Methods for deferred payment systems with improved promotions functionally

Abstract

Methods for deferred payment systems which facilitate the payment of very small monetary amount by a user when the total of accrued debit amounts exceed a predetermined amount or occur after a predetermined time interval, and which further enable promoters to offer promotions of paying the accrued amounts or providing credits when the payment system when the payment system detects that an item proposed for purchase by a user device has an attribute that makes it eligible for a promotion subject to providing certain user information to the promoter via the payment system.

Description

METHODS FOR DEFERRED PAYMENT SYSTEMS WITH IMPROVED PROMOTIONS FUNCTIONALLYFIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This disclosure is generally directed to deferred payment systems, and specifically to improved methods for deferred payment systems possessing improved promotions functionally.BACKGROUND

[0002] Shopping systems are known wherein a plurality of web servers is mutually connected via a network, usually the internet, in order to enable a purchaser to purchase goods and / or services. Conventionally, the customer selects a particular virtual marketplace, seeks goods and services there, places them in a virtual shopping trolley and pays for the items at the end of the shopping procedure. The payment procedure is usually very complex, since it is necessary for the individual user or purchaser to be sufficiently authenticated. For this purpose, the name and address are usually requested. For the payment transaction, the user must enter account or credit card information which enables debiting of the payable amount. The process of registration, that is, input of name and address and / or account or credit card information is complex. A main problem lies therein that with small amounts from a few cents to a Euro (€0.01 to €1.00), customers are reluctant to register at all. The effort involved in order to obtain goods or information for a few cents on the market place is too great and is out of proportion to what is being purchased. Thus for payments in the region of under €1, there is no actual market, since it cannot come into existence due to the effort-to-reward ratio.

[0003] Additionally, the individual users would like to ensure that their data will be treated confidentially. Usually, users will only disclose their information when they trust the marketplace in question. It is therefore difficult for small businesses to establish such marketplaces or online shops.

[0004] For the monetary processing of purchases, service providers have now become established which offer payment systems with which one needs only to register once, in orderthen to be able to carry out corresponding payment transactions in numerous online shops via one such service provider. The registration for such central payment systems is again very complex. Furthermore, such a payment transaction incurs costs which, inter alia, the online shops must bear.

[0005] It is apparent overall that the obstacles and starting thresholds associated with such a purchase on the internet are so numerous and high that potential purchasers are often deterred from making such a purchase. This applies, in particular, for goods and services for the purchase of which only very small sums are involved. It is extremely problematic, for example, to demand full registration of a user in order to view a one-page test report which costs about 50 cents.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Proceeding from this state of the art, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide a payment system which ensures a secure payment transaction.

[0007] In particular, the aim is achieved with a payment system for at least one online shop, such as a network-accessible merchant, wherein the payment system comprises: an identification device for recording at least one identification number of a shopper system, such as a user device; an interface device for receiving and confirming direct debit orders from the at least one online shop, wherein the debit orders comprise information relating to a debit amount, i.e., price, to be paid to the online shop; a memory device for storing the direct debit orders in conjunction with the associated identification numbers; a processing device which is configured to monitor the total of the debit amounts in relation to the identification number and to request a user of the shopper system to register after a predetermined time interval and / or on exceeding a predetermined value of the total payable, in order to settle at least part of the total payable.

[0008] An essential concept of the present application lies therein that the payment system records a purchase made by a user in the form of a direct debit order. The payment system also stores identification information which enables the preferably unique identification, i.e., identifier, of the shopper system used. Initially, therefore, no information is requestedregarding the user of the shopper system. Theoretically, any user could carry out shopping and payment transactions with the shopper system.

[0009] Once a predetermined time interval has passed and / or a predetermined value of the total payable has been exceeded, the payment system requests the user to register in order to pay at least part of the total payable. The user can thus meanwhile shop entirely anonymously and completely secure against fraud. The individual purchases are associated with the shopper system used by him, for example, a user device such as a PC or a mobile communication device. Only once a predetermined period has elapsed or a predetermined total payable has been amassed, does the user have to disclose his identity or at least input information, which enables settlement of the debt.

[0010] The payment system lowers to a minimum the entry threshold for chargeable content on the internet, since it enables the user to consume now and pay later. The user can accumulate a plurality of very small payable amounts (micro payments) and then pay these as soon as a relevant amount has accumulated. This also saves technical resources, since the associated measures do not have to be performed for every minimal payment transaction. Furthermore, a new market can be accessed with the payment system, such as the market which deals with payments characterised by very small monetary amounts (e.g. smaller than €1). The time interval can be, for example, greater than 10 days and / or greater than 1 month and / or greater than three months. Preferably, the time interval is calculated from the entry or execution of a first debit order in relation to a particular identification number onwards.

