Method and system for conducting commerce over a wireless communication network

• US 8,346,678 B1
• Filed: 10/28/2010
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Citicorp Credit Services Incorporated (Citigroup Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Citicorp Development Center Incorporated (Citigroup Incorporated)
• Inventors: Markarian, Grigor, Vaidyanathan, Ramadurai, Ahuja, Arun, Cohen, Albert, Tata, Anand
• Primary Examiner(s): BORISSOV, IGOR N
• Application Number:
  US12/913,941
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1.1, 705 16- 18, 705/21, 705 261- 30, 705/34, 705/35, 705/37, 705 39- 44, 705/346, 705 64- 69, 340/5.41, 340/5.4, 340/5.64, 709/218, 709/219, 709/249
• US Class Current: 705/346
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

Described herein is an enabling product that facilitates implementation of an m-commerce business solution. According to an embodiment of the present invention an m-commerce solution includes: a content provider or merchant site that provides products and goods to be purchased; a payment system allowing online authorization of funds to purchase the goods; and a wireless network for all customer interactions. Embodiments described herein perform at least one of the following three functions: 1) protocol conversions; 2) customer information reposing, and 3) payment authorization system interfacing.

Claims

1. A machine for conducting mobile commerce comprising:

a mobile system platform having a processor coupled to memory, wherein the mobile system platform processor is programmed for;

communicating, using at least one communication agent managed by a state manager, to a merchant website server processor a purchase request, the purchase request having been received via a mobile communications network from a mobile communication device in a wireless language and translated, using at least one translation agent managed by the state manager, to a web-based language that is recognizable by the merchant website server processor;

receiving a purchase request response, including a payment authorization request, from the merchant website server processor in the web-based language;

forwarding the purchase request response in the web-based language to a payment authorization system processor for a payment authorization response;

receiving the purchase request response, including the payment authorization response, in the web-based language from the payment authorization system processor; and

transmitting, using the at least one communication agent managed by the state manager, to the mobile communication device via the mobile communications network the purchase request response, the transmitted purchase request response having been parsed, using at least one parsing agent managed by the state manager, in the web-based language into translatable pieces and translated, using the at least one translation agent managed by the state manager, into the wireless language.

2. The machine according to claim 1, wherein the mobile system platform processor is further programmed for receiving via the mobile communications network from the mobile communication device the purchase request in the wireless language and identifying, using the state manager, a type of the mobile communication device.

3. The machine according to claim 2, wherein the mobile system platform processor is further programmed for engaging, by the state manager, the at least one translation agent based at least in part on the identified type of the mobile communication device.

4. The machine according to claim 3, wherein the mobile system platform processor is further programmed for translating, using the at least one translation agent managed by the state manager, the received purchase request from the wireless language to the web-based language that is recognizable by the merchant website server processor.

5. The machine according to claim 4, wherein the mobile system platform processor is further programmed for parsing, using the at least one parsing agent managed by the state manager, the received purchase request response from the web-based language into the translatable pieces.

6. The machine according to claim 5, wherein the mobile system platform processor is further programmed for translating, using the at least one translation agent managed by the state manager, the translatable pieces into the wireless language.

7. The machine according to claim 1, wherein the mobile system platform processor is further programmed for:

communicating, using the at least one communication agent managed by the state manager, to the merchant website server processor a request for merchant website information, the merchant website information request having been received via the mobile communications network from the mobile communication device in the wireless language and translated, using the at least one translation agent managed by the state manager, to the web-based language that is recognizable by the merchant website server processor;

receiving the requested merchant website information from the merchant website server processor in the web-based language; and

transmitting, using the at least one communication agent managed by the state manager, to the mobile communication device via the mobile communications network a reply message containing the requested merchant website information, the transmitted reply message having been parsed, using the at least one parsing agent managed by the state manager, in the web-based language into translatable pieces and translated, using the at least one translation agent managed by the state manager, into the wireless language.

8. The machine according to claim 1, wherein the wireless language is selected from a group consisting of wireless markup language (WML);

handheld device mark-up language (HDML);

Imode; and

compact hypertext markup language (CHTML).

9. The machine according to claim 1, wherein the web-based language is selected from a group consisting of extensible markup language (XML);

compact hypertext markup language (CHTML);

extensible hypertext markup language (XHTML); and

hypertext markup language (HTML).

10. A machine for conducting mobile commerce comprising:

a mobile system platform having a processor coupled to memory, wherein the mobile system platform processor is programmed for;

purchase request in a wireless language;

translating, using at least one translation agent managed by a state manager, the purchase request from the wireless language to a web-based language that is recognizable by a merchant website server processor;

communicating, using at least one communication agent managed by the state manager, the translated purchase request in the web-based language to the merchant website server processor;

receiving a purchase request response, including a payment authorization request, from the merchant website server processor in the web-based language;

forwarding the purchase request response in the web-based language to a payment authorization system processor for a payment authorization response;

receiving the purchase request response, including the payment authorization response, in the web-based language from the payment authorization system processor;

parsing, using at least one parsing agent managed by the state manager, the purchase request response in the web-based language into translatable pieces and translating, using the at least one translation agent managed by the state manager, the translatable pieces of the purchase request response into the wireless language; and

transmitting, using the at least one translation agent managed by the state manager, via the mobile communications network the purchase request response in the wireless language to the mobile communication device.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable program for conducting mobile commerce stored thereon, wherein the program instructs a processor of a mobile system platform to perform the following:

communicating, using at least one communication agent managed by a state manager, to a merchant website server processor a purchase request, the purchase request having been received via a mobile communications network from a mobile communication device in a wireless language and translated, using at least one translation agent managed by the state manager, to a web-based language that is recognizable by the merchant website server processor;

receiving a purchase request response, including a payment authorization request, from the merchant website server processor in the web-based language;

forwarding the purchase request response in the web-based language to a payment authorization system processor for a payment authorization response;

receiving the purchase request response, including the payment authorization response, in the web-based language from the payment authorization system processor; and

transmitting, using the at least one communication agent managed by the state manager, to the mobile communication device via the mobile communications network the purchase request response, the transmitted purchase request response having been parsed, using at least one parsing agent managed by the state manager, in the web-based language into translatable pieces and translated, using the at least one translation agent managed by the state manager, into the wireless language.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable program for conducting mobile commerce stored thereon, wherein the program instructs a processor of a mobile system platform to perform the following:

receiving via a mobile communications network from a mobile communication device a purchase request in a wireless language;

translating, using at least one translation agent managed by a state manager, the purchase request from the wireless language to a web-based language that is recognizable by a merchant website server processor;

communicating, using at least one communication agent managed by the state manager, the translated purchase request in the web-based language to the merchant website server processor;

receiving a purchase request response, including a payment authorization request, from the merchant website server processor in the web-based language;

forwarding the purchase request response, including the payment authorization request, in the web-based language to a payment authorization system processor for a payment authorization response;

receiving the purchase request response, including the payment authorization response, in the web-based language from the payment authorization system processor;

parsing, using at least one parsing agent managed by the state manager, the purchase request response in the web-based language into translatable pieces and translating, using the at least one translation agent managed by the state manager, the translatable pieces of the purchase request response into the wireless language; and

transmitting, using the at least one translation agent managed by the state manager, via the mobile communications network the purchase request response in the wireless language to the mobile communication device.