Network-based marketplace service for facilitating purchases of bundled services and products

A virtual payment system for facilitating multi-staged exchanges of value for purchases of bundled sets of services and/or products using virtual funds, the system comprising:

• an application server providing a network service;
• a plurality of client systems configured to communicatively couple to the application server via a network to access the network service;
• and
• a data storage system storing a virtual money account database comprising a plurality of account information records respectively associated with a plurality of participants in which the respective account information record for each participant maintains a record of virtual funds held within a respective virtual money account for the participant and having a balance that corresponds to a monetary value of actual currency held within a financial account associated with a provider of the virtual payment system, and
• wherein the network service is operable to:
• in response to being accessed by a user through operation of one of the client systems on behalf of a customer participant of the plurality of participants to purchase an offer for a bundled set that includes a first service and at least one product or additional service each provided by a corresponding provider, access the virtual money account database to record an indication within the respective account information record for the customer participant of a first amount of the virtual funds held within the respective virtual money account for the customer participant that corresponds to a purchase price specified in actual currency for the bundled set being allocated to the purchase by the customer participant;
• in response to receiving a confirmation submitted by a user accessing the network service through operation of one of the client systems that the first service of the bundled set has been provided to the customer participant by the corresponding provider for the first service, access the virtual money account database to transfer a quantity of virtual funds that corresponds to a payment amount specified in actual currency for the first service of the bundled set from the first amount of the virtual funds held within the respective virtual money account for the customer participant to a respective virtual money account for a corresponding participant of the plurality of participants that is specified to receive payment for the first service by:
• recording a deduction within the account information record respectively associated with the customer participant of the quantity of virtual funds that corresponds to the payment amount specified for the first service from the first amount of virtual funds held within the respective virtual money account for the customer participant;
• and
• recording an credit within the account information record respectively associated with the participant that is specified to receive payment for the first service for the quantity of virtual funds that corresponds to the payment amount specified for the first service in the record of virtual funds held within the respective virtual money account for the participant that is specified to receive payment for the first service;
• and
• for each of the at least one product or additional service of the bundled set, in response to receiving a confirmation submitted by a user accessing the network service through operation of one of the client systems that the product or service has been provided by the corresponding provider for the product or service, access the virtual money account database to transfer a quantity of virtual funds that corresponds to a payment amount specified in actual currency for the product or service from the first amount of the virtual funds held within the respective virtual money account for the customer participant to a respective virtual money account for a corresponding participant of the plurality of participants that is specified to receive payment for the product or additional service by:
• recording a deduction within the account information record respectively associated with the customer participant of the quantity of virtual funds that corresponds to the payment amount specified for the product or service from the first amount of virtual funds held within the respective virtual money account for the customer participant;
• and
• recording an credit within the account information record respectively associated with the participant that is specified to receive payment for the product or service for the quantity of virtual funds that corresponds to the payment amount specified for the product or service in the record of virtual funds held within the respective virtual money account for the participant that is specified to receive payment for the product or service.

An apparatus for facilitating multi-staged exchanges of value for payment for purchases of healthcare services offered by healthcare service providers using virtual funds managed within a virtual payment system, the apparatus comprising:

• an application server providing a network service that is accessible through a plurality of client systems communicatively coupled to the application server via a network;
• and
• a data storage system storing a plurality of service offer information records respectively associated with a plurality of service offers and a virtual money account database comprising a plurality of account information records respectively associated with a plurality of participants, the plurality of service offers including at least one service offer for a bundled set of healthcare services, the respective account information record for each participant maintaining a record of virtual funds that are held within a respective virtual money account for the participant and have a balance that corresponds to a monetary value of actual currency held within a financial account associated with a provider of the virtual payment system, and
• wherein the network service is operable to:
• upon processing a purchase of a selected service offer from the plurality of service offers by a customer participant of the plurality of participants accessing the network service via one of the client systems, access the virtual money account database to record an indication within the respective account information record for the customer participant of a first amount of the virtual funds held within the respective virtual money account for the customer participant that corresponds to a purchase price specified in actual currency for the selected service offer being allocated to the purchase by the customer participant;
• and
• for each healthcare service of the selected service offer, in response to receiving a notification that the healthcare service has been provided to the customer participant by a corresponding provider specified for the healthcare service, accessing the virtual money account database to transfer a quantity of virtual funds that corresponds to a payment amount specified in actual currency for the healthcare service from the first amount of the virtual funds held within the respective virtual money account for the customer participant to a respective virtual money account for a corresponding participant of the plurality of participants that is specified to receive payment for the healthcare service by:
• recording a deduction within the account information record respectively associated with the customer participant of the quantity of virtual funds that corresponds to the payment amount specified for the healthcare service from the first amount of virtual funds held within the respective virtual money account for the customer participant;
• and
• recording an credit within the account information record respectively associated with the participant that is specified to receive payment for the healthcare service for the quantity of virtual funds that corresponds to the payment amount specified for the healthcare service in the record of virtual funds held within the respective virtual money account for the participant that is specified to receive payment for the healthcare service.