fig1 is a flowchart 100 showing a process an entity performs for processing a user request using a free - form action according to one embodiment of the present disclosure . the entity may be any type of system or person who processes a user action , such as a financial institution , a payment provider ( e . g ., paypal , inc . of san jose , calif . ), a merchant or retailer site , an on - line marketplace , a social networking site , a hospital , a government agency , etc . at step 102 , the entity presents a screen or display to the user requesting the user for some type of action . this may be part of a payment , shopping , on - boarding , or any suitable process that requires the user to perform an action . the action may include , but is not limited to , confirming a transaction , canceling a transaction , continuing a transaction , initiating a transaction , converting a currency , or skipping a step in a process . transactions may be payment , shopping , financial , or any other suitable transaction . the screen presented to the user at step 102 may be in response to a request from the user , such as initiating a transaction , or as part of , including completion of , a transaction . the screen is presented on a user device having a display that allows the user to perform a free - form action , which may include making a mark on the display , inputting an audio word or phrase , or shaking or moving the user device . examples of suitable devices may be a pc , smart phone , laptop , or other computing device . the device may have a touch - screen display , such as an iphone by apple , or displays in which the user can speak a command into the device or make a mark , such as with a stylus , mouse , track ball , track pad , or other means . in response to seeing the screen requesting the user for an action , the user performs a free - form action . in one embodiment , the user swipes a check mark or “ v ” on the screen , such as with the user &# 39 ; s finger or a mouse . other free - form actions may include marks such as an “ x ,” a slash “\” or “/”, a currency symbol , or any other suitable mark . in different embodiments , the free - form action may also be or alternatively be a voice command , such as “ cancel ,” “ continue ,” “ yes ,” “ no ,” “ confirm ,” etc . or a movement , such as shaking the device to cancel or restart a transaction . thus , the user device must be capable of processing the free - form action and transmitting it to the entity or system processing the transaction . for swipes and other movements , the device detects the movement on or through the display and converts the movement to a signal for transmission . for audio actions , the device converts the audio command to a signal for transmission . for movements , an accelerometer or other motion - sensing device processes the detected motion and converts the motion to a signal for transmission . such methods are conventionally known . transmission may be through any suitable communication medium , such as through the internet via a wired or wireless connection . once the user performs the free - form action , the corresponding signal is transmitted to and received , at step 104 , by the system processing the transaction . the system then determines , at step 106 , whether the user action is recognized . an unrecognizable action may be the result of the user performing a proper action , but in a way that is unrecognizable to the system . for example , if the user was intending to swipe a check mark , that action may be unrecognizable because the check mark was made in an area outside an acceptable area of the user display , the mark was made too quickly for the device to properly process it , and / or the mark was not made properly ( e . g ., lines not straight enough or broken ). the action may also be unrecognizable because it was not an action accepted by the system , e . g ., the user swiping a circle when a circle does not correspond to anything in the system , the user saying “ commence ” when that word does not correspond to anything in the system , or the user shaking the device in a circle when the device only recognizes an up and down motion . if the user action received at step 104 is determined as one that is not recognized by the system , the system notifies the user at step 108 . the notification may be a text or audio message informing the user that the action was not accepted or recognized . the user may re - enter the action if requested by the system . the number of re - entries , which can be zero , may be limited , as determined by the system . if the action is recognized by the system , as determined at step 106 , the action is processed at step 110 . some examples of actions include , but are not limited to , confirm a payment , send a payment , cancel a transaction , convert a currency , send a payment in a selected currency , initiate a checkout process , approve a transaction , and cancel a payment . after processing , the user may be sent a message about the status of the action , e . g ., that the payment was successfully transmitted . this can be through any means , such as a text message , email , recorded voice message , etc . fig2 is a flowchart 200 showing a process an entity performs for associated a user with specific free - form actions according to one embodiment . this process may or may not be performed . however , this process may be performed such that variations of certain free - form actions can be taken into consideration so that variations from user to user are still recognized by the entity . for example , one user may draw a check mark fast and with very straight lines , while another user may draw a check mark slowly and with crooked lines . thus , the process in flowchart 200 may allow a system , such as one that process or converts actions on the device to a suitable transmission signal , to better interpret specific user actions . at step 202 , the user is requested to enter a specific action that is to be recognized by the system and / or entity processing the action request , such as paypal , inc . for example , the user may be requested to draw a check mark , “ x ,” “$,” “£,” or other visual mark , say “ cancel ,” “ approve ,” “ checkout ,” or other audio comments , or move the device in an up and down motion , side to side motion , or other physical movement . the user does the requested action , which is processed by the system . next , at step 204 , the user is asked to repeat the action for confirmation . the user repeats the action requested from step 202 , and the system processes the repeated action . a determination is then made at step 206 whether the action in step 202 and the action in step 204 matches . determining a match between two actions can be done with conventional and known methods and algorithms . the system may decide how much variation is acceptable between the two actions . for example , with a mobile device , the system may be willing to accept wider variations than with a pc or laptop because the user and / or device may be moving when the action is being performed . if the two actions to not match , the user may be requested to enter and re - enter the action again . this may be beneficial if the first entered action at step 202 was incorrect or not what the user intended . in other embodiments , the user may be asked only to repeat or re - enter the action at step 204 . once there is a match , the action , which may from step 202 , step 204 , or a combination of steps 202 and 204 , is stored with the system at step 208 . the stored action is associated with the specific user . thus , when a user logs into the system , the user can match the user action with what is stored for that user , resulting in a system that may be more reliable , with less errors and unrecognizable actions . fig3 a - 3f show various examples of using a free - form action on a device . in fig3 a , a typical user device is shown as a smart phone 300 , such as an iphone from apple . the display shows an item for sale 302 , along with a button for calling the seller 304 , a button for directions to the seller 306 , and a button for purchasing the item 308 . conventionally , if the user wants to purchase item 302 , the user selects purchase button 308 , such as by tapping on the button . however , as discussed above , it may be difficult or inconvenient for the user to locate and then tap the button , especially if the user and / or device is moving . in addition , the user may inadvertently select directions button 306 . using a free - form action , the user may simply swipe or draw a check mark on the display to perform the same function as purchase button 308 . the swipe may be on a specific area of the display or anywhere on the display . if the user wishes to cancel the current screen or re - start a search , the user may swipe or draw an “ x ” on the display . fig3 b shows an example where the user draws a check mark on the display . this may function the same as if the user selected the “ continue ” button . in other words , by drawing a check mark , the payment process may continue with the payment process instead of having to locate and select the “ continue ” button . fig3 c and 3d shows displays where the user is asked to review the payment information and either cancel to payment or send the payment . in fig3 c , the user may draw a check mark to send the payment without selecting the “ send ” button . in fig3 d , the user may draw an “ x ” mark to cancel the payment without selecting the “ cancel ” button . fig3 e and 3f shows examples of drawing a currency symbol as a free - form action . in fig3 e , the user draws a u . s . dollar sign ($), instead of scrolling through different selections , to choose the transaction be conducted with u . s . dollars . using a scroll wheel may be cumbersome and inefficient , as the user may scroll through the desired selection , or incorrectly select an adjacent selection . drawing the currency symbol may also eliminate the need for the user to select the “ done ” button , although in some embodiments , the user may still be required to select the “ done ” button to proceed . in fig3 f , the user draws an english pound sign (£) to chance the current from u . s . dollars to english pounds . thus , using different free - form actions , such as marks / symbols , vocal commands , or physical device movements , the user may cause an action to be performed without having to locate and select a specific button or link on the device . fig4 is a block diagram of a networked system 400 configured to handle a transaction using free - form actions , such as described above , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . system 400 includes a user or consumer device 410 associated with a user 405 , a merchant server 440 , and a payment service provider server 470 in communication over a network 460 . payment service provider server 470 may be maintained by a payment provider , such as paypal , inc . of san jose , calif . user device 410 , merchant server 440 , and payment service provider server 470 may each include one or more processors , memories , and other appropriate components for executing instructions such as program code and / or data stored on one or more computer readable mediums to implement the various applications , data , and steps described herein . for example , such instructions may be stored in one or more computer readable media such as memories or data storage devices internal and / or external to various components of system 400 , and / or accessible over network 460 . network 460 may be implemented as a single network or a combination of multiple networks . for example , in various embodiments , network 460 may include the internet or one or more intranets , landline networks , wireless networks , and / or other appropriate types of networks . user device 410 may be implemented using any appropriate combination of hardware and / or software configured for wired and / or wireless communication over network 460 . for example , in one embodiment , user device 410 may be implemented as a smart phone of user 405 in communication with the internet , where user 405 is typically a person . in other embodiments , user device 410 may be implemented as a personal digital assistant ( pda ), notebook computer , pc and / or other types of computing devices having an interactive display and capable of wireless computing , data transmission , and data receiving . as shown , user device 410 may include one or more browser applications 415 which may be used , for example , to provide a convenient