Embodiments disclosed herein are related to providing a user with an expiring balance that may either be spent or passed along to friend before the balance expires.
The increased use of the internet and internet capable devices has led to the increased use of online payment processors due to the convenience that these processors provide. Online payment processors may provide consumers with the ability to purchase items with minimal effort from their internet capable device, with the payments being handled through a consumer's credit or checking account, or through a financial account that the consumer has set up with the payment processor. Merchants may also be able to set up accounts with the payment processor so that users with accounts may pay the merchant using the payment processor, which may simplify transactions for both the merchant and the consumer. However, both merchants and consumers may need to sign up for accounts with the payment processor in order to take full advantage of the convenience offered by the payment processor.
Special offers, promotions, daily deals and the like, often have an expiration date after which they may no longer be taken advantage of. As a result, the limited time associated with these may create interest amongst consumers and cause the consumer to act so that they do not miss out on the deal. As a result, offering limited time special offers or promotions may generate interest in a business and may even temporarily increase the revenues received by the business while the promotion is being offered. Moreover, a consumer may be more likely to act on a promotion when the promotion has a limited time.
In the drawings, elements having the same designation have the same or similar functions.
In the following description specific details are set forth describing certain embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the disclosed embodiments may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. The specific embodiments presented are meant to be illustrative, but not limiting. One skilled in the art may realize other material that, although not specifically described herein, is within the scope and spirit of this disclosure.
What is needed are expiring balances associated with a user account on a payment processor server for spending or passing along to a friend that may be used to generate interest in a business or to promote activity and accounts with an online payment processor.
Consistent with some embodiments, there is provided a system. The system includes one or more processors configured to add an expiring balance to an account associated with a user, determine when the balance has expired and subtract the expiring balance from the account when the balance has expired, determine when the user is requesting to process a payment using the expiring balance and process the payment and subtract the expiring balance from the account when the user requests to process a payment using the expiring balance, determine when the user is sending a notification including merchant information for a merchant that will not accept the expiring balance as a payment and store the merchant information when the user sends the notification, and determine when the user is requesting to pass the expiring balance on to a friend. The system further includes a memory coupled to the one or more processors and configured to store the account associated with the user and the merchant information.
Consistent with some embodiments, there is also provided a method including steps of adding an expiring balance to an account associated with a user; subtracting the expiring balance from the account when the balance has expired, processing the payment and subtracting the expiring balance from the account when the user requests to process a payment using the expiring balance, sending a notification including merchant information for a merchant that will not accept the expiring balance as a payment and storing the merchant information when the user sends the notification, and determining when the user is requesting to pass the expiring balance along to a friend. The method may be embodied in computer-readable media.
Consistent with some embodiments, there is further provided a method including steps of receiving a notification of a received expiring balance, sending friend information when the expiring balance is sent to a friend, displaying a list of nearby merchants, sending merchant information when a merchant does not accept the expiring balance, and sending payment information when spending the expiring balance. The method may be embodied in computer-readable media.
Embodiments disclosed herein may allow an online payment processor to add an expiring balance to a user's account which may be spent or passed along to another person before expiring. When attempting to use the balance at a merchant, the user may be able to identify merchants that do not accept payments processed by the payment processor and provide this information to the payment processor. Moreover, when attempting to pass the balance along to a friend, the user may be required to register for an account with the payment processor before being able to spend or pass the expiring balance. The expiring balance may provide incentives and motivation for additional users to register with the payment processor and for additional merchants to register with the payment processor to take advantage of the additional business that may be generated by users spending the expiring balance.
These and other embodiments will be described in further detail below with respect to the following figures.
Network 108, in one embodiment, may be implemented as a single network or a combination of multiple networks. For example, in various embodiments, network 108 may include the Internet and/or one or more intranets, landline networks, wireless networks, and/or other appropriate types of communication networks. In another example, the network may comprise a wireless telecommunications network (e.g., cellular phone network) adapted to communicate with other communication networks, such as the Internet.
User device 102 may be a mobile device such as a smartphone, a tablet computer, a laptop or netbook, and the like. User device 102 may also be a personal computer, a set-top box (STB) such as provided by cable or satellite content providers, a video game system console, or a smart or internet-enabled television. User device 102 may also be a head-mounted display (HMD) or other wearable computing device. In some embodiments, user device 102 may be implemented in an automobile, for example in an entertainment center or console of an automobile, or is included or implemented in a healthcare device. User device 102 may be implemented using any appropriate combination of hardware and/or software configured for wired and/or wireless communication over network 108. Consistent with some embodiments, user device 102 may include any appropriate combination of hardware and/or software having one or more processors and capable of reading instructions stored on a non-transitory machine-readable medium for execution by the one or more processors. Consistent with some embodiments, user device 102 includes a machine-readable medium, such as a memory (not shown) that includes instructions for execution by one or more processors (not shown) for causing user device 102 to perform specific tasks. Some common forms of machine-readable media includes, for example, floppy disk, flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, CD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, RAM, PROM, EPROM, FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, and/or any other medium from which one or more processors or computer is adapted to read. Instructions stored on the machine-readable media may include instructions for authenticating user device 102 to payment processor server 106 to access services provided by payment processor server 106 and/or conducting financial transactions with payment processor server 106 for purchasing items offered by merchant server or device 104.
Such instructions may include instructions for displaying content by particular applications or “apps” stored in a memory of user device 102 and executed by one or more processors executing in user device 102. Example applications include a browser application 112 that displays content, such as a web page or a user interface using a browser, a payment application 114 that may be used to make payments in conjunction with payment processor server 106 for goods and/or services (referred to collectively as “items”). The items may be purchased from a merchant having a physical storefront or a digital storefront that is represented by merchant server 104. Browser application 112 may be implemented as a web browser to view information available over network 108. Browser application 112 may include instructions executable by one or more processors for interfacing and communicating with payment processor server 106, a merchant interface provided by merchant server 104, or other servers managed by content providers or merchants via network 108. For example, user 110 may be able to access websites using browser 112 to find and purchase items from merchant server 104 through a payment service provider provided by payment processor server 106, such as PayPal, as well as access user account information or web content. In some embodiments, user 110 may be able to use payment application 114 to pay for items, with the payments being processed by payment processor server 106.
In some embodiments, payment application 114 may be able to interact with payment processor server 106 to receive an expiring balance. In some embodiments, when payment processor server 106 adds an expiring balance to an account of user 110 a notification may be sent from payment processor server 106 to user device 102 which may cause payment application 114 to generate a push notification to be displayed by user device 102. Interacting with the push notification may activate payment application 114 where user 110 may be able to view the expiring balance as well as the time remaining to spend the balance. User 110 may further be provided with options for spending the balance or passing the balance along to a friend. User 110 may also use payment application 114 to view a listing of merchants that accept payments processed by payment processor server 106 such that the merchants will accept the balance added to their account. User 110 may also be able to use payment application 114 to notify payment processor server 106 of merchants who do not accept payments processed by payment processor server 106 and, thus, do not accept the added balance. User 110 may further use payment application 114 to spend the expiring balance. In some embodiments, spending the expiring balance may require one or more credentials, such as a user name or password, to be provided to payment processor server 106 for authentication to payment processor server 106.
Other applications 116 may be desired in one or more embodiments to provide additional features available to user 110, including accessing a user account with payment processor server 106. For example, other applications 116 may include interfaces and/or communication protocols that allow the user to receive and transmit information through network 108 and to payment processor server 106 and other online sites. Other applications 116 may also include security applications for implementing client-side security features, programmatic client applications for interfacing with appropriate application programming interfaces (APIs) over network 108 or various other types of generally known programs and/or applications. Other applications 116 may include mobile apps downloaded and resident on user device 102 that enable user 110 to access content through the apps.
Merchant server 104 may be maintained, for example, by a merchant or seller offering various items in exchange for payment to be received over network 108. In some embodiments, merchant server 104 may be in communication with a point of sale (POS) device maintained by the merchant in a physical storefront. Merchant server 104 may also include a database 118 identifying available items which may be made available for viewing and purchase by user 110. Database 118 may include descriptions, images, and pricing of the items. Merchant server 104 may also include a merchant interface application 120 which may be configured to serve information over network 108 to browser application 112 and/or payment application 114 of user device 102. In some embodiments, user 110 may interact with merchant interface application 120 through browser application 112 and/or payment application 114 over network 108 in order to view various products, food items, or services identified in database 118.
Merchant server 104 also includes a checkout application 122 which may be configured to facilitate the purchase by user 110 of goods or services identified by merchant interface application 120. Checkout application 122 may be configured to accept payment information from or on behalf of user 110 through payment processor server 106 over network 108. For example, checkout application 122 may receive and process a payment confirmation from payment processor server 106, as well as transmit transaction information to payment processor server 106 and receive information from payment processor server 106. Checkout application 122 may also be configured to accept one or more different funding sources for payment including payments processed by payment processor server 106.
