Systems and methods to provide information

• US 9,990,623 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2009
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boku Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Boku Incorporated
• Inventors: Smith, Glyn Barry
• Primary Examiner(s): Felten, Daniel S
• Application Number:
  US12/406,573
• Publication Number:
  US 20100223183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,366 Days
• Field of Search: 705 14, 705 35- 45
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3221 Access to banking information through M-devices
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0164 Billing record, e.g. Call Data Record [CDR], Toll Ticket[TT], Automatic Message Accounting [AMA], Call Line Identifier [CLI], details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0196 Payment of value-added services, mainly when their charges are added on the telephone bill, e.g. payment of non-telecom services, e-commerce, on-line banking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/74 Rating aspects, e.g. rating parameters or tariff determination apects
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Systems and methods are to provide information to facilitate online transactions via mobile communications. In one aspect, a system includes a data storage facility to store and associate personal information of a user with a telephone number of the user, and an interchange coupled with the data storage facility. 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 common format processor in a common format and to communicate with the controllers in different formats. The interchange uses the converters to communicate with the mobile phone of a user to approve the providing of the personal information from the data storage facility to a website.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving at an interchange computer a web request from a server computer of a merchant including an amount and a mobile phone number of a user entered by the user in relation to a transaction of the user at a third party website on the server;

wherein the user starts a web session by using a password associated with the mobile phone number and is authenticated by communication with the mobile phone device;

identifying, by the interchange, a user account on a data storage facility coupled to the interchange computer, based on the phone number entered by the user;

determining, by the interchange computer, user information in the user account;

wherein communicating, by the interchange computer, with a mobile phone device of the user at the mobile phone number of the user to obtain approval for providing the user information to the third party website, wherein the communicating comprises at least one of a first process and a second process,

(i) the first process including;

(a) transmitting a first code to die mobile phone at the phone number;

(b) providing a web page to the mobile phone in response to the web request as part of a web authorization initiated on the mobile phone; and

(c) receiving a second code in the web page in the server computer;

(d) wherein the first code is matched with the second code to determine whether to approve the providing of the user information to the third party website,

(ii) the second process including;

(a) providing from the server computer a first code in a web page on the mobile phone in response to the web request as part of a web authorization initiated on the mobile phone; and

(b) receiving a second code from the mobile phone;

(c) wherein the first code is matched with the second code to determine whether to approve the providing of the user information to the third party website;

providing, by the interchange computer, the user information to the third party website when the determination is made to approve the providing of the user information to the third party website;

making, by the interchange computer, a payment to the server computer in accordance with the web request, using funds associated with the user account; and

charging, by the interchange computer, the user account on the data storage facility coupled to the interchange computer, wherein the interchange computer is different from the server computer, based on the amount received in the web request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating with a mobile phone of the user at the phone number of the user to obtain approval for charging of the account based on the amount.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the communicating comprises:

transmitting a message to the mobile phone at the phone number; and

receiving a reply to the message back from the mobile phone.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the message and reply are transmitted via short message service (SMS).

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the communicating to confirm charging of the user account comprises:

transmitting a first code to the mobile phone at the phone number;

providing a web page in response to the web request; and

receiving a second code in the web page in the server computer;

wherein the first code is matched with the second code to determine whether to approve charging of the user account.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the communicating comprises:

providing from the interchange computer a first code in a web page in response to the web request; and

receiving, by the interchange computer, a second code from the mobile phone;

wherein the first code is matched with the second code to determine whether to approve the providing of the user information to the third party website.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at the interchange a first personal identification number (PIN);

wherein the first PIN is matched with a second PIN associated with the phone number in the data storage facility to determine whether to approve the charging of the account.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

collecting, by the interchange computer, funds via at least one message originated from or terminated at the mobile phone at the phone number transmitter to a carrier server other than the server of the merchant.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user information includes address of the user at the third party website.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user information includes financial account information of the user.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the financial account information includes one of:

a credit card number, a debit card number, and a bank account number.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the user information comprises redirecting the web request to the third party website with the user information applied to the web request redirected to the third party.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the web request received in the interchange computer is redirected from the third party website.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the phone number in the web request is provided by the user to the third party website prior to the web request being redirected from the third party website to the interchange computer.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the phone number of the user is received in the web request after the user receives a web page from the interchange computer.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the user information comprises transmitting the user information to the third party website via a web service.

17. A tangible computer-readable storage media storing instructions, the instructions causing a computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving at an interchange computer a web request from a server computer of a merchant including an amount and a phone number of a user entered by the user in relation to a transaction of the user at a website on the server;

wherein the user starts a web session by using a password associated with the mobile phone number and is authenticated by communication with the mobile phone device;

identifying, by the interchange, a user account on a data storage facility coupled to the interchange computer, based on the phone number entered by the user;

determining, by the interchange computer, user information in the user account;

communicating, by the interchange computer, with, a mobile phone of the user at the phone number of the user to obtain approval for providing the user information to the third party website,

wherein the communicating comprises at least one of a first process and a second process,

(i) the first process including;

(a) transmitting a first code to the mobile phone at the phone number;

(b) providing a web page to the mobile phone in response to the web request as part of a web authorization initiated on the mobile phone; and

(c) receiving a second code in the web page in the server computer;

(d) wherein the first code is matched with the second code to determine whether to approve the providing of the user information to the third party website,

(ii) the second process including;

(a) providing from the server computer a first code in a web page to the mobile phone in response to the web request as part of a web authorization initiated on the mobile phone; and

(b) receiving a second code from the mobile phone;

(c) wherein the first code is matched with the second code to determine whether to approve the providing of the user information to the third party website;

providing, by the interchange computer, the user information to the third party website when the determination is made to approve the providing of the user information to the third party website;

making, by the interchange computer, a payment to the server computer in accordance with the web request, using funds associated with the user account; and

charging, by the interchange computer, the user account on the data storage facility coupled to tire interchange computer, wherein the interchange computer is different from the server computer, based on the amount received in the web request.