Systems and methods of aggregating split payments using a settlement ecosystem

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9355394-B2
Application number	US-201213572535-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2012
Priority date	Aug 11, 2011
Publication date	May 31, 2016
Grant date	May 31, 2016

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses and methods for enabling a group of people to share the cost of an event, such as a meal, the purchase of a gift, or the rental of a car. Embodiments of the invention provide the tools needed to enable a group to participate in a shared event or activity, where one of the participants pays for the event or activity using their payment device and the other members of the group pay their portion of the cost to the participant who made the payment. Embodiments of the invention provide an ecosystem where a person can pay for an event, goods, or services using a single payment device (such as a credit or debit card) and then settle the amounts owed to them by other members of a group using the tools provided by the invention.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
presenting a graphical user interface associated with a collaboration service on a computing device for enrolling a user in the collaboration service;
enabling the user to enroll in the collaboration service associated with a collaboration server;
receiving, by the computing device, transaction data for a transaction event associated with a plurality of participants, the transaction data including a transaction value associated with the plurality of participants;
receiving, by the computing device, a selection of a participant in the plurality of participants to be a payer of the transaction event, wherein the transaction value of the transaction event is paid for by the selected payer of the transaction event;
determining, by the computing device, based at least in part on the transaction data, a portion of the transaction value owed by one or more remaining participants in the plurality of participants to the selected payer of the transaction event, the portion of the transaction value being less than the transaction value; and
causing the collaboration server to generate and send one or more notifications to the one or more remaining participants in the plurality of participants to be displayed on one or more graphical user interfaces of one or more computing devices of the one or more remaining participants, wherein a notification of the one or more notifications includes the portion of the transaction value.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transaction event is associated with another participant, the method further comprising:
determining, based at least in part on the transaction data, another portion of the transaction value associated with the other participant; and
generating and sending another notification to the other participant, the notification including the other portion of the transaction value.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the portion of the transaction value is different from the other portion of the transaction value.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the computing device is a client device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of participants includes a first participant and a second participant, and wherein the first participant pays for the portion of the transaction value using a type of payment method and the second participant pays for another portion of the transaction value using another type of payment method.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving an authorization request message from a merchant computer;
sending the authorization request message to an issuer computer;
receiving an authorization response message from the issuer computer;
sending the authorization response message to the merchant computer;
receiving a request from the participant to establish a secure communications channel between an access device and the payment processing network; and
establishing the secure communications channel between the access device and the payment processing network,
wherein the transaction data for the transaction event is received subsequent to the secure communications channel being established between the access device and the payment processing network.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving apportionment data indicating an allocation method for the transaction value, wherein the portion of the transaction value owed by a remaining participant in the plurality of participants is determined based at least in part on the apportionment data.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the apportionment data is received from at least one of the plurality of participants.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving apportionment data indicating a method in which the transaction value of the transaction event is to be apportioned across the participants of the transaction event; and
computing, using the apportionment data, the portion of the transaction value owed by a remaining participant to the payer of the transaction event.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the transaction value owed by the one or more remaining participants to the payer of the transaction event is determined after receiving the selection of the payer of the transaction event.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving an indication that the portion of the transaction value owed by a remaining participant in the plurality of participants has been settled upon:
receiving an indication that the portion of the transaction value owed by the remaining participant has been settled offline using cash;
receiving an indication that the portion of the transaction value owed by the remaining participant has been written off or dismissed;
receiving an indication that the portion of the transaction value owed by the remaining participant has been settled using a payment account associated with the remaining participant;
receiving an indication that the portion of the transaction value owed by the remaining participant has been settled via a third party online payment service; or
receiving an indication that the portion of the transaction value owed by the remaining participant has been settled via a mobile app.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selection of the one of the plurality of participants to be payer of the transaction event is received prior to a processing of a payment of the transaction value.

13. A system comprising:
at least one processor; and
a computer readable medium coupled to the processor, wherein the computer readable medium comprises a set of instructions which when executed by the at least one processor causes the processor to:
present a graphical user interface associated with a collaboration service on a computing device for enrolling a user in the collaboration service;
enabling the user to enroll in the collaboration service associated with a collaboration server;
receive, by the computing device, transaction data for a transaction event associated with a plurality of participants, the transaction data including a transaction value associated with the plurality of participants;
receive, by the computing device, a selection of a participant in the plurality of participants to be a payer of the transaction event, wherein the transaction value of the transaction event is paid for by the selected payer of the transaction event;
determine, by the computing device, based at least in part on the transaction data, a portion of the transaction value owed by one or more remaining participants in the plurality of participants to the selected payer of the transaction event, the portion of the transaction value being less than the transaction value; and
cause the collaboration server to generate and send one or more notifications to the one or more remaining participants in the plurality of participants to be displayed on one or more graphical user interfaces of one or more computing devices of the one or more remaining participants, wherein a notification of the one or more notifications includes the portion of the transaction value.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the transaction event is further associated with another participant, wherein the set of instructions further cause the processor to:
receive apportionment data from the other participant;
determine, based on the apportionment data, another portion of the transaction value associated with the other participant; and
cause another notification to be generated and sent to the other participant, the other notification including the other portion of the transaction value.

Assignees

• Gupta Rajiv
• Visa Int Service Ass

Inventors

• Gupta Rajiv

Classifications

• G06Q20/14 Primary

  specially adapted for billing systems · CPC title

• G06Q40/00

  Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes · CPC title

• G06Q20/384

  using social networks · CPC title