Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to an Election/Restriction entered March 06, 2026 for the patent application 18/553,528.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Group I (claims 1 – 10, 15, 16, 19, 22, 23 and 25 - 27) in the reply filed on March 06, 2026 acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that there is no serious burden to examine all claims. This is not found persuasive because group II includes a mobile device which will require different search strategy, and group I does not have a mobile device. The examiner must do separate searches (i.e. different database, class/subclass, keywords) for each of the groups. The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Status of Claims
Claims 1 – 12, 15, 16, 19, 22, 23 and 25 - 27 are pending in the application.
Claims 3 - 10, 15, 16, 19, 22, 23 and 25 are currently amended in the application.
Claims 11 and 12 are non-elected claims in the application.
Claims 13, 14, 17, 18, 20, 21 and 24 are cancelled in the application without prejudice or disclaimer.
Claims 1 – 10, 15, 16, 19, 22, 23 and 25 - 27 are examined in the application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statements (IDS) submitted on February 19, 2026, August 07, 2025, June 19, 2025, March 27, 2025 and February 11, 2025 were filed in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, these Information Disclosure Statements are being considered by the Examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claim(s) 1 – 10, 15, 16, 19, 22, 23 and 25 - 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more.
Claims 1 – 10, 15, 16, 19, 22, 23 and 25 – 27 are either directed to a method or system or computer readable medium, which are statutory categories of invention. (Step 1: YES).
The Examiner has identified method claim 1 as the claim that represents the claimed invention for analysis and is similar to computer readable claim 19. Claim 1 recites the limitations of:
( A ) receiving, by one or more servers associated with a payment service and from a first computing device associated with a first user of a plurality of users of the payment service, via a first instance of a payment application, enrollment data associated with enrollment of the first user with the payment service;
( B ) at least partly in response to receiving the enrollment data, determining, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service, that the first user is eligible to enroll with the payment service;
( C ) storing, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service and in a data store associated with the payment service, a user profile associated with the first user;
( D ) based at least in part on the enrollment data, identifying, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service, a funding source indicated by the first user;
( E ) sending, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service to a device associated with a financial institution, a request on behalf of the first user to open a financial account for the first user at the financial institution;
( F ) causing, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service and on a display of the first computing device, presentation of an indication of the financial account and a request for authorization to transfer funds from the funding source to the financial account;
( G ) receiving, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service, the authorization;
( H ) at least partly in response to receiving the authorization, causing, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service, a transfer of funds from the funding source to the financial account;
( I ) receiving, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service and from at least one of the first computing device or a second computing device associated with a second user, first transaction data associated with a first transaction between the first user and the second user, wherein the first user comprises a payor for the first transaction and the second user comprises a payee for the first transaction;
( J ) receiving, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service and from at least one of the first computing device or a third computing device of a third user via a respective instance of the payment application executing on the first computing device or the third computing device, second transaction data associated with a second transaction between the first user and the third user, wherein the second transaction data includes an indication of a transaction amount associated with the second transaction, wherein the first user comprises a payor for the second transaction and the third user comprises a payee for the second transaction;
( K ) responsive at least in part to receiving the second transaction data associated with the second transaction, determining, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service, a payee fee based at least in part on the transaction amount and a predetermined calculation;
( L ) determining, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service, a first number of credits equivalent to the transaction amount and a second number of credits equivalent to the payee fee; and
( M ) causing, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service, transfers of value comprising:
a transfer of the first number of credits from the user profile associated with the first user to a user profile associated with the third user;
a transfer of the second number of credits from the user profile associated with the third user to the payment service;
a transfer of credits equivalent to a first percentage of the payee fee from the payment service to a user profile associated with a referring user based at least in part on determining that the referring user referred the first user to enroll with the payment service, wherein determining that the referring user referred the first user to enroll is based at least in part on the user profile associated with the first user; and
a transfer of credits equivalent to a second percentage of the payee fee from the payment service to a user profile associated with an immediately previous payee, based at least in part on determining an immediately previous payee based at least in part on the first transaction data, wherein the immediately previous payee comprises the second user.
These limitations without the bolded limitations above, cover performance of the limitations as certain methods of organizing human activity under their broadest reasonable interpretation.
More specifically, these limitations cover performance of the limitations as a fundamental economic practice.
In summary, if claim 1 limitations, under its broadest reasonable interpretation, covers performance of the limitation as a fundamental economic practice, then it falls within the “Certain Methods of Organizing Human Activity” grouping of abstract ideas. Accordingly, the claim recites an abstract idea. Claim 19 is also abstract for similar reasons. (Step 2A-Prong 1: YES. The claims are abstract).
The use of the one or more servers or any of the bolded limitations in claim 1 are just applying generic computer components to the recited abstract limitations. Similar arguments apply to claim 19.
Therefore, the above mentioned judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application by merely applying generic computer components (bolded elements).
Furthermore, the “receiving” and “sending” steps are recited at a high level of generality and amounts to mere data gathering/transmitting, which are forms of insignificant extra-solution activity (See MPEP 2106.05(g): CyberSource v. Retail Decisions, Inc., 654 F.3d 1366, 1375 (Fed. Cir. 2011); and OIP Techs., Inc. v. Amazon.com, Inc., 788 F.3d 1359, 1363 (Fed. Cir. 2015)).
In addition, supported by specification, the computer hardware are recited at a high-level of generality (i.e., as a generic processor performing a generic computer function) such that it amounts no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component., see MPEP 2106.05(f), where applying a computer or using a computer is not indicative of a practical application).