[0011] The payment system according to this disclosure can also make the processing of small payments economical. The minimum debit handling charges of banks are sometimes multiple times higher than the value of the content purchased (e.g. on average €0.20 per transaction). The payment system according to the present disclosure can serve as a global shopping trolley (e.g. over a plurality of web sites) and can aggregate purchases. These are then settled cumulatively, thus reducing the relative charges per transaction to a minimum. The direct debit transaction is processed only once for e.g. 20 purchases, reducing the incidental costs incurred for performance of the direct debit. The processing device can be configured such that, until registration, said system does not request any personal data and, in particular, no payment information from the userof the shopper system prior to sending a system of the online shop an authorization signal representing that the payment system does not perceive the shopper system as uncreditworthy.

[0012] In one exemplary embodiment according to this disclosure promoters, such as advertisers, are able to pay off accrued debit amounts or provide credits to a user accounts in exchange for the corresponding user providing certain user information to the promoter. A method in accordance with such exemplary embodiment comprises the steps of: a) providing a deferred- payment service by a deferred payment server, the deferred payment service performs the steps of (i) processing authorization of digital content purchases for a user account without requiring payment at time of purchase, (ii) monitoring a total of an outstanding purchase balance associated with the user account; and (iii) transmitting a request signal to the user device for settlement of at least a part of the total outstanding purchase balance when the total outstanding balance will have exceeded at least one of a predetermined threshold amount and / or accrued over a period of time that exceeds a predetermined time interval; b) storing in a promotions database information of purchases that are eligible for respective pre-approved promotions in which a promoter would provide a predetermined credit amount of at least one of payment for a desired purchase, or a credit to be applied to the user account, in exchange for the user providing certain user information associated with the user account; c) the payment server receiving a proposed purchase request using the deferred-payment service by a user device; and detecting whether the proposed purchase request is eligible for one of the promotions stored in the promotions database based on a common or related attribute of the proposed purchase and promotion, as well as transmitting an offer to the user device for an eligible promotion; d) the payment server in response, to receiving an acceptance notification from the user device; transmitting a request for the user to provide the certain user information and / or provide consent for the payment server to transmit the requested certain user information to the promoter; and e) upon confirming the requested user information or consent from the user device has properly been received, the payment server applying the predetermined credit amount from the promoter to the associated user account; and transmitting a notice to the promoter indicating that the predetermined credit has been applied to the user account, and including the requested user information associated with the user account.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The invention will now be described in greater detail using several exemplary embodiments and making reference to the drawings, in which:

[0014] Fig. 1 shows a representative system according to the disclosure comprising a shopper system, an online shop and a payment system;

[0015] Fig. 2 shows the individual components of an exemplary embodiment of the payment system of Fig. 1;

[0016] Fig. 3 shows exemplary database entries of the payment system of Figs. 1 and 2;

[0017] Fig. 4 shows a flow diagram of an exemplary order-making process according to the present disclosure; and

[0018] Fig. 5 shows a flow diagram of an exemplary payment system method for for enabling promoters to provide promotions of paying the balance owed by a user account, or provide promotional credit to such user account, in instances when the user device is attempting to purchase an item with an attribute associated with an available promotion.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] In the following description, the same reference signs are used for the same and similarly acting parts.

[0020] Fig. 1 shows the shopping system 5 according to the present disclosure. Herein a shopper system 10, alternatively referred to herein as user device, such as a laptop, a PC or a mobile terminal is connected via a network, such as the internet 1, to an online shop 20 such as, for example, a network-accessible merchant. The online shop 20 and the shopper system 10 are also in communicative connection, via the internet 1, with the payment system 30, which may be a deferred payment system server comprised of one or more integrated or separate processing and data storage components. Normally, numerous other systems are connected to the internet 1.

[0021] Fig. 1 also depicts a user information database 40 and promotions database 50, both of which are accessible by the payment system 30. For certain embodiments of the shopping system 5 described, for example, with regard to Fig. 5. The user information database 40 stores information regarding the shoppers, alternatively referred to herein as the “users” of the payment system 30, including, for example, purchase information of purchases of digital content made under the account associated with the user or her / his user device 10. Such purchase information for each respective one of the digital content purchases includes a time of such purchased digital content, and at least one of a plurality of pre-defined attributes associated with the purchased digital content.

[0022] Exemplary pre-defined attributes include: a) content type attributes, such as article, video, audio, e-book, report, and software; b) content genre or category attributes, such as technology, health, finance, entertainment, education and sports; c) content format attributes, such as PDF, MP4, MP3, EPUB, and HTML; d) topic specificity attributes, such as general, specific, and related / implied topics; e) user demographic attributes, such as age group, gender, location, and language preferences; f) purchase time-related attributes, such as time of day, day of week, and seasonal trends; g) purchase behavior attributes, such as frequency of purchases, recency of purchases and Total amount spent; h) user preferences attributes, such as favorite authors or creators, preferred content length, and preferred content quality (HD, SD); i) engagement metrics attributes, such as number of views or downloads, interaction time, and user ratings or reviews; j) promotional attributes, such as discount eligibility, bundle offers, and subscription status.

