Electronic online commerce card with transactionproxy number for online transactions  :-

ABSTRACT :-

1. An online commerce system facilitates online commerce over a public network using an online commerce card. The "card" does not exist in physical form, but instead exists in digital form. The online commerce card is issued electronically to a customer by an issuing institution. The issued card is assigned a permanent customer account number that is maintained on behalf of the customer at the issuing institution to remove the risk of the number being lost or s stolen. When the customer desires to conduct an online transaction, the customer asks the issuing institution to issue a transaction number for a single transaction. The issuing institution generates a temporary transaction number and associates it with the permanent account number in a data record. The customer receives the transaction number and submits that number to the merchant as a proxy for the customer account number. The transaction number looks like a real card number and the merchant handles the transaction number in the same manner as any regular credit card number. When the merchant submits an request for authorization, the issuing institution recognizes the number as a transaction number for an online commerce card. The issuing institution references the customer account number, using the transaction number as an index, and processes the authorization request using the real customer account number in place of the proxy number. Once the authorization request is processed, the issuing institution once again exchanges the transaction number for the customer account number and sends an authorization reply back to the merchant under the transaction number.

CLAIMS :-

We claim:

1. A method for facilitating online commerce, comprising the following steps:

issuing an electronic commerce card to a customer during a registration phase, the commerce card having a permanent number associated therewith to identify the customer; and

during an online commerce transaction phase, issuing a proxy number that is associated with the permanent number for use in an online commerce transaction in place of the permanent number on the commerce card.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the issuing steps comprise issuing permanent and proxy numbers that are formatted with an equal number of digits.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the issuing steps are performed online.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of issuing the commerce card comprises the step of supplying to the customer a signed digital certificate and software code that supports a user interface button that invokes a user interface for requesting the proxy number.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of issuing the proxy number comprises the step of issuing a proxy number having a finite period of time within which the proxy number can be used.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of using the proxy number during the online commerce transaction.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein prior to the step of issuing an electronic commerce card, the method comprises the following additional steps:

initiating, from the customer, a request for the commerce card from an issuing authority; and

downloading software code to the customer to assist in a card registration process.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein prior to the step of issuing an electronic commerce card, the method comprises the following additional steps:

initiating, from the customer, a request for the commerce card from an issuing authority;

supplying a preliminary identifier to the customer; and

using the preliminary identifier to request a certificate from the issuing authority, the certificate being part of the commerce card.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the step of issuing the commerce card comprises the step of supplying to the customer a signed digital certificate and software code that supports a user interface button that invokes a user interface for requesting the proxy number.

10. A graphical user interface embodied on a computer-readable medium that presents the user interface button as recited in claim 9.

11. An electronic commerce card embodiment on a computer-readable medium that is created as a result of the steps in the method as recited in claim 1.

12. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps in the method as recited in claim 1.

13. A computer programmed to perform the steps in the method as recited in claim 1.

14. A method for registering for an online commerce card, comprising the following steps:

initiating, at the customer, a request for an online commerce card application;

downloading software code to the customer to assist in completing the card application;

submitting the application for the commerce card from the customer to the issuing authority; supplying a preliminary customer identifier to the customer;

submitting a request for a certificate from the issuing authority, the request including the preliminary customer identifier to identify the customer;

associating a customer account number with the customer; and

downloading a signed digital certificate from the issuing authority to the customer, the signed digital certificate comprising part of the commerce card.

15. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the supplying step comprises the step of providing the preliminary customer identifier to the customer through means other than online transmission.

16. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the step of submitting the request for a certificate comprises the following steps:

composing a public key;

generating a private key that is associated with the public key; and

submitting a request for certificate that includes the public and private keys.

17. A method as recited in claim 16, further comprising the step of using the signed digital certificate and the private key as a password for communication between the customer and issuing authority.

18. A method as recited in claim 14, further comprising downloading to the customer software code that supports a user interface button to invoke a user interface for facilitating commerce transactions.

19. A graphical user interface embodied on a computer-readable medium that presents the user interface button as recited in claim 18.

20. Computer-readable media resident at the customer and the issuing authority having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps in the method as recited in claim 14.

21. A method for utilizing an online commerce card in conducting online commerce transactions between a customer and a merchant, the commerce card having a permanent customer number associated therewith to identify the customer, comprising the following steps:

submitting a request for a proxy number from the customer to an authority;

generating the proxy number at the authority;

associating the proxy number with the permanent customer number;

issuing the proxy number to the customer; and

sending the proxy number, rather than the permanent customer number, to the merchant to commence the online commerce transaction.

22. A method as recited in claim 21, further comprising the following steps:

generating a request that comprises a password unique to the customer;

digitally signing the request at the customer;

submitting the digitally signed request from the customer to the authority; and

authenticating the customer from the digitally signed request.

23. A method as recited in claim 21, further comprising the step of displaying the proxy number returned from the authority.

24. Computer-readable media resident at the customer and the authority having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps in the method as recited in claim 21.

25. A computer-implemented method for handling a request for an online commerce transaction number that can be used by a customer in conducting an online commerce transaction, comprising the following steps:

generating a transaction number;

associating the transaction number with a customer number that identifies the customer; and

transmitting the transaction number to the customer for use as a proxy for the customer number during the online commerce transaction.

26. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 25, wherein the associating step comprises the step of creating a record in a database, the record linking the transaction number to the customer number.

27. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 25, further comprising the step of assigning an expiration time to the transaction number that specifies when the transaction number expires.

28. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps in the computer-implemented method as recited in claim 25.

29. A computer programmed to perform the steps in the computer-implemented method as recited in claim 25.

30. At an authority responsible for authorizing an online commerce transaction involving payment by an electronically transmitted account number, a computer-implemented method for handling an authorization request to honor the account number and accept payment, comprising the following steps:

determining whether the authorization request involves a permanent customer account number or a transaction number that is used as a proxy for the customer account number;

in an event that the authorization request involves a transaction number, performing the following steps:

using the transaction number to cross-reference to an associated customer account number;

substituting the associated customer account number in place of the transaction number; and

processing the authorization request using the associated customer account number.

31. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 30, further comprising the step of accessing a database containing customer account numbers and using the transaction number as an index to the database for locating the associated customer account number.

32. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 30, wherein after the processing step, the method further comprising the following steps:

substituting the transaction number in place of the customer account number; and

replying to the authorization request using the transaction number in lieu of the customer account number.

33. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 30, further comprising the step of adjusting an account associated with the customer account number to reflect the payment made in the online commerce transaction.

34. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps in the computer-implemented method as recited in claim 30.

35. A computer programmed to perform the steps in the computer-implemented method as recited in claim 30.

36. A method for facilitating online commerce, comprising the following steps:

(A) conducting a registration phase between a customer and an issuing authority comprising the following steps:

(1) initiating, at the customer, a request for an online commerce card application;

(2) downloading software code to the customer to assist in completing the card application;

(3) submitting the application for the commerce card from the customer to the issuing authority;

(4) supplying a preliminary customer identifier to the customer;

(5) submitting, from the customer, a request for a certificate from the issuing authority, the request including the preliminary customer identifier to identify the customer; and

(6) associating a customer account number with the customer; and

(7) downloading a signed digital certificate from the issuing authority to the customer and software code that supports a user interface button to invoke a user interface for facilitating online commerce transactions, the signed digital certificate and user interface button forming the online commerce card having the customer account number associated therewith;

(B) utilizing the online commerce card to conduct an online commerce transaction phase between the customer and a merchant comprising the following steps:

(1) submitting a request to use the commerce card from the customer to the issuing authority;

(2) generating a transaction number;

(3) associating the transaction number with the customer account number; and

(4) transmitting the transaction number to the customer for use as a proxy for the customer account number during the online commerce transaction;

(5) sending the transaction number, rather than the permanent customer number, to the merchant to commence the online commerce transaction;

(C) conducting a payment authorization phase at the issuing authority in response to receiving an authorization request from the merchant to honor the transaction number and accept payment, comprising the following steps:

(1) identifying the authorization request as involving a transaction number that is used as a proxy for the customer account number;

(2) using the transaction number to cross-reference to the associated customer account number;

(3) substituting the associated customer account number in place of the transaction number;

(4) processing the authorization request using the associated customer account number;

(5) substituting the transaction number in place of the customer account number; and

(6) replying to the merchant using the transaction number in lieu of the customer account number.

37. A system for facilitating online commerce, comprising:

a customer computing unit resident at a customer site, the customer computing unit being configured with an online commerce card for use in online commerce transactions, the online commerce card being associated with a customer account number;

an authority computing system resident at an authority site, the authority computing system having a database to hold the customer account number, the authority computing system being configured to generate a transaction number, associate the transaction number with the customer account number in the database and electronically issue the transaction number to the customer computing unit;

the customer computing unit being configured to use the transaction number in an online commerce transaction with a merchant; and

the authority computing system being configured to receive from the merchant an authorization request for approval of the transaction number, the authority computing system using the transaction number to cross-reference in the database the associated customer account number and to process the authorization request with the customer account number.

38. A system as recited in claim 37, wherein the customer account and transaction numbers are formatted with an equal number of digits.

39. A system as recited in claim 37, wherein the authority computing system assigns an expiration term to the transaction number so that the transaction number is not valid after the expiration term elapses.

40. A system for issuing online commerce cards used in online commerce transactions, comprising:

a customer account manager to establish a customer account number for a customer and to associate the customer account number to a digital certificate that is unique to the customer, the digital certificate being in embodied in an electronically transmittable form which can be downloaded to the customer for use as an online commerce card;

a transaction number generator to generate a transaction number for an online commerce transaction in which the customer desires to engage; and

the customer account manager being configured to associate the transaction number with the customer account number, the transaction number being embodied in an electronically transmittable form which can be downloaded to the customer so that the customer can use the transaction number in the online commerce transaction as a proxy for the customer account number.

41. A software program embodied on a computer-readable medium incorporating the system as recited in claim 40.

42. In an online commerce system, a system for handling an authorization request to approve an electronically transmittable number, comprising:

a transaction number identifier to identify the number as a transaction number that is used as a proxy for a customer account number; and

a customer account manager to cross-reference the customer account number using the transaction number and to substitute the transaction number for the customer account number for further processing.

43. A system as recited in claim 42, wherein the customer account manager is configured to reverse substitute the transaction number back for the customer account number after the processing.

44. A software program embodied on a computer-readable medium incorporating the system as recited in claim 42.

45. An electronically realizable commerce card embodied on a computer-readable medium comprising:

a first data field to hold a permanent customer account number having N digits and a predefined format that is recognized as an acceptable card number format;

a second data field to hold a temporary transaction number that serves as a proxy for the customer account number, the transaction number having the N digits and the format identical to the customer account number; and

wherein the first and second data fields are related to associate the customer account number with the transaction number.