Systems and methods for providing payment hotspots

• US 9,785,932 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2016
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sundaram, Magesh Babu Meignana
• Primary Examiner(s): Savusdiphol, Paultep
• Application Number:
  US15/247,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20160371672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 411 Days
• Field of Search: 235375, 235379
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/027 involving a payment switch or gateway
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/223 based on the use of peer-to-peer networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/326 Payment applications installed on the mobile devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/384 using social networks

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for facilitating payments between users of the system such as person-to-person payments using a payment hotspot. A payment hotspot or payspot may be generated by a first user device of a first user to facilitate a transfer of funds between the first user and the second user. The payspot may be a virtual payment portal that allows secure payment between the users without either of the users having to provide identifying information to the other user. The payspot may be accessed by the second user based on the proximity of a second user device of the second user to the first user device or the first user may provide an identification code of the payspot to the second user. The second user may access the payspot by communicating with a payment server with the second user device, through the first user device.

Claims

1. A mobile system, comprising:

a non-transitory memory; and

one or more hardware processors coupled to the non-transitory memory and configured to read instructions from the non-transitory memory to cause the mobile system to perform operations comprising;

transmitting a payment hotspot request to a server, wherein the server associates a payment hotspot identifier with the mobile system;

broadcasting, via short-range communications, the payment hotspot identifier to generate a payment hotspot;

receiving, via the short-range communications, a payment request from a user device at the payment hotspot based on the user device detecting the payment hotspot identifier; and

transmitting the payment request to the server to cause the server to facilitate a transfer of funds between an account associated with the mobile system and an account associated with the user device.

2. The mobile system of claim 1, wherein the payment hotspot is provided within a communication range of the short-range communications, and wherein the short-range communications comprise near field communications (NFC), Bluetooth communications, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communications, or Wi-Fi communications.

3. The mobile system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving the payment hotspot identifier from the server, wherein the server generates the payment hotspot identifier in response to receiving the payment hotspot request from the mobile system.

4. The mobile system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving the payment hotspot identifier from the user device; and

transmitting the payment hotspot identifier to the server.

5. The mobile system of claim 1, wherein the user device is configured to display a list of payment hotspot identifiers comprising the payment hotspot identifier broadcasted by the mobile system, and transmit the payment request to the mobile system in response to a user selection of the payment hotspot identifier broadcasted by the mobile system.

6. The mobile system of claim 1, wherein the facilitating comprises transferring the funds between the account associated with the mobile system and the account associated with the user device.

7. The mobile system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, via the short-range communications, an additional request for an additional payment from another user device; and

transmitting the additional payment request to the server to cause the server to facilitate an additional transfer of funds between the account associated with the mobile system and an account associated with the other user device.

8. A method, comprising:

transmitting, by a first user device, a payment hotspot request to a server, wherein the server associates a payment hotspot identifier with the first user device;

broadcasting, by the first user device via short-range communications, the payment hotspot identifier;

determining a payment request based on a second user device detecting the payment hotspot identifier; and

transmitting the payment request to the server to cause the server to facilitate a transfer of funds between an account associated with the first user device and an account associated with the second user device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the broadcasting comprises generating a payment hotspot within a communication range of the short-range communications, and wherein the short-range communications comprise near field communications (NFC), Bluetooth communications, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communications, or Wi-Fi communications.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the payment request comprises determining, by the first user device, the payment request in response to receiving, via the short-range communications, the payment request from the second user device, and wherein transmitting the payment request comprises transmitting, by the first user device, the payment request to the server in response to receiving the payment request.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the payment request comprises determining, by the second user device, the payment request, and wherein transmitting the payment request comprises transmitting, by the second user device, the payment request directly to the server in response to determining the payment request.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

generating, by the server, the payment hotspot identifier in response to receiving the payment hotspot request from the first user device; and

receiving, by the first user device, the payment hotspot identifier from the server.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

displaying, by the second user device, a list of payment hotspot identifiers comprising the payment hotspot identifier broadcasted by the first user device, and

transmitting, by the second user device, the payment request to the first user device in response to a user selection of the payment hotspot identifier broadcasted by the first user device.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, by the first user device via the short-range communications, an additional request for an additional payment from a third user device; and

transmitting the additional payment request to the server to cause the server to facilitate an additional transfer of funds between the account associated with the first user device and an account associated with the third user device.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon machine-readable instructions executable to cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

transmitting a payment hotspot request to a server, wherein the server associates a payment hotspot identifier with a first user;

generating, via short-range communications, a payment hotspot by broadcasting the payment hotspot identifier;

receiving, via the short-range communications, a payment request from a user device of a second user based on the user device detecting the payment hotspot identifier; and

transmitting the payment request to the server to cause the server to facilitate a transfer of funds between an account associated with the first user and an account associated with the second user.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the payment hotspot is provided within a communication range of the short-range communications, and wherein the short-range communications comprises near field communications (NFC), Bluetooth communications, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communications, or Wi-Fi communications.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving the payment hotspot identifier from the server, wherein the server generates the payment hotspot identifier in response to receiving the payment hotspot request.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving the payment hotspot identifier from the user device; and

transmitting the payment hotspot identifier to the server.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, via the short-range communications, an additional request for an additional payment from another user device of a third user; and

transmitting the additional payment request to the server to cause the server to facilitate an additional transfer of funds between the account associated with the first user and an account associated with the third user.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the facilitating comprises transferring the funds from an account of the second user to an account of the first user.