WO2011158121A2

WO2011158121A2 - Multidevice payment system

Info

Publication number: WO2011158121A2
Application number: PCT/IB2011/002016
Authority: WO
Inventors: Brijesh Tripathi; Pritesh Gupta
Original assignee: Ape Payment Oy
Priority date: 2010-06-14
Filing date: 2011-06-13
Publication date: 2011-12-22
Also published as: WO2011158121A3

Abstract

A payment system and method enable a user to purchase online content from an online content provider for a first communication device using a second communication device. The payment method comprises sending a payment code to the payment system by the first communication device over a first communication network via a first communication service provider. The payment system parses the payment code and debits the payment amount from the user's payment system account. The payment system sends a payment confirmation message to the merchant Website over a second communication network via a second communication service provider, the second communication device operating on the second communication network. The merchant Website sends a first access confirmation message to the payment system and the merchant website sends a first access confirmation message to the first communication device.

Description

MULTIDEVICE PAYMENT SYSTEM

FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates generally to an online payment system and in particular, to a method and system for navigation- free and zero-click online payment for online content using two or more communicating devices.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Communication network advancements have resulted in increased usage of

Internet and mobile phone networks, not only for communication but also as a marketplace for online content presented for sale by online merchants. The online content could be, for example, any online service, data, information, software, product, online storage space or even a physical product being sold online. The increase in online commerce has been accompanied by an increase in the modes and methods for online payments. Different modes of making online payments utilize different communication networks such as, for example, the Internet,

telecommunication networks, GPS communications network and the like.

[0003] Typically, a user makes an online payment by completing the fields of one or more online forms, filling in credit card details or online banking details such as card number, PIN number and password etc. Submitting such account details jeopardizes account security. Moreover, repeatedly filling in all the details is cumbersome if a user has to pay online frequently. In many cases the payment amount is so small, (aka micropayments) that paying from a credit card is not economic because of the higher transaction costs.

[0004] These drawbacks have lead to development of different micropayment systems which are specially designed for smaller payments. These payment systems comprise means for transferring money into a virtual account created within the payment system. To accesses this money for payments, the user has to input only one PIN number predefined with the payment system. Because more and more content is for sale on Internet, it is becoming cumbersome to enter a PIN number repeatedly for frequent payments. The users are disinterested in entering PIN numbers and requesting authentication every time an online micropayment has to be made. Hence, there is a need for payment systems that enable less cumbersome and more efficient navigation.

[0005] Furthermore, diversifying the mode of payments utilizing different networks, like telecommunication networks or interactive TV networks, leads to the creation of multiple accounts of a user on multiple channels of payment. The current scenario is such that the users have to register with different payment systems to make different types