[0023] The promotions database 50 may include, for example, information identifying respective promoters, which include without limitation advertisers, marketers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers and / or service providers that market products and / or services, and available promotions to users based on a determination of attributes, wherein such attributes include for example: a) content type attributes, such as article, video, audio, e-book, report, and software; b) content genre or category attributes, such as technology, health, finance, entertainment, education and sports; c) content format attributes, such as PDF, MP4, MP3, EPUB, and HTML; d) topic specificity attributes, such as general, specific, and related / implied topics; e) user demographic attributes, such as age group, gender, location, and language preferences; f) purchase time-related attributes, such as time of day, day of week, and seasonal trends; g) purchase behavior attributes,such as frequency of purchases, recency of purchases and Total amount spent; h) user preferences attributes, such as favorite authors or creators, preferred content length, and preferred content quality (HD, SD); i) engagement metrics attributes, such as number of views or downloads, interaction time, and user ratings or reviews; j) promotional attributes, such as discount eligibility, bundle offers, and subscription status.

[0024] Fig. 1 further depicts an artificial-intelligence (“Al”) application server 60 accessible by the payment system server 30 for certain embodiments of the disclosed shopping system 5 described, for example, with regard to Fig. 5. Such Al application server 60 may execute large language models or other types of Al processes. Fig. 1 also depicts the user information database 40, promotions database 50 and Al application server 60 being accessible by the payment system server 30 by networks outside of the internet 1 for ease of illustration. However, it should be readily understood by a skilled artisan that any or all of the user information database 40, promotions database 50 and Al application server 60 may be in communication with the internet 1 with the payment system 30 accessing such databases and server via the internet 1 in accordance with this disclosure.

[0025] Fig. 2 shows individual components of the payment system server 30, which may be, as noted above, a deferred payment system server. The payment system server 30 according to the present disclosure comprises an identification device 31 for recording at least one identifier, i.e., identification number of the shopper system 10, an interface device 32 for receiving and confirming direct debit 6 orders from the online shop 20, wherein the debit orders comprise information relating to a debit amount to be paid, i.e., purchase price, to the online shop 20, a memory device 32 for storing the direct debit orders in conjunction with the associated identification numbers ID and a processing device 34 for processing the incoming payment transactions.

[0026] The individual devices will now be described in greater detail by reference to the flow diagram in Fig. 4. An exemplary embodiment of a purchase processed by the payment system 30 according to the present disclosure proceeds as follows:

[0027] A user enters particular internet addresses into the shopper system 10 operated by him, in the browser running therein. The browser establishes contact with the server(s) of theonline shop 20 and represents an internet presence of the online shop 20. This internet presence contains an embedded object which is in communicative connection with the interface device 32 of the payment system server 30. The payment system 30 can therefore record an identification number ID of the shopper system 10 by means of the embedded object. In the present case, for example, this is an MAC address of the shopper system 10. Thus, as made clear in step 101 of Fig. 4, the MAC address of the shopper system 10 is recorded.

[0028] It is subsequently checked whether the shopper system 10 is creditworthy (step 102) by, for example, determining a creditworthiness indicator. Such determination may be made by, for example, the payment system 30, and particularly the processing device 34, determining whether an account exists for the received MAC address. If a corresponding account exists, it is determined whether debit amounts have already been added to this account. If this is the case, the individual debit amounts are totaled. If the debit amounts do not exceed a predetermined amount (e.g. €3), or if the oldest debit order was incurred more than a predetermined time period ago, for example, three months, a creditworthiness indicator is generated satisfying a predetermined condition enabling the payment system 30 to transmit an authorization signal to the online shop 20 indicating that it is user to continue with its purchase (step 104).

[0029] However, if the debit amounts exceed the predetermined amount (e.g. €3), or if the oldest debit order was more than a predetermined time interval, for example, three months ago, the user of the shopper system 10 is requested to settle the added debit amounts (step 111). If the user pays the outstanding total payable (step 112), the creditworthiness indicator is generated satisfying the predetermined condition enabling the payment system 30 to transmit an authorization signal to the online shop that enables the user to continue with its purchase (step 104). Otherwise, the creditworthiness indicator is generated that would not satisfy the predetermined conditions and no authorization signal would be transmitted by the payment system 30 to the online shop 20, i.e., alerting the online shop 20 to deny the user for its requested purchase (step 113).

[0030] Moreover for determination of the creditworthiness indicator, the payment system 03 may additionally verify whether the identifier of the shopper system 10 is included in amaintained blacklist of identifiers of user devices which, for example, do not register after the predetermined time interval and / or exceed the predetermined total payable without settlement. Such blacklist may include user identifiers of shopper systems for other reasons including, for example, such identifiers represent stolen user devices, devices located or originated from outside of a specific territory or an embargoed country or region.

