System and method for utilization of call processing platform for ecommerce transactions

• US 20020136375A1
• Filed: 02/15/2002
• Published: 09/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Claude C. Bouffard, John P. Shannon
• Original Assignee: Claude C. Bouffard, John P. Shannon
• Inventors: Bouffard, Claude C., Shannon, John P.
• Application Number:
  US10/077,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20020136375A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/114.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/16 Payments settled via telecommunication systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/32 using wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0196 Payment of value-added services, mainly when their charges are added on the telephone bill, e.g. payment of non-telecom services, e-commerce, on-line banking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing

Abstract

Electronic commerce is enhanced through the use of the state-based management capability of the public telephony infrastructure, adapted for use in Internet and other network transactions. A telephony engine such as the Nortel Networks DMS™ switching platform is configured to initiate, process and terminate electronic transactions such as consumer Web purchase, rather than the telephone events for which such hardware was designed. The transaction engine may, for instance, detect, time and record billing for the logging of a Internet user on to a game site, video download or other service or product. Once a transaction has entered its termination state, analogous to the hanging up of a telephone call, a billing record is generated which is transmitted through the usual billing services of the telephony network. Consumers may therefore locate and pay for a variety of services on the Internet and other networks while relying on the convenience of regular monthly telephone billing.

Claims

1. A system for the management of electronic transactions, comprising:

a first interface to a public telecommunications resource; and

a second interface, communicating with the first interface, the second interface operative to communicate with at least one network-enabled transaction site to execute a transaction via the transaction site using the public telecommunications resource to record and manage the transaction.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the public telecommunications resource comprises a switching apparatus embedded in the public telecommunications network.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the switching apparatus comprises a state machine having states.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the states of the state machine comprise at least an idle state, a starter state, a processor state, and a terminator state.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein each of the states of the state machine correspond to a stage of the transaction.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the idle state comprises a state awaiting initiation of a consumer transaction.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the starter state comprises a state detecting a transaction request signal for the transaction.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the transaction request signal comprises at least one of a download start signal, a search signal, a purchase signal, and a query signal.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the starter state generates a persistent state record reflecting the transaction.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor state comprises a state detecting the metered elapse of the transaction.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor state generates an in-progress transaction record of the transaction.

12. The system of claim 5, wherein the terminator state comprises a state closing off actions for the transaction.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the terminator state generates a billing record for the transaction.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the network-enabled transaction site comprises an Internet connection.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the network-enabled transaction site comprises a Web site.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the public telecommunications resource comprises a switching apparatus embedded in the public telecommunications network.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the switching apparatus comprises a state machine having states.

19. The method of claim 3, wherein the states of the state machine comprise at least an idle state, a starter state, a processor state, and a terminator state.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein each of the states of the state machine correspond to a stage of the transaction.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the idle state comprises a state awaiting initiation of a consumer transaction.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the starter state comprises a state detecting a transaction request signal for the transaction.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the transaction request signal comprises at least one of a download start signal, a search signal, a purchase signal, and a query signal.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the starter state generates a persistent state record reflecting the transaction.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the processor state comprises a state detecting the metered elapse of the transaction.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the processor state generates an in-progress transaction record of the transaction.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein the terminator state comprises a state closing off actions for the transaction.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the terminator state generates a billing record for the transaction.

29. The method of claim 16, wherein the network-enabled transaction site comprises an Internet connection.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the network-enabled transaction site comprises a Web site.

16. A method for the management of electronic transactions, comprising:

a) interfacing to a public telecommunications resource at a first interface; and

b) communicating with at least one network-enabled transaction site to execute a transaction via the transaction site using the public telecommunications resource to record and manage the transaction.