Performing automatically authorized programmatic transactions

Abstract

Techniques are described for facilitating interactions between computing systems, such as by performing transactions between parties that are automatically authorized via a third-party transaction authorization system. In some situations, the transactions are programmatic transactions involving the use of fee-based Web services by executing application programs, with the transaction authorization system authorizing and/or providing payments in accordance with private authorization instructions previously specified by the parties. The authorization instructions may include predefined instruction rule sets that regulate conditions under which a potential transaction can be authorized, with the instruction rule sets each referenced by an associated reference token. After one or more of the parties to a potential transaction supply reference tokens for the parties, the transaction authorization system can determine whether to authorize the transaction based on whether the instruction rule sets associated with the reference tokens are compatible or otherwise satisfied.

1 - 147 . (canceled) 
     
     
         148 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 receiving, by one or more configured computing systems providing an executing transaction authorization system, defined instructions from a first user of the transaction authorization system that specify one or more conditions under which a later payment from the first user is authorized;   providing to the first user, by the executing transaction authorization system, a reference associated with the defined instructions;   at a time after the providing, receiving, by the executing transaction authorization system via a defined application programming interface of the executing transaction authorization system, information about a transaction involving at least the first user, the received information including the provided reference;   retrieving, by the executing transaction authorization system, information about the defined instructions based on the provided reference included in the received information about the transaction; and   initiating, by the executing transaction authorization system, a payment from the first user for the transaction based on the retrieved information about the defined instructions, wherein the initiating includes determining that at least one of the specified one or more conditions of the defined instructions are satisfied.   
     
     
         149 . The method of  claim 148  wherein the specified one or more conditions include a maximum payment amount, a maximum number of times of use, and an expiration date, and wherein the determining that at least one of the specified one or more conditions of the defined instructions are satisfied includes determining that all of the specified one or more conditions are satisfied for the transaction. 
     
     
         150 . The method of  claim 148  wherein the specified one or more conditions include a maximum payment amount, and wherein the determining that at least one of the specified one or more conditions of the defined instructions are satisfied includes determining that the initiated payment for the transaction does not exceed the maximum payment amount. 
     
     
         151 . The method of  claim 148  wherein the specified one or more conditions include a maximum number of times of use, and wherein the determining that at least one of the specified one or more conditions of the defined instructions are satisfied includes determining that use of the defined instructions for the transaction does not exceed the maximum number of times of use. 
     
     
         152 . The method of  claim 148  wherein the specified one or more conditions include an expiration date, and wherein the determining that at least one of the specified one or more conditions of the defined instructions are satisfied includes determining that the expiration date has not passed at a time of the transaction. 
     
     
         153 . The method of  claim 148  wherein the received information about the transaction includes a second reference associated with second defined instructions of a second user involved in the transaction, and wherein the method further comprises determining that the transaction is authorized based in part on the second defined instructions being satisfied for the transaction. 
     
     
         154 . The method of  claim 153  further comprising, before the receiving of the information about the transaction:
 receiving, by the executing transaction authorization system, the second defined instructions from the second user, wherein the second defined instructions specify one or more conditions under which a transaction involving the second user is authorized; and 
 providing to the second user, by the executing transaction authorization system, the second reference associated with the second defined instructions. 
 
     
     
         155 . The method of  claim 148  wherein the defined application programming interface includes functionality for defining a set of one or more instructions for a user of the transaction authorization system, and wherein the receiving of the defined instructions from the first user is based on invocation by the first user of the defined application programming interface. 
     
     
         156 . The method of  claim 148  wherein the receiving of the defined instructions from the first user is based on interactions by the first user with a graphical user interface provided by the transaction authorization system. 
     
     
         157 . The method of  claim 148  further comprising, before the providing of the reference associated with the defined instructions, generating the reference for use with the defined instructions, the generated reference being a reference token specific to the defined instructions. 
     
     
         158 . The method of  claim 148  wherein the defined application programming interface is a Web service interface, and wherein the receiving of the information about a transaction is based on invocation of the Web service interface by a computer system associated with one of the first user and a second party involved in the transaction. 
     
     
         159 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored contents that configure one or more computing systems associated with a transaction authorization system to perform a method, the method comprising:
 receiving, by the configured one or more computing systems, defined instructions from a first user of the transaction authorization system that specify information about authorization for multiple later payments from the first user;   providing, by the transaction authorization system, a reference associated with the defined instructions;   at a time after the providing of the reference, authorizing, by the transaction authorization system, one or more payments from the first user for one or more transactions based on the defined instructions;   receiving, by the transaction authorization system via a defined application programming interface of the transaction authorization system, a request for information about previous payments made based on the defined instructions, the received request including the provided reference associated with the defined instructions; and   providing, by the transaction authorization system in response to the received request, information about the authorized one or more payments based at least in part on the provided reference included in the received request.   
     
     
         160 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 159  wherein the request for information is for information about a number of transactions approved based on the defined instructions, and wherein the provided information includes an indication of a quantity of the one or more transactions. 
     
     
         161 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 159  wherein the request for information is for information about a total amount of payments approved based on the defined instructions, and wherein the provided information includes an indication of a total of the authorized one or more payments. 
     
