Method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for user account related payments and billing integration digital claimant payment wallet

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, methods, and computer program products for low-input initiation of user account related transactions are described. An example apparatus may include a processor and a memory for storing program code. The program code is configured to: store payer information, authentication information, and account information associated with the payor, store payee information associated with the payee, accept a request to initiate a payment from a payee device or a payer device, the request including information about the payer and payee and a payment amount, determine based at least on the information about the payer and payee and the stored information whether the payment is to a pre-approved payee or merchant with whom the payer has an existing account, and if the determination is affirmative, initiate the payment by providing at least the payer and payee information and the payment amount to a payment processor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications This application claims priority to U.S. Non - Provisional Patent Application No. 17 / 336,427, filed on June 2, 2021, entitled "Methods, Apparatuses, and Systems for User Account - Affiliated Payment and Billing, Consolidated Digital Biller - Payment Wallets", the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to methods and apparatuses for secure payment processing and billing, and more particularly, to methods and apparatuses for user - account - related digital biller - payment wallets and cards for performing secure payment processing and billing.

Background Art

[0003] Conventional systems, methods, and apparatuses for initiating and processing payments during e-commerce and invoice payments typically require a user (e.g., the payer) to recall and enter an authentication mark or enter personal information before initiating a payment. For example, some conventional approaches require the user to first register with a heterogeneous secure payment processing portal and later sign securely in order to complete an encrypted transaction or initiate an encrypted payment process. In other examples, some conventional approaches require the user to enter some or all of the user-related personally identifying information (PII), invoice or account information, transaction information, and payment details (e.g., the name of the user's payment card, the payment card number, the invoice shipping address associated with the user's payment card, the expiration date of the user's payment card, the card verification value (CVV) printed on the user's payment card, etc.) in order to initiate or complete a secure payment or transaction.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Some other conventional systems may rely on a single server to store all personal details in a secure digital wallet. However, the single server may not have all the personal details, or the server may not be set up to accept additional details that a user may want to store, or the user may not want to store some personal details on a single server. Moreover, relying on the security mechanisms provided by a single server storing all highly sensitive user information may facilitate an intrusion into the server and expose user information to risks. In other systems such as those described in U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 663,840 titled "Systems and Methods for Creating and Accessing Electronic Wallet", the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes, benefits may be obtained from using a secure digital wallet capable of maintaining personal details and transaction details. However, conventional payment processing systems, such as those using conventional digital wallets, may be used to facilitate payments or financial transactions between a user associated with the digital wallet and any vendor, merchant, payee, etc. Thus, if an unauthorized person or device gains access to the payment processing system or digital wallet, the unauthorized person or device may illegally obtain the user's personal identification information and financial information, initiate unauthorized purchases and transactions, and / or transfer funds from the user's account. **Means for Solving the Problem**

[0006] It will be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific systems and methods described, as there may be multiple possible embodiments of the present disclosure not expressly illustrated herein. It should also be understood that the terminology used in this description is for the purpose of describing particular versions or embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0007] Systems, apparatuses, methods, and computer program products for an easy and secure start of payment and financial transactions are described herein.

[0008] According to some embodiments, a user account related digital wallet system is provided, the system comprising a user device, a merchant device, and means for initiating a payment or other such transaction, such as a transaction initiation device. The transaction initiation device may comprise a processor and a memory device storing program code. In some embodiments, the memory device and the program code are configured, together with the processor, such that at least user account information is stored in the digital wallet by the transaction initiation device. Other information such as account information of one or more merchant users, authentication seals, personal identification information, payment option details, credit and / or debit card details, bank account information, user payment settings or requirements, merchant payment settings or requirements, etc. may also be stored in the digital wallet. In some embodiments, the transaction initiation device may store the digital wallet locally or remotely at a single location or multiple locations. For example, the digital wallet may store some information in encrypted form while storing other information in non-encrypted form.

[0009] According to some embodiments, the transaction initiation device may receive a purchase request from a user device, another device permanently or temporarily associated with the user, a merchant device, another device permanently or temporarily associated with the merchant, an unknown device, etc. The purchase request can be as simple as including an instruction from the payer, an instruction from the payee, and the payment amount. Instead, the purchase request may include other information such as personal identification information (PII) associated with the user, a request for an authentication mark from the user, background information about the reason or motivation for the payment. In some embodiments, the purchase request may provide an identification value such as a merchant-side account number instead of the payer name or other PII. In such an example, the transaction initiation device may query a set of digital wallets or otherwise refer to a set of information about multiple users to associate the provided identification value with a specific user. In some embodiments, the payment request may include merchant / recipient account information instead of the merchant name or other merchant information required to execute the payment or transaction. In such an example, the transaction initiation device may query a set of digital wallets or a separate merchant dataset to associate the provided merchant / recipient account information with the merchant name or other merchant information required to execute the payment or transaction. In some embodiments, the user payment settings or user payment requirements may be stored in the digital wallet or be referenceable by the transaction initiation device during the initiation of the payment or transaction.

[0010] According to some embodiments, the digital wallet may be configured to only participate in payment or transaction processing for payments to merchants with whom the user / payer has an account, and only for payments / transactions associated with said account. In some embodiments, the digital wallet may be configured to only participate in financial transactions when a financial transaction is designated for the payment of an outstanding invoice associated with the payee's user account. In some embodiments, upon receiving a payment or transaction request, the transaction initiation device may be configured to determine whether the payee or merchant indicated in the payment or transaction request, or associated with the payment or transaction request, is a merchant or payee with whom the user / payer has an account.

[0011] In some embodiments, even if a purchase request, a bill payment request, a financial transaction request, etc. originate from an unknown entity, the transaction initiation device and / or digital wallet may still be configured to initiate and / or execute a purchase, a bill payment, a financial transaction, etc. For example, the transaction initiation device and / or digital wallet may determine, from a purchase request, a bill payment request, a financial transaction request, etc., the identity of the user associated with the digital wallet, the merchant / recipient to whom money or other currency is directed for a purchase, a bill payment, a financial transaction, etc., and the amount or other currency requested. As soon as the transaction initiation device and / or digital wallet determines the identity of the user / payer and the identity of the merchant / recipient, the transaction initiation device and / or digital wallet may refer to a database or set of pre - authorized merchant accounts associated with the user and determine whether the merchant / recipient identified in the request is associated with one of the pre - authorized merchant accounts. In an example where the transaction initiation device and / or digital wallet determines that the merchant / recipient identified in the request is associated with a pre - authorized merchant account, the transaction initiation device and / or digital wallet may automatically initiate the transaction or automatically provide to the payment processor all the transaction details necessary for the payment processor to execute a purchase, a bill payment, a financial transaction, etc.

[0012] In other embodiments, the transaction initiation device and / or digital wallet may be configured to receive, store, retrieve, or otherwise determine user payment settings, user payment requirements, user payment type requirements, and the like. In other embodiments, the transaction initiation device and / or digital wallet may be configured to receive, store, retrieve, or otherwise determine merchant payment settings, merchant payment requirements, merchant payment type requirements, and the like for one, several, or all merchants. In some embodiments, the user payment settings may include a particular type of payment method or a particular payment method preferred for use with one, several, or all merchants. In some embodiments, the merchant payment settings may include a particular type of payment method or a particular payment method preferred by one, several, or all merchants. In some embodiments,

[0013] In another embodiment, a user account-related payment card is provided. The payment card can have dimensions substantially similar to those of a conventional credit card or debit card. In some embodiments, the payment card can include one or more of a card number, cardholder name, expiration date, security chip, Europay, MasterCard®, and Visa® (EMV®) chip, magnetic stripe, CVV number, dynamic CVV number, near field communication (NFC) transmitter, inductive coupling antenna, etc. The payment card can store information regarding one or more merchant accounts associated with one or more merchants. The payment card is configured to initiate a payment with a merchant associated with one or more merchant accounts. For example, a user may associate the user's payment card with one or more merchant accounts and provide at least one payment method to be stored on the payment card. The payment method can include another payment card such as a credit card or debit card, a bank account, an e-payment account such as a PayPal® account, cryptocurrency, digital currency, a token having value, cash, an e-wallet fund, a non-fungible token, a stored value card, an electronic bank transfer, Apple Pay®, Google Pay®, Android Pay®, etc. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the digital wallet can be or can include a pass-through digital wallet or a stored value digital wallet. In some embodiments, a portion of the information stored on the payment card (e.g., in an embedded chip, etc.) can be encrypted, while another portion of the information stored on the payment card cannot be encrypted.

[0014] As an example, a user may use a payment card as described herein to purchase products or services, pay bills or invoices, initiate financial transactions, etc. However, according to some embodiments, the payment card can be related to a user account such that the payment card is configured only to initiate payments, purchases, or financial transactions related to a merchant account associated with the user. The set of merchant information may be dynamically updated to add or remove merchant accounts associated with the user. The payment card according to some embodiments is configured only to initiate payments, purchases, or financial transactions with pre - authorized merchants and only for accounts in these pre - authorized merchants associated with the user. So, any person or device that obtains unauthorized access to the user's payment card should only be able to complete purchases or payments related to the user's owned accounts. For example, a user may have an account with a local natural gas supply company, and thus the local natural gas supply company may be designated as a pre - authorized merchant for the user's digital wallet and the user's payment card. In the example where the local natural gas supply company is the only pre - authorized merchant for the user's digital wallet and the user's payment card, both the user's digital wallet and the user's payment card are secured from any transactions with any other merchants, even if the transactions are with other merchants where the user has legitimate accounts. Therefore, even if the user's digital wallet or the user's payment card is accessed by an unauthorized person or device, the unauthorized person or device should only be able to make payments to the user's account with the local natural gas supply company from any of the user's stored payment methods.Any other financial transactions, such as the transfer of funds to an external account, or in some cases, the transfer of funds between different payment methods of a user stored in a digital wallet or payment card, the purchase of any product or service from any other merchant, or any other payment, are not fully permitted, even if any authentication information or other authorization commands are provided, or even if it is by the user.

[0015] According to some embodiments, the digital wallet and / or payment card can be configured such that additional merchants and / or user accounts with additional merchants can only be authorized for the digital wallet and / or payment card through an authorization process that requires additional security measures such as two-factor authentication, biometric screening, etc.

[0016] In another embodiment, an apparatus configured for secure payment processing can be provided. The apparatus includes one or more processors and one or more memory devices storing program code. The one or more memory devices and the program code, together with the one or more processors, at least store information regarding one or more payment options associated with a user and information regarding one or more merchant accounts associated with the user in a digital wallet associated with the user, receive a request to initiate a payment between the user and a recipient, determine, based at least on the information regarding one or more merchant accounts associated with the user, whether the recipient is associated with a particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user, and, if the recipient is associated with a particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user, are configured to initiate a payment to the particular merchant account according to one of the one or more payment options associated with the user. In some embodiments, the one or more memory devices and the program code are further configured to, together with the one or more processors, at least store user payment settings associated with one or more merchant accounts and one or more payment options. In some embodiments, the one or more memory devices and the program code are further configured to, together with the one or more processors, at least determine a particular payment option from among the one or more payment options to be used for the payment, based at least on the user payment settings, and provide sufficient information regarding the particular payment option to a payment processor to cause the payment processor to effect a fund transfer between the particular payment option associated with the user and the particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user.In some embodiments, one or more memory devices and program code are further configured, together with one or more processors, to store merchant transaction requirements that include, at least, one or more permitted types of payment sources or one type of non-permitted payment source associated with one or more merchant accounts. In some embodiments, one or more memory devices and program code are further configured, together with one or more processors, to determine a particular payment option from among one or more payment options that are to be used for payment, at least based on the merchant transaction requirements, and to provide sufficient information regarding the particular payment option to a payment processor to cause the payment processor to effect a funds transfer between the particular payment option associated with the user and a particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user. In some embodiments, one or more memory devices and program code are further configured, together with one or more processors, to notify, at least if the determination is affirmative, a user device or a device associated with a particular merchant account that the payment has been initiated. In some embodiments, one or more memory devices and program code are further configured, together with one or more processors, to notify, at least if the determination is negative, a user device or a device associated with a particular merchant account that the payment is not permitted and to refrain from initiating the payment by the payment processor.

[0017] In yet another embodiment, an apparatus configured for secure payment processing can be provided. The apparatus includes means such as one or more processors and one or more memory devices storing program code for storing information regarding one or more payment options associated with a user and information regarding one or more merchant accounts associated with the user in a digital wallet associated with the user, means for receiving a request to initiate a payment between the user and a payee, means for determining, based at least on information regarding one or more merchant accounts associated with the user, whether the payee is associated with a particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user, and means for initiating a payment to the particular merchant account according to one of the one or more payment options associated with the user if the payee is associated with the particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user. In some embodiments, the apparatus can further include means for storing user payment settings associated with the one or more merchant accounts and the one or more payment options. In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes means for determining a particular payment option from among one or more payment options to be used for payment based at least on the user payment settings, and means for providing sufficient information regarding the particular payment option to a payment processor to cause the payment processor to effect a fund transfer between the particular payment option associated with the user and the particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user. In some embodiments, the apparatus can further include means for storing merchant transaction requirements associated with the one or more merchant accounts, including one of one or more permitted types of payment sources or one or more non-permitted types of payment sources.In some embodiments, the apparatus can further comprise means for determining a particular payment option from among one or more payment options to be used for payment, based at least on merchant transaction requirements, and means for providing sufficient information regarding the particular payment option to a payment processor to cause the payment processor to effect a funds transfer between the particular payment option associated with the user and a particular merchant account among one or more merchant accounts associated with the user. In some embodiments, the apparatus can further comprise means for notifying a user device or a device associated with a particular merchant account that payment has been initiated if the determination is affirmative. In some embodiments, the apparatus can further comprise means for notifying a user device or a device associated with a particular merchant account that payment is not permitted if the determination is negative, and for refraining from initiating payment by the payment processor.

[0018] According to another embodiment, a method for secure payment processing can be executed. The method includes storing information regarding one or more payment options associated with a user and information regarding one or more merchant accounts associated with the user in a digital wallet associated with the user; receiving a request to initiate a payment between the user and a payee; determining, based at least on information regarding one or more merchant accounts associated with the user, whether the payee is associated with a particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user; and if the payee is associated with a particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user, initiating a payment to the particular merchant account according to one of the one or more payment options associated with the user. In some embodiments, the method can further include storing user payment settings associated with the one or more merchant accounts and the one or more payment options. In some embodiments, the method further includes determining a particular payment option from among the one or more payment options to be used for the payment, based at least on the user payment settings; and providing sufficient information regarding the particular payment option to a payment processor to cause the payment processor to effect a fund transfer between the particular payment option associated with the user and the particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user. In some embodiments, the method can further include storing merchant transaction requirements associated with the one or more merchant accounts, including one of one or more permitted types of payment sources or one or more non-permitted types of payment sources.In some embodiments, the method can further include determining a particular payment option from among one or more payment options to be used for payment, based at least on merchant transaction requirements; and providing sufficient information regarding the particular payment option to a payment processor to cause the payment processor to effect a funds transfer between the particular payment option associated with the user and a particular merchant account among one or more merchant accounts associated with the user. In some embodiments, the method can further include, if the determination is affirmative, notifying a user device or a device associated with the particular merchant account that payment has been initiated. In some embodiments, the method can further include, if the determination is negative, notifying a user device or a device associated with the particular merchant account that payment is not permitted and refraining from initiating payment by the payment processor.

[0019] According to yet another embodiment, a computer program product can be provided that includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions. The program instructions are operable to at least store information regarding one or more payment options associated with a user and information regarding one or more merchant accounts associated with the user in a digital wallet associated with the user, receive a request to initiate a payment between the user and a recipient, determine, based at least on the information regarding one or more merchant accounts associated with the user, whether the recipient is associated with a particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user, and, if the recipient is associated with a particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user, initiate a payment to the particular merchant account according to one of the one or more payment options associated with the user. In some embodiments, the program instructions are further operable to at least store user payment settings associated with the one or more merchant accounts and the one or more payment options. In some embodiments, the program instructions are further operable to at least determine a particular payment option from among one or more payment options to be used for payment based at least on the user payment settings, and provide sufficient information regarding the particular payment option to a payment processor to cause the payment processor to effect a funds transfer between the particular payment option associated with the user and the particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user. In some embodiments, the program instructions are further operable to at least store merchant transaction requirements associated with the one or more merchant accounts and including one of one or more permitted types of payment sources or one or more non-permitted types of payment sources.In some embodiments, the program instructions are further operable to cause the payment processor to determine a particular payment option from among one or more payment options that are to be used for payment, at least based on at least merchant transaction requirements, and to provide the payment processor with sufficient information regarding the particular payment option to effectuate a funds transfer between the particular payment option associated with the user and a particular merchant account among one or more merchant accounts associated with the user. In some embodiments, the program instructions are further operable to cause, at least if the determination is affirmative, a user device or a device associated with a particular merchant account to be notified that the payment has been initiated. In some embodiments, the program instructions are further operable to cause, at least if the determination is negative, a user device or a device associated with a particular merchant account to be notified that the payment is not permitted and to refrain from initiating the payment by the payment processor.

[0020] According to yet another embodiment, an apparatus configured for secure payment processing can be provided. The apparatus comprises one or more processors and one or more memory devices storing program code. The one or more memory devices and the program code, together with the one or more processors, are configured to store at least at least payment information, authentication information, and account information associated with a payer, and at least store recipient information associated with one or more recipients, receive a request to initiate a payment from a recipient device or a payer device, the request including payment information, recipient information associated with a specific recipient among the one or more recipients, and payment information regarding the payment, determine whether the payment is with a pre-approved recipient among the one or more recipients based at least on the payment information, recipient information associated with a specific recipient among the one or more recipients, authentication information, account information, and payment information regarding the payment, and further based on one of a payer setting or a recipient setting, and if the determination is affirmative, provide the payment information regarding the payment, payment information, recipient information associated with a specific recipient among the one or more recipients, authentication information, account information, and payment information regarding the payment to a payment processor to initiate the payment. In some embodiments, the one or more memory devices and the program code, together with the one or more processors, are further configured to notify the recipient device or the payer device that the payment has been initiated if the determination is affirmative. In some embodiments, the one or more memory devices and the program code, together with the one or more processors, are further configured to notify the recipient device or the payer device that the payment is not permitted if the determination is negative and refrain from initiating the payment by the payment processor.

[0021] According to another embodiment, an apparatus configured for secure payment processing can be provided. The apparatus includes means such as one or more processors and one or more memory devices storing program code for storing at least payment information, authentication information, and account information associated with a payer, means for storing at least payee information associated with one or more payees, means for receiving a request to initiate a payment from a payee device or a payer device, the request including payment information, payee information associated with a particular payee among the one or more payees, and payment information regarding the payment, means for determining whether the payment is with a pre-approved payee among the one or more payees based at least on the payment information, payee information associated with a particular payee among the one or more payees, authentication information, account information, and payment information regarding the payment, and further based on one of payer settings or payee settings, and means for initiating the payment by providing the payment information regarding the payment, payment information, payee information associated with a particular payee among the one or more payees, authentication information, account information, and payment information regarding the payment to a payment processor if the determination is affirmative. In some embodiments, the apparatus can further include means for notifying the payee device or the payer device that the payment has been initiated if the determination is affirmative. In some embodiments, the apparatus can further include means for notifying the payee device or the payer device that the payment is not permitted if the determination is negative and refraining from initiating the payment by the payment processor.

[0022] According to yet another embodiment, the following method can be executed. The method includes storing at least payment information, authentication information, and account information associated with a payer; storing at least recipient information associated with one or more recipients; receiving, from a recipient device or a payer device, a request to initiate a payment, the request including payment information, recipient information associated with a specific recipient among the one or more recipients, and payment information regarding the payment; determining, based at least on the payment information, the recipient information associated with a specific recipient among the one or more recipients, the authentication information, the account information, and the payment information regarding the payment, and further based on one of a payer setting or a recipient setting, whether the payment is with a pre-approved recipient among the one or more recipients; and if the determination is affirmative, initiating the payment by providing the payment information regarding the payment, the payment information, the recipient information associated with a specific recipient among the one or more recipients, the authentication information, the account information, and the payment information regarding the payment to a payment processor. In some embodiments, the method can further include, if the determination is affirmative, notifying the recipient device or the payer device that the payment has been initiated. In some embodiments, the method can further include, if the determination is negative, notifying the recipient device or the payer device that the payment is not permitted and refraining from initiating the payment by the payment processor.

[0023] According to yet another embodiment, a computer program product can be provided that includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions. The program instructions are at least capable of causing at least payment information, authentication information, and account information associated with a payer to be stored, causing at least recipient information associated with one or more recipients to be stored, receiving from a recipient device or a payer device a request to initiate a payment, the request including payment information, recipient information associated with a specific recipient among the one or more recipients, and payment information regarding the payment, determining whether the payment is with a pre-approved recipient among the one or more recipients based at least on the payment information, the recipient information associated with a specific recipient among the one or more recipients, the authentication information, the account information, and the payment information regarding the payment, and further based on one of a payer setting or a recipient setting, and if the determination is affirmative, causing the payment to be initiated by providing the payment information regarding the payment, the payment information, the recipient information associated with a specific recipient among the one or more recipients, the authentication information, the account information, and the payment information regarding the payment to a payment processor. In some embodiments, the program instructions are at least further operable to cause the recipient device or the payer device to be notified that the payment has been initiated if the determination is affirmative. In some embodiments, the program instructions are at least further operable to cause the recipient device or the payer device to be notified that the payment is not permitted and to refrain from initiating the payment by the payment processor if the determination is negative.

[0024] According to another embodiment, an apparatus configured for secure payment processing can be provided. The apparatus includes one or more processors and one or more memory devices storing program code. The one or more memory devices and the program code, together with the one or more processors, at least store in a digital wallet associated with the user a set of digital wallet data including at least one of the user's full name, the user's billing address, account numbers and authentication seals associated with a plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user, authentication information associated with the plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user, and one or more account numbers and one or more bank branch codes associated with one or more bank accounts associated with the user, card numbers, account numbers and card verification values associated with a credit card or debit card associated with the user, or one or more account numbers and authentication seals associated with one or more cryptocurrency accounts associated with the user. The apparatus receives a request to initiate a payment between the user and a merchant, the request including at least an instruction of the payer, an instruction of the payee, and the payment amount, and determines whether the requested payment is to a pre-approved merchant account from among the plurality of merchant accounts based at least on the instruction of the payer, the instruction of the payee, and the set of digital wallet data stored in the digital wallet. If the determination is affirmative, the apparatus is configured to automatically initiate the payment. In some embodiments, the one or more memory devices and the program code, together with the one or more processors, are further configured to automatically initiate the payment by at least providing to a payment processor at least a portion of the set of digital wallet data stored in the digital wallet and the payment amount if the determination is affirmative.In some embodiments, one or more memory devices and program code are further configured, together with one or more processors, to notify, at least, in the case where the decision is positive, one or both of a user device associated with the payer or a merchant device associated with the payee that the payment has been initiated. In some embodiments, one or more memory devices and program code are further configured, together with one or more processors, to notify, at least, in the case where the decision is negative, one or both of a user device associated with the payer or a merchant device associated with the payee that the payment is not permitted, and to refrain from initiating the payment by the payment processor.

[0025] According to yet another embodiment, an apparatus configured for secure payment processing can be provided. The apparatus includes means such as one or more processors and one or more memory devices storing program code for storing in a digital wallet associated with a user a set of digital wallet data associated with the user, the set of digital wallet data including at least one of a full name of the user, a billing address of the user, account numbers and authentication seals associated with a plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user, authentication information associated with the plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user, and one or more account numbers and one or more bank branch codes associated with one or more bank accounts associated with the user, card numbers, account numbers and card verification values associated with a credit card or debit card associated with the user, or one or more account numbers and authentication seals associated with one or more cryptocurrency accounts associated with the user; means for receiving a request to initiate a payment between the user and a merchant, the request including at least an instruction of the payer, an instruction of the payee, and an amount to be paid; means for determining, based at least on the instruction of the payer, the instruction of the payee, and the set of digital wallet data stored in the digital wallet, whether the requested payment is to a pre-approved merchant account from among a plurality of merchant accounts; and means for automatically initiating the payment if the determination is affirmative. In some embodiments, the apparatus can further include means for automatically initiating the payment by at least providing to a payment processor a portion of the set of digital wallet data stored in the digital wallet and the amount to be paid if the determination is affirmative. In some embodiments, the apparatus can further include means for notifying one or both of a user device associated with the payer or a merchant device associated with the payee that the payment has been initiated if the determination is affirmative.In some embodiments, the apparatus can further comprise means for, in the case where the decision is negative, notifying one or both of a user device associated with the payer or a merchant device associated with the payee that payment is not permitted, and refraining from initiating payment by the payment processor.

[0026] According to another embodiment, a method for secure payment processing can be executed. The method includes storing a set of digital wallet data associated with a user, the set of digital wallet data including at least one of the user's full name, the user's billing address, account numbers and authentication seals associated with a plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user, authentication information associated with the plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user, and one or more account numbers and one or more bank branch codes associated with one or more bank accounts associated with the user, card numbers, account numbers and card verification values associated with a credit card or debit card associated with the user, or one or more account numbers and authentication seals associated with one or more cryptocurrency accounts associated with the user, in a digital wallet associated with the user; receiving a request to initiate a payment between the user and a merchant, the request including at least an instruction of the payer, an instruction of the payee, and the payment amount; determining, based at least on the instruction of the payer, the instruction of the payee, and the set of digital wallet data stored in the digital wallet, whether the requested payment is to a pre-approved merchant account among the plurality of merchant accounts; and automatically initiating the payment if the determination is affirmative. In some embodiments, the method can further include automatically initiating the payment by providing at least a portion of the set of digital wallet data stored in the digital wallet and the payment amount to a payment processor if the determination is affirmative. In some embodiments, the method can further include notifying one or both of a user device associated with the payer or a merchant device associated with the payee that the payment has been initiated if the determination is affirmative. In some embodiments, the method can further include notifying one or both of a user device associated with the payer or a merchant device associated with the payee that the payment is not permitted and refraining from initiating the payment by the payment processor if the determination is negative.

[0027] According to yet another embodiment, a computer program product can be provided that includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions. The program instructions are at least for causing a digital wallet associated with a user to store a set of digital wallet data associated with the user, the set of digital wallet data including at least one of: the user's full name, the user's billing address, account numbers and authentication seals associated with a plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user, authentication information associated with the plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user, and one or more account numbers and one or more bank branch codes associated with one or more bank accounts associated with the user, card numbers, account numbers and card verification values associated with a credit card or debit card associated with the user, or one or more account numbers and authentication seals associated with one or more cryptocurrency accounts associated with the user; receiving a request to initiate a payment between the user and a merchant, the request including at least instructions of the payer, instructions of the payee, and the payment amount; determining, based at least on the instructions of the payer, the instructions of the payee, and the set of digital wallet data stored in the digital wallet, whether the requested payment is to a pre-approved merchant account from among a plurality of merchant accounts; and being operable to automatically initiate the payment if the determination is affirmative. In some embodiments, the program instructions are further operable to automatically initiate the payment by at least providing to a payment processor a portion of the set of digital wallet data stored in the digital wallet and the payment amount if the determination is affirmative. In some embodiments, the program instructions are further operable to notify, if the determination is affirmative, one or both of a user device associated with the payer and a merchant device associated with the payee that the payment has been initiated.In some embodiments, the program instructions are further operable to cause, at least when the determination is negative, one or both of a user device associated with the payer and a merchant device associated with the payee to be notified that payment is not permitted and to refrain from initiating payment by a payment processor.

