Systems and methods to facilitate repeated purchases

• US 9,202,211 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2013
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boku Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Boku Incorporated
• Inventors: Davis, Kurt, Kim, Jang, Yoo, David, Goodsall, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Nghi H
• Application Number:
  US13/949,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20130317980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• Field of Search: 455/407, 455/406, 455/466, 455/414.1, 455/415, 705/14.64
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/16 Payments settled via telecommunication systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/22 Payment schemes or models
• 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

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided to facilitate repeated purchase and payment transactions. In one aspect, a system includes an interchange and a data storage facility configured to store payment transaction records associated with phone numbers. The interchange includes a common format processor and a plurality of converters to interface with a plurality of different controllers of mobile communications. The converters are configured to communicate with the controllers in different formats and to communicate with the common format processor in a common format. The common format processor is configured to identify a prior payment transaction associated with a phone number in response to a message from a mobile phone having the phone number, communicate with a merchant to repeat a purchase according to the prior payment transaction, and transmit via one of the converters premium messages to the mobile phone to collect funds for a payment to repeat the purchase.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of performing transactions, comprising:

receiving, by an interchange, a top-up request from a server when the server determines that a balance of an account held by a user on the server falls below a predetermined amount due to an activity of the user on the server;

charging, by the interchange, a phone number account held by a carrier for a top-up amount in response to receiving the top-up request;

receiving, by the interchange, an indication of payment from the carrier; and

paying, with the interchange, the server based on the amount, thereby topping-up the balance of the account on the server using funds from the carrier and processing a previous payment for the phone number;

receiving, in the computing device, a message from a mobile phone having a phone number;

identifying, by the computing device in response to the message, the previous payment transaction processed by the computing device for the number;

communicating, by the computing device, with a merchant to repeat a purchase identified according to the previous payment transaction; and

processing, by the computing device, a payment to the merchant using funds associated with the phone number to repeat the purchase.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user tops the balance up without having to go outside an application provided by the server.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein an interface of the application alerts the user when the balance falls below the threshold.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the alert is a pop-up window.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein an icon alerts the user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating, using the interchange, with a mobile phone at the phone number to confirm the topping-up.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the user is presented a message on the mobile phone to confirm repeated top-up operations.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein after the communication to confirm the repeated top-up operations, the interchange skips a requirement to confirm with the mobile phone for subsequent topping-up operations.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the user confirms repeated topping-up operations based on a calendar.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the user confirms repeated topping-up operations on an as needed basis when the balance is below the threshold.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating, using the interchange, with a server to determine if the account needs additional funds.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting, using the interchange, that the server notify the interchange when the account is low.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating, by the computing device, with a merchant to repeat a purchase identified according to the previous payment transaction.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying of the previous payment transaction comprises identifying a most recent payment transaction associated with the phone number as the previous payment transaction.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the previous payment transaction is identified based on the message.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is a reply to a previous message transmitted from the computing device to the mobile phone in connection with the previous payment transaction.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the message received from the mobile phone is received via a short message service (SMS).

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the previous message transmitted from the computing device to the mobile phone includes a code to identify the previous payment transaction.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the message received from the mobile phone includes the code to identify the previous payment transaction.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating, by the computing device, with the mobile phone to request confirmation of a request for the previous payment transaction; and

wherein the payment to repeat the purchase is processed without the computing device communicating with the mobile phone to request confirmation.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing of the payment comprises:

transmitting, by the computing device, at least one messages to a telecommunication carrier according to the phone number;

receiving funds corresponding to the at least one message messages from the telecommunication carrier of the mobile phone; and

providing the funds to the merchant as the payment.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing of the payment comprises:

charging a financial account associated with the phone number to collect funds for the payment.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of performing transactions, the method comprising:

receiving, by an interchange, a top-up request from a server when the server determines that a balance of an account held by a user on the server falls below a predetermined amount due to an activity of the user on the server;

charging, by the interchange, a phone number account held by a carrier for a top-up amount in response to receiving the top-up request;

receiving, by the interchange, an indication of payment from the carrier; and

paying, with the interchange, the server based on the amount, thereby topping-up the balance of the account on the server using funds from the carrier and processing a previous payment for the phone number;

receiving, in the computing device, a message from a mobile phone having a phone number;

identifying, by the computing device in response to the message, the previous payment transaction processed by the computing device for the phone number;

communicating, by the computing device, with a merchant to repeat a purchase identified according to the previous payment transaction; and

processing, by the computing device, a payment to the merchant using funds associated with the phone number to repeat the purchase.

24. A computing apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory computer readable medium connected to the processor;

a local storage on the non-transitory computer readable medium; and

a set of instruction on the non-transitory computer readable medium that are executable by the processor to carry out a method including;

receive a top-up request from a server when the server determines that a balance of an account held by a user on the server falls below a predetermined amount due to an activity of the user on the server;

charge a phone number account held by a carrier for a top-up amount in response to receiving the top-up request;

receive an indication of payment from the carrier; and

pay the server based on the amount, thereby topping-up the balance of the account on the server using funds from the carrier and processing a previous payment for the phone number;

receive a message from a mobile phone having a phone number;

identify, in response to the message, the previous payment transaction processed by the computing device for the phone number;

communicate with a merchant to repeat a purchase identified according to the previous payment transaction; and

process a payment to the merchant using funds associated with the phone number to repeat the purchase.