Method for paying for a service offered by means of a data network

• US 20040243474A1
• Filed: 07/09/2004
• Published: 12/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
• Original Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
• Inventors: Duc, Christian Pho, Scheybani, Tschangiz, Vu, Tai Duc
• Granted Patent: US 8,595,131 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3437 the counter having non-monetary units, e.g. trips
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0021 Access to services on a time-basis

Abstract

A method is proposed for acquiring a service sold over a data network (20) against presentation of a transaction medium (2). The service is ordered by a user (1) by a user end system (10) from a service provider (40). The latter calls in a clearing center (30) which enters into a data exchange with the transaction medium (2) to call for therefrom a necessary contribution in the form of certain data assumed for acquisition of the service. The ordering process and the data exchange with the transaction medium (2) for calling for the contribution are linked via an identifier (KM) associated with the transaction medium (2), the identifier being determined by the user end system (10) and used to secure the ordering process and the call for the contribution.

Claims

1. A method for acquiring a service offered by a service provider over a data network against presentation of a transaction medium, the service being ordered by means of a user end system from the service provider which thereupon calls in a clearing center which subsequently enters into a data exchange with the transaction medium to call for therefrom a necessary contribution in the form of certain data required for acquisition of the service, characterized in that the user end system (10), before entry into the data exchange for calling for the contribution, determines an identifier (KM) associated with the transaction medium (2), sends it to the clearing center (30) and receives it back therefrom for acknowledgement.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the identifier (KM) used is information that is also applied in the following data exchange for calling for the contribution.

3. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the contribution called for from the transaction medium (2) consists in the transfer of an amount to be paid.

4. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the clearing center (30), after reception of the identifier (KM), determines a preauthorization identifier (KV) and sends it to the user end system (10) together with the identifier (KM).

5. A method according to claim 4, characterized in that the preauthorization identifier (KV) is formed individually upon each acquisition process.

6. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the clearing center (30) monitors the time from reception of the identifier (KM) of the transaction medium (2) until reception of an enabling signal (B5) for the data exchange for calling for the contribution.

7. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the security terminal (14) monitors the time from sending of the identifier (KM) of the transaction medium (2) until the onset of the data exchange for calling for the contribution.

8. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the identifier (KM) of the transaction medium (2) is stored in the user end system (10).

9. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the one requested service is delivered by the service provider (40) only when the clearing center (30) has received the called for service from the transaction medium (2).

10. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that upon occurrence of an error after successful implementation of the data exchange for calling for the contribution of the transaction medium (2) the user end system (10) is transferred from the clearing center (30) a provisional load acknowledgement (B10) containing information allowing it to complain about the error later.

11. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the association of a requested service with a user (1) is produced by reference information (RI) transferred from the user end system (10) to the clearing center (30).

12. A method according to claim 11, characterized in that the reference information (RI) together with the identifier (KM) of the transaction medium (2) is sent back to the user end system (10) for acknowledgement.

13. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the request for the service from the service provider (40) is first made only according to kind and an association with a user (1) is only effected vis-a-vis the clearing center (30).

14. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that upon acquisition of a service scalable in terms of extent, said service is requested from the service provider (40) only according to kind and the extent is only communicated to the clearing center (30).

18. An assembly for executing a method according to claim 1 having a user end system, a data network, a clearing center and a service provider, characterized in that the clearing center (30) contains a transaction module (32) for carrying out the ordering of the service and a compensation module (34) for calling for the contribution to be made by the transaction medium (2).

19. An assembly according to claim 18, characterized in that the user end system (10) comprises a security terminal (14) allowing the determination of an identifier (KM) located on a transaction medium (2).

20. An assembly according to claim 18, characterized in that the security terminal (14) has storage means for storing an identifier (KM) read from a transaction medium (2).

21. An assembly according to claim 18, characterized in that the clearing center (30) has the functionalities for carrying out the ordering process and for carrying out the data exchange for calling for the contribution set up therein in separate modules (32, 34).

22. A security terminal for use in a method according to claim 1 having an access device for accessing a transaction medium and being connectable to a data network via a user network interface, characterized in that it has a memory device in which it stores information about a contribution (LS) to be made by the transaction medium (2) and an identifier (KM) of the transaction medium (2).

15. A clearing center having a transaction module for carrying out a data exchange with a user end system, a router module for setting up a data link with a service provider, and a compensation module, characterized in that in a first phase of the method the transaction module (32) obtains an identifier (KM) of the user end system (10) and links it with a service of the service provider (40) requested via a user end system (10), and then in a second phase of the method the compensation module (34) calls for a contribution of a transaction medium (2) required for acquisition of the service from the user end system (10) using the same identifier (KM).

16. A method for operating a clearing center according to claim 15, characterized in that after reception of the called for contribution from the user end system (10) the transaction module (32) asks the service provider (40) to provide the requested service.

17. A method of using a security terminal designed for carrying out a tamperproof data exchange over a data network including access to a payment medium, in a method for acquiring a service sold over said data network, characterized in that it is used in a prenegotiation phase to determine an identifier (KM) of the transaction medium (2) and therewith secure the process for ordering the service, the same identifier (KM) being used in the following transaction phase to secure the provision by the transaction medium (2) of a necessary contribution in the form of certain data required for acquisition of the service.