     
         162 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 159  wherein the request for information is for information about a role of the first user in the one or more transactions, and wherein the provided information includes an indication of the first user being a sender of the one or more payments. 
     
     
         163 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 159  wherein the authorizing of the one or more payments from the first user for the one or more transactions based on the defined instructions includes:
 at a time after the providing of the reference, receiving, by the transaction authorization system via the defined application programming interface, information about one of the one or more transactions, the received information including the provided reference; 
 retrieving, by the transaction authorization system, information about the defined instructions based on the provided reference included in the received information about the one transaction; and 
 initiating, by the transaction authorization system, one of the one or more payments from the first user for the one transaction based on the retrieved information about the defined instructions, wherein the initiating includes determining that at least one specified condition for the defined instructions is satisfied for the one transaction. 
 
     
     
         164 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 159  wherein the defined instructions include a maximum total payment amount for the multiple later payments, and wherein the authorizing of the one or more payments from the first user includes determining that the one or more payments have a total that does not exceed the maximum total payment amount. 
     
     
         165 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 159  wherein the defined instructions include a maximum number of times of use, and wherein the authorizing of the one or more payments from the first user includes determining that use of the defined instructions for the one or more payments does not exceed the maximum number of times of use. 
     
     
         166 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 159  wherein the authorizing of the one or more payments from the first user includes receiving the provided reference associated with the defined instructions and receiving a second reference associated with second defined instructions of a second user involved in the one or more transactions, and wherein the method further comprises determining that the one or more transactions are authorized based in part on the second defined instructions being satisfied for the one or more transactions and on the defined instructions being satisfied for the one or more transactions. 
     
     
         167 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 159  wherein the stored contents are software instructions for execution by one or more processors of the configured one or more computing systems, and wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium includes a memory of at least one of the configured one or more computing systems. 
     
     
         168 . A system comprising:
 one or more processors of one or more computing systems that are configured to provide a transaction authorization system; and   one or more components configured to, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors:
 receive defined instructions from a first user of the transaction authorization system that specify one or more conditions under which later payments from the first user are authorized; 
 provide a reference associated with the defined instructions; 
 at a time after the providing of the reference, receive, via a defined application programming interface of the executing transaction authorization system, information about one or more transactions involving at least the first user, the received information including the provided reference; 
 aggregate multiple payments made at multiple times on behalf of the first user for the one or more transactions, wherein the multiple payments are authorized based on determining satisfaction of at least one of the specified one or more conditions for the defined instructions associated with the provided reference included in the received information; and 
 obtain a single payment from the first user based on an amount of the aggregated multiple payments. 
   
     
     
         169 . The system of  claim 168  wherein the aggregating of the multiple payments includes aggregating payments made on behalf of the first user during a defined period of time, and wherein the obtaining of the single payment from the first user occurs after an end of the defined period of time. 
     
     
         170 . The system of  claim 168  wherein the aggregating of the multiple payments includes aggregating payments made on behalf of the first user until a defined minimum total payment amount is reached, and wherein the obtaining of the single payment from the first user occurs after the defined minimum total payment amount is reached. 
     
     
         171 . The system of  claim 168  wherein the aggregating of the multiple payments includes performing the aggregating of the multiple payments in accordance with preferences previously specified by the first user. 
     
     
         172 . The system of  claim 168  wherein the defined instructions of the first user are associated with an account of the first user with the transaction authorization system, and wherein the aggregating of the multiple payments includes storing information in association with the account of the first user related to the amount of the aggregated multiple payments. 
     
     
         173 . The system of  claim 168  wherein the receiving of the information about the one or more transactions includes receiving multiple requests each related to one of multiple transactions, wherein each of the multiple requests includes the provided reference, and wherein the aggregating of the multiple payments includes authorizing payment for the multiple transactions based on the defined instructions by, for each of the multiple requests:
 retrieving information about the defined instructions based on the provided reference included in the received request; and 
 initiating one of the multiple payments for the related one transaction for the request, wherein the initiating includes determining that at least one of the specified one or more conditions is satisfied for the related one transaction for the request. 
 
     
     
         174 . The system of  claim 168  wherein the specified one or more conditions of the defined instructions include at least one of a maximum total payment amount for the multiple later payments and a maximum number of times of use. 
     
     
         175 . The system of  claim 168  wherein the aggregating of the multiple payments includes receiving a second reference associated with second defined instructions of a second user involved in the one or more transactions, and determining that the one or more transactions are authorized based in part on the second defined instructions being satisfied for the one or more transactions and on the defined instructions being satisfied for the one or more transactions. 
     
     
         176 . The system of  claim 168  wherein the one or more transactions include at least one programmatic transaction between a first executing computer system associated with the first user and a second executing computer system associated with a second party to the at least one programmatic transaction. 
     
     
         177 . The system of  claim 168  wherein the one or more transactions include at least one physical transaction between the first user and a second party to the at least one physical transaction, the at least one physical transaction including the second party providing a physical product or service to the first user. 
     
     
         178 . The system of  claim 168  wherein the one or more components include software instructions for execution by the at least one of the one or more processors.