Credit card transaction servers, methods and computer program products employing wireless teminal location and registered purchasing locations

• US 20080164308A1
• Filed: 01/10/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ruckart, John P., Aaron, Jeffrey A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,594,605 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/34 using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards
• 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 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A credit card transaction authorization method includes receiving information concerning a prospective remote credit card transaction with a credit card, obtaining location information from a wireless network provider for a wireless terminal that is associated with a cardholder of the credit card for the prospective credit card transaction, and correlating a location of the wireless terminal with a registered purchasing location associated with the user. Authorization information for the prospective credit card transaction may be generated in response to a result of the correlation of the location of the wireless terminal and the registered purchasing location. Credit card transaction servers and computer program products are also provided.

Claims

1. A credit card transaction server, comprising:

a credit card transaction interface that is configured to receive information about a credit card transaction that is associated with a credit card;

a wireless network interface that is configured to obtain location information for a plurality of wireless terminals that are associated with a wireless network provider; and

a credit card transaction authorization processor that is configured;

to receive information from the credit card transaction interface concerning a prospective remote credit card transaction with the credit card,

to instruct the wireless network interface to obtain location information from the wireless network provider for a wireless terminal that is associated with a registered cardholder of the credit card,

to correlate a location of the wireless terminal with a registered purchasing location associated with the registered cardholder, and

to generate authorization information for the prospective remote credit card transaction in response to a result of the correlation of the location of the wireless terminal and the registered purchasing location.

2. A server according to claim 1, wherein the credit card transaction authorization processor is further configured to obtain additional authentication information concerning the prospective remote credit card transaction in response to the location of the wireless terminal corresponding to the registered purchasing location.

3. A server according to claim 1, wherein the information concerning the prospective remote credit card transaction comprises a credit card number associated with the credit card and an IP address associated with a computer terminal from which the prospective remote credit card transaction was initiated,

wherein the credit card transaction authorization processor is further configured:

to retrieve a profile associated with the credit card number from a profile database in response to receiving the information concerning the prospective remote credit card transaction, the profile including a wireless terminal identification number associated with the wireless terminal and an identification of the registered purchasing location;

to obtain a geographic location associated with the IP address in response to the location of the wireless terminal not corresponding to the registered purchasing location;

to compare the geographic location associated with the IP address with the location of the wireless terminal; and

to obtain additional authentication information concerning the prospective remote credit card transaction in response to the location of the wireless terminal not corresponding to the geographic location associated with the IP address.

4. A server according to claim 1, wherein the information concerning the prospective remote credit card transaction comprises a credit card number associated with the credit card and an IP address associated with a computer terminal from which the prospective credit card transaction was initiated, wherein the credit card transaction authorization processor is further configured to retrieve a profile associated with the credit card number from a profile database in response to receiving the information concerning the prospective remote credit card transaction.

5. A server according to claim 4, wherein the profile associated with the credit card number comprises a wireless terminal identification number associated with the wireless terminal, an identification of the registered purchasing location, and an identification of an internet service provider associated with the registered cardholder and with the registered purchasing location;

wherein the credit card transaction authorization processor is further configured to compare the IP address associated with the computer terminal from which the prospective credit card transaction was initiated with a domain associated with the internet service provider associated with the registered purchasing location.

6. A server according to claim 5, wherein the credit card transaction authorization processor is further configured to obtain additional authentication information concerning the prospective remote credit card transaction in response to the IP address not corresponding to the domain associated with the internet service provider associated with the registered purchasing location.

7. A server according to claim 5, wherein the credit card transaction authorization processor is further configured to reject the prospective credit card transaction in response to the IP address not corresponding to the domain associated with the internet service provider associated with the registered purchasing location.

8. A server according to claim 1, wherein the credit card transaction authorization processor is configured to selectively authorize the prospective credit card transaction in response to the profile indicating that multiple wireless terminals are associated with the registered cardholder of the credit card for the prospective credit card transaction and the location of at least one of the multiple wireless terminals corresponding to the registered purchasing location of the registered cardholder, and to selectively obtain additional authentication information from the registered cardholder prior to authorizing the prospective credit card transaction in response to none of the locations of the multiple wireless terminals corresponding to the registered purchasing location of the registered cardholder.

9. A credit card transaction authorization method, comprising:

receiving information concerning a prospective remote credit card transaction with a credit card,

obtaining location information from a wireless network provider for a wireless terminal that is associated with a registered cardholder of the credit card,

correlating a location of the wireless terminal with a registered purchasing location associated with the registered cardholder, and

generating authorization information for the prospective credit card transaction in response to a result of the correlation of the location of the wireless terminal and the registered purchasing location.