[0028] The accompanying drawings illustrate various embodiments of systems, methods, and other aspects of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will understand that the boundaries of the elements illustrated in the figures (e.g., boxes, groups of boxes, or other shapes) represent one example of the boundaries. In some examples, one element may be designed as multiple elements, or multiple elements may be designed as one element. In some examples, an element shown as an internal component of one element may be implemented as an external component of another element, and vice versa. Additionally, the elements are not necessarily drawn to scale. Non-limiting and non-exhaustive descriptions are provided with reference to the following drawings. The components of the figures are not necessarily for scaling purposes, and emphasis is placed instead on illustrating the principles.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0029]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

[0030] Some embodiments of the present invention, which illustrate all of its features, will be discussed in detail hereinafter. The words "comprise", "have", "contain", and "include", and other forms thereof, are intended to be open-ended in that they mean that the meanings are equivalent and that one or more items following any one of these words do not mean a comprehensive list of such one or more items, nor are they limited to the one or more items listed.

[0031] It should also be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Any systems and methods similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of embodiments of the present invention, but the preferred systems and methods are described hereinafter.

[0032] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals represent like elements throughout several views, and exemplary embodiments are shown. However, the embodiments of the claims may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described herein. The examples described herein are non-limiting examples and are merely examples among other possible examples.

[0033] Additionally, as used herein, the term "circuitry" refers to (a) a hardware-only circuit implementation (e.g., an implementation in analog circuitry and / or digital circuitry), (b) a combination of a circuit and a computer program product comprising software and / or firmware instructions stored in one or more computer-readable memories that function together to cause a device to perform one or more functions described herein, and (c) a circuit such as, for example, a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, that requires software or firmware for operation even when the software or firmware is not physically present. This definition of "circuitry" applies to all uses of this term in this specification, including in any claims. As a further example, as used herein, the term "circuitry" further includes an implementation comprising one or more processors and / or portions thereof, and associated software and / or firmware. As another example, the term "circuitry" as used herein further includes, for example, a baseband integrated circuit, or an application processor integrated circuit for a mobile phone, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, other network devices (such as a core network device), a field programmable gate array, and / or other computing devices.

[0034] As defined herein, "computer-readable storage medium" refers to a physical storage medium (e.g., a volatile or non-volatile memory device) and may be distinguished from a "computer-readable transmission medium" that refers to an electromagnetic signal.

[0035] A system, apparatus, method, and computer program product for facilitating and securely initiating payments and financial transactions are described herein.

[0036] According to some embodiments, a user account related digital wallet system is provided. The system comprises user devices, merchant devices, and means for initiating a payment or other such transaction, such as a transaction initiation device. The transaction initiation device may comprise a processor and a memory device storing program code. In some embodiments, the memory device and the program code, together with the processor, are configured such that at least user account information is stored in the digital wallet by the transaction initiation device. Other information such as account information of one or more merchant users, authentication seals, personal identification information, payment option detail information, credit and / or debit card details, bank account information, user payment settings or requirements, merchant payment settings or requirements, etc. may also be stored in the digital wallet. In some embodiments, the transaction initiation device may store the digital wallet locally or remotely at a single location or multiple locations. For example, the digital wallet may store some information in encrypted form while storing other information in unencrypted form.

[0037] According to some embodiments, the transaction initiation device may receive a purchase request from a user device, another device permanently or temporarily associated with the user, a merchant device, another device permanently or temporarily associated with the merchant, an unknown device, etc. The purchase request can be as simple as including an instruction from the payer, an instruction from the payee, and the payment amount. Instead, the purchase request may include other information such as personal identification information (PII) associated with the user, a request for an authentication mark from the user, background information about the reason or motivation for the payment. In some embodiments, the purchase request may provide an identification value such as a merchant-side account number instead of the payer name or other PII. In such an example, the transaction initiation device may query a set of digital wallets or otherwise refer to a set of information about multiple users to associate the provided identification value with a specific user. In some embodiments, the payment request may include merchant / recipient account information instead of the merchant name or other merchant information required to execute the payment or transaction. In such an example, the transaction initiation device may query a set of digital wallets or a separate merchant dataset to associate the provided merchant / recipient account information with the merchant name or other merchant information required to execute the payment or transaction. In some embodiments, the user payment settings or user payment requirements may be stored in the digital wallet or be referenceable by the transaction initiation device during the initiation of the payment or transaction.

[0038] According to some embodiments, the digital wallet may be configured to only participate in payment or transaction processing for payments to merchants with whom the user / payer has an account and only for payments / transactions associated with said account. In some embodiments, the digital wallet may be configured to only participate in financial transactions when a financial transaction is designated for payment of an outstanding bill associated with the payee's user account. In some embodiments, the transaction initiation device, upon receiving a payment or transaction request, may be configured to determine whether the payee or merchant indicated by the payment or transaction request or associated with the payment or transaction request is a merchant or payee with whom the user / payer has an account.

[0039] In some embodiments, even if a purchase request, a bill payment request, a financial transaction request, etc. originate from an unknown entity, the transaction initiation device and / or the digital wallet may still be configured to initiate and / or execute a purchase, a bill payment, a financial transaction, etc. For example, the transaction initiation device and / or the digital wallet may determine, from a purchase request, a bill payment request, a financial transaction request, etc., the identity of the user associated with the digital wallet, the merchant / recipient to whom money or other currency is directed for a purchase, a bill payment, a financial transaction, etc., and the amount or other currency requested. As soon as the transaction initiation device and / or the digital wallet determine the identity of the user / payer and the identity of the merchant / recipient, the transaction initiation device and / or the digital wallet may refer to a database or set of pre - authorized merchant accounts associated with the user and determine whether the merchant / recipient identified in the request is associated with one of the pre - authorized merchant accounts. In an example where the transaction initiation device and / or the digital wallet determine that the merchant / recipient identified in the request is associated with a pre - authorized merchant account, the transaction initiation device and / or the digital wallet may automatically initiate the transaction or automatically provide to the payment processor all the transaction details necessary for the payment processor to execute a purchase, a bill payment, a financial transaction, etc.

[0040] In other embodiments, the transaction initiation device and / or digital wallet may be configured to receive, store, retrieve, or otherwise determine user payment settings, user payment requirements, user payment type requirements, and the like. In other embodiments, the transaction initiation device and / or digital wallet may be configured to receive, store, retrieve, or otherwise determine merchant payment settings, merchant payment requirements, merchant payment type requirements, and the like for one, several, or all merchants. In some embodiments, the user payment settings may include a particular type of payment method or a particular payment method preferred for use with one, several, or all merchants. In some embodiments, the merchant payment settings may include a particular type of payment method or a particular payment method preferred by one, several, or all merchants.

[0041] In another embodiment, a user account-related payment card is provided. The payment card can have dimensions that are substantially similar to those of a conventional credit card or debit card. In some embodiments, the payment card can include one or more of a card number, cardholder name, expiration date, security chip, Europay, MasterCard®, and Visa® (EMV®) chip, magnetic stripe, CVV number, dynamic CVV number, near field communication (NFC) transmitter, inductive coupling antenna, etc. The payment card can store information regarding one or more merchant accounts associated with one or more merchants. The payment card is configured to initiate a payment with a merchant associated with one or more merchant accounts. For example, a user may associate the user's payment card with one or more merchant accounts and provide at least one payment method that will be stored on the payment card. The payment method can include another payment card such as a credit card or debit card, a bank account, an e-payment account such as a PayPal® account, cryptocurrency, digital currency, a token having value, cash, an e-wallet fund, a non-fungible token, a stored value card, an electronic bank transfer, Apple Pay®, Google Pay®, Android Pay®, etc. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the digital wallet can be or can include a pass-through digital wallet or a stored value digital wallet. In some embodiments, a portion of the information stored on the payment card (e.g., in an embedded chip, etc.) can be encrypted, while another portion of the information stored on the payment card can be non-encrypted.

[0042] As an example, a user may use a payment card as described herein to purchase products or services, pay bills or invoices, initiate financial transactions, and the like. However, according to some embodiments, the payment card can be related to a user account such that the payment card is configured only to initiate payments, purchases, or financial transactions related to a merchant account associated with the user. The set of merchant information may be dynamically updated to add or remove merchant accounts associated with the user. The payment card according to some embodiments is configured only to initiate payments, purchases, or financial transactions with pre - authorized merchants and only for accounts at these pre - authorized merchants associated with the user. Thus, any person or device that obtains unauthorized access to the user's payment card should only be able to complete purchases or payments related to the user's owned accounts. For example, a user may have an account with a local natural gas supply company, and thus the local natural gas supply company may be designated as a pre - authorized merchant for the user's digital wallet and the user's payment card. In the example where the local natural gas supply company is the only pre - authorized merchant for the user's digital wallet and the user's payment card, both the user's digital wallet and the user's payment card are secured from any transactions with any other merchants, even if the transactions are with other merchants where the user has legitimate accounts. Thus, even if the user's digital wallet or the user's payment card is accessed by an unauthorized person or device, the unauthorized person or device should only be able to make payments to the user's account with a known merchant such as the local natural gas supply company from any of the user's stored payment methods.According to some embodiments, any other financial transaction or value transaction, such as the transfer of funds to an external account, or the transfer of funds between different payment methods of a user stored in a digital wallet or payment card, the purchase of any product or service with any other merchant, or any other payment, is not fully permitted, regardless of what authentication information or other authorization commands are provided or even if it is by the user. In other embodiments, other financial transactions that are not pre-authorized user payment options to or from the user's account with a known merchant or vendor may be performed using the digital wallet, but only using second-tier authentication information, in addition to or in place of any basic authentication process required for transactions between the user's account with a known merchant based on the user payment options stored in the digital wallet and the claimant information stored in the wallet.

[0043] According to some embodiments, the digital wallet and / or payment card can be configured such that additional merchants and / or the user accounts with additional merchants can only be authorized for the digital wallet and / or payment card through an authorization process that requires additional security measures such as two-factor authentication, biometric screening, etc.

[0044] Referring now to FIG. 1, the block diagram illustrates a system 100 for creating and accessing a digital wallet, such as a user account-related digital wallet, according to various embodiments. The digital wallet generally includes at least the user's transaction information and personal information. The user's transaction information and personal information may include billing address, shipping address, bank account details, credit card details, debit card details, gift card details, coupon codes, gift certificates, loyalty point information, etc. The various novel aspects of the disclosed systems, devices, methods, and computer program products may be implemented in a plurality of ways. The following description is illustrative of the invention according to possible exemplary embodiments.

[0045] According to the first exemplary embodiment, system 100 includes user device 102, transaction facilitation device 106, and merchant device 108. Although FIG. 1 depicts only one merchant device 108, it should be understood that multiple merchant devices, such as merchant servers, merchant chatbots, etc., can be connected to accessible transaction facilitation device 106 according to various aspects of the present disclosure. User device 102, transaction facilitation device 106, and merchant device 108 are communicatively coupled to each other by a network 104, such as the Internet.

[0046] With user device 102, a user can interact with merchant device 108 regarding a marketplace, service provider, e-commerce website for browsing, through various products or services provided by a server. Merchant device 108 may in turn be connected to one or more databases (not shown) for storing information regarding various products or services made available to the user for purchase. Additionally, one or more databases connected to merchant device 108 may store information regarding the user, such as a user profile.

[0047] The user device 102 enables the user to select the product or service requested by the user for purchase. The user device 102 further includes at least one input means and one output means for receiving user input and for displaying one or more information to the user. The user device 102 may include input means such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touchpad, a digital pen, a voice input device, a touch input device, etc. The user device 102 may include output means such as a display, a speaker, a printer, etc. The user device 102 may include one or more storage means such as a hard disk, a main memory, a flash memory, a cloud-based storage, etc., which may be connected to a processor. The user device 102 is configured to execute an operating system, a software program, and one or more software applications by the processor. In another embodiment, the user device 102 may include software components that can be included as part of the operating system, or can be included later as a software download. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed embodiments can be implemented for various user devices including, but not limited to, desktop computers, laptops, tablet computers, mobile phones, smartphones, etc. In one aspect, the method described in the present disclosure may be embedded in one or more applications such as a web browser or any other application by a software development kit. The user device 102 may be required to input transaction information at checkout, i.e., while paying for the selected product or service or the invoice. Such input of transaction information according to an embodiment may be divided into two main steps, namely authentication / authorization and data extraction. The method for authentication and the data extraction step may be processed by a plurality of servers communicatively coupled to a server that executes the payment and thus requests the transaction information.If the method described by the present disclosure is stored as a plugin to the web browser of the user device, the plugin may prompt the user to conduct a payment transaction through the same. In such a case, the user device 102 may conduct a transaction by exchanging information with other devices such as the transaction facilitation device 106, the merchant device 108, and the authentication server 110 by such a plugin or any other program code.

[0048] The merchant device 108 pertains to the user's account. The merchant device 108 may store a digital wallet associated with the user. The merchant device 108 may pertain to one or more accounts associated with the user, such as the user's mobile phone account. The authentication server 110 may be configured to authenticate that the user conducting the transaction is the user associated with the account used by the transaction facilitation device 106 to process the transaction. In some embodiments, to set up the transaction facilitation device 106 to include payment information or user account information, the transaction facilitation device 106 may generate a one-time password that may be sent to the user's mobile phone number or the user's e-mail registered in the user account existing within the transaction facilitation device 106. In some embodiments, the transaction facilitation device 106 may request the user to input specific personal information such as a password associated with the added account, the user's postal code, mobile phone number, or any other information by which the user can be authenticated. In some embodiments, the transaction facilitation device 106 may request the user to input biometric data such as fingerprint, face scan, iris scan, etc. Once authorized, the transaction facilitation device 106 may or may not provide the user's personal information and transaction information based on specific regulatory rules or specific security rules. In some embodiments, the transaction facilitation device 106 may provide a first set of information that may be information such as specific personal information, transaction information, etc. In some embodiments, the first set of information provided by the authentication server may be a unique token to confirm that the user has been authenticated, and the first information may not contain any user information. In the same regard, the digital wallet may store a unique token associated with the user device, the user account associated with the merchant, the merchant itself, the user's payment method, etc.

