Systems and methods for pre-defined purchases on a mobile communication device

• US 8,224,709 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2009
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boku Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Boku Incorporated
• Inventors: Hirson, Ron
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Amee A
• Application Number:
  US12/617,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20110082772A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1, 705/26.35
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3267 In-app payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A system is described to facilitate online transactions via mobile communications, including a plurality of converters to interface with a plurality of controllers in different formats for delivery of premium messages, and a common format processor coupled with the plurality of converters in a common format to send the premium messages. The common format processor receives a web request from a mobile phone, in response to a user selection within a mobile application executed separately from a browser application on the mobile phone, provides a web page in response to confirm a pre-defined purchase, transmits at least one premium message to the mobile phone using a first converter to obtain funds for the pre-defined purchase, and communicates with the merchant to make the pre-defined purchase on behalf of the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving in a computing device a web request from a mobile phone of a user, in response to the user selecting a user interface element within a mobile application executed separately from a browser application on the mobile phone, the user interface element being pre-associated with a merchant for a pre-defined purchase;

in response to the web request, providing by the computing device a web page to the mobile phone to confirm the pre-defined purchase in the browser application executed on the mobile phone of the user;

in response to the user confirming the pre-defined purchase via the web page presented in the browser application executed on the mobile phone, transmitting by the computing device at least one premium message to the mobile phone to obtain funds, according to at least one predetermined price of the at least one premium message, via a telecommunication carrier of the mobile phone; and

communicating by the computing device with the merchant to make the pre-defined purchase using the funds on behalf of the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the funds to the merchant for the pre-defined purchase.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the user has an account with the merchant;

and the pre-defined purchase comprises adding funds to the account.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining an amount of the funds according to an upper limit of the account.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining a phone number of the mobile phone based on the web request.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the account of the user with the merchant is associated with the phone number of the mobile phone;

and the method further comprises;

determining by the computing device the account of the user to make the pre-defined purchase.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

communicating with the merchant to obtain information about the pre-defined purchase, wherein the web page includes the information to confirm the pre-defined purchase.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the information comprises a price of an item to be purchased in the pre-defined purchase.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the information further comprises a description of the item.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

identifying information about the pre-defined purchase from the web request.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the information comprises a code assigned by the merchant to identify the pre-defined purchase.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the information identifies the merchant, an item to be purchased and a price of the item.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein the communicating with the merchant comprises:

communicating with the merchant to allow the user to access, in the mobile application, an item purchased via the funds.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the communicating with the merchant to allow the user to access the item in the mobile application is prior to the providing of the funds to the merchant.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the item is a virtual object.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the mobile application provides a game experience;

and the item is one of points, stars, virtual currency, and credits for the game experience.

17. The method of claim 2, wherein the user provides no further input to make the pre-defined purchase, after the confirming of the purchase via the web page.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the confirming of the purchase via the web page is a single selection of a user interface element of the web page.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions, the instructions causing a computing device to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving in the computing device a web request from a mobile phone of a user, in response to the user selecting a user interface element within a mobile application executed separately from a browser application on the mobile phone, the user interface element being pre-associated with a merchant for a pre-defined purchase;

in response to the web request, providing by the computing device a web page to the mobile phone to confirm the pre-defined purchase in the browser application executed on the mobile phone of the user;

in response to the user confirming the pre-defined purchase via the web page presented in the browser application executed on the mobile phone, transmitting by the computing device at least one premium message to the mobile phone to obtain funds, according to at least one predetermined price of the at least one premium message, via a telecommunication carrier of the mobile phone; and

communicating by the computing device with the merchant to make the pre-defined purchase on behalf of the user.

20. A system, comprising:

a plurality of converters to interface with a plurality of controllers for delivery of premium messages sent by the system to collect funds, the converters to communicate with the controllers in different formats; and

a common format processor coupled with the plurality of converters to send the premium messages, the converters to communicate with the common format processor in a common format, the common format processor to

receive a web request from a mobile phone of a user, in response to the user selecting a user interface element within a mobile application executed separately from a browser application on the mobile phone, the user interface element being pre-associated with a merchant for a pre-defined purchase,

provide a web page in response to the web request to the mobile phone to confirm the pre-defined purchase in the browser application executed on the mobile phone of the user,

in response to the user confirming the pre-defined purchase via the web page presented in the browser application executed on the mobile phone, transmit at least one premium message to the mobile phone using a first converter to obtain funds, according to at least one predetermined price of the at least one premium message, via a first controller of a telecommunication carrier of the mobile phone, and

communicate with the merchant to make the pre-defined purchase on behalf of the user.