System and method for receiving requests for tasks from unregistered devices

• US 8,973,120 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2013
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gupta, Diwakar, Yuen, Philip, Yuen, Gerald, Huang, Chih-Jen, Butler, Lee M., Gefen, Howard B., Coughlin, Chesley B., Oates, Isaac W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelagay, Shewaye
• Application Number:
  US14/095,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20140095391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• US Class Current: 726/7
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration

Abstract

Embodiments of a system and method for receiving task requests from unregistered devices are described. Embodiments may include a communication interface service configured to receive from a communication device a message indicative of a request to perform a task. The communication interface service may determine that the communication device is not registered with an existing account that provides information for performing said task. The communication interface service may obtain identification and authentication information for an existing account via a communication channel. The existing account may be an account for that is accessible via a network-based interface. The communication channel through which the identification and authentication information is received by the communication interface service may be any communication channel that does not include the network-based interface of the existing account. Additionally, the communication interface service may use the identification and authentication information for performance of the task using the existing account.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory;

one or more processors in communication with said memory;

wherein said memory comprises program instructions executable by the processor to implement a communication interface service configured to;

receive a message from a communication device, the message indicating a request to perform a task;

determine that said communication device is not registered with an existing account that includes account information previously submitted by a user for performing tasks;

obtain from the unregistered communication device via a communication channel, identification and authentication information for the existing account that includes the previously-submitted account information;

wherein said existing account is accessible through a network-based interface;

wherein said communication channel is different than said network-based interface; and

validate the identification and authentication information received from the unregistered communication device through said communication channel as being correct relative to identification and authentication information previously-submitted by said user through the network-based interface; and

in response to said validation;

cause completion of the performance of the task based at least in part on the previously-submitted account information of the existing account.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface service is configured to:

receive an indication that the device is to be registered with the existing account; and

in response to said indication, initiate registration of the device with the existing account.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said communication channel is a voice communication channel or a text messaging communication channel.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said request to perform a task indicates a request to transfer funds to an entity, wherein to cause completion of the performance of the task the communication interface service is configured to provide an account provider of said existing account an indication of the request to transfer funds to the entity.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein to determine that said communication device is not registered the communication interface service is configured to access mapping information and determine that said mapping information does not contain a record of the communication device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein to determine that said communication device is not registered the communication interface service is configured to access a plurality of account configuration files and determine that said account configuration files do not contain a record of the communication device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the communication interface service is configured to determine an identifier of the communication device through caller ID, wherein to determine that said plurality of account configuration files do not contain a record of the communication device the communication interface service is configured to determine that said plurality of account configuration files do not contain said identifier.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said communication device is one or more of:

a mobile device configured to communicate via text messaging, a mobile device configured to communicate via a voice communication channel, and a cellular telephone.

9. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

performing, by one or more computing devices;

receiving a message from a communication device, the message indicating a request to perform a task;

determining that said communication device is not registered with an existing account that includes account information previously submitted by a user for performing tasks;

obtaining from the unregistered communication device via a communication channel, identification and authentication information for the existing account that includes the previously-submitted account information;

wherein said existing account is accessible through a network-based interface;

wherein said communication channel is different than said network-based interface;

validating the identification and authentication information from the unregistered communication device as being correct relative to identification and authentication information previously-submitted by said user through the network-based interface, and

in response to said validation;

cause completion of the performance of the task based at least in part on the previously-submitted account information of the existing account; and

register the communications device for subsequent access to the existing account through the communication channel with new authentication information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said request to perform a task indicates a request to transfer funds to an entity, wherein to cause completion of the performance of the task comprises providing an account provider of said existing account an indication of the request to transfer funds to the entity.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein determining that said communication device is not registered comprises accessing mapping information and determining that said mapping information does not contain a record of the communication device.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein determining that said communication device is not registered comprises accessing a plurality of account configuration files and determining that said account configuration files do not contain a record of the communication device.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said obtained identification and authentication information is not unique, the method further comprising requesting disambiguation information that uniquely identifies the account.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the unregistered communication device has a telephone keypad.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions computer-executable to implement a communication interface service configured to:

in response to receiving a message from a communication device, the message indicating a request to perform a task, determine that said communication device is not registered with an existing account that includes account information previously submitted by a user for performing tasks;

obtain from the unregistered communication device via a communication channel, identification and authentication information for an existing account that includes the previously-submitted account information;

wherein said existing account is accessible through a network-based interface;

wherein said communication channel is different than said network-based interface; and

validate the identification and authentication information from the unregistered communications device as being correct relative to identification and authentication information previously-submitted by said user through the network-based interface, and

in response to said validation;

cause completion of the performance of the task based at least in part on the existing account.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the communication interface service is configured to:

receive an indication that the device is to be registered with the existing account; and

in response to said indication, initiate registration of the device with the existing account.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein said request to perform a task indicates a request to transfer funds to an entity, wherein to cause completion of the performance of the task the communication interface service is configured to provide an account provider of said existing account an indication of the request to transfer funds to the entity.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein to determine that said communication device is not registered the communication interface service is configured to access mapping information and determine that said mapping information does not contain a record of the communication device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein to determine that said communication device is not registered the communication interface service is configured to access a plurality of account configuration files and determine that said account configuration files do not contain a record of the communication device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the communication interface service is configured to determine an identifier of the communication device through caller ID, wherein to determine that said plurality of account configuration files do not contain a record of the communication device the communication interface service is configured to determine that said plurality of account configuration files do not contain said identifier.