Patent ID: 7593898
Filing Date: 2009-09-22
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method for facilitating a transaction between a buyer and a seller in an online commerce system that includes a buyer computer operated by a buyer, a seller computer operated by a seller, a transaction facilitator comprising a network-accessible transaction computer that facilitates commercial transactions between buyers and sellers, a pre-authorized shipping service that maintains a network-accessible shipping service tracking database, and a payment enabling system operated by a payment enabler, the method comprising: receiving transaction information from the transaction computer in response to a proposed transaction between the buyer and the seller facilitated by the transaction facilitator, the transaction information including a transaction amount; communicating, in response to receipt of the transaction information, information to the buyer computer in response to receipt of the transaction information for displaying payment instrument selection information and enabling the selection of one of a plurality of payment instruments for making payment to the seller; receiving information from the buyer computer indicating selection by the buyer of a payment instrument for making payment to the seller; requesting, electronically, authorization for payment in an amount of at least the transaction amount for the selected payment instrument from a payment instrument processor associated with the selected payment instrument; communicating, in response to receipt of information from the payment instrument processor for the selected payment instrument indicating authorization for a payment in at least the transaction amount, instructions to the seller computer to ship the goods using the pre-authorized shipping service in response to receipt of information from the payment instrument processor for the selected payment instrument indicating authorization for a payment in at least the transaction amount; associating the transaction information with a tracking number for the shipment of the goods from the seller to the buyer using the shipping service; querying the shipping service tracking database based on the tracking number to determine whether the goods have been delivered to the buyer; determining, based at least in part on information from the query to the shipping service database indicating that the goods have been delivered to the buyer, whether the goods have been acceptably delivered to the buyer as of an indicated delivery data, based at least in part on information from the query to the shipping service database indicating that the goods have been delivered to the buyer; and effecting, in response to determining that the goods have been accepatably delivered to the buyer as of the indicated delivery date, completion of the transaction by communicating an instruction to the payment instrument processor to make payment to the seller in response to determining that the goods have been acceptably delivered to the buyer as of the indicated delivery date.