System and method for effecting auction item payments through a network portal
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An auction buyer payment support system comprising:
- an open network interface configured to communicate electronic data messages with other computers over an open network;
a seller database having a processor and memory in which data associated with a seller are stored; and
one or more computers operatively connected to the open network interface and the seller database, the one or more computers being programmed with instructions stored on at least one hard drive associated with at least one computer of the one or more computers to enable;
a buyer manager software module executing on the one or more computers to verify a merchant terminal communicating with the buyer manager through the open network interface is registered with the auction buyer payment support system, and to verify auction purchase data for a concluded auction purchase received from the merchant terminal, the auction purchase data being associated with an auction buyer of the concluded auction purchase and communicated in a data message sent from the merchant terminal to the one or more computers through the open network interface;
an auction site manager software module executing on the one or more computers to communicate with an auction server associated with the concluded auction purchase through the open network interface to verify that auction transaction data in the auction purchase data received from the merchant terminal corresponds with auction transaction data for the concluded auction purchase stored in a memory associated with the auction server; and
a transaction payment service manager software module executing on the one or more computers to communicate data messages with an auction payment service server through the open network interface to transfer funds from an account associated with a merchant associated with the merchant terminal to an account associated with the seller for payment of the concluded auction purchase corresponding to the verified auction transaction data without identifying financial account data associated with the auction buyer.
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Abstract
A merchant/seller portal enables sellers of auction items on Internet auction sites to obtain cash payments from buyers identified only by their buyer pseudonyms. The portal includes an open network interface, a seller database in which data associated with a seller are stored, a buyer manager for verifying auction purchase data received from a merchant terminal, an auction site manager for verifying auction transaction data with an auction site server, and an auction payment manager for communicating data messages with an auction payment server to transfer funds for a verified auction transaction.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. An auction buyer payment support system comprising:
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an open network interface configured to communicate electronic data messages with other computers over an open network; a seller database having a processor and memory in which data associated with a seller are stored; and one or more computers operatively connected to the open network interface and the seller database, the one or more computers being programmed with instructions stored on at least one hard drive associated with at least one computer of the one or more computers to enable; a buyer manager software module executing on the one or more computers to verify a merchant terminal communicating with the buyer manager through the open network interface is registered with the auction buyer payment support system, and to verify auction purchase data for a concluded auction purchase received from the merchant terminal, the auction purchase data being associated with an auction buyer of the concluded auction purchase and communicated in a data message sent from the merchant terminal to the one or more computers through the open network interface; an auction site manager software module executing on the one or more computers to communicate with an auction server associated with the concluded auction purchase through the open network interface to verify that auction transaction data in the auction purchase data received from the merchant terminal corresponds with auction transaction data for the concluded auction purchase stored in a memory associated with the auction server; and a transaction payment service manager software module executing on the one or more computers to communicate data messages with an auction payment service server through the open network interface to transfer funds from an account associated with a merchant associated with the merchant terminal to an account associated with the seller for payment of the concluded auction purchase corresponding to the verified auction transaction data without identifying financial account data associated with the auction buyer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for operating a computer network system having one or more computers to provide auction buyer payment support comprising:
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storing with the one or more computers of the computer network system data associated with a seller in a database that is coupled to the one or more computers of the computer network system; verifying with the one or more computers of the computer network system that seller data in auction purchase data for a concluded auction purchase received from a merchant terminal that is registered with the computer network system corresponds with data retrieved from the database coupled to the one or more computers of the computer network system; verifying with the one or more computers of the computer network system that auction transaction data in the auction purchase data for the concluded auction purchase received from the merchant terminal corresponds with auction transaction data for the concluded auction purchase stored in a memory at an auction server through communication of data messages between the one or more computers and the auction server; and communicating data messages without identifying financial account data associated with an auction buyer between the one or more computers of the computer network system and an auction payment service server to transfer funds to the seller corresponding to the auction purchase data received from the merchant terminal for the concluded auction purchase corresponding to the verified auction purchase data. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A system for implementing transactions between a registered terminal at a merchant location and a vendor comprising:
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a registered terminal at a location associated with a merchant that is registered with a computer network system of one or more computers, the registered terminal including a memory in which data are stored that verify registration of the terminal with a computer network system of one or more computers; a seller database having a memory in which data associated with sellers are stored; the one or more computers of the computer network system being communicatively coupled to the seller database and to the registered terminal and programmed with instructions stored in a memory for a buyer manager software module that executes on the computer network system to verify seller data in auction purchase data for a concluded auction purchase received from the registered terminal corresponds to seller data stored in the seller database; the one or more computers of the computer network system also being programmed with instructions stored in a memory for an auction site manager software module that executes on the computer network system to verify the auction purchase data received from the registered terminal corresponds with auction purchase data stored in a memory associated with an auction server communicatively coupled to the computer network system; and the one or more computers of the computer network system also being programmed with instructions stored in a memory for a transaction payment service manager software module that executes on the computer network system to communicate data messages with an auction payment service server to transfer funds electronically for the concluded auction purchase that corresponds to the verified auction purchase data without identifying financial account data associated with an auction buyer. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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Specification