Claim 1, limitation ( A ) – ( M ) above in Applicant’s specification para [0076], which discloses “Payment service server device(s) 502 can include one or more servers or other types of computing devices that can be embodied in any number of ways. For example, in the example of a server, the modules, other functional components, and data can be implemented on a single server, a cluster of servers, a server farm or data center, a cloud-hosted computing service, a cloud-hosted storage service, and so forth, although other computer architectures can additionally or alternatively be used.“.
Also, claim 1, limitation ( A ), ( F ), ( I ) and ( J ) above in Applicant’s specification para [0035], which discloses “One or more of payment service server device 102, user device 104, seller's bank server device 106, buyer's bank server device 108, other users' banks server device 110, or PSAB server device 112 can include any type of computing device that is generally configured to perform an operation. For example, one or more of the payment service server device 102, user device 104, seller's bank server device 106, buyer's bank server device 108, other users' banks server device 110, or PSAB server device 112 can be implemented as a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a server, a smart phone, an electronic reader device, a mobile handset, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable navigation device, a portable gaming device, a tablet computer, a watch, a portable media player, a television, a set-top box, a computer system in a car, an appliance, a camera, a robot, a hologram system, a home-based computer system (e.g., intercom system, home media system, etc.), a projector, an automated teller machine (ATM), a pair of glasses with computing capabilities, and so on.“.
Also, claim 1, limitation ( A ) and ( J ) above in Applicant’s specification para [0018], which discloses “In some examples, a "user" is a member of the community payment network who uses the community payment network for receipt or provision of payment to another member of the community payment network. The user can be an end-user of a community payment network application ("payment application") provided by the payment service. For purposes of this discussion "member" and "user" are used interchangeably. Depending on the transaction, a user can be a payor or a payee. As used herein, a "payor" is a user who is providing a payment in a transaction. As used herein, a "payee" is a user who is receiving a payment in a transaction. A user can in some transactions be a payor and in other transactions be a payee. In some examples, a merchant can be a payee when the merchant is receiving payment in a transaction. For the purpose of this discussion, a "merchant" can be any entity that offers items (e.g., goods or services) for acquisition (e.g., sale, lease, free, etc.). In some examples, the transaction can be a peer-to-peer transaction in which the payee is a member of the community payment network who is not a merchant but an individual who is receiving funds from another individual in their personal capacities. For example, payment can be made for a loan, for a private sale, or in other peer-to-peer transactions.“.
Also, claim 1, limitation ( C ) above in Applicant’s specification para [0025], which discloses “In some examples, a "user profile" is a collection of data associated with a user's membership in the community payment network. A user profile can be stored in a data store associated with the payment service and/or a storage device(s) associated with the payment service server device(s). In an example, a user profile can include information regarding a user's identity, funding sources, PSAB financial account, transaction history, referring user, referrals made by the user, credit balance, etc. Stored data can be encrypted and stored on secure servers, which can protect personally identifiable information, details about financial accounts, funding sources, etc.“.
Also, claim 1, limitation ( E ) above in Applicant’s specification para [0024], which discloses “In some examples, a "funding source" is a repository of resources associated with a user. In some examples, a funding source can be a deposit account or savings account of a user at a financial institution. In some examples a funding source can be a cryptocurrency account of a user. A funding source can additionally or alternatively be a credit card or debit card of the user. A funding source can additionally be gold or another tangible asset owned by a member. In examples, a funding source can be used as a source of a user's funds to fund a PSAB financial account. In some examples, a "payment-service-affiliated bank financial account" or PSAB financial account is a financial account at a financial institution selected by the payment service that falls under a master account the payment service maintains at that bank. The PSAB financial account can be separate from the funding source and can be opened in association with a user enrolling with the community payment network. Funds from a funding source can be transferred to the PSAB financial account and vice versa. In examples, such transfers can be performed using ACH payments or other mechanisms.“. Similar arguments apply to claim 19.
Accordingly, these additional elements, when considered separately and as an ordered combination, do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because they do not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea.
Therefore, claims 1 and 19 are directed to an abstract idea without a practical application. (Step 2A-Prong 2: NO. The additional claimed elements are not integrated into a practical application).
The claims 1 and 19 do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because, when considered separately and as an ordered combination, they do not add significantly more (also known as an “inventive concept”) to the exception. As discussed above with respect to integration of the abstract idea into a practical application, the additional elements (bolded elements above) amount to no more than mere instructions to apply the abstract idea using generic computer components. In conclusion, merely "applying" the exception using generic computer components cannot provide an inventive concept. Therefore, the claims 1 and 19 are not patent eligible under 35 USC 101. (Step 2B: NO. The claims do not provide significantly more).
Dependent Claims
Dependent claims 2 – 10, 15, 16, 22, 23 and 25 - 27 are also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101. Dependent claims 2 – 10, 15, 16, 22, 23 and 25 - 27 are further define the abstract idea or further define the extra-solution activities that are present in independent claim 1 thus abstract idea correspond to certain methods of organizing human activity as presented above. Claims 2 – 10, 15, 16, 22, 23 and 25 - 27 clearly further define the abstract idea as stated above and further define extra-solution activities such as presenting data and transmitting/receiving data.
Furthermore, dependent claims 2 – 10, 15, 16, 22, 23 and 25 – 27 do not include any additional elements that integrate the abstract idea into a practical application or are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception when considered both individually and as an ordered combination.
Regarding claim 2, this claim merely recite additional steps that amount to no more than insignificant extra-solution activity. Specifically, claim 2 states “sending, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service, a transaction record for the second transaction to at least one of the first computing device or the third computing device.”. These steps amount to no more than mere data gathering/analysis, which is a form of insignificant extra- solution activity (See M PEP 2016.05(g): CyberSource v. Retail Decisions, Inc., 654 F.3d 1366, 1375 (Fed. Cir. 2011); and GIP Techs., Inc. v. Amazon.com, Inc., 788 F.3d 1359, 1363 (Fed. Cir. 2015)). Such limitations do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application, or amount to significantly than the abstract idea, because the courts have found the concept of data gathering to be well-understood, routine, and conventional activity (See MPEP 2106.05(d): GIP Techs., Inc., v. Amazon.com, Inc., 788 F.3d 1359, 1363 (Fed. Cir. 2015); and buySAFE, Inc. v. Google, Inc., 765 F.3d 1350, 1355, (Fed. Cir. 2014)).
Regarding claim 3, this claim merely recite, "receiving, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service and from the first computing device, a request for a summary of transactions of the first user; and causing, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service, presentation of the summary of transactions on a display of the first computing device. “. These limitation merely recites storing data in a server which amounts to no more than gathering/storing data which is a form of insignificant extra-solution activity (See MPEP 2106.0S(g)(3)(iii): GIP Technologies, 788 F.3d at 1363). This does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it has been determined, by the courts, that the concept of storing data is well-understood, routine, and conventional activity (See MPEP 2106.0S(d)(II): Versata Dev. Group, Inc. v. SAP Am., Inc., 793 F.3d 1306, 1334 (Fed. Cir. 2015)).
Regarding claim 4, this claim merely provide further detail regarding the processing the payee fee, recited in claim 1. Merely stating, “wherein terms of an agreement between the payment service and one or more users of the plurality of users includes a term requiring that the payee fee be less than a minimum threshold payee fee.”. This does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it does not impose any meaningful limitation on practicing the abstract idea.
Regarding claim 5, this claim merely recite, "receiving, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service and from the first computing device, a request to convert one or more credits associated with the user profile associated with the first user to a currency of the funding source; causing, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service, transfer of an amount of currency from the financial institution to the funding source of the first user, wherein the amount of currency comprises a number of the one or more credits multiplied by a ratio of currency units per credit; and reducing a credit balance associated with the user profile associated with the first user by the one or more credits. “. These limitation merely recites storing data in a server which amounts to no more than gathering/storing data which is a form of insignificant extra-solution activity (See MPEP 2106.0S(g)(3)(iii): GIP Technologies, 788 F.3d at 1363). This does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it has been determined, by the courts, that the concept of storing data is well-understood, routine, and conventional activity (See MPEP 2106.0S(d)(II): Versata Dev. Group, Inc. v. SAP Am., Inc., 793 F.3d 1306, 1334 (Fed. Cir. 2015)).
Regarding claim 6, this claim merely provide further detail regarding the processing the financial account, recited in claim 1. Merely stating “sending, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service to the first computing device associated with the first user, a request for additional information associated with opening the financial account for the first user at the financial institution; and receiving, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service and from the first computing device associated with the first user, the additional information, wherein sending the request on behalf of the first user to open the financial account for the first user at the financial institution is at least partly responsive to receiving the additional information." This does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it does not impose any meaningful limitation on practicing the abstract idea.
Regarding claim 7, this claim merely add further description to the process of “wherein the enrollment data includes at least one of an identifier of the referring user of the first user, an identifier of the funding source, a funding amount to transfer to the financial institution from the funding source, or personally identifying information.”. This amount to no more than mere data gathering/outputting as described in reference to claims 1, 10 and 16 (see analysis above). Merely describing the comparing the new claim information does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application, or amount to significantly more than the judicial exception, because it does not impose any meaningful limitations on practicing the abstract idea.
Regarding claim 8, this claim merely add further description to the process of “wherein the payment application is provided to the first computing device by the one or more servers associated with the payment service.”, which amounts to no more than gathering/storing data which is a form of insignificant extra-solution activity (See MPEP 2106.0S(g)(3)(iii): GIP Technologies, 788 F.3d at 1363). This does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it has been determined, by the courts, that the concept of storing data is well-understood, routine, and conventional activity (See MPEP 2106.0S(d)(II): Versata Dev. Group, Inc. v. SAP Am., Inc., 793 F.3d 1306, 1334 (Fed. Cir. 2015)).
Regarding claim 9, this claim merely recite, "wherein determining that the first user is eligible to enroll with the payment service comprises determining that the first user has not previously enrolled with the payment service. “. These limitation merely recites storing data in a server which amounts to no more than gathering/storing data which is a form of insignificant extra-solution activity (See MPEP 2106.0S(g)(3)(iii): GIP Technologies, 788 F.3d at 1363). This does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it has been determined, by the courts, that the concept of storing data is well-understood, routine, and conventional activity (See MPEP 2106.0S(d)(II): Versata Dev. Group, Inc. v. SAP Am., Inc., 793 F.3d 1306, 1334 (Fed. Cir. 2015)).
Regarding claim 10, this claim merely add further description to the process of “wherein the funding source comprises a bank, a credit union, a savings and loan association, or a brokerage firm.”. This amount to no more than mere data gathering/outputting as described in reference to claim 1 (see analysis above). Merely describing the comparing the new claim information does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application, or amount to significantly more than the judicial exception, because it does not impose any meaningful limitations on practicing the abstract idea.
Regarding claim 15, this claim merely add further description to the process of “wherein the payee fee comprises a flat fee, a percentage of the transaction amount, or a combination of a flat fee and a percentage of the transaction amount.”, which amounts to no more than gathering/storing data which is a form of insignificant extra-solution activity (See MPEP 2106.0S(g)(3)(iii): GIP Technologies, 788 F.3d at 1363). This does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it has been determined, by the courts, that the concept of storing data is well-understood, routine, and conventional activity (See MPEP 2106.0S(d)(II): Versata Dev. Group, Inc. v. SAP Am., Inc., 793 F.3d 1306, 1334 (Fed. Cir. 2015)).
