Method and apparatus for enabling real-time bi-directional transactions on a network

• US 8,271,339 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2011
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lakshmi Arunachalam
• Original Assignee: Lakshmi Arunachalam
• Inventors: Arunachalam, Lakshmi
• Primary Examiner(s): ZURITA, JAMES H
• Application Number:
  US12/932,758
• Publication Number:
  US 20110161202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/26.1, 705/27.1
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0293 for accessing web services by means of a binding identification of the management service or element
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/18 Delegation of network management function, e.g. customer network management [CNM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5045 Making service definitions prior to deployment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for providing real-time, two-way transactional capabilities on the Web. Specifically, one embodiment of the present invention discloses a method for enabling object routing, the method comprising the steps of creating a virtual information store containing information entries and attributes associating each of the information entries and the attributes with an object identity, and assigning a unique network address to each of the object identities. A method is also disclosed for enabling service management of the value-added network service, to perform OAM&P functions on the services network.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for delivering Point-of-Service applications to a multi-media device over the World Wide Web, said method comprising:

providing a Web server in communication with a Web merchant'"'"'s on-line Web application and a database;

communicating a Web page for display on a multi-media device, where the Web page comprises a graphical user interface configured to generate a list of multiple Point-of-Service applications which may be accessed by the user over the Web and to accept user input;

allowing the user to select an on-line Point-of-Service application displayed on the Web page on the multi-media device;

instructing a Web server to hand over a request by the user to access the Web merchant'"'"'s on-line service Web application available through the Point-of-Service application, said Web merchant'"'"'s on-line service Web application available over the Web and in communication with the Web merchant'"'"'s database;

maintaining an open connection over the Web until the user'"'"'s transaction with the on-line Web application is complete;

delivering said particular Point-of-Service application in real-time to the multi-media device across a service network over the Web; and

performing a real-time non-deferred bidirectional Web transaction requested by the user.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said request is handed over to an exchange from the Web application.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the Point of Service application connects to the on-line service in real-time to provide inter-merchant services or intra-merchant services over the Web.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said Point-of-Service application allows a user to buy or sell over the Web.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said Point-of-Service application is a banking application that operates to connect to a financial institution over the Web.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said Point-of-Service application is available for playing or billing over the Web.

7. A system for delivering Point-of-Service applications to a multi-media device over the World Wide Web, said system comprising:

a server comprising memory and a processor which comprise program instructions executable by the processor to implement Web application transactions over the application layer of the OSI model;

a Web server programmed to deliver a Web page displaying multiple Point-of-Service applications on a multi-media device for access by a user, where the Point-of-Service applications may be selected by the user to provide access to a Web Merchant'"'"'s on line services, and providing for two-way communication between a Web Merchant'"'"'s on-line Web application and the user;

instructions for the Web server to hand over the user'"'"'s request to access a Point-of-Service application and to mediate the interactions between the user and the interface of the Web Merchant'"'"'s on line service during at least one real-time transaction being through a graphical user interface displayed on the Web page on the user'"'"'s multi-media device;

component connecting the Point of Service application on the web page to the on-line Web merchant'"'"'s service over the Web with instructions for allowing the user to bi-directionally retrieve data stored on Web merchant'"'"'s database and for writing data to the database in real-time, so that user and Web merchant can perform a non-deferred transaction.

8. The system for delivering Point-of-Service applications to a multi-media device over the World Wide Web of claim 7, wherein said request is handed over to an exchange component from a Web application.

9. The system for delivering Point-of-Service applications to a multi-media device over the World Wide Web of claim 7, wherein the Point of Service application connects to the on line service to provide inter-merchant services or intra-merchant services over the Web.

10. The system for delivering Point-of-Service applications to a multi-media device over the World Wide Web of claim 7, wherein said Point-of-Service application allows a user to complete a purchasing transaction in real-time over the Web.

11. The system for delivering Point-of-Service applications to a multi-media device over the World Wide Web of claim 7, wherein said Point-of-Service application is a banking application that operates to connect to a financial institution over the Web.

12. A Web application on line service network portal offered by a Web merchant, delivering Web applications to a multi-media device, said portal comprising a non-transitory computer storage device having stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computer system, implement a method for:

delivering a Point-of-Service application interface on a Web page by the Web merchant to expose to an online services offered by the Web merchant as a Web application, said Web application including at least one object comprising information entries and attributes, wherein the object exposes one or more objects of a line of Web applications to the user;

providing said Point-of-Service application interface to allow a user to access the Web application from the Web application on-line service network portal offered by the Web merchant, delivering Web applications to the multi-media device;

connecting to the Web application on-line service, allowing the Web application on-line service client user access to the Web application on-line service; and

maintaining the connection open until the Web application on-line service client user'"'"'s real-time Web transaction with the Web application on-line service is complete so that the user may perform a real-time, non-deferred, bidirectional transaction on the Web.

13. The switching component of the web application service network portal offered by the Web merchant, delivering Web applications to a multi-media device of claim 12, wherein said switching component comprises a routing switch within the application layer of the OSI model to perform application layer routing.

14. The web application service network portal of claim 12, wherein said instructions include a handoff message from the Web server when the Web service client user requests said particular Web application to be accessed.