Managing recurring payments from mobile terminals

• US 8,737,954 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2012
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smartcom Labs OY
• Original Assignee: Bookit Oy Ajanvarauspalvelu
• Inventors: Salonen, Jukka
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin, Jean
• Application Number:
  US13/452,311
• Publication Number:
  US 20120215696A1
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/406, 455/407, 455/408, 455/410, 455/411, 455/414.1, 705/34, 705/39, 705/40, 705/44, 705/65, 705/64
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/858 Request users acknowledgement prior to use
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Equipment and methods for facilitating service provisioning in a system that includes a payment processor, a number of service providers and a mediator that mediates information exchange between the payment processor and service providers, and a mobile terminal operated by payment card holder. In some disclosed embodiments, service provisioning can be facilitated in cases wherein the payment processor must reside in a strictly regulated Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant environment and the service providers operate servers that are not PCI-compliant.

Claims

1. A method comprising performing the following acts at a payment processor computer configured to manage transactions related to one or more services provided by service providers that comprise a first service provider and a second service provider, the transactions being payable by one or more payment cards:

processing a first request to authorize first recurring payments to the first service provider, the recurring payments payable by a first payment card of the one or more payment cards;

receiving a second request to authorize second recurring payments to the second service provider, the second recurring payments payable by a second payment card of the one or more payment cards, and wherein the first and second payment cards are the same payment card or separate payment cards;

in response to the second request, using a mediator server to obtain confirmation from the holder of the payment cards that the second service provider may propose services to the holder of the payment cards;

creating a token that identifies the second service provider, wherein the token fails to globally identify the second payment card but identifies the second payment card within payment cards issued to a holder of the payment cards;

sending the created token to a mediator server; and

receiving from the mediator server an acceptance notification indicating that the holder of the specific payment card has used a mobile terminal via a mobile network to authorize the second recurring payments to the second service provider.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment processor computer causes the mediator server to use the token to query if the holder of the specific payment wishes to authorize recurring payments to the specific service provider.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment processor computer complies with specifications issued by Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council, while the mediator server operates outside the specifications.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first request is received from a first terminal and indicates a second terminal, wherein the first terminal and second terminal use different authentication information regardless of whether the first terminal and second terminal reside in separate physical devices or share a common physical device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein an association exists between services of the first service provider and services of the second service provider.

6. A method comprising performing the following acts at a mediator server configured to manage transactions related to one or more services provided by service providers that comprise a first service provider and a second service provider, the transactions being payable by one or more payment cards:

receiving an acceptance notification indicating that a holder of a specific one of the one or more payment cards has operated a mobile terminal via a mobile network to authorize recurring payments to the first service provider;

sending a request to the mobile terminal operated by the holder of the specific payment card, the request requesting permission to authorize second recurring payments to the second service provider, the second recurring payments payable by a second payment card of the one or more payment cards, and wherein the first and second payment cards are the same payment card or separate payment cards;

receiving confirmation from the mobile terminal operated by the holder of the payment cards that the second service provider may propose services to the holder of the payment cards;

relaying the confirmation to a payment processor computer; and

receiving from the payment processor computer a token and storing the token, wherein the token identifies the second service provider, wherein the token fails to globally identify the second payment card but identifies the second payment card within payment cards issued to a holder of the payment cards.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the mediator server authenticates the mobile terminal operated by the holder of the specific payment card by using a non-predictable reply address for sending the notification.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the mediator server uses a multi-dimensional data structure to manage service offerings from multiple service providers to each of one or more mobile terminals, and wherein the mediator server identifies the service offerings from multiple service providers by varying a reply address for sending the notification.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the mediator server uses a multi-dimensional data structure to manage multiple phases of at least one service offering from at least one service providers to at least one mobile terminals, and wherein the mediator server identifies the multiple phases by varying a reply address for sending the notification.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein an association exists between services of the first service provider and services of the second service provider.

