Data processing: financial – business practice – management – or co – Automated electrical financial or business practice or... – Finance
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-13
2001-05-15
Trammell, James P. (Department: 2764)
Data processing: financial, business practice, management, or co
Automated electrical financial or business practice or...
Finance
C705S026640, C705S039000, C705S040000, C705S044000, C380S001000, C380S029000, C380S029000, C380S029000, C380S044000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06233565
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed towards electronic financial transactions between a customer having a personal computer (PC) and a remote service provider via the Internet, more particularly between a large plurality of customer PCs (“clients”) and a remote service provider (“server”), wherein each transaction is digitally signed by the originator and is executed by the remote server, and a unique evidence of payment for the transaction is provided to the customer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The inventors have recognized that there exists a Small Office/Home Office (“SOHO”) business segment market which is driven largely by “immediate gratification” and cost sensitivity. That is, the entrepreneurs who comprise this market are more inclined to utilize a product or service if it can be accessed quickly with a minimum of red tape. There is a strong inclination for people in this market to place a very high premium on their own time and that of their employees, such that products that improve their efficiency are of great value.
The inventors also have recognized that, in the SOHO market and elsewhere, postage application and Visits to the post office to purchase postage and/or ship envelopes and packages are seen as burdensome, time consuming and inefficient, and thus represent productivity opportunities—that is, opportunities to improve productivity by increasing efficiency. Similarly, use of other common carrier package delivery services, such as UPS, Federal Express, Purolator, etc., present similar productivity opportunities to expedite delivery of such services. For example, Federal Express has developed “power shipping”, a service which uses a more efficient airbill printing system, but which requires installation of a Federal Express terminal and printer at the customer's site. However, this level of efficiency is reserved for substantial customers and is not available to the SOHO market; it also requires special hardware devices to implement and is limited to Federal Express packaging only.
A product or service that can be remotely accessed in real time would be highly valued by SOHO (and non-SOHO) businesses whose livelihoods depend on access to electronic marketing methods worldwide.
The Metering Technology Management Office of the United States Postal Service (“USPS”) has announced plans and issued regulations for a personal computer (“PC”) based system for selling postage to individual customers under the Information Based Indicia Program (“IBIP”). See, for example, IBIP Host System Specification (Oct. 9, 1996), IBIP Postal Security Device Specification (Jun. 13, 1996), IBIP Indicium Specification (Jun. 13, 1996), IBIP Key Management Plan (Apr. 25, 1997), USPS Domestic Mail Manual, Issue 50 (Jul. 1, 1996), Federal Register, Part V, 39 CFR Parts 111 and 501 (Jun. 9, 1995), FIPS PUB 140-1 (January 1994), FIPS PUB 180-1 (Apr. 17, 1995), FIPS PUB 186 (May 19, 1994). The IBIP program products and services represent a significant paradigm shift from the traditional postage meter technology and processes in which the customer has custody of a device, the postage meter, and must take it or some part of it to the postal service office to purchase and refill the meter with more postage.
Protecting the security of the mails, United States postage funds, and the funds of the individual user and electronic commerce are of great importance. Improved apparatus and methods for providing such postal service transactions are desirable.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide customer (client) to remote service provider (server) electronic transactions which are secure and reliable.
It is another object to present a significant paradigm shift, building and improving upon current IBIP modeling, and to provide a software-only product utilizing the Internet, conventional and security (encryption) technology and a unique form of evidence of payment for executing secure electronic transactions.
It is another object of the invention to provide products for using electronic commerce payment technologies as well as new approaches to old challenges (e.g., increased efficiency in scheduling and delivery of packages and mail in electronic commerce that is secure and traceable).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns a virtual product that exists in an electronic, non-physical realm. More particularly, it is directed to an application which can be downloaded from the Internet, extracted from a zip file, installed, accessed by a pre-registered user on a secure PC, and used to conduct electronic commerce.
Broadly, the invention concerns a system for electronic commerce including at least one user and a remote service provider, an Internet connection between each user and the remote service provider, wherein the user first becomes a registered user, e.g., registering with the remote service provider or with a third party supplier of goods and/or services or both, thereby obtaining a password set, and thereafter executes electronic transactions with the remote service provider using the password set to authenticate the user as a registered user and the remote service provider as an authentic service provider, and receives a secure evidence of payment for each transaction executed including a digital signature and data uniquely identifying the transaction.
In one embodiment, such a system may be implemented as follows. The system software is resident on a proprietary website of a remote service provider (hereinafter referred to synonymously as “RSP”) and used to conduct commerce electronically with reliable security and confirmation, namely, evidence of payment. The RSP may sell services on its own account or act as a transaction intermediary between the customer and a third party seller (“TPS”) that is offering the goods and/or services that the customer wishes to buy. The potential customer and user first registers and requests a license. The potential registrants are preferably licensed by the ultimate provider of the goods or services that will be purchased, for any of a number of reasons, including recordkeeping, billing, shipment, scheduling, warranty, etc., which may be the TPS or the RSP. In the case of the preferred embodiment, the user is licensed by the TPS which is the United States Postal Service and which has established USPS specifications for licensing individual customers. Other “postal” services such as the Royal Mail of the UK, or a shipping company such as UPS or Federal Express and the like, also may have certain licensing procedures. Licensing or registration with the TPS may be as simple as obtaining a unique account number, or more complex as involving credit checks, references and collateralizations, as the case may be. In certain cases, a license from the TPS is not required and can be omitted, or a license may be available from the RSP for security reasons. The customer's license is then registered with the RSP and sent to the customer via regular mail.
The customer and potential user then uses the provided account information to download the appropriate portion of the system software (also referred to as the “client” software) from the RSP. The potential user then installs the client software on a local PC type device and configures the software and hardware of the system for use including establishing a transaction database specific to the user. This database may include a Register indicating purchases or funds available or the like. The system also provides for authenticating the user to the RSP and the RSP to the user before any transaction can occur.
After authentication is completed, the user then purchases the ultimate goods or services, postage in the case of the preferred embodiment, utilizing credit cards, ACH debit cards or checks as the method of payment, and electronically confirming the sale. The RSP then operates on the user's transaction database, e.g., increments a “descending” register, associated with the specific user corresponding to postage purchased by the user. The transa
Abdelsadek Mohammed
Dwyer Tara
Han Donald
Lewis Richard
Parks Louis
Nguyen Cuong H.
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
Saranac Software, Inc.
Trammell James P.
LandOfFree
Methods and apparatus for internet based financial... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Methods and apparatus for internet based financial..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Methods and apparatus for internet based financial... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2511027