Some days it just feels like Apple is going to eventually take over the federal government. Like, get it over with already, you know? Now it looks like Apple is getting into the mobile payments business with its own system, judging by a patent it has just won.

From ZDNet:

its text largely describes a scenario where a parent sets up a prepaid subsidiary account for their child. However, it also notes that the functionality could be used by an employer who wants to set rules for an employee’s handset-based payment account.

Basically, it clears the way for an iPhone to be loaded up with money (from a parent, employer, or self) and then the user can go out in the world and buy things. Google has had its Google Wallet program for a while and plenty of banks and wireless companies are working hard to get their own versions out there on the market as soon as this summer. But there’s a sense that no one has quite nailed it yet.