User experience on mobile phone

• US 8,543,496 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2007
• Issued: 09/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: JONES, Jessica U., Beenau, Blayn W., Saunders, Peter D., Peart, Lee J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaikh, Mohammad Z
• Application Number:
  US11/741,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20080270302A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,342 Days
• Field of Search: 705/39, 705 35- 45, 235/380
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3255 using mobile network messaging services for payment, e.g. SMS
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3265 characterised by personalisation for use
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3572 Multiple accounts on card
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3574 Multiple applications on card
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• 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 20/403 Solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4033 Local solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1025 Identification of user by a PIN code

Abstract

A method of operating a mobile phone as a financial transaction instrument is provided. Security features, which can disable the mobile phone so as to prevent account information from being transmitted, incorporate transaction limits and the use of a personal identification number.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of operating a mobile phone as a financial transaction instrument to complete a purchase, wherein the mobile phone has financial transaction account information of a user and an application for operating the mobile phone as a financial transaction instrument, the method comprising:

receiving at a provider computer, from a merchant, (a) the financial transaction account information of the user transmitted directly from the mobile phone to a financial transaction instrument reader of the merchant in response to the user'"'"'s mobile phone being in proximity thereto, and (b) transaction informaticm of a financial transaction between the user and the merchant;

processing, by the provider computer, the transaction information and the financial transaction account information;

authorizing, by the provider computer, the transaction between the merchant and user without contacting the mobile phone;

communicating, in response to the authorizing and by the provider computer, from the provider computer to the mobile phone over a wireless network, a record of the purchase;

providing, by the provider computer and to the mobile phone, the application for operating the mobile phone as a financial transaction instrument,

wherein the application comprises program code for defining a maximum number of transactions that can be completed using the application without further authorization from the user, wherein the application comprises program code for tracking the number of transactions completed using the application since the last authorization from the user,

wherein in response to the number of transactions completed using the application since the last authorization from the user being a user selectable number less than the maximum number of transactions, prompting the user to provide a PIN for access, wherein in response to the number of transactions approaching the number calling for the user to provide the PIN, the user is prompted via the mobile phone with a first warning indicating that a request to provide the PIN will be requested in a subsequent transaction,

wherein in response to the number of transactions completed using the application since the last authorization from the user being equal to the maximum number of transactions that can be completed using the application without further authorization from the user, denying the purchase, wherein in response to the number of transactions completed using the application since the last authorization from the user approaching a number equal to the maximum number of transactions that can be completed using the application without further authorization from the user, prompting the user via the mobile phone with a second warning indicating that the maximum number of transactions that can be completed using the application without further authorization from the user is approaching, and

wherein, in response to determining that the maximum number of transactions has been exceeded, the application disables the application to prevent financial transaction account information from being transmitted.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application comprises program code for prompting the user to provide further authorization when the number of transactions completed using the application since the last authorization from the user equals a number less than the maximum number of transactions that can he completed using the application without further authorization from the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating with the user'"'"'s mobile phone over the wireless network comprises transmitting a unique identifier of the financial transaction.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, using a global positioning system (OPS), whether the mobile phone is in the vicinity of the merchant;

providing merchant information including information regarding an available voucher to the mobile phone over a wireless network, in response to the detecting indicating that the mobile phone is in the vicinity of the merchant; and

applying the available voucher at the time of purchase in response to the mobile phone is being used as the financial transaction instrument.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the merchant information is provided to the mobile phone in an short message service (SMS) message.

4. A system for operating a mobile phone as a financial transaction instrument to complete a purchase, wherein the mobile phone has financial transaction account information of a user and an application for operating the mobile phone as a financial transaction instrument, the system comprising:

a network interface communicating with a memory;

the memory communicating with a processor for enabling transactions; and

the processor, when executing a computer program, performs operations comprising;

receiving, by the processor and from a merchant, (a) the financial transaction account information of the user transmitted directly from the mobile phone to a financial transaction instrument reader of the merchant in response to the mobile phone being in proximity thereto, and (b) transaction information of a financial transaction between the user and the merchant,

processing, by the processor, the transaction information and the financial transaction account information,

