Patent Application
20170148058
In many ways, the Internet is a highly effective way for retailers and other entities to reach prospective customers and other desired audiences. Through the results of user web searches and via online and other advertising, organizations of all kinds often attract individual users to websites maintained by the organizations.
It is frequently one goal of a website to collect the name and contact information of individual visitors to the website. Often the organization that maintains the website wishes to sell a product or services to the visitor, to commence an ongoing relationship and series of communications with the visitor, to enroll the visitor as a member, as a participant in a program, or as a recipient of a recurring service.
One drawback of public outreach via websites is that visitors often fail to engage in the process of entering their name, etc., in data entry forms provided on the websites. For many visitors, their interest in the offerings provided by the website may not be sufficient to motivate them to undertake the somewhat tedious task of data entry required to sign up for website offerings.
The present inventor has recognized an opportunity to decrease the burdens on individuals when it comes to signing up online for offers, services, memberships and the like.
Features and advantages of some embodiments of the present disclosure, and the manner in which the same are accomplished, will become more readily apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of the disclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred and exemplary embodiments and which are not necessarily drawn to scale, wherein:
In general, and for the purpose of introducing concepts of embodiments of the present disclosure, components of a payment/online purchasing system may also include capabilities for streamlining users' registration/sign-up for offers, services, membership etc. In some embodiments, an additional feature may be included in an online purchase transaction to leverage the information entry or access already available as part of the transaction activity. As part of the purchase transaction, one or more options to sign up/register for offers, services or the like may be presented to the customer. If the customer selects an offer or service, the already available information about the customer may be used to simplify the sign-up into a “one click” (or very few clicks) operation.
To facilitate this streamlining of the registration process, a merchant's payment gateway may supply to the merchant a display page section containing options for the customer to select one or more offers. The merchant may incorporate the display page section into a composite display page served from the merchant to the customer during the checkout portion of an online purchase transaction. If a customer indicates selection of one or more of the offers, the customer information may be supplied from the merchant to the payment gateway, which then may implement the customer sign-up for the selected offers using the customer information.
The system 100 includes an e-commerce server computer 102 that may be operated by or on behalf of an online merchant to permit online shopping transactions. For this purpose, as is well known, the e-commerce server computer 102 may host a shopping website, sometimes referred to as an “online store”. A customer (not shown) who operates a customer device 104 may access the shopping website by communicating over the Internet 106 with the e-commerce server computer 102. As is very well-known to those who are skilled in the art, the customer device 104 may be, for example, a personal computer or notebook computer that runs a browser program, a tablet computer or smartphone that runs a mobile browser and/or a suitable app, etc.
In some cases, especially for smaller merchants and/or those with less developed payment technology infrastructures, an entity known as a payment gateway (reference numeral 108) may serve as an intermediary between the e-commerce server computer 102 and the merchant's acquirer financial institution (“acquirer”), indicated by reference numeral 110. The acquirer 110 may receive an authorization request for an online purchase transaction from the payment gateway 108 (the latter acting for the merchant). The acquirer 110 may route the authorization request via a payment network 112 to a server computer 114 operated by the issuer of the payment card account that corresponds to a payment account number/payment token provided by the customer as part of the checkout process for the online purchase transaction. Also, the authorization response generated by the issuer server computer 114 may be routed back to the payment gateway 108 via the payment network 112 and the acquirer 110. The payment gateway 108 may confirm to the merchant (i.e., to the e-commerce server computer 102) that the transaction has been approved.
The payment network 112 may be, for example, the well-known Banknet® system operated by MasterCard International Incorporated, which is the assignee hereof.
The components of the system 100 as depicted in
In
Blocks 206 represent a number of server computers, possibly remote from the payment gateway 108a. The payment gateway 108a may cooperate with the server computers 206 to receive information regarding offers, services, etc. to be presented to the customers that visit the website hosted by the e-commerce server computer 102a. The payment gateway 108a may also cooperate with the server computers 206 to implement registration/sign-up by customers who indicate their selection of offers, services, etc., as described below. The servers 206 may hereinafter be referred to as “offer servers” or “offer source servers.”
