Secure system for the issuance, acquisition, and redemption of certificates in a transaction network
First Claim
1. A transaction system connectable to an issuer terminal associated with a redemption location and to an acquirer terminal across the Internet, comprising:
- a certificate authority module comprising any of a server and a terminal connected to said Internet, said certificate authority module comprising a web portal interface comprising means for defining a virtual certificate having attributes defined by an issuer user having an issuer payment agent associated with said redemption location through said issuer terminal across said Internet, said issuer user defined attributes comprising any of denomination information, certificate design information, redemption rule information and redemption location information, said defined virtual certificate corresponding to a commodity having a value and a first public identifier, wherein said commodity corresponds to any of a product, a service, a coupon, and a reservation, said commodity selected by said issuer user at said issuer terminal in communication with said certificate authority module across said Internet, and wherein said first public identifier is defined by said certificate authority module;
a payment agent associated with said certificate authority module;
means for adding said defined virtual certificate to a database accessible through a web site connected to the Internet;
a certificate issuance module for creation of an issued certificate upon selectable acquisition of said virtual certificate by an acquirer user, having an acquirer payment agent, at said acquirer terminal across said Internet through said web site, for receipt of external payment information sent by said acquirer user from said acquirer terminal, and for transmission of information associated with said issued certificate to a holder, said holder comprising any of said acquirer user and an alternate recipient specified by said acquirer user, wherein said issued certificate comprises said first public identifier, said creation of said issued certificate associated with a private identifier which is assigned at time of said acquisition of said virtual certificate, wherein said private identifier does not appear on said issued certificate, and wherein said first public identifier and said assigned private identifier are stored at said certificate authority module in association with said issued certificate;
a certificate authentication module for authorization of a redemption of said issued certificate at said redemption location to said holder of said issued certificate, said holder comprising any of said acquirer user and said alternate recipient of said issued certificate to whom said acquirer user has communicated said private identifier, said authorization based upon a communication from said redemption location to said certificate authority module of said first public identifier from said issued certificate, a communication of said private identifier provided by said holder, and a matching comparison of said first public identifier and said private identifier stored at said certificate authority module; and
means to cancel further redemption of said issued certificate at said certificate authority module;
wherein funds are transferred from said acquirer payment agent to said certificate authority payment agent upon said selectable acquisition of said virtual certificate by said acquirer user; and
wherein said funds are transferred from said certificate authority payment agent to said issuer payment agent upon said redemption of said issued certificate by said holder.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A transaction network contains a networked certificate authority, by which one or more virtual certificates may be remotely defined and stored, such as by an issuer user through a issuer web portal interface. An acquirer user, through an acquirer web portal interface, may acquire one or more virtual certificates, which contain a public key portion, as well as a corresponding private key, which is established at the time of acquisition, and is stored at the certificate authority. At a redemption location associated with an acquired certificate, the acquirer (or an alternate recipient of an acquired certificate to whom the acquirer has communicated the established private key), submits the certificate information, along with the established private key, to redeem the certificate.
