Arrangement and method for tele-commerce with client profiles

• US 7,685,068 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2002
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke KPN NV
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke KPN NV
• Inventors: Klein Twennaar, Robbert Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Kramer; James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Maguire; Lindsay M.
• Application Number:
  US10/242,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20030055675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,748 Days
• Field of Search: 705/40, 705/39
• 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 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/42 Confirmation, e.g. check or permission by the legal debtor of payment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/425 using two different networks, one for transaction and one for security confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A system with a transaction operator processor (1) for supporting a business transaction, the business transaction, including at least receiving an order from a communication device (7(j)) of a client, and arranging for an automatic payment transaction associated with said business transaction from a client account to a merchant account; the system has at least one client service provider processor (5(i)) provided with a memory storing client profile data necessary for the business transaction and arranged to communicate the client profile data to the transaction operator processor (1) during the business transaction, the transaction operator processor (1) performing the business transaction upon receipt of the client profile data.

Claims

1. A system for conducting a business transaction between a client and a merchant comprising:

a transaction operator processor;

at least one client communication device;

at least one payment provider processor configured to perform automated transfers of payment on the client'"'"'s behalf, separate and distinct from the transaction operator processor;

at least one client service provider processor, separate and distinct from the transaction operator processor, and configured to store client profile data corresponding to the client, the client profile data including a client ID identifying said client and the at least one payment provider processor that is authorized to perform an automated transfer of payment on the client'"'"'s behalf, the client service provider processor configured to provide the client profile data to the at least one payment provider processor in response to a request from the transaction operator processor;

at least one merchant processor configured to receive a client ID and a corresponding order to deliver at least one of a service and product from said client communication device, and responsive receiving said order and said client ID, to send a transaction request to said transaction operator processor;

wherein said transaction operator processor being configured, responsive to receiving said transaction request from the merchant processor, to request said at least one client service provider processor to communicate said client profile data to said transaction operator processor, receive said client profile data, and to execute the transaction by communicating corresponding transaction payment data extracted from the client profile data to the least one payment provider processor identified within the client profile data as being authorized to perform automated transfers of payment on the client'"'"'s behalf; and

wherein the at least one payment provider processor is configured to transfer a payment to the merchant on the client'"'"'s behalf responsive to receiving the transaction payment data from the transaction operator processor.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said client profile data includes a plurality of different authorized payment provider processors, and a financial data list indicating which payment provider processors are authorized to perform said automatic payment transaction in dependence on a price of the transaction.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said client profile data includes Merchant Id'"'"'s indicating merchants at whom particular products and services can be obtained, as well as product Id'"'"'s indicating said particular products.

4. The system according to claim 1, comprising at least one merchant service provider processor with a memory storing merchant profile data used for said transaction and configured to communicate said merchant profile data to said transaction operator processor during said transaction, said merchant profile data including at least a list of payment methods accepted based, at least in part, on a cost of the at least one of the service and product.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the transaction operator processor is further configured to:

responsive receiving said client profile data from said at least one client service provider processor, sending a checking request to the client communication device associated with said transaction request;

receiving a confirmation from said communication device; and

performing the transaction related to said transaction request.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the transaction operator processor and the merchant processor are in a trusted relationship.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said client ID is a phone number associated with the client communication device or a subscriber identity module (SIM) number stored in a memory of the client communication device.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the payment provider processor is further configured to obtain authorization from the client communication device prior to transferring payment on the client'"'"'s behalf.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the client profile data further includes information including answers to access/approval menus for obtaining access to the payment provider processor.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the information includes at least a username and password.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the merchant processor is configured to receive the order to deliver from said client communication device by, at least in part, receiving a phone call or SMS message from the client communication device at a predetermined phone number matching dialed digits entered at the client communication device.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein said client communication device is a mobile phone, and wherein the mobile operator providing wireless service to the mobile phone also provides the client service provider processor.

13. A method of performing a business transaction between a client and a merchant comprising:

a client communication device sending an order to a merchant processor to deliver one of a product and service and providing the merchant processor with a client ID for identifying the client;

the merchant processor receiving the order and client ID and sending a transaction request to a transaction operator processor;

the transaction operator processor receiving the transaction request and sending a request for client profile data to a client service provider processor provided with a memory for storing client profile data, the client profile data including at least the client ID identifying the client and a payment provider processors list identifying at least one payment provider processor that is authorized to perform an automated transfer of payment on the client'"'"'s behalf

the client service provider processor, separate and distinct from the transaction operator processor, sending the client profile data to the transaction operator processor in response to receiving the request for client profile data;

the transaction operator processor receiving the client profile data associated with said client and executing the transaction by communicating corresponding transaction payment data extracted from the client profile data to the at least one payment provider processor identified within the client profile data, and

the payment provider processor, being separate and distinct from the transaction operator processor, responsive to receiving the corresponding transaction payment data from the transaction operator processor, transfers a payment to the merchant on the client'"'"'s behalf.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said client ID is a phone number associated with the client communication device or a subscriber identity module (SIM) number stored in a memory of the client communication device.

15. The method according to claim 13,

wherein said client profile data includes a plurality of payment provider processors authorized to perform an automated transfer of payment on the client'"'"'s behalf, and

wherein said financial data list indicates which payment provider processors are authorized to perform said automatic payment transaction in dependence on a price of the transaction.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the payment provider processor is further configured to obtain authorization from the client communication device prior to transferring payment on the client'"'"'s behalf.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein the client profile data further includes information including answers to access/approval menus for obtaining access to the payment provider processor.

18. The method according to claim 13, wherein the information includes at least a username and password.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein the merchant processor is configured to receive the order to deliver from said client communication device by, at least in part, receiving a phone call or SMS message from the client communication device at a predetermined phone number matching dialed digits entered at the client communication device.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein said client communication device is a mobile phone, and wherein the mobile operator providing wireless service to the mobile phone also provides the client service provider processor.

21. A system for conducting a business transaction between a client and a merchant comprising:

a transaction operator processor operated by a trusted third party;

at least one client communication device;

at least one payment provider processor configured to perform automated transfers of payment on the client'"'"'s behalf;

at least one client service provider processor, separate and distinct from the transaction operator processor, configured to store client profile data corresponding to the client, the client profile data including a client ID identifying said client, the at least one payment provider processor that is authorized to perform an automated transfer of payment on the client'"'"'s behalf, and answers to access/approval menus for obtaining access to the payment provider processor, the client service provider processor configured to provide the client profile data to the at least one payment provider processor in response to a request from the transaction operator processor;

at least one merchant processor, separate and distinct from the transaction operator processor, configured to receive a client ID and a corresponding order to deliver at least one of a service and product from said client communication device, and responsive receiving said order and said client ID, to send a transaction request to said transaction operator processor;

wherein said transaction operator processor being configured, responsive to receiving said transaction request from the merchant processor, to request said at least one client service provider processor to communicate said client profile data to said transaction operator processor, receive said client profile data, and to execute the transaction by communicating corresponding transaction payment data extracted from the client profile data to the least one payment provider processor identified within the client profile data as being authorized to perform automated transfers of payment on the client'"'"'s behalf; and

wherein the at least one payment provider processor is configured to transfer a payment to the merchant on the client'"'"'s behalf responsive to receiving the transaction payment data from the transaction operator processor.