Secure method of payment

• US 6,904,136 B1
• Filed: 11/18/2002
• Issued: 06/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Cook, Fred S.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DUC MINH
• Application Number:
  US10/298,770
• Time in Patent Office: 932 Days
• Field of Search: 455405-409, 705/1, 705/35, 705 37- 40, 705/44, 705 52- 53, 705/59, 705/75, 705/76, 37911415-1142, 379/144.2, 379/114.14, 379/127.02, 379/114.25
• US Class Current: 379/114.25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/16 Payments settled via telecommunication systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/38215 Use of certificates or encrypted proofs of transaction rights
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/50 for cross-charging network operators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0196 Payment of value-added services, mainly when their charges are added on the telephone bill, e.g. payment of non-telecom services, e-commerce, on-line banking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/52 Interconnection, inter-exchange, reseller billing, billing agreements between different operators, e.g. billing identifier added on the CDR in order to cross charge the other operator, inter-operator accounting, reconciliation, bill directly resellers customers

Abstract

A process for a transfer of funds for payment for goods and/or services in which a purchaser of the goods and/or services requests that a financial services organization generate a financial certificate in an amount equal to the payment. The requester receives the requested certificate and then transmits the certificate to the provider of good and/or services. Upon validation of the certificate by the provider, the transaction is completed and the purchaser so notified. The purchaser is subsequently billed by the financial services organization for the cost of the certificate.

Claims

1. A secure process for providing payment comprising the steps of:

(a) contacting a financial services organization that utilizes an intelligent voice response unit, the intelligent voice response unit being operative to prompt information from the caller needed to generate a financial certificate, the intelligent voice response unit also having a predetermined rate with the value of the financial certificate generated being determined by holding a telephone line open for a period of time equivalent to a desired value;

(b) requesting that the financial services organization generate the financial certificate for payment to a specified provider;

(c) receiving the financial certificate from the financial services organization; and

(d) forwarding the financial certificate to the provider.

2. The process according to claim 1 wherein the intelligent voice response unit is a value added telephone service.

3. The process according to claim 1 wherein the intelligent voice response unit receives Dual Tone Multi-frequency signals from the purchaser and the financial services organization is responsive to the signals to generate a financial certificate.

4. The process according to claim 3 wherein the intelligent voice response unit is responsive to the Dual Tone Multi-frequency signals received from the purchaser to translate the signals into rating flags that are understood by an associated billing system, the billing system being operative to generate the financial certificate.

6. The process according to claim 1 wherein the intelligent voice response unit has a plurality of access lines with a different predetermined rate associated with each of the lines, whereby a particular line is selected as a function of the desired certificate value.

7. The process according to claim 1 further including a certificate validation step of:

(e) contacting the financial services organization by the provider to determine if the certificate is valid.

8. The process according to claim 7 further including the step of:

(f) notifying the caller that the transaction is complete upon verification of the certificate by the provider.

9. The process according to claim 8 wherein the financial services organization generates an invoice for the cost of the certificate.

10. The process according to claim 7 further including, prior to step (a) contacting a provider of goods and ordering goods from the provider.

11. The process according to claim 10 wherein the party ordering the goods remains in contact with the provider while completing steps (a) through (c).

12. The process according to claim 11 wherein the contact with the provider is established with a personal computer through the internet and the contact with the financial services organization is established with a telephone through a public switched telephone network.

13. The process according to claim 11 wherein the contact with the provider is established with a personal computer through the internet and the contact with the financial services organization is established with the same personal computer through a public switched telephone network.

14. The process according to claim 11 wherein the contact with both the provider and the financial services organization is established with a telephone through a public switched telephone network.

15. The process according to claim 11 wherein the financial services organization is a 1-900 system that provides an information provider service and is affiliated with a financial institution.

5. A secure process for providing payment comprising the steps of:

(a) contacting a financial services organization that utilizes an intelligent voice response unit, the intelligent voice response unit being operative to prompt information from the caller needed to generate a financial certificate, the intelligent voice response unit also being operative to receive Dual Tone Multi-frequency signals with the financial services organization being responsive to the signals and a call duration to generate a financial certificate;

(b) requesting that the financial services organization generate the financial certificate for payment to a specified provider;

(c) receiving the financial certificate from the financial services organization; and

(d) forwarding the financial certificate to the provider.

16. The process according to claim 5 wherein the intelligent voice response unit is a value added telephone service.

17. The process according to claim 5 wherein the intelligent voice response unit is responsive to the Dual Tone Multi-frequency signals received from the purchaser to translate the signals into rating flags that are understood by an associated billing system, the billing system being operative to generate the financial certificate.

18. The process according to claim 5 further including a certificate validation step of:

(e) contacting the financial services organization by the provider to determine if the certificate is valid.

19. The process according to claim 18 further including the step of:

(f) notifying of the caller that the transaction is complete upon verification of the certificate by the provider.

20. The process according to claim 19 wherein the financial services organization generates an invoice for the cost of the certificate.