Systems and methods to facilitate payment for shipped goods
AssigneeFirst Data Corporation
InventorMark Thompson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods are provided for managing a transaction for a sale of goods between a customer and a merchant. A communication relating to the transaction is received by a provider that is affiliated with several offices, the communication including at least an indication of the cost for the goods. The cost is collected from the customer in accordance with the communication. The cost is paid to the merchant after the merchant delivers the goods.
Claims16
A method for managing a noncredit transaction for a sale of goods between a customer located in a first country and an Internet merchant having the goods in a second country, the method comprising:
- receiving, by a provider computer operated by a provider affiliated with a plurality of geographically distributed provider offices, from the Internet merchant over a communications link between the Internet merchant and the provider computer, a communication relating to the transaction that includes a cost for the goods;
- determining, by the provider computer, a shipment of the goods from the second country to the first country as part of an aggregate shipment, wherein the aggregate shipment contains goods associated with a plurality of sales of goods;
- recording, by the provider computer over a communications link between the provider computer and an input device at one of the plurality of provider offices, confirmation of noncredit collection of the cost from the customer at the one of the plurality of provider offices in accordance with the communication;
- authorizing payment, by the provider computer, of the cost to the Internet merchant from the provider after receipt over the communications link between the Internet merchant and the provider computer of confirmation that the Internet merchant has initiated shipment of the goods directly to the customer.
A computer-readable storage medium having a computer-readable program embodied therein for directing operation of a computer system for a provider, the provider being affiliated with a plurality of geographically distributed offices and the computer system including a communications system, a processor, and a storage device, wherein the computer-readable program includes instructions for operating the computer system to manage a noncredit transaction for a sale of goods between a customer located in a first country and an Internet merchant having the goods in a second country in accordance with the following:
- receiving a communication with the communications system over a communications link between the Internet merchant and the computer system, the communication relating to the transaction and including a cost for the goods;
- determining, with the processor, a shipment of the goods from the second country to the first country as part of an aggregate shipment, wherein the aggregate shipment contains goods associated with a plurality of sales of goods;
- recording on the storage device receipt of confirmation over a communications link between the computer system and an input device at one of the plurality of provider offices that the cost has been collected from a noncredit source of the customer at the one of the plurality of provider offices in accordance with the communication;
- receiving confirmation over the communications link between the Internet merchant and the computer system that the Internet merchant has initiated shipment of the goods directly to the customer;
- and
- authorizing payment of the cost to the Internet merchant by the provider with the processor.
A computer system comprising:
- a communications system;
- a storage device;
- a processor in communication with the communications system and the storage device;
- and
- a memory coupled with the processor, the memory comprising a computer-readable storage medium having a computer-readable program embodied therein for directing operation of the computer system for a provider affiliated with a plurality of geographically distributed offices to manage a noncredit transaction for a sale of goods between a customer located in a first country and an Internet merchant having the goods in a second country, the computer-readable program including:
- instructions for receiving a communication with the communications system over a communications link between the Internet merchant and the computer system, the communication relating to the transaction and including a cost for the goods;
- instructions for determining a shipment of the goods from the second country to the first country as part of an aggregate shipment, wherein the aggregate shipment contains goods associated with a plurality of sales of goods;
- instructions for recording on the storage device receipt of confirmation over a communications link between the computer system and an input device at one of the plurality of provider offices that the cost has been collected from a noncredit source of the customer at the one of the plurality of provider offices in accordance with the communication;
- instructions for receiving confirmation over the communications link between the Internet merchant and the computer system that the Internet merchant has initiated shipment of the goods directly to the customer;
- and
- instructions for authorizing payment of the cost to the Internet merchant by the provider with the processor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.