Internet billing method

• US 20020032654A1
• Filed: 10/11/2001
• Published: 03/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Netcraft Corporation
• Inventors: Egendorf, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 6,976,008 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/16 Payments settled via telecommunication systems
• 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 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

An Internet billing method comprises establishing an agreement between an Internet access provider and a customer, and an agreement between the Internet access provider and a vendor, wherein the Internet access provider agrees with the customer and the vendor to bill the customer and remit to the vendor for products and services purchased over the Internet by the customer from the vendor. The provider creates access to the Internet for the customer. When the customer orders a product or service over the Internet from a vendor, transactional information transmitted between the customer and the vendor is also transmitted to the provider. The provider then bills the transaction amount to the customer and remits a portion of the transaction amount to the vendor, keeping the differential as a fee for providing the service. As a result of this method, there is no need for any customer account numbers or vendor account numbers to be transmitted over the Internet, thereby maintaining the security of that

Claims

1. An Internet billing method comprising the steps by an Internet access provider of:

establishing a billing agreement with at least one customer and a remitting agreement with at least one vendor to bill a billing account of the at least one customer for products and services purchased over the Internet by the at least one customer from the at least one vendor and to remit to the at least one vendor;

connecting the at least one customer to the Internet;

obtaining transactional information over the Internet from communicating over the Internet between the at least one customer and the at least one vendor related to a purchase over the Internet by the at least one customer from the at least one vendor, wherein the transactional information includes a transaction amount;

billing the transaction amount to the billing account of the at least one customer; and

remitting a portion of the transaction amount to the at least one vendor.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising after the step of obtaining the transactional information and before the step of billing the transaction amount;

obtaining approval from a party other than the customer to bill the transaction amount to the billing account of the least one customer.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the approval is obtained form the provider.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the approval is obtained from a third party.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the approval is obtained over the Internet.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the approval is obtained during communications between the at least one customer and the at least one vendor.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the billing account is one of a credit card account, a bank account, a telephone number account, a cable television account, and an on-line services account.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of establishing the billing agreement comprises establishing a specification for selecting a billing account to which the transaction amount is billed.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of establishing the billing agreement comprises specifically a plurality of billing accounts and wherein the transactional information includes identification of one of the plurality of billing accounts to which the transaction amount is billed without specifying an account number.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the billing account is an account with the provider.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the billing account is an account with a third party.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of remitting comprises sending money.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of remitting comprises crediting a vendor account.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the step vendor account is one of a credit card merchant account, a bank account, a telephone number account, a cable television account, and an on-line services account.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the step of establishing the remitting agreement comprises establishing a specification for selecting a vendor account to which a portion of the transaction amount is remitted.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the step of establishing the remitting agreement comprises specifying a plurality of vendor accounts and wherein the transactional information includes identification of one of the plurality of vendor accounts to which the transaction amount is billed without specifying an account number.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein the vendor account is an account with the provider.

18. The method according to claim 13, wherein the vendor account is an account with a third party.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transactional information does not include the billing account number to which the transaction amount is billed.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transactional information does not include any account number.

21. An Internet billing method comprising the steps by a vendor of:

establishing a remitting agreement with at least one Internet access provider to remit to the vendor a portion of a transaction amount billed to a billing account of at least one customer of the at least on Internet access provider for products and services purchased over the Internet by the at least one customer from the vendor;

exchanging transactional information over the Internet with the at least one customer related to a purchase over the Internet by the at least one customer from the vendor, wherein the transactional information includes a transaction amount;

delivering the purchased product or service to the at least one customer; and

receiving the portion of the transaction amount from the at least one Internet access provider.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the step of receiving comprises receiving money.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein the step of receiving comprises receiving a credit to a vendor account.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the vendor account is one of a credit card merchant account, a bank account, a telephone number account, a cable television account, and an on-line services account.

25. The method according to claim 23, wherein the step of establishing the remitting agreement comprises establishing a specification for selecting a vendor account to which the portion of the transaction amount is remitted.

26. The method according to claim 23, wherein the step of establishing the remitting agreement comprises specifying a plurality of vendor accounts and wherein the transactional information includes identification of one of the plurality of vendor accounts to which the portion of the transaction amount is remitted.

27. The method according to claim 23, wherein the vendor account is an account with the at least one provider.

28. The method according to claim 23, wherein the vendor account is an account with a third party.

29. The method according to claim 21, wherein the transactional information does not include the billing account number to which the transaction amount is billed.

30. The method according to claim 21, wherein the transactional information does not include any account number.