Mobile device communication system
First Claim
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.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
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.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A system to conduct financial transactions over a communication network, the system including:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of conducting financial transactions over a communication network, the method including:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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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:
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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.
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18. A system to conduct financial transactions over a communication network, the system including:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification