Email payment gateway for sending funds

• US 10,423,990 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2017
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Swoop IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Swoop IP Holdings LLC
• Inventors: Killoran, Jr., John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kira
• Application Number:
  US15/643,523
• Publication Number:
  US 20170372382A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• Field of Search: 705329
• 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 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/386 using messaging services or messaging apps using mobile network messaging services for payment, e.g. SMS G06Q20/3255
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0279 Fundraising management

Abstract

An email payment gateway may be configured to send emails to potential donors. The emails may include mailto hyperlinks. Each mailto hyperlink may be associated with one or more fundraising campaigns, and each mailto hyperlink describes an email message that may be generated when that hyperlink is selected. When a mailto hyperlink is selected, the generated email message may include one or more parameters related to the fundraising campaign associated with the hyperlink, such as an identifier of the fundraising campaign, donor identity or donation amount. The generated email message may then be transmitted to the email payment gateway. The email payment gateway may receive the message and, based on the parameters in the received message, process the donation on behalf of the donor.

Claims

1. An email payment gateway that utilizes simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) to improve security of an e-commerce system, the email payment gateway comprising:

a database that stores a plurality of identifiers including an identifier of a sender of funds;

an email address of the sender of funds and an identifier of a funds request;

a communication interface; and

a processor that is communicatively coupled to the communication interface and the database;

wherein the processor is configured to;

generate a plurality of universal unique identifiers (UUIDs),

associate one of the plurality of UUIDs with each of the plurality of identifiers,

generate a first SMTP email message addressed to the email address and associated with the funds request, wherein the first SMTP email message including a visible SMTP mailto link and the visible SMTP mailto link includes;

non-visible information including a destination address field that includes an email address of the email payment gateway, a first UUID being associated with a funds amount, a second UUID being associated with the identification of the sender of funds, and a body field that includes the identifier of the sender of funds and the identifier of the funds request, and the visible SMTP mailto link, upon selection, generates a second SMTP email message that includes the first UUID and the second UUID; and

a visible indicia of the funds amount;

transmit, using the communication interface, the first SMTP email message to the sender of funds;

receive, using the communication interface, the second email message that includes the first UUID and the second UUID from the sender of the funds, wherein the second SMTP email message is automatically generated in response to the sender of funds executing the visible SMTP mailto link of the first SMTP email message,

process first UUID to derive the funds amount and the second UUID to derive the identification of the sender of funds, and

process the funds amount on behalf of the sender of funds, only if the first UUID and the second UUID are valid.

2. The email payment gateway of claim 1, wherein the first SMTP email message includes a plurality of visible SMTP mailto links corresponding to a plurality of funds amounts.

3. The email payment gateway of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of visible SMTP mailto links includes a non-visible unique universal identifier (UUID).

4. The email payment gateway of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

look up the first UUID stored on its database and being associated with the UUID associated with the visible SMTP mailto link that is executed by the sender of the funds to determine the funds amount,

look up the second UUID stored within the database and being associated with the UUID associated with the visible SMTP mailto link that is executed by the sender of the funds to determine the identity of the sender of funds.

5. The email payment gateway of claim 1 further comprising a recognition system for confirming and recognizing that the sender of funds sent a requested fund amount.

6. The email payment gateway of claim 5, wherein the recognition system is configured to generate an electronic notice in recognition of the funds amount.

7. The email payment gateway of claim 6, wherein the electronic notice is at least one of a single SMTP email, an SMTP email blast, a message sent using at least on of Facebook or Twitter, and posting on a website associated with the email payment gateway.

8. A method for improving security of an e-commerce system utilizing simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP), the method comprising:

generating, by a processor of an email payment gateway, a plurality of universal unique identifiers (UUIDs),

associating, by the processor, one of the plurality of UUIDs with each of the plurality of identifiers,

generating, by the processor, a first SMTP email message addressed to the email address and associated with a funds request, wherein the first SMTP email message including a visible SMTP mailto link and the visible SMTP mailto link includes;

non-visible information including a destination address field that includes an email address of the email payment gateway, a first UUID being associated with a funds amount, a second UUID being associated with the identification of a sender of funds, and a body field that includes the identifier of the sender of funds and the identifier of the funds request, and the visible SMTP mailto link, upon selection, generates a second SMTP email message that includes the first UUID and the second UUID; and

a visible indicia of the funds amount;

transmitting, by the processor, via communication interface, the first SMTP email message to the sender of funds;

receiving, by the processor via the communication interface, the second email message that includes the first UUID and the second UUID from the sender of the funds, wherein the second SMTP email message is automatically generated in response to the sender of funds executing the visible SMTP mailto link of the first SMTP email message,

processing, by the processor, the first UUID to derive the funds amount and the second UUID to derive the identification of the sender of funds, and

processing, by the processor, the funds amount on behalf of the sender of funds, only if the first UUID and the second UUID are valid.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first SMTP email message includes a plurality of visible SMTP mailto links corresponding to a plurality of funds amounts.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of visible SMTP mailto links includes a non-visible unique universal identifier (UUID).

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

looking up, by the processor, the first UUID stored on its database and being associated with the UUID associated with the visible SMTP mailto link that is executed by the sender of the funds to determine the funds amount, and

looking up, by the processor, the second UUID stored within the database and being associated with the UUID associated with the visible SMTP mailto link that is executed by the sender of the funds to determine the identity of the sender of funds.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

confirming and recognizing, by the processor, that the sender of funds sent a requested fund amount.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

generating, by the processor, an electronic notice in recognition of the funds amount.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the electronic notice is at least one of a single SMTP email, an SMTP email blast, a message sent using at least on of Facebook or Twitter, and posting on a website associated with the email payment gateway.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium that stores instructions for improving security of an e-commerce system utilizing simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP), the instructions when executed by a processor of an email payment gateway cause the processor to:

;

generate a plurality of universal unique identifiers (UUIDs),

associate one of the plurality of UUIDs with each of the plurality of identifiers,

generate a first SMTP email message addressed to the email address and associated with a funds request, wherein the first SMTP email message including a visible SMTP mailto link and the visible SMTP mailto link includes;

non-visible information including a destination address field that includes an email address of the email payment gateway, a first UUID being associated with a funds amount, a second UUID being associated with the identification of a sender of funds, and a body field that includes the identifier of the sender of funds and the identifier of the funds request, and the visible SMTP mailto link, upon selection, generates a second SMTP email message that includes the first and second UUIDs ; and

a visible indicia of the funds amount;

transmit, using a communication interface, the first SMTP email message to the sender of funds;

receive, using the communication interface, the second email message that includes the first and second UUIDs from the sender of the funds, wherein the second SMTP email message is automatically generated in response to the sender of funds executing the visible SMTP mailto link of the first SMTP email message,

process the first UUID to derive the funds amount and the second UUID to derive the identification of the sender of funds, and

process the funds amount on behalf of the sender of funds, only if the first UUID and the second UUID are valid.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the first SMTP email message includes a plurality of visible SMTP mailto links corresponding to a plurality of funds amounts.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of visible SMTP mailto links includes a non-visible unique universal identifier (UUID).

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instruction further cause the processor to:

look up the first UUID stored on its database and being associated with the UUID associated with the visible SMTP mailto link that is executed by the sender of the funds to determine the funds amount, and

look up the second UUID stored within the database and being associated with the UUID associated with the visible SMTP mailto link that is executed by the sender of the funds to determine the identity of the sender of funds.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instruction further cause the processor to:

confirm and recognize that the sender of funds sent a requested fund amount.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the instruction further cause the processor to:

generate, an electronic notice in recognition of the funds amount.