[0031] Accordingly, if the creditworthiness of the shopper system 10 is acceptable, the transmitted authorization signal alerts the online shop 20 that the user can make the requested purchase by means of the shopper system 10 (step 104). For example, a chargeable review of a cinema film or other digital content can be accessed. In another exemplary embodiment, the user can be enabled to undertake a telephone call over the internet 1, or activate or reserve a variety of other services.

[0032] In connection with completion of the purchase, for example, the online shop 20 passes the associated booking in the form of a direct debit order to the payment system 30, particularly to the interface device 32 (step 105). In step 106, it is checked whether an account already exists for the shopper system 10. In effect, it is determined whether an account has already been established by the payment system 30 for the read-out MAC address. If no account exists, a suitable account is established (step 114). In step 107, the payment system 30 (in particular the memory device 33) stores the direct debit order in conjunction with the MAC address. An entry which gives information about which purchases have already been transacted with the recorded MAC address is therefore added to the created account.

[0033] The user of the shopper system / user device 10 can then decide whether he wishes to undertake more purchases (step 108). If the user wishes, he can call up a further internet presence of a further online shop 20 by input of a further internet address. Then the recording of his MAC address is carried out once again and this is then passed on to the payment system 30 (step 101).

[0034] As the above exemplary embodiment makes clear, initially, the payment system 30 records the individual direct debit orders as anonymously as possible. The payment system 30 confirms each debit order to the online shop 20, such as by, for example, an authorizationsignal, so that the online shop 20 can essentially assume a completed payment. The payment system 30 can identify the shopper system 10 based purely on the MAC address.

[0035] The memory device 33 thus stores the direct debit order in conjunction with the corresponding MAC address. For this purpose, the payment system 30 comprises a corresponding database in which corresponding tables are kept. An exemplary extract from a table kept therein is shown in Fig. 3. Said table comprises, for example, three columns, specifically a first column which contains the identification of a particular direct debit order, a second column which contains the amount to be debited and a third column which contains the date on which the direct debit order was received by the payment system 30. Each line of the table in Fig. 3 corresponds to a direct debit order. Thus, it is possible to read from the table in Fig. 3 that on 01.07.2009, 20 Eurocents were debited for identification number 222. Furthermore, on 20 September 2009, 5 Eurocents were debited for the same MAC address.

[0036] The processing device 34 can use these entries to determine the total payable from the debit amounts for particular identification numbers ID. For example, the total payable for identification number 222 comes to 25 Eurocents.

[0037] Thus, the payment system 30 can be configured, for example, so that a user of a shopper system 10 has to settle his debts when they are greater than €1. Accordingly, in step 102 it is checked, for the user of the shopper system with the identification number 222, whether the total payable already amassed by said system is greater than €1. Since this is not the case in the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the creditworthiness indicator is generated satisfying the predetermined condition enabling the payment system 30 to transmit an authorization signal to the online shop 20 to enable the user to make further purchases without having to settle his debts.

[0038] In the exemplary embodiment described above, in step 102, it is checked whether the shopper system 10 has already amassed a total payable that is greater than a particular value (for example, €1). In addition, the processing device 34 can check in step 102 whether the user of the shopper system 10 has used the payment system 30 for longer than a particular predetermined time interval. For example, the processing device 34 can check whether the first direct debit order of a particular identification number ID is older than 3 months. Thepayment system 30 can be configured such that in this case, an immediate demand for settlement of the outstanding amounts is issued.

[0039] The payment system 30 can also be configured such that said system offers the user the possibility to settle his amassed direct debit orders at any time. Preferably, the user is encouraged, by the offering of rebates, to make his actual payment to the payment system 30 at as early a time point as possible.

[0040] The payment system 30 can also comprise an account monitoring device which monitors actual incoming payments, and credits them to a shopper system 10. For example, a registration according to the present disclosure can take place therein that the user enters a user name. In exchange, the payment system 30 shows him an account number and requests him to transfer the total payable to the corresponding account, stating his user name. The transferred amount is then credited to the account of the shopper system 10 used by him.

[0041] In a further exemplary embodiment, the user name or a payment reason reference is automatically generated. The user therefore remains as anonymous as possible.

[0042] In another exemplary embodiment, the user can input address data and his actual name and, together with these data, enter his account number, so that the payment system 30 can debit the direct debit orders amassed in the past. The entries can also be used to perform future direct debit orders either in the short term or in the form of a batch debit at the end of a month, a quarter, or a year.

[0043] In the exemplary embodiments described above, an MAC address was used to identify the shopper system 10. It should be obvious for a person skilled in the art that, in place of the MAC address, he can use an IP address, an identification number of an operating system, an identification number of a processor or other identification numbers that give access to the identity of the shopper system 10. It is also theoretically possible to use a plurality of these identification numbers ID in order to increase the reliability of the payment system 30. Furthermore, it is possible to use just parts of said identification numbers to generate a unique key which identifies the shopper system 10.