[0049] The transaction promotion device 106 may store one or more personal information about the user, such as the user name, the user's shipping address, the user's billing address, the email address, the phone number, the credit card information, the bank account information, etc., which may be provided to the merchant device 108 or a payment processor (not shown) to execute a transaction. In some embodiments, the transaction promotion device 106 may store and provide all the information required to complete a transaction. However, the transaction promotion device 106 may not have all the information required to process a transaction. For example, an authentication server related to the user's mobile phone account may store or automatically obtain the user's billing address information, but may not store the user's shipping address. In another example, an authentication server related to a social media account may store the user's detailed contact information, but may not store the user's billing information. Even after authorization, the user information may not be automatically sent to a server that executes payments, which is different from the transaction promotion device 106, due to issues such as PCI compliance issues, regulatory issues, security concerns, etc. Therefore, the missing details required for the transaction are retrieved from the authentication server 110 or from the merchant device 108. In some embodiments, the missing details required for the transaction may be provided by the user. In some embodiments, the transaction promotion device 106 may provide stored information about the user, such as personal identification information that can be used for the transaction, while other missing information, such as merchant account information, may be queried, received, or obtained from the merchant device 108.

[0050] Merchant device 108 may maintain specific personal information and transaction information of the user. The merchant device 108 may be connected to one or more secure databases storing the user's personal information and transaction information. The transaction information may include, but is not limited to, the user's name, address, email address, phone number, etc. In an example, the merchant device 108 may be related to one or more e-commerce websites or applications where the user is registered. The merchant device 108 may further be related to one or more utility service providers, government agencies, mobile phone service providers, etc. In an example, the merchant device 108 related to an e-commerce website may be contacted at the time of authentication to provide missing details required for the transaction. In some embodiments, the user may be at least initially required to grant the right to obtain information from the merchant device 108. The user may grant the right to obtain information from the user's e-commerce related accounts, social media accounts, etc., and may not need to grant the right to directly obtain information from the bank account server. In some embodiments, the transaction facilitation device 106 or the merchant device 108 may function as a data aggregator that collects user profiles with various attributes and personal information. Such information can be retrieved using one or more attributes as indexes. For example, the mobile phone number is used to extract the user's personal details such as name, address, email, card information, etc.

[0051] As soon as the user is first authenticated and granted the right to obtain information from the merchant device 108, the information stored in the transaction facilitation device 106, or one or more databases to which the transaction facilitation device 106 is connected, may be configured to initiate a transaction as discussed herein. In some embodiments, the merchant device 108 may be associated with one or more social media accounts. In some embodiments, the merchant device 108 may be related to one or more telecommunication carrier provider accounts. At the initial authorization, personal details such as the user's name, the user's mobile phone number, and transaction details such as the billing address and the shipping address, and information related to the use of the credit card that the user usually transacts with may be obtained from the user, the merchant device 108, etc. In one aspect, a separate second server may be contacted to extract different information. As soon as the required information is first obtained, a prompt for the user to confirm the information may be presented on the user device 102, and thereafter, it may not be necessary to present the information obtained for the user device 102 for verification. In some embodiments, the user may edit the information obtained first because the information obtained may not be the user's latest information. In some embodiments, the user may edit the information obtained because the user may not need to use different payment methods or different payment accounts. The information is presented to the user in such a way that the acquisition of the information appears seamless to the user, reduces the time taken for the transaction, thereby improving the efficiency of the server that executes the payment process.

[0052] According to an embodiment, the user device 102 may include a memory, a processor, and program code stored in the memory, and the processor is configured to execute the program code. The program code may include applications such as a web application or a web browser having a plugin. When executing the program code such as a plugin of a web browser, the device causes the device to receive a payment request, determines whether the request is a request to pay a merchant who has been pre-authorized, and in the case where the request is a request to pay a merchant who has been pre-authorized, automatically starts the payment process or provides the payment processor with information sufficient to start the payment process.

[0053] Referring now to FIG. 2, the system 100 according to an embodiment is further illustrated. As illustrated, the system 100 can include a first user device 102a and a second user device 102b, both of which are in operative communication with a network 104, and the network 104 may include network nodes, a core network, antennas, access networks, and the like. The first user device 102a is illustrated as a mobile phone, and the second user device 102b is illustrated as a mobile computing device. However, the first and second user devices 102a, 102b may include any device suitable for accessing a digital wallet and initiating a purchase, payment, or transaction. Other exemplary examples of user devices may include smart wearable devices, tablets, desktop computers, cloud computing devices, servers, augmented reality computing devices, virtual reality computing devices, and the like. The first and second user devices 102a, 102b may communicate with a transaction facilitation device 106 via the network 104. The transaction facilitation device 106 may be connected to one or more databases (not shown) to verify the authenticity of authentication information provided initially or subsequently by the user device 102a or 102b.

[0054] The program code stored in the memory of the user device 102 may include one or more modules such as an authentication module for instructing an authentication server to authenticate information received from the user, an authorization module for enabling the user to grant permissions to one or more second servers to be queried, an information editing module for enabling the user to edit information received from one or more servers, and a transaction module for sending information to a merchant server to process a transaction.

[0055] In an alternative embodiment, the system 100 may enable the merchant device 108 to communicate with and instruct the transaction facilitation device 106 for authentication, and enable the merchant 108 to extract information. According to such an embodiment, the merchant device 108 enables one or more authentication information to be sent from the user device 102 to the transaction facilitation device 106. Upon successful authentication, the merchant device 108 may be configured to receive transaction and payment processing information from the transaction facilitation device 106. The merchant device 108 may then process the transaction. The merchant device 108 may be connected to one or more databases (not shown) that can store user, user device, merchant, payment method and type, and / or transaction information for future use. In one aspect, the set of information may be stored within the user profile of the user within the digital wallet. The merchant device 108 may include program code executable by one or more processors of the merchant device 108. The program code may include one or more modules such as an authentication module for instructing an authentication server to authenticate information initially received from the user, an authorization module for enabling the user to grant permissions to one or more second servers to be queried by the user device 102, an information editing module for enabling the user to edit information received from one or more servers by the user device 102, and a transaction module for processing a transaction based on information selected or added by the user.

[0056] Integrated Digital Claimant / Merchant and Payment Wallet

[0057] In some embodiments, the digital wallet may be an integrated digital claimant / merchant and payment wallet. Otherwise, in some embodiments, the digital wallet may comprise i) information about one or more user accounts with one or more claimants, utilities, vendors, and / or merchants, etc., and ii) further comprise information about one or more user payment options such as a user bank account, the user's credit card, the user's debit card, the user's prepaid card, the user's cryptocurrency account, a digital cash application, a non-fungible token, a unique payment token, a user account with a third-party payment processor, etc.

[0058] In some embodiments, the digital wallet may be actively curated by claimants, utilities, vendors, and / or merchants (collectively referred to herein as "merchants"). In some embodiments, the merchant may provide information about the merchant and the user's account with the merchant to the digital wallet at the time of establishment of the digital wallet for the user. In some embodiments, the merchant may provide information about the merchant and the user's account with the digital wallet at the time when the user or the merchant initiates a process for authentication of the user's account with the merchant and the digital wallet after the establishment of the digital wallet for the user. In some embodiments, the merchant may provide information about the merchant and the user's account on an ongoing, repeated, as-needed, ad-hoc, upon request by the user, upon request by the digital wallet, when initiated by the merchant, etc.

[0059] Information about the merchant and the user's account with the merchant may not be known to the merchant in all situations. Thus, the merchant may first provide a default set of information about the merchant and the user's account with the merchant, and then the digital wallet may request additional information required by the digital wallet, and / or the merchant may use the digital wallet between one of the user's payment options and the user's account with the merchant to request a confirmation as to whether the digital wallet has sufficient information to conduct a transaction. For example, a merchant such as a local natural gas utility may first provide an account number associated with the user's account at the merchant, the name of the financial institution where the merchant has an account, the account number associated with the merchant's account at the financial institution, and the bank branch code for electronic funds transfer to the merchant's account at the financial institution. In an event where the digital wallet identifies additional information required by the digital wallet to complete a transaction between the payment option stored in the digital wallet and the merchant's account at the financial institution, the digital wallet may request the additional information from the merchant and / or the financial institution where the merchant has an account.

[0060] Similarly, the user may initiate an authentication process for payment options such as the user's credit card in a digital wallet or otherwise, and provide an initial set of information about the credit card to the digital wallet, such as the credit card company name, credit card number, credit card expiration date, account owner name printed on the credit card, security code (e.g., CVV) printed on the credit card, billing address associated with the credit card, etc. In an example where the digital wallet determines that some or all of the above initial set of information and / or other information is required to process a transaction between the payment option and the merchant, the digital wallet may directly request additional information from the credit card information based on the information provided by the user. In some embodiments, the initial set of information about the credit card associated with the user may be provided by the credit card company on behalf of the user, such as in response to the user requesting that the digital wallet add the credit card as a payment option to the digital wallet. In some embodiments, upon receiving such a request to add a payment option to the digital wallet, the digital wallet may initiate a third-party authentication process or an authentication process performed by the credit card company, and may request authentication information such as the username and password of the credit card company account associated with the user, after which the credit card company may provide all other information required by the digital wallet.

[0061] After receiving information from a merchant or payment option, the digital wallet may store the information in the digital wallet permanently for a predetermined period of time, up to the expiration date of the payment option, or for another period. In some embodiments, the digital wallet may accept manual or other inputs from the user, such as information about the user, the user account, the merchant, the payment option, etc., via the user device. In some embodiments, the user may access the digital wallet via a web portal, an application, a browser, an application programming interface, a third-party user interface, the merchant's website, the merchant's application, the payment option's website, the payment option's application, etc. The digital wallet can be hosted on the user device, resident on the user device, stored on the user device, accessed via the user device, or otherwise related to the user device. The digital wallet is accessible by the user to facilitate completing transactions, such as between the user's account and the payment option the user stored information in the digital wallet and the specific merchant the user stored information in the digital wallet. In some embodiments, the digital wallet may be integrated, while in other embodiments, the digital wallet may be at least partially decentralized, such as through a bifurcation of the information within the digital wallet. In some embodiments, the digital wallet may be at least partially fragmented and / or portable, such as through individual storage of a portion of the digital wallet or a copy of the digital wallet within a memory or storage device.In some embodiments, the digital wallet may comprise one or more editable portions and one or more non-editable portions created specifically for a particular merchant or payment option, and if the user, merchant, or payment option entity deletes or removes the user's account or payment option authority from the merchant from the digital wallet, each non-editable portion of the digital wallet can be easily unlinked or disassociate from the digital wallet without affecting the one or more other non-editable portions and the one or more editable portions. In some embodiments, the non-editable portions of the digital wallet may be queryable by a merchant, payment option entity, user, etc., while remaining protected from unwanted hacking, etc.

[0062] In some embodiments, the information stored in the digital wallet may be provided by non-authenticated single-direction uploads such as documents, bills, payment option statements, etc. For example, the user may take a digital picture of a physical bill received, for example, in an email received from the local natural gas utility with which the user has an account. The user may upload this digital picture of the physical bill directly to the digital wallet or via any suitable portal, application, browser, or other means for accessing the digital wallet, for example, via a smartphone, laptop, etc. In some embodiments, the digital wallet may save a digital copy of the physical bill or perform optical character recognition to determine various fields of the physical bill and the content in each of the various fields. In some embodiments, the digital wallet may comprise or communicate with one or more databases such as a payment option information database, a merchant account information database, a user information database, a combined payment option and merchant account information database, a combined user, payment option, and merchant account information database, etc. (collectively referred to as "databases"). In some embodiments, the digital wallet may store optical character recognition data from the physical bill in one or more databases, or review information about the local natural gas utility (merchant) in one or more databases linked to the digital wallet and the user's account with this merchant, and determine whether the information provided in the physical bill matches the information stored in the one or more databases, check for additional fields or data presented in the physical bill but not stored in the database, etc. The digital wallet may appropriately update the merchant information and / or user account information about this merchant in the one or more databases.

[0063] In some embodiments, the user may upload a digital picture of a physical bill, which is interpretable by the digital wallet, as a request to establish this merchant as an authorized merchant within the digital wallet, as soon as the physical bill is received from the merchant. By simply uploading the physical bill to the digital wallet, the user initiates an authentication process by the digital wallet program, and the digital wallet program may execute some or all of this process without further user input or authentication. In some embodiments, the user may trigger the authentication of a payment option within the digital wallet by accessing the merchant site and attempting to execute a transaction using this payment option, e.g., by selecting this payment option from a menu of available options. When the user is requested to directly provide an authentication mark such as a username and / or password, a digital wallet or widget, add-on, application, etc. that is operable to be initiated when the user device receives a request to provide such an authentication mark may directly intervene with the user and / or directly with the payment option entity, and / or provide a splash page or popup that requests the user to sign in to its existing account with the payment option entity or create a new account with the payment option entity. As soon as the user inputs the user's authentication mark to sign in to the payment option, or as soon as the user creates an account with the payment option entity and then signs in via the splash page or popup, the digital wallet stores this login information or other such authentication mark associated with the user's payment option entity account. The digital wallet may then query the payment option entity, such as a server, for additional relationship information regarding the user's payment option entity account.For example, when a user signs in to their account with a payment option entity such as a credit card company that the user holds an account with, the digital wallet may store the username and password associated with this payment option entity account. However, the digital wallet may require additional information that was not initially provided, such as a credit card number, expiration date, security code / CVV, etc. The digital wallet may be configured to perform a query to a payment option entity server, etc., to retrieve this missing information, or may interact with a chatbot, etc., to request this information. Since the digital wallet stores user information and information about the user's account with merchants, the digital wallet can directly interact with merchants, payment option entities, etc., and, if required, navigate through additional authentication steps by providing the necessary information about the user's account with the user, merchant, or payment option entity to proceed with the authentication process. In some embodiments, additional queries and authentication processes may be performed in the background and / or otherwise without requiring further input from the user.

