Methods and systems for performing a sales transaction using a mobile communications device

• US 20050033684A1
• Filed: 05/20/2003
• Published: 02/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tekelec
• Original Assignee: Tekelec
• Inventors: Marsico, Peter Joseph, Benedyk, Robby Darren, Grant, Cory Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 7,814,015 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3272 using an audio code
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/403 Solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/425 using two different networks, one for transaction and one for security confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/854 Available credit
• 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 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8166 Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Methods and systems for performing sales transactions using a mobile communications device and without requiring text messaging or paging services are disclosed. In one example, a subscriber desiring to purchase goods or services proceeds to a point of sale device where the purchase price for the goods or services is totaled. The subscriber then initiates a voice call with a central transaction server. The subscriber provides a point of sale device identifier and the purchase price to the central transaction server. The central transaction server contacts a local transaction server using the identifier provided by the subscriber. The central transaction server also prompts the subscriber to select the payment account for the transaction and verifies that the subscriber has sufficient credit to purchase the goods or services. The central transaction server locates a pending transaction entry in a database local to the point of sale using the device identifier provided by the subscriber. Upon locating the pending transaction entry and verifying that the subscriber has sufficient credit, the central transaction server notifies the subscriber and the point of sale device that the transaction is complete.

Claims

1. A system for performing a sales transaction using a mobile communications device, the system comprising:

(a) a point of sale device for totaling a purchase price for goods or services being purchased in a sales transaction and for communicating the purchase price and an identifier to a mobile communications subscriber;

(b) a local transaction server operatively associated with the point of sale device for storing the identifier and the purchase price for the transaction; and

(c) a central transaction server for receiving a voice call from the mobile communications subscriber, for obtaining the purchase price, the identifier, and payment account information from the subscriber without using text messaging or paging services, and for verifying the transaction using the purchase price, the identifier and the payment account information received from the mobile communications subscriber and the identifier and the purchase price stored by the local transaction server.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the identifier uniquely identifies the point of sale device.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the central transaction server is adapted to locate the local transaction server using the identifier.

4. The system of claim 3 the central transaction server is adapted to verify the sales transaction by querying a database local to the local transaction server using the identifier as a search key.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the central transaction server includes an interactive voice response (IVR) interface for prompting the mobile subscriber for the information regarding the sales transaction using audible commands.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the IVR interface is configured to prompt the mobile subscriber to select a credit account from a predetermined list of credit accounts for supplying payment for the sales transaction.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the predetermined list of credit accounts includes a mobile service provider credit account.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein the IVR interface is configured to prompt the mobile subscriber to select a deposit account for supplying payment for the sales transaction.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein, in verifying the transaction, the central transaction server is adapted to determine whether the mobile subscriber has sufficient credit in a payment account selected by the subscriber to cover the purchase price.

10. The system of claim 1 comprising a sales transaction database accessible by the central transaction server for storing the identifier and the purchase price.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the sales transaction database is adapted to store a list of credit accounts usable by the subscriber to pay for transactions made using the mobile communications device.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the list of credit accounts includes a credit account managed by a mobile service provider whereby the mobile service provider extends credit to the mobile subscriber for the purchase of goods or services.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the list of credit accounts includes an available credit amount associated with each credit account.

14. The system of claim 1 comprising a store locator database accessible by the central transaction server for storing information for verifying the sales transaction.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the store locator database includes an entry for mapping the identifier received from the mobile subscriber to a network address for the local transaction server.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the store locator database includes signaling protocol information indicating a signaling protocol used to contact the local transaction server.

17. The system of claim 1 comprising call detail record (CDR) database accessible by the central transaction server for storing a record of the sales transaction.

18. The system of claim 1 comprising a sales transaction database accessible by the local transaction server for storing the identifier and the purchase price.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the sales transaction database is accessible by the central transaction server for verifying the sales transaction using the identifier received from the mobile communications subscriber.

20. A method for performing a sales transaction using a mobile communications device, the method comprising:

(a) totaling a purchase price for goods or services being purchased by a mobile subscriber in a sales transaction;

(b) communicating the purchase price and an identifier to the mobile subscriber;

(c) storing the identifier and the purchase price locally to the sales transaction;

(d) at a central transaction server, receiving a voice telephone call from the mobile subscriber and obtaining, without using text messaging or paging service, the identifier and payment information from the mobile subscriber;

(e) comparing the identifier received from the subscriber with identifiers stored locally to the sales transaction; and

(f) in response locating an identifier that matches the identifier obtained from the mobile subscriber, completing the sales transaction.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the identifier uniquely identifies a point of sale device.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein obtaining the identifier and the payment information from the mobile subscriber without using text messaging or paging service includes prompting the mobile subscriber to enter the transaction identifier and the payment information using an interactive voice response (IVR) interface.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein obtaining payment information from the subscriber includes prompting the subscriber to select from a predetermined list of credit and deposit accounts to pay for the transaction.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the list of credit accounts includes a credit account provided by a mobile communications service provider.

25. The method of claim 20 wherein comparing the identifier received from the subscriber to the identifiers stored locally to the transaction includes initiating a session initiation protocol (SIP) communications session between the central transaction server and a transaction server local to the sales transaction.

26. The method of claim 20 wherein comparing the identifier received from the subscriber to the identifiers stored locally to the transaction includes establishing a simple object access protocol (SOAP) communications session between the central transaction server and a transaction server local to the sales transaction.

27. The method of claim 20 wherein completing the sales transaction includes using hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) commands to post the transaction payment information to a web server associated with the store transaction system.

28. The method of claim 20 including generating a call detail record (CDR) associated with the voice telephone call.

29. The method of claim 28 comprising billing a telecommunications service provider for the voice telephone call based on the CDR.

30. A method for completing a sales transaction using a mobile communications device, the method comprising:

(a) initiating a voice call from a mobile communications device to an interactive voice response (IVR) interface associated with a central transaction server;

(b) communicating information relating to a pending sales transaction from the mobile communications device to the central transaction server using the voice call and the IVR interface; and

(c) at the central transaction server, using the information to contact a transaction terminal local to the mobile communications device and complete the sales transaction.