Payment Provider Intermediary for Merchant-Independent Checkout
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Solution Overview
Problem
Consumers face time-consuming checkout processes and hesitation in providing financial information to unknown merchants during online purchases, especially when additional services like account preferences and notifications are required, limiting their shopping options.
Innovation Solution
A system where a payment provider generates and transmits purchase requests to users based on item availability or user preferences, allowing users to approve and complete transactions without interacting with the merchant, using various application interfaces like social networking or email, and completing the purchase using the user's payment account.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If consumers establish an account with a merchant or enter purchasing information to complete a purchase, then the purchase can be completed, but the checkout process becomes time-consuming and consumers feel hesitation in providing financial information to unknown merchants
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a payment provider as an intermediary between the consumer and the merchant. The payment provider handles the transmission of financial information and purchase requests, so consumers never directly share sensitive data with unknown merchants. This mediator role resolves the security concern while enabling automated checkout through the payment provider's existing account relationship with the consumer
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by having consumers establish a relationship with the payment provider in advance. The payment provider stores authorized payment methods and account information beforehand, so when a purchase is needed, the information is already prepared and authorized. This eliminates the need for real-time account creation or manual data entry during checkout, reducing time loss while maintaining security
2Adaptability or versatility
If consumers link their account to another user account to access merchant services like preferences and notifications, then they can utilize these services, but they lose flexibility in shopping with other merchants and may forego these services to save time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the payment provider's account universal across multiple merchants rather than requiring separate merchant-specific accounts. A single payment provider account can be used to shop with any merchant in the system, accessing various services and preferences through this one universal account. This eliminates the need to create and manage multiple merchant accounts, maintaining shopping flexibility while providing access to services
Solution Approach 2:
The payment provider acts as an intermediary that manages the connection between consumers and multiple merchants. Instead of consumers directly linking accounts with each merchant, the payment provider mediates these relationships, allowing consumers to access various merchant services through the payment provider's unified account system. This maintains ease of operation while providing adaptability to multiple merchants and services
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided systems and method for completion of item purchases without merchant interaction. A payment provider may generate a purchase request for a first user, where the purchase request includes a sale of an item to the first user. The purchase request may be generated by first receiving a purchase of an item from another user, where the other user designates that a purchase request should be transferred to the first user. However, the purchase request may also be generated based on purchasing preferences of the first user, such as a specific item that was previously unavailable at a merchant. Once the purchase request is received by the first user, the first user may select a purchase option, which transmits acceptance to the payment provider. The payment provider may then complete the purchase request with the merchant without the first user interacting with the merchant.