[0064] In some embodiments, in addition to the physical claim documents, other documents may be photographed, scanned, digitized, or otherwise provided to the digital wallet. For example, a user may wish to upload copies of the user's driver's license, passport, birth certificate, or other personal identification documents to the digital wallet. In some embodiments, when the user uploads such a document to the digital wallet, the user may indicate that the document is confidential or should remain private, or the digital wallet may determine, based on the content and context of the provided document when collecting information about each document, whether the information provided, and / or the digital document itself, needs to be protected for privacy. In some embodiments, the digital wallet may store different portions of the document and / or different portions of the information collected from the document in different locations, such as in individual portions of the digital wallet, encrypted or otherwise secure sub-portions of the digital wallet. In addition or alternatively, the digital wallet may perform hashing, encryption, privacy protection, or otherwise protect the digital image and / or data of the document itself, and then store information about this protected digital image and / or digital document in a centralized database, server, cloud computing environment, and / or locally on the user's device as a cache associated with the digital wallet. Such storage of the user's personal identification documents in the digital wallet may provide multiple benefits, such as that the user can access copies of these important documents from anywhere, the digital wallet can provide information or the document itself when necessary to establish / verify a connection between the digital wallet and payment options / merchants, and the digital wallet can function as a digital repository for documents that can be presented now or in the future in digital-only format.For example, the user may upload pictures of the main photo page and the biographical information page of the user's passport to the digital wallet - the digital wallet collects images of the information stored in the database to assist in facilitating further transactions, such as when boarding a plane or when the user is otherwise required to present the passport, and generates an authentication token or digital version of the user's passport for the user to quickly access and present via the user's smartphone, etc. In some embodiments, the digital wallet can generate a unique digital passport or unique token recognizable by a laser or optical scanner and a processor system, for example, at the Travel Security Administration (TSA) before boarding a plane. The unique token can be generated according to a format standardized across the industry, such as by the TSA or by another agency. The unique token may be received upon request by the digital wallet from the administrative network / system to automatically generate such a token, in which case the digital wallet can execute such a request process in the background without requiring the user to participate.

[0065] According to another example, after a user purchases a new car, the user is likely to need to add the new car to the user's auto insurance plan and will probably remove the old car if it is sold. In some embodiments, the user can take photos of the sales invoice, title, registration card, vehicle identification number (VIN) of the car, etc., and upload the image to the digital wallet. The user may already have associated the auto insurance plans of one or more other vehicles with the digital wallet. When the digital wallet determines that the user has purchased a vehicle and that this vehicle needs to be added to the user's auto insurance plan, the digital wallet may initiate an automated process, for example using a chatbot hosted by the auto insurance company, to add the vehicle to the user's auto insurance plan and provide all the necessary information to the auto insurance company so that the auto insurance company can add the car to the auto insurance plan. Then, to facilitate access by the user, the new vehicle insurance card / card information may be received and stored in the digital wallet. Next, if the user is pulled over, the user can access the user's auto insurance plan information, proof of insurance card, etc. (e.g., from the application on the user's smartphone) simply by accessing the user's digital wallet to provide proof of insurance to the police officer when requested. Similarly, if the user is involved in a car accident, the user can access the user's auto insurance information in the digital wallet and provide this information to other drivers when needed.

[0066] In some embodiments, after a merchant creates a new account associated with a user, the merchant may provide the user with a link to a digital wallet program / application, e.g., via SMS text, email, call, etc., such that if the user does not already have a digital wallet, the user can create a digital wallet for themselves and the merchant information, which includes the user's account information with this merchant, will already be pre-loaded into the digital wallet. In the case where the user already has a digital wallet and the merchant sends such a link to the user to initiate the digital wallet, in an example where the user does not generate a new digital wallet, the information provided in the merchant's digital wallet link / recommendation may be synchronized with the same merchant information already stored in the user's digital wallet.

[0067] In some embodiments, where the user already has a digital wallet, e.g., where the user already stores a plurality of preferred payment options in the digital wallet, the user may provide the merchant with the user's digital wallet identification number when the user establishes an account with this merchant, such that the merchant can actively provide the associated merchant and user account information to the digital wallet and any additional information necessary to assist in finalizing the account set up for the user is queryable in the digital wallet.

[0068] In some embodiments, the digital wallet may be able to synchronize certain information across some or all merchants and payment options. For example, when a user changes banks, the new bank may query the digital wallet to initiate a change in the bank account / bank information with any merchant and payment option entities associated with the user's digital wallet. For example, the digital wallet may be configured to generate an email to all merchants notifying them of such a change. Other changes may include a change of address, a name change, notification by a family member of the merchant and / or payment option entity that the user has passed away, etc.

[0069] In some embodiments, communication between the user and the merchant may be initiated through the digital wallet since the digital wallet can store information about the merchant, such as a direct route for interaction with the merchant's chatbot, a phone number through which the user can reach the merchant, etc. One example is that when a user purchases a new washing machine and dryer from a hardware store, a digital image of the sales invoice and warranty information should be uploadable to the user's digital wallet. Then, several years later, if the washing machine or dryer appears to have stopped functioning or needs maintenance, the user can directly access the user's warranty and sales invoice in the digital wallet and, for example, initiate a call with the hardware store through the digital wallet and / or, if necessary, send a message to the hardware store and provide the sales invoice / warranty information to complete an automated request for service.

[0070] In some embodiments, the user may provide information / photos of such documents via e-mail, text message, direct upload, etc. This wallet attaches the invoice and the e-mail specific to invoice payment, and the user can provide this e-mail to all claimants, or the Paymentus wallet will automatically notify the claimants that it will receive all payment and invoicing relationship notifications.

[0071] In some embodiments, the digital wallet may be operable to communicate with an e-mail application that receives the user's e-mail, and may be configured to intercept all electronic invoice payment notifications, electronic invoice payment reminders, electronic invoice payment confirmation e-mails, etc. In some embodiments, the digital wallet can compile such notifications and e-mails, and automatically post invoice payments, payment reminders, investment proposals, etc. to the calendar in the background without requiring user involvement, or in a relevant / usable calendar associated with the user's e-mail. For example, the digital wallet may compile e-mails / notifications for some or all merchants and / or all payment option entities according to one or more categories, such as invoices, payment reminders, payment confirmations, notifications of account or user information changes, service / repair reservations, expired payment cards, etc.

[0072] In some embodiments, the digital wallet may include a merchant / biller section, a payment solution entity space, a document / information database query interface, and the like. In some embodiments, information associated with past bill payments, scheduled bill payments, expected bill payments, etc. may be easily queried by the user, for example, by searching for, e.g., "Duke Power" in a search bar within the merchant / biller section of the digital wallet. Such a search of the digital wallet by merchant name will return information about, for example, the merchant, past payment events associated with the merchant, communications between the user and the merchant, and the like.

[0073] In some embodiments, digital wallet payments use artificial intelligence, machine learning, etc. to read all relevant notifications and e-mails and schedule recurring or ad-hoc bill payment events according to one or more default settings or one or more user settings.

[0074] In some embodiments, a unique e-mail address, a unique universal record locator (URL), etc. may be generated for each digital wallet. As a result, the digital wallet may relay the correspondence of all merchants and / or payment option entities through the unique e-mail address or transfer it to the unique e-mail address. Thus, instead of providing the user's owned e-mail address to the user's local natural gas utility, the user can provide a unique e-mail address associated with the digital wallet that the user can directly access further through the digital wallet or otherwise, and the digital wallet program can directly interpret, categorize, and process the correspondence coming from the merchant and / or payment option entity.

[0075] In some embodiments, the digital wallet may be configured to store and / or generate one or more digital currencies. For example, the digital wallet may generate or store user account-related digital currencies that may have a value that is at least partially independent of the value of other currencies, or the value of the user account-linked digital currency may be tracked in terms of the value of an existing currency such as the US dollar. In some embodiments, the user account-related digital currency may be similar to other blockchain-compatible cryptocurrencies or payment options that rely on a distributed ledger for authentication and valuation. In some embodiments, the user account-related digital currency may be freely usable without requiring any additional time for authentication, etc., but requires synchronous authentication by the digital wallet for use in financial transactions. As a result, the digital wallet manages a list of pre-authenticated merchants almost in real time and authorizes the use of unique user account-related digital currencies only for transactions with authorized merchants.

[0076] In some embodiments, some or all of the digital wallet may be associated with a physical chip card configured to be used only for transactions with pre-authorized merchants. In some embodiments, since only the physical card can be used to initiate a transaction between a pre-authorized payment solution and a pre-authorized merchant, if the physical card is stolen or lost, the worst-case scenario that can occur is that an unauthorized person transfers money between the user-related payment option / account and the user-related merchant.

[0077] In some embodiments, a new digital currency is provided for making payments, and the new digital currency may be collectively referred to as "BillCoin", such as BillCoin, PayCoin, OmniCoin, ConsoliCoin, UniCoin, MonoCoin, OneCoin, SelectCoin, CentralCoin, ClusterCoin, CombiCoin, BillToken, PayToken, OmniToken, ConsoliToken, UniToken, MonoToken, OneToken, SelecToken, CentralToken, ClusterToken, CombiToken, etc. In some embodiments, the new digital currency can be in digital form, issued or generated by a centralized developer, sold or exchanged among users, resold to the developer, used and accepted by specific merchants, exchanged for one or more other currencies (digital or otherwise), stored in any form of memory device, inspected and / or added by a processor, transferred between one or more user devices, protected for integrity, encrypted, and made cryptographically secure, etc.

[0078] In some embodiments, BillCoin can be purchased from cryptocurrency exchanges, markets, shops, stores, retail stores, interfaces, vendors, etc. In some embodiments, BillCoin can be in electronic form and can include one or more electronic files with bits storing information about the type of currency, the amount of currency, generation and sales or transfer history, etc. In some embodiments, BillCoin can be configured to be used only for transactions with authenticated merchants within a digital wallet, or sometimes only with a portion of the authenticated merchants within a digital wallet. In cases where a user wants to transact BillCoin with a merchant but the merchant does not accept payments in BillCoin, Paymentus or a third party can accept BillCoin from the user, exchange BillCoin for an accepted currency or form, and transfer the payment to the merchant in the accepted currency or form. One form of currency within a digital wallet may be exchanged for another form of currency, such that the user can choose to pay in a particular currency, and in cases where the merchant does not accept this particular currency, the digital wallet can automatically convert the particular currency to another currency accepted by the merchant, or convert the particular currency to another currency accepted by the merchant when requested by the user to do so.

[0079] In some embodiments, a unique identification code can be assigned to each unit of BillCoin, or to individual BillCoins, and tracked in a ledger such as a distributed ledger. In some embodiments, a wallet ID associated with the user's digital wallet account may be associated with the unique identification code of BillCoin.

[0080] In some embodiments, BillCoin may comprise one or more application files, one or more data files, one or more coin files, one or more token files, etc. (collectively referred to as "BillCoin files"). In some embodiments, the BillCoin files can have a file structure for storing information about BillCoin. For example, the file structure may include a header containing header information such as a unique identification code. In some embodiments, the file structure can comprise one or more payloads such as the number (integer and / or fraction) of BillCoins stored in the BillCoin files, the blockchain ledger, the distributed ledger (public or private), etc. In some embodiments, a pre-set and static number of BillCoins may be developed, mined, encoded, generated, or otherwise initially created, and thereafter there is no addition of BillCoins to the entire BillCoin marketplace. In some embodiments, one or more BillCoins may be initially created, and then one or more other BillCoins may be developed, mined, encoded, generated, or otherwise created on one or more later days (at a determined date, a dynamically determined date, within a pre-determined time window, etc.).

[0081] In some embodiments, the BillCoin file may comprise a ledger having a block data structure, the ledger being public, continuously updated, and synchronized across all BillCoin files at some predetermined frequency. In some embodiments, the first transaction event of BillCoin written to the ledger is the genesis block, i.e., the "0th" block. The genesis block may permanently indicate the date and time of creation of BillCoin. The ledger may be modified to include subsequent blocks, i.e., "nth" blocks, that are immediately downstream and flow from the genesis block, upon subsequent exchange, sale, transaction, or transfer between users. Each block may include the hash of the previous block, or all prior blocks traced back along the chain to the genesis block. In some embodiments, when BillCoin can be divided into fractions, for example, multiple (two or more) blocks can flow from each block of the blockchain, and the hash of the prior block may include blocks in a parallel section of the chain without tracing back the chain. In some embodiments, the hash of the prior block in an instant block (any particular block) may be something like an imaging or mapping of the entire blockchain structure at the time of generation of the instant block. In some embodiments, an instant block of the blockchain may include the hash of the immediately upstream or previous block, and may separately include the transaction route sequence or mapping of the entire blockchain at the time of generation of the instant block. In some embodiments, the instant block may include a timestamp (date and time) and / or a location stamp (IP address, physical location, IMAP / MAP, unique name of the generating entity, unique name of the initial exchange or storefront at generation or initial transaction, etc.).In some embodiments, in some embodiments, the ledger in an instant BillCoin file (any particular BillCoin file) may be updated each time any transaction of any BillCoin, multiple BillCoins, or fractional BillCoins occurs. In some embodiments, the ledger may be updated only for the BillCoin files included in the transaction. In some embodiments, a centralized ledger may be maintained instead of or in addition to the decentralized ledger of the transactions. In some embodiments, the BillCoin file may store digital wallet identification information (number, username, user's real name, BillCoin exchange username, etc.) associated with the current owner and / or any past owner of the BillCoin or fractional BillCoin. In some embodiments, BillCoins and / or fractional BillCoins can be combined by merging their respective BillCoin files into a single BillCoin file. In some embodiments, a portion of a BillCoin or a portion of a fractional BillCoin can be spent, sold, or transferred, for example, from a user to another user or merchant, while the user retains another portion of the BillCoin or another portion of the fractional BillCoin - in this case, two new BillCoin files can be generated from the original BillCoin file associated with the BillCoin or fractional BillCoin prior to the said transaction of the portion of the BillCoin or fractional BillCoin.

[0082] In some embodiments, the BillCoin file may include a program or coding that only allows the BillCoin to be stored in a digital wallet. In some embodiments, the BillCoin file may include a program or coding that only allows the BillCoin to be stored in the digital wallet of the user currently registered in the BillCoin file as the owner of the BillCoin. In some embodiments, the BillCoin file may include a program or coding that only allows the BillCoin to be transferred between digital wallets (e.g., Paymentus digital wallet), and / or between the digital wallet storing the BillCoin, the merchant stored in the digital wallet storing the BillCoin as a pre-authorized merchant, the payment entity stored in the digital wallet as a pre-authorized payment entity, the BillCoin exchange or over-the-counter (e.g., Paymentus BillCoin exchange), and / or a pre-authorized third party.