[0044] Also, the payment system server 30 may be configured to additionally receive from the online shop 20 information regarding the requested item for purchase by the shopper system 10, and further evaluate whether the user device has previously been provided access to such requested item.

[0045] In the exemplary embodiment according to Fig. 1, a shopping system is defined with only one shopper system 10 and only one online shop 20. Usually a plurality of shopper systems 10 access one online shop 20. Furthermore, a plurality of online shops 20 is present, which use one or more payment systems 30 according to the present disclosure.

[0046] Exemplary embodiments have been described above wherein identification of the shopper system 10 is directed to a particular identification number ID which gives an MAC address, an IP address, an identification number of an operating system, an identification number of a processor or other identification numbers which give access to the identity of the shopper system 10, or comprises parts thereof. It is possible to undertake a combination of the methods. Therefore different identification numbers ID, relating, for example, to an MAC address or an IP address or an identification number of a processor can be requested. Finally, the identification numbers ID which are provided by the shopper system 10 are used.

[0047] It is also possible to request individual identification numbers ID according to a sequence. This sequence can be based on the probability with which a particular shopper system 10 provides the numbers or the character string. Thus the payment system 30 can first search for an MAC address. If this cannot be determined, then the processor identification number, or the like, is requested. It is also conceivable for a cookie to be set.

[0048] The user can thus be uniquely assigned a database by means of a digitally signed cookie. The signed data can comprise a combination value formed from all the previously known user data in order to make misuse more difficult. The cookie can be stored using a plurality of techniques on the shopper system 10 (e.g. as a HTTP or Flash Cookie) and thus, as far as possible, be secured against later deletion. If, on a later contact with the payment system 30, the cookie is deleted in a cookie store, it can be created anew. The cookie can also comprise a parameter which states whether the user is already registered or logged in. The user can loginto an interface of the payment system 30 at any time in order to inspect his account information.

[0049] In a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the payment system 30 can use a code provided by the user in order to identify himself to the payment system. The code can serve as an identification number ID and be used in place of a hardware identification number, for example, the MAC address, of the shopper system 10. It is also conceivable that the code input for the above-mentioned identification numbers ID, for example, a requested hardware identification number, is used.

[0050] The code can be, for example, an IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity). The user of the shopper system 10 enters the IMSI of his mobile telephone and the payment system 30 establishes an account relating thereto or adds the debit amounts to the existing account. The payment system 30 can verify the correctness of the code given — that is, the IMSI — in that said payment system sends a message, for example, by SMS (Short Message Service) to the relevant mobile telephone. The payment system 30 can then request the user to confirm receipt of the message, for example, by returning the message or input of a code, wherein use of the payment system 30 is prohibited if the message is not confirmed. Said verification can only take place once, preferably on establishment of the account, or at every payment transaction.

[0051] In order to minimise as far as possible the risk of non-paying users (for example: a user uses the payment system 30 until he is requested to settle his debts. He then fails to settle his debts, but dispenses with further use of the payment system 30), the payment system 30 can comprise an evaluation device for contributing to and / or generation of the creditworthiness indicator. Said evaluation device records statistical data concerning the direct debit orders and / or the identification numbers ID issued, preferably continuously. Further data which provide information concerning the type of purchases made and / or the location of the user can be recorded and evaluated. For example, the IP address of the user can be used in order to determine roughly his location. Furthermore, using the IP address of the internet providers used by the user, an individual with RIPE responsibility or the like can be determined. The evaluation device can use the collected statistical data to adapt the payment threshold.

[0052] For example, a user to whom, on the basis of his IP address, a group having statistically good creditworthiness is assigned, can undertake direct debit orders until his account has a negative balance of more than €2, whereas a user to whom, on the basis of his IP address, a group having poor creditworthiness is assigned, can only undertake direct debit orders up to a total payable of €1. Theoretically, the payment system 30 can entirely prevent a debit before the registration if the user is assigned to a group with very poor creditworthiness. The statistics are maintained by the evaluation device, preferably in a database, and can be analysed accordingly on first contact with the user, and used for determination of the creditworthiness indicator.

[0053] As explained above, the identification number ID can at least partially comprise or be derived from data stored in a cookie and kept in the shopper system 10. Preferably, the relevant data are stored multiple times on the shopper system 10, in order to prevent deletion of said data. For example, a plurality of cookies can be stored in the shopper system 10, wherein a first cookie is stored therein directly by the payment system 30 and a second cookie is stored there by means of the online shop 20. The payment system 30 can thus request the identification number ID directly from the shopper system 10 and compare the requested value with a value provided by the online shop 20. In order to increase security and anonymity, the identification number ID can be made available to the online shop 20 in an encoded form, so that it is not possible for the online shop 20 to make a direct allocation of the user to a particular identification number ID. As soon as the user visits the same online shop 20 once again, said shop requests the identification number ID and passes said number on to the payment system. The shopper system 10 can also be directed to a web site of the payment system 30, said web site requesting the further cookie with a further, or the same, identification number ID.

