Mobile Phone Charge Card Notification and Authorization Method

• US 20080154760A1
• Filed: 03/06/2008
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Calabrese Stemer LLC
• Original Assignee: Calabrese Stemer LLC
• Inventors: Calabrese, Gerry, Stemer, Werner
• Granted Patent: US 7,954,706 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/325 using wireless networks
• 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 20/42 Confirmation, e.g. check or permission by the legal debtor of payment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/425 using two different networks, one for transaction and one for security confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

An added level of security is provided for charge card transactions. Upon presenting a charge card number for a purchase, for example, the cardholder receives a message on his cell phone or PDA that a charge authorization request has been received. The cardholder may also be prompted to reply with a password or a PIN, so as to add a second security authorization.

Claims

1. A payment authorization method, which comprises:

gathering, at a merchant'"'"'s, account information for payment of a customer'"'"'s purchase;

transmitting an authorization request to a financial authorization system requesting payment authorization for the customer'"'"'s purchase;

notifying the customer that the authorization request has been received by transmitting a notification to a communications device associated with the customer; and

processing the transaction for payment authorization.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the authorization request includes the account information and a monetary amount, and the notification to the communications device associated with the customer includes the monetary amount.

3. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises prompting the customer to return a response to the notification and authorizing the purchase only when a proper response is returned.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the response includes a personal identifier associated with the customer.

5. In a charge card payment authorization method, wherein a charge is requested at a merchant'"'"'s, account information for payment of a customer'"'"'s purchase is acquired at the merchant'"'"'s, an authorization request is transmitted to a remote charge processing facility, and the charge request is processed, the improvement which comprises:

transmitting a notification of the charge request to a wireless device associated with the customer no later than immediately after authorizing the charge request.

6. The method according to claim 5, which comprises transmitting the notification immediately upon receiving the charge request and prior to authorizing the charge request.

7. The method according to claim 5, which comprises prompting for an authorization response from the wireless device associated with the customer and authorizing the charge request only upon receiving a valid authorization response.

8. A charge card processing method, which comprises:

inputting a transaction request to a stationary merchant terminal disposed at a merchant location;

processing the transaction request with the merchant terminal, including a transmission of a first authorization request to a remote processing facility and receipt of a notification that authorization has been accepted or declined;

transmitting a second authorization request from a remote processing facility to a mobile communications device of a customer associated with the requested transaction via a wireless link; and

authorizing the requested transaction only if authorization has been accepted for the first authorization request and a proper response has been received by the remote processing facility to the second authorization request.

9. A charge processing method, which comprises:

preauthorizing an imminent given transaction by transmitting a preauthorization for the imminent given transaction from a customer to a financial authorization system;

subsequently inputting a transaction request concerning the given transaction at a merchant terminal disposed at a merchant location;

processing the transaction request at the merchant terminal, including a transmission of an authorization request for the given transaction to the financial authorization system;

transmitting a response to the authorization request from the financial authorization system to the merchant terminal, and thereby authorizing the transaction request at the merchant'"'"'s if the preauthorization from the customer is available in the financial authorization system, and otherwise contacting the customer for authorization or declining the authorization request.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the preauthorization from the customer includes a maximum amount to be authorized for the transaction and a time period within which the preauthorization is valid.