Payment processor server 106, according to some embodiments, may be maintained by an online payment provider, such as PayPal, Inc. of San Jose, Calif., which may provide processing for online financial and information transactions on behalf of user 110. In some embodiments, payment processor server 106 may also be capable of adding an expiring balance to an account of user 110. Payment processor server 106 may include payment application 124, which may be adapted to interact with user device 102 and merchant server 104 to process payments to be made by payment processor server 106 for items purchased by user 110 using user device 102, including items purchased from merchant server 104. Such payments may include payments made when user 110 uses payment application 114 to check in at a merchant to order and pay for items or order items ahead. Payment processor server 106 may also include an expiring balance application 126. In some embodiments, expiring balance application 126 may be capable of adding an expiring balance to an account of user 110 that can be spent or passed along before the balance expires. Expiring balance application 126 may further be capable of handling the passing along of the expiring balance to another user as designated by user 110. An account of user 110 and designated users for passing along the expiring balance may be stored locally in account database 128.
Account database 128 may include one or more databases, each of which may include account information 130 associated with individual users. For example, account information 130 may include private financial information of users of payment processor server 106 such as account numbers, credentials, passwords, device identifiers, user names, phone numbers, credit card information, bank information, or other financial information which may be used to facilitate online transactions by users such as user 110. Payment processor server 106 may also include other applications 132 and one or more additional databases 134 that may store additional information for use by payment processor server 106.
In some embodiments, system 100 may also include a friend device 136 which may be used by a friend 138 or contact of user 110. Friend device 136 may be similar to user device 102, and may also include a browser application 140, payment application 142, and other applications 144, all of which may include similar functionality to their counterparts on user device 102. In general, user 110 may pass along an expiring balance to friend 138, by notifying payment processor server 106 that user 110 wants to pass along the expiring balance to friend 138 which may cause payment processor server 106 to remove an expiring balance from an account of user 110 and add an expiring balance to an account of friend 138. In some embodiments, the expiration time may be reset when the expiring balance is added to an account. If friend 138 does not have an account with payment processor server 106, friend 138 may be prompted to create an account with payment processor server 106. When payment processor server 106 adds the expiring balance to an account of friend 138, a notification may be sent from payment processor server 106 to friend device 136 which may cause payment application 142 to generate a push notification to be displayed by friend device 136. Interacting with the push notification may activate payment application 142 where friend 138 may be able to view the expiring balance as well as the time remaining to spend the balance. Friend 138 may further be provided with options for spending the balance or sharing the balance with another friend or even user 110. Friend 138 may also use payment application 142 to view a listing of merchants that accept payments processed by payment processor server 106 such that the merchants will accept the balance added to their account. Friend 138 may also be able to use payment application 142 to notify payment processor server 106 of merchants who do not accept payments processed by payment processor server 106 and, thus, do not accept the added balance.
Consistent with some embodiments, computing system 200 includes a system bus 204 for interconnecting various components within computing system 200 and communicating information between the various components. Such components include a processing component 206, which may be one or more processors, micro-controllers, graphics processing units (GPUs) or digital signal processors (DSPs), and a memory component 208, which may correspond to a random access memory (RAM), an internal memory component, a read-only memory (ROM), or an external or static optical, magnetic, or solid-state memory. Consistent with some embodiments, computing system 200 further includes a display component 210 for displaying information to a user 110 of computing system 200. Display component 210 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) screen (including active matrix AMOLED screens), an LED screen, a plasma display, or a cathode ray tube (CRT) display. Computing system 200 may also include an input component 212, allowing for a user of computing system 200, such as user 110 or friend 138, to input information to computing system 200. Such information could include payment information such as an amount required to complete a transaction, account information, authentication information such as a credential, or identification information. An input component 212 may include, for example, a keyboard or key pad, whether physical or virtual. Computing system 200 may further include a navigation control component 214, configured to allow a user to navigate along display component 210. Consistent with some embodiments, navigation control component 214 may be a mouse, a trackball, or other such device. Moreover, if system 200 includes a touch screen, display component 210, input component 212, and navigation control 214 may be a single integrated component, such as a capacitive sensor-based touch screen.
