Patent ID: 8160935

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of providing a payment service, the method comprising: registering a user and a merchant with a computer-implemented service that acts as a payment intermediary between users and merchants, said service comprising a server that operates in a first network domain that is separate from a network domain of a merchant site of said merchant, said service being separate from the merchant site; receiving, at the server, a request to use the service to perform a purchase transaction, said request generated in response to a user action performed by the user on the merchant site; responding to the request with said server by generating and returning a purchase object for display on a web page of the merchant site, said purchase object being selectable by the user to place an order with the merchant; receiving, with said server, an order message generated in response to user selection of the purchase object as displayed on the web page, said order message representing an order placed by the user with the merchant; and in response to the order message, charging the user on behalf of the merchant, such that the user is charged by said service with said service acting as a payment intermediary between the user and the merchant; wherein the method is performed in its entirety by said computer-implemented service.