11. A payment processor computer configured to manage transactions related to one or more services provided by service providers that comprise a first service provider and a second service provider, the transactions being payable by one or more payment cards, the payment processor computer comprising:

means for processing a first request to authorize first recurring payments to the first service provider, the recurring payments payable by a first payment card of the one or more payment cards;

means for receiving a second request to authorize second recurring payments to the second service provider, the second recurring payments payable by a second payment card of the one or more payment cards, and wherein the first and second payment cards are the same payment card or separate payment cards;

means for in response to the second request, using a mediator server to obtain confirmation from the holder of the payment cards that the second service provider may propose services to the holder of the payment cards;

means for creating a token that identifies the second service provider, wherein the token fails to globally identify the second payment card but identifies the second payment card within payment cards issued to a holder of the payment cards;

means for sending the created token to a mediator server; and

means for receiving from the mediator server an acceptance notification indicating that the holder of the specific payment card has used a mobile terminal via a mobile network to authorize the second recurring payments to the second service provider.

12. The payment processor computer of claim 11, wherein the payment processor computer complies with specifications issued by Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council, while the mediator server operates outside the specifications.

13. The payment processor computer of claim 11, wherein an association exists between services of the first service provider and services of the second service provider.

14. A mediator server configured to manage transactions related to one or more services provided by service providers that comprise a first service provider and a second service provider, the transactions being payable by one or more payment cards, the mediator server comprising:

means for receiving an acceptance notification indicating that a holder of a specific one of the one or more payment cards has operated a mobile terminal via a mobile network to authorize recurring payments to the first service provider;

means for sending a request to the mobile terminal operated by the holder of the specific payment card, the request requesting permission to authorize second recurring payments to the second service provider, the second recurring payments payable by a second payment card of the one or more payment cards, and wherein the first and second payment cards are the same payment card or separate payment cards;

means for receiving confirmation from the mobile terminal operated by the holder of the payment cards that the second service provider may propose services to the holder of the payment cards;

means for relaying the confirmation to a payment processor computer; and

means for receiving from the payment processor computer a token and storing the token, wherein the token identifies the second service provider, wherein the token fails to globally identify the second payment card but identifies the second payment card within payment cards issued to a holder of the payment cards.

15. The mediator server of claim 14, wherein the mediator server is configured to authenticate the mobile terminal operated by the holder of the specific payment card by using a non-predictable reply address for sending the notification.

16. The mediator server of claim 14, wherein the mediator server is configured to use a multi-dimensional data structure to manage service offerings from multiple service providers to each of one or more mobile terminals, and wherein the mediator server identifies the service offerings from multiple service providers by varying a reply address for sending the notification.

17. The mediator server of claim 14, wherein the mediator server is configured to use a multi-dimensional data structure to manage multiple phases of at least one service offering from at least one service providers to at least one mobile terminal, and wherein the mediator server identifies the multiple phases by varying a reply address for sending the notification.

18. The mediator server of claim 14, wherein an association exists between services of the first service provider and services of the second service provider.

19. A tangible software carrier embodying a set of computer program instructions executable in a mediator server configured to manage transactions related to one or more services provided by service providers that comprise a first service provider and a second service provider, the transactions being payable by one or more payment cards;

wherein execution of the computer program instructions causes the following acts in the mediator server;

receiving an acceptance notification indicating that a holder of a specific one of the one or more payment cards has operated a mobile terminal via a mobile network to authorize recurring payments to the first service provider;

sending a request to the mobile terminal operated by the holder of the specific payment card, the request requesting permission to authorize second recurring payments to the second service provider, the second recurring payments payable by a second payment card of the one or more payment cards, and wherein the first and second payment cards are the same payment card or separate payment cards;

receiving confirmation from the mobile terminal operated by the holder of the payment cards that the second service provider may propose services to the holder of the payment cards;

relaying the confirmation to a payment processor computer; and

receiving from the payment processor computer a token and storing the token, wherein the token identifies the second service provider, wherein the token fails to globally identify the second payment card but identifies the second payment card within payment cards issued to a holder of the payment cards.