PAPERLESS CHECKING TRANSACTIONS

• US 20100280944A1
• Filed: 04/30/2009
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Kulshrestha, Nitin, Hua, Lu, Kotecha, Tejas Arvindbhai, Low, Gak Wee
• Application Number:
  US12/433,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20100280944A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a user logs into a bank account and access a bill payment service through the bank. The user enters a recipient'"'"'s email address and an amount to be transferred from the user'"'"'s account to the recipient. The bill payment service transfers the amount to a payment provider, who then transfers the amount to the recipient if the recipient has an account with the payment provider. As a result, recipients who are not part of a bill payment service can quickly receive payments, and users can make quickly and easily payments to recipients who are not part of a bill payment service by simply entering an email address and payment amount.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating financial transactions over a network, the method comprising:

receiving an email address of a recipient and a payment amount;

receiving funds in the payment amount from a bill payment service; and

transferring the funds to a recipient account with a payment provider.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the recipient has an account with the payment provider.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining comprises using the email address to search for accounts with the payment provider.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining approval from the recipient prior to the transferring.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the approval is obtained prior to each individual transfer.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the approval is obtained only once.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying the recipient of an intended transfer of the payment amount.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the notifying comprises providing an identity of a payer of the funds.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the email address and the payment amount are entered by a payer from a financial institution website.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the recipient is not part of the bill payment service.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the recipient is not an entity authorized to receive payments directly through the bill payment service.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying the recipient and/or a payer when the funds are transferred.

13. A method for making payments over a network, comprising:

receiving a payer'"'"'s information to access an account with a financial institution;

granting access to a payer'"'"'s account with the financial institution;

receiving a recipient'"'"'s email address and an amount to be transferred from the payer'"'"'s account;

communicating the recipient'"'"'s email address and the amount with a bill payment service; and

debiting the amount from the payer'"'"'s account.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the recipient is not an authorized receiver of funds of the bill payment service.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the financial institution is part of the bill payment service.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the payer is part of the bill payment service.

17. Software encoded in a computer readable medium and when executed operable to facilitate financial transactions over a network, the software further operable to:

receive an email address of a recipient and a payment amount;

receive funds in the payment amount from a bill payment service; and

transfer the funds to a recipient account with a payment provider.

18. The software of claim 17, further operable to determine whether the recipient has an account with the payment provider.

19. The software of claim 17, further operable to obtain approval from the recipient prior to the transferring.

20. The software of claim 17, further operable to notify the recipient of an intended transfer of the payment amount.

21. The software of claim 17, wherein the email address and the payment amount are entered by a payer from a financial institution website.

22. The software of claim 17, wherein the recipient is not part of the bill payment service.

23. The software of claim 17, further operable to notify the recipient and/or a payer when the funds are transferred.