INTERNET BILLING METHOD
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method comprising:
- receiving customer account information for establishing an account to which purchases are chargeable to the account by a service provider, the account being maintained by the service provider and the customer account information being received by network equipment of the service provider;
enabling customer equipment to purchase an electronically-purchasable product of a vendor via a connection to the network equipment of the service provider;
detecting a purchase initiated by the customer equipment;
charging the account a fee for the purchase, the fee being charged in response to a communication from vendor equipment of the vendor received by the network equipment of the service provider, wherein the vendor is a party other than the service provider; and
initiating delivery of the electronically-purchasable product.
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Abstract
A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, identifying a consumer account managed by a service provider to which purchases are chargeable, the identification of the account based on transactional information, enabling customer equipment to request a purchase of an electronically-purchasable item of a vendor via network equipment of the service provider, wherein the vendor is a party other than the service provider, charging the consumer account a fee for a purchase initiated by the customer equipment, and remitting a portion of the fee to an account of the vendor. Other embodiments are disclosed.
99 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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receiving customer account information for establishing an account to which purchases are chargeable to the account by a service provider, the account being maintained by the service provider and the customer account information being received by network equipment of the service provider; enabling customer equipment to purchase an electronically-purchasable product of a vendor via a connection to the network equipment of the service provider; detecting a purchase initiated by the customer equipment; charging the account a fee for the purchase, the fee being charged in response to a communication from vendor equipment of the vendor received by the network equipment of the service provider, wherein the vendor is a party other than the service provider; and initiating delivery of the electronically-purchasable product. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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8. The method of 1, comprising enabling the customer equipment to communicate with the vendor equipment by way of the network equipment.
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13. A method comprising:
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identifying a consumer account managed by a service provider to which purchases are chargeable, the identification of the account based on transactional information; enabling customer equipment to request a purchase of an electronically-purchasable item of a vendor via network equipment of the service provider, wherein the vendor is a party other than the service provider; charging the consumer account a fee for a purchase initiated by the customer equipment; and remitting a portion of the fee to an account of the vendor. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 17)
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16. The method of 13, comprising establishing communications between vendor equipment of the vendor and the network equipment of the service provider to perform at least one of detecting the purchase requested by the customer equipment, remitting the portion of the fee to the account of the vendor, and initiating delivery of the electronically-purchasable item.
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18. A method comprising:
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generating an account for a consumer to which account purchases are chargeable by a service provider, the account being managed according to an agreement between the consumer and the service provider; enabling consumer equipment of the consumer to purchase electronically-purchasable items of a vendor via a connection to network equipment of the service provider, wherein the vendor and the service provider are independent enterprises; charging the account of the consumer a fee for a purchase initiated by the consumer equipment of the consumer, wherein third party equipment of a third party initiates the charge of the consumer account on behalf of the service provider; and remitting a portion of the fee to an account of the vendor. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification