic payment system that further enables using a telephone number of a payee to initiate an electronic communication with an electronic device associated with the payee without requiring a communications link to be established directly between a mobile communications device of the accountholder and the electronic device of the payee in order to complete a payment from the accountholder to the payee. Methods further include providing an additional service account with which a payment account of the accountholder is associated.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a payment account;

wherein said payment account is issued by a financial institution and enables an accountholder corresponding to the payment account to make payments via an electronic payment system that, with at least one electronic processor, enables—

storing in a memory information indicative of a said payment account, wherein said electronic payment system enables a balance of funds to be maintained by the payment account for use in making debit transactions;

receiving, in conjunction with a purchase by the accountholder associated with said payment account, at a point of sale terminal located at a physical retail location of a first merchant, an identifier for identifying said payment account of the accountholder based upon entry of said identifier into said point of sale terminal of said first merchant during said purchase by the accountholder from the first merchant;

receiving, in conjunction with said purchase by the accountholder from the first merchant, information identifying a monetary amount to be paid by the accountholder for the purchase by the accountholder from the first merchant;

using said identifier for identifying said payment account of the accountholder, received in conjunction with said purchase by the accountholder from the first merchant, to identify said payment account of the accountholder;

causing said payment account of the accountholder to be used to process a payment from the accountholder to the first merchant for said purchase by the accountholder from said first merchant;

storing information indicative of said payment from the accountholder to the first merchant;

receiving, from a mobile communications device of the accountholder, information indicative of the current location of the mobile communications device of the accountholder;

transmitting to the mobile communications device of the accountholder information corresponding to a second merchant having a physical retail location that corresponds to said current location of the mobile communications device;

receiving information indicative of a purchase by the accountholder from said second merchant, wherein said purchase by the accountholder from said second merchant is initiated by the accountholder using the mobile communications device of the accountholder and comprises a selection, by the accountholder using the mobile communications device, of said information corresponding to the second merchant that was transmitted to the mobile communications device;

processing said purchase by the accountholder from said second merchant using said payment account corresponding to the accountholder;

providing a service account, wherein said service account enables an accountholder corresponding to the service account to access a service provided by the provider of the service account;

electronically associating said payment account of the accountholder with said service account of the accountholder, wherein said service account is pre-existing when said payment account is provided to the accountholder;

wherein the accountholder is a payor in a payment transaction with a payee, said method further comprising providing electronic access to said electronic payment system that enables—

storing, in said electronic payment system, information indicative of a payment account of the payee;

receiving, from a mobile communications device of a payor, information indicative of a telephone number of the payee to be paid by the payor in a payment transaction;

using said telephone number of the payee to identify the payee;

using said telephone number of said payee to initiate an electronic communication with an electronic device associated with said payee, wherein said method does not require a communications link to be established directly between the mobile communications device of the payor and the electronic device of the payee in order to complete said payment from the payor to the payee;

using said payment account corresponding to the payor to process said payment from the payor to the payee;

using said payment account of the payee to process said payment from the payor to the payee;

storing information indicative of said payment from the payor to the payee; and

electronically transmitting, to said payee, information indicative of said payment from the payor to the payee, wherein said enabling receipt of said information indicative of a telephone number of the payee comprises enabling receipt of said information indicative of a telephone number of the payee via a first communications link and wherein the electronic communication with an electronic device associated with said payee comprises a second communications link, and wherein said first communications link and said second communications link are not simultaneous.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, said method further comprising providing at least one electronic payment system that enables receiving, in conjunction with said purchase by the accountholder from the first merchant, a personal passcode of the accountholder.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, said method further comprising providing said point of sale terminal to said second merchant, wherein said point of sale terminal comprises an antenna for wireless communication, a transmitter for wireless communication, and a receiver for wireless communication.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein said providing said point of sale terminal to said second merchant further comprises providing a point of sale terminal having a DTMF encoder.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, said method further comprising providing electronic access to said electronic payment system that stores information indicative of a payment account of the second merchant and uses said payment account of the second merchant in said processing of said purchase by said accountholder from said second merchant.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said providing a service account comprises providing a media account that enables the accountholder to access media provided by the provider of said media account.

7. The method as set forth in claim 6, said method further comprising enabling the accountholder to pay for media accessed via the media account of the accountholder with said payment account of the accountholder.

8. The method as set forth in claim 6, said method further comprising providing said mobile communications device, wherein said mobile communications device is enabled for use in making said payment to said first merchant.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8, said method further comprising providing said point of sale terminal to said first merchant, wherein said point of sale terminal comprises an antenna for wireless communication, a transmitter for wireless communication, and a receiver for wireless communication.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said providing a service account comprises providing a communications account that enables the accountholder to access a communications service provided by the provider of said communications account.

11. The method as set forth in claim 1, method further comprising employing a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable program stored thereon, wherein the program instructs an electronic processor to perform at least one of the steps of said method set forth in claim 10.