Method and system for processing a transaction

• US 7,527,194 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2005
• Issued: 05/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jolly Seven, Series 70 of Allied Security Trust I (Allied Security Trust)
• Original Assignee: Paymentone Corporation
• Inventors: Philbin, M. Brendan, Dawson, Ken R., Lynam, Joseph M., Truitt, Jennifer R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mai, Thien T
• Application Number:
  US11/098,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20060219775A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,492 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380, 235/492, 235/376, 235/379, 235/382, 235/493, 235/495, 705/26, 705/40, 705/44, 705/75, 379/114.14, 379/356
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/16 Payments settled via telecommunication systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• 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: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof

Abstract

A method of, and system for, processing payment for a transaction is provided. The method includes providing a user with an option to select payment for the transaction from an account associated with a communication line via which an electronic terminal is connected to a communication network. The communication line is typically a subscriber line and, accordingly, the account is a telephone account associated with the subscriber line. When a user transacts with a vendor for goods and/or services, the user may request to process payment using the telephone account instead of using a credit or debit card. The method includes investigating data using the telephone number associated with the subscriber line and, selectively approving the transaction dependent upon an outcome of the investigation. The invention extends to a transaction processor interface and to and a transaction validation module. The invention also extends to computer program products including the invention.

Claims

1. A method of processing a transaction record, the method comprising:

receiving a transaction authorization request, the transaction authorization request being a digital data string including fields corresponding to a credit card authorization request record, in the transaction authorization request a credit card number in a field corresponding to the credit card number being replaced with a telephone number associated with a subscriber line;

automatically obtaining the telephone number from the field corresponding to the credit card number in the transaction authorization request;

translating the transaction authorization request into a format that is suitable to be validated based on a unique identifier associated with the subscriber line;

performing a validation process based at least in part on the telephone number to generate a transaction validation indicator;

generating a transaction authorization response based on the transaction validation indicator, the transaction authorization response being in a format of a credit card authorization response; and

communicating the generated transaction authorization response to a computer system.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the computer system includes a Customer Management System.

3. The method of claim 1, in which performing the validation process includes:

creating a line identification database (LIDB) request record;

communicating the LIDB request record to a line identification database (LIDB);

receiving LIDB data from the line identification database (LIDB); and

generating the transaction validation indicator at least partially based on the LIDB data.

4. The method of claim 1, which includes:

at a vendor computer system,

identifying the telephone number associated with the subscriber line using automatic number identification (ANI) techniques;

providing the transaction authorization request for communication via a network to a transaction processing facility;

inserting the telephone number into the transaction authorization request; and

communicating the transaction authorization request to the transaction processing facility.

5. The method of claim 1, which includes routing the transaction authorization request to a financial card gateway when the transaction authorization request does not include a telephone number.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction is billed to an account associated with the subscriber line.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein if a billing failure occurs in which the account associated with the subscriber line is not billable, the method includes:

creating a credit card billing failure record; and

communicating the credit card billing failure record via a network to the computer system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction authorization request includes a tracking ID field, a name field, at least one address field, a city field, a state field, a ZIP code field, a billing telephone number field, an amount field, and a credit card number field that includes the telephone number.

9. The method of claim 1, which includes:

receiving a plurality of credit card transaction records from a Customer Management System, each credit card transaction record being associated with an approved credit card authorization request;

identifying which one or more credit card transaction records of the plurality of credit card transaction records includes a telephone number replacing a credit card number;

communicating each identified credit card transaction record to at least one telephone account transaction processing computer to process payment in an account associated with the subscriber line; and

communicating a credit card record to the Customer Management System to indicate that the transaction has been processed.

10. A machine-readable medium embodying instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

receiving a transaction authorization request, the transaction authorization request being a digital data string including fields corresponding to a credit card authorization request record, in the transaction authorization request a credit card number in a field corresponding to the credit card number being replaced with a telephone number associated with a subscriber line;

automatically obtain the telephone number from the field corresponding to the credit card number in the transaction authorization request;

translate the transaction authorization request into a format that is suitable to be validated based on a unique identifier associated with the subscriber line;

perform a validation process based at least in part on the telephone number to generate a transaction validation indicator;

generate a transaction authorization response based on the transaction validation indicator, the transaction authorization response being in a format of a credit card authorization response; and

communicate the generated transaction authorization response to a computer system.

