Mobile device communication system

• US 7,831,520 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2005
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Mengerink, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustin; Evens J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cheung; Calvin K
• Application Number:
  US11/168,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20060294025A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,960 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/64
• US Class Current: 705/64
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A method and system to conduct financial transactions over a communication network is provided. Data associated with a mobile communication device user is received and stored, and a user mobile airtime account is allocated to the user. A purchase request is received from the user via a mobile communication device, the purchase request being for a purchase from a merchant for a purchase amount. The communication network provides the user access to the network to make the purchase request without debiting a financial account of the user or the user mobile airtime account for the access to the communication network. A payment service provider now automatically debits the financial account of the user with the purchase amount, automatically allocates a service fee which is associated with the purchase amount to the mobile service provider and credits an account of the mobile service provider with the service fee. The payment service provider also automatically credits an account of the merchant with at least a portion of a remainder of the purchase amount.

Claims

1. A system to conduct financial transactions over a communication network, the system including:

a database storing data associated with a mobile communication device user, the data including a user mobile communication device identifier, user mobile airtime account identifier and financial account identifier for a financial account associated with the user, the financial account being with a financial institution;

purchase request infrastructure to receive a purchase request from the user via a mobile telephony communication device, the purchase request being for a good or service from a merchant for a purchase amount, the purchase request infrastructure including at least one of a group of systems including an IVR system, a short code module, or a short message service module, the purchase request being made by the user by scrolling through menu options made available to the user through at least one of the IVR systems and the short message service module;

an access module with screening logic to identify the purchase request and to provide the user access to the communication network through a mobile service provider to make the purchase request without debiting the financial account of the user or the user'"'"'s mobile airtime account for the access to the communication network;

a user mobile airtime account module to manage airtime availability of the user'"'"'s mobile telephony communication device via the user mobile airtime account; and

a payment service provider system to;

provide the merchant with the purchase request;

identify the financial account of the user based on the financial account identifier;

automatically debit the financial account of the user with the purchase amount;

automatically allocate a service fee which is associated with the purchase amount to the mobile service provider and crediting an account of the mobile service provider for the service fee; and

automatically credit an account of the merchant with at least a portion of the purchase amount.

2. A system according to claim 1, including a free minutes module to allocate free airtime minutes to the user mobile airtime account when the purchase request is received from the user.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein a number of free airtime minutes allocated to the user mobile airtime account is dependent on the purchase amount.

4. A system according to claim 2, wherein a number of free airtime minutes allocated to the user mobile airtime account is fixed for each purchase request received.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the purchase request is for airtime minutes, and wherein the system includes a top-up module to process the purchase request from the user to purchase the airtime minutes for the user mobile airtime account.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein the top-up module and IVR system provide the user with a warning prior to the depletion of the user'"'"'s airtime minutes.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the payment service provider system includes a registration module to facilitate the registration of the user to the payment service provider.

8. A system according to claim 1 wherein the payment service provider system includes an application program interface to communicate with the mobile service provider.

9. A system according to claim 1 wherein the mobile service provider system includes an application program interface to communicate with the payment service provider.

10. A method of conducting financial transactions over a communication network, the method including:

receiving and storing data associated with a mobile communication device user, the data identifying at least one financial account of the user, the financial account being with a financial institution;

allocating a user mobile airtime account to the user to manage airtime availability of the user;

receiving a purchase request from the user via a mobile telephony communication device, the purchase request being for a good or service from a merchant for a purchase amount, the purchase request being received by at least one of a group including an IVR system, a short code module, or a short message service module, the purchase request being made by the user by scrolling through menu options made available to the user through at least one of the IVR systems and the short message service module;

granting the user access to the communication network to make the purchase request through a mobile service provider without debiting the financial account of the user or the user'"'"'s mobile airtime account for the access to the communication network;

managing airtime availability of the user'"'"'s mobile telephony communication device via the user mobile airtime account;

supplying the merchant with the purchase request;

identifying the financial account of the user based on the financial account identifier;

automatically debiting the financial account of the user with the purchase amount;

automatically allocating a service fee, which is associated with the purchase amount, to the mobile service provider and crediting an account of the mobile service provider with the service fee; and

automatically crediting an account of the merchant with at least a portion of a remainder of the purchase amount.

