Supplier funds reception electronically

• US 8,326,261 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2009
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boku Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Boku Incorporated
• Inventors: Smith, Glyn Barry
• Primary Examiner(s): Karikari, Kwasi
• Application Number:
  US12/413,480
• Publication Number:
  US 20100015944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,348 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/406, 455/411, 455/412.2, 455/419, 455/502, 455/566
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods to facilitate customer to supplier funds transfer via premium messages. In one aspect, an apparatus to electronically transfer funds from a customer to a supplier, includes: a server component connected to a network; and a database coupled to the server component. The server component is configured to: transmit a plurality of premium rate mobile terminating text messages to the first mobile cellular telephone to effect a transfer of funds from the customer for reception by the supplier, after the customer has placed an order with the supplier; and transmit a notification message to a second mobile cellular telephone having a second telephone number to confirm that the transfer of funds has taken place.

Claims

1. An apparatus to electronically transfer funds from a customer to a supplier, the customer having a first mobile cellular telephone with a first telephone number, a mobile cellular operator providing mobile cellular services to the mobile cellular telephone, a customer browser component connected to a network, the apparatus comprising:

a server component connected to the network; and

a database coupled to the server component, wherein the server component is configured to;

transmit a plurality of premium rate mobile terminating text messages to the first mobile cellular telephone to effect a transfer of funds from the customer for reception by the supplier, after the customer has placed an order with the supplier wherein the premium rate mobile terminating messages are scheduled to occur over a number of days to avoid a pre-established maximum daily limit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the server component is configured to transmit a notification message to a second mobile cellular telephone having a second telephone number to confirm that the transfer of funds has taken place and pair the first mobile cellular telephone, as a monitored telephone, and the second mobile cellular telephone, as a supervisor telephone;

and wherein the notification message to the second mobile cellular telephone as the supervisor telephone is in response to the premium rate mobile terminating text messages to the first mobile cellular telephone as a monitored telephone.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein to pair the first mobile cellular telephone and the second mobile cellular telephone, the server component is configured to supply a supervisor confirmation text message to the second mobile cellular telephone, as the supervisor telephone, and to supply a monitored confirmation text message to first mobile cellular telephone, as the monitored telephone, wherein the server component is configured to receive responses to the supervisor confirmation text message and the monitored confirmation text message to complete pairing of the first mobile cellular telephone and the second mobile cellular telephone.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the server component is configured to transmit a notification message to a second mobile cellular telephone having a second telephone number to confirm that the transfer of funds has taken place.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the server component is configured to determine whether to allow or prohibit transmission of the text messages to effect a payment to the supplier, based upon an identification of stored classifications for the first telephone number.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the server is configured to facilitate access to transaction records for the first mobile cellular telephone via the first telephone number.

7. A method to provide funds from a customer to a supplier electronically, the method comprising:

transmitting, from a server computer, a plurality of premium rate mobile terminating messages to a first mobile cellular telephone to effect a transfer of funds from the customer for reception by the supplier, after the customer has placed an order with the supplier wherein the premium rate mobile terminating messages are scheduled to occur over a number of days to avoid a pre-established maximum daily limit.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting, from the server computer, a notification message to a second mobile cellular telephone confirming that the transfer of funds has taken place; and

pairing the first mobile cellular telephone, as a monitored telephone, with the second mobile cellular telephone, as a supervisor telephone;

wherein the transmission of premium rate terminating messages to the monitored telephone results in the transmission of the notification message to the supervisor telephone.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising pairing a plurality of monitored telephones with the supervisor telephone.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

supplying a supervisor confirmation text message to the supervisor telephone and supplying a monitored confirmation text message to the monitored telephone to pair the first mobile cellular telephone and the second mobile cellular telephone; and

receiving responses to each of the supervisor confirmation text message and the monitored confirmation text message to complete the pairing.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising deactivating any further sales made by premium rate mobile terminating messages to the monitored telephone, in response to a command from the supervisor telephone.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising transmitting, from the server computer, a notification message to a second mobile cellular telephone confirming that the transfer of funds has taken place.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein a database coupled with the server is populated with an identification of telephone numbers of customers;

and the method further comprises;

prompting the customers to supply additional personal data; and

storing the additional personal data in the database.

14. The method of claim 7, further comprising facilitating access to transaction records for the customer after receiving details related to the telephone number of the customer.

15. The method of claim 7, further comprising prohibiting transmission of text messages to effect payment based an identification of stored classifications.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions, the instructions causing a computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

transmitting a plurality of premium rate mobile terminating messages to a first mobile cellular telephone to effect a transfer of funds from the customer for reception by the supplier, after the customer has placed an order with the supplier wherein the premium rate mobile terminating messages are scheduled to occur over a number of days to avoid a pre-established maximum daily limit.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting, from the server computer, a notification message to a second mobile cellular telephone confirming that the transfer of funds has taken place; and

pairing the first mobile cellular telephone, as a monitored telephone, with the second mobile cellular telephone, as a supervisor telephone;

wherein the transmission of premium rate terminating messages to the monitored telephone results in the transmission of the notification message to the supervisor telephone.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the supervisor telephone is paired with a plurality of monitored telephones.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

supplying a supervisor confirmation text message to the supervisor telephone and supplying a monitored confirmation text message to the monitored telephone to pair the first mobile cellular telephone and the second mobile cellular telephone; and

receiving responses to each of the supervisor confirmation text message and the monitored confirmation text message to complete the pairing.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises transmitting, from the server computer, a notification message to a second mobile cellular telephone confirming that the transfer of funds has taken place.