Payment system and method for use in an electronic commerce system

• US 20060195367A1
• Filed: 04/17/2006
• Published: 08/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Andreas Undhagen, Christian Allfred, Lars Haraldsson, Luiz Otavio Carvalhal
• Original Assignee: Andreas Undhagen, Christian Allfred, Lars Haraldsson, Luiz Otavio Carvalhal
• Inventors: Carvalhal, Luiz Otavio, Haraldsson, Lars, Allfred, Christian, Undhagen, Andreas
• Application Number:
  US11/404,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20060195367A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/027 involving a payment switch or gateway
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0855 involving a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3672 initialising or reloading thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 : Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 : Electronic negotiation

Abstract

A method and system of payment of goods and services in an electronic commerce system, reduces the transfer and processing costs for each purchase made by a customer from a merchant; using a customer agent, a merchant agent, an account manager associated with the agents for administration of customer accounts and merchant accounts, and a mediating trusted agent associated with one of the account manager and merchant agent for checking transactions during a trading session. The customer agent and merchant agent, account manager, and mediating trusted agent are interconnected by an electronic communication network.

Claims

1-23. -23. (canceled)

24. A method for secure delivery of electronic products over a communications network by an automated merchant agent, comprising the steps of:

receiving and accepting a signed order from a consumer agent;

encrypting the electronic product with a first key;

signing and sending the encrypted electronic product and the product identity to the consumer agent for verification; and

receiving an acceptance message from the consumer and sending the first key to the customer agent for decryption of the electronic product.

25. A method according to claim 24, wherein before the step of sending the first key to the customer agent, the method comprises the further step of:

receiving a second key from the consumer via a mediating trusted agents, which signs the second key before delivery to the merchant agent.

26. A method according to claim 25, wherein the first encryption key is encrypted with the second key before the first key is sent to the customer agent.

27. A method according to claim 24, wherein after the verification of the received electronic product by the customer agent, the method further comprises the step of:

receiving a refusal message from the customer agent; and

initiating a re-sending of the electronic product.

28. An electronically-implemented merchant agent for secure delivery of electronic products over a communications network, comprising electronic circuitry configured to:

receive and accept a signed order from a consumer agent;

encrypt the electronic product with a first key;

electronically sign and send the encrypted electronic product and the product identity to the consumer agent for verification; and

receive an acceptance message from the consumer and send the first key to the customer agent for decryption of the electronic product.

29. An electronically-implemented merchant agent according to claim 28, wherein before the first key is sent to the customer agent, the electronically-implemented merchant agent is further configured to:

receive a second key from the consumer via a mediating trusted agent for signing the second key before delivery to the merchant agent.

30. An electronically-implemented merchant agent according to claim 29, wherein the electronically-implemented merchant agent is further configured to:

encrypt the first encryption key with the second key before sending the first key to the customer agent.

31. An electronically-implemented merchant agent according to claim 28, wherein after the verification of the received electronic product by the customer agent, the electronically-implemented merchant agent is further configured to:

receive a refusal message from the customer agent; and

initiate a re-sending of the electronic product.

32. An electronically-implemented merchant agent for secure delivery of electronic products over a communications network, comprising:

means for receiving and accepting a signed order from a consumer agent;

means for encrypting the electronic product with a first key;

means for electronically signing and sending the encrypted electronic product and the product identity to the consumer agent for verification; and

means for receiving an acceptance message from the consumer and sending the first key to the customer agent for decryption of the electronic product.

33. An electronically-implemented merchant agent according to claim 32, wherein before the first key is sent to the customer agent, the electronically-implemented merchant agent further comprises:

means for receiving a second key from the consumer via a mediating trusted agent for signing the second key before delivery to the merchant agent.

34. An electronically-implemented merchant agent according to claim 33, further comprising:

means for encrypting the first encryption key with the second key before sending the first key to the customer agent.

35. An electronically-implemented merchant agent according to claim 32, wherein after the verification of the received electronic product by the customer agent, the electronically-implemented merchant agent further comprises:

means for receiving a refusal message from the customer agent; and

means for initiating a re-sending of the electronic product.