11. The method of claim 10, including prompting the user for authorization information after receiving the purchase request.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the purchase request from the user is to purchase airtime minutes for the user mobile airtime account.

13. The method of claim 12, further including providing the user with a warning prior to the depletion of the user'"'"'s airtime minutes.

14. The method of claim 10, including allocating free airtime minutes to the user mobile airtime account responsive to receipt of the purchase request.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a number of free airtime minutes allocated to the user mobile airtime account is dependent on the purchase amount.

16. A method according to claim 14, wherein a number of free airtime minutes allocated to the user mobile airtime account is fixed for each purchase request received.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform the following operations, comprising:

receive and store data associated with a mobile communication device user, the data identifying at least one financial account of the user, the financial account being with a financial institution;

allocate a user mobile airtime account to the user to manage airtime availability of the user;

receive a purchase request from the user via a mobile telephony communication device, the purchase request being for a good or service from a merchant for a purchase amount, the purchase request being received by at least one of a group including an IVR system, a short code module, or a short message service module, the purchase request being made by the user by scrolling through menu options made available to the user through at least one of the IVR systems and the short message service module;

grant the user access to the communication network through a mobile service provider to make the purchase request without debiting the financial account of the user or the user'"'"'s user mobile airtime account for the access to the communication network;

manage airtime availability of the user'"'"'s mobile telephony communication device via the user mobile airtime account;

supply the merchant with the purchase request;

identify the financial account of the user based on the financial account identifier;

automatically debit the financial account of the user with the purchase amount;

automatically allocate a service fee, which is associated with the purchase amount, to the mobile service provider and crediting an account of the mobile service provider with the service fee; and

automatically credit an account of the merchant with at least a portion of a remainder of the purchase amount.

18. A system to conduct financial transactions over a communication network, the system including:

first means for storing data associated with a mobile communication device user, the data including a user mobile communication device identifier, a user mobile airtime account identifier and a financial account identifier for at least one financial account associated with the user, the financial account being with a financial institution;

second means for receiving a purchase request from the user via a mobile telephony communication device, the purchase request being for a good or service from a merchant for a purchase amount, the second means including at least one of a an IVR means, a short code module, or a short message service module, the purchase request being made by the user by scrolling through menu options made available to the user through at least one of the IVR systems and the short message service module;

third means for identifying the purchase request and for providing the user access to the communication network through a mobile service provider to issue the purchase request without debiting the financial account of the user or the user'"'"'s mobile airtime account for the access to the communication network, the third means having a screening logic;

a user mobile airtime account module to manage airtime availability of the user'"'"'s mobile telephony communication device via the user mobile airtime account; and

fourth means for providing the merchant with the purchase request, the fourth means further for;

identifying the financial account of the user based on the financial account identifier;

automatically debiting the financial account of the user with the purchase amount;

automatically allocating a service fee which is associated with the purchase amount to the mobile service provider and crediting an account of the mobile service provider for the service fee; and

automatically crediting an account of the merchant with at least a portion of the purchase amount.

19. A system according to claim 18, including sixth means for allocating free airtime minutes to the user mobile airtime account when the purchase request is received from the user.

20. A system according to claim 19, wherein a number of free airtime minutes allocated to the user mobile airtime account is dependent on the purchase amount.

21. A system according to claim 19, wherein a number of free airtime minutes allocated to the user mobile airtime account is fixed for each purchase request received.

22. A system according to claim 18, wherein the purchase request is for airtime minutes, and wherein the system includes a seventh means for processing the purchase request from the user to purchase the airtime minutes for the user mobile airtime account.

23. A system according to claim 22, wherein the seventh means is for providing the user with a warning prior to the depletion of the user'"'"'s airtime minutes.

24. A system according to claim 18, wherein the fourth means includes an eighth means to facilitate the registration of the user to the payment service provider.