Patent Publication Number: US-2023153894-A1

Title: Method and system of enterprise resource planning

Description:
FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to facilitating payment across different enterprise ecosystems through the use of a gateway platform, specifically the use of the gateway platform to enable buyers to pay suppliers that is enterprise resource planning agnostic and enables all entities to use their own personal rules and criteria without affecting system operation. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Business management often involves the balancing and operation of dozens, if not hundreds, of different departments and aspects of the business. For many businesses of any size, executives and managers rely on specialized software programs to assist in the operation of the business, aggregation of data, analysis of operations, etc. An industry known as enterprise resource planning (ERP) was born out of the need of businesses to have assistance in managing a vast number of components of the business. Often relying on software, ERP programs and systems assist businesses in managing inventory, accounting, supply chains, payments, etc. Many businesses have become very reliant on their ERP tools and use them constantly as part of day-to-day operations. 
     However, the reliance of businesses on ERP tools has resulted in a booming industry of hundreds and thousands of different ERP tools, all of which operate using their own rules and formatting. Because of these differences, it can be exceedingly difficult for businesses using two different ERP systems to have an ongoing business relationship. As a result, many businesses often prefer to do business with other entities that utilize the same ERP system to simplify how it affects their operations. However, this significantly restricts the business from being able to interact with other entities and take advantage of a larger marketplace. Unfortunately, there is a lack of technology when it comes to connecting entities that utilize different ERP systems. Thus, there is a need for a technological improvement to these types of ecosystems that enable entities to connect across varying ERP systems. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure provides a description of systems and methods for facilitating payment across different enterprise ecosystems through the use of a gateway platform. A gateway platform connects to a plurality of different enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems through the use of specially design application programming interfaces or add-ons. When a buyer wants to make a payment to a supplier, they submit a payment request to the gateway platform via their own ERP. The gateway platform performs data translation on the payment request to ensure it is in a data format suitable for the recipient, such as the seller&#39;s ERP. The translated payment request is then submitted to the buyer&#39;s financial institution, which may be forwarded through a payment service for further translation. The buyer&#39;s financial institution makes a payment to the seller&#39;s financial institution, and the gateway platform is notified of the payment. The gateway platform then provides information regarding the payment to the seller&#39;s own ERP in a suitable format for that ERP. The result is that buyers and suppliers can continue to utilize their own ERPs without the need to make any adjustments to their business operations and be able to freely transact with any other entity utilizing any of the plurality of different ERP systems. The gateway platform can also enable any involved entity to set their own rules or preferences regarding payments, requests for payment, etc., as the rules can be enforced through data translations and modifications to the processing of requests and payments. Thus, the gateway platform provides a massive technological improvement for existing entities to significantly increase the available marketplace and improve efficiency and convenience. 
     A method for facilitating payment across different enterprise ecosystems through the use of a gateway platform includes: receiving, by a receiver of a processing server, a payment request message from a first computing system, wherein data included in the payment request message is formatted according to a first data format; translating, by a processor of the processing server, the data included in the payment request message into a second data format; transmitting, by a transmitter of the processing server, the translated payment request message to a second computing system; receiving, by the receiver of the processing server, a payment confirmation message; and transmitting, by a transmitter of the processing server, an update message to a third computing system different from the first computing system. 
     A system for facilitating payment across different enterprise ecosystems through the use of a gateway platform includes: a first computing system; a second computing system; a third computing system different from the first computing system; and a processing server including a receiver receiving a payment request message from the first computing system, wherein data included in the payment request message is formatted according to a first data format, a processor translating, the data included in the payment request message into a second data format, and a transmitter transmitting the translated payment request message to the second computing system, wherein the receiver further receives a payment confirmation message, and the transmitter further transmits an update message to the third computing system. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
       The scope of the present disclosure is best understood from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Included in the drawings are the following figures: 
         FIG.  1    is a block diagram illustrating a high-level system architecture for facilitating payment across different enterprise ecosystems in accordance with exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG.  2    is a block diagram illustrating a computing system in the system of  FIG.  1    for facilitating payment across different enterprise ecosystems in accordance with exemplary embodiments. 
         FIGS.  3 A and  3 B  are a flow diagram illustrating a process for facilitating payment across different enterprise ecosystems in accordance with exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG.  4    is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method for facilitating payment across different enterprise ecosystems through the use of a gateway platform in accordance with exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG.  5    is a block diagram illustrating a computer system architecture in accordance with exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG.  6    is a flow diagram illustrating transaction flow in accordance with exemplary embodiments involving a third-party lender. 
     
    
    
     Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description of exemplary embodiments is intended for illustration purposes only and are, therefore, not intended to necessarily limit the scope of the disclosure. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Glossary of Terms 
     Payment Network—A system or network used for the transfer of money via the use of cash-substitutes for thousands, millions, and even billions of transactions during a given period. Payment networks may use a variety of different protocols and procedures in order to process the transfer of money for various types of transactions. Transactions that may be performed via a payment network may include product or service purchases, credit purchases, debit transactions, fund transfers, account withdrawals, etc. Payment networks may be configured to perform transactions via cash-substitutes, which may include payment cards, letters of credit, checks, transaction accounts, etc. Examples of networks or systems configured to perform as payment networks include those operated by Mastercard®, VISA®, Discover° , American Express®, PayPal®, etc. Use of the term “payment network” herein may refer to both the payment network as an entity, and the physical payment network, such as the equipment, hardware, and software comprising the payment network. 
