System and apparatus for monitoring secure information in a computer network

• US 5,903,652 A
• Filed: 11/25/1996
• Issued: 05/11/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mital, Amit
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes, Gail O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Laufer, Pinchus M.
• Application Number:
  US08/753,360
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: 380/24, 380/25, 380/49, 705/1, 705/18, 705/26, 705/27, 705/34, 705/39, 705/40, 705/42, 705/44
• US Class Current: 705/78
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0855 involving a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0607 Regulated

Abstract

A secure transaction system apparatus and method provide for the auditing of secure messages in a computer network. The secure transaction system includes an electronic commerce service which is in communication with multiple consumer computers and multiple merchant computers. The consumer computers initiate consumer transactions between the consumer computers and the merchant computers. Each consumer transaction can include different items, different merchants, different shipping methods and different payment instructions. An order object within the consumer computer stores summaries about the different items, the different merchants, the different shipping methods and different payment instructions during creation of each commercial transaction. While generating transaction data, the consumer computer also generates related audit data. The consumer computers encrypt the transaction data and the audit data into different encryption formats and send the encrypted transaction data and the encrypted audit data to the electronic commerce service. The electronic commerce service decrypts the audit data and stores copies of the encrypted transaction data. The electronic commerce service also routes the encrypted transaction data to the merchant computers. The merchant computers decrypt the encrypted transaction data and complete the desired commercial transaction. Thus, the electronic commerce service can audit secure transactions while maintaining confidentiality.

Claims

1. A machine for generating secure transaction data comprising:

a computer processor;

a secured technology module stored in a computer readable storage media, said secured technology module executable in said computer processor, said secured technology module configured to receive transaction data and audit data, said transaction data comprising a purchase order for goods or services including all information required by a merchant to fill said order and payment instructions, said audit data comprising a copy of at least a portion of said purchase order for goods or services, said secured technology module further configured to encrypt said transaction data into a first encryption format and encrypt said audit data into a second encryption format wherein said first encryption format is different than said second encryption format and each is adapted to be decrypted by a different party; and

an order module in communication with said secured technology module, said order module configured to combine said encrypted transaction data and said encrypted audit data into a secure message.

2. The machine of claim 1 wherein said encrypted audit data in said secure message is only accessible by a network service provider.

3. The machine of claim 1 wherein said secured technology module is configured to encrypt said payment instructions into a third encryption format.

4. A secure system for monitoring secure commercial transactions comprising:

a computer network interconnecting multiple computers; and

a transaction auditing service executing in said computer network, said transaction auditing service configured to receive secure transaction messages from any one of said computers, said secure transaction messages configured to contain one or more encrypted transaction packets and at least one encrypted audit packet, wherein each of said encrypted transaction packets comprises a purchase order for goods or services including all information required by a merchant to fill said order and payment instructions and said at least one encrypted audit packet comprises a copy of at least a portion of said purchase order for goods or services selected from at least one of said encrypted transaction packets, and wherein said one or more encrypted transaction packets and said at least one encrypted audit packet are encrypted with different encryption formats each adapted to be decrypted by a different party, said transaction auditing service comprising;

a first secured technology module configured to decrypt said at least one encrypted audit packet; and

a decryption module in communication with said first secured technology module and said computer network, said decryption module configured to receive said secure transaction messages and direct said first secured technology module to decrypt said at least one encrypted audit packet, said decryption module further configured to forward said one or more encrypted transaction packets to one or more of said computers connected to said computer network.

5. The secure system of claim 4 wherein said decryption module is further configured to store said at least one decrypted audit packets in a database.

6. The secure system of claim 4 wherein said at least one decrypted audit packet contains one or more transaction identifiers, each of said transaction identifiers corresponding to one of said encrypted transaction packets, each of said transaction identifiers identifying one of said computers connected to said computer network.

7. The secure system of claim 6 wherein said decryption module is configured to use each of said transaction identifiers to route each of said one or more encrypted transaction packets to one of said computers connected to said computer network.

8. The secure system of claim 4 wherein said purchase order for goods or services and said payment instructions of said transaction packet are encrypted into different encryption formats.

9. The secure system of claim 8 wherein one or more of said computers connected to said computer network are configured to receive said one or more encrypted transaction packets, each of said computers further comprising a second secured technology module configured to decrypt said encrypted information relating to said order for goods and services in said one or more encrypted transaction packets.

10. The secure system of claim 9 wherein said second secured technology module is further configured to decrypt said encrypted payment instructions.

11. A secure system for monitoring secure commercial transactions comprising:

a computer network interconnecting a plurality of computers;

a consumer module executing in at least one of said interconnected computers, said consumer module configured to generate encrypted purchase order data including all information required by a merchant to fill said order, encrypted payment instruction data, and encrypted audit data comprising a copy of at least a portion of said purchase order data, wherein said encrypted purchase order data, said encrypted payment instruction data and said encrypted audit data are encrypted into different encryption formats each adapted to be decrypted by a different party;

an auditor module executable in one of said interconnected computers, said auditor module configured to receive said encrypted audit data, said encrypted purchase order data and said encrypted payment instruction data, said auditor module including decryption routines and a database wherein said decryption routines direct said interconnected computer to decrypt said encrypted audit data, said auditor module further including storage routines which store copies of said decrypted audit data, said encrypted purchase order data and said encrypted payment instruction data in said database;

a merchant module executing in at least one of said interconnected computers, said merchant module configured to receive and decrypt said encrypted purchase order data; and

an acquirer module executing in at least one of said interconnected computers, said acquirer module configured to receive and decrypt said encrypted payment instruction data.

12. The secure system of claim 11 wherein said acquirer module and said merchant module both execute in one of said computers connected to said computer network.

13. The secure system of claim 11 wherein said consumer module is further configured to combine said encrypted purchase order data and said encrypted payment instruction data into an encrypted transaction packet.

14. The secure system of claim 13 wherein said consumer module is further configured to store said encrypted audit data in an encrypted audit packet.

15. The secure system of claim 14 wherein said auditor module is configured to forward said encrypted transaction packet to said merchant module.

16. The secure system of claim 15 wherein said merchant module is configured to forward said encrypted payment instructions to said acquirer module.

17. A secure system for monitoring secure commercial transactions comprising:

a computer network interconnecting multiple computers;

a first electronic mail module executing in a first one of said computers, said first electronic mail module configured to receive a secure transaction message from a second one of said computers, said secure transaction message containing an encrypted transaction packet and an encrypted audit packet, said encrypted transaction packet comprising a purchase order for goods or services including all information required by a merchant to fill said order and payment instructions, said encrypted audit packet comprising a copy of at least a portion of said purchase order for goods or services and a transaction identifier which identifies a third one of said computers, wherein said encrypted transaction packet and said encrypted audit packet are encrypted into different encryption formats each adapted to be decrypted by a different party; and

a security means for decrypting said encrypted audit packets, said security means executing in said first one of said computers and in communication with said first electronic mail module, said security means utilizing said transaction identifier in said decrypted audit packet to properly route said encrypted transaction packet to said third one of said computers.

18. The secure system of claim 17 wherein said second one of said computers further comprises an order processing means for generating said encrypted transaction packet and said encrypted audit packet and for combining said encrypted transaction packet and said encrypted audit packet into said secure transaction message;

and

a second electronic mail module for sending said secure transaction message to said first electronic mail module.