Regarding claim 16, this claim merely add further description to the process of “wherein at least one of the payee fee, the first percentage, or the second percentage is a term of an agreement between the payment service and one or more users of the plurality of users.”, which amounts to no more than gathering/storing data which is a form of insignificant extra-solution activity (See MPEP 2106.0S(g)(3)(iii): GIP Technologies, 788 F.3d at 1363). This does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it has been determined, by the courts, that the concept of storing data is well-understood, routine, and conventional activity (See MPEP 2106.0S(d)(II): Versata Dev. Group, Inc. v. SAP Am., Inc., 793 F.3d 1306, 1334 (Fed. Cir. 2015)).
Regarding claim 22, this claim merely recite, "wherein the transfers of value further comprise a transfer of credits equivalent to a third percentage of the payee fee from the payment service to a fourth user. “. These limitation merely recites storing data in a server which amounts to no more than gathering/storing data which is a form of insignificant extra-solution activity (See MPEP 2106.0S(g)(3)(iii): GIP Technologies, 788 F.3d at 1363). This does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it has been determined, by the courts, that the concept of storing data is well-understood, routine, and conventional activity (See MPEP 2106.0S(d)(II): Versata Dev. Group, Inc. v. SAP Am., Inc., 793 F.3d 1306, 1334 (Fed. Cir. 2015)).
Regarding claim 23, this claim merely provide further detail regarding the processing the transaction, recited in claim 1. Merely stating, “wherein the transfers of value further comprise a transfer of a third percentage of the payee fee to an entity, wherein the entity comprises at least one of the financial institution, another financial institution, a non-profit organization, a charitable organization, an individual, a small business, or a government entity.”. This does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it does not impose any meaningful limitation on practicing the abstract idea.
Regarding claim 25, this claim merely recite, "wherein the enrollment data includes an identifier of the referring user, and wherein the identifier comprises a QR code or URL associated with the referring user. “. These limitation merely recites storing data in a server which amounts to no more than gathering/storing data which is a form of insignificant extra-solution activity (See MPEP 2106.0S(g)(3)(iii): GIP Technologies, 788 F.3d at 1363). This does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it has been determined, by the courts, that the concept of storing data is well-understood, routine, and conventional activity (See MPEP 2106.0S(d)(II): Versata Dev. Group, Inc. v. SAP Am., Inc., 793 F.3d 1306, 1334 (Fed. Cir. 2015)).
Regarding claim 26, this claim merely provide further detail regarding the processing the transaction, recited in claim 1. Merely stating “sending a transaction record for the transaction to at least one of the first computing device or the second computing device.". This does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it does not impose any meaningful limitation on practicing the abstract idea.
Regarding claim 27, this claim merely recite, "wherein the payment application is provided to the first computing device by the payment service. “. These limitation merely recites storing data in a server which amounts to no more than gathering/storing data which is a form of insignificant extra-solution activity (See MPEP 2106.0S(g)(3)(iii): GIP Technologies, 788 F.3d at 1363). This does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it has been determined, by the courts, that the concept of storing data is well-understood, routine, and conventional activity (See MPEP 2106.0S(d)(II): Versata Dev. Group, Inc. v. SAP Am., Inc., 793 F.3d 1306, 1334 (Fed. Cir. 2015)).
As a result, such limitations do not overcome the requirements as described above. Therefore, claims 2 – 10, 15, 16, 22, 23 and 25 - 27 are directed to an abstract idea. Thus, claims 1 – 10, 15, 16, 19, 22, 23 and 25 - 27 are not patent eligible.
Claim Rejections – 35 USC §103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1 – 10, 15, 16, 19, 22, 23 and 25 - 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Jeffrey P. Bezos et al. (Pub. # US 2002/0152163 A1 – herein referred to as Bezos) in view of Steven D. Evans et al. (Pub. # US 2015/0039501 A1 – herein referred to as Evans).
Re: Claim 1, Bezos discloses a method comprising:
receiving, by one or more servers associated with a payment service and from a first computing device associated with a first user of a plurality of users of the payment service, via a first instance of a payment application, enrollment data associated with enrollment of the first user with the payment service (Bezos, [0009], [0023], [0036], [0092] - The web server may also include applications 78 for implementing other types of services such as a retail sales service and one or more person-to-person sales ser-vices. The various applications 76, 78 may share code modules for implementing common tasks such as registration, user authentication, and credit card processing.);
at least partly in response to receiving the enrollment data, determining, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service, that the first user is eligible to enroll with the payment service (Bezos, [0076], [0257], [0391] - After waiting at least 14 days after your Amazon system registration is approved, you may request earnings disbursals whenever your account balance is at least $1.00. These special requests do not override the automatic disbursal system discussed above. We ask that you wait at least five business days for these special disbursals to appear in your checking account. Please note that if you update or change your checking account information, you must wait at least 14 days before receiving an automatic disbursal or requesting a special disbursal assuming your account balance is at least $1.00.);
storing, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service and in a data store associated with the payment service, a user profile associated with the first user (Bezos, fig. 2, [0089], [0097] - s further illustrated in FIG. 2, the user accounts database 72 stores account-specific information about users of the site. For each user, this information preferably includes a user profile (name, credit card number, 1-Click settings, etc.), an account balance, a history of transactions (including incoming and outgoing pay page payments), and information about any pay page associate relationships the user has created.);
based at least in part on the enrollment data, identifying, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service, a funding source indicated by the first user (Bezos, [0075], [0076] - As depicted by the "log-in" state 30, users initially enter the payment service by logging-in with a pre-selected use Mame and password (or other authentication information). New users must initially register with the service (state 32) before they can make or receive payments via pay pages. During the registration process, the user enters various account information such as a name, credit card number, password, and email address. During or following the registration process, the user can also preferably enter settings for, and enable, the system's 1-Click™ service. As discussed below, when the 1-Click service is enabled, the user can make pay page payments with a single mouse click or other single selection action. In one embodiment, users can also make 1-Click payments directly from pay boxes hosted on external web sites. During or following the registration process, the SP site stores a cookie on the user's computer to permit subsequent identification of the user.);
