Centralized payment method and system for online and offline transactions

• US 8,874,480 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2012
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Checkfree Services Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Fiserv Incorporated
• Inventors: Panthaki, Behram, Rudenstine, Aaron, Sokolic, Jeremy, Sunderji, Amir, Dheer, Sanjeev, Platt, Neil, Papademetriou, Demetris
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): ORTIZ ROMAN, DENISSE Y
• Application Number:
  US13/488,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20120245983A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/40
• 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 20/1085 involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

Embodiments described herein include an electronic transaction service network (also referred to herein as a centralized electronic transaction (CET) service). According to an embodiment, a financial management system hosts multiple CET web sites on behalf of multiple merchants. All transactions through any CET web site are executed and managed by the financial management system. Merchants may customize their web sites to include a branded look and feel. The merchant web sites are part of a CET service for which a customer can register. Registered customers can then view and pay invoices from any merchants having CET web sites, whether purchases were made online or offline. Customers specify preferences for the CET service including choosing existing customer accounts from which the financial management system is to pay invoices on behalf of the customer. This eliminates the need for the customer to open and fund a separate payment account as in traditional methods.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

at least one memory storing computer-executable instructions; and

at least one processor configured to access the at least one memory and to execute the computer-executable instructions to;

receive an indication of a request by an unbanked consumer to submit a payment for an online purchase of at least one good or service from a merchant via an offline mechanism that is independent from an online mechanism via which the online purchase is made;

identify a confirmation number that uniquely identifies an order associated with the online purchase;

transmit, for presentation to the unbanked consumer, the confirmation number and payment instructions, wherein the payment instructions comprise instructions for submitting the payment and the confirmation number via the offline mechanism, wherein the offline mechanism comprises one of;

i) an ATM of a financial institution, ii) a payment kiosk of the financial institution or iii) a teller of the financial institution, and wherein the payment is linked to the order based at least in part on the confirmation number; and

transmit the confirmation number to the merchant.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the payment comprises one of (i) a cash payment or (ii) a pre-paid card payment.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a transaction fee is assessed by the financial institution in connection with the payment.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:

receive the confirmation number and an indication of the payment;

direct a credit to the merchant for the online purchase responsive to receipt of the confirmation number; and

transmit a confirmation of payment for the purchase to the merchant.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the credit is an electronic credit.

6. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a computerized financial system comprising one or more computers, an indication of a request by an unbanked consumer to submit a payment for an online purchase of at least one good or service from a merchant via an offline mechanism that is independent from an online mechanism via which the online purchase is made;

identifying, by the computerized financial system, a confirmation number that uniquely identifies an order associated with the online purchase;

transmitting, by the computerized financial system for presentation to the unbanked consumer, the confirmation number and payment instructions, wherein the payment instructions comprise instructions for submitting the payment and the confirmation number via the offline mechanism, wherein the offline mechanism comprises one of;

i) an ATM of a financial institution, ii) a payment kiosk of the financial institution or iii) a teller of the financial institution, and wherein the payment is linked to the order based at least in part on the confirmation number; and

transmitting, by the computerized financial system to the merchant, the confirmation number.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the payment comprises one of (i) a cash payment or (ii) a pre-paid card payment.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein a transaction fee is assessed by the financial institution in connection with the payment.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, by the computerized financial system, the confirmation number and an indication of the payment;

directing, by the computerized financial system responsive to receiving the confirmation number, a credit to the merchant for the online purchase; and

transmitting, by the computerized financial system to the merchant, a confirmation of payment for the purchase.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the credit is an electronic credit.

11. A financial system associated with a financial institution, the financial system comprising:

at least one memory storing computer-executable instructions; and

at least one processor configured to access the at least one memory and to execute the computer-executable instructions to;

receive i) an indication of a payment received from an unbanked consumer for an online purchase of at least one good or service from a merchant, wherein the payment is received via an offline mechanism that is independent from an online mechanism via which the online purchase is made and ii) a confirmation number received from the unbanked consumer via the offline mechanism, wherein the offline mechanism comprises one of;

i) an ATM of the financial institution, ii) a payment kiosk of the financial institution, or iii) a teller of the financial institution, wherein the confirmation number uniquely identifies an order associated with the online purchase, and wherein the payment is linked to the order based at least in part on the confirmation number;

generate a receipt for the payment responsive to receiving the indication of the payment and the confirmation number;

transmit the receipt for the payment for presentation to the unbanked consumer via the offline mechanism;

initiate a credit to the merchant for the online purchase responsive to receiving the indication of the payment and the confirmation number; and

initiate transmission of a confirmation of the payment to the merchant.

