Method for billing for services delivered over a computer network

• US 7,552,090 B1
• Filed: 08/05/1999
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kount Incorporated (Equifax, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Keynetics Incorporated
• Inventors: Barber, Timothy P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Havan; Thu Thao
• Application Number:
  US09/368,996
• Time in Patent Office: 3,610 Days
• Field of Search: 705/32, 705/42, 705/26, 705 39- 40
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

A method of billing (charging) for providing access to information over a computer network, with the billing based on the time a consumer elects to access the information, distinguished primarily by including a third party, called here a bank, to mediate between the consumer and the information vendor in such a way as to relieve the vendor of any involvement in billing the consumer, but leaving the vendor responsible for the quality of the information provided to the consumer. In the method, when a consumer visits a vendor network address and decides to purchase access to information from the vendor, the consumer will exercise a link that will put the consumer in contact with the bank, and so initiate billing, and the bank will then direct the consumer to the location at the vendor (a server operated by the vendor) where the information can be accessed. The method also includes a means by which the bank is made aware of the time at which the consumer finishes accessing the vendor'"'"'s information, and can thus provide a charge to the consumer based on the time the consumer spends accessing the vendor'"'"'s information.

Claims

1. A method of billing, by a third party, for access by a consumer to information made available by a vendor over a computer network, with the billing based on how long the consumer elects to access the information, the method comprising the steps of:

a) when a consumer visits a vendor network address and decides to purchase access to information made available over the computer network by the vendor, having the consumer exercise a third-party link that will connect the consumer to the third party;

b) having the third party provide to the consumer an exercisable start-session link for starting access to the information; and

c) having the third party both begin timing access and redirect the consumer to the information if the consumer exercises the start-session link, wherein the third party passes to the vendor a consumer authentication code and consumer address by providing the consumer authentication code and consumer address as a parameter of the start-session link;

wherein the third-party link and the start-session link are links on respective pages for presentation to the consumer by a browser hosted by equipment operated by the consumer.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step in which the third party stops timing access to the information based on a maximum duration of access to the information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step in which the third party provides an end session address for use by the consumer in signalling to the third party to stop timing access to the information.

2. A method of billing a consumer for access for a limited time to information made available by a vendor, the access provided over a computer network, the method requiring participation by a third party to mediate between the consumer and the vendor, the method comprising the steps of:

a) having the vendor establish an account with the third party and provide to the third party a session connect address that is an address on the computer network of the information made available by the vendor;

b) having the third party provide the vendor with a start session address that is an address on the computer network of the third party to which the vendor is to direct a consumer to start timing access by the consumer to the information made available by the vendor;

c) having the vendor make available over the computer network a pricetag link that will connect a prospective consumer with the third party;

d) if the consumer exercises the pricetag link, having the third party return to the consumer a pricetag page that includes a price-per-unit time for access to the information made available for access by the vendor, a maximum duration of access for which the consumer is authorized, and a link to the start session address, which is an address of the third party;

e) if the consumer exercises the link to the start session address, having the third party return to the consumer an end session link, which the consumer can use to terminate the purchase of access to information from the vendor earlier than waiting for the maximum duration of access to expire, and an authentication code;

f) also if the consumer exercises the link to the start session address, having the third party provide to the vendor the consumer authentication code and the consumer address by redirecting the consumer to link to the vendor and in so linking pass to the vendor a consumer authentication code and consumer address as parameters of the link, and having the third party begin billing the consumer beginning when the consumer exercised the start session link;

g) having the vendor provide to the consumer a page, located at the session connect address of the vendor, that provides an access link to the information made available by the vendor;

h) if the consumer exercises the access link, having the vendor provide access to the information until either the maximum duration expires, or the consumer exercises the end session link; and

i) if the consumer exercises the end session link, which redirects the consumer to the third party, having the third party notify the vendor that the consumer access is terminated, and having the third party stop billing the consumer;

wherein the pricetag link and the link to the start session address are links on respective pages for presentation to the consumer by a browser hosted by equipment operated by the consumer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein when the consumer accesses the network address of the vendor, the vendor transmits to the consumer a page with the pricetag link that provides enough information to the consumer for the consumer to decide whether to look further into purchasing information from the vendor.

4. A method of billing a consumer for access for a limited time to information made available by a vendor, the access provided over a computer network, the method requiring participation by a third party to mediate between the consumer and the vendor, the method comprising the steps of:

having the vendor establish an account with the third party and provide to the third party a session connect address that is an address on the computer network of the information made available by the vendor;

having the third party provide the vendor with a start session address that is an address on the computer network of the third party to which the vendor is to direct a consumer to start timing access by the consumer to the information made available by the vendor;

having the vendor make available over the computer network a pricetag link that will connect a prospective consumer with the third party; and

having the third party start timing access based on the consumer exercising a start-session link made available by the third party for linking the consumer to the start session address;

wherein the pricetag link and the start-session link are links on respective pages for presentation to the consumer by a browser hosted by equipment operated by the consumer; and

wherein the third party redirects the consumer to link to the vendor upon the consumer exercising the start-session link, and passes to the vendor a consumer authentication code and consumer address as parameters of the link.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising a step in which the third party stops timing access based on the consumer having exceeded a maximum duration of access to the information.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising a step in which the third party stops timing access to the information when the consumer exercises an end-session link that redirects the consumer to the third party.

9. A system for billing, by a third party, for access by a consumer to information made available by a vendor over a computer network, with the billing based on how long the consumer continues to access the information, the system comprising:

a vendor server having a vendor network address on the computer network, and including means for providing an exercisable third party link for connecting equipment operated by the consumer to a server operated by the third party and connected to the computer network; and

the third party server, for initiating billing and connecting the consumer equipment to a location accessible over the computer network where the information made available by the vendor resides, and including means for providing an exercisable start-session link by which the consumer indicates the consumer has begun access of the information made available by the vendor, and also means by which to initiate timing access by the consumer to the information made available by the vendor if the consumer exercises the start-session link;

wherein the third-party link and the start-session link are links on respective pages for presentation to the consumer by a browser hosted by equipment operated by the consumer; and

wherein the third-party provides a consumer authentication code and consumer address as parameters of the start-session link so that if the consumer exercises the start-session link the vendor receives the consumer authentication code and consumer address as parameters of the link.

10. A system for billing as in claim 9, wherein the third party server includes means for providing to the consumer an end session address for use by the consumer in ending access to the information by linking the consumer equipment to the end session address, and also includes means by which to terminate timing access to the information if the consumer links to the end session address.

11. A system for billing as in claim 9, wherein the third party server includes means for stopping timing access to the information based on the consumer having exceeded a maximum duration of access to the information.

12. A method of billing, by a third party, for access over a computer network by a consumer operating consumer equipment to information made available over the computer network by a vendor, the vendor and the third party operating respective servers connected to the computer network each of which servers has a network address, the method comprising the steps of:

the vendor server presenting to the consumer an exercisable third-party link for connecting the consumer to the third party server; and

the third party server presenting to the consumer equipment an exercisable start-session link for use by the consumer in starting timed access to the information and also for use by the third party as a signal for starting to time access to the information, and the third party server redirecting the consumer equipment to a location where the information resides if the consumer exercises the start-session link and passing to the vendor a consumer authentication code and consumer address as parameters of the start-session link;

wherein the third-party link and the start-session link are links on respective pages for presentation to the consumer by a browser hosted by equipment operated by the consumer.