Method and apparatus for ordering goods, services, and content over an internetwork using a virtual payment account

• US 9,864,989 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2007
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stripe, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cria Inc.
• Inventors: Hutchison, Robin B., Llewellyn, Robert J., Viljoen, Andre F., Griffiths, David, Birch, David, Begg, Iain M.
• Primary Examiner(s): OBEID, MAMON A
• Application Number:
  US11/775,473
• Publication Number:
  US 20080016003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,836 Days
• Field of Search: 705 64, 705 65, 705 78, 705 79, 235379, 235380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/027 involving a payment switch or gateway
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems
• 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 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3676 Balancing accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes
• 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 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 : Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 : Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0617 : Representative agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 : Credit; Loans; Processing thereof

Abstract

A secure, closed virtual payment system comprising registered buyers and sellers for ordering and paying for goods, services, and content over an internetwork is disclosed. A buyer becomes registered by applying for a virtual payment account. A seller becomes registered by applying for a seller account. A credit processing component (53) immediately evaluates the buyer'"'"'s application and assigns a credit limit to the account. Once an account is established, a digital certificate is stored on the registered participant'"'"'s computer. The buyer can then order goods, services, or content from a seller and charge it to the virtual payment account. When the product is shipped, the seller notifies a commerce gateway component (52), which, in turn, notifies the credit processing server, which applies the charges to the buyer'"'"'s virtual payment account.

Claims

1. A method for purchasing a product from a seller computer using a virtual payment account maintained by a commerce gateway, the commerce gateway interfacing with credit processing servers in order to authorize and settle product purchases using virtual payment accounts maintained by the commerce gateway, the method comprising:

(a) in response to the seller computer receiving a purchase inquiry from a buyer computer using a virtual payment account maintained by the commerce gateway, the seller computer returning a purchase offer to the buyer computer;

(b) in response to the buyer computer receiving the purchase offer returned by the seller computer, the buyer computer;

(i) establishing a secure connector connection to the commerce gateway;

(ii) determining if the buyer computer has an installed digital certificate that identifies the virtual payment account, wherein the digital certificate is generated by an authenticator component downloaded to the buyer computer from the commerce gateway upon approval of the virtual payment account and comprises a public key encryption pair; and

(iii) if the buyer computer has an installed digital certificate that identifies the virtual payment account, sending an authentication request to the commerce gateway that includes information that the virtual payment account obtained from the installed digital certificate;

(c) in response to receiving the authentication request form the buyer computer, the commerce gateway determining whether the installed digital certificate is associated with the virtual payment account and returning the result of the determination to the buyer computer;

(d) in response to the seller computer receiving a confirmation purchase from the buyer computer that includes information regarding the virtual payment account associated with the buyer computer, the seller computer requesting purchase authorization for the commerce gateway; and

(e) in response to the seller computer receiving purchase authorization from the commerce gateway, the seller computer providing the product to a buyer associated with the buyer computer and requesting payment from the commerce gateway.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the commerce gateway determining whether the installed digital certificate is associated with the virtual payment account includes the commerce gateway determining whether the virtual payment account is valid.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication request includes a digital certificate.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the digital certificate is retrieved by the buyer computer form a secure token.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to the seller computer requesting purchase authorization from the commerce gateway, the commerce gateway:

determining whether the virtual payment account may be charged for the cost of the product; and

in response to determining that the virtual payment account may be charged for the cost of the product, transmitting a purchase authorization to the seller computer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said virtual payment account comprises a main account and at least one sub-account.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said sub-account is operative to accept charges from only a predetermined list of seller computers.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein a spending limit is set by said buyer for said sub-account.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the seller computer provides the product to the buyer associated with the buyer computer by downloading the product to the buyer computer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the seller computer provides the product to the buyer associated with the buyer computer by arranging for the product to be shipped to the buyer.