[0054] Fig. 5 depicts a flow diagram 200 for advantageously enabling promoters to provide a promotion of paying the balance owed by a user account, or promotional credit to such user account or a sponsor account accessible by the user, wherein the promotion maybe associated with a possible purchase by the user of an item and / or service related to the promotion.

[0055] The method 200 begins with step 205 in providing a deferred payment service by, for example, the deferred payment system server 30 of Figs. 1 and 2. The deferred payment serviceperforms the method steps depicted in Fig. 4 of (i) processing authorization of digital content purchases for a user account without requiring payment at time of purchase, (ii) monitoring a total of an outstanding purchase balance associated with the user account; and (iii) transmitting a request signal to the user device for settlement of at least a part of the total outstanding purchase balance when the total outstanding balance will have exceeded at least one of a predetermined threshold amount and / or accrued over a period of time that exceeds a predetermined time interval.

[0056] In step 210, the method 200 stores in the promotions database 50 information regarding the promoters including their contact information, and attributes of potential purchases that would be eligible for respective pre-approved promotions in which a corresponding promoter would provide a predetermined credit amount of payment for a desired purchase, or a credit to be applied to the user account, in exchange for the user associated with the user account providing certain user information to the respective promoters.

[0057] In step 215, the payment server 30 receives a proposed purchase request using the deferred-payment service by a user device / shopper system 10. Then, in step 220, the payment server 30 searches the promotions database 50, or causes such database to be searched to detect whether the attributes associated with the proposed purchase correspond to any of the attributes associated with one of the attributes of available promotions, i.e., when the proposed purchase request would be eligible for one of the promotions stored in the promotions database 50. The payment system server 30 may receive information of the attributes of the proposed purchase specified by the merchant offering such item for purchase, or determined by scanning the item, if digital content, or information about such item to identify its attributes. Such scanning may be performed by an Al application executed, for example, by the Al application server 60. Then, in step 225, the payment server 30 transmits to the user device 10 an offer for the eligible promotion, and in step 230, the payment server 30 receives from the user device 10 a notification of acceptance of the eligible promotion offer.

[0058] In optional step 235, the payment system server 30 transmits a request to the user of the user device 10 to create a user account with such payment system server 30, if such user or user device is not already associated with an existing user account.

[0059] In step 240, in response to the acceptance notification received from the user device 30 (in step 230), the payment server 30 transmits request to the user device 10 for the user device to provide the requested certain user information, and / or provide consent to authorize the payment server 30 to transmit at least some of the requested certain user information that is stored in the user information database 40 to the promoter. The requested certain user information may include, for example, at least one of name, contact information (e.g., email address, phone number, postal address), demographics (e.g., age, gender, average income, geographic region, and education level), user preferences (e.g., language preference, content format preference (e.g., text, video, audio) and favorite genres or categories), purchase behavior (e.g., purchase history, frequency of purchases, recency of purchases, and total amount spent), engagement metrics (e.g., time spent on content, interaction frequency, user ratings or reviews, and click-through rates on promotions), user activities and interests (e.g., group affiliations (e.g., memberships in clubs or organizations), hobbies and interests, and participation in events), responses to surveys or feedback forms (e.g., satisfaction ratings, suggestions for improvement, and product or service feedback), technical information (e.g., device type (e.g., mobile, desktop, tablet), operating system, and browser type and version), social media and online presence (e.g., social media profiles (with user consent), online behavior patterns (e.g., websites frequently visited), engagement with social media content related to the promoter), behavioral data (e.g., search history, ad interaction history, and loyalty program participation), subscription and membership details (e.g., subscription status and preferences and membership levels and benefits), and transactional information (e.g., payment methods used, billing history, and transaction frequency).

[0060] Then, in step 245, the payment server 30 receives from the user device 10, the requested certain user information, and / or the provided consent. Then, in step 250, upon confirming the requested user information or consent has been properly received from the user device 10, the payment server 30 applies the predetermined credit amount from the promoter to the associated user account, and correspondingly, in step 255, transmits a notice to the promoter that indicates the eligible promotion accepted by the user device 10, the corresponding credit has been applied to the associated user account, and that contains the requested user information associated with the accepted promotion. It should be readily understood that is possible for the step 255 to be performed prior to or simultaneous with step 250.

[0061] It should be readily understood that at least two of the steps 225 through 240 may be communicated in a common, i.e., the same, data transmission by the payment system 30. It should be also understood that the predetermined credit amount applied to the user account in step 250, may advantageously limited for use by the user device 10 for purchases from websites merchants permitted by the promoter; and / or conversely prohibited for use for attempted purchases from websites of prohibited merchants. One exemplary method for identifying the permitted merchants is the use of a whitelist provided or made accessible to the payment server 30 in accordance with the accepted promotion. Likewise, the prohibited merchants may be included in a blacklist provided and / or made accessible to the payment server, wherein such prohibited merchants include, for example, merchants identified as a competitor of the promoter include in those instances where the promoter is a merchant.

