Hosted payment service system and method

• US 9,324,098 B1
• Filed: 11/05/2008
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Agrawal, Ashish, Ali, Mohammed Sujayath, Karnati, Sravana Kumar, Reagan, James Vernon, Sivasankar, Dilip Kumar, Stabingas, Mark V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ebersman, Bruce I
• Application Number:
  US12/265,554
• Time in Patent Office: 2,729 Days
• Field of Search: 705 35- 38
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0855 involving a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/383 Anonymous user system
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4012 Verifying personal identification numbers [PIN]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0615 Anonymizing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

Various embodiments of a hosted payment service are disclosed. In some embodiments, a merchant can enable customer use of the payment service by adding a line or sequence of widget code to a web page, such as a shopping cart page, of the merchant'"'"'s site. Thereafter, a user who is registered with the payment service can invoke the payment service and complete a purchase transaction directly from the merchant site. For example, while viewing a shopping cart page, the user may be able to securely interact with the payment service and complete the purchase transaction via a transaction display object that is incorporated into the shopping cart page. In some embodiments, the transaction display object prompts the registered customer to enter a secondary authentication input, and the payment service uses this input in combination with a browser cookie to authenticate the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of providing a hosted payment service, the method comprising:

by one or more computers, generating a code segment, and communicating the code segment to a merchant, the code segment configured to add a first control that enables users to invoke the hosted payment service from a merchant web site of the merchant after the code segment is added to web page coding of the merchant web site, such that the users can use the hosted payment service to purchase items;

by one or more computers, receiving, at a server of the hosted payment service, a request from a computing device of a user, the request generated in response to user selection of the first control as displayed on a web page of the merchant web site, wherein the request is for performing a purchase transaction in which payment is collected by the hosted payment service on behalf of the merchant;

by one or more computers, responding to the request by generating and returning web page coding that causes a transaction display object to display on the user computing device within an overlay display object of the web page, the transaction display object including a second control that is selectable by the user such that the user can complete the purchase transaction without navigating away from the web page, wherein the transaction display object is configured to display a default account setting associated with an account of the user with the hosted payment service and to enable the user to review and edit the default account setting before completing the purchase transaction and without navigating away from the web page, said default account setting comprising one or more of a default shipping address and a default payment method, said overlay display object configured to overlay other content of the web page such that said content is not visible when the overlay display object is displayed,

by one or more computers, receiving a browser cookie from the user computing device, the browser cookie provided to the user computing device by the server of the hosted payment service at a first point in time and associated with a valid primary authentication input; and

by one or more computers and based at least in part on receipt of the browser cookie, determining at a second point in time later than the first point in time whether the user is authorized to complete the purchase transaction using the second control,

wherein said method is performed without exposing the browser cookie to the merchant,

further wherein the overlay display object provides an interface that enables a user to interact with the hosted payment service to select payment and shipping options and to complete payment for the items selected for purchase,

further wherein the transaction display object enables the user to complete the transaction using an instant checkout option, wherein the transaction display object does not display the default account setting when the user selects the instant checkout option, and

further wherein the web page comprises a main portion defined by a first document and a nested portion defined by a second document, the second document served at least in part by a server of the hosted payment service, the transaction display object displayed at least in part within the nested portion, wherein the nested portion is included in the web page using an iFrame html element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction display object is created by causing the web page coding to be added to the web page as displayed by a browser running on the user computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction display object is displayed on a shopping cart page and provides functionality for the user to purchase one or more items represented in a shopping cart when completing the purchase transaction.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a secondary authentication input entered into the transaction display object, wherein the method is performed without exposing the secondary authentication input to the merchant.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the secondary authentication input comprises a string of characters.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the secondary authentication input can be used for multiple checkout sessions without being reset.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction display object enables the user to select from a plurality of pre-specified payment methods for completing the payment transaction.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interacts with a single browser window to complete the purchase transaction using the hosted payment service.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the size and content of the overlay display object are updated dynamically during the course of the purchase transaction.

10. A system for providing a hosted payment service, the system comprising:

a server system comprising one or more computers; and

a service code executed by said server system, said service code configured to;

generate a transaction display module in response to a request from a computing device of a user, the request generated in response to user selection of a first control as displayed on a web page of a merchant web site, the first control configured to enable users to invoke the hosted payment service from the merchant web site to purchase items, wherein the request is for performing a purchase transaction in which payment is collected by the hosted payment service on behalf of a merchant, said transaction display module operative to cause a transaction display object to display on the user computing device within a display object of the web page, said transaction display object including a second control that is selectable by the user such that the user can complete the purchase transaction without navigating away from the web page, wherein the transaction display module is configured to display a default account setting within the transaction display object and to enable the user to review and edit the default account setting before completing the purchase transaction and without navigating away from the web page, said default account setting comprising one or more of a default shipping address and a default payment method, said display object configured to overlay other content of the web page such that said content is not visible when the display object is displayed;

at a first point in time, receive a browser cookie from the user computing device, the browser cookie provided to the computing device of the user by the server system prior to the generation of the transaction display module;

recognize the user as having an account with the hosted payment service at least in part based on receipt of the browser cookie;

at a second point in time later than the first point in time, determine whether the user is authorized to complete the purchase transaction using the second control;

wherein the user can complete the purchase transaction using the transaction display module such that the browser cookie is not exposed to the merchant,

further wherein the display object provides an interface that enables a user to interact with the hosted payment service to select payment and shipping options and to complete payment for the items selected for purchase,

further wherein the display object enables the user to complete the transaction using an instant checkout option, wherein the display object does not display the default account setting when the user selects the instant checkout option, and

further wherein the web page comprises a main portion defined by a first document and a nested portion defined by a second document, the second document served at least in part by a server of the hosted payment service, the display module referenced by the second document, the display object displayed at least in part within the nested portion, wherein the nested portion is included in the web page using an iFrame html element.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the transaction display module comprises web page coding.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the transaction display module comprises JavaScript.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the system is configured to allow the user to complete the purchase transaction such that the user is navigated away from the web page.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the size and content of the display object are updated dynamically during the course of the transaction.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the second control comprises a first selectable portion and a second selectable portion, wherein upon user selection of the first selectable portion the transaction display object displays the default account setting such that the user can review and edit the default account setting before completing the purchase transaction, and wherein the second selectable portion is selectable by the user to complete the purchase transaction using the instant checkout option in which the transaction display object does not display the default account setting.

16. A computer-implemented method of providing a hosted payment service, the method comprising:

generating and communicating web page coding to a computing device of a user that causes a transaction display object to display within a display object of a merchant web page on the user computing device, the transaction display object including a control that is selectable by the user, said display object configured to overlay other content of the web page such that said content is not visible when the display object is displayed;

receiving an indication of a user selection of the control;

at a first point in time, receiving a browser cookie from the user computing device, the browser cookie provided to the user computing device by a server of the hosted payment service;

recognizing the user as having an account with the hosted payment service at least in part based on receipt of the browser cookie;

at a second point in time later than the first point in time, determining that the user is authorized to complete a purchase transaction using the control; and

causing payment to be collected for a the purchase transaction on behalf of the merchant in response to user selection of the control and said determining that the user is authorized to complete the purchase transaction, such that the user is not re-directed away from the web page,

wherein the transaction display object displays a default account setting and enables the user to review and edit the default account setting before completing the purchase transaction and without being re-directed away from the web page, said default account setting comprising one or more of a default shipping address and a default payment method,

wherein said method is performed without exposing the browser cookie to the merchant,

further wherein the display object provides an interface that enables a user to interact with the hosted payment service to select payment and shipping options and to complete payment for the items selected for purchase,

further wherein the display object enables the user to complete the transaction using an instant checkout option, wherein the display object does not display the default account setting when the user selects the instant checkout option, and

further wherein the web page comprises a main portion defined by a first document and a nested portion defined by a second document, the second document served at least in part by a server of the hosted payment service, the display object displayed at least in part within the nested portion, wherein the nested portion is included in the web page using an iFrame html element,

said method performed by one or more computers.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the transaction display object is displayed on a shopping cart page and provides functionality for the user to purchase one or more items represented in a shopping cart when completing the purchase transaction.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the size and content of the display object are updated dynamically during the course of the purchase transaction.

19. A computer implemented method of providing a hosted payment service, comprising:

generating a code segment, the code segment configured to add a first control that enables users to invoke the hosted payment service from a web site of a merchant after the code segment is added to web page coding of the web site, such that the users can use the hosted payment service to purchase items;

receiving a request generated in response to user selection of the first control as displayed on a web page of the web site, the request for performing a purchase transaction in which payment is collected by the hosted payment service;

responding to the request by generating and returning web page coding that causes a transaction display object to display within a display object of the web page, the transaction display object including a second control that is selectable by the user such that the user can complete the purchase transaction without navigating away from the web page, said display object configured to overlay other content of the web page such that said content is not visible when the display object is displayed;

at a first point in time, receiving a cookie from a computing device of the user, the cookie provided to the user computing device prior to said receiving a request;

recognizing the user as having an account with the hosted payment service based on receipt of the cookie; and

at a second point in time later than the first point in time, determining whether the recognized user is authorized to complete the purchase transaction using the second control,

wherein the transaction display object is configured to display a default account setting and to enable the user to review and edit the default account setting before completing the purchase transaction and without navigating away from the web page, said default account setting comprising one or more of a default shipping address and a default payment method,

wherein said method is performed without exposing the cookie to the merchant,

further wherein the display object provides an interface that enables a user to interact with the hosted payment service to select payment and shipping options and to complete payment for the items selected for purchase,

further wherein the display object enables the user to complete the transaction using an instant checkout option, wherein the transaction display object does not display the default account setting when the user selects the instant checkout option, and

further wherein the web page comprises a main portion defined by a first document and a nested portion defined by a second document, the second document served at least in part by a server of the hosted payment service, the display object displayed at least in part within the nested portion, wherein the nested portion is included in the web page using an iFrame html element,

said method performed by one or more computers.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the size and content of the display object are updated dynamically during the course of the purchase transaction.