[0083] In some embodiments, the user of the digital wallet may be the person registered in the digital wallet. In some embodiments, the user must provide certain information such as the user's real name, the user's email address, the user's billing address, the user's social security number, or other such identifiers (such as driver's license number, passport number, identification card number, etc.) when registering a new digital wallet. In some embodiments, the digital wallet may then be accessed by the user as a user device such as a smartphone, laptop, tablet, desktop, smart TV, the user's Internet of Things (IoT) device, smart speaker, smart assistant, a point of sale (POS) interface of a pre-authorized merchant, a POS interface of a payment entity, a BillCoin exchange and / or a POS interface of an authorized third party, a website of a pre-authorized merchant, a website of a pre-authorized payment entity, a website of the BillCoin exchange, a website of an authorized third party, etc.

[0084] In some embodiments, to initiate a transaction, the user may indicate the merchant or user account with the merchant that the user wishes to transfer payment to, and the amount to be paid / transferred, and the digital wallet may be able to complete the remaining transaction based on information stored in a database. In some embodiments, the user may be able to associate a smart device such as a smartphone, virtual assistant, voice assistant, etc. to gain temporary or permanent access to the digital wallet, and as a result, the user may provide a text or voice comment such as "Please pay $100 from my default bank account to Duke Power for my electricity bill this month", and the digital wallet may be able to interpret from this text or verbal request who the payee is, what the amount is, and which payment option the user is requesting. In some embodiments, the digital wallet may store merchant settings such as which one or more payment options are preferred by each merchant, any payment options that are strictly rejected by the merchant (e.g., if any, such as not accepting cryptocurrencies). In some embodiments, if the digital wallet is unable to initiate a transaction between the payment option entity and the merchant based on lack of information or technical problems, the digital wallet may initiate a call to a two-way voice response system or a call center operated by the merchant to proceed with the execution of the transaction based on the user's initial request. Some or all of these steps may be performed without requiring active involvement by the user. In some embodiments, if the digital wallet or virtual assistant requires the user's involvement based on a particular situation of the transaction, the digital wallet may alert the user that the user is required to participate in a call with a call center operator at a call center operated by the merchant by opening a session with the user on the user's mobile phone, transferring the call to the user's mobile phone, dropping it to the user's smart speaker, etc.

[0085] In some embodiments, the digital wallet can be configured to re-initiate payments, such as as a default payment option. In some embodiments, the digital wallet may use machine learning or the like to assist or facilitate transactions. In some embodiments, the digital wallet may be accessed by the user via the user's smart speaker or other such device, and the user may simply request that a specific bill be paid to a specific pre-authorized merchant, or that another such transaction occur. For example, if the user requests, "Pay my current electricity bill" to the user's smart speaker, the smart speaker, which is already associated with the digital wallet and has access rights to the digital wallet, may format such a request in any number of forms or formats appropriate for communicating the request to the digital wallet and send it to the digital wallet. The digital wallet, which is already associated with the user's pre-authorized electricity provider and one or more pre-authorized payment entities, may select the correct pre-authorized payment entity based on previous similar transactions or user / merchant settings, and initiate the transfer of the correct amount (which can be determined from the latest bill stored by the user's pre-authorized electricity provider and the digital copy of which may be stored in or accessed by the digital wallet) to the user's pre-authorized electricity provider in the correct form and format as directed, named, or otherwise represented for the payment of the user's latest electricity bill.

[0086] Referring now to Figure 3, a flowchart illustrates a method 10 for accessing a digital wallet according to an embodiment. At 11, the method can include storing information regarding one or more payment options associated with a user and information regarding one or more merchant accounts associated with the user in a digital wallet associated with the user. At 12, the method can further include receiving a request to initiate a payment between the user and a payee. At 13, the method can further include determining, based at least on information regarding one or more merchant accounts associated with the user, whether the payee is associated with a particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user. At 14, the method can further include, if the payee is associated with a particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user, initiating a payment to the particular merchant account according to one of the one or more payment options associated with the user. At 15, the method can optionally further include storing user payment settings associated with the one or more merchant accounts and the one or more payment options. At 16, the method can optionally further include determining a particular payment option from among the one or more payment options to be used for the payment, based at least on the user payment settings. At 17, the method can optionally further include providing sufficient information regarding the particular payment option to a payment processor to cause the payment processor to effect a funds transfer between the particular payment option associated with the user and the particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user.

[0087] Referring now to FIG. 4, a flowchart illustrates a method 20 for accessing a digital wallet according to an embodiment. At 21, the method can include storing at least payment information, authentication information, and account information associated with the payer. At 22, the method can further include storing at least recipient information associated with one or more recipients. At 23, the method is to receive a request to initiate a payment from a recipient device or a payer device, the request including payment information, recipient information associated with a specific recipient among one or more recipients, and payment information regarding the payment. At 24, the method can further include determining whether the payment is with a pre-approved recipient among one or more recipients, based at least on the payment information, recipient information associated with a specific recipient among one or more recipients, authentication information, account information, and payment information regarding the payment, and further based on one of the payer settings or recipient settings. At 25, if the determination is affirmative, the method can further include initiating the payment by providing the payment information regarding the payment, payment information, recipient information associated with a specific recipient among one or more recipients, authentication information, account information, and payment information regarding the payment to a payment processor.

[0088] Referring now to FIG. 5, a flowchart illustrates a method 30 for accessing a digital wallet according to an embodiment. At 31, the method can include storing a set of digital wallet data associated with a user in a digital wallet associated with the user. At 32, the method can include receiving a request to initiate a payment between the user and a merchant, the request including at least. At 33, the method can include determining whether a requested payment is to a pre-approved merchant account from among a plurality of merchant accounts, based at least on a payment person's instruction, a payee's instruction, and a set of digital wallet data stored in the digital wallet. At 34, the method can include automatically initiating the payment if the determination is affirmative. At 35, the method can optionally include automatically initiating the payment by at least providing to a payment processor a portion of the set of digital wallet data stored in the digital wallet and an amount of the payment if the determination is affirmative. At 36, the method can optionally include, if the determination is affirmative, notifying one or both of a user device associated with the payment person and a merchant device associated with the payee that the payment has been initiated.

[0089] A system, apparatus, method, and computer program product for facilitating simple and secure initiation of payments and financial transactions are described herein.

[0090] According to some embodiments, a user account related digital wallet system is provided. The system comprises user devices, merchant devices, and means for initiating a payment or other such transaction, such as a transaction initiation device. The transaction initiation device may comprise a processor and a memory device storing program code. In some embodiments, the memory device and the program code are configured, together with the processor, such that at least user account information is stored in the digital wallet by the transaction initiation device. Other information such as account information of one or more merchant users, authentication seals, personal identification information, payment option details, credit and / or debit card details, bank account information, user payment settings or requirements, merchant payment settings or requirements, etc. may also be stored in the digital wallet. In some embodiments, the transaction initiation device may store the digital wallet locally or remotely at a single location or multiple locations. For example, the digital wallet may store some information in encrypted form while storing other information in unencrypted form.

[0091] According to some embodiments, the transaction initiation device may receive a purchase request from a user device, another device permanently or temporarily associated with the user, a merchant device, another device permanently or temporarily associated with the merchant, an unknown device, etc. The purchase request can be as simple as including an instruction from the payer, an instruction from the payee, and the payment amount. Alternatively, the purchase request may include other information such as personal identification information (PII) associated with the user, a request for an authentication mark from the user, background information about the reason or motivation for the payment. In some embodiments, the purchase request may provide an identification value such as a merchant-side account number instead of the payer name or other PII. In such an example, the transaction initiation device may query a set of digital wallets or otherwise refer to a set of information about multiple users to associate the provided identification value with a specific user. In some embodiments, the payment request may include merchant / recipient account information instead of the merchant name or other merchant information required to execute the payment or transaction. In such an example, the transaction initiation device may query a set of digital wallets or a separate merchant dataset to associate the provided merchant / recipient account information with the merchant name or other merchant information required to execute the payment or transaction. In some embodiments, the user payment settings or user payment requirements may be stored in the digital wallet or be referenceable by the transaction initiation device during the initiation of the payment or transaction.

[0092] According to some embodiments, the digital wallet may be configured to only participate in payment or transaction processing for payments to merchants with whom the user / payer has an account, and only for payments / transactions associated with the account. In some embodiments, the digital wallet may be configured to only participate in financial transactions when a financial transaction is designated for the payment of an outstanding invoice associated with the payee's user account. In some embodiments, the transaction initiation device may be configured to, upon receiving a payment or transaction request, determine whether the payee or merchant indicated in the payment or transaction request or associated with the payment or transaction request is a merchant or payee with whom the user / payer has an account.

[0093] In some embodiments, even if a purchase request, a bill payment request, a financial transaction request, etc. originate from an unknown entity, the transaction initiation device and / or the digital wallet may still be configured to initiate and / or execute a purchase, a bill payment, a financial transaction, etc. For example, the transaction initiation device and / or the digital wallet may determine, from a purchase request, a bill payment request, a financial transaction request, etc., the identity of the user associated with the digital wallet, the merchant / recipient to whom money or other currency is directed for a purchase, a bill payment, a financial transaction, etc., and the amount or other currency requested. As soon as the transaction initiation device and / or the digital wallet determines the identity of the user / payer and the identity of the merchant / recipient, the transaction initiation device and / or the digital wallet may refer to a database or set of pre - authorized merchant accounts associated with the user and determine whether the merchant / recipient identified in the request is associated with one of the pre - authorized merchant accounts. In an example where the transaction initiation device and / or the digital wallet determines that the merchant / recipient identified in the request is associated with a pre - authorized merchant account, the transaction initiation device and / or the digital wallet can automatically initiate the transaction or automatically provide to the payment processor all the transaction details necessary for the payment processor to execute a purchase, a bill payment, a financial transaction, etc.

[0094] In other embodiments, the transaction initiation device and / or digital wallet may be configured to receive, store, retrieve, or otherwise determine user payment settings, user payment requirements, user payment type requirements, and the like. In other embodiments, the transaction initiation device and / or digital wallet may be configured to receive, store, retrieve, or otherwise determine merchant payment settings, merchant payment requirements, merchant payment type requirements, and the like for one, several, or all merchants. In some embodiments, the user payment settings may include a particular type of payment method or a particular payment method preferred for use with one, several, or all merchants. In some embodiments, the merchant payment settings may include a particular type of payment method or a particular payment method preferred by one, several, or all merchants. In some embodiments,

[0095] In another embodiment, a user account-related payment card is provided. The payment card can have dimensions that are substantially similar to those of a conventional credit card or debit card. In some embodiments, the payment card can include one or more of a card number, cardholder name, expiration date, security chip, Europay, Mastercard®, and Visa® (EMV®) chip, magnetic stripe, CVV number, dynamic CVV number, near field communication (NFC) transmitter, inductive coupling antenna, etc. The payment card can store information regarding one or more merchant accounts associated with one or more merchants. The payment card is configured to initiate a payment with a merchant associated with one or more merchant accounts. For example, a user may associate the user's payment card with one or more merchant accounts and provide at least one payment method that will be stored on the payment card. Payment methods can include another payment card such as a credit card or debit card, a bank account, an e-payment account such as a PayPal® account, cryptocurrency, digital currency, a token having value, cash, an e-wallet fund, a non-fungible token, a stored value card, an electronic bank transfer, Apple Pay®, Google Pay®, Android Pay®, etc. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the digital wallet can be or can include a pass-through digital wallet or a stored value digital wallet. In some embodiments, a portion of the information stored on the payment card (e.g., in an embedded chip, etc.) can be encrypted, while another portion of the information stored on the payment card is non-encryptable.

[0096] As an example, a user may use a payment card as described herein to purchase products or services, pay bills or invoices, initiate financial transactions, and the like. However, according to some embodiments, the payment card can be associated with a user account such that the payment card is configured only to initiate payments, purchases, or financial transactions related to a merchant account associated with the user. The set of merchant information may be dynamically updated to add or remove merchant accounts associated with the user. The payment card according to some embodiments is configured only to initiate payments, purchases, or financial transactions with pre - authorized merchants and only for accounts in these pre - authorized merchants associated with the user. Thus, any person or device that has obtained unauthorized access to the user's payment card should only be able to complete purchases or payments related to the user's owned accounts. For example, a user may have an account with a local natural gas supply company, and thus, the local natural gas supply company may be designated as a pre - authorized merchant for the user's digital wallet and the user's payment card. In an example where the local natural gas supply company is the only pre - authorized merchant for the user's digital wallet and the user's payment card, both the user's digital wallet and the user's payment card are secured from any transactions with any other merchant, even if the transaction is with another merchant where the user has a legitimate account. Thus, even if the user's digital wallet or the user's payment card is accessed by an unauthorized person or device, the unauthorized person or device should only be able to make payments to the user's account with the local natural gas supply company from any of the user's stored payment methods.Any other financial transactions, such as the transfer of funds to an external account, or in some cases, the transfer of funds between different payment methods of the user stored in a digital wallet or payment card, the purchase of any product or service from any other merchant, or any other payment, are not fully permitted, even if any authentication information or other authorization commands are provided, or even if it is by the user.

[0097] According to some embodiments, the digital wallet and / or payment card can be configured such that only additional merchants and / or user accounts with additional merchants can be authorized for the digital wallet and / or payment card through an authorization process that requires additional security measures such as two-factor authentication and biometric screening.

