US 8,942,997 B2 · Payment system

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide a method of processing payment authorization requests for payment transactions to be conducted via a data communications network on behalf of online merchants, the payment authorization requests are conducted as a result of orders by financial instrument holders via a plurality of different online merchant systems. Each of the online merchants has an online merchant identity. The method is conducted by a trusted central intermediary system which is arranged to transmit payment authorization requests to each of a plurality of different online merchant Internet Payment Service Provider (IPSP) systems. Each merchant IPSP system is arranged to transmit payment authorization requests to at least one of a plurality of acquiring bank payment processor systems, and each of said plurality of acquiring bank payment processor systems is responsible for processing payment authorizations for at least one of said acquiring banks. Embodiments of the invention enable a user to select a payment method on a per transaction basis, while removing the requirement for the user to provide payment details to individual online merchant systems or to their merchant IPSP systems. Thus, providing that online merchants, or their merchant IPSPs, subscribe to a service arranged to perform the method, users only have to submit their respective payment details, preferably only once, to a separate, trusted entity.

A method of processing payment authorization requests for payment transactions to be conducted via a data communications network on behalf of online merchants, the payment authorization requests being conducted as a result of orders by financial instrument holders via a plurality of different online merchant systems, each of said online merchants having an online merchant identity, and each of said online merchants being associated with one of a plurality of acquiring banks,

wherein the method is conducted by a trusted central intermediary system which is arranged to transmit payment authorization requests to each of a plurality of online merchant Internet Payment Service Provider (IPSP) systems,
each of said merchant IPSP systems being arranged to transmit payment authorization requests to at least one of a plurality of acquiring bank payment processor systems, each of said plurality of acquiring bank payment processor systems being responsible for processing payment authorizations for at least one of said acquiring banks, and the trusted central intermediary comprises a database configured to store merchant IPSP system transmission data for enabling the transmission of payment authorization request data to a selected merchant IPSP system, and merchant profile data comprising, for each of the online merchants, an online merchant identity together with an identifier of a merchant IPSP system with which the online merchant is registered, the method comprising:
receiving from a first online merchant system, responsible for originating payment authorization requests for a first online merchant, a payment authorization request relating to authorization of a payment transaction, said received payment authorization request being initiated as a result of a financial instrument holder conducting an order via the first online merchant system, the received payment authorization request comprising an online merchant identity associated with the first online merchant;
in response to receiving said request:
a) generating a payment authorization request comprising transaction data including:
i) a financial instrument identity to be used in the payment transaction by the financial instrument holder;
and
ii) an online merchant identity, associated with the first online merchant, as the payment transaction beneficiary;
and
iii) one or more transaction details including a payment amount;
and
b) selecting the merchant IPSP system with which the first online merchant is registered by performing a lookup in the database using the online merchant identity associated with the first online merchant;
c) retrieving merchant IPSP system transmission data associated with the selected merchant IPSP system;
and
d) on the basis of the retrieved merchant IPSP system transmission data, transmitting said generated payment authorization request to the selected merchant IPSP system, wherefrom a further payment authorization request may be generated and transmitted to an acquiring bank payment processor system responsible for processing payment authorizations for the acquiring bank with which the first online merchant is associated.

12 more elements

Facts

Application

13/177,303Filed 6 Jul 2011 · continuation

Priority

GB 0900150.46 Jan 2009

Published

US 2012/0030066 A12 Feb 2012

Granted

27 Jan 2015

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification16 codes

G06Q 40/02
Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes: banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance
G06Q 20/02
Payment architectures, schemes or protocols: involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
G06Q 20/027
Involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]: involving a payment switch or gateway
G06Q 20/04
Payment architectures, schemes or protocols: payment circuits

Family

Application12/416,836Parent of this continuation · filed 1 Apr 2009

PCT/EP2010/050079Parent of this continuation · filed 6 Jan 2010

US 2012/0030066 A1Pre-grant publication · published 2 Feb 2012

US 2010/0174626 A1Published application

US 8,706,577 B2Related patent

US 8,942,997 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Payment system

Life of this patent

Payment system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims23