Payment service to efficiently enable electronic payment

• US 7,831,510 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2009
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Listwon, Benjamin Gregg, Levchin, Max R., Kang, David Young-June, Li, David Ching
• Primary Examiner(s): Kalinowski; Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kanervo; Virpi H
• Application Number:
  US12/416,082
• Publication Number:
  US 20100057589A1
• Time in Patent Office: 588 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• 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 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• 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 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

A method to redirect a browser client is disclosed. The method comprises serving a first web page including a check-out option and receiving a check-out request from a consumer user of an electronic storefront web site. The check-out request is to purchase a product. In response to the check-out request the browser client is redirected to a web page hosted by a payment service web site. The payment service web site stores information that includes a return URL that corresponds to a web-based interface that is hosted by the electronic storefront web site. The redirection further includes a comparison of the return URL in the stored information to a return URL that corresponds to the web-based interface that is hosted by the electronic storefront web site. The comparison is to determine whether redirection to the web-based interface hosted by the electronic storefront web site should be performed.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method to redirect a browser client, the method comprising:

serving, using one or more processors, a first web page containing visual content including a check-out option;

receiving, using the one or more processors, a check-out request from a consumer user of an electronic storefront web site to purchase one or more products from the electronic storefront web site;

redirecting, using the one or more processors, the browser client to a payment service web site that stores information that includes a return URL (uniform resource locator) corresponding to a web-based interface that is hosted by the electronic storefront web site, the payment service web site to extract the return URL embedded in the information and to compare the extracted return URL to a reference return URL to determine whether redirection to the web-based interface hosted by the electronic storefront web site should be performed, the payment service web site further to redirect the browser client to the web-based interface hosted by the electronic storefront web site; and

serving, using the one or more processors, the web-based interface hosted by the electronic storefront web site to the browser client used by the consumer user.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a merchant identity (ID) for the electronic storefront web site to be used for transactions involving the payment service web site; and

providing the merchant ID to the payment service web site.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the providing of the merchant ID to the payment service web site includes communicating a URL (uniform resource locator).

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising generating the web-based interface hosted by the electronic storefront web site using an application program interface (API) that is provided to the electronic storefront web site by the payment service web site.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising serving a web-based interface to the browser client that does not include an option to enable the consumer user to make payment of the one or more products via the payment service web site.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an interface to enable an administrator to register a plurality of return URLs with the payment service web site.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of return URLs respectively correspond to a plurality of web pages hosted by the electronic storefront website.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a reply that indicates the consumer user is authorized to use the payment service.

9. A machine readable media storing instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform following steps:

serving a first web page containing visual content including a check-out option;

receiving a check-out request from a consumer user of an electronic storefront web site to purchase one or more products from the electronic storefront web site;

redirecting a browser client to a payment service web site that stores information including a return URL (uniform resource locator) corresponding to a web-based interface that is hosted by the electronic storefront web site, the payment service web site to extract the return URL embedded in the information and to compare the extracted return URL to a reference return URL to determine whether redirection to the web-based interface hosted by the electronic storefront web site should be performed, the payment service web site further to redirect the browser client to the web-based interface hosted by the electronic storefront web site; and

serving the web-based interface hosted by the electronic storefront web site to the browser client used by the consumer user.

10. A computer implemented method to redirect a browser client, the method comprising:

storing, using one or more processors, information at a payment service web site responsive to a redirection of the browser client to the payment service web site from an electronic storefront web site, information including a return URL (uniform resource locator) corresponding to a web-based interface hosted by the electronic storefront web site, the storing being performed responsive to a check-out request that is received at the electronic storefront web site to purchase one or more products from the electronic storefront web site, the receipt of the check-out request at the electronic storefront web site to cause the redirection of the browser client to the payment service web site;

extracting, using the one or more processors, the return URL embedded in the information;

comparing, the one or more processors, the extracted return URL to a reference return URL, corresponding to the web-based interface hosted by the electronic storefront web site, to determine whether redirection to the web-based interface hosted by the electronic storefront web site should be performed; and

redirecting, the one or more processors, the browser client to the web-based interface hosted by the electronic storefront web site.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 10, further comprising authenticating the electronic storefront web site.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein the authenticating the electronic storefront web site further comprises:

receiving a merchant identity (ID) from the electronic storefront web site; and

identifying the merchant ID in a merchant profile that is associated with a merchant to authenticate the merchant as enabled for transactions including the payment service web site.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 12, wherein the merchant ID includes an email address.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 12, wherein the merchant ID is provided to the payment service web site via a URL (uniform resource locator).

15. The computer implemented method of claim 10, further including providing an API (application program interface) to the electronic storefront web site.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 10, wherein the web-based interface hosted by the electronic storefront web site does not include an option to enable a consumer user to make payment of the one or more products via the payment service web site.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 10, further comprising communicating an interface to enable an administrator for the electronic storefront web site to register a plurality of reference return URLs with the payment service web site.

18. The computer implemented method of claim 17, wherein the plurality of reference return URLs respectively correspond to a plurality of web pages hosted by the electronic storefront.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 10, further comprising communicating a reply that includes an authorization to use the payment service.

20. A machine readable media storing instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform following steps:

storing information at a payment service web site responsive to a redirection of a browser client to the payment service web site from an electronic storefront web site, the information including a return URL (uniform resource locator) corresponding to a web-based interface hosted by the electronic storefront web site, the storing responsive to a check-out request that is received at the electronic storefront web site to purchase one or more products from the electronic storefront web site, the receipt of the check-out request at the electronic storefront web site to cause the redirection of the browser client to the payment service web site;

extracting the return URL embedded in the information;

comparing the return URL that is extracted to a return URL corresponding to the web-based interface hosted by the electronic storefront web site to determine whether redirection to the web-based interface hosted by the electronic storefront web site should be performed; and

redirecting the browser client to the web-based interface hosted by the electronic storefront web site.