[0098] In another embodiment, an apparatus configured for secure payment processing can be provided. The apparatus includes one or more processors and one or more memory devices storing program code. The one or more memory devices and the program code, together with the one or more processors, at least store information regarding one or more payment options associated with a user and information regarding one or more merchant accounts associated with the user in a digital wallet associated with the user, receive a request to initiate a payment between the user and a recipient, determine, based at least on the information regarding one or more merchant accounts associated with the user, whether the recipient is associated with a particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user, and if the recipient is associated with a particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user, are configured to initiate a payment to the particular merchant account according to one of the one or more payment options associated with the user. In some embodiments, the one or more memory devices and the program code, together with the one or more processors, are further configured to at least store user payment settings associated with one or more merchant accounts and one or more payment options. In some embodiments, the one or more memory devices and the program code, together with the one or more processors, at least determine a particular payment option from among one or more payment options to be used for payment based at least on user payment settings, and provide sufficient information regarding the particular payment option from among the one or more payment options to a payment processor to cause the payment processor to effect a fund transfer between the particular payment option associated with the user and a particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user.In some embodiments, one or more memory devices and program code, together with one or more processors, are further configured to store merchant transaction requirements including at least one of one or more permitted types of payment sources or one or more non - permitted types of payment sources associated with one or more merchant accounts. In some embodiments, one or more memory devices and program code, together with one or more processors, are further configured to determine a specific payment option from among one or more payment options that will be used for payment, at least based on the merchant transaction requirements, and to provide sufficient information regarding the specific payment option to a payment processor to cause the payment processor to effect a funds transfer between the specific payment option associated with the user and a specific merchant account among one or more merchant accounts associated with the user. In some embodiments, one or more memory devices and program code, together with one or more processors, are further configured to, at least if the determination is affirmative, notify a user device or a device associated with a specific merchant account that payment has been initiated. In some embodiments, one or more memory devices and program code, together with one or more processors, are further configured to, at least if the determination is negative, notify a user device or a device associated with a specific merchant account that payment is not permitted and refrain from initiating payment by the payment processor.

[0099] In yet another embodiment, an apparatus configured for secure payment processing can be provided. The apparatus includes means such as one or more processors and one or more memory devices storing program code for storing information regarding one or more payment options associated with a user and information regarding one or more merchant accounts associated with the user in a digital wallet associated with the user, means for receiving a request to initiate a payment between the user and a recipient, means for determining whether the recipient is associated with a particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user, at least based on information regarding the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user, and means for initiating a payment to the particular merchant account according to one of the one or more payment options associated with the user if the recipient is associated with the particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user. In some embodiments, the apparatus can further include means for storing user payment settings associated with the one or more merchant accounts and the one or more payment options. In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes means for determining a particular payment option from among the one or more payment options to be used for payment, at least based on the user payment settings, and means for providing sufficient information regarding the particular payment option to a payment processor to cause the payment processor to effect a funds transfer between the particular payment option associated with the user and the particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user. In some embodiments, the apparatus can further include means for storing merchant transaction requirements associated with the one or more merchant accounts, including one of one or more permitted types of payment sources or one or more non-permitted types of payment sources.In some embodiments, the apparatus can further comprise means for determining a particular payment option from among one or more payment options to be used for payment, at least based on merchant transaction requirements, and means for providing sufficient information regarding the particular payment option to a payment processor to cause the payment processor to effect a fund transfer between the particular payment option associated with the user and a particular merchant account among one or more merchant accounts associated with the user. In some embodiments, the apparatus can further comprise means for notifying a user device or a device associated with a particular merchant account that payment has been initiated if the determination is affirmative. In some embodiments, the apparatus can further comprise means for notifying a user device or a device associated with a particular merchant account that payment is not permitted if the determination is negative, and for refraining from initiating payment by the payment processor.

[0100] According to another embodiment, a method for secure payment processing can be executed. The method includes storing information regarding one or more payment options associated with a user and information regarding one or more merchant accounts associated with the user in a digital wallet associated with the user; receiving a request to initiate a payment between the user and a payee; determining, based at least on information regarding one or more merchant accounts associated with the user, whether the payee is associated with a particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user; and, if the payee is associated with a particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user, initiating a payment to the particular merchant account according to one of the one or more payment options associated with the user. In some embodiments, the method can further include storing user payment settings associated with the one or more merchant accounts and the one or more payment options. In some embodiments, the method can further include determining a particular payment option from among the one or more payment options to be used for the payment based at least on the user payment settings; and providing sufficient information regarding the particular payment option to a payment processor to cause the payment processor to effect a funds transfer between the particular payment option associated with the user and the particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user. In some embodiments, the method can further include storing merchant transaction requirements associated with the one or more merchant accounts and including one of one or more permitted types of payment sources or one or more non-permitted types of payment sources.In some embodiments, the method can further include determining a particular payment option from among one or more payment options to be used for payment, based at least on merchant transaction requirements; and providing sufficient information regarding the particular payment option to a payment processor from among the one or more payment options, for causing the payment processor to effect a funds transfer between the particular payment option associated with the user and a particular merchant account among one or more merchant accounts associated with the user. In some embodiments, the method can further include, if the determination is affirmative, notifying a user device or a device associated with the particular merchant account that the payment has been initiated. In some embodiments, the method can further include, if the determination is negative, notifying a user device or a device associated with the particular merchant account that the payment is not permitted and refraining from initiating the payment by the payment processor.

[0101] According to yet another embodiment, a computer program product can be provided that includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions. The program instructions are operable to at least store information regarding one or more payment options associated with a user and information regarding one or more merchant accounts associated with the user in a digital wallet associated with the user, receive a request to initiate a payment between the user and a payee, determine, based at least on the information regarding one or more merchant accounts associated with the user, whether the payee is associated with a particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user, and, if the payee is associated with a particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user, initiate a payment to the particular merchant account according to one of the one or more payment options associated with the user. In some embodiments, the program instructions are further operable to at least store user payment settings associated with one or more merchant accounts and one or more payment options. In some embodiments, the program instructions are further operable to at least determine a particular payment option from among one or more payment options to be used for payment based at least on the user payment settings, and provide sufficient information regarding the particular payment option to a payment processor to effect a funds transfer between the particular payment option associated with the user and a particular merchant account among the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user. In some embodiments, the program instructions are further operable to at least store merchant transaction requirements associated with one or more merchant accounts, including either one or more permitted types of payment sources or one or more non-permitted types of payment sources.In some embodiments, the program instructions are further operable to cause, at least based on at least merchant transaction requirements, a payment processor to determine a particular payment option from among one or more payment options to be used for payment, and to provide the payment processor with sufficient information regarding the particular payment option so as to effect a fund transfer between the particular payment option associated with the user and a particular merchant account among one or more merchant accounts associated with the user. In some embodiments, the program instructions are further operable to cause, at least if the determination is affirmative, a user device or a device associated with the particular merchant account to be notified that payment has been initiated. In some embodiments, the program instructions are further operable to cause, at least if the determination is negative, a user device or a device associated with the particular merchant account to be notified that payment is not permitted and to refrain from initiating payment by the payment processor.

[0102] According to yet another embodiment, an apparatus configured for secure payment processing can be provided. The apparatus comprises one or more processors and one or more memory devices storing program code. The one or more memory devices and the program code, together with the one or more processors, at least store at least payment information, authentication information, and account information associated with the payer, and at least store payee information associated with one or more payees, and receive from a payee device or a payer device a request to initiate a payment, the request including payment information, payee information associated with a particular payee among the one or more payees, and payment information regarding the payment, and determine, based at least on the payment information, the payee information associated with a particular payee among the one or more payees, the authentication information, the account information, and the payment information regarding the payment, and further based on one of a payer setting or a payee setting, whether the payment is with a pre-approved payee among the one or more payees, and if the determination is affirmative, provide the payment information regarding the payment, the payment information, the payee information associated with a particular payee among the one or more payees, the authentication information, the account information, and the payment information regarding the payment to a payment processor to initiate the payment. In some embodiments, the one or more memory devices and the program code, together with the one or more processors, are further configured to, at least if the determination is affirmative, notify the payee device or the payer device that the payment has been initiated. In some embodiments, the one or more memory devices and the program code, together with the one or more processors, are further configured to, at least if the determination is negative, cause the payee device or the payer device to be notified that the payment is not permitted and refrain from initiating the payment by the payment processor.

[0103] According to another embodiment, an apparatus configured for secure payment processing can be provided. The apparatus includes means such as one or more processors and one or more memory devices storing program code for storing at least payment information, authentication information, and account information associated with a payer, means for storing at least payee information associated with one or more payees, means for receiving, from a payee device or a payer device, a request to initiate a payment, the request including payment information, payee information associated with a specific payee among one or more payees, and payment information regarding the payment, means for determining whether the payment is with a pre-approved payee among one or more payees based at least on the payment information, payee information associated with a specific payee among one or more payees, authentication information, account information, and payment information regarding the payment, and further based on one of a payer setting or a payee setting, and means for initiating the payment by providing the payment information regarding the payment, payment information, payee information associated with a specific payee among one or more payees, authentication information, account information, and payment information regarding the payment to a payment processor if the determination is affirmative. In some embodiments, the apparatus can further include means for notifying the payee device or the payer device that the payment has been initiated if the determination is affirmative. In some embodiments, the apparatus can further include means for notifying the payee device or the payer device that the payment is not permitted if the determination is negative and refraining from initiating the payment by the payment processor.

[0104] According to yet another embodiment, a method can be executed as follows. The method includes storing at least payment information, authentication information, and account information associated with a payer, and storing at least payee information associated with one or more payees. The method also includes receiving, from a payee device or a payer device, a request to initiate a payment, the request including payment information, payee information associated with a specific payee among the one or more payees, and payment information regarding the payment. Based at least on the payment information, the payee information associated with a specific payee among the one or more payees, the authentication information, the account information, and the payment information regarding the payment, and further based on one of a payer setting or a payee setting, determining whether the payment is with a pre-approved payee among the one or more payees. If the determination is affirmative, starting the payment by providing the payment information regarding the payment, the payment information, the payee information associated with a specific payee among the one or more payees, the authentication information, the account information, and the payment information regarding the payment to a payment processor. In some embodiments, the method can further include, if the determination is affirmative, notifying the payee device or the payer device that the payment has been initiated. In some embodiments, the method can further include, if the determination is negative, notifying the payee device or the payer device that the payment is not permitted and refraining from starting the payment by the payment processor.

[0105] According to yet another embodiment, a computer program product can be provided that includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions. The program instructions are operable to cause at least the storage of at least payment information, authentication information, and account information associated with a payer, at least the storage of payee information associated with one or more payees, and to receive, from a payee device or a payer device, a request to initiate a payment that includes payment information, payee information associated with a specific payee among the one or more payees, and payment information regarding the payment. Based at least on the payment information, payee information associated with a specific payee among the one or more payees, authentication information, account information, and payment information regarding the payment, and further based on either payer settings or payee settings, determine whether the payment is with a pre-approved payee among the one or more payees. If the determination is affirmative, be operable to initiate the payment by providing the payment information regarding the payment, payment information, payee information associated with a specific payee among the one or more payees, authentication information, account information, and payment information regarding the payment to a payment processor. In some embodiments, the program instructions are further operable to cause, at least if the determination is affirmative, the payee device or the payer device to be notified that the payment has been initiated. In some embodiments, the program instructions are further operable to cause, at least if the determination is negative, the payee device or the payer device to be notified that the payment is not permitted and to refrain from initiating the payment by the payment processor.

[0106] According to another embodiment, an apparatus configured for secure payment processing can be provided. The apparatus includes one or more processors and one or more memory devices storing program code. The one or more memory devices and the program code, together with the one or more processors, at least store in a digital wallet associated with the user a set of digital wallet data associated with the user, including the user's full name, the user's billing address, account numbers and authentication seals associated with a plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user, authentication information associated with the plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user, and one or more account numbers and one or more bank branch codes associated with one or more bank accounts associated with the user, card numbers, account numbers and card verification values associated with a credit card or debit card associated with the user, or one or more account numbers and authentication seals associated with one or more cryptocurrency accounts associated with the user. The apparatus receives a request to initiate a payment between the user and a merchant, the request including at least an instruction of the payer, an instruction of the payee, and the payment amount, and determines, based at least on the instruction of the payer, the instruction of the payee, and the set of digital wallet data stored in the digital wallet, whether the requested payment is to a pre-approved merchant account from among the plurality of merchant accounts. If the determination is affirmative, the apparatus is configured to automatically initiate the payment. In some embodiments, the one or more memory devices and the program code, together with the one or more processors, are further configured to automatically initiate the payment by at least providing to a payment processor a portion of the set of digital wallet data stored in the digital wallet and the payment amount if the determination is affirmative.In some embodiments, one or more memory devices and program code are further configured, together with one or more processors, to notify, at least, in the case where the determination is affirmative, one or both of a user device associated with the payer or a merchant device associated with the payee that the payment has been initiated. In some embodiments, one or more memory devices and program code are further configured, together with one or more processors, to notify, at least, in the case where the determination is negative, one or both of a user device associated with the payer or a merchant device associated with the payee that the payment is not permitted and to refrain from initiating the payment by the payment processor.

[0107] According to yet another embodiment, an apparatus configured for secure payment processing can be provided. The apparatus includes means such as one or more processors and one or more memory devices storing program code for storing in a digital wallet associated with a user a set of digital wallet data associated with the user, the set of digital wallet data including at least one of a full name of the user, a billing address of the user, account numbers and authentication seals associated with a plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user, authentication information associated with the plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user, and one or more account numbers and one or more bank branch codes, card numbers, account numbers and card verification values associated with a credit card or debit card associated with the user, or one or more account numbers and authentication seals associated with one or more cryptocurrency accounts associated with the user; means for receiving a request to initiate a payment between the user and a merchant, the request including at least an instruction of the payer, an instruction of the payee, and an amount to be paid; means for determining, based at least on the instruction of the payer, the instruction of the payee, and the set of digital wallet data stored in the digital wallet, whether the requested payment is to a pre-approved merchant account from among a plurality of merchant accounts; and means for automatically initiating the payment if the determination is affirmative. In some embodiments, the apparatus can further include means for automatically initiating the payment by at least providing to a payment processor a portion of the set of digital wallet data stored in the digital wallet and the amount to be paid if the determination is affirmative. In some embodiments, the apparatus can further include means for notifying one or both of a user device associated with the payer or a merchant device associated with the payee that the payment has been initiated if the determination is affirmative.In some embodiments, the apparatus can further comprise means for notifying one or both of a user device associated with the payer or a merchant device associated with the payee that payment is not permitted if the decision is negative, and for withholding initiation of payment by the payment processor.

[0108] According to another embodiment, a method for secure payment processing can be executed. The method includes storing a set of digital wallet data associated with a user in a digital wallet associated with the user, the set of digital wallet data including at least one of the user's full name, the user's billing address, account numbers and authentication stamps associated with a plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user, authentication information associated with the plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user, and one or more account numbers and one or more bank branch codes, card numbers, account numbers and card verification values associated with a credit card or debit card associated with the user, or one or more account numbers and authentication stamps associated with one or more cryptocurrency accounts associated with the user; receiving a request to initiate a payment between the user and a merchant, the request including at least an instruction of the payer, an instruction of the payee, and the payment amount; determining, based at least on the instruction of the payer, the instruction of the payee, and the set of digital wallet data stored in the digital wallet, whether the requested payment is to a pre-approved merchant account from among the plurality of merchant accounts; and automatically initiating the payment if the determination is affirmative. In some embodiments, the method can further include automatically initiating the payment by providing at least a portion of the set of digital wallet data stored in the digital wallet and the payment amount to a payment processor if the determination is affirmative. In some embodiments, the method can further include notifying one or both of a user device associated with the payer or a merchant device associated with the payee that the payment has been initiated if the determination is affirmative. In some embodiments, the method can further include notifying one or both of a user device associated with the payer or a merchant device associated with the payee that the payment is not permitted and refraining from initiating the payment by the payment processor if the determination is negative.

[0109] According to yet another embodiment, a computer program product can be provided that includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions. The program instructions are at least for causing a digital wallet associated with a user to store a set of digital wallet data associated with the user, the set of digital wallet data including at least one of the user's full name, the user's billing address, account numbers and authentication seals associated with a plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user, authentication information associated with the plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user, and one or more account numbers and one or more bank branch codes, card numbers, account numbers and card verification values associated with a credit card or debit card associated with the user, or one or more account numbers and authentication seals associated with one or more cryptocurrency accounts associated with the user, receiving a request to initiate a payment between the user and a merchant, the request including at least an instruction of the payer, an instruction of the payee, and an amount to be paid, and determining whether the requested payment is to a pre-approved merchant account from among the plurality of merchant accounts based at least on the instruction of the payer, the instruction of the payee, and the set of digital wallet data stored in the digital wallet, and being operable to automatically initiate the payment if the determination is affirmative. In some embodiments, the program instructions are further operable to automatically initiate the payment by at least providing to a payment processor a portion of the set of digital wallet data stored in the digital wallet and the amount to be paid if the determination is affirmative. In some embodiments, the program instructions are further operable to notify at least one of a user device associated with the payer or a merchant device associated with the payee that the payment has been initiated if the determination is affirmative.In some embodiments, the program instructions are further operable to cause at least one of the user device associated with the payer or the merchant device associated with the payee to be notified that payment is not permitted if the decision is negative, and to refrain from initiating payment by the payment processor.

[0110] The systems and methods disclosed herein of the present invention provide an integrated view of a branched digital wallet where the user cannot see the branches underlying storing data in multiple different data stores. While this disclosure describes methods and systems for performing transactions, the methods and systems may be used similarly in other situations where data needs to be securely obtained from multiple sources when not all of the required information is stored in a single source.

[0111] A software embodiment comprising an ordered list of executable instructions for performing a logical function can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device such as a computer-based system, a system including a processor, or other systems that can fetch instructions from and execute instructions. In the context of this document, "computer-readable medium" can be any means that can contain, store, or communicate a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer-readable medium can be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device. More detailed examples of computer-readable media (a non-exhaustive list) should include portable computer diskettes (magnetic), random access memory (RAM) (electronic), read-only memory (ROM) (electronic), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory) (electronic), and portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM) (optical). Furthermore, the scope of the present disclosure includes embodying the functions of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in logic embodied in hardware or software configuration media.

[0112] For brevity of explanation, the exemplary methods are shown and described as a series of blocks / steps, but it should be recognized that the methods are not limited by the order of the blocks since some blocks can be performed in a different order than shown and described and / or concurrently with other blocks. Moreover, not all of the exemplary blocks are required to implement the exemplary methods. The blocks can be combined or separated into multiple components. Furthermore, additional and / or alternative methods can employ additional blocks not shown.

[0113] Moreover, while the invention and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alternatives are possible herein without departing from the invention as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments of the processes, machines, manufactures, compositions of matter, means, methods, and steps described herein. As will be readily recognized from the present disclosure, the presently existing or later developed processes, machines, manufactures, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein will be utilized. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufactures, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps. The previous description has been presented with reference to various embodiments. Those skilled in the art to which this application pertains will appreciate that alternative and modified structures and methods of operation may be practiced without departing significantly from the principles, spirit, and scope thereof.

Claims

1. A method for secure payment processing, comprising: storing information regarding a plurality of user accounts associated with one or more pre-approved merchants in a digital wallet associated with the user, wherein the one or more pre-approved merchants include only those pre-approved to automatically initiate a payment without requiring a transaction-specific approval from the user; receiving a payment start request to initiate a payment between the user and a payee from a user device associated with the user or a payee device associated with the payee, wherein the payment start request includes information identifying the user, information identifying the payee, and initial transaction information regarding the payment requested in the payment start request; identifying the digital wallet associated with the user based at least on the information identifying the user; determining whether the payee is one of the one or more pre-approved merchants who are pre-approved to automatically initiate the payment without requiring a transaction-specific approval from the user based at least on the information identifying the payee and the information regarding the plurality of user accounts associated with the one or more pre-approved merchants; if the payee is not one of the one or more pre-approved merchants who are pre-approved to automatically initiate the payment without requiring a transaction-specific approval from the user, rejecting the payment between the user and the payee and sending a notification indicating that the payment has been rejected to the payee device; A method comprising the above steps.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, if the payee is one of the one or more pre-approved merchants who are pre-approved to automatically initiate the payment without requiring a transaction-specific approval from the user, automatically initiating the payment between the user and the payee without requiring a transaction-specific approval from the user by sending the payment start request to a payment processing device. The method according to claim 1.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising sending a notification indicating that the payment has been initiated to the payee device. The method according to claim 2.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising storing one or more payment options associated with the user in the digital wallet associated with the user. The method according to claim 1.

5. Further comprising storing, in the digital wallet associated with the user, one or more user accounts, the one or more pre-approved merchants, and user payment settings associated with the one or more payment options. The method according to claim 4.

6. Determining a specific payment option from among the one or more payment options to be used for the payment based at least on the user payment settings; Adding information regarding the specific payment option to the payment start request from among the one or more payment options to be used for starting the payment; Further comprising. The method according to claim 5.

7. Further comprising storing, in the digital wallet, merchant transaction requirements associated with one or more pre-approved merchant accounts, the merchant transaction requirements including one of one or more permitted types of payment sources or one or more non-permitted types of payment sources. The method according to claim 1.

8. Determining a specific payment option from among the one or more payment options to be used for the payment based at least on the merchant transaction requirements; Adding information regarding the specific payment option to the payment start request from among the one or more payment options to be used for starting the payment; Further comprising. The method according to claim 7.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a device, cause the device to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. At least one processor; At least one memory including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 8; A device comprising.

11. A method for secure payment processing, Storing information regarding a plurality of payment options associated with a user, information regarding a plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user, and information regarding a plurality of claimant accounts associated with the user in a digital wallet associated with the user; Receiving an instruction from the user device associated with the user that the user desires to initiate a transaction with a payee including one of a specific merchant or a specific claimant based on a first interaction of the user with the user interface of the user device; Sending an instruction to the user device associated with the user to display to the user the plurality of payment options for completing the transaction with the payee via the user interface of the user device; Determining, in response to a second interaction of the user with the user device, a selection of a preferred payment option from the plurality of payment options for completing the transaction with the payee; Requesting transaction information including one of merchant account information regarding a specific merchant account or claimant account information regarding a specific claimant account from the user device; Receiving the transaction information from the user device; Storing the transaction information in at least one memory of a device associated with the user or the digital wallet; Determining information regarding the plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user and information regarding the plurality of claimant accounts associated with the user by comparing the transaction information received from the user device with information regarding the plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user and information regarding the plurality of claimant accounts associated with the user, based at least on the transaction information, and determining whether the payee is associated with one of the plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user or one of the plurality of claimant accounts associated with the user; If it is determined that the payee is associated with one of the plurality of merchant accounts or one of the plurality of claimant accounts, determine that the payee is a pre-approved merchant or a pre-approved claimant, and send a payment approval signal to the payment processing device to use the preferred payment option selected from among the plurality of payment options through a second interaction with the user interface of the user device to initiate a payment to the payee via the specific merchant account or the specific claimant account, where the payment approval signal includes the transaction information received from the user device, information regarding the specific merchant account of the plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user or the specific claimant account of the plurality of claimant accounts associated with the user, information regarding the preferred payment option, If it is determined that the payee is associated with an unrelated merchant account other than one of the plurality of merchant accounts or an unrelated claimant account other than one of the plurality of claimant accounts, determine that the payee is not a pre-approved merchant and not a pre-approved claimant, and the device refrains from sending the payment approval signal to the payment processing device to not permit the initiation of the payment to the payee, method. **Claim 12** The method further includes storing user payment settings associated with the plurality of merchant accounts, the plurality of claimant accounts, or the plurality of payment options. The method according to claim 11. **Claim 13** Determining the specific payment option from among the plurality of payment options used to complete the transaction based at least on the user payment settings, and providing information regarding the specific payment option from among the plurality of payment options to the payment processing device to cause the payment processing device to effect a fund transfer between the specific payment option associated with the user and the specific merchant account of the plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user or the specific claimant account of the plurality of claimant accounts associated with the user. The method further includes The method according to claim 12.

14. storing merchant transaction requirements associated with the plurality of merchant accounts, where the merchant transaction requirements include one or more of one or more permitted types of payment sources or one or more non-permitted types of payment sources, storing claimant transaction requirements associated with the plurality of claimant accounts, where the claimant transaction requirements include one or more of one or more permitted types of payment sources or one or more non-permitted types of payment sources, further comprising, the method according to claim 11.

15. determining the specific payment option from among the plurality of payment options used to execute the transaction, based at least on the merchant transaction requirements or the claimant transaction requirements, providing information regarding the specific payment option from among the plurality of payment options to the payment processing device to cause the payment processing device to effect a fund transfer between the specific payment option associated with the user and the specific merchant account of the plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user, or the specific claimant account of the plurality of claimant accounts associated with the user, further comprising, the method according to claim 14.

16. further comprising providing a notification indicating that the transaction has been initiated to the user device, a device associated with the specific merchant account, or a device associated with the specific claimant account when the payee is associated with the specific merchant account of the plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user or the specific claimant account of the plurality of claimant accounts associated with the user, the method according to claim 11. **Claim 17**: Further including providing a notice indicating that when the payee is associated with a non - related merchant account other than one of the plurality of merchant accounts associated with the user, or a non - related claimant account other than one of the plurality of claimant accounts associated with the user, the transaction is not permitted and the start of the transaction should be withheld, to the user device, a device associated with the specific merchant account, or a device associated with the specific claimant account. The method according to claim 11. **Claim 18**: A non - transitory computer - readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a device, cause the device to perform the method of any one of claims 11 to 17. **Claim 19**: At least one processor and at least one memory including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause a device to perform the method of any one of claims 11 to 17. A device comprising the above. **Claim 20**: A method for secure payment processing, comprising: using a payment start system including a processor and a memory to store in a digital wallet associated with a user information regarding one or more payment options associated with the user, information regarding one or more merchant accounts associated with the user, and information regarding one or more claimant accounts associated with the user; receiving, from a user device associated with the user, an indication that the user wishes to initiate a transaction with a payee including either a specific merchant or a specific claimant based on a first interaction of the user with the user interface of the user device; sending, to the user device associated with the user, an instruction to display to the user, via the user interface of the user device, the one or more payment options for completing the transaction with the payee; determining, in response to a second interaction of the user with the user interface, a selection of a preferred payment option by the user from the one or more payment options for completing the transaction with the payee. Requesting transaction information including either merchant account information of a specific merchant account associated with the specific merchant or claimant account information of a specific claimant account associated with the specific claimant from the user device associated with the user; Receiving the transaction information from the user device in the payment initiation system; Storing the transaction information in the memory of the payment initiation system or the digital wallet associated with the user using the payment initiation system; Determining information regarding the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user and information regarding the one or more claimant accounts associated with the user by the payment initiation system that compares the transaction information received from the user device based at least on the transaction information with information regarding the one or more merchant accounts and information regarding the one or more claimant accounts, and determining whether the payee is associated with any of the one or more merchant accounts or the one or more claimant accounts; When the payment initiation system determines that the payee is associated with any of the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user or the one or more claimant accounts associated with the user, determines that the payee is a pre-approved merchant or a pre-approved claimant, and causes the payment initiation system to send a payment approval signal to the payment processing device, and uses the preferred payment option selected from among the one or more payment options through a second interaction with the user interface of the user device to initiate a payment to the payee via the specific merchant account or the specific claimant account, the payment approval signal includes: The transaction information received from the user device; Information regarding the specific merchant account of the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user or the specific claimant account of the one or more claimant accounts associated with the user; Information regarding the preferred payment option; and includes; When the payment start system determines that the payee is associated with an unrelated merchant account other than one of the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user or an unrelated claimant account other than one of the one or more claimant accounts associated with the user, the payee is determined not to be the pre-approved merchant and the pre-approved claimant, and the payment start system does not transmit the payment approval signal to the payment processing device, thereby not permitting the start of the payment to the payee. A method including the above. **Claim 21**: In the payment start system, further including receiving, in response to one or more other inputs by the user, user payment settings related to the one or more payment options and user receipt settings related to at least one of the one or more merchant accounts or the one or more claimant accounts from the user device. The method according to claim 20. **Claim 22**: Determining the specific payment option from among the one or more payment options used for the payment based at least on the user payment settings, and providing information regarding the specific payment option from among the one or more payment options to a payment processing device, and causing the payment processing device to execute a fund transfer between the specific payment option associated with the user and the specific merchant account of the one or more merchant accounts associated with the user, or the specific claimant account of the one or more claimant accounts associated with the user. Including further. The method according to claim 21. **Claim 23**: A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a device, cause the device to execute the method according to any one of claims 20 to 22. **Claim 24**: At least one processor, and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to execute the method according to any one of claims 20 to 22. A device comprising the above. ​

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