Methods for discovering and paying debts owed by a group

Abstract

Ranking payment requests includes a peer-to-peer payment system that employs a server configured for receiving a payment request from a requester computing device; receiving location data of the requester network device; receiving a request for a ranking of payment requests; searching social network information of the payor for occurrences of the requester of the payment request; receiving location data of the payor network device, the location data comprising a location of the payor computing device and a location history of the payor computing device; searching a transaction history of the payor; ranking the payment requests based at least in part on one or more of the location of the requester, a strength of social network connections to the payor for each of the payment requesters, and number of previous transactions between the payor and the requester; and providing the ranking of the payment requests to the payor.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A computer-implemented method to generate payment requests, comprising:
 receiving, using one or more computing devices, a plurality of payment requests from payment requesters, each payment request being received from a requester computing device associated with a particular one of the payment requesters, and each payment request comprising identification information for the particular one of the payment requesters, and an amount for which the particular one of the payment requesters would like to be paid;   associating, using the one or more computing devices, a payment request identifier with each of the plurality of payment requests;   receiving, using the one or more computing devices, a message requesting a listing of payment requests, the message being received from a payor computing device associated with a payor;   searching, using the one or more computing devices, social network information of the payor for occurrences of the payment requesters to assess a strength of social network connections between the payor and each of the plurality of payment requesters;   comparing, using the one or more computing devices, location data of the payor computing device with location data of each of the requester computing devices to determine whether the location of the payor computing device provided in the location data for the payor computing device matches the location data for any of the requester computing devices;   generating, using the one or more computing devices, a list of the payment requests based at least in part on the strength of social network connections between the payor and each of the plurality of payment requesters; and   providing, using the one or more computing devices, the list of the payment requests to the payor computing device for display to the payor computing device.   
     
     
         22 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 21 , further comprising searching, using the one or more computing devices, a transaction history of the payor to identify a number of previous transactions between the payor and each of the plurality of payment requestors, and wherein generating the list of the payment request is further based on a number of previous transactions between the payor and each of the plurality of payment requestors. 
     
     
         23 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 searching, using the one or more computing devices, for the identifier associated with the payment request; and   promoting, using the one or more computing devices, a payment request to the top of the listing of the payment requests based on the identifier of the payment request matching the search criteria.   
     
     
         24 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 21 , wherein the location data of the payor computing device further comprises a location history of the payor computing device. 
     
     
         25 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 21 , wherein the payment request identifier is randomly generated by the one or more computing devices. 
     
     
         26 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 receiving, using the one or more computing devices, an input from the payor computing device that the payor conducted a transaction to satisfy one of the payment requests; and   updating, using the one or more computing devices, the satisfied one of the payment requests based on the input.   
     
     
         27 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 26 , further comprising conducting, using the one or more computing devices, the transaction with the payor computing device. 
     
     
         28 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 21 , wherein the social network information comprises a social graph of the payor. 
     
     
         29 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 21 , wherein the social graph comprises information from at least one of a social network site and a contacts application. 
     
     
         30 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 26 , wherein selection of a payment request from the list via the payor computing device initiates a financial transaction between the payor computing device and the requester computing device associated with the selected payment request. 
     
     
         31 . A computer program product, comprising:
 a non-transitory computer-readable storage device having computer-executable program instructions embodied thereon that when executed by a computer identifies payment requests, the computer-executable program instructions comprising:
 computer-executable program instructions to receive a plurality of payment requests, each payment request being received from a requester computing device associated with a particular one of the payment requesters, and each payment request comprising identification information for the particular one of the payment requesters, and an amount for which the particular one of the payment requesters would like to be paid; 
 computer-executable program instructions to associate a payment request identifier with each of the plurality of payment requests; 
 computer-executable program instructions to receive a message requesting a listing of payment requests, the message being received from a payor computing device associated with a payor; 
 computer-executable program instructions to search social network information of the payor for occurrences of the payment requesters to assess a strength of social network connection between the payor and each of the plurality of payment requesters; 
 computer-executable program instructions to generate a listing of the payment requests based at least in part on the strength of social network connection between the payor and each of the plurality of payment requesters; and 
 computer-executable program instructions to provide the listing of the payment requests to the payor computing device for display to the payor. 
   
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , further comprising computer-executable program instructions to search a transaction history of the payor to identify a number of previous transactions between the payor and each of the plurality of payment requestors, and wherein generating the listing of payment requests is further based on a number of previous transactions between the payor and each of the plurality of payment requesters. 
     
     
         33 . The computer program product of  claim 31 , the instructions further comprising:
 computer-executable program instructions to receive a payment request from a requester computing device;   computer-executable program instructions to associate an identifier to the request;   computer-executable program instructions to search for the identifier associated with the payment request; and   computer-executable program instructions to promote a payment request to the top of the listing of payment requests based on the identifier of the payment request matching the search criteria.   
     
     
         34 . The computer program product of  claim 33 , wherein the request identifier is randomly generated by the one or more computing devices. 
     
     
         35 . The computer program product of  claim 31 , the instructions further comprising:
 computer-executable program instructions to receive an input from the computing device of the payor that the payor conducted a transaction to satisfy the payment request; and   computer-executable program instructions to update the payment request based on the input.   
     
     
         36 . The computer program product of  claim 31 , wherein the social network information comprises a social graph of the payor. 
     
     
         37 . The computer program product of  claim 31 , wherein the social graph comprises information from at least one of a social network site and a contacts application. 
     
     
         38 . A system to identify payment requests, the system comprising:
 a storage device;   a network device; and   a processor communicatively coupled to the storage resource and the network module, wherein the processor executes application code instructions that are stored in the storage device and that cause the system to:
 receive a plurality of payment requests, each payment request being received from a requestor computing device associated with a particular one of the payment requesters, and each payment request comprising identification information of the particular one of the payment requests, and an amount for which the particular one of the payment requesters would like to be paid; 
 associate a payment request identifier with each of the plurality payment requests; 
 receive a message requesting a listing of payment requests, the message being received from a payor computing device associated with a payor; 
 search social network information of the payor for occurrences of the payment requesters to assess a strength of social network connection between the payor and each of the plurality of payment requests; 
 generate a listing of the payment requests based at least in part on the strength of social network connections between the payor and each of the plurality of payment requesters; and 
 provide the listing of the payment requests to the payor for display on the payor computing device. 
   
     
     
         39 . The system of  claim 38 , further comprising executable application code instructions that cause the system to search a transaction history of the payor to identify a number of previous transactions between the payor and each of the plurality of payment requestors, and wherein generating the listing of payment requests is further based on a number of previous transactions between the payor and each of the plurality of payment requestors. 
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 38 , the instructions further comprising:
 searching for the identifier associated with the payment request; and   promoting a payment request to the top of the listing of payment requests based on the identifier of the payment request matching the search criteria.   
     
     
         41 . The system of  claim 38 , wherein the request identifier is randomly generated by the one or more computing devices. 
     
     
         42 . The system of  claim 38 , the instructions further comprising:
 receiving an input from the computing device of the payor that the payor conducted a transaction to satisfy the payment request; and   updating the payment request based on the input.