     Transaction Account—A financial account that may be used to fund a transaction, such as a checking account, savings account, credit account, virtual payment account, etc. A transaction account may be associated with a consumer, which may be any suitable type of entity associated with a payment account, which may include a person, family, company, corporation, governmental entity, etc. In some instances, a transaction account may be virtual, such as those accounts operated by PayPal®, etc. 
     Issuer—An entity that establishes (e.g., opens) a letter or line of credit in favor of a beneficiary, and honors drafts drawn by the beneficiary against the amount specified in the letter or line of credit. In many instances, the issuer may be a bank or other financial institution authorized to open lines of credit. In some instances, any entity that may extend a line of credit to a beneficiary may be considered an issuer. The line of credit opened by the issuer may be represented in the form of a payment account and may be drawn on by the beneficiary via the use of a payment card. An issuer may also offer additional types of payment accounts to consumers as will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art, such as debit accounts, prepaid accounts, electronic wallet accounts, savings accounts, checking accounts, etc., and may provide consumers with physical or non-physical means for accessing and/or utilizing such an account, such as debit cards, prepaid cards, automated teller machine cards, electronic wallets, checks, etc. 
     Acquirer—An entity that may process payment card transactions on behalf of a merchant. The acquirer may be a bank or other financial institution authorized to process payment card transactions on a merchant&#39;s behalf. In many instances, the acquirer may open a line of credit with the merchant acting as a beneficiary. The acquirer may exchange funds with an issuer in instances where a consumer, which may be a beneficiary to a line of credit offered by the issuer, transacts via a payment card with a merchant that is represented by the acquirer. 
     Payment Transaction—A transaction between two entities in which money or other financial benefit is exchanged from one entity to the other. The payment transaction may be a transfer of funds, for the purchase of goods or services, for the repayment of debt, or for any other exchange of financial benefit as will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art. In some instances, payment transaction may refer to transactions funded via a payment card and/or payment account, such as credit card transactions. Such payment transactions may be processed via an issuer, payment network, and acquirer. The process for processing such a payment transaction may include at least one of authorization, batching, clearing, settlement, and funding. Authorization may include the furnishing of payment details by the consumer to a merchant, the submitting of transaction details (e.g., including the payment details) from the merchant to their acquirer, and the verification of payment details with the issuer of the consumer&#39;s payment account used to fund the transaction. Batching may refer to the storing of an authorized transaction in a batch with other authorized transactions for distribution to an acquirer. Clearing may include the sending of batched transactions from the acquirer to a payment network for processing. Settlement may include the debiting of the issuer by the payment network for transactions involving beneficiaries of the issuer. In some instances, the issuer may pay the acquirer via the payment network. In other instances, the issuer may pay the acquirer directly. Funding may include payment to the merchant from the acquirer for the payment transactions that have been cleared and settled. It will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art that the order and/or categorization of the steps discussed above performed as part of payment transaction processing. 
     System for Facilitating Payments Across Different ERP Systems 
       FIG.  1    illustrates a system  100  for facilitating payments across different enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems through the use of a gateway platform and, in some embodiments, a payment service. 
     In the system  100 , a buyer system  102  associated with an entity interested in buying a product may be interested in making a payment to a supplier system  104  associated with an entity interested in selling that product to the buyer in exchange for the payment. The buyer and supplier may each utilize transaction accounts issued thereto by a respective financial institution, illustrated in  FIG.  1    as the buyer financial institution  106  and the supplier financial institution  108 . Each respective financial institution may issue a transaction account to the entity for use in making or receiving payments as part of normal business operations. In a traditional system without the use of ERPs, the buyer system  102  may instruct the buyer financial institution  106  to directly make a payment to the supplier financial institution  108  as instructed by the supplier system  104 . The two financial institutions would exchange funds and transaction accounts for the buyer and supplier debited and credited accordingly. 
     In the system  100 , the buyer system  102  may utilize a buyer ERP  110 . The buyer ERP  110  may be an ERP system that provides the buyer system  102  with assistance in the management of business activities including accounts payable and accounts receivable. The ERP system may be a standard ERP system that is configured to perform traditional functions of an ERP system. The supplier system  104  may also utilize a supplier ERP  112 , which may also be a standard ERP system to provide the supplier system  104  with assistance in the management of business activities. In an exemplary embodiment, the buyer ERP  110  and supplier ERP  112  may be different ERP systems, such as developed and operated by different entities, and may utilize different data formatting rules and principals. 
     The system  100  may include a gateway service  114 . The gateway service  114  may be a centralized processing service comprised of one or more computing systems that is configured to communicate with a plurality of different ERP systems, each of which may utilize their own data formatting rules and principals, including at least the buyer ERP  110  and supplier ERP  112 . The gateway service  114  may use specially configured application programming interfaces (APIs), add-ons, or protocols to communicate with each of the different interfaced ERP systems. In the system  100 , when a buyer system  102  wants to make a payment to a supplier system  104 , the buyer system  102  may submit a payment request message to their buyer ERP  110  using any suitable method. The payment request message may specify the supplier system  104  as the payee as well as the amount to be made and any additional information that may be necessary or useful in facilitating the payment, such as a payment date, currency types, fees, invoice numbers, etc. The buyer ERP  110  may electronically transmit the payment request message to the gateway service  114  using a suitable communication network and method, such as the specially configured add-on the gateway service  114  uses with the buyer ERP  110 . 
