Method and system to dynamically present a payment gateway for content distributed via a network

1. A method to dynamically present a payment gateway to a content requestor, the method including:

responsive to a request received at a content distributor for access to a digital content item provided by a content provider via a network, determining whether the content distributor records a first payment gateway of a first plurality of payment gateways as being a preferred payment gateway;

if the content distributor has recorded the first payment gateway of the first plurality of payment gateways as a first preferred payment gateway, then presenting the first payment gateway to a content requestor as an actual preferred payment gateway; and

if the content distributor has not recorded the first payment gateway of the first plurality of payment gateways as the first preferred payment gateway, then presenting a second preferred payment gateway of a second plurality of payment gateways recorded by the content provider of the content item as the actual preferred payment gateway to the content requestor.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the actual preferred payment gateway is presented to the content requestor as a default payment gateway.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first plurality of payment gateways are presented to the content requestor in an order reflecting relationships established between the content distributor and the first plurality of payment gateways.

4. The method of claim 1 including communicating the first plurality of payment gateways, with which the content provider has established relationships, from the content provider to the content distributor, and presenting both the first and second pluralities of payment gateways to the content requestor for selection.

5. The method of claim 1 including communicating the first plurality of payment gateways from the content provider to the content distributor, and wherein the content distributor is only authorized to present payment gateways included within the second plurality of payment gateways to the content requestor for selection.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the content distributor re-orders the second plurality of payment gateways according to a relationship established between the content distributor and at least one of the second plurality of payment gateways.

7. A system to dynamically present a payment gateway, the system including:

a content distributor to receive a request, from a content requestor, for access to a digital content item provided by a content provider via a network, and to present a first payment gateway to the content requestor as an actual preferred payment gateway, if the first payment gateway of a first plurality of payment gateways is a preferred payment gateway, and to present a second preferred payment gateway of a second plurality of payment gateways recorded by the content provider of the content item as the actual preferred payment gateway to the content requestor, if the content distributor has not recorded the first payment gateway of the first plurality of payment gateways as the first preferred payment gateway.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the content distributor is to present to the content requestor the actual preferred payment gateway as a default payment gateway.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the first plurality of payment gateways are presented to the content requestor in an order reflecting relationships established between the content distributor and the first plurality of payment gateways.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein the content provider communicates the first plurality of payment gateways, with which the content provider has established relationships, from the content provider to the content distributor, and presents both the first and the second plurality of payment gateways to the content requestor for selection.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein the content provider communicates the first plurality of payment gateways from the content provider to the content distributor, and wherein the content distributor is only authorized to present payment gateways included within the second plurality of payment gateways to the content requestor for selection.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the content distributor re-orders the second plurality of payment gateways according to a relationship established between the content distributor and at least one of the second plurality of payment gateways.

13. A system to dynamically present a payment gateway, the system including:

content distributor means for receiving a request, from a content requestor, for access to a digital content item provided by the content provider via a network means, and for presenting a first payment gateway to the content requestor means as an actual preferred payment gateway, if the first payment gateway of a first plurality of payment gateways is a preferred payment gateway, and for presenting a second preferred payment gateway of a second plurality of payment gateways recorded by the content provider means of the content item as the actual preferred payment gateway to the content requestor means, if the content distributor means has not recorded the first payment gateway of the first plurality of payment gateways as the first preferred payment gateway.

14. A machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a method to dynamically present a payment gateway to a content requestor, the method including:

responsive to a request received at a content distributor for access to a digital content item provided by a content provider via a network, determining whether the content distributor records a first payment gateway of a first plurality of payment gateways as being a preferred payment gateway;

if the content distributor has recorded the first payment gateway of the first plurality of payment gateways as a first preferred payment gateway, then presenting the first payment gateway to a content requestor as an actual preferred payment gateway; and

if the content distributor has not recorded the first payment gateway of the first plurality of payment gateways as the first preferred payment gateway, then presenting a second preferred payment gateway of a second plurality of payment gateways recorded by the content provider of the content item as the actual preferred payment gateway to the content requestor.