Apple has been granted a patent (number 9,911,123) for its Apple Pay interface. Apple Pay is the mobile payment and digital wallet service that lets users make payments using an iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad or Mac.
The tech giant’s patent notes that a mobile device receives and stores information for one or more payment accounts. It’s used to make payments using the payment accounts. In some examples, authorization to proceed with a payment is performed before each purchase made by the user.
The authorization process can include receiving a verification of the user, such as a fingerprint scan or passcode. In some examples, a payment account is selected from among available payment accounts. In some examples, an indication is displayed of a digital item associated with a purchased item. In some examples, a payment transaction is initiated with participants of an ongoing communication. In some examples, an application of a retailer is invoked based on the availability of the application. In some examples, a purchase recommendation is provided.
Apple Pay is currently available in 20 countries: Australia, Canada, China, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, the U.S., Denmark, Finland, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates.