It will be noted that the system 200 is also shown as including the Internet 106 and the customer device 104, as mentioned above in connection with
The e-commerce server computer 102a may, in its hardware aspects, be like a typical e-commerce server, but may be controlled by software to cause it to function as described herein.
The e-commerce server computer 102a may include a processor 300 operatively coupled to a communication device 301, a storage device 304, an input device 306 and an output device 308. The communication device 301, the storage device 304, the input device 306 and the output device 308 may all be in communication with the processor 300.
The processor 300 may be constituted by one or more processors. The processor 300 may operate to execute processor-executable steps, contained in program instructions described below, so as to control the e-commerce server computer 102a to provide desired functionality.
Communication device 301 may be used to facilitate communication with, for example, other devices (such as a computer—described below—operated by the payment gateway 108a; computers, smart phones and the like operated by customers). For example, communication device 301 may comprise numerous communication ports (not separately shown), to allow the e-commerce server computer 102a to communicate simultaneously with a number of other computers and other devices, including communications as required to simultaneously handle numerous online shopping visits and transactions.
Input device 306 may comprise one or more of any type of peripheral device typically used to input data into a computer. For example, the input device 306 may include a keyboard and a mouse. Output device 308 may comprise, for example, a display and/or a printer.
Storage device 304 may comprise any appropriate information storage device, including combinations of magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk drives), optical storage devices such as CDs and/or DVDs, and/or semiconductor memory devices, such as Random Access Memory (RAM) devices and Read Only Memory (ROM) devices, as well as so-called flash memory. Any one or more of such information storage devices may be considered to be a computer-readable storage medium or a computer usable medium or a memory.
Storage device 304 stores one or more programs for controlling processor 300. The programs comprise program instructions (which may be referred to as computer readable program code means) that contain processor-executable process steps of the e-commerce server computer 102a, executed by the processor 300 to cause the e-commerce server computer 102a to function as described herein.
The programs may include one or more conventional operating systems (not shown) that control the processor 300 so as to manage and coordinate activities and sharing of resources in the e-commerce server computer 102a, and to serve as a host for application programs (described below) that run on the e-commerce server computer 102a.
The programs stored in the storage device 304 may also include a website hosting application program 310 that controls the processor 300 to enable the e-commerce server computer 102a to host the online shopping website referred to above.
Another program that may be stored in the storage device 304 is an online shopping application program 312 that controls the processor 300 to enable and handle the shopping visits, product selection and checkout operations required for online purchase transactions to occur on the online shopping website.
Still further, the storage device 304 may store software (reference numeral 314) that serves as an interface for the interactions of the e-commerce server computer 102a with the payment gateway 108a. In addition, the storage device 304 may store a software module or add-on 316 that programs the e-commerce server computer 102a to provide functionality relating to streamlined user sign-up for offers, services, etc., as described in more detail below. Although the software module 316 is shown as separate from the online shopping application program 312, in practice it may be implemented as a modification or upgrade of the online shopping application program 312.
The storage device 304 may also store, and the e-commerce server computer 102a may also execute, other programs, which are not shown. For example, such programs may include a reporting application, which may respond to requests from system administrators for reports on the activities performed by the e-commerce server computer 102a. The other programs may also include, e.g., device drivers, database management programs, etc.
The storage device 304 may also store one or more databases required for operation of the e-commerce server computer 102a, including, for example, a product database 318 and a customer database 320. The product database 318 may store data concerning product items available for purchase via the e-commerce server computer 102a. The customer database 320 may store data relating to current and/or past customers who have engaged in purchase transactions via the e-commerce server computer 102a.