authorizing, by the processor, the transaction between the merchant and the user without contacting the mobile phone,

in response to the authorizing, communicating, by the processor, to the mobile phone over a wireless network, a record of the purchase;

providing, by the processor, to the mobile phone, the application for operating the mobile phone as a financial transaction instrument,

wherein the application comprises program code for defining a maximum number of transactions that can be completed using the application without further authorization from the user,

wherein the application comprises program code for tracking the number of transactions completed using the application since the last authorization from the user,

wherein in response to the number of transactions completed using the application since the last authorization from the user being a user selectable number less than the maximum number of transactions, prompting the user to provide a PIN for access,

wherein in response to the number of transactions approaching the number calling for the user to provide the PIN, the user is prompted via the mobile phone with a first warning indicating that a request to provide the PIN will be requested in a subsequent transaction,

wherein in response to the number of transactions completed using the application since the last authorization from the user being equal to the maximum number of transactions that can be completed using the application without further authorization from the user, denying the purchase,

wherein in response to the number of transactions completed using the application since the last authorization from the user approaching a number equal to the maximum number of transactions that can be completed using the application without further authorization from the user, prompting the user via the mobile phone with a second warning indicating that the maximum number of transactions that can be completed using the application without further authorization from the user is approaching, and

wherein, in response to determining that the maximum number of transactions has been exceeded, the application disables the application to prevent financial transaction account information from being transmitted,

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the operations further comprise, providing from the provider'"'"'s side to the mobile phone, the application for operating the mobile phone as a financial transaction instrument.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein access to the application requires input of a correct personal identification number in order to enable the application to transmit financial transaction account information to the financial transaction instrument reader.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more processors is configured to transmit a unique identifier of the financial transaction to the mobile phone over the wireless network.

8. A non-transitory computer program product having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for causing a provider computer to receive information from a mobile phone and/or transmit information to the mobile phone, the computer-executable instructions, if executed by the provider computer, cause the provider computer to perform operations comprising:

receiving at the provider computer, from a merchant, (a) financial transaction account information of the user transmitted directly from the mobile phone to a financial transaction instrument reader of the merchant in response to the mobile phone being in proximity thereto, and (b) transaction information of a financial transaction between the user and the merchant, wherein the mobile phone is operable as a financial transaction instrument to complete a purchase, and wherein the mobile phone has financial transaction account information of a user and an application for operating the mobile phone as a financial transaction instrument;

processing, by the provider computer, the transaction information and the financial transaction account information;

authorizing, at the provider computer, the transaction without contacting user'"'"'s mobile phone;

conununicating after authorization, from the provider computer to the mobile phone over a wireless network, a record of the purchase;

providing, by the provider computer and to the mobile phone, the application for operating the mobile phone as a financial transaction instrument,

wherein the application comprises program code for defining a maximum number of transactions that can be completed using the application without further authorization from the user,

wherein the application comprises program code for tracking the number of transactions completed using the application since the last authorization from the user,

wherein in response to the number of transactions completed using the application since the last authorization from the user being a user selectable number less than the maximum number of transactions, prompting the user to provide a PIN for access,

wherein in response to the number of transactions approaching the number calling for the user to provide the PIN, the user is prompted via the mobile phone with a first warning indicating that a request to provide the PIN will be requested in a subsequent transaction,

wherein in response to the number of transactions completed using the application since the last authorization from the user being equal to the maximum number of transactions that can be completed using the application without further authorization from the user, denying the purchase,

wherein in response to the number of transactions completed using the application since the last authorization from the user approaching a number equal to the maximum number of transactions that can be completed using the application without further authorization from the user, prompting the user via the mobile phone with a second warning indicating that the maximum number of transactions that can be completed using the application without further authorization from the user is approaching, and

wherein, in response to determining that the maximum number of transactions has been exceeded, the application disables the application to prevent financial transaction account information from being transmitted.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein access to the application requires input of a correct personal identification number in order to enable the application to transmit financial transaction account information to the financial transaction instrument reader.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the communicating comprises causing the computer to transmit a unique identifier of the financial transaction to the user'"'"'s mobile phone over the wireless network.