WIRELESS PORTABLE CONSUMER ELECTRONICS DEVICE FACILITATING MULTI-RANGE TRANSACTIONS

• US 20080052232A1
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Garrison, Sara, Myers, Joan
• Granted Patent: US 8,096,468 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/027 involving a payment switch or gateway
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems
• 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 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• 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 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

A method for conducting a transaction is disclosed. The method includes using a first portable electronic device, and directly transmitting a request for payment to a second portable electronic device through a wireless link. Then, the second portable electronic device transmits an approval of the request for payment to the first portable electronic device. One of the first and the second portable electronic devices then sends the request for payment to a payment hub service. The payment hub service then facilitates the transfer of funds from a payer institution to a payee institution to complete the transaction.

Claims

1. A portable consumer electronics device comprising:

means for addressing, to another said portable consumer electrical device, a short range wireless communication containing a request for payment for a transaction having a value to be credited to an account in a payment system;

means for receiving, from the another said portable consumer electrical device, a short range wireless communication containing an authorization of the request for payment for the transaction; and

means for addressing, to the payment system, a long range wireless communication containing at least a part of the authorization of the request for payment for the transaction sufficient to collect the value corresponding to the transaction from the account in the payment system.

2. The portable consumer electronics device as defined in claim 1, further comprising means for addressing, to the another said portable consumer electrical device, a short range wireless communication containing a receipt memorializing the transaction.

3. The portable consumer electronics device as defined in claim 2, wherein the receipt comprises:

a tracking number for the transaction;

a time stamp for the transaction; and

the value to be credited to the account in the payment system.

4. The portable consumer electronics device as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least said part of the authorization receipt comprises:

a tracking identifier for the transaction;

a time stamp for the transaction; and

the value to be credited to the account in the payment system.

5. The portable consumer electronics device as defined in claim 1, further comprising means, prior to the addressing of the short range wireless communication, for establishing credentials with the another said portable consumer electrical device via short range wireless communications.

6. The portable consumer electronics device as defined in claim 1, wherein any said short range wireless communication is a communications technology selected from the group consisting of a wireless communication technology having a range not greater than about ten meters, line of sight, infrared, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), and Bluetooth.

7. The portable consumer electronics device as defined in claim 1, wherein any said short range wireless communication is selected from the group consisting of:

a transmission with a digital certificate;

a cryptogram transmission with a digital certificate; and

a two-factor authentication encrypted transmission.

8. The portable consumer electronics device as defined in claim 1, wherein any said long range wireless communication is a cellular telephone communications protocol.

9. The portable consumer electronics device as defined in claim 1, further comprising means for receiving from the payment system a long range wireless communication containing a result from an attempt by the payment system to collect the value corresponding to the transaction from the account in the payment system.

10. The portable consumer electronics device as defined in claim 1, wherein the request for payment for the transaction comprises:

an identifier for the account in the payment system to which the value corresponding to the transaction is to be debited; and

an identifier for another said account to which the value corresponding to the transaction is to be credited.

11. The portable consumer electronics device as defined in claim 10, wherein:

the account corresponds to a payee for the transaction; and

the another said account corresponds to the payer for the transaction.

12. The portable consumer electronics device as defined in claim 11, wherein the account corresponding to the payee and the another said account corresponding to the payer are accounts in the same financial institution.

13. The portable consumer electronics device as defined in claim 10, wherein:

the account corresponds to a first payment method; and

the another said account corresponds to a second payment method.

14. The portable consumer electronics device as defined in claim 13, wherein each of the first and second payment methods are selected from the group consisting of a revolving credit account, a debit card account, a stored value account, a proxy account, a mutual fund account, a bank savings account, and a bank checking account.

15. The portable consumer electronics device as defined in claim 13, wherein the first and second payment methods are different.

16. The portable consumer electronics device as defined in claim 13, wherein the first and second payment methods are operated by different financial institutions each of which is selected from the group consisting of:

a brand of a bank;

a brand of a credit card processing organization; and

an automated clearing house (ACH).

17. The portable consumer electronics device as defined in claim 1, wherein the payment system comprises a plurality of payment processing systems operated by respective different server computers.

18. A portable consumer cellular telephone having a processor executing code to:

establish, via short range wireless communications, credentials between the portable consumer electronics device and another said portable consumer electrical device;

address, to the another said portable consumer electrical device, a short range wireless communication containing a request for payment for a transaction having a value to be credited to an account in a payment system;

receive, from the another said portable consumer electrical device, a short range wireless communication containing an authorization of the request for payment for the transaction; and

address, to the payment system, a cellular telephone communication containing at least a part of the authorization of the request for payment for the transaction sufficient to collect the value corresponding to the transaction from the account in the payment system;

address, to the another said portable consumer electrical device, a short range wireless communication containing a receipt memorializing the transaction; and

receive, from the payment system, a cellular telephone communication containing a result from an attempt by the payment system to collect the value corresponding to the transaction from the account in the payment system, wherein;

the short range wireless communication is selected from the group consisting of a wireless communication technology having a range not greater than about ten meters, line of sight, infrared, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), and Bluetooth;

the request for payment for the transaction comprises;

an identifier for the account in the payment system to which the value corresponding to the transaction is to be debited; and

an identifier for another said account to which the value corresponding to the transaction is to be credited;

the account corresponds to a payee for the transaction; and

the another said account corresponds to the payer for the transaction.

19. A portable consumer electrical device comprising:

means for receiving, from another said portable consumer electrical device, a short range wireless communication containing a request for payment for a transaction having a value to be credited to an account in a payment system;

means for addressing, to the another said portable consumer electrical device, a short range wireless communication containing an authorization of the request for payment for the transaction; and

means for addressing, to the payment system, a long range wireless communication containing at least a part of the authorization of the request for payment for the transaction sufficient to collect the value corresponding to the transaction from the account in the payment system.

20. The portable consumer electronics device as defined in claim 19, further comprising means for addressing, to the another said portable consumer electrical device, a short range wireless communication containing a receipt memorializing the transaction.

21. The portable consumer electronics device as defined in claim 19, further comprising means, prior to the addressing of the short range wireless communication, for establishing credentials with the another said portable consumer electrical device via short range wireless communications.

22. The portable consumer electronics device as defined in claim 19, further comprising means for receiving from the payment system a long range wireless communication containing a result from an attempt by the payment system to collect the value corresponding to the transaction from the account in the payment system.

23. The portable consumer electronics device as defined in claim 19, wherein the long range wireless communication is a cellular telephone communication and the short range wireless communication is not a cellular telephone communication.

24. A computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, performs the steps of:

addressing a short range wireless communication containing a request for payment for a transaction having a value to be credited to an account in a payment system;

receiving a short range wireless communication containing an authorization of the request for payment for the transaction; and

addressing, to a payment system, a long range wireless communication containing at least a part of the authorization of the request for payment for the transaction sufficient to collect the value corresponding to the transaction from the account in the payment system.

25. A method comprising:

receiving a short range wireless communication containing a request for payment for the transaction having a value to be credited to an account in a payment system;

addressing a short range wireless communication containing an authorization of the request for payment for the transaction; and

addressing, to the payment system, a long range wireless communication containing at least a part of the authorization of the request for payment for the transaction sufficient to collect the value corresponding to the transaction from the account in the payment system.

26. The method as defined in claim 25, wherein:

any said long range wireless communication is a cellular telephone communications protocol; and

any said short range wireless communication is a communications technology selected from the group consisting of a wireless communication technology having a range not greater than about ten meters, line of sight, infrared, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), and Bluetooth.