In its hardware architecture and components, the payment gateway computer 402 may, for example, resemble the hardware architecture and components described above in connection with
Returning again to the hardware aspects of the payment gateway computer 402, it may include a processor 400, a communication device 401, a storage device 404, an input device 406 and an output device 408. The communication device 401, the storage device 404, the input device 406 and the output device 408 may all be in communication with the processor 400.
The above descriptions of the hardware components shown in
Storage device 404 stores one or more programs for controlling processor 400. The programs comprise program instructions (which may be referred to as computer readable program code means) that contain processor-executable process steps of the payment gateway computer 402, executed by the processor 400 to cause the payment gateway computer 402 to function as described herein.
The programs may include one or more conventional operating systems (not shown) that control the processor 400 so as to manage and coordinate activities and sharing of resources in the payment gateway computer 402, and to serve as a host for application programs (described below) that run on the payment gateway computer 402.
The storage device 404 may also store software 410 that serves as an interface between the payment gateway computer 402 and the respective computers (not shown apart from e-commerce server computer 102a) operated by the merchants served by the payment gateway 108a.
In addition, the storage device 404 may store software 412 that serves as an interface between the payment gateway computer 402 and the merchants' acquirers, which are represented by the single acquirer 110 shown in
Further, the storage device 404 may store a transaction handling application program 414. The application handling application program 414 may program the payment gateway computer 402 to provide functionality typically associated with handling of payment account transactions by payment gateways.
Still further, the storage device 404 may store software 416 that serves as an interface between the payment gateway computer 402 and the server computers 206 shown in
Moreover, and in accordance with teachings of the present disclosure, the storage device 404 may store a software module or component 418. The software module 418 may program the payment gateway computer 402 to provide the functionality relating to streamlining user registration/sign-up, as described in more detail below.
The storage device 404 may also store, and the payment gateway computer 402 may also execute, other programs, which are not shown. For example, such programs may include a reporting application, which may respond to requests from system administrators for reports on the activities performed by the payment gateway computer 402. The other programs may also include, e.g., device drivers, database management programs, etc.
The storage device 404 may also store one or more databases (reference numeral 420) required for operation of the payment gateway computer 402.
As indicated at 502 in
It is assumed that the customer's visit to the online shopping website is a success in that the customer selects one or more items for purchase, as indicated at block 508. In many cases, the customer may indicate selection of the product for purchase by clicking on an “add to cart” button presented in the current webpage (not shown) in which the product image and information (e.g., description and price, etc.) are displayed.
It is next assumed, as indicated at 510, that the user indicates that his/her selection of products is complete by selecting a “checkout” option presented on the current display page. In response to this indication, the e-commerce server computer 102a may initiate (block 512) a checkout phase of operations for the online shopping session.
As part of the checkout phase of operations, as indicated at 514, the e-commerce server computer 102a may obtain from the customer information concerning the customer, such as the customer's name and contact information (e.g., mailing address, email address, phone number, etc.). In some situations, this may be done by prompting the customer to fill in a suitable data entry form served to the customer from the e-commerce server computer 102a as part of the checkout phase of operations. The customer may fill in the customer information character-by-character by operating a keyboard or the like on the customer device 104 (
At 516, the e-commerce server computer 102a may obtain payment information for the online shopping transaction. For example, in some situations, the e-commerce server computer 102a may prompt the customer to fill in a data entry form so as to provide a payment account number, name on the account, expiration date, security code, etc. The customer may fill in the payment information character-by-character by operating a keyboard or the like, as mentioned above. In other situations, the e-commerce server computer 102a may have a “card on file” for the customer, and may offer to the customer an opportunity to utilize the card on file information as the payment information for the current online purchase transaction. Thus, for example, the e-commerce server computer 102a may retrieve the card on file information from the customer database 320, and an auto-fill of the payment information data entry form may follow.
It may also be the case that the e-commerce server computer 102a obtains confirmation (block 518) from the customer that the payment information and/or other information is correct. For example, the ship-to address may be confirmed along with other information that has been collected or gathered during the checkout phase of operations.