sending, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service to a device associated with a financial institution, a request on behalf of the first user to open a financial account for the first user at the financial institution (Bezos, [0062], [0077] - As illustrated by state 34, the user may also option-the account with the SP to an existing checking account. The bank routing number associated with the checking account may be determined automatically, based on information entered by the user from the face of a check, using the process described in U.S. application. Ser. No. 09/517,563, filed Mar. 2, 2000, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Once the pay page account has been linked to a checking account, the user may initiate transfers of funds between the two accounts (state 60).);
causing, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service and on a display of the first computing device, presentation of an indication of the financial account and a request for authorization to transfer funds from the funding source to the financial account (Bezos, fig. 4, [0091], [0102], [0076] - As depicted by the "log-in" state 30, users initially enter the payment service by logging-in with a pre-selected use Mame and password (or other authentication information). New users must initially register with the service (state 32) before they can make or receive payments via pay pages. During the registration process, the user enters various account information such as a name, credit card number, password, and email address. During or following the registration process, the user can also preferably enter settings for, and enable, the system's 1-Click™ service. As discussed below, when the 1-Click service is enabled, the user can make pay page payments with a single mouse click or other single selection action. In one embodiment, users can also make 1-Click payments directly from pay boxes hosted on external web sites. During or following the registration process, the SP site stores a cookie on the user's computer to permit subsequent identification of the user.);
receiving, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service, the authorization (Bezos, claim 1, [0092] - The web server may also include applications 78 for implementing other types of services such as a retail sales service and one or more person-to-person sales ser-vices. The various applications 76, 78 may share code modules for implementing common tasks such as registration, user authentication, and credit card processing.);
at least partly in response to receiving the authorization, causing, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service, a transfer of funds from the funding source to the financial account (Bezos, [0076], [0077] - As illustrated by state 34, the user may also option-the account with the SP to an existing checking account. The bank routing number associated with the checking account may be determined automatically, based on information entered by the user from the face of a check, using the process described in U.S. application. Ser. No. 09/517,563, filed Mar. 2, 2000, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Once the pay page account has been linked to a checking account, the user may initiate transfers of funds between the two accounts (state 60).);
receiving, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service and from at least one of the first computing device or a second computing device associated with a second user, first transaction data associated with a first transaction between the first user and the second user, wherein the first user comprises a payor for the first transaction and the second user comprises a payee for the first transaction (Bezos, fig. 2, [0009], [0012], [0017], [0018], [0036], [0301] - The URL you show your payors on their Thank You page serves two invaluable functions. First, it gives people who have paid you an easy link to return to your Web site. They started with you and we want to return them to you. Second, it provides a way for you to direct people who have paid to a special area of your Web site not otherwise available to those who haven't paid. This arrangement enables you to require rather than request payment before a payor can fully access your content or feature. Click here to see an example of how to use the Thank You page URL when payment is required to access digital content. Return to the ID index.);
receiving, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service and from at least one of the first computing device or a third computing device of a third user via a respective instance of the payment application executing on the first computing device or the third computing device, second transaction data associated with a second transaction between the first user and the third user, wherein the second transaction data includes an indication of a transaction amount associated with the second transaction, wherein the first user comprises a payor for the second transaction and the third user comprises a payee for the second transaction (Bezos, fig. 2, [0009], [0012], [0017], [0018], [0036], [0301] - A computer-implemented payment service that inventive features will now be described with reference to the drawings. The service is hosted by a service provider site (also referred to generally as "the system"), which comprises an HTML-based World Wide Web site in the illustrated embodiment. As will be recognized, the service and its various features may also be implemented within other types of web sites and server systems, including but not limited to systems that provide wireless browsing capabilities. The various service functions described herein are preferably implemented within software executed by one or more general-purpose computers, but could be implemented using other types of computing devices.);
However, Bezos does not expressly disclose:
responsive at least in part to receiving the second transaction data associated with the second transaction, determining, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service, a payee fee based at least in part on the transaction amount and a predetermined calculation;
determining, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service, a first number of credits equivalent to the transaction amount and a second number of credits equivalent to the payee fee; and
causing, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service, transfers of value comprising:
a transfer of the first number of credits from the user profile associated with the first user to a user profile associated with the third user;
a transfer of the second number of credits from the user profile associated with the third user to the payment service;
a transfer of credits equivalent to a first percentage of the payee fee from the payment service to a user profile associated with a referring user based at least in part on determining that the referring user referred the first user to enroll with the payment service, wherein determining that the referring user referred the first user to enroll is based at least in part on the user profile associated with the first user; and
a transfer of credits equivalent to a second percentage of the payee fee from the payment service to a user profile associated with an immediately previous payee, based at least in part on determining an immediately previous payee based at least in part on the first transaction data, wherein the immediately previous payee comprises the second user.