     The gateway service  114  may receive the payment request message from the buyer ERP  110 . The gateway service  114  may identify the payee for the requested payment using information included in the payment request message, such as an entity identification value, a payee number, or other suitable data. The gateway service  114  may then identify the supplier ERP  112  that the payee uses, such as may be stored in an account profile associated with the identified payee. The gateway service  114  may determine any information that may be necessary to facilitate the payment for receipt by the payee, such as specialized rules or instructions set by the supplier system  104  (e.g., identified in the account profile) or the supplier ERP  112 , which may be stored in a profile associated with the supplier ERP  112 . For example, the supplier system  104  may specify timing information or an account number for payment or the supplier ERP  112  may have data requirements for reporting of the payment. 
     The gateway service  114  may identify any necessary information for the payment request message and then perform data translation on the payment request message to reformat the data as necessary to suit the supplier ERP  112  and/or supplier system  104  and/or to include any data needed to facilitate the payment, such as receiving transaction account information. The gateway service  114  may then electronically transmit the translated payment request message to a payment service  116 . The payment service  116  may be a computing system that is configured to communicate with multiple payment service providers and/or financial institutions to provide data and assistance with the initiation and fulfillment of payments in the system  100 . In some embodiments, the payment service  116  may be a part of the same computing system as the gateway service  114 . In some cases, a single processing server or series of processing servers in communication may operate as both the gateway service  114  and the payment service  116 . 
     The payment service  116  may receive the payment request message and identify the buyer financial institution  106  associated with the buyer system  102  that is to make the payment to the supplier financial institution  108 , such as based on payer transaction account information included in the payment request message. The payment service  116  may submit a message to the buyer financial institution  106  via a suitable communication network and method that includes the payee transaction account information and payment amount to be made. The buyer financial institution  106  may receive the message and initiate the payment for the payment amount to the supplier financial institution  108  and to the specified transaction account. The supplier financial institution  108  may receive the payment, credit the supplier system&#39;s transaction account accordingly, and electronically transmit a notification message to the payment service  116  using a suitable communication network and method. The notification message may include a notification indicating successful payment by the buyer financial institution  106  and may also include a transaction identifier. In some cases, the transaction identifier may be generated by the supplier financial institution  108  or the buyer financial institution  106  (e.g., and included with the payment made). In other cases, the payment service  116  and/or gateway service  114  may have generated the transaction identifier, which may have been included in the message submitted to the buyer financial institution  106 . In some instances, the transaction identifier may be an invoice number, which may have originally been supplied by the supplier system  104  and/or supplier ERP  112 , as discussed below. 
     In some embodiments, the system  100  may also include a service provider operating on behalf of the buyer financial institution  106  or supplier financial institution  108 , such as the buyer service provider  118  and supplier service provider  120  illustrated in  FIG.  1   . A service provider may be an entity that assists a financial institution in the management and initiation of payment transactions on behalf of other entities, such as by operating as an intermediary between the payment service  116  and the financial institution. In such embodiments, communications made by or to the payment service  116  to or from a financial institution may be communicated through a service provider. For example, the payment service  116  may submit the message for the payment to be made to the supplier financial institution  108  to the buyer service provider  118  using a suitable communication network and method. The buyer service provider  118  may then inform the buyer financial institution  106  of any suitable information needed to initiate the payment to the supplier financial institution  108 . 
     In some cases, the payment service  116  may be configured to perform data translation on a received payment request message. For instance, the payment service  116  may identify a buyer service provider  118  based on data included in the payment request message. The payment service  116  may then translate the payment request message by reformatting data included therein into a format suitable for receipt by the buyer service provider  118 . The payment service  116  may electronically transmit the translated message to the buyer service provider  118  to have the payment to the supplier financial institution  108  initiated. Similarly, the supplier service provider  120  may electronically transmit a confirmation message to the payment service  116 , which the payment service  116  may perform data translation on for reformatting of the data prior to communicating with the gateway service  114 . 
     Once the payment service  116  has received a confirmation message for the successful payment made from the buyer financial institution  106  to the supplier financial institution  108 , the payment service  116  may electronically transmit the confirmation message, with the transaction identifier included (e.g., and translated, if applicable), to the gateway service  114  using the suitable communication network and method. The gateway service  114  may receive the confirmation message and may perform data translation on the confirmation message to ensure that the data is formatted in a manner suitable for receipt by the supplier ERP  112 . The gateway service  114  may then electronically transmit the translated confirmation message to the supplier ERP  112  using the suitable communication network and method. The supplier ERP  112  may receive the confirmation message in a format suitable for its use and may update the supplier system  104  accordingly regarding the receipt of the payment, such as by updating its accounts receivable, updating the status of a corresponding invoice (e.g., identified via the transaction identifier), etc. 
     In some embodiments, the system  100  may be configured to also facilitate requests for payment, such as may be submitted by a supplier system  104  for fulfillment by a buyer system  102  using the process discussed above. For example, the supplier system  104  may submit a request for payment or invoice to its supplier ERP  112 , which may be then forwarded to the gateway service  114  using the suitable communication network and method. The gateway service  114  may identify the intended buyer system  102  based on information included in the request for payment or invoice and, subsequently, the associated buyer ERP  110 . The gateway service  114  may perform data translation on the request for payment or invoice and then forward the translated message to the buyer ERP  110 . The buyer ERP  110  may update the buyer system&#39;s  102  data accordingly such that the buyer system  102  can submit a payment request message to fulfill the request for payment or invoice. 
