Pass-through payment system

• US 8,799,162 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2011
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boku Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Boku Incorporated
• Inventors: YOO, David
• Primary Examiner(s): TINKLER, MURIEL S
• Application Number:
  US13/334,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20130138562A1
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 705/16, 705/26.3, 705/39, 705/44
• US Class Current: 705/44
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/326 Payment applications installed on the mobile devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/384 using social networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

The invention provides a computer system and method for managing electronic transactions. A plurality of consumer accounts stored in the data store. A payment source storing module stores a plurality of payment sources. A payment source selector is set upon receiving a payment source selection to indicate a selected one of the payment sources. A communication and routing module receives a charge request over the network interface device. A transaction processing system determines a payment source selected with the payment source selector, and processes the charge request based on the payment source selected by the payment source selector.

Claims

1. A computer system for managing electronic transactions, comprising:

a server computer system including;

a processor;

a computer-readable medium connected to the processor;

a network interface device connected to the processor; and

a set of instructions on the computer-readable medium, the set of instructions being executable by the processor and including;

a data store;

a plurality of consumer accounts stored in the data store, each consumer account having a first consumer account identifier;

a payment source storing module storing a plurality of payment sources associated with the respective consumer account having the respective consumer account identifier, wherein a first of the payment sources is a stored value in the consumer account and a second of the payment sources is a payment sources other than a stored value in the consumer account;

a payment source selector having a pointer set upon receiving a payment source selection over the network interface device to indicate a selected one of the payment sources, the payment source selector indicating a selected one of the payment sources based on the payment source selection;

a communication and routing module that, after the pointer is set to indicate a selected one of the payment sources, receives a charge request over the network interface device, the charge request including an amount and a second consumer account identifier and identifies a selected one of the consumer accounts by associating one of the first consumer account identifiers with the second consumer account identifier; and

a transaction processing system that, in response to the communication and routing module receiving the charge request, determines the payment source selected with the pointer of the payment source selector and processes the charge request based on the payment source selected by the payment source selector, wherein the charge request is processed by reducing the stored value if the payment selector is set, prior to the communication and routing module receiving the charge request, to use the first payment source and the charge request is processed if the payment selector is set, prior to the communication and routing module receiving the charge request, to use the second payment source, by reading routing information from the second payment source and transmitting a charge request over the network interface device, the charge request transmitted by the transaction processing system including the routing information and an amount based on the amount in the charge request received by the communication and routing module.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein a single second consumer account identifier is usable to create the charge request and the payment source is selectable irrespective of the single second consumer account identifier.

3. The computer system of claim 2, further comprising:

a single payment instrument holding the single second consumer account identifier.

4. The computer system of claim 2, wherein subsequent charge requests including the single second consumer account identifier result in processing of each subsequent charge request based on the payment source selected by the payment source selector until the payment sources selector is changed to select another one of the payment sources with a pointer.

5. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising:

a mobile application storable on a mobile device and executable by the mobile device, the mobile application including a payment source selector module for making a payment source selection and transmission of the payment source selection to the network interface device to set the pointer.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions further includes:

a funding module receiving a top-up instruction from a consumer account funding infrastructure, and increasing the stored value based on the top-up instruction.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the transaction processing system includes:

an account lookup and debit module that reduces the stored value based on the amount.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the transaction processing system includes:

a transaction validation module that compares the stored value with the amount, wherein the account lookup and debit module only reduces the stored value with the amount, wherein the stored value is (i) only reduced if the stored value is at least as much as the amount and (ii) not reduced if the stored value is less than the amount; and

transmits a confirmation over the network interface device to (i) to accept the charge request only if the stored value is at least as much as the amount and (ii) to deny the charge request if the stored value is less than the amount.

9. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the first consumer account identifier is a first phone number and the second consumer account number is an individual account identifier forming at least part of a personal account number.

10. A computer-based method of managing electronic transactions comprising:

storing, with a processor, a plurality of consumer accounts in a data store, each consumer account having a first consumer account identifier;

storing, with the processor, a plurality of payment sources associated with the respective consumer account having the respective consumer account identifier, wherein a first of the payment sources is a stored value in the consumer account and a second of the payment sources is a payment sources other than a stored value in the consumer account;

receiving, with the processor, a payment source selection over the network interface device to indicate a selected one of the payment sources;

setting, with the processor, a pointer of a payment source selector to indicate a selected one of the payment sources based on the payment source selection;

receiving, with the processor, after the pointer is set to indicate a selected one of the payment sources, a charge request over the network interface device, the charge request including an amount and a second consumer account identifier;

identifying, with the processor, a selected one of the consumer accounts by associating one of the first consumer account identifiers with the second consumer account identifier;

determining, with the processor, in response to the communication and routing module receiving the charge request, the payment source selected with the pointer of the payment source selector; and

processing, with the processor, the charge request based on the payment source selected by the payment source selector, wherein the charge request is processed by reducing the stored value if the payment selector is set, prior to the communication and routing module receiving the charge request, to use the first payment sourced the charge request is processed if the payment selector is set, prior to the communication and routing module receiving the charge request, to use the second payment source, by reading routing information from the second payment source and transmitting a charge request over the network interface device, the charge request transmitted by the transaction processing system including the routing information and an amount based on the amount in the charge request received by the communication and routing module.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a single second consumer account identifier is usable to create the charge request and the payment source is selectable irrespective of the single second consumer account identifier.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein a single payment instrument holds the single second consumer account identifier.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein subsequent charge requests including the single second consumer account identifier result in processing of each subsequent charge request based on the payment source selected by the payment source selector until the payment sources selector is changed to select another one of the payment sources with the pointer.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein a mobile application on a mobile device is executable by the mobile device, the mobile application including a payment source selector module for making a payment source selection and transmission of the payment source selection to the network interface device to set the pointer.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

saving, with the processor, a stored value in the consumer account;

receiving, with the processor, a top-up instruction from a consumer account funding infrastructure; and

increasing, with the processor, the sored value based on the top-up instruction.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

reducing, with the processor, the stored value based on the amount.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

comparing, with the processor, the stored value with the amount, wherein the stored value is (i) only reduced if the stored value is at least as much as the amount and (ii) not reduced if the stored value is less than the amount; and

transmitting, with the processor, a confirmation over the network interface device to (i) to accept the charge request only if the stored value is at least as much as the amount and (ii) to deny the charge request if the stored value is less than the amount.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the first consumer account identifier is a first phone number and the second consumer account number is an individual account identifier forming at least part of a personal account number.