Universal Payment Connector for Multi-Tenant Billing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Multi-tenant computing systems face scalability issues in integrating new tenants due to the need for manual generation of payment field mappings between native and gateway-specific field names, making it cumbersome and difficult to scale with increasing tenants.
Innovation Solution
A universal payment connector module enables connection to multiple payment gateways without requiring modification of payment field names, allowing tenants to define custom payment method types and include additional fields in payment transactions, using APIs for custom payment method type definitions, publication, querying, and updates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual field mapping is implemented for each tenant integration, then payment processing compatibility with different gateways is achieved, but system scalability and integration efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal payment connector that serves multiple payment gateways simultaneously through a single standardized interface. The connector is designed to work with various payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, Square, etc.) without requiring gateway-specific implementations, thereby achieving both compatibility and scalability. The universal design allows the same connector instance to handle different gateways by configuring connection parameters rather than creating separate mapping logic for each gateway.
Solution Approach 2:
The payment connector acts as an intermediary layer between the multi-tenant system and various payment gateways. This mediator component translates internal payment data structures into gateway-specific formats automatically, eliminating the need for manual field mapping. The connector maintains a standardized internal representation of payment information while handling the complexity of gateway-specific requirements transparently, thus improving integration efficiency without sacrificing compatibility.
2Manufacturing precision
If gateway-specific field mapping is generated for each tenant, then accurate payment data transmission is achieved, but system complexity and maintenance burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a template-based approach where a single standardized payment data structure template is maintained. This template contains all necessary payment fields in a unified format, and the connector automatically generates gateway-specific mappings from this master template. When integrating a new gateway, the system copies the standard template and applies gateway-specific transformation rules, rather than creating entirely new mappings. This reduces system complexity by maintaining a single source of truth for payment data structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The payment connector uses parameter-based configuration to adapt to different gateways. Instead of hardcoding gateway-specific field mappings, the system changes parameters such as connection strings, field name mappings, and authentication methods based on the selected gateway. This allows the same core connector logic to handle multiple gateways by simply adjusting configurable parameters, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining accurate data transmission.
3Adaptability or versatility
If custom payment method types are allowed, then payment processing flexibility is improved, but data structure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic payment method system where the data structure can adapt to different payment types. The connector uses polymorphic data structures that can represent various payment methods (credit cards, bank transfers, digital wallets, etc.) through a common interface. When a custom payment method is introduced, the system dynamically adjusts the data structure to accommodate the new type while maintaining compatibility with the standard interface, thus providing flexibility without permanently increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The payment data structure is segmented into core fields that are common to all payment methods and optional fields that are specific to particular payment types. This segmentation allows the system to handle custom payment methods by simply adding or modifying optional fields without affecting the core structure. The standardized core fields ensure consistent processing across all payment types, while the modular optional fields provide the flexibility needed for custom payment methods.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for implementing a universal payment connector module that enables a subscription billing engine of a multi-tenant computing system/computing environment to connect to one or more payment gateways in a manner that permits the multi-tenant system/environment to facilitate processing of a payment transaction at a payment gateway without requiring modification of payment field names of the payment transaction that are native to the multi-tenant system/environment to gateway-specific field names. In addition, systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed that enable a tenant of the multi-tenant system/computing environment to define a custom payment method type and to request payments to be created based on the custom-defined payment method type.