Computing system 200 may further include a location component 216 for determining a location of computing system 200. In some embodiments, location component 216 may correspond to a GPS transceiver that is in communication with one or more GPS satellites. In other embodiments, location component 216 may be configured to determine a location of computing system 200 by using an internet protocol (IP) address lookup, or by triangulating a position based on nearby telecommunications towers or wireless access points (WAPs). Location component 216 may be further configured to store a user-defined location in memory component 208 that can be transmitted to a third party for the purpose of identifying a location of computing system 200. In some embodiments, a location determined by location component 216 may be used to trigger payment processor server 206 to add an expiring balance into an account associated with user 110. For example, computing system 200 may send provide a location determined by location component 216 to payment processing server 106 and processing component 206 of payment processing server 106 may determine if the location is a location where an expiring balance may be used and add an expiring balance to an account associated with user 110 when the location is a participating location. Alternatively, the location may be determined by a geofence set up around the location that may trigger the addition of the expiring balance when user 110 enters the geofenced area. Computing system 200 may also include sensor components 218. Sensor components 218 provide sensor functionality, and may correspond to sensors built into user device 102 or sensor peripherals coupled to user device 102. Sensor components 218 may include any sensory device that captures information related to user 110 and/or user device 102 (or friend 138 and/or friend device 136) that may be associated with any actions that user 110 performs using user device 102 or friend 138 performs using friend device 136. Sensor components 218 may include camera and imaging components, accelerometers, biometric readers, GPS devices, motion capture devices, and other devices that are capable of providing information about user device 102 or user 110, or an environment therearound. Computing system 200 may also include one or more wireless transceivers 220 that may each include an antenna that is separable or integral and is capable of transmitting and receiving information according to one or more wireless network protocols, such as Wi-Fi™, 3G, 4G, HSDPA, LTE, RF, NFC, IEEE 802.11a, b, g, n, ac, or ad, Bluetooth®, Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE), WiMAX, ZigBee®, high-frequency sound, etc. In some embodiments, wireless transceivers 220 may also be used along with location component 216 to determine a location of computing system 200. Moreover, wireless transceivers 220 may be used to send and receive additional information, send check-in and/or payment information. For example, wireless components may be a BLE component configured to communicate with one or more BLE Beacons installed at a location of a merchant to check in to the location, process payments for items purchased at the location and, in some embodiments, add an expiring balance to an account associated with a checked-in user. Checking in and processing payments using BLE Beacons is further described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/938,860, filed on Jul. 10, 2013, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/021,045, filed on Sep. 9, 2013, the entire contents of both of these applications which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Computing system 200 may perform specific operations by processing component 206 executing one or more sequences of instructions contained in memory component 208. In other embodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to implement the present disclosure. Logic may be encoded in a computer readable medium, which may refer to any medium that participates in providing instructions to processing component 206 for execution, including memory component 208. Consistent with some embodiments, the computer readable medium is tangible and non-transitory. In various implementations, non-volatile media include optical or magnetic disks, volatile media includes dynamic memory, and transmission media includes coaxial cables, copper wire, and fiber optics, including wires that comprise system bus 204. According to some embodiments, transmission media may take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio wave and infrared data communications. Some common forms of computer readable media include, for example, floppy disk, flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, CD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, RAM, PROM, EPROM, FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer is adapted to read.
In various embodiments of the present disclosure, execution of instruction sequences to practice the present disclosure may be performed by computing system 200. In various other embodiments of the present disclosure, a plurality of computing systems 200 coupled by a communication link 222 to network 108 (e.g., such as a LAN, WLAN, PTSN, and/or various other wired or wireless networks, including telecommunications, mobile, and cellular phone networks) may perform instruction sequences to practice the present disclosure in coordination with one another. Computing system 200 may transmit and receive messages, data and one or more data packets, information and instructions, including one or more programs (i.e., application code) through communication link 222 and network interface component 202 and wireless transceiver 220. Received program code may be executed by processing component 206 as received and/or stored in memory component 208.
Computing system 200 may include more or less components than shown in
When user 110 interacts or otherwise selects notification 304, payment application 114 may be executed and user 110 may be presented with interface 302, as shown in
Interface 400 may include a notification 404 that provides user 110 with the amount of the expiring balance as well as the time remaining until the balance expires. Although notification 404 is shown as being displayed on a bottom portion of interface 400, in some embodiments, notification 404 may be shown on any part of interface 400. Using interface 400, user 110 may select one or more of the merchant entries, such as entry 406, which may bring up additional options for user 110, such as ordering items, checking in, authorizing payments, and the like.
When user 110 encounters a merchant that does not accept the expiring balance, user 110 may use payment application 114 to bring up interface 402 for notifying payment processor server 104 that the balance is not accepted, as shown in
As shown in
Interface 502 may further include an option 508 for spending the received expiring balance. In some embodiments, selecting option 508 may cause payment application 142 to display an interface similar to interface 400 shown in
Processing component 206 of payment processor server 106 may determine when the balance expires (604) and subtract the balance from the account of user 110 when the balance expires (606). In some embodiments, the determination of when the balance expires may be made continuously. Processing component 206 of payment processor server 106 may also determine when a request to process a payment using the expiring balance is received (608) and process the payment (610) and subtract the balance from an account of user 110 (606) when it is determined that a request to process a payment using the expiring balance is received. In some embodiments, the request to process a payment may be received from user device 102 or merchant server 104. In some embodiments, user 110 using payment application 114 of user device 102 may be able to request to process a payment by checking in to a location related to merchant server 104 or authorizing that a merchant receive a payment for an amount that may include the expiring balance.