[0062] In an alternative exemplary embodiment, the payment server 30 would search a permitted merchant database (not shown) to determine whether at least one website of the permitted merchants has attributes approved by the promoter, including, for example, wherein at least one website of the permitted merchants included in the permitted merchant database is determined to offer goods or services having threshold amount of digital content with the attributes approved by the promoter. In a further alternative embodiment, at least one website of the permitted merchants has been scraped using an artificial-intelligence application executed by, for example, the Al application server 60, depicted in FIG. 1 , to determine the at least one attribute associated with a threshold amount of digital content related to such at least one attribute approved by the promoter.

[0063] In another exemplary embodiment, the method 200 performed by the payment system server 30 may further transmit to the user device graphic information indicative of a status of the user account including at least brand image information associated with the promoter whose promotion offer was accepted in association with the user account. The transmitted graphic information may be, for example, indicative of a status of the user account status information including brand images associated with the promoter whose promotion offer was accepted in association with the user account, optionally with such transmission occurring at least intermittently and / or in accordance with status changes until, for example, the accepted credit from the promoter is depleted. It should be readily understood that the graphic information indicativeof a status of the user account may include other information and brand images, such as brand images associated with the payment service operating the payment system server 30, and / or selectable icons for other promotion offers to the user associated with the user account. In addition, it is possible for transmitted graphic information to the user device for executing a webpage having a URL in connection with a brand associated with the promoter whose promotion offer was accepted in association with the user account.

[0064] For a person skilled in the art in this field, it should be obvious that there are further possibilities for allocating the identification number ID to the shopper system 10. For example, the communication protocols on which the internet is based can be amended such that said protocols permit unambiguous conclusions about the shopper system used. Commonly used browsers employ caching of the requested web sites in order to be able to access said web sites rapidly and easily. It is necessary to provide individually cached elements with a (web) identification number so that on renewed call-up of a site by the shopper system 10, an updated version of the object provided with the identification number is requested. This request by the shopper system 10 enables the payment system 30 to identify the shopper system 10 uniquely. URLs can also be modified so that said URLs give the identification number ID or a portion thereof.

[0065] The disclosed payment service was described with the functions of the payment system server 30 separate from the functions of the online shop 20. However, it readily should be understood that such payments systems may be incorporated into the operations of the online shop. For example, the operations of such an online shop may include: receiving, over a network, request information and an identifier of a shopper system, wherein the request information represents a request for transmission of specific digital content to said the shopper system, with the digital content transmission subject to a fee; further receiving information from the shopper system indicating acceptance of the fee for such digital content; storing information related to the fee in association with the shopper system identifier; monitoring a total outstanding balance of fee(s) associated with the user device identifier; transmitting a request signal for settlement of at least a part of the total outstanding purchase balance when the total outstanding fees balance exceeds a predetermined threshold amount or when the total outstanding fees over a period of time exceeds a predetermined time interval; and transmitting the requested specific digital content to said userdevice when the total outstanding fees balance does not exceed the predetermined threshold amount or the total outstanding fees over a period of time does not exceed the predetermined time interval.Reference signs

[0066] 1 Internet

[0067] 5 Shopping system

[0068] 10 Shopper system, user device

[0069] 20 Online shop

[0070] 30 Payment system

[0071] 31 Identification device

[0072] 32 Interface device

[0073] 33 Memory device

[0074] 34 Processing device

[0075] 40 User information database

[0076] 50 Promoter database

[0077] 60 Advertising network server

[0078] ID Identification numberStep 101 : payment system records the MAC address of the shopper

[0079] system

[0080] 102 Step 102: Is the shopper system creditworthy?

[0081] 104 Step 104: The user transacts a purchase

[0082] 105 Step 105: The online shop passes on an associated entry

[0083] 106 Step 106: Does an account exist for the MAC address?

[0084] 107 Step 107: The payment system stores the direct debit order

[0085] 108 Step 108: Further purchases?

[0086] 111 Step 111 : Payment request

[0087] 112 Step 112: Is the user paying?