     The methods and systems discussed herein enable payments to be facilitated between a buyer system  102  and supplier system  104  utilizing different ERPs through the use of the gateway service  114 . Because the gateway service  114  is centrally located and interfaced with a plurality of different ERP systems, buyers and suppliers can continue to use their existing ERPs without any modifications to their data or processes. The gateway service  114  performs all necessary data translations such that the buyer ERP  110  and supplier ERP  112  do not have to modify their own data formatting practices or communication processes. The gateway service  114  then provides payment information to a payment service  116 , which can similarly perform any necessary data translations to ensure that the payment is made between the appropriate financial institutions. The result is that the buyer system  102  and supplier system  104  can continue business as usual while still conducting business with other entities that use any number of different ERPs because of the technical improvements performed by the gateway service  114  as discussed herein. 
     Computing System 
       FIG.  2    illustrates an embodiment of a computing system  200 , such as may be used to perform the functions of the gateway service  114  and/or payment service  116  in the system  100 . It will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art that the embodiment of the computing system  200  illustrated in  FIG.  2    is provided as illustration only and may not be exhaustive to all possible configurations of the computing system  200  suitable for performing the functions as discussed herein. For example, the computer system  500  illustrated in  FIG.  5    and discussed in more detail below may be a suitable configuration of the computing system  200 . 
     The computing system  200  may include a receiving device  202 . The receiving device  202  may be configured to receive data over one or more networks via one or more network protocols. In some instances, the receiving device  202  may be configured to receive data from buyer financial institutions  106 , supplier financial institutions  108 , buyer ERPs  110 , supplier ERPs  112 , gateway services  114 , payment services  116 , buyer service providers  118 , supplier service providers  120 , and other systems and entities via one or more communication methods, such as radio frequency, local area networks, wireless area networks, cellular communication networks, Bluetooth, the Internet, etc. In some embodiments, the receiving device  202  may be comprised of multiple devices, such as different receiving devices for receiving data over different networks, such as a first receiving device for receiving data over a local area network and a second receiving device for receiving data via the Internet. The receiving device  202  may receive electronically transmitted data signals, where data may be superimposed or otherwise encoded on the data signal and decoded, parsed, read, or otherwise obtained via receipt of the data signal by the receiving device  202 . In some instances, the receiving device  202  may include a parsing module for parsing the received data signal to obtain the data superimposed thereon. For example, the receiving device  202  may include a parser program configured to receive and transform the received data signal into usable input for the functions performed by the processing device to carry out the methods and systems described herein. 
     The receiving device  202  may be configured to receive data signals electronically transmitted by buyer financial institutions  106 , supplier financial institutions  108 , buyer service providers  118 , or supplier service providers  120  that may be superimposed or otherwise encoded with confirmation messages regarding fulfilled payments or requests for transaction account information. The receiving device  202  may also be configured to receive data signals electronically transmitted by buyer ERPs  110  and supplier ERPs  112 , which may be superimposed or otherwise encoded with requests for payment, invoices, payment request messages, rules or preferences, transaction account data, requests for transaction information, etc. The receiving device  202  may also be configured to receive data signals electronically transmitted by gateway services  114  or payment services  116  that may be superimposed or otherwise encoded with translated payment request messages or translated payment confirmation messages. 
     The computing system  200  may also include a communication module  204 . The communication module  204  may be configured to transmit data between modules, engines, databases, memories, and other components of the computing system  200  for use in performing the functions discussed herein. The communication module  204  may be comprised of one or more communication types and utilize various communication methods for communications within a computing device. For example, the communication module  204  may be comprised of a bus, contact pin connectors, wires, etc. In some embodiments, the communication module  204  may also be configured to communicate between internal components of the computing system  200  and external components of the computing system  200 , such as externally connected databases, display devices, input devices, etc. The computing system  200  may also include a processing device. The processing device may be configured to perform the functions of the computing system  200  discussed herein as will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art. In some embodiments, the processing device may include and/or be comprised of a plurality of engines and/or modules specially configured to perform one or more functions of the processing device, such as an encryption module  210 , querying module  214 , generation module  216 , translation module  218 , etc. As used herein, the term “module” may be software or hardware particularly programmed to receive an input, perform one or more processes using the input, and provides an output. The input, output, and processes performed by various modules will be apparent to one skilled in the art based upon the present disclosure. 
     The computing system  200  may include an account database  206 . The account database  206  may be configured to store a plurality of account profiles  208  using a suitable data storage format and schema. The account database  206  may be a relational database that utilizes structured query language for the storage, identification, modifying, updating, accessing, etc. of structured data sets stored therein. Each account profile  208  may be a structured data set configured to store data related to one or more registered accounts, such as an account registered to a supplier, buyer, ERP, service provider, etc. For instance, an account profile may include transaction account data, identification values, rules or preferences, data formatting rules, communication data, etc. 
     The computing system  200  may also include a memory  212 . The memory  212  may be configured to store data for use by the computing system  200  in performing the functions discussed herein, such as public and private keys, symmetric keys, etc. The memory  212  may be configured to store data using suitable data formatting methods and schema and may be any suitable type of memory, such as read-only memory, random access memory, etc. The memory  212  may include, for example, encryption keys and algorithms, communication protocols and standards, data formatting standards and protocols, program code for modules and application programs of the processing device, and other data that may be suitable for use by the computing system  200  in the performance of the functions disclosed herein as will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art. In some embodiments, the memory  212  may be comprised of or may otherwise include a relational database that utilizes structured query language for the storage, identification, modifying, updating, accessing, etc. of structured data sets stored therein. The memory  212  may be configured to store, for example, cryptographic keys, salts, nonces, communication information, data formatting rules, data translation rules and algorithms, etc. 
