Method and system for facilitating merchant-initiated online payments

US8175938B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• eBay Inc. · US

Inventors

• Hugo Olliphant · San Francisco, US
• Franck Chastagnol · Woodside, US
• Yi-Ling Su · Los Altos, US
• William Wu · Sunnyvale, US
• Chris Brown · Berkeley, US
• Thach Dang · Burlingame, US
• Thomas Veino · San Jose, US
• Carol Gunby · San Jose, US
• Peter Chu · Mountain View, US
• Steve S. Chen · San Jose, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 21, 2004
• Grant date: May 8, 2012
• Expiry date: Jan 18, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q40/00
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A method and system for facilitating merchant-initiated online payments are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, a payment service provider's server receives a user's request, via a merchant's server, to establish a merchant-initiated payment relationship or agreement. Accordingly, the payment service provider presents the user with options to customize the terms of the merchant-initiated payment agreement. After the agreement has been established and the terms customized, the merchant server communicates a merchant-initiated payment request to the pavement service provider for a transaction entered into with the user. The payment service provider's server processes the payment request after verifying that processing the payment does not exceed the user-customized terms of the agreement.