Internet Billing Method
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An Internet billing method comprises establishing an agreement between an Internet access provider and a customer, and an agreement between the Internet access provider and a vendor, wherein the Internet access provider agrees with the customer and the vendor to bill the customer and remit to the vendor for products and services purchased over the Internet by the customer from the vendor. The provider creates access to the Internet for the customer. When the customer orders a product or service over the Internet from a vendor, transactional information transmitted between the customer and the vendor is also transmitted to the provider. The provider then bills the transaction amount to the customer and remits a portion of the transaction amount to the vendor, keeping the differential as a fee for providing the service. As a result of this method, there is no need for any customer account numbers or vendor account numbers to be transmitted over the Internet, thereby maintaining the security of that information.
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Citations
86 Claims
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1-30. -30. (canceled)
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31. A method for billing for a purchase transaction over the Internet between a purchasing customer and a selling vendor by a telephone service provider which is not the selling vendor, the method comprising the telephone service provider:
providing access to the Internet for the purchasing customer and charging the purchasing customer a transaction amount for the purchase transaction by charging the transaction amount to an account of the purchasing customer. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 81, 82)
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76-1. The method according to claim 40, wherein the telephone service provider receives authorization from the selling vendor to charge the transaction amount to the account of the purchasing customer without previously having received authorization from the purchasing customer to charge the transaction amount to the account of the purchasing customer.
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77. The method according to claim 41, wherein the telephone service provider receives authorization from the selling vendor to charge the transaction amount to the account of the purchasing customer without previously having received authorization from the purchasing customer to charge the transaction amount to the account of the purchasing customer.
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77-80. -80. (canceled)
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78. The method according to claim 42, wherein the telephone service provider receives authorization from the selling vendor to charge the transaction amount to the account of the purchasing customer without previously having received authorization from the purchasing customer to charge the transaction amount to the account of the purchasing customer.
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79. The method according to claim 43, wherein the telephone service provider receives authorization from the selling vendor to charge the transaction amount to the account of the purchasing customer without previously having received authorization from the purchasing customer to charge the transaction amount to the account of the purchasing customer.
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80. The method according to claim 44, herein the telephone service provider receives authorization from the selling vendor to charge the transaction amount to the account of the purchasing customer without previously having received authorization from the purchasing customer to charge the transaction amount to the account of the purchasing customer.
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81-2. The method according to claim 45, wherein the telephone service provider receives authorization from the selling vendor to charge the transaction amount to the account of the purchasing customer without previously having received authorization from the purchasing customer to charge the transaction amount to the account of the purchasing customer.
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82-3. The method according to claim 46, wherein the telephone service provider receives authorization from the selling vendor to charge the transaction amount to the account of the purchasing customer without previously having received authorization from the purchasing customer to charge the transaction amount to the account of the purchasing customer.
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83. The method according to claim 47, wherein the telephone service provider receives authorization from the selling vendor to charge the transaction amount to the account of the purchasing customer without previously having received authorization from the purchasing customer to charge the transaction amount to the account of the purchasing customer.
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83-86. -86. (canceled)
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84. The method according to claim 48, wherein the telephone service provider receives authorization from the selling vendor to charge the transaction amount to the account of the purchasing customer without previously having received authorization from the purchasing customer to charge the transaction amount to the account of the purchasing customer.
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85. The method according to claim 49, wherein the telephone service provider receives authorization from the selling vendor to charge the transaction amount to the account of the purchasing customer without previously having received authorization from the purchasing customer to charge the transaction amount to the account of the purchasing customer.
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86. The method according to claim 50, wherein the telephone service provider receives authorization from the selling vendor to charge the transaction amount to the account of the purchasing customer without previously having received authorization from the purchasing customer to charge the transaction amount to the account of the purchasing customer.
Specification