Patent ID: 8612343

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of providing a network-based payment service, the method comprising: hosting a payment service on a computer system that comprises one or more computers; registering a site operator with the payment service via an online registration process implemented by the computer system, wherein registering the site operator comprises the computer system (1) collecting and storing account information associated with an external site operated by the site operator, said external site hosted on computer hardware that is separate from the computer system, and (2) granting access for the site operator to use the payment service to collect payments from registered users of the payment service using one or more customized payment boxes provided on the external site; receiving, by the computer system, payment box specifications submitted by the site operator via a user interface of the payment service, said payment box specifications including a monetary amount associated with the payment box, a message to be displayed by the payment box, and at least one additional parameter of an appearance of the payment box; generating, by the computer system, a code sequence that reflects said payment box specifications, said code sequence, when incorporated into page coding of a page of the external site, configured to cause a browser that loads the page to retrieve and display the payment box as functionally and visually configured in accordance with the received payment box specifications, said code sequence including an identifier of the site operator, said payment box, when presented on a display screen of a user device, providing functionality for a registered user of the payment service to interact with the payment service to make a payment to the operator of the external site; transmitting, by the computer system, the code sequence to a device associated with the site operator and instructions for incorporating the code sequence into page coding of the external site; and responding, by the computer system, to selection of a selectable display element of the payment box, as displayed on the page of the external site as a result of said code sequence, by a registered user of the payment service by initiating a transaction that causes the registered user to be charged said monetary amount, and by causing at least a portion of said monetary amount to be credited to the account of the site operator.