Communications System

• US 20080201266A1
• Filed: 07/13/2006
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Roxburgh, David, Chua, Huina, Beddus, Simon A
• Granted Patent: US 10,685,344 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/67
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/326 Payment applications installed on the mobile devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication

Abstract

A method for controlling payment in a communications system including the steps of providing a service accessing a service provider from the or one user device, selecting a product for purchase from the service provider, the service agent receiving a request for payment from the service provider via a payment operator and the service agent issuing a payment authorisation to a payment provider via the payment operator. The service agent is installable in a variety of user devices and provides a uniform interface to the payment system from a plurality of the user devices. The service agent may also provide a uniform interface to an ordering system from a plurality of the user devices.

Claims

1. A service agent for installation in a variety of user devices arranged in use for communication with a payment system comprising one or more remote service providers and one or more remote payment providers for providing a uniform interface to the payment system from a plurality of the user devices;

in which the service agent comprises;

function activation means for activating a function on the user device;

in which the function activation means is arranged in use to activate the function to contact one of the service providers;

in which the activation means is arranged in use to activate the function to download content from one of the service providers; and

service activation means comprising means for accepting a service activation key from the payment operator and for forwarding the service activation key in order to initiate service delivery.

2. A service agent as claimed in claim 1 in which the activated function is a browser.

3. A service agent as claimed in claim 1 in which the user devices are arranged in use for communication with an ordering system comprising one or more remote service providers for providing a uniform interface to the ordering system from a plurality of the user devices.

4. A service agent as claimed in claim 1 in which the activated function is a browser.

5. A service agent as claimed in claim 1 in which the function activation means comprises means for passing a user identifier to the activated function.

6. A service agent as claimed in claim 1 in which the activation means is arranged in use to activate the called function to pass the user identifier to one of the service providers.

7. A service agent as claimed in claim 1 in which the service agent comprises means for passing the service activation key to the activated function.

8. A service agent as claimed in claim 1, arranged to perform all payment-related functions for the user.

9. A service agent as claimed in claim 1 in which the payment system comprises a payment operator.

10. A service agent as claimed in claim 1, comprising a means for providing the service activation key to one of the service providers in order to initiate service delivery.

11. A service agent as claimed in claim 1, comprising a means for providing the service activation key to the user with a prompt for the user to send the service activation key to one of the service providers in order to initiate service delivery.

12. A service agent as claimed in claim 1, comprising a means for payment confirmation.

13. A service agent as claimed in claim 1, comprising means for accepting a confirmation key from the payment operator and for providing the confirmation key to one of the service providers.

14. A service agent as claimed in claim 1, comprising a means for accepting a request for payment from one of the service providers via the payment operator and for prompting the user to action the request.

15. A service agent as claimed in claim 1, comprising a means for authentication of the user'"'"'s identity.

16. A communications system comprising the service agent of claim 1.

17. A payment operator for controlling the interaction of one or more user devices, service providers and payment providers for arranging payment for goods or services provided by the service provider, in which the payment operator comprises:

means for receiving a payment request from a service provider;

means for sending a payment confirmation request to a user device and for receiving a response from the user device;

means for passing the user response to a payment provider; and

means for passing a confirmation key to one of the service providers to initiate the provision of goods or services to the user. means for passing a service activation key from one of the service providers to the user device.

18. A payment operator as claimed in claim 17, comprising a means for generating and passing a service confirmation key to the user device with the service activation key.

19. A payment operator as claimed in claim 17, comprising a means for controlling the exchange of messages between the one or more user devices, service providers and payment providers.

20. A payment operator as claimed in claim 17, comprising a means for receiving the confirmation key from the payment system.

21. payment operator as claimed in claim 17, comprising a means for detecting receipt from one of the service providers of the service confirmation key supplied to the user device.

22. A payment operator as claimed in claim 17, comprising a means for initiating payment on the basis of the received service confirmation key.

23. A method for controlling payment in a communications system including the steps of providing a service agent in one or more user devices, accessing a service provider from the or one user device, selecting a product for purchase from the service provider, the service agent receiving a request for payment from the service provider via a payment operator and the service agent issuing a payment authorization to a payment provider via the payment operator.

24. A method as claimed in claim 23, including the step of the service agent activating a function on the user device.

25. A method as claimed in claim 23, including the steps of passing a user identifier to the activated function and arranging for the activated function to pass the user identifier to one of the service providers.

26. A method as claimed in claim 23, including the step of arranging for the activated function to download content from one of the service providers.

27. A method as claimed in claim 23, including the steps of accepting a service activation key from the payment operator and providing the service activation key to the user with a prompt for the user to send the service activation key to one of the service providers in order to initiate service delivery.

28. A method as claimed in claim 23, including the steps of accepting a request for payment from one of the service providers via the payment operator and prompting the user to action the request.

29. A method of purchasing goods or services from a service provider in a communications system, including the steps of using a service agent on a user device to;

(a) register a user identity with a payment operator and authenticate the user identity to the payment operator;

(b) open via a client on the user device a connection from the user device to the service provider;

(c) identify the user and the payment operator to the service provider;

(d) via the client browse and select a service from the service provider;

(e) receive from the payment operator a payment confirmation request based on a payment request from the service provider to the payment operator; and

(f) confirm payment with the payment operator;

so that

(g) the user receives the goods or services from the service provider.

30. The method as claimed in claim 29, according to which the service agent opens the client application that selects, at step (d), the service from the service provider.

31. The method as claimed in claim 29, according to which the service agent opens the client application that purchases a service from the service provider.

32. The method as claimed in claim 29, including the steps of receiving, at step (e), the payment confirmation request at a plurality of service agents on a plurality of devices and selecting one of the service agents to process the request.

33. The method as claimed in claim 29, including the steps of providing a plurality of service agents on a plurality of devices and receiving the payment confirmation request at one of the plurality of service agents chosen by the payment operator.

34. A method of purchasing via a user device goods or services from a service provider in a communications system, including the steps of receiving at a payment operator a payment request from the service provider, creating and sending a payment confirmation request to a service agent on the user device;

retrieving user preferences stored in the payment operator and processing the payment request in accordance with the preferences.

35. The method as claimed in claim 34, including the steps of blocking or allowing service providers in accordance with the retrieved user preferences.

36. The method as claimed in claim 35, including the steps of identifying payments that do not require confirmation in accordance with the retrieved user preferences.

37. The method as claimed in claim 34, including the steps of sending the payment confirmation request to a plurality of service agents on a plurality of user devices.

38. The method as claimed in claim 34, including the steps of sending the payment confirmation request to a service agent selected from a plurality of service agents on a plurality of user devices

39. The method as claimed in claim 38, including the steps of selecting the service agent on the basis of authentication information provided to the payment operator by the service agent.

40. The method as claimed in claim 34, including the steps of detecting a user device without service agent, prompting the user, receiving a response from the user and downloading a service agent to that device in response to the user response.

41. The method as claimed in claim 34, including the steps of notifying the service provider that service delivery confirmation is required, receiving from the service provider an activation URL and forwarding the activation URL and a service confirmation key to the service agent.

42. The method as claimed in claim 41, according to which the payment operator receives from the service agent a payment confirmation, checks the payment confirmation and if correct pays the service provider on behalf of the consumer according to the payment request.