At 520, the e-commerce server computer 102a may transmit information to the payment gateway 108a relating to the current online purchase transaction. For example, in some embodiments, the transaction information transmitted at 520 may include typical data items transmitted from a merchant to a payment gateway in connection with an online purchase transaction. In some embodiments, the transmitted information may include additional information about the customer, such as information from a customer profile and/or demographic information that the e-commerce server computer 102a may have available from the customer database 320 and/or from other sources. In addition or alternatively, the information provided from the e-commerce server computer 102a to the payment gateway 108 may include information concerning the products selected for purchase in the current online shopping transaction.
At 522, the e-commerce server computer 102a may receive, from the payment gateway 108a, and in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, a display page section that is to be processed and utilized by the e-commerce server computer 102a in a manner described below.
As seen from
In some situations, the display page section 602 may include a different number of options other than the four options illustrated in the drawing. For example, only one or two options may be presented in some situations.
Referring again to
At 526 in
It is to be noted that the composite display page 802 is presented in
Referring again to
Accordingly, it will be recognized that—via the process of
At 902 in
At 904, the payment gateway 108a may generate a display page section such as that illustrated in
In some embodiments, the algorithm may take into consideration the identity of the merchant that submitted the current purchase transaction (i.e., the proprietor of the online shopping website) and may select and/or exclude offers based on the identity of the merchant and/or may screen out offers that are not consistent with the merchant's goals.
At 906, the payment gateway 108a may transmit a display page section (such as the example shown in
At 910, the payment gateway 108a may communicate with one or more of the offer servers 206 to cause the indicated sign-up/registration to be implemented. For example, where the offer is that the customer sign-up for future e-mail updates from a sponsoring organization, the payment gateway 108a may transmit the customer's name and/or e-mail address to one of the offer servers 206 that is acting on behalf of the organization in question. That particular offer server may then cause the email address in question to be added to the appropriate e-mail mailing list of the organization. For other types of offers, other suitable processes may be employed, including action by the relevant offer server 206 in response to customer information supplied by the payment gateway 108a.
It will be appreciated that one or more of the offer servers 206 may have the same type of hardware architecture and/or components as the computer described above in connection with
As used herein and in the appended claims, the term “computer” should be understood to encompass a single computer or two or more computers in communication with each other.
As used herein and in the appended claims, the term “processor” should be understood to encompass a single processor or two or more processors in communication with each other.
As used herein and in the appended claims, the term “memory” should be understood to encompass a single memory or storage device or two or more memories or storage devices.
As used herein and in the appended claims, a “server” includes a computer device or system that responds to numerous of requests for service from other devices.
The flow charts and descriptions thereof herein should not be understood to prescribe a fixed order of performing the method steps described therein. Rather the method steps may be performed in any order that is practicable, including simultaneous performance of steps.
As used herein and in the appended claims, the term “payment card system account” includes a credit card account, a deposit account that the account holder may access using a debit card, a prepaid card account, or any other type of account from which payment transactions may be consummated. The terms “payment card system account” and “payment card account” and “payment account” are used interchangeably herein. The term “payment card account number” includes a number that identifies a payment card system account or a number carried by a payment card, or a number that is used to route a transaction in a payment system that handles debit card and/or credit card transactions. The term “payment card” includes a credit card, debit card, prepaid card, or other type of payment instrument, whether an actual physical card or virtual, e.g., as part of an electronic wallet.
As used herein and in the appended claims, the term “payment card system” refers to a system for handling purchase transactions and related transactions. An example of such a system is the one operated by MasterCard International Incorporated, the assignee of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the term “payment card system” may be limited to systems in which member financial institutions issue payment card accounts to individuals, businesses and/or other organizations.
Although the present disclosure has been described in connection with specific exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations apparent to those skilled in the art can be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims.
