Effecting an electronic payment

• US 20090006217A1
• Filed: 06/29/2007
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boku Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Vidicom Limited
• Inventors: Smith, Glyn Barry
• Granted Patent: US 8,768,778 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3255 using mobile network messaging services for payment, e.g. SMS
• 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 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders

Abstract

Effecting an electronic payment from customers to vendors over the Internet is disclosed. A vendor (111) offers a product to potential customers (102) over the Internet. A customer browsers the Internet and the customer has a mobile cellular telephone (202) configured to receive premium rate mobile terminating text messages. Transaction details are transmitted from the vendor to the browsing customer. Order details are then transmitted from the browsing customer to the vendor that require a payment to be made by the customer. In order to effect payment, a plurality of premium rate text messages are transmitted to the telephone (202).

Claims

1. A method of effecting an electronic payment from customers to vendors via an internet, wherein

a vendor offers a product to potential customers over said internet,

a customer browses the internet and said customer has a mobile cellular telephone configured to receive premium rate mobile terminating text messages, comprising the steps of:

transmitting transaction details of a transaction from said vendor to said browsing customer;

transmitting order details of an order from said browsing customer to said vendor that requires a payment to be made by the customer; and

transmitting a plurality of premium rate text messages to said telephone to effect said payment.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said transaction details identifies goods, virtual goods or services for sale at a unit price.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said transaction details also identifies an additional price for effecting payment via a mobile cellular telephone.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said transaction details identify a payment currency.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein a confirmation message is sent to the mobile telephone after an order has been placed inviting a confirmation text from the customer before said premium rate messages are transmitted.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission of premium rate messages takes account of available currency units.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission of premium rate messages takes account of time constraints that only allow up to a maximum value of transactions within a predetermined time frame.

8. A method of operating a payment server connected to an internet, comprising the steps of:

receiving details of a transaction from a product server identifying a price to be paid by a customer;

receiving details of said customer'"'"'s mobile telephone; and

transmitting a plurality of premium rate text messages to said telephone to effect said payment.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the currency of said price is identified.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein an additional fee for completing the transaction is identified to produce a total fee.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein said total fee is divided into an appropriate number of premium rate messages based on network permitted messages.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein a transmission schedule for the transmission of the premium rate messages is calculated based on maximum allowable transactions over agreed units of time.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein said agreed units of time include daily maximum values.

14. A method according to claim 12, wherein said agreed units of time include monthly maximums.

15. A method according to claim 8, wherein a mobile terminating message is sent to the customer seeking an agreement to pay and said premium rate messages are only transmitted after receiving a mobile originating message agreeing to the transaction.

16. A method of making payment for goods, virtual goods or a service (a product) ordered via a browser communicating with a server, comprising the steps of:

placing an order for said product over an internet;

identifying details of a mobile cellular telephone; and

receiving a plurality of premium rate mobile terminating text messages at said telephone in order to effect said payment.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein said browser is executed by a desktop computer, a laptop computer or a mobile computer.

18. A method according to claim 16, wherein said browser is included within said telephone.

19. A method according to claim 16, wherein a confirmation is made via said telephone prior to receiving said premium rate messages.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein said confirmation is made by means of a mobile originating text message.