Text message payment

• US 20070203836A1
• Filed: 02/28/2006
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Dodin, Ramy
• Granted Patent: US 8,662,384 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/44
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/223 based on the use of peer-to-peer networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3255 using mobile network messaging services for payment, e.g. SMS
• 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 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of effectuating an electronic on-line payment includes receiving at a computer server system a text message from a payor containing a payment request representing a payment amount sent by a payor device operating independently of the computer server system, determining a payment amount associated with the text message and debiting a payor account for an amount corresponding to the amount of the payment request, and crediting an account of a payee that is independent of the computer server system.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of effectuating a payment, comprising:

receiving at a computer server system a text message from a payor containing a payment request comprising a payment amount sent by a payor device operating independently of the computer server system;

debiting a payor account for an amount corresponding to the amount of the payment request; and

crediting a payee account that is independent of the computer server system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the text message is in the form of an SMS message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment further comprises information identifying a payee account.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing the amount of the payment request to a maximum payment amount and canceling the debiting of the account if the amount of the payment request causes the maximum payment amount to be exceeded.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the maximum payment amount is the sum of a plurality of payments.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising authenticating identifying information for the payee before authenticating identifying information for the payor.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining payment from a financial institution with which the payor has an account.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting to a device of the third party a text message indicating the debiting of the third party'"'"'s account.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating a telephone call to a telephone associated with the payor and seeking secure confirmation of the payment.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the telephone call is initiated if the transaction amount exceeds a defined monetary value or creates an excessive fraud score.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing the payment in escrow and debiting the account of the payee only after escrow conditions have cleared.

12. A computer-implemented method of initiating a payment transaction, comprising:

receiving at a computing device an identifier for a payee;

receiving at the computing device a transaction amount to pay the payee; and

transmitting to a central payment processing system a text message containing information reflecting the payee'"'"'s identifier and the transaction amount.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising displaying a transaction entry form on a display of the computing device, the form having locations for entering the text message identifier and the transaction amount.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising automatically inserting a text message identifier for the central payment processing system in the text message.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving a transaction verification text message from the central payment processing system and displaying all or some of the message.

16. A computer-implemented method of effectuating electronic payments, comprising:

registering a first user with a computer-based payment system;

registering a second user with the computer-based payment system;

causing the transfer of funds from the first user to the second user in response to receipt of a funds transfer text message.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the funds transfer text message is received from a device having an identifier associated with an account for the first user.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the transfer of funds comprises debiting an account of the first user and crediting an account of the second user.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising sending one or more text messages to the first user or the second user confirming the transfer of funds.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the funds transfer text message and the confirming text messages are SMS text messages.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the transfer of funds comprises communicating a funds transfer message to a financial institution independent of the computer-based payment system.

22. A system for managing financial payments, comprising:

a text message interface configured to receive payment requests from remote text messaging devices;

an accounts database to stored information on a plurality of user registered with the system; and

a transaction module in electronic communication with the interface and the accounts database to transfer funds from a first registered user to a second registered user in response to a text messaged payment request.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the text message interface comprises one or more servers having message parsers to extract payment commands from received text messages.

24. The system of claim 22, further comprising a transaction rules database containing rules that set amount-related limits on transactions.