In a similar field of endeavor, Evans discloses:
responsive at least in part to receiving the second transaction data associated with the second transaction, determining, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service, a payee fee based at least in part on the transaction amount and a predetermined calculation (Evans, [0027] - Payees are charged a fee for accepting a commercial credit card payment. The total payee fee consists of three components: 1) Interchange rate (fee charged by credit card networks and provided to a bank issuer); 2) Acquiring mark-up (fee charged by acquirer processor); Network assessments (fee charged by Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, or other credit card network). Table I of FIG. 3 illustrates the total payee fee a payee would pay under difference Visa Peard interchange rates. The network assessments is approximately 11 basis points in Table I. The acquiring mark-up is negotiated between a payee and an acquirer processor or merchant bank. For example, Table I illustrates an acquiring mark-up of 30 basis points. A total payee fee is often referred to as a "Discount Fee.");
determining, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service, a first number of credits equivalent to the transaction amount and a second number of credits equivalent to the payee fee (Evans, [0031] - Payers may receive interchange rebates when using particular commercial credit cards. Issuer banks, such as a Peard issuers, rebate a significant portion of their interchange fee to a payer or payment aggregator as an incentive to use their commercial credit card as opposed to a competitor's card. Consequently, even though a lower fee may be desired by payees, it's often in the interest of an issuer bank and payer to maintain higher interchange rates since the two divide up the interchange fees. Large payers often receive more than 50% of the interchange fee. Since BIP systems introduce efficiency and eliminate labor and reconciliation costs, BIP system efficiency often trumps the benefit of the rebate if higher supplier adoption can be obtained with a BIP system that delivers transactions at the best interchange rate. Consequently, there is a delicate balance between rebate/interchange rate and payee acceptance of a BIP system.); and
causing, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service, transfers of value comprising:
a transfer of the first number of credits from the user profile associated with the first user to a user profile associated with the third user (Evans, [0119] - A BIP system 103 will manage processing of all payment requests either entered manually through a Make Payments screen 1100 or uploaded via an electronic AP payment file or electronic file from a payee. Unlike a conventional bill pay system where a payment request would be converted to a Demand Deposit Account (DDA) transfer, a check, and so on, to pay for monies owed, a BIP system 103 will transact each of the scheduled payment requests as a commercial credit card transaction.);
a transfer of the second number of credits from the user profile associated with the third user to the payment service (Evans, [0111] - A payer, after registering, may register a payee by creating a payee profile that includes, among other things, the payee's Merchant ID (MID) and processing platform name. A payee's processing platform may comprise either an acquirer processor 104 or an acquirer gateway 105. When a payer adds sufficient information on a payee (MID, processing platform, payee address, etc.) necessary to route payment instructions (in credit card transaction information) to a payee, a payee should be considered registered in a BIP system 103 but not enrolled. A payee is enrolled when at least one person (e.g., employee of payee) is approved for the purposes of logging into a BIP system 103 and accessing screens. In one embodiment, a payee is assigned a payee ID. Using a payee ID, a payee may access a BIP system 103 and view only the reports and queues that a payer has authorized a payee to view (e.g., pending payments queues described in more detail later). In an embodiment, a BIP system operator and/or a registration agent, such as an ISO for an acquirer processor, registers payees as described herein.);
a transfer of credits equivalent to a first percentage of the payee fee from the payment service to a user profile associated with a referring user based at least in part on determining that the referring user referred the first user to enroll with the payment service, wherein determining that the referring user referred the first user to enroll is based at least in part on the user profile associated with the first user (Evans, [0027] - Payees are charged a fee for accepting a commercial credit card payment. The total payee fee consists of three components: 1) Interchange rate (fee charged by credit card networks and provided to a bank issuer); 2) Acquiring mark-up (fee charged by acquirer processor); Network assessments (fee charged by Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, or other credit card network). Table I of FIG. 3 illustrates the total payee fee a payee would pay under difference Visa Peard interchange rates. The network assessments is approximately 11 basis points in Table I. The acquiring mark-up is negotiated between a payee and an acquirer processor or merchant bank. For example, Table I illustrates an acquiring mark-up of 30 basis points. A total payee fee is often referred to as a "Discount Fee."); and
a transfer of credits equivalent to a second percentage of the payee fee from the payment service to a user profile associated with an immediately previous payee, based at least in part on determining an immediately previous payee based at least in part on the first transaction data, wherein the immediately previous payee comprises the second user (Evans, [0003] - A payee typically pays a fee when agreeing to receive payments via a commercial credit card. The fee is typically in the form of a percentage of the payment amount received from the payer. The percentage deducted from the payee's payment amount may range from approximately 2% to approximately 3%. The fee may include fees charged by a card network (interchange fee), acquirer processor (acquirer fee) and a credit card company, such as Visa or MasterCard (credit card company assessment). The combined total fee charged is often referred to as "Discount Fee.").
Therefore, in light of the teachings of Evans, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the method of Bezos, motivation according to one KSR Exemplary Rationale where a known technique is used to improve similar methods and systems in the same way by providing a BIP system combines the retrieved qualifying information with the entered information and outputs credit card transaction information so that the supplier is paid using the selected interchange rate.
Re: Claim 2, Bezos discloses the method as claim 1
recites, further comprising sending, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service, a transaction record for the second transaction to at least one of the first computing device or the third computing device (Bezos, [0087] - Finally, as depicted generally by states 56-60, the service may provide various account management pages. From these pages, the user may perform such actions as viewing pay page transactions (both payee and payer), transferring funds into and out of the account, and updating a user profile. The service may also generate, send and retain transaction receipts, and may provide reporting for tax purposes (e.g., for payments to charitable organizations).).
Re: Claim 3, Bezos discloses the method as claim 1 recites, further comprising:
receiving, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service and from the first computing device, a request for a summary of transactions of the first user (Bezos, [0087] - Finally, as depicted generally by states 56-60, the service may provide various account management pages. From these pages, the user may perform such actions as viewing pay page transactions (both payee and payer), transferring funds into and out of the account, and updating a user profile. The service may also generate, send and retain transaction receipts, and may provide reporting for tax purposes (e.g., for payments to charitable organizations).); and
causing, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service, presentation of the summary of transactions on a display of the first computing device (Bezos, [0173], [0233] - Amazon.com will transfer your Amazon Honor System earnings directly into your checking account. You can initiate a disbursement at any time, provided your Honor System account balance is at least $1.00. In addition, we will automatically disburse your earnings every 14 days (as long as you have at least $1.00 in your account). And, you can track your earnings and review your transactions online. Please note that Honor System payments are voluntary. Therefore, a payor may refund himself for any reason and with no questions asked up to 30 days after a payment is made. There is no process by which you may contest a payor-initiated refund.).