     The computing system  200  may include a querying module  214 . The querying module  214  may be configured to execute queries on databases to identify information. The querying module  214  may receive one or more data values or query strings and may execute a query string based thereon on an indicated database, such as the memory  212  of the computing system  200  to identify information stored therein. The querying module  214  may then output the identified information to an appropriate engine or module of the computing system  200  as necessary. The querying module  214  may, for example, execute a query on the account database  206  to identify an account profile  208  associated with a supplier system  104  for which a payment request message is received, such as to identify transaction account information or rules stored therein, or to identify an associated supplier ERP  112  for use in data translation. 
     The computing system  200  may also include a generation module  216 . The generation module  216  may be configured to generate data for use by the computing system  200  in performing the functions discussed herein. The generation module  216  may receive instructions as input, may generate data based on the instructions, and may output the generated data to one or more modules of the computing system  200 . For example, the generation module  216  may be configured to generate request messages, confirmation messages, payment messages, transaction identifiers, translated data sets, etc. 
     The computing system  200  may also include a translation module  218 . The translation module  218  may be configured to perform translations for the computing system  200  as part of the functions discussed herein. The translation module  218  may receive instructions as input, which may also include data to be used in performing a translation, may perform a translation as requested, and may output a result of the translation to another module or engine of the computing system  200 . The translation module  218  may, for example, be configured to perform data translations on received payment request messages, payment confirmation messages, requests for payment, invoices, etc., such as by reformatting data stored therein into a different format based on data formatting rules that may be stored in an account profile  208  or the memory  212 . 
     The computing system  200  may also include a transmitting device  220 . The transmitting device  220  may be configured to transmit data over one or more networks via one or more network protocols. In some instances, the transmitting device  220  may be configured to transmit data to buyer financial institutions  106 , supplier financial institutions  108 , buyer ERPs  110 , supplier ERPs  112 , gateway services  114 , payment services  116 , buyer service providers  118 , supplier service providers  120 , and other entities via one or more communication methods, local area networks, wireless area networks, cellular communication, Bluetooth, radio frequency, the Internet, etc. In some embodiments, the transmitting device  220  may be comprised of multiple devices, such as different transmitting devices for transmitting data over different networks, such as a first transmitting device for transmitting data over a local area network and a second transmitting device for transmitting data via the Internet. The transmitting device  220  may electronically transmit data signals that have data superimposed that may be parsed by a receiving computing device. In some instances, the transmitting device  220  may include one or more modules for superimposing, encoding, or otherwise formatting data into data signals suitable for transmission. 
     The transmitting device  220  may be configured to electronically transmit data signals to buyer financial institutions  106 , supplier financial institutions  108 , buyer service providers  118 , and supplier service providers  120  that may be superimposed or otherwise encoded with translated payment request messages, transaction account information, payment amounts, transaction identifiers, etc. The transmitting device  220  may also be configured to electronically transmit data signals to buyer ERPs  110  and supplier ERPs  112 , which may be superimposed or otherwise encoded with translated requests for payment or invoices, translated confirmation messages, transaction account information, etc. The transmitting device  220  may be further configured to electronically transmit data signals to gateway services  114  and payment services  116  that may be superimposed or otherwise encoded with translated requests for payment, translated confirmation messages, etc. 
     Process for Facilitating Payments 
       FIGS.  3 A and  3 B  illustrate a process for facilitating payments in the system  100  in  FIG.  1    for entities using different ERPs through the use of a gateway service  114  and payment service  116 . In the process illustrated in  FIGS.  3 A and  3 B , the service provider  118  may be a service provider for both the buyer financial institution  106  and supplier financial institution  108  and thus may perform the functions of both the buyer service provider  118  and supplier service provider  120  as discussed above. 
     In step  302 , a buyer ERP  110  may receive a payment submission from a buyer system  102 , where the payment submission includes at least a payee identifier and a payment amount. In some cases, the payment submission may also include an invoice number or other identifier for the payment to be made, as well as payer identification data. In step  304 , the buyer ERP  110  may submit a payment request message to the gateway service  114  using a suitable communication network and method. In step  306 , a receiving device  202  of the gateway service  114  may receive the payment request message. In step  308 , a querying module  214  of the gateway service  114  may execute a query on an account database  206  of the gateway service  114  to identify an account profile  208  associated with the intended payee supplier system  104  based on the payee identifier included in the received payment request message. In step  310 , the translation module  218  of the gateway service  114  may translate the payment request message to be in a format suitable for use by the payment service  116  and/or a service provider  118 , which may also include the inclusion of transaction account data for the payee, such as identified in the identified account profile  208 . In step  312 , a transmitting device  220  of the gateway service  114  may electronically transmit the translated payment request message to the payment service  116  using a suitable communication network and method. 
