Method and system for utilizing location information when authorizing a payment request

Abstract

A method includes receiving, by a payment server, a request for a payment from a mobile communication device, generating a request to verify the location of the mobile communication device, and, in response to receiving the location of the mobile communication device, determining whether or not to authorize the requested payment.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 sending, by a payment application executing on a mobile communications device, a payment authorization request, to a payment application server, the payment application being associated with the payment application server;   after the request is sent, receiving, by the mobile communications device, a pushed message including instructions to connect to a location-based application server;   connecting, by the mobile communications device, to the location-based application server according to the pushed message to provide a location of the mobile communications device to the location-based application server which transmits the location to the payment application server; and   after the payment application server determines that the location of the mobile communications device is acceptable and after authorizing the requested payment, receiving, by the payment application on the mobile communications device, confirmation that the requested payment has been processed by the payment application server.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising
 displaying, on the mobile communications device, a request to send a location of the mobile communications device to the location-based application server; and   receiving, by the mobile communications device, user input indicating consent to send the location of the mobile communications device to the payment application server, the connecting by the mobile communications device being performed after the receiving user input indicating consent.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the mobile communications device from the location-based application server, instructions to transmit the location of the mobile communications device to the location-based application server in response to the mobile communications device connecting to the location-based application, wherein the sending the location of the mobile communications device is performed according to the instructions received from the location-based application server.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the providing of the location of the mobile communications device includes periodically sending the most recently available location available during a predetermined time period. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the mobile communications device has a plurality of location systems, and wherein the periodically sending includes sending the location from at least two different location systems of the plurality during the predetermined time period. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , the plurality of location systems including a GPS system, a Wi-Fi access point location system, a cell-tower signal location information system, and radio signal location information system. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the location is determined by a location application executing on the mobile communications device, the location application being associated with the location-based application server. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the location-based server is the same computer as the payment application server, and wherein the location is determined by the payment application on the mobile communications device. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining that the location of the mobile communications device is acceptable and the authorizing of the requested payment by the payment application server includes (1) comparing the location of the mobile communications device to a list of known locations for the mobile communications device and (2) authorizing the requested payment occurs when the location of the mobile communications device matches a known location on the list of known locations for the mobile communications device. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the mobile communications device connects to the location-based application server using a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP). 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein providing the location further includes, posting the location and authentication information to the location-based application server in a structured data format. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the structured data format includes at least one of a XML format or a JSON format. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pushed message is pushed to the mobile communications device by a push service selected from a plurality of available push services by a push service system, the selecting being based on a delivery profile and on information about the mobile communications device. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein selecting the at least one push service further being based on past performance of the at least one push service. 
     
     
         15 . A system comprising one or more processors and a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to:
 send a payment authorization request, to a payment application server, a payment application on the system being associated with the payment application server;   after the request is sent, receive a pushed message including instructions to connect to a location-based application server;   connect to the location-based application server according to the pushed message to provide a location of the system to the location-based application server which transmits the location to the payment application server; and   after the payment application server determines that the location of the system is acceptable and after authorizing the requested payment, receive confirmation that the requested payment has been processed by the payment application server.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , the instructions further causing the system to
 display a request to send a location of the system to the location-based application server; and   receive user input indicating consent to send the location of the system to the payment application server, the connecting by the system being performed after the receiving user input indicating consent.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15 , the instructions further causing the system to:
 receive from the location-based application server, instructions to transmit the location of the system to the location-based application server in response to the system connecting to the location-based application, wherein the sending the location of the system is performed according to the instructions received from the location-based application server.   
     
     
         18 . A computer program product, the computer program product comprising:
 a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium; and   computer-readable program code embodied in the storage medium, wherein the computer-readable program code includes instructions, which when executed by one or more processors of a system, cause the system to:   send a payment authorization request, to a payment application server, a payment application on the system being associated with the payment application server;   after the request is sent, receive a pushed message including instructions to connect to a location-based application server,   connect to the location-based application server according to the pushed message to provide a location of the system to the location-based application server which transmits the location to the payment application server, and   after the payment application server determines that the location of the system is acceptable and after authorizing the requested payment, receive confirmation that the requested payment has been processed by the payment application server.   
     
     
         19 . The computer program product of  claim 18 , the instructions further causing the system to:
 display a request to send a location of the system to the location-based application server, and   receive user input indicating consent to send the location of the system to the payment application server, the connecting by the system being performed after the receiving user input indicating consent.   
     
     
         20 . The computer program product of  claim 18 , the instructions further causing the system to:
 receive from the location-based application server, instructions to transmit the location of the system to the location-based application server in response to the system connecting to the location-based application, wherein the sending the location of the system is performed according to the instructions received from the location-based application server.