Patent ID: 7376587

Claim:
A computer implemented method for providing a money transfer service between first party and a second party through a payment enabler system, comprising the steps of: maintaining at the payment enabler system a database of registered users that have registered with the payment enabler system, the registered users database comprising a plurality of records that include an email address and other account information including a default payment method and a default money receiving method; maintaining at the payment enabler system an address book database for storing address book records on behalf of a first party comprising names associated with second parties with whom the first party may initiate a money transfer, each address book record including a name and an associated email address; in response to selection by a first party of an entry in the address book database of a particular second party for purposes of initiating a transaction with the selected second party, retrieving the email address associated with the selected second party from the first party's associated address book records in the address book database; accessing the registered users database and determining whether the retrieved email address associated with the selected particular second party has a record in the registered users database; in response to a determination that the second party has no entry in the registered users database, sending the second party a registration invitation email utilizing the retrieved email address to notify the second party that a transaction is pending and instructing the second party to register with the payment enabler system by accessing the payment enabler system; in response to accessing of the payment enabler system by the second party after the registration invitation email, conducting a user registration process comprising steps including receiving registration information comprising an email address of the registering user, identification information, and a default money transfer method; in response to receiving registration information from a registering user, creating a database record in the registered users database including the registration information; completing a transaction between the first party and the second party by the payment enabler transferring money between the first party and the second party utilizing a determined money transfer method; storing additional information associated with a money transfer, the additional information including transaction type information and status information; and providing an account history display including information corresponding to money transfers between a first party and a plurality of second parties, the account history display comprising, for each money transfer transaction, one or more of the following information items: a name, a reference number associated with the payment enabler system, an email address, an amount, a date, a transaction description, and the additional information.