     In step  314 , a receiving device  202  of the payment service  116  may receive the translated payment request message from the gateway service  114 . In step  316 , a querying module  214  of the payment service  116  may execute a query on an account database  206  of the payment service  116  to identify an account profile  208  associated with the buyer using the payer identification data included in the translated payment request message. The account profile  208  may be used to identify a service provider  118  that is associated with the buyer system  102  and used for initiating payments on behalf of the buyer system  102 . In step  318 , a transmitting device  220  of the payment service  116  may electronically transmit the translated payment request message to the identified service provider  118  using a suitable communication network and method. In some embodiments, the payment service  116  may first (e.g., via a translation module  218 ) translate the payment request message further to satisfy data formatting requirements of the identified service provider  118 . 
     In step  320 , the service provider  118  may receive the payment request message from the payment service  116 . In step  322 , the service provider may translate the received payment request message into a data format suitable for use by a buyer financial institution  106 . In some cases, translation of the received payment request message may include generation of a new message that includes payer information, transaction account information for the payee, the payment amount, and, if applicable, an invoice number or transaction identifier. In step  324 , the translated payment request message may be submitted to the buyer financial institution  106  for use by the buyer financial institution  106  in making payment of the stated payment amount to a supplier financial institution  108  associated with the provided transaction account information. In step  326 , the service provider  118  may receive a payment confirmation message from the supplier financial institution  108  indicating that the payment was successfully made for the stated payment amount. In some cases, the payment confirmation message may also include an invoice number or transaction identifier. In step  328 , the service provider  118  may forward the payment confirmation message to the payment service  116  using a suitable communication network and method. 
     In step  330 , a receiving device  202  of the payment service  116  may receive the payment confirmation message from the service provider  118 . In step  332 , a transmitting device  220  of the payment service  116  may electronically transmit the payment confirmation message to the gateway service  114  using a suitable communication network and method. In step  334 , a receiving device  202  of the gateway service  114  may receive the forwarded payment confirmation message. In some embodiments, a translation module  218  of the gateway service  114  may translate the payment confirmation message upon receipt to reformat data therein into a data format suitable for receipt by the supplier ERP  112 . In step  336 , a transmitting device  220  of the gateway service  114  may electronically transmit the payment confirmation message (e.g., translated, as applicable) or an update message to the supplier ERP  112  using a suitable communication network and method. In step  338 , the supplier ERP  112  may receive the payment confirmation message or update message from the gateway service  114  that includes at least the invoice number or transaction identifier. In step  340 , the supplier ERP  112  may push update information regarding the supplier system&#39;s accounts to the supplier system  104  as a result of the successful payment. 
     Exemplary Facilitating Payments Across Different ERPs 
       FIG.  4    illustrates a method  400  for facilitating payment across different enterprise ecosystems through the use of a gateway platform. 
     In step  402 , a payment request message may be received by a receiver (e.g., receiving device  202 ) of a processing server (e.g., gateway service  114 ) from a first computing system (e.g., buyer ERP  110 ), wherein data included in the payment request message is formatted according to a first data format. In step  404 , the data included in the payment request message may be translated by a processor (e.g., translation module  218 ) of the processing server into a second data format. 
     In step  406 , the translated payment request message may be transmitted by a transmitter (e.g., transmitting device  220 ) of the processing server to a second computing system (e.g., payment service  116 ). In step  408 , a payment confirmation message may be received by the receiver of the processing server. In step  410 , an update message may be transmitted by the transmitter of the processing server to a third computing system (e.g., supplier ERP  112 ) different from the first computing system. 
     In one embodiment, the payment request message may be received from the first computing system using a first application programming interface (API), and the update message may be transmitted to the third computing system using a second API. In some embodiments, the payment confirmation message may be received from the second computing system. In one embodiment, the second computing system may be a payment services platform. In some embodiments, the payment confirmation may include a transaction identifier, and the update message may include the transaction identifier. In one embodiment, the method  400  may further include: storing, in an account database (e.g., account database  206 ) of the processing server, an account profile (e.g., account profile  208 ); and identifying, by the processor of the processing server, the account profile based on the data included in the payment request message, wherein translating the data included in the payment request message includes inserting payment instructions into the payment request message based on data included in the identified account profile. 
     In some embodiments, the method  400  may also include: identifying, by a processor (e.g., querying module  214 ) of the second computing system, a first service provider system (e.g., buyer service provider  118 ) based on the translated data included in the payment request message; transmitting, by a transmitter (e.g., transmitting device  220 ) of the second computing system, a payment information message to the identified first service provider system; receiving, by a receiver (e.g., receiving device  202 ) of the second computing system, a receipt of funds message from a second service provider system (e.g., supplier service provider  120 ); and transmitting, by the transmitter of the second computing system, the payment confirmation message to the processing server. In a further embodiment, the receipt of funds message may include a transaction identifier, the payment confirmation message may include the transaction identifier, and the update message may include the transaction identifier. 
     Computer System Architecture 
       FIG.  5    illustrates a computer system  500  in which embodiments of the present disclosure, or portions thereof, may be implemented as computer-readable code. For example, the gateway service  114  and payment service  116  of  FIG.  1    and the computing system  200  of  FIG.  2    may be implemented in the computer system  500  using hardware, non-transitory computer readable media having instructions stored thereon, or a combination thereof and may be implemented in one or more computer systems or other processing systems. Hardware may embody modules and components used to implement the methods of  FIGS.  3 A,  3 B, and  4   . 
     If programmable logic is used, such logic may execute on a commercially available processing platform configured by executable software code to become a specific purpose computer or a special purpose device (e.g., programmable logic array, application-specific integrated circuit, etc.). A person having ordinary skill in the art may appreciate that embodiments of the disclosed subject matter can be practiced with various computer system configurations, including multi-core multiprocessor systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, computers linked or clustered with distributed functions, as well as pervasive or miniature computers that may be embedded into virtually any device. For instance, at least one processor device and a memory may be used to implement the above-described embodiments. 
     A processor unit or device as discussed herein may be a single processor, a plurality of processors, or combinations thereof. Processor devices may have one or more processor “cores.” The terms “computer program medium,” “non-transitory computer readable medium,” and “computer usable medium” as discussed herein are used to generally refer to tangible media such as a removable storage unit  518 , a removable storage unit  522 , and a hard disk installed in hard disk drive  512 . 
     Various embodiments of the present disclosure are described in terms of this example computer system  500 . After reading this description, it will become apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art how to implement the present disclosure using other computer systems and/or computer architectures. Although operations may be described as a sequential process, some of the operations may in fact be performed in parallel, concurrently, and/or in a distributed environment, and with program code stored locally or remotely for access by single or multi-processor machines. In addition, in some embodiments the order of operations may be rearranged without departing from the spirit of the disclosed subject matter. 
     Processor device  504  may be a special purpose or a general-purpose processor device specifically configured to perform the functions discussed herein. The processor device  504  may be connected to a communications infrastructure  506 , such as a bus, message queue, network, multi-core message-passing scheme, etc. The network may be any network suitable for performing the functions as disclosed herein and may include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless network (e.g., WiFi), a mobile communication network, a satellite network, the Internet, fiber optic, coaxial cable, infrared, radio frequency (RF), or any combination thereof. Other suitable network types and configurations will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art. The computer system  500  may also include a main memory  508  (e.g., random access memory, read-only memory, etc.), and may also include a secondary memory  510 . The secondary memory  510  may include the hard disk drive  512  and a removable storage drive  514 , such as a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, a flash memory, etc. 
     The removable storage drive  514  may read from and/or write to the removable storage unit  518  in a well-known manner. The removable storage unit  518  may include a removable storage media that may be read by and written to by the removable storage drive  514 . For example, if the removable storage drive  514  is a floppy disk drive or universal serial bus port, the removable storage unit  518  may be a floppy disk or portable flash drive, respectively. In one embodiment, the removable storage unit  518  may be non-transitory computer readable recording media. 
     In some embodiments, the secondary memory  510  may include alternative means for allowing computer programs or other instructions to be loaded into the computer system  500 , for example, the removable storage unit  522  and an interface  520 . Examples of such means may include a program cartridge and cartridge interface (e.g., as found in video game systems), a removable memory chip (e.g., EEPROM, PROM, etc.) and associated socket, and other removable storage units  522  and interfaces  520  as will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art. 
     Data stored in the computer system  500  (e.g., in the main memory  508  and/or the secondary memory  510 ) may be stored on any type of suitable computer readable media, such as optical storage (e.g., a compact disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.) or magnetic tape storage (e.g., a hard disk drive). The data may be configured in any type of suitable database configuration, such as a relational database, a structured query language (SQL) database, a distributed database, an object database, etc. Suitable configurations and storage types will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art. 
     The computer system  500  may also include a communications interface  524 . The communications interface  524  may be configured to allow software and data to be transferred between the computer system  500  and external devices. Exemplary communications interfaces  524  may include a modem, a network interface (e.g., an Ethernet card), a communications port, a PCMCIA slot and card, etc. Software and data transferred via the communications interface  524  may be in the form of signals, which may be electronic, electromagnetic, optical, or other signals as will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art. The signals may travel via a communications path  526 , which may be configured to carry the signals and may be implemented using wire, cable, fiber optics, a phone line, a cellular phone link, a radio frequency link, etc. 
     The computer system  500  may further include a display interface  502 . The display interface  502  may be configured to allow data to be transferred between the computer system  500  and external display  530 . Exemplary display interfaces  502  may include high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), digital visual interface (DVI), video graphics array (VGA), etc. The display  530  may be any suitable type of display for displaying data transmitted via the display interface  502  of the computer system  500 , including a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED) display, capacitive touch display, thin-film transistor (TFT) display, etc. 
     Computer program medium and computer usable medium may refer to memories, such as the main memory  508  and secondary memory  510 , which may be memory semiconductors (e.g., DRAMs, etc.). These computer program products may be means for providing software to the computer system  500 . Computer programs (e.g., computer control logic) may be stored in the main memory  508  and/or the secondary memory  510 . Computer programs may also be received via the communications interface  524 . Such computer programs, when executed, may enable computer system  500  to implement the present methods as discussed herein. In particular, the computer programs, when executed, may enable processor device  504  to implement the methods illustrated by  FIGS.  3 A,  3 B, and  4   , as discussed herein. Accordingly, such computer programs may represent controllers of the computer system  500 . Where the present disclosure is implemented using software, the software may be stored in a computer program product and loaded into the computer system  500  using the removable storage drive  514 , interface  520 , and hard disk drive  512 , or communications interface  524 . 
