Method and system for engaging in a transaction between a business entity and a merchant

• US 8,719,164 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2008
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bill Me Later Incorporated (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Keithley, Thomas H., Whitford, Thomas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kazimi, Hani M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ali, Hatem M
• Application Number:
  US12/142,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20090319387A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,147 Days
• Field of Search: 705/44
• US Class Current: 705/44
• 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 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0637 Approvals

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of engaging in a transaction between a merchant and a business entity. The method includes: initiating a transaction by the business entity with a merchant; obtaining, by the merchant, a business entity data set including at least one data field; communicating an authorization request from the merchant to a provider, the request including at least one data field from the business entity data set and at least one field from a transaction data set; establishing a credit-based relationship between the provider and the business entity; communicating an authorization response from the provider to at least one of the merchant and the business entity; and engaging in the transaction between the provider and the business entity based at least in part upon the established credit-based relationship. A system and apparatus are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising a plurality of machine-readable instructions to perform a computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving an authorization request from a merchant for a purchase order, the request comprising at least one field from a transaction data set during a transaction between a business entity and a merchant;

establishing, by a provider, a credit-based relationship and an initial relationship with the business entity during the transaction based at least in part upon at least one data field of the business entity data set and at least one data field of the transaction data set communicated thereto from the merchant, wherein the establishing comprises electronically receiving and processing information about the business entity, information about a contact person, and information whether a personal guarantor is used;

electronically communicating an authorization response, by a payment processor of the provider, to at least one of the merchant and the business entity during the transaction;

receiving an add-on to the authorization request; and

processing the authorization request and add-on without reauthorizing if the add-on is made within a certain time period from the authorization request and the add-on is within a certain percentage of an amount of authorization request for the purchase order.

2. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the transaction is an electronic transaction conducted in a network environment.

3. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the business entity is at least one of the following:

a proprietorship, a partnership, a company, a corporation, an S corporation, a Limited Liability Company, a Limited Liability Partnership, a non-profit business entity, a governmental entity, a municipal entity, a public entity or any combination thereof.

4. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the credit-based relationship is established during at least one of the following:

initiating a subsequent transaction, commencing a subsequent transaction, initiating a payment process directed to the transaction, completing the transaction or any combination thereof.

5. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the credit-based relationship is at least one of the following:

a credit account, a credit product, a line-of-credit, a loan, a lease arrangement or any combination thereof.

6. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises establishing a credit account with the provider based at least in part upon at least one data field of the business entity data set, the provider data set or any combination thereof.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 6 wherein the established credit account is used in a subsequent transaction with at least one merchant.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises:

(i) identifying the business entity;

(ii) verifying the business entity;

(iii) contacting the business entity ;

(iv) processing the business entity; and

/or (v) authorizing the business entity or any combination thereof, prior to finalizing or completing the transaction.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises obtaining a username and password from the business entity prior to using the established credit account in the subsequent transaction.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the username, the password or any combination thereof, is at least one of the following:

assigned, pre-determined, selected, user-selected, modifiable or any combination thereof.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the provider is at least one of the following:

a credit issuer, a debit provider, a lessor, a seller, a financial institution or any combination thereof.

12. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising a plurality of machine-readable instructions to perform a computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, from a merchant, at least one data field of a business entity data set and at least one field from a transaction data set for a purchase order during the transaction between a business entity and a merchant;

establishing a credit-based relationship and an initial relationship between a provider and the business entity during the transaction based at least in part upon at least one data field of the business entity data set and at least one field of the transaction data set, wherein the establishing comprises electronically receiving and processing information about the business entity, information about a contact person, and information whether a personal guarantor is used;

communicating an authorization response, by the provider, to at least one of the merchant and the business entity during the transaction, wherein the credit-based relationship is used to complete the transaction;

receiving an add-on to the authorization request; and

processing the authorization request and add-on without reauthorizing if the add-on is made within a certain time period from the authorization request and the add-on is within a certain percentage of an amount of authorization request for the purchase order.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the transaction is an electronic transaction conducted in a network environment.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises accessing an interactive interface by at least the business entity and configured to facilitate communication between the provider, the business entity, the at least one merchant or any combination thereof.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the interactive interface is displayed to the business entity as a website page in an online environment.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the website page includes content provided by at least one of the following:

the provider, the business entity, the at least one merchant, a third party or any combination thereof.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the website page is at least one of the following:

a merchant page, a provider page, a credit issuer page, a third-party page, a generated page, a secured page, a redirected page, a referenced page, a formatted page or any combination thereof.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the interactive interface is configured to display content directed to at least one of the following:

the merchant, the provider, the business entity, a credit issuer, the credit-based relationship, a credit account, a credit product, a line-of-credit, a loan, a lease arrangement, terms, conditions, benefits, options, incentives, transactional information, business entity information, provider information, credit information, co-applicant information, guarantor information, advertising information or any combination thereof.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the content is displayed to the user in the form of at least one of the following:

a web page, a pop-up box, a window, a banner, a separate portion of a web page, a specified area of a web page or any combination thereof.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the credit-based relationship is at least one of the following:

a credit account, a credit product, a debit account, a debit product, a line-of-credit, a loan, a lease arrangement or any combination thereof.

21. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises establishing a credit account with the provider based at least in part upon at least one data field of the business entity data set.

22. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the established credit account is used in a subsequent transaction with at least one merchant.

23. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the interactive interface is a payment interface comprising at least one selectable portion for:

(i) initiating a process of establishing the credit account;

(ii) initiating a process of logging into or associating with an existing credit account; and

/or (iii) displaying terms, conditions, benefits, options, incentives or any combination thereof, directed to the credit account, or any combination thereof.

24. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the method further comprises obtaining at least one data field of the business entity data set from a user.

25. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the at least one data field of the business entity data set is at least one of the following:

business type, number of employees, time period in business, business identity data, business-related data, legal name of business, address, Federal Employee Identification Number, contact data, contact name, phone number, e-mail address, authorization data, guarantor data, consent data, contact position in business, contact date-of-birth, contact social security number, billing data, shipping data, authorization data, verification data, agreement data, application data, applicant data, guarantor data, co-applicant data or any combination thereof.

26. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 24, wherein, based upon at least one data field of the business entity data set obtained from the user, the system further comprises computer-implementable instructions for:

(i) pausing the transaction;

(ii) terminating the transaction;

(iii) authorizing the transaction;

(iv) verifying the business entity or user;

(v) contacting the business entity or user;

(vi) processing the business entity or user;

(vii) requesting additional data from the business entity or user; and

/or (viii) initiating an interview with the business entity or user, or any combination thereof.

27. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the interactive interface is configured to obtain a username and password from the business entity prior to utilizing the established credit account in the transaction.

28. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the username, the password or any combination thereof, is at least one of the following:

assigned, pre-determined, selected, user-selected, modifiable or any combination thereof.

29. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the business entity is at least one of the following:

a proprietorship, a partnership, a company, a corporation, an S corporation, a Limited Liability Company, a Limited Liability Partnership, a non-profit business entity, a governmental entity, a municipal entity, a public entity or any combination thereof.

30. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the credit-based relationship is established during at least one of the following:

initiating a subsequent transaction, commencing a subsequent transaction, initiating a payment process directed to the transaction, completing the transaction or any combination thereof.

31. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising a transaction data set having at least one field, which is at least one of the following:

provider type, provider data, provider identity, merchant type, merchant data, merchant identity, transaction data, goods data, services data, credit issuer data, credit-based relationship data, credit product data, application data, line-of-credit data, loan data, lease data, terms data, conditions data, benefits data, options data, incentives data or any combination thereof.

32. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the provider is at least one of the following:

a debit issuer, a credit issuer, a lessor, a seller, a financial institution or any combination thereof.

33. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises effectuating at least one aspect of the transaction between the business entity and the merchant, the credit-based relationship between the business entity and the provider, or any combination thereof.

34. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the method provides:

(i) communication between the business entity, the merchant, the provider or any combination thereof;

(ii) electronic communication between the business entity, the merchant, the provider or any combination thereof;

(iii) a digital signature process;

(iv) at least one document to effectuate the transaction or the credit-based relationship; and

/or (v) at least one electronic document to effectuate the transaction or the credit-based relationship, or any combination thereof.

35. An apparatus for engaging in a transaction between a business entity and at least one merchant, comprising:

means for receiving, from a merchant, at least one data field of a business entity data set and at least one field from a transaction data during the transaction;

means for establishing a credit-based relationship and an initial relationship between a provider and the business entity during the transaction based at least in part upon at least one data field of the business entity data set and at least one field of the transaction data set for the purchase order, wherein the establishing comprises electronically receiving and processing information about the business entity, information about a contact person, information whether the contact person has authority to open an account for the business entity, and information whether a personal guarantor is used;

means for communicating an authorization response, by the provider, to at least one of the merchant and the business entity during the transaction;

means for receiving an add-on to the authorization request; and

means for processing the authorization request and add-on without reauthorizing if the add-on is made within a certain time period from the authorization request and the add-on is within a certain percentage of an amount of authorization request for the purchase order.