METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR IMPROVED SECURITY FOR FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS THROUGH A TRUSTED THIRD PARTY ENTITY

• US 20070027816A1
• Filed: 07/26/2006
• Published: 02/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Shea Writer
• Original Assignee: Shea Writer
• Inventors: Writer, Shea
• Application Number:
  US11/460,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20070027816A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/65
• 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 20/29 characterised by micropayments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• 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 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/425 using two different networks, one for transaction and one for security confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

Improved systems and methods for financial transactions through a trusted third party entity that improve the security of the transactions. A payment system may build a database of reasonably verified voice prints for verifying a consumer'"'"'s authorization for a transaction, The method comprises receiving a payment request from a consumer to transfer a valued asset from an account to a seller. The method further comprises receiving from the consumer a vocal authorization for the payment request. The vocal authorization may then be digitized into a voice print and stored in the database with the payment request. In response to receiving the voice authorization, the payment system completes the payment request for the consumer and transfers the valued asset from the account to the seller. The voice print may then be used for verifying the identity of a consumer making a subsequent payment from the account.

Claims

1. A method of operating a payment system, the method comprising:

requiring a consumer to establish an account;

allowing the consumer to initiate a transaction using a third party processor to transfer funds into the account;

receiving from the consumer a vocal authorization for the transaction;

digitizing the vocal authorization into a voice print; and

storing the voice print with the transaction.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing the voice print to the consumer for playback.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing the voice print to the third party processor in response to a dispute of the transaction by the consumer to provide proof that the transaction was authorized by the consumer.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising marking the voice print as authentic if the consumer does not dispute the transaction.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising marking the voice print as not authentic if the consumer disputes the transaction.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the allowing step further comprises:

converting the transfer of funds into a denomination of a valued asset, and

allowing the consumer to initiate a payment to a seller using the valued asset.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

providing the seller with the payment in the denomination of the valued asset; and

converting the payment from the denomination of the valued asset to a denomination of currency.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the valued asset is a sovereign entity.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the sovereign entity is gold.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the valued asset is a currency credit.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

converting the transfer of funds into a lease of a commodity; and

allowing the consumer to initiate a purchase using a denomination of the commodity.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

requiring the consumer to download a plugin module to a client application;

allocating login information for the consumer;

providing the login information to the client application;

using the login information in subsequent communications between the client application and the payment system;

monitoring a port used by the client application for communications using the login information;

determining if a communication from the client application using the login information is directed to an authenticated server of the payment system; and

stopping the communication from the client application using the login information if the communication is directed to a non-authenticated server.

13. A method of building a database of reasonably verified voice prints in a payment system, the method comprising:

receiving a first payment request from a consumer requesting to transfer a valued asset from an account to a seller;

receiving from the consumer a first vocal authorization for the first payment request;

digitizing the first vocal authorization into a voice print;

storing the voice print in the database with the first payment request; and

completing the first payment request for the consumer and transferring the valued asset from the account to the seller.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

segmenting the first vocal authorization into a statement of identity, a transaction number, and a date and a time; and

comparing the digitized statement of identity, the digitized transaction number and the digitized date and time with reference information for the transaction to determine if the statement of identity, the transaction number and the date and time spoken by the consumer are correct for the transaction.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising creating a reliability rating for the voice print, wherein the reliability rating comprises a score representing a probability that the voice print is authentic for an account holder of the account and that the consumer is the account holder.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

creating a reliability rating for the voice print, wherein the reliability rating comprises a score representing a probability that the voice print is authentic for an account holder of the account and that the consumer is the account holder; and

adjusting the reliability rating of the voice print if the account holder does not dispute the first payment request within a predetermined time.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

creating a reliability rating for the voice print, wherein the reliability rating comprises a score representing a probability that the voice print is authentic for an account holder of the account and that the consumer is the account holder; and

adjusting the reliability rating of the voice print based on a number of payment requests completed by the account holder.

18. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

creating a reliability rating for the voice print, wherein the reliability rating comprises a score representing a probability that the voice print is authentic for an account holder of the account and that the consumer is the account holder; and

adjusting the reliability rating of the voice print based on a value of the first payment request.

19. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

creating a reliability rating for the voice print, wherein the reliability rating comprises a score representing a probability that the voice print is authentic for an account holder of the account and that the consumer is the account holder; and

adjusting the reliability rating of the voice print based on a time elapsed between a previous payment request and the first payment request.

20. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

creating a reliability rating for the voice print, wherein the reliability rating comprises a score representing a probability that the voice print is authentic for an account holder of the account and that the consumer is the account holder; and

raising a transaction limit for the consumer based on the reliability rating.

21. The method of claim 13 further comprising marking the voice print as authentic for an account holder of the account and determining that the consumer is the account holder if the account holder does not dispute the first payment request.

22. The method of claim 13 further comprising marking the voice print as not authentic for an account holder of the account and determining that the consumer is not the account holder if the account holder disputes the first payment request.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising comparing a second vocal authorization for a second payment request with the not authentic voice print to determine if the second payment request is not authorized by the account holder.

24. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

receiving a second payment request from the consumer;

receiving from the consumer a second vocal authorization for the second payment request;

comparing the second vocal authorization with the voice print to determine if the

consumer is authorized to complete the second payment request; and

completing the second payment request.

25. The method of claim 13 wherein the comparing step further comprises:

receiving a calling phone number for the consumer speaking the first vocal authorization; and

comparing the calling phone number with a stored phone number for an account holder of the account to determine if the consumer is authorized to complete the first payment request.

26. The method of claim 13 wherein the receiving step further comprises:

receiving from the consumer a verbalization of a transaction number for the payment request;

converting the verbalization of the transaction number to a digital representation of the transaction number; and

comparing the digital representation of the transaction number with reference information for the transaction to determine if the digital representation of the transaction number is correct for the transaction to further determine if the consumer is authorized to complete the first payment request.

27. The method of claim 13 wherein the receiving step further comprises:

receiving from the consumer a verbalization of a date and a time for the payment request;

converting the verbalization of the date and the time to a digital representation of the date and the time; and

comparing the digital representation of the date and time with reference information for the transaction to determine if the digital representation of the date and the time is correct for the transaction to further determine if the consumer is authorized to complete the first payment request.

28. The method of claim 13 further comprising providing the voice print to the consumer for playback.

29. The method of claim 13 wherein the valued asset is a sovereign entity.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the sovereign entity is gold.

31. The method of claim 13 wherein valued asset is currency credits, wherein each currency credit represents a denomination of currency.

32. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

requiring the consumer to download a plugin module to a client application;

allocating login information;

providing the login information to the client application;

using the login information in subsequent communications between the client application and the payment system;

monitoring a port used by the client application for communications using the login information;

determining if a communication from the client application using the login information is directed to an authenticated server of the payment system; and

stopping the communication from the client application using the login information if the communication is directed to a non-authenticated server.

33. A method for communicating with a payment system using a reverse firewall, the method comprising:

requiring the consumer to download a plugin module to a client application;

allocating login information;

providing the login information to the client application;

using the login information in subsequent communications between the client application and the payment system;

monitoring a port used by the client application for communications using the login information;

determining if a communication from the client application using the login information is directed to an authenticated server of the payment system; and

stopping the communication from the client application using the login information if the communication is directed to a non-authenticated server.

34. The method of claim 33 further comprising warning a user if an attempt is made by the client application to communicate with the non-authenticated server using the login information.

35. The method of claim 33 further comprising updating the plugin module to modify a list of authenticated servers of the payment system.

36. The method of claim 33 further comprising:

allocating new login information;

providing the new login information to the client application; and

updating the login information for the client application.

37. The method of claim 33 further comprising:

allowing a consumer to open a hyperlink in the client application, wherein the hyperlink is directed to a merchant server;

initiating a payment request from the merchant server to the payment system;

exchanging funds in the payment system between an account of the consumer and an account of the merchant server; and

exchanging an online asset between the client application and the merchant server.

38. A method for determining a credibility rating of a seller in a payment system, the method comprising:

receiving a payment request in the payment system from a consumer directed to the seller;

completing the payment request;

receiving a transaction rating from the consumer for the seller;

issuing an account rebate to the consumer in response to receiving the transaction rating; and

providing the transaction rating in a credibility rating of the seller.

39. The method of claim 38 further comprising querying the consumer for the transaction rating of the seller.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein the querying step further comprises querying the consumer for a numerical rating based on the transaction for at least one attribute of the seller.

41. The method of claim 38 further comprising determining a numerical score for the credibility rating of the seller based on a numerical rating for the seller received from a plurality of consumers.

42. The method of claim 38 further comprising adjusting a transaction fee for the seller based on the credibility rating.