interface to permit user 405 to browse information available over network 460 . for example , in one embodiment , browser application 415 may be implemented as a web browser configured to view information available over the internet , such as a merchant site or shopping site . user device 410 may also include one or more toolbar applications 420 which may be used , for example , to provide client - side processing for performing desired tasks in response to operations selected by user 405 . in one embodiment , toolbar application 420 may display a user interface for registering free - form actions and / or in connection with browser application 415 as further described herein . in addition , user device 410 may include a payment application 422 that enables payments to be processed , sent , and / or received by the device . payment processing may be with a merchant or individual . user device 410 may further include other applications 425 as may be desired in particular embodiments to provide desired features to user device 410 . for example , applications 425 may include security applications for implementing client - side security features , programmatic client applications for interfacing with appropriate application programming interfaces ( apis ) over network 460 , or other types of applications . applications 425 may also include display and processing of images on the device display , such as the above - described display that allow the user to enter free - form actions . furthermore , applications 425 may allow processing of audio , motion , or other visual marks on the device . user device 410 may include one or more user identifiers 430 which may be implemented , for example , as operating system registry entries , cookies associated with browser application 415 , identifiers associated with hardware of user device 410 , or other appropriate identifiers , such as used for payment / user / device authentication . in one embodiment , user identifier 430 may be used by a payment service provider to associate user 405 with a particular account maintained by the payment service provider as further described herein . merchant server 440 may be maintained , for example , by an on - line merchant or shopping site offering various products and / or services in exchange for payment , which may be received over network 460 . merchant server 440 may include a database 445 identifying available products and / or services ( e . g ., collectively referred to as items ) which may be made available for viewing and purchase by user 405 . accordingly , merchant server 440 also includes a marketplace application 450 which may be configured to serve information over network 460 to browser 415 of user device 410 . in one embodiment , user 405 may interact with marketplace application 450 through browser applications over network 460 in order to view various products or services identified in database 445 . merchant server 440 may also include a checkout application 455 configured to facilitate the purchase by user 405 of goods or services identified by marketplace application 450 . checkout application 455 may be configured to accept payment information from user 405 and / or from payment service provider server 470 , through any number of different funding sources , over network 460 . if desired , checkout application 455 or another application may also be configured to process or recognize free - form actions from user 405 that is conveyed through user device 410 to merchant server 440 . payment service provider server 470 may be maintained , for example , by an online payment service provider which may provide payment on behalf of user 405 to the operator of merchant server 440 or to another user , such as for person to person payments . payment service provider server 470 may include one or more payment applications 475 configured to interact with user device 410 and / or merchant server 440 over network 460 to facilitate the purchase of goods or services by user 405 of user device 410 from merchant server 440 or another user , as well as transfer money between entities or individuals . payment service provider server 470 also maintains a plurality of user accounts 480 , each of which may include account information 485 associated with individual users . for example , account information 485 may include private or sensitive information of users of devices such as account numbers , passwords , phone numbers , credit card information , bank information , user - selected patterns or other financial information which may be used to facilitate online transactions by user 405 . advantageously , payment application 475 may be configured to interact with merchant server 440 on behalf of user 405 during a transaction with checkout application 455 to track and manage purchases or money transfers made by users . payment application 475 may include a mobile payment processing application 494 which may be configured to receive information from a mobile user device and / or merchant server 440 for storage in a payment database 495 . payment application 475 may be further configured to match data received from a mobile device with information stored in payment database 495 for payment authentication and processing . this data may include the user &# 39 ; s device phone number , email , password , and / or pin . if free - form actions are to be converted and processed by the payment service provider , one or more free - form action applications 496 may also be included as part of or separate from payment application 475 . free - form applications may register , associate , and / or convert user actions on the user device as discussed above . fig5 is a block diagram of a computer system 500 suitable for implementing one or more embodiments of the present disclosure . in various implementations , the user device may comprise a personal computing device ( e . g ., a smart phone , laptop , personal computer , pda , etc .) capable of communicating with the network . the merchant and / or payment provider may utilize a network computing device ( e . g ., a network server ) capable of communicating with the network . it should be appreciated that each of the devices utilized by users , merchants , and payment providers may be implemented as computer system 500 in a manner