Systems and methods to manage information

• US 8,355,987 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2010
• Issued: 01/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boku Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Boku Incorporated
• Inventors: Hirson, Ron, Yoo, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Maguire, Lindsay M.
• Application Number:
  US12/940,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20110276478A1
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 705/40, 705/44
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/023 the neutral party being a clearing house
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/047 using payment protocols involving electronic receipts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/16 Payments settled via telecommunication systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided to facilitate online transactions via mobile communications. In one aspect, a system includes a data storage facility and an interchange coupled with the data storage facility that stores purchase receipts in association with phone numbers. The interchange includes a common format processor and a plurality of converters to interface with a plurality of different controllers of mobile communications. The converters are configured to communicate with the controllers in different formats and with the common format processor in a common format, to obtain a confirmation of a payment request that identifies a phone number, a merchant and a purchase from the merchant. After a confirmation is received, the interchange is to use funds associated with the phone number to pay the merchant for the purchase and to receive and store a receipt for the purchase from the merchant.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, in a computing device, a payment request identifying a phone number, a merchant, and a purchase from the merchant;

communicating, by the computing device, with a mobile phone at the phone number to obtain a confirmation of the payment request;

providing to the merchant a payment for the purchase using funds associated with the phone number after the confirmation is received in the computing device;

receiving, in the computing device, a receipt for the purchase from the merchant;

storing the receipt in association with the phone number in response to a request from a web browser not running on the mobile phone at the phone number, authenticating a user of the web browser using the security data; and

providing the receipt to the web browser after the user of the web browser is authenticated using the security data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the receipt to the mobile phone at the phone number.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing data to associate the phone number with an account, the data including a balance of the account configured to store funds associated with the phone number, identification information of a plurality of funding sources, and security data for authentication.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

transmitting premium messages to the mobile phone at the phone number to collect funds via a telecommunication carrier of the phone number to fund the account.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

funding the account using the plurality of funding sources.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

exporting receipts and payment transactions in a format importable by a third party accounting application.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the security data includes a password or a personal identification number (PIN).

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the security data includes a seed for one-time passwords;

and the method further comprises;

receiving one-time passwords from an application running on the mobile phone to authenticate the requests.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of funding sources comprises at least one of:

a checking account, a savings account, an investment account, a credit account, a debit account, a prepaid account, and a payment intermediary account.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the authenticating is via one of:

communication with the mobile phone at the phone number; and

communication with the web browser not running on the mobile phone.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the security data includes voice characteristics of the user;

and the authenticating comprises receiving a voice input from the mobile phone and matching the voice input with the voice characteristics of the user.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

extracting purchase details from the receipt.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting a message from the computing device to the mobile phone at the phone number, the message including the purchase details.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is not under control of the merchant.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the computing device is configured to process payments for a plurality of merchants.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the receipt is in one of a format selected from the group consisting of:

html, pdf, xml, gif, tiff, and jpg; and

the receipt is received in a protocol selected from the group consisting of;

http, smtp, and ftp.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing data associating a communication reference and the phone number; and

transmitting the receipt according to the communication reference in response to the receiving of the receipt from the merchant.

18. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, the instructions causing a computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving, in a computing device, a payment request identifying a phone number, a merchant, and a purchase from the merchant;

communicating, by the computing device, with a mobile phone at the phone number to obtain a confirmation of the payment request;

providing to the merchant a payment for the purchase using funds associated with the phone number after the confirmation is received in the computing device;

receiving, in the computing device, a receipt for the purchase from the merchant;

storing the receipt in association with the phone number in response to a request from a web browser not running on the mobile phone at the phone number, authenticating a user of the web browser using the security data; and

providing the receipt to the web browser after the user of the web browser is authenticated using the security data.

19. A system, comprising:

a data storage facility storing purchase receipts in association with phone numbers; and

an interchange coupled with the data storage facility, the interchange including a common format processor and a plurality of converters to interface with a plurality of controllers, the converters configured to communicate with the controllers in different formats, the converters to communicate with the common format processor in a common format;

wherein in response to a payment request identifying a phone number, a merchant and a purchase from the merchant, the common format processor is to use one of the converters to communicate with the mobile phone at the phone number to obtain a confirmation of the payment request and, after the confirmation is received, provide the merchant with a payment for the purchase using funds associated with the phone number, receive a receipt for the purchase from the merchant in response to a request from a web browser not running on the mobile phone at the phone number, authenticate a user of the web browser using the security data, and provide the receipt to the web browser after the user of the web browser is authenticated using the security data.

20. A method, comprising:

receiving, in a computing device, a payment request identifying a phone number, a merchant, and a purchase from the merchant;

communicating, by the computing device, with a mobile phone at the phone number to obtain a confirmation of the payment request;

providing to the merchant a payment for the purchase using funds associated with the phone number after the confirmation is received in the computing device;

receiving, in the computing device, a receipt for the purchase from the merchant, wherein the receipt is in one of a format selected from the group consisting of;

html, pdf, xml, gif, tiff, and jpg; and

the receipt is received in a protocol selected from the group consisting of;

http, smtp, and ftp; and

storing the receipt in association with the phone number.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

extracting purchase details from the receipt.

22. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, the instructions causing a computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving, in a computing device, a payment request identifying a phone number, a merchant, and a purchase from the merchant;

communicating, by the computing device, with a mobile phone at the phone number to obtain a confirmation of the payment request;

providing to the merchant a payment for the purchase using funds associated with the phone number after the confirmation is received in the computing device;

receiving, in the computing device, a receipt for the purchase from the merchant, wherein the receipt is in one of a format selected from the group consisting of;

html, pdf, xml, gif, tiff, and jpg; and

the receipt is received in a protocol selected from the group consisting of;

http, smtp, and ftp; and

storing the receipt in association with the phone number.

23. A system, comprising:

a data storage facility storing purchase receipts in association with phone numbers; and

an interchange coupled with the data storage facility, the interchange including a common format processor and a plurality of converters to interface with a plurality of controllers, the converters configured to communicate with the controllers in different formats, the converters to communicate with the common format processor in a common format;

wherein in response to a payment request identifying a phone number, a merchant and a purchase from the merchant, the common format processor is to use one of the converters to communicate with the mobile phone at the phone number to obtain a confirmation of the payment request and, after the confirmation is received, provide the merchant with a payment for the purchase using funds associated with the phone number, receive a receipt for the purchase from the merchant, wherein the receipt is in one of a format selected from the group consisting of;

html, pdf, xml, gif, tiff, and jpg; and

the receipt is received in a protocol selected from the group consisting of;

http, smtp, and ftp, and store the receipt in association with the phone number.