Re: Claim 4, Bezos discloses the method as claim 1 recites,
wherein terms of an agreement between the payment service and one or more users of the plurality of users includes a term requiring that the payee fee be less than a minimum threshold payee fee (Bezos, [0235] - The Amazon Honor System does not charge registration fees, set-up fees, or fixed participation fees. We do, however, charge transaction fees based on the amount of money you receive. The fee schedule is very simple. For each payment you receive, we will charge $0.15 plus 15% of the total transaction amount. The person making a payment is not charged any fees at all.).
Re: Claim 5, Bezos discloses the method as claim 1 recites, further comprising:
receiving, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service and from the first computing device, a request to convert one or more credits associated with the user profile associated with the first user to a currency of the funding source (Bezos, [0144] - Table 1 below lists and describes the elements that may be included in a template in one embodiment of the invention. The column labeled "type or size" in Table 1 indicates the type or size of the element. The "display on template" column indicates whether the owner sees the element during the pay page creation/editing process (if set to NO, the element takes on the default value specified by the SP). The "edit by creator" column specifies whether the owner/creator can modify the value associated with the element during pay page creation. The "edit by payer" column indicates whether the payer (pay page visitor) can modify the value. The "pass in URL" column specifies whether the element's value can be passed as a parameter with the pay page URL.);
causing, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service, transfer of an amount of currency from the financial institution to the funding source of the first user, wherein the amount of currency comprises a number of the one or more credits multiplied by a ratio of currency units per credit (Bezos, [0155] - As mentioned above, one or more parameters (such as a suggested payment amount) may be passed with this second URL. The pay box ID is preferably included in the second URL to allow the application 76 to track click-through events on a per-pay-box basis. Requests for the pay box graphic may also be recorded to track the ratio of click-through events to pay box impressions. As described below, historical data regarding impressions (i.e., viewing events), click-through rates, and success payment) rates, may be provided to the pay page owners.); and
reducing a credit balance associated with the user profile associated with the first user by the one or more credits (Bezos, [0394] - Your account balance will likely be positive most me. However, there are circumstances in which your of the balance may be negative. For example, a recent disbursal of earnings took your account balance to $0.00 and you then decided to refund a particular transaction. The best approach is to authorize payment when your account balance is negative. Do this by clicking the "Pay your negative balance now" link on the Your Honor System Account page. If your negative account balance reaches -$5.00 or less (e.g., -$6.50), we will automatically charge your credit card in the amount of the negative balance. This is the only instance where the Amazon Honor System uses your credit card for anything other than identity and account verification. If your negative account balance is more than -$5.00 (e.g., -$4.00), the balance will roll over to the next automatic payment date occurring within 14 days.).
Re: Claim 6, Bezos discloses the method as claim 1 recites, further comprising:
sending, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service to the first computing device associated with the first user, a request for additional information associated with opening the financial account for the first user at the financial institution (Bezos, [0406] - A payor may request that we provide you with additional information about a payment. If a payor selects this option, you will receive an e-mail from the Honor System containing the payor's name, e-mail address, the date and amount of the payment, the PayPage where the payment was made, and the transaction ID. Return to help index.); and
receiving, by the one or more servers associated with the payment service and from the first computing device associated with the first user, the additional information, wherein sending the request on behalf of the first user to open the financial account for the first user at the financial institution is at least partly responsive to receiving the additional information (Bezos, [0243] - Amazon.com takes extra steps to protect your security. In addition to requesting your credit card account number, we also ask for your credit card's billing address and your contact telephone numbers. This additional information allows us to further ensure that you are the only one accessing your account and that no one is acting on your behalf without your authorization. Return to help index.).
Re: Claim 7, Bezos discloses the method as claim 1 recites,
wherein the enrollment data includes at least one of an identifier of the referring user of the first user, an identifier of the funding source, a funding amount to transfer to the financial institution from the funding source, or personally identifying information (Bezos, [0129] - The process of enrolling as a pay page associate involves locating an associate-enabled pay page, selecting a pay box associated with that pay page, and then installing the pay box within one or more web pages. Thereafter, whenever a visitor to such a web page clicks on the pay box and makes a payment, the associate typically receives a commission. A given pay page may have an unlimited number of associates. In addition, a given user may become an associate of multiple different pay pages and pay page owners.).
Re: Claim 8, Bezos discloses the method as claim 1 recites,
wherein the payment application is provided to the first computing device by the one or more servers associated with the payment service (Bezos, [0219] - The Amazon Honor System is versatile--you can create a unique payment application that meets the needs of your business and your customers.).
Re: Claim 9, Bezos discloses the method as claim 1 recites,
wherein determining that the first user is eligible to enroll with the payment service comprises determining that the first user has not previously enrolled with the payment service (Bezos, [0129] - The process of enrolling as a pay page associate involves locating an associate-enabled pay page, selecting a pay box associated with that pay page, and then installing the pay box within one or more web pages. Thereafter, whenever a visitor to such a web page clicks on the pay box and makes a payment, the associate typically receives a commission. A given pay page may have an unlimited number of associates. In addition, a given user may become an associate of multiple different pay pages and pay page owners.).