as follows . computer system 500 includes a bus 502 or other communication mechanism for communicating information data , signals , and information between various components of computer system 500 . components include an input component 504 that processes a user action , such as selecting keys from a keypad / keyboard , selecting one or more buttons or links , etc ., and sends a corresponding signal to bus 502 . a transceiver 506 transmits and receives signals between computer system 500 and other devices , such as a merchant server , payment provider server , or another user device . in one embodiment , the transmission is wireless , although other transmission mediums and methods may also be suitable . a display 508 , such as an lcd or touch screen , is suitable for displaying an image ( e . g ., a step in a transaction , such as a payment transaction ) and receiving a user action on that image ( e . g ., a user mark or swipe ), such as described above . an audio component 509 , such as a microphone , processes audio or voice commands , and a motion sensing component 510 , such as an accelerometer , senses and process device movements from the user , again such as described above . a processor 512 , which can be a micro - controller , digital signal processor ( dsp ), or other processing component , processes various signals from display 508 , audio component 509 , and motion sensing component 510 , for transmission to other devices via a communication link 518 through a network interface 519 . components of computer system 500 also include a system memory component 514 ( e . g ., ram ) and a static storage component 516 ( e . g ., rom ), which can be used to store free - form actions associated with a user . computer system 500 performs specific operations by processor 512 and other components by executing one or more sequences of instructions contained in system memory component 514 . logic may be encoded in a computer readable medium , which may refer to any medium that participates in providing instructions to processor 512 for execution . such a medium may take many forms , including but not limited to , non - volatile media , volatile media , and transmission media . in various implementations , non - volatile media includes optical or magnetic disks , volatile media includes dynamic memory , such as system memory component 514 , and transmission media includes coaxial cables , copper wire , and fiber optics , including wires that comprise bus 502 . in one example , transmission media may take the form of acoustic or light waves , such as those generated during radio wave , optical , and infrared data communications . some common forms of computer readable media includes , for example , floppy disk , flexible disk , hard disk , magnetic tape , any other magnetic medium , cd - rom , any other optical medium , punch cards , paper tape , any other physical medium with patterns of holes , ram , prom , eprom , flash - eprom , any other memory chip or cartridge , carrier wave , or any other medium from which a computer is adapted to read . secure storage elements may be present within or apart from a main storage . in various embodiments , execution of instruction sequences to practice the present disclosure may be performed by computer system 500 . in various other embodiments of the present disclosure , a plurality of computer systems 500 coupled by communication link 518 to the network ( e . g ., such as a lan , wlan , ptsn , and / or various other wired or wireless networks , including telecommunications , mobile , and cellular phone networks ) may perform instruction sequences to practice the present disclosure in coordination with one another , such as processing free - form actions performed by the user as part of a transaction process . where applicable , various embodiments provided by the present disclosure may be implemented using hardware , software , or combinations of hardware and software . also , where applicable , the various hardware components and / or software components set forth herein may be combined into composite components comprising software , hardware , and / or both without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure . where applicable , the various hardware components and / or software components set forth herein may be separated into sub - components comprising software , hardware , or both without departing from the scope of the present disclosure . in addition , where applicable , it is contemplated that software components may be implemented as hardware components and vice - versa . software , in accordance with the present disclosure , such as program code and / or data , may be stored on one or more computer readable mediums . it is also contemplated that software identified herein may be implemented using one or more general purpose or specific purpose computers and / or computer systems , networked and / or otherwise . where applicable , the ordering of various steps described herein may be changed , combined into composite steps , and / or separated into sub - steps to provide features described herein . the foregoing disclosure is not intended to limit the present disclosure to the precise forms or particular fields of use disclosed . as such , it is contemplated that various alternate embodiments and / or modifications to the present disclosure , whether explicitly described or implied herein , are possible in light of the disclosure . for example , non - specific free - form actions may also be suitable to replace having to locate and select buttons . an action , such as a double - tap by the user on the device , may function the same as bypassing a review screen and directs the user immediately to an end step of the process . furthermore , the above has described several examples of free - form actions , but ones not described may also be part of the invention , with the concept that some sort of recognizable free - form action can replace the function of locating and selecting a button or link on a device for performing the appropriate action during a transaction . having thus described embodiments of the present disclosure , persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the scope of the present disclosure . thus , the present disclosure is limited only by the claims .