Automated third-party messaging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10423948-B1
Application number	US-201715640245-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jun 30, 2017
Priority date	Jun 29, 2017
Publication date	Sep 24, 2019
Grant date	Sep 24, 2019

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed in this specification include chatbots that can automatically identify payment requests and execute payments within third-party chat applications. A payment-service-system server can include an application acting as an additional participant in a messaging application having two or more other participants. Based on the context of the conversation, the payment-service-system server can identify payment requests, suggest making a payment, and execute the payment without leaving the chat application. There is no need to access a separate web page or application to complete the payment.

First claim

We claim:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving, at a payment-service-system server from a messaging-service application, a human-readable textual input in a conversation between a first user and a second user in the messaging-service application, the human-readable textual input corresponding to a payment request from the first user to the second user via the payment-service-system server,
wherein the messaging-service application is configured to execute locally on a computing device that is remote from the payment-service-system server,
wherein the messaging-service application comprises a network interface, and
wherein the payment-service-system server is configured to execute a software agent program for communicating with the messaging-service application over the network interface, and wherein the software agent program is configured to generate a plurality of human-readable outputs for display in the conversation with the first user and the second user;

identifying, by the software agent program of the payment-service-system server, the payment request in the human-readable textual input, wherein the identifying comprises natural-language processing by parsing the human-readable textual input for one or more strings or characters indicative of the payment request;
in response to identifying the payment request, initiating, by the software agent program of the payment-service-system server, a payment command based on the human-readable textual input,
wherein the payment command comprises an amount and one or more identifiers associated with one or more users, wherein the amount is identified based on purchase information stored by the payment-service-system server that is determined to correspond with the human readable textual input;

verifying, by the payment-service-system server, that the one or more identifiers comprise a first identifier of the first user and a second identifier of the second user and that the one or more users do not comprise a user who is not a participant to the conversation;
automatically identifying, by the payment-service-system server, a first payment account corresponding to the first user and a second payment account corresponding to the second user, wherein each payment account comprises an account number and a balance;
instructing, by an instruction from the software agent program, the messaging-service application to insert a payment confirmation message, in the conversation in the messaging-service application, for the first user to complete a payment transaction corresponding to the human-readable textual input; and
receiving, by the software agent program of the payment-service-system server, an instruction to execute the payment transaction responsive to the payment confirmation message inserted in the conversation,
upon receiving the instruction to execute the payment transaction, authorizing, by the software agent program of the payment-service-system server, a payment instruction to debit the first payment account and to credit the second payment account, wherein the software agent program performs the payment transaction via the payment-service-system server in the background while the messaging-service application continues to display the conversation in the foreground on the computing device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the payment request comprises parsing two or more human-readable textual inputs.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising: upon receiving the instruction to execute the payment transaction, automatically generating, by the payment-service-system server, the payment transaction.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 further comprising: transmitting, by the software agent program of the payment-service-system server, the payment transaction to the messaging-service application, wherein the payment transaction includes options to deposit or reject the payment transaction.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 further comprising: receiving, by the payment-service-system server from the messaging-service application, a selection to deposit funds; and
upon receiving the selection to deposit the funds, automatically transferring the funds and transmitting a payment command to a system of record server.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the payment-service-system server, relatedness between the purchase information stored by the payment-service-system server and the human readable textual input.

7. A payment-service-system comprising:
a software agent configured to receive a human-readable textual message comprising a payment request and to receive or transmit one or more other human-readable textual messages to a network interface of a remote messaging-service server,
wherein the software agent is configured to generate a plurality of human-readable outputs for display in a conversation with a first user and a second user, such that the software agent, the first user, and the second user transmit messages to the messaging-service application over the network interface;

a payment-service-system server, in communication with the software agent, configured to receive the human-readable textual message, from the software agent, and to identify the payment request by parsing the received human-readable textual message for one or more strings or characters indicative of the payment request;
a database comprising account records corresponding to the first user and the second user;
the payment-service-system server further configured to request a database lookup to identify a first account record corresponding to the first user and a second account record corresponding to the second user;
the database, in response to receiving the request for the database lookup, configured to identify automatically the first account record and the second account record; and
the payment-service-system server further configured to transmit a command to store a record corresponding to a transfer of funds, from the first account record to the second account record, to a system of record server,
wherein the command comprises an amount, a first user identifier of the first user, and a second user identifier of the second user, wherein the amount is identified based on purchase information stored by the payment-service-system server that is determined to correspond with the human-readable textual message.

8. The payment-service-system of claim 7 , wherein the payment-service-system server is further configured to generate a payment option and to transmit the payment option to the remote messaging-service server, wherein the payment option comprises an option to terminate a payment transaction and an option to accept the payment transaction.

9. The payment-service-system of claim 8 , wherein the payment-service-system server is further configured to generate automatically the payment transaction and to transmit an option to deposit the funds or decline the payment transaction to the remote messaging-service server via the software agent in response to receiving a selection of the option to accept the payment transaction; and
the payment-service-system server, in response to receiving a selection of the option to deposit the funds, further configured to automatically transfer funds from a first account of the first account record to a second account of the second account record.

10. The payment-service-system of claim 9 , further comprising a first payment application configured to run on a first user computing device;
the payment-service-system server further configured to transmit a completion message to the first user computing device in r

Assignees

• Square Inc

Inventors

• Wilson Jesse
• Dent Terrill

Classifications

• G06Q20/3255 Primary

  using mobile network messaging services for payment, e.g. SMS · CPC title

• G06Q20/023 Primary

  the neutral party being a clearing house · CPC title

• G06Q20/42

  Confirmation, e.g. check or permission by the legal debtor of payment · CPC title

• G06Q20/3267

  In-app payments · CPC title

• G06Q20/386

  using messaging services or messaging apps (using mobile network messaging services for payment, e.g. SMS G06Q20/3255) · CPC title