Re: Claim 10, Bezos discloses the method as claim 1 recites,
wherein the funding source comprises a bank, a credit union, a savings and loan association, or a brokerage firm (Bezos, [0253] - The routing and checking account numbers from the face of your check allow us to determine your bank, its location, and which account to credit. That way, we can ensure that your earnings are transferred to the proper account. As with all the personal financial information we ask for, your checking account information is completely confidential. Click here for illustrated tips on deciphering checking account and routing numbers. Return to help index.).
Re: Claim 15, Bezos in view of Evans discloses the method as claim 1 recites,
wherein the payee fee comprises a flat fee, a percentage of the transaction amount, or a combination of a flat fee and a percentage of the transaction amount (Evans, [0030] - In an alternate embodiment, an interchange rate or fee may be a flat fee or fixed amount rather than a percentage of the monies owed a supplier.). The rationale for support of motivation, obviousness and reason to combine see claim 1 above.
Re: Claim 16, Bezos in view of Evans discloses the method as claim 1 recites,
wherein at least one of the payee fee, the first percentage, or the second percentage is a term of an agreement between the payment service and one or more users of the plurality of users (Evans [0027] - Payees are charged a fee for accepting a commercial credit card payment. The total payee fee consists of three components: 1) Interchange rate (fee charged by credit card networks and provided to a bank issuer); 2) Acquiring mark-up (fee charged by acquirer processor); Network assessments (fee charged by Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, or other credit card network). Table I of FIG. 3 illustrates the total payee fee a payee would pay under difference Visa Peard interchange rates. The network assessments is approximately 11 basis points in Table I. The acquiring mark-up is negotiated between a payee and an acquirer processor or merchant bank. For example, Table I illustrates an acquiring mark-up of 30 basis points. A total payee fee is often referred to as a "Discount Fee."). The rationale for support of motivation, obviousness and reason to combine see claim 1 above.
Re: Claim 19, Claim 19 is an apparatus claim corresponding to method claim 1. Therefore, claim 19 is analyzed and rejected as previously discussed with respect to claims 1.
Re: Claim 22, Bezos in view of Evans discloses the method as claim 1 recites,
wherein the transfers of value further comprise a transfer of credits equivalent to a third percentage of the payee fee from the payment service to a fourth user (Evans, [0028 - As Table I further illustrates, the interchange rates vary between a Level 1 (Ll) rate at 2.65% and standard Large Ticket (LT) rate which is 1.35%+$40 for MasterCard and 1.45%+$35 for Visa. There is a significant cost or fee reduction to a payee when receiving a commercial credit card payment at an L3 or LT rate compared to a Ll rate. For example in a $20,000 transaction, the cost difference to a payee is $204 (20,000*3.06%-20,000*2.04%). Unless a BIP system can obtain a LT rate, a payee will typically pay at least an extra 1% interchange rate (Ll rate)to receive a payment by commercial credit card. Over the course of a year, a large payee's accounts receivable (AIR) costs will be hundreds of thousands of dollars more due to a higher level of interchange fees paid to receive payments.). The rationale for support of motivation, obviousness and reason to combine see claim 1 above.
Re: Claim 23, Bezos in view of Evans discloses the method as claim 1 recites,
wherein the transfers of value further comprise a transfer of a third percentage of the payee fee to an entity, wherein the entity comprises at least one of the financial institution, another financial institution, a non-profit organization, a charitable organization, an individual, a small business, or a government entity (Evans, [0031] - Payers may receive interchange rebates when using particular commercial credit cards. Issuer banks, such as a Peard issuers, rebate a significant portion of their interchange fee to a payer or payment aggregator as an incentive to use their commercial credit card as opposed to a competitor's card. Consequently, even though a lower fee may be desired by payees, it's often in the interest of an issuer bank and payer to maintain higher interchange rates since the two divide up the interchange fees. Large payers often receive more than 50% of the interchange fee. Since BIP systems introduce efficiency and eliminate labor and reconciliation costs, BIP system efficiency often trumps the benefit of the rebate if higher supplier adoption can be obtained with a BIP system that delivers transactions at the best interchange rate. Consequently, there is a delicate balance between rebate/interchange rate and payee acceptance of a BIP system.). The rationale for support of motivation, obviousness and reason to combine see claim 1 above.
Re: Claim 25, Bezos discloses the method as claim 1 recites,
wherein the enrollment data includes an identifier of the referring user, and wherein the identifier comprises a QR code or URL associated with the referring user (Bezos, [0132] - FIG. 15 illustrates an example page listing the pay boxes that have been defined for the pay page titled "The Animal Society in Seattle, Wash." From this page, the user can select the style of the pay box to host. Upon selection of the "continue" button, the SP site returns a page with the selected pay box style and a sequence of HTML for installing the pay box (FIG. 16). This HTML sequence is similar in form to the sequence in FIG. 10, but includes a unique identifier of the associate (assigned by the pay pages application 76 and stored in the accounts database 72) within the URL of the pay box graphic. As described above with reference to FIG. 3, the pay pages application uses this identifier to determine the identity of the referring associate and to keep track of referral events.).
Re: Claim 26, Bezos discloses the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19, the acts further comprising:
sending a transaction record for the transaction to at least one of the first computing device or the second computing device (Bezos, [0159] - [0159] The associate ID is preferably recorded each time the associate-hosted pay box is requested, and each time the pay page is requested from that pay box. As discussed above, the pay pages application 76 also uses the associate ID to credit an account of the referring associate when an associate-referred visitor makes a payment.).
Re: Claim 27, Bezos discloses the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19,
wherein the payment application is provided to the first computing device by the payment service (Bezos, [0219] - [0219] The Amazon Honor System is versatile--you can create a unique payment application that meets the needs of your business and your customers.).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN H. HOLLY whose telephone number is (571)270-3461. The examiner can normally be reached on MON. - FRI 10 AM - 8 PM.
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/John H. Holly/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3696
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