How Banks Attach Extra Transaction Details Using Shortened Web Links
A system for banks to send extra payment details, like invoices or receipts, by embedding a short web link inside standard financial transaction messages.
Original patent title: “Facilitating presentation of content relating to a financial transaction”
A system for banks to send extra payment details, like invoices or receipts, by embedding a short web link inside standard financial transaction messages. Granted to Fiserv Inc in 2019 with 21 claims and 6 forward citations.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This system solves the problem of limited space in traditional bank payment messages. When a transaction occurs, the system stores detailed remittance information (like invoice numbers or line items) on a web server rather than trying to cram it into the payment instruction itself. It then generates a shortened URL pointing to that data and inserts it into the payment message. When the receiving bank or account holder gets the payment, they can click or use that link to retrieve the full, structured details of the transaction.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover the actual movement of funds between bank accounts.
- Does not cover payment messages that include all remittance data directly within the primary instruction.
- Does not cover peer-to-peer payment apps that do not use standardized financial credit instructions.
- Does not cover the physical printing or mailing of paper invoices.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
By using a URL as a pointer, the system decouples the payment instruction from the data payload, allowing for unlimited data storage without violating the rigid formatting rules of global payment networks.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Corporate B2B payment portals
Automated accounts receivable software
Electronic invoice presentment and payment (EIPP) systems
Why it matters
The bigger picture
Financial messaging standards like ISO 8583 or ACH have strict character limits, making it difficult for businesses to reconcile payments with specific invoices. This patent provides a digital workaround that allows for rich data exchange without needing to overhaul legacy banking infrastructure. It is essential for modernizing B2B payments where automated accounting is required.
Filed
December 31, 2014
Granted
January 22, 2019
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Fiserv remains a major player in this space, providing core banking infrastructure. Other large payment processors like FIS and Jack Henry & Associates build similar middleware to handle the growing demand for rich data in B2B transactions.
Market impact
This technology helps bridge the gap between legacy banking systems and modern digital accounting. It enables businesses to automate reconciliation, reducing the manual labor typically required to match incoming payments to outstanding invoices.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This system solves the problem of limited space in traditional bank payment messages. When a transaction occurs, the system stores detailed remittance information (like invoice numbers or line items) on a web server rather than trying to cram it into the payment instruction itself. It then generates a shortened URL pointing to that data and inserts it into the payment message. When the receiving bank or account holder gets the payment, they can click or use that link to retrieve the full, structured details of the transaction.
The clever bit
By using a URL as a pointer, the system decouples the payment instruction from the data payload, allowing for unlimited data storage without violating the rigid formatting rules of global payment networks.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover the actual movement of funds between bank accounts.
- Does not cover payment messages that include all remittance data directly within the primary instruction.
- Does not cover peer-to-peer payment apps that do not use standardized financial credit instructions.
- Does not cover the physical printing or mailing of paper invoices.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Moderate
Citation count
17/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
14/20
Broad claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
10/20
Granted 5–10 years ago
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$125K – $399K
Midpoint $250K · 8.5 yr remaining · industry ×1.6
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
21 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Bowman, M. E., Harris, M. T., Kell, J. A., & Sondergaard, S. P. (2019). How Banks Attach Extra Transaction Details Using Shortened Web Links (U.S. Patent No. 10,185,946). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10185946/square-cash-app
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How Banks Attach Extra Transaction Details Using Shortened Web Links cover?
A system for banks to send extra payment details, like invoices or receipts, by embedding a short web link inside standard financial transaction messages.
Who owns patent US 10185946?
Fiserv Inc owns this patent, granted in 2019.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on January 22, 2039, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 10185946 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 6 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
Financial messaging standards like ISO 8583 or ACH have strict character limits, making it difficult for businesses to reconcile payments with specific invoices. This patent provides a digital workaround that allows for rich data exchange without needing to overhaul legacy banking infrastructure. It is essential for modernizing B2B payments where automated accounting is required.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover the actual movement of funds between bank accounts.
Patent monitoring