Online transaction method and system using a payment platform and a logistics company

• US 8,626,596 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2009
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced New Technologies Company Limited (Ant Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Hu, Xiaoming, Du, Jun Li, Ni, Xingjun, Qi, Xiaoning, Yu, Feng, Zhang, Liang, Zhu, Shi Yu
• Primary Examiner(s): Haq, Naeem
• Application Number:
  US12/670,057
• Publication Number:
  US 20100287068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,601 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1, 705/26.2, 705/26.25, 705/26.3, 705/26.35, 705/26.4, 705 2641- 2644, 705/26.5, 705 2661- 2664, 705/26.7, 705/26.8, 705/26.81, 705/26.82, 705/26.9, 705/27.1, 705/27.2
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0855 involving a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0619 Neutral agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

The disclosed online transaction method and system uses payment platform acting as an intermediary agent between the merchant and the shipping company to handle the payment. While the payment platform receives payment from the shipping company, the merchant receives payment from the payment platform. The method and system do not require buyers to use the payment method provided by an intermediary transaction platform to make a payment. Instead, the buyer may pay directly to the shipping company. Unlike conventional transaction method based on COD, however, the disclosed online transaction method and system centrally manage a logistics platform or multiple logistics operations run by logistics companies. The merchant does not receive the payment from the logistics company, but rather receive the payment from a centralized payment platform to ensure secure and fast payment.

Claims

1. An online transaction method for conducting a merchandise transaction between a merchant and a user, the method comprising:

under control of one or more computing systems comprising memory and one or more processors,

allowing the user to purchase a product of the merchant through an intermediary transaction platform;

receiving from the user a transaction request including at least a mode of payment selected by the user;

sending a request for pickup service to a logistics company;

receiving a first transaction status indicating that the merchant has shipped the product;

tracking occasions indicating unsuccessful pick-up of goods received from the logistics company;

applying a punitive measure on the merchant according to a pre-determined rule if an accumulative number of the occasions is greater than a threshold;

receiving a second transaction status indicating that the user has confirmed receiving the product;

conducting a first fund settlement between a payment platform and the logistics company, the first fund settlement including receiving funds from the logistics company into the payment platform; and

conducting a second fund settlement between the payment platform and the merchant, the second fund settlement including transferring funds from the payment platform to the merchant.

2. The online transaction method as recited in claim 1, wherein the payment platform is a separate platform from the intermediary transaction platform.

3. The online transaction method as recited in claim 1, wherein the payment platform and the intermediary transaction platform are integrated into a single intermediary platform.

4. The online transaction method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first fund settlement between the payment platform and the logistics company is conducted through a logistics platform on behalf of the logistics company.

5. The online transaction method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first fund settlement between the payment platform and the logistics company and the second fund settlement between the payment platform and the merchant are conducted collectively for multiple transactions on a periodic basis.

6. The online transaction method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first fund settlement comprises paying a service fee to the logistics company.

7. The online transaction method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second fund settlement comprises charging a service fee on the merchant.

8. The online transaction method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

allowing the merchant to select the logistics company from a plurality of logistics companies contracted with the intermediary transaction platform.

9. The online transaction method as recited in claim 8, wherein the logistics company is selected by the merchant as a default logistics company for all transactions involving the merchant.

10. The online transaction method as recited in claim 1, wherein the logistics company is designated by the intermediary transaction platform.

11. Non-transitory memory encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computing device, perform acts comprising:

receiving a transaction request for an item from a device associated with a user, the transaction request including a mode of payment selected by the user;

transmitting a delivery request to a device associated with a logistics company based on the transaction request;

receiving a first transaction status indicating that the item is shipped;

determining that the item is not successfully picked up;

generating or updating a failure record for a merchant associated with the item;

determining that a number of failure occasions indicated by the failure record is greater than a predetermined number;

taking a punitive measure against the merchant based on a predetermine rule;

receiving a second transaction status indicating that the user receives the item; and

conducting a first fund settlement between a payment platform and the logistics company, the first fund settlement including receiving funds from the logistics company into the payment platform.

12. The non-transitory memory of claim 11, wherein the acts further comprise conducting a second fund settlement between the payment platform and the merchant that ships the item, the second fund settlement including transferring funds from the payment platform to the merchant.

13. The non-transitory memory of claim 11, wherein the receiving the second transaction status comprises:

receiving a message from the logistical company;

determining, based on the message, whether the user makes a payment for the item;

in an event that the user makes the payment for the item, transmitting a transaction status information to the device associated with the payment platform; and

in an event that the user does not make the payment for the item;

transmitting a transaction status information to the device associated with the payment platform, and

transmitting an instruction to a device associated with the logistics company to return the item to a merchant that ships the item.

14. The non-transitory memory of claim 13, wherein the determining that the user receives the item further comprises:

in an event that the user does not make the payment for the item;

receiving from the device associated with the logistical company a confirmation indicating that the item is returned to the merchant; and

generating and transmitting information associated with the confirmation to the payment platform.

15. A system for online transactions, the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory to maintain a plurality of components executable by the one or more processors, the plurality of components comprising;

a user processing unit configured to receive a transaction request for an item from a device associated with a user,

a logistics processing unit configured to;

transmit a delivery request to a device associated with a logistics company based on the transaction request,

determine that the item is shipped, and

determine that the user receives the item, and

a transaction processing unit configured to;

conduct a first fund settlement between a payment platform and the logistics company, the first fund settlement including receiving funds from the logistics company into the payment platform,

conduct a second fund settlement between the payment platform and a merchant that ships the item, the second fund settlement including transferring funds from the payment platform to the merchant, wherein the merchant is applied a punitive measure based on a predetermined rule if an accumulative number of occasions indicating unsuccessful pick-up of goods received from the logistics company is greater than a predetermined threshold.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the determining that the item is shipped comprising determining that the logistics company picks up the items.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the determining that the user receives the item comprising determining that the logistics company delivers the item to the user and receives from the user a payment associated with the item.