10. A method according to claim 9, further comprising:

obtaining additional authentication information concerning the prospective remote credit card transaction in response to the location of the wireless terminal not corresponding to the registered purchasing location.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein obtaining additional authentication information for the prospective credit card transaction comprises transmitting an email message to an email address associated with the registered cardholder and receiving a response from the registered cardholder in response to the email message.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein obtaining additional authentication information for the prospective credit card transaction comprises transmitting a request message to the wireless terminal that is associated with the registered cardholder of the credit card for the prospective credit card transaction, and receiving a response message via the wireless network interface in response to the request message, wherein transmitting the request message comprises transmitting the request message via a wireless communication network associated with the wireless terminal and wherein receiving the response message comprises receiving the response message via the wireless communication network and/or via the internet.

13. A method according to claim 10, wherein obtaining additional authentication information for the prospective remote credit card transaction comprises receiving additional authentication information via a credit card transaction interface.

14. A method according to claim 9, wherein the information concerning the prospective remote credit card transaction comprises a credit card number associated with the credit card and an IP address associated with a computer terminal from which the prospective remote credit card transaction was initiated, the method further comprising:

retrieving a profile associated with the credit card number from a profile database in response to receiving the information concerning the prospective remote credit card transaction, the profile including a wireless terminal identification number associated with the wireless terminal, and an identification of the registered purchasing location;

obtaining a geographic location associated with the IP address in response to the location of the wireless terminal not corresponding to the registered purchasing location;

comparing the geographic location associated with the IP address with the location of the wireless terminal; and

obtaining additional authentication information concerning the prospective remote credit card transaction in response to the location of the wireless terminal not corresponding to the geographic location associated with the IP address.

18. A method according to claim 9, further comprising:

selectively authorizing the prospective remote credit card transaction in response to the profile indicating that multiple wireless terminals are associated with the registered cardholder of the credit card for the prospective remote credit card transaction and the location of at least one of the multiple wireless terminals corresponds to the registered purchasing location of the registered cardholder, and selectively obtaining additional authentication information concerning the prospective remote credit card transaction prior to authorizing the prospective remote credit card transaction in response to none of the locations of the multiple wireless terminals corresponding to the registered purchasing location of the registered cardholder.

21. A method according to claim 9, wherein the information concerning the prospective remote credit card transaction comprises a credit card number associated with the credit card and an IP address associated with a computer terminal from which the prospective remote credit card transaction was initiated, the method further comprising:

retrieving a profile associated with the credit card number from a profile database in response to receiving the information concerning the prospective remote credit card transaction, wherein the profile associated with the credit card number comprises a wireless terminal identification number associated with the wireless terminal, an identification of the registered purchasing location, and an identification of an internet service provider; and

comparing the IP address associated with the computer terminal from which the prospective remote credit card transaction was initiated with a domain associated with the internet service provider associated with the registered purchasing location.

22. A method according to claim 21, further comprising obtaining additional authentication information concerning the prospective remote credit card transaction in response to the IP address not corresponding to the domain associated with the internet service provider associated with the registered purchasing location.

23. A method according to claim 21, further comprising rejecting the prospective remote credit card transaction in response to the IP address not corresponding to the domain associated with the internet service provider associated with the registered purchasing location.

15-17. -17. (canceled)

19. A computer program product for credit card transaction authorization, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to receive information concerning a prospective remote credit card transaction with a credit card,

computer readable program code configured to obtain location information from a wireless network provider for a wireless terminal that is associated with a registered cardholder of the credit card for the prospective credit card transaction,

computer readable program code configured to correlate a location of the wireless terminal with a registered purchasing location associated with the registered cardholder, and

computer readable program code configured to generate authorization information for the prospective remote credit card transaction in response to a result of the correlation of the location of the wireless terminal and the registered purchasing location.

20. A computer program product according to claim 19, further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to selectively authorize the prospective remote credit card transaction in response to the profile indicating that multiple wireless terminals are associated with the registered cardholder of the credit card for the prospective remote credit card transaction and the location of at least one of the multiple wireless terminals corresponds to the registered purchasing location of the registered cardholder, and to selectively obtain additional authentication information concerning the prospective remote credit card transaction prior to authorizing the prospective remote credit card transaction in response to none of the locations of the multiple wireless terminals corresponding to the registered purchasing location of the registered cardholder.