11. A system to process a transaction record, the system including:

an interface to receive a transaction authorization request the transaction authorization request being a digital data string including fields corresponding to a credit card authorization request record, in the transaction authorization request a credit card number in a field corresponding to the credit card number being replaced with a telephone number associated with a subscriber line;

an extraction module to obtain the telephone number from the field corresponding to the credit card number in the transaction authorization request; and

a processing module to;

translate the transaction authorization request into a format that is suitable to be validated based on a unique identifier associated with the subscriber line;

perform a validation process based at least in part on the telephone number to generate a transaction validation indicator; and

generate a transaction authorization response utilizing the transaction validation indicator, the transaction authorization response being in a format of a credit card authorization response record, wherein the transaction authorization response is to be communicated to a computer system.

12. The system of claim 11, in which the computer system includes a Customer Management System.

13. The system of claim 11, in which the processing module is configured to:

create a line identification database (LIDB) request record for communication to a line identification database (LIDB); and

in response to LIDB data received from the line identification database (LIDB), generate the transaction validation indicator at least partially based on the LIDB data.

14. The system of claim 11, which includes a vendor computer system configured to:

identify the telephone number associated with the subscriber line using automatic number identification (ANI) techniques;

provide a transaction authorization request for communication via a network to a transaction processing facility;

insert the telephone number into the transaction authorization request; and

communicate the transaction authorization request to the transaction processing facility.

15. The system of claim 11, which is configured to route the transaction authorization request to a financial card gateway when the transaction authorization request does not include a telephone number.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein if a billing failure occurs in which the account associated with the subscriber line is unbillable, the processing module creates a credit card billing failure record for communication to the computer system.

17. The system of claim 11, which is configured to:

receive a plurality of credit card transaction records from a Customer Management System, each credit card transaction record being associated with an approved transaction authorization request;

identify which one or more credit card transaction records of the plurality of credit card transaction records includes a telephone number replacing a credit card number;

communicate each identified credit card transaction record to at least one telephone account transaction processing computer to process payment in an account associated with the subscriber line; and

communicate a credit card record to the Customer Management System to indicate that the transaction has been processed.

18. A system to process a transaction record, the system including:

means for receiving a transaction authorization request, the transaction authorization request being a digital data string including fields corresponding to a credit card authorization request record, in the transaction authorization request a credit card number in a field corresponding to the credit card number being replaced with a telephone number associated with a subscriber line;

means for automatically obtaining the telephone number from the field corresponding to the credit card number in the transaction authorization request;

means for translating the transaction authorization request into a format that is suitable to be validated based on a unique identifier associated with the subscriber line;

means for performing a validation process based at least in part on the telephone number to generate a transaction validation indicator;

means for generating a transaction authorization response utilizing the transaction validation indicator, the transaction authorization response being in a format suitable for processing a credit card authorization response record; and

means for communicating the generated transaction authorization response to a computer system.

19. A method of processing a transaction record, the method including:

receiving, from a computer system associated with a subscriber line, a credit card authorization request record associated with a transaction;

obtaining a unique identifier associated with the subscriber line from a credit card number field of the credit card authorization request record;

translating the credit card authorization request record into a format that is suitable to be validated based on the unique identifier associated with the subscriber line;

selectively validating a transaction authorization request associated with the credit card authorization request record utilizing the unique identifier associated with the subscriber line.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the translating of the credit card authorization request record includes:

generating a transaction validation request utilizing the unique identifier;

processing the transaction validation request utilizing a subscriber line identification database (LIDB) to generate a validation response;

translating the validation response into an credit card authorization response format; and

communicating the validation response in the credit card authorization response format to the computer system.