173 Citations
42 Claims
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1. A transaction system connectable to an issuer terminal associated with a redemption location and to an acquirer terminal across the Internet, comprising:
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a certificate authority module comprising any of a server and a terminal connected to said Internet, said certificate authority module comprising a web portal interface comprising means for defining a virtual certificate having attributes defined by an issuer user having an issuer payment agent associated with said redemption location through said issuer terminal across said Internet, said issuer user defined attributes comprising any of denomination information, certificate design information, redemption rule information and redemption location information, said defined virtual certificate corresponding to a commodity having a value and a first public identifier, wherein said commodity corresponds to any of a product, a service, a coupon, and a reservation, said commodity selected by said issuer user at said issuer terminal in communication with said certificate authority module across said Internet, and wherein said first public identifier is defined by said certificate authority module; a payment agent associated with said certificate authority module; means for adding said defined virtual certificate to a database accessible through a web site connected to the Internet; a certificate issuance module for creation of an issued certificate upon selectable acquisition of said virtual certificate by an acquirer user, having an acquirer payment agent, at said acquirer terminal across said Internet through said web site, for receipt of external payment information sent by said acquirer user from said acquirer terminal, and for transmission of information associated with said issued certificate to a holder, said holder comprising any of said acquirer user and an alternate recipient specified by said acquirer user, wherein said issued certificate comprises said first public identifier, said creation of said issued certificate associated with a private identifier which is assigned at time of said acquisition of said virtual certificate, wherein said private identifier does not appear on said issued certificate, and wherein said first public identifier and said assigned private identifier are stored at said certificate authority module in association with said issued certificate; a certificate authentication module for authorization of a redemption of said issued certificate at said redemption location to said holder of said issued certificate, said holder comprising any of said acquirer user and said alternate recipient of said issued certificate to whom said acquirer user has communicated said private identifier, said authorization based upon a communication from said redemption location to said certificate authority module of said first public identifier from said issued certificate, a communication of said private identifier provided by said holder, and a matching comparison of said first public identifier and said private identifier stored at said certificate authority module; and means to cancel further redemption of said issued certificate at said certificate authority module; wherein funds are transferred from said acquirer payment agent to said certificate authority payment agent upon said selectable acquisition of said virtual certificate by said acquirer user; and wherein said funds are transferred from said certificate authority payment agent to said issuer payment agent upon said redemption of said issued certificate by said holder. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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16. A process within a transaction network connectable to an issuer terminal associated with a redemption location and to an acquirer a terminal, comprising the steps of:
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providing a certificate authority module comprising any of a server and a terminal connected to the Internet, said certificate authority module having a web portal interface comprising means for defining a virtual certificate having attributes defined by an issuer user having an issuer payment agent associated with said redemption location through said issuer terminal, said issuer user defined attributes comprising any of denomination information, certificate design information, redemption rule information and redemption location information; providing a payment agent associated with said certificate authority module; defining a virtual certificate at said certificate authority module through said issuer user terminal across said Internet through said web portal interface, said defined virtual certificate corresponding to a commodity having a value and a first public identifier, wherein said commodity corresponds to any of a product, a service, a coupon, and a reservation, said commodity selected by said issuer user at said issuer user terminal in communication with said certificate authority module across said Internet through said web portal interface of said certificate facility module, and wherein said first public identifier is defined by said certificate authority module; adding said defined virtual certificate to a database accessible through a web site connected to said Internet; creating an issued certificate upon acquisition through said web site of said virtual certificate by an acquirer user, having an acquirer payment agent, at said acquirer terminal across said Internet, upon receipt of external payment information sent by said acquirer user from said acquirer terminal, and for transmission of information associated with said issued certificate to a holder, said holder comprising any of said acquirer user and an alternate recipient specified by said acquirer user, wherein said issued certificate indicates said commodity selected by said issuer user and said first public identifier, said creation of said issued certificate associated with an establishment of a private identifier which does not appear on said issued certificate, said indicated commodity, said first public identifier, and said established private identifier stored at said certificate authority module in association with said issued certificate; transferring funds from said acquirer payment agent to said payment agent associated with said certificate authority module upon said acquisition by said acquirer user; authorizing a redemption of said issued certificate at a redemption location to said holder of said issued certificate, said holder comprising any of said acquirer user and said alternate recipient of said issued certificate to whom said acquirer user has communicated said private identifier, wherein said authorization is based upon submittal at said redemption location of said indicated commodity and said first public identifier from said issued certificate, a communication of said private identifier provided by said holder, and a matching comparison of said indicated commodity, said first public identifier, and said private identifier stored at said certificate authority module; transferring said funds from said payment agent associated with said certificate authority module to said issuer payment agent upon said redemption of said issued certificate by said holder; and canceling further redemption of said issued certificate at said certificate authority module. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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Specification