[0088] 113 Step 113: Block access

[0089] 114 Step 114: Create account

[0090] 200 Flow diagram

[0091] 205 Step 205: Provide a deferred payment service Step 210: Store information regarding promotions in

[0092] promoter database

[0093] 215 Step 215: Receive proposed purchase request22Q Step 220: Detect if proposed purchase is eligible for a

[0094] promotion225 Step 225: Transmit notice of detected promotion offer to the

[0094] user device22 Q Step 230: Receive responses from user device for acceptance

[0095] of promotion offerStep 235: Transmit request to user device to create user

[0096] 235 account if user device is not associated with an existing user account24Q Step 240: Transmit request to user device to provide

[0097] requested certain user informationStep 245: Receive acceptance from user device of a

[0098] 245 promotion offer and / or consent to sharing such information stored in association with the user accountStep 250: Confirm the requested information has been

[0099] 250 received and / or consent to share such information has been provided by the user device

[0100] 255 Step 255: Notify promoter of the accepted promotion offer and applied credit

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A computer- implemented method comprising the steps of: a) providing a deferred-payment service by a network-accessible deferred payment server, the deferred payment service performing the steps of (i) processing authorization of digital content purchases for a user account without requiring payment at time of purchase, (ii) monitoring a total of an outstanding purchase balance associated with the user account; and (iii) transmitting a request signal to the user device for settlement of at least a part of the total outstanding purchase balance when the total outstanding balance will have exceeded at least one of a predetermined threshold amount and / or accrued over a period of time that exceeds a predetermined time interval; b) storing in a promotions database information regarding purchases that are eligible for respective pre-approved promotions in which a promoter would provide a predetermined credit amount of at least one of payment for a desired purchase, or a credit to be applied to the user account, in exchange for the user associated with the user account providing certain user information; c) receiving, by the payment server, a proposed purchase request using the deferred- payment service by a user device; d) detecting, by the payment server, that the proposed purchase request is eligible for one of the promotions stored in the promotions database based on at least one attribute of the proposed purchase; e) transmitting, by the payment server, an offer to the user device for the eligible promotion; f) receiving, by the payment server, acceptance notification from the user device; g) in response to the acceptance notification from the user device, the payment server transmitting a request for the user to provide the certain user information and / or provide consent for the payment server to transmit the requested certain user information to the promoter; h) receiving, by the payment server at least one of the requested certain user information from the user device or consent from the user device to transmit the requested certain user information to the promoter;i) upon confirming the requested user information or consent from the user device has properly been received from the user device, applying the predetermined credit amount from the promoter to the associated user account; and j) transmitting a notice to the promoter indicating that the predetermined credit has been applied to the user account, and including the requested user information associated with the user account.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least two of the steps e) and h) are performed in a common transmission by the payment server.

3. The method of claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising the step of: at least one of (i) the payment server permitting the credit applied to the user account from the promoter to be used only in conjunction with purchases from permitted merchants; and (ii) prohibiting the credit from being used for attempted purchases from prohibited merchants.

4. The method of any of the preceding claims, in particular of claim 3, wherein at least one website of the permitted merchants are included in a whitelist, wherein the payment server has access to the whitelist.

5. The method of any of the preceding claims, in particular of claim 3, wherein at least one website of the prohibited merchants are included in a blacklist, and wherein the payment server has access to the blacklist.

6. The method of any of the preceding claims, in particular of claim 3, further comprising the step of the payment server searching a permitted merchant database to determine whether at least one website of the permitted merchants has attributes approved by the promoter.

7. The method of any of the preceding claims, in particular of claim 6, wherein at least one website of the permitted merchants included in the permitted merchant database is determined to offer goods or services having threshold amount of digital content with the attributes approved by the promoter.

8. The method of any of the preceding claims, in particular of claim 7, wherein at least one website of the permitted merchants has been scraped using an artificial-intelligence applicationto determine the at least one attributes associated with a threshold amount of digital content related to such at least one attribute.

9. The method of any of the preceding claims, in particular of claim 3, wherein at least one of the prohibited merchants has been identified by the promoter to be a competitor of the promoter.

10. The method of any of the preceding claims, in particular of claim 3, wherein the promoter is a merchant.

11. The method of any of the preceding claims, in particular of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: transmitting to the user device graphic information indicative of the status of a user account including at least brand image information associated with the promoter whose promotion offer was accepted in association with the user account.

12. The method of any of the preceding claims, in particular of claim 11, wherein the step of transmitting graphic information indicative of the status of a user account includes brand image information associated with the payment service.

13. The method of any of the preceding claims, in particular of claim 11, wherein the step of transmitting graphic information indicative of the status of a user account includes selectable icons for other promotion offers to the user associated with the user account.

14. The method of any of the preceding claims, in particular of claim 1, wherein the requested certain user information includes at least one of name, contact information, demographics, user preferences, purchase behavior, engagement metrics, user activities and interests, group affiliations, hobbies and interests, and participation in events, responses to surveys or feedback forms, technical information, social media and online presence, online behavior patterns, behavioral data, subscription and membership details, and transactional information.

15. The method of any of the preceding claims, in particular of claim 1 further comprising the step of: requesting the user of the user device create a user account if such user or user device is not associated with an existing user account.

16. A system comprising:- a network-accessible deferred payment server;- a user device;- a promotions database wherein the system is configured to execute the method of any of the preceding claims17. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a system cause the system to carry out the method of any of the claims 1 to 15.

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