Location-based automatic payment system

• US 9,971,998 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2011
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nuzzi, Frank Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Ebersman, Bruce I
• Application Number:
  US13/035,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20120221463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,636 Days
• 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 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules

Abstract

A method for making a location-based automatic payment includes receiving an automatic payment instruction that designates a payee account. The automatic payment instruction is associated with a payer account in a database. A payment location is received and associated with the automatic payment request in the database. A payer device that is associated with the payer account is determined to be in the payment location and, in response, a payment request is sent over a network to make a payment from the payer account to the payee account.

Claims

1. A method for making an electronic location-based automatic payment that provides time and location-based security, comprising:

receiving, by a system provider device across a network from a payer device via a graphical user interface displayed on the payer device, an automatic payment instruction that designates a payee account, a payment location, and a payment time period;

associating, by the system provider device in a database, the automatic payment instruction with a payer account that is linked to the payer device;

receiving, by the system provider device across the network from the payer device at each of a plurality of different times that are subsequent to the association of the automatic payment instruction with the payer account, Global Positioning System (GPS) information that is generated by a GPS device in the payer device;

determining, by the system provider device at each of the plurality of different times, whether automatic payment conditions are satisfied by determining whether;

the payer device is in the payment location in response to the GPS information corresponding to the payment location; and

that a current time is within the payment time period; and

automatically causing, by the system provider device or each of one or more instances in which it is determined that the automatic payment conditions are satisfied, a payment to be made from the payer account to the payee account designated by the automatic payment instruction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the payer device is in the payment location includes, at each of the plurality of different times:

comparing, by the system provider device, GPS location coordinates that are included in the GPS information to location data that is associated with the payment location; and

determining, by the system provider device, that the GPS location coordinates are within a predetermined distance of the location data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information includes a GPS location determined by the payer device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the automatic payment instruction designates a payment amount, and wherein the payment from the payer account to the payee account includes the payment amount each of the one or more instances in which the automatic payment conditions are satisfied.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment time period designates at least one day of the week.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the automatic payment instruction designates a maximum payment frequency and the method further comprises, at each of the plurality of different times:

retrieving, by the system provider device across the network, a plurality of previous payments from the payer account to the payee account; and

determining, by the system provider device, that the plurality of previous payments do not exceed the maximum payment frequency, wherein the automatic payment conditions are satisfied when the payer device is in the payment location during the payment time period and the plurality of previous payments do not exceed the maximum payment frequency.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at each of the plurality of different times:

providing, by the system provider device across the network, an alert to the payer device in response to determining that the payer device is in the payment location during the payment time period; and

receiving, by the system provider device across the network, a payment confirmation from the payer device, wherein the automatic payment conditions are satisfied when the payer device is in the payment location during the payment time period and the payment confirmation is received.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, for at least one of the plurality of different times:

receiving, by the system provider device across the network, a payment amount in response to providing the alert, wherein the payment request to make the payment from the payer account to the payee account includes the payment amount.

9. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon machine-readable instructions excitable to cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving, across a network via a graphical user interface displayed on the payer device, an automatic payment instruction that designates a payee account, a payment location, and a payment time period;

associating, in a database, the automatic payment instruction with a payer account that is linked to the payer device;

receiving, across the network from the payer device at each of a plurality of different times that are subsequent to the association of the automatic payment instructions with the payer account, Global Positioning System (GPS) information that is generated by a GPS device in the payer device;

subsequent to the association of the payment location with the automatic payment instruction, determining, at each of the plurality of different times, whether automatic payment instructions are satisfied by determining whether;

the payer device is in the payment location in response to the GPS information corresponding to the payment location; and

that a current time is within the payment time period; and

automatically causing, for each of one or more instances in which it is determined that the automatic payment conditions are satisfied, a payment to be made from the payer account to the payee account designated by the automatic payment instruction.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the determining whether the payer device is in the payment location includes, at each of the plurality of different times:

comparing GPS location coordinates that are included in the GPS information to location data that is associated with the payment location; and

determining that the GPS location coordinates are within a predetermined distance of the location data.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the GPS information includes a GPS location determined by the payer device.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the automatic payment instruction designates a payment amount, and wherein the payment from the payer account to the payee account includes the payment amount each of the one or more instances in which the automatic payment conditions are satisfied.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the payment time period designates at least one day of the week.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the automatic payment instruction designates a maximum payment frequency and the operations further comprises, at each of the plurality of different times:

retrieving, across the network, a plurality of previous payments from the payer account to the payee account; and

determining that the plurality of previous payments do not exceed the maximum payment frequency, wherein the automatic payment conditions are satisfied when the payer device is in the payment location during the payment time period and the plurality of previous payments do not exceed the maximum payment frequency.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprises, at each of the plurality of different times:

providing, across the network, an alert to the payer device in response to determining that the payer device is in the payment location during the payment time period; and

receiving, across the network, a payment confirmation from the payer device, wherein the automatic payment conditions are satisfied when the payer device is in the payment location during the payment time period and the payment confirmation is received.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprises, for at least one of the plurality of different time:

receiving, across the network, a payment amount in response to providing the alert, wherein the payment request to make the payment from the payer account to the payee account includes the payment amount.

17. An electronic location-based automatic payment system that provides time and location-based security, comprising:

a non-transitory memory; and

one or more hardware processors configured to execute instructions to cause the system to perform operations comprising;

receiving, across a network via a graphical user interface displayed on the payer device, an automatic payment instruction that designates a payee account, a payment location, and a payment time period;

associating, in the non-transitory memory, the automatic payment instruction with a payer account that is linked to the payer device;

receiving across the network from the payer device at each of a plurality of different times that are subsequent to the association of the automatic payment instruction with the payer account, Global Positioning System (GPS) information that is generated by a GPS device in the payer device;

determining, at each of the plurality of different times whether automatic payment conditions are satisfied by determining whether;

the payer device is in the payment location in response to the GPS information corresponding to the payment location; and

that a current time is within the payment time period; and

automatically causing, for each of one or more instances in which it is determined that the automatic payment conditions are satisfied, a payment to be made from the payer account to the payee account designated by the automatic payment instruction.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the payment time period designates at least one day of the week.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the automatic payment instruction designates a maximum payment frequency and the operations further comprise, at each for each of the plurality of different times:

retrieving, across the network, a plurality of previous payments from the payer account to the payee account; and

determining that the plurality of previous payments do not exceed the maximum payment frequency, wherein the automatic payment conditions are satisfied when the payer is in the payment location during the payment time period and the plurality of previous payments do not exceed the maximum payment frequency.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise, for at least one of the plurality of different times:

providing, across the network, an alert to the payer in response to determining that the payer is in the payment location during the payment time period; and

receiving, across the network, a payment confirmation from the payer device, wherein the automatic payment conditions are satisfied when the payer is in the payment location during the payment time period and the payment confirmation is received.