12. The financial system of claim 11, wherein the payment comprises one of (i) a cash payment or (ii) a pre-paid card payment.

13. The financial system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:

assess a transaction fee in connection with the payment.

14. The financial system of claim 11, wherein the credit is an electronic credit.

15. The financial system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:

transmit, for presentation to the unbanked consumer via the offline mechanism, an offer for one or more financial products or services.

16. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a computerized financial system associated with a financial institution and comprising one or more computers, i) an indication of a payment received from an unbanked consumer for an online purchase of at least one good or service from a merchant, wherein the payment is received via an offline mechanism that is independent from an online mechanism via which the online purchase is made and ii) a confirmation number received from the unbanked consumer via the offline mechanism, wherein the offline mechanism comprises one of;

i) an ATM of the financial institution, ii) a payment kiosk of the financial institution, or iii) a teller of the financial institution, wherein the confirmation number uniquely identifies an order associated with the online purchase, and wherein the payment is linked to the order based at least in part on the confirmation number;

generating, by the financial system responsive to receiving the indication of the payment and the confirmation number, a receipt for the payment;

transmitting, by the financial system, the receipt for the payment for presentation to the unbanked consumer via the offline mechanism;

initiating, by the financial system responsive to receiving the indication of the payment and the confirmation number, a credit to the merchant for the online purchase; and

initiating, by the financial system, transmission of a confirmation of the payment to the merchant.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the payment comprises one of (i) a cash payment or (ii) a pre-paid card payment.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

assessing, by the computerized financial system, a transaction fee in connection with the payment.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the credit is an electronic credit.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting, by the computerized financial system for presentation to the unbanked consumer via the offline mechanism, an offer for one or more financial products or services.

21. A merchant system associated with a merchant, the merchant system comprising:

at least one memory storing computer-executable instructions; and

at least one processor configured to access the at least one memory and to execute the computer-executable instructions to;

receive an order associated with an online purchase by an unbanked consumer of at least one good or service from the merchant;

receive a confirmation number that uniquely identifies the order; and

receive a confirmation that a payment for the online purchase has been received from the unbanked consumer via an offline mechanism that is independent from an online mechanism via which the online purchase is made, wherein the offline mechanism comprises one of;

i) an ATM of a financial institution, ii) a payment kiosk of the financial institution or iii) a teller of the financial institution, and wherein the payment is linked to the order based at least in part on the confirmation number.

22. The merchant system of claim 21, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:

receive, on behalf of the unbanked consumer, a request to submit the payment via the offline mechanism; and

transmit an indication of the request to a financial system,

wherein the confirmation number is received from the financial system responsive to transmitting the indication of the request to the financial system.

23. The merchant system of claim 21, wherein the order is received from the financial system.

24. The merchant system of claim 21, wherein at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:

receive an electronic credit responsive to receipt of the payment from the unbanked customer via the offline mechanism.

25. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a computerized merchant system associated with a merchant and comprising one or more computers, an order associated with an online purchase by an unbanked consumer of at least one good or service from the merchant;

receiving, by the computerized merchant system, a confirmation number that uniquely identifies the order; and

receiving, by the computerized merchant system, a confirmation that a payment for the online purchase has been received from the unbanked consumer via an offline mechanism that is independent from an online mechanism via which the online purchase is made, wherein the offline mechanism comprises one of;

i) an ATM of a financial institution, ii) a payment kiosk of the financial institution or iii) a teller of the financial institution, and wherein the payment is linked to the order based at least in part on the confirmation number.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

receiving, by the computerized merchant system, on behalf of the unbanked consumer, a request to submit the payment via the offline mechanism;

transmitting, by the computerized merchant system to a financial system, an indication of the request; and

receiving, by the computerized merchant system from the financial system, the confirmation number.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the order is received from the financial system.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

receiving, by the computerized merchant system, an electronic credit responsive to receipt of the payment from the unbanked customer via the offline mechanism.