     The processor device  504  may comprise one or more modules or engines configured to perform the functions of the computer system  500 . Each of the modules or engines may be implemented using hardware and, in some instances, may also utilize software, such as corresponding to program code and/or programs stored in the main memory  508  or secondary memory  510 . In such instances, program code may be compiled by the processor device  504  (e.g., by a compiling module or engine) prior to execution by the hardware of the computer system  500 . For example, the program code may be source code written in a programming language that is translated into a lower-level language, such as assembly language or machine code, for execution by the processor device  504  and/or any additional hardware components of the computer system  500 . The process of compiling may include the use of lexical analysis, preprocessing, parsing, semantic analysis, syntax-directed translation, code generation, code optimization, and any other techniques that may be suitable for translation of program code into a lower-level language suitable for controlling the computer system  500  to perform the functions disclosed herein. It will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art that such processes result in the computer system  500  being a specially configured computer system  500  uniquely programmed to perform the functions discussed above. 
       FIG.  6    is a flow diagram illustrating transaction flow  600  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of a system (for example, system  100  in  FIG.  1   ) that further involves a fourth computing system, such as a third-party lender  617 . 
     According to an embodiment, and prior to the transaction flow illustrated in  FIG.  6   , a third-party lender  617  (of a plurality of third-party lenders) may analyze ERP data of a supplier  604  received from the supplier ERP (e.g., Supplier ERP  112  in  FIG.  1   —not depicted in  FIG.  6   ), via a gateway service (gateway service  114  in  FIG.  1   —not depicted in  FIG.  6   ) and the payment service  616 , in order to finalize program pricing and credit terms. When a buyer  602  is interested in purchasing a product from the supplier  604 , the payment service  616  may notify the buyer  602  (e.g., via email, text message, text, display on an interface, or other suitable communication protocol) that lender trade credit is available to the buyer  602  so he/she would not be required to provide a payment-in-full to the supplier  604  for the product but, rather, the buyer  602  would provide a series of payments (e.g., bi-monthly, monthly, etc.) to the third-party lender  617 . 
     If interested, the buyer  602  would submit a credit application through a buyer portal of the payment service  616 . The payment service  616  would forward the credit application to the third-party lender  617 , which would approve or deny the buyer&#39;s credit application. If the third-party lender  617  denies the credit application, a denial notification is sent to the buyer  602 , via the payment service  616 . If the third-party lender  617  approves the credit application, it determines a credit limit for the buyer  602  and transmits an approval notification (including the credit limit) to the buyer  602 , via the payment service  616 . If the buyer  602  would like to continue with a payment transaction to purchase the product from the supplier  604  using the approved trade credit, the buyer  602  would place an order (purchase order; step  610 ) with the supplier  604 . The supplier  604  may then communicate with the payment server  616 , which runs a credit limit and validation check in order to validate the order against the buyer&#39;s approved credit limit (step  620 ) (e.g., receive an authorization response). Once the order is validated, the supplier  604  fulfills the order, ships the ordered product to the buyer  602  (fulfill order—step  630 ) and issues an invoice for the payment transaction to the payment service  616 . 
     The payment service  616  may then route the invoice for the order to the third-party lender  617  (step  650 ). In some embodiments, the payment service  616  routes invoices individually to the third-party lender  617 . In other embodiments, the payment service  616  routes all invoices collected for a given period of time at once. In other words, invoices may be routed to the third-party lender  617 , for example, at the end of each day. The third-party lender  617  may then issue a payment to the supplier  604  for the full transaction amount for the order, for example, within  24  hours or other timeframe (step  660 ). For example, if the buyer  602  purchased a $ 500  product from supplier  604  using trade credit, the third-party lender  617  would make payment to the supplier  604 , within  24  hours, for $ 500  (e.g., via deposit into a transaction account associated with the supplier  604 ). In some embodiments, the system  600  may enable Virtual Cloud Network (VCN) payment disbursement from the lender  617  to the supplier  604 . In some embodiments, the supplier  604  may notify the payment service  616  that payment-in-full was received from the third-party lender  617 , and the payment service  616  may then communicate with the supplier ERP (e.g., supplier ERP  112  in  FIG.  1   ) via the gateway service (gateway service  114  in  FIG.  1   ) in order to close invoices in the supplier ERP. 
     The payment service  616  may also generate an invoice for provision to the buyer  602  based on previously established terms and conditions. Continuing with the example involving the $500 purchase described above, the terms and conditions may involve, for example, four equal bi-monthly payments to be paid to the third-party lender  617 . In such an example, the buyer  602  would be obligated to submit payments in the amount of $125 every two weeks to the third-party lender  617  until the $ 500  purchase amount is paid in full. Thus, the payment service  616  would generate an invoice in the amount of $125 as a first payment and issue/route the invoice to the buyer  602  (step  660 ). The buyer  602  may then submit the necessary payment to the third-party lender  617 , via the buyer portal provided by the payment service  616 , in response to receiving the invoice from the payment service  616 . The payment service  616  would then continue to generate and issue invoices (e.g., every two weeks) in the agreed-up on amount (e.g., $125) for payment to the third-party lender  617  until the total purchase amount (e.g., $500) has been paid by the buyer  602 . Of course, additional charges or other considerations for providing the lending service can be part of these transactions. 
     Embodiments described above associated with  FIG.  6   , bring together sellers, buyers and third-party lenders on the same platform and are API (application program interface) based, which allows for quick implementation and faster scalability. 
     Techniques consistent with the present disclosure provide, among other features, systems and methods for facilitating payment across different enterprise ecosystems through the use of a gateway platform. While various exemplary embodiments of the disclosed system and method have been described above it should be understood that they have been presented for purposes of example only, not limitations. It is not exhaustive and does not limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practicing of the disclosure, without departing from the breadth or scope.