Processing component 206 of payment processor server 106 may further determine when a merchant notification is received (612) and store the merchant information in a memory component 208 and/or databases 128 or 134 (614). In some embodiments, user 110 using payment application 114 of user device 102 may be able to provide information about a merchant that does not accept the expiring balance, which may include merchants that do not accept any payment processed by payment processor server 106. The provided information may include a merchant name, location, and the like. In some embodiments, user 102 may only need to provide the merchant name, and the location may be automatically determined by payment application 114 using data provided by location component 216 of user device 102. In some embodiments, the merchant information may be provided to a sales organization that may perform outreach to merchants that do not accept the expiring balance on behalf of payment processor server 106.
Processing component 206 of payment processor server 106 may also determine when user 110 passes the expiring balance to friend 138 (616). In some embodiments, user 110 may not be able to spend the balance within the expiration time or may not want to spend it or otherwise want to provide the balance to friend 138. When payment processor server 106 receives a request to pass the balance along to friend 138, processing component 206 may determine whether friend 138 is a registered user of the payment processing service provided by payment processor server 106 (618). When friend 138 is a registered user, the expiring balance may be added to the account of friend 138 (602), and process 600 may proceed as before. When friend 138 is determined to not be a registered user, processing component 206 of payment processor server 106 may cause a registration request to be sent to friend 138 (620). The registration request may include a link to download and install payment application 142 associated with payment processor server 106. When payment processor server 106 receives registration information in response to the registration request (622) an account may be created for friend 138 (624) and the expiring balance may be added to the account of friend 138 (602) such that process 600 may proceed as before.
If user 110 wants to send the balance to friend 138 (704), user 110 may be required to enter information about the friend, such as an e-mail address or phone number, which will be sent to payment processor server 106 (706). In some embodiments, selecting an option to send the balance to friend 138 may bring up a list of contacts, which may be filtered based on a location of user 110 and/or friend 138, from which user 110 may select the contact to send the balance to or drag or swipe a graphical representation of the expiring balance to a contact. If user 110 wants to spend the expiring balance, a list of nearby merchants may be displayed (708). User 110 may then attempt to spend the expiring balance at the merchant, and when the merchant accepts the expiring balance (710), payment application 114 may send the payment information to payment processor server 106 or to merchant or merchant server 104 for sending to payment processor server 106 (712). However, when the merchant does not accept the balance (710), user 110 may be able to provide information about the merchant to payment processor server 106 (712). In some embodiments, user 110 may be able to access a list of merchants that are known to accept the expiring balance. The list may be received from payment processor server 106 and, in some embodiments, may only be provided after reporting at least one merchant that does not accept an expiring balance. The provided information may include a merchant name, location, and the like. In some embodiments, user 102 may only need to provide the merchant name, and the location may be automatically determined by payment application 114 using data provided by location component 216 of user device 102. Consequently, an administrator of payment processor server 106 may be able to retrieve the provided merchant information and potentially contact the merchant to attempt to register merchant with the payment processing service provided by payment processor server 106.
Software, in accordance with the present disclosure, such as program code and/or data, may be stored on one or more machine-readable mediums, including non-transitory machine-readable medium. It is also contemplated that software identified herein may be implemented using one or more general purpose or specific purpose computers and/or computer systems, networked and/or otherwise. Where applicable, the ordering of various steps described herein may be changed, combined into composite steps, and/or separated into sub-steps to provide features described herein.
Consequently, embodiments as described herein may provide systems and methods for providing an expiring balance for spending or sharing. In particular, the embodiments provided herein may provide incentives and motivation for additional users to register with an online payment processor and for additional merchants to register with the payment processor to take advantage of the additional business that may be generated by users spending the expiring balance. The examples provided above are exemplary only and are not intended to be limiting. One skilled in the art may readily devise other systems consistent with the disclosed embodiments which are intended to be within the scope of this disclosure. As such, the application is limited only by the following claims.
This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/160,456, filed Jan. 21, 2014, which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/877,834, filed Sep. 13, 2013, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61877834 | Sep 2013 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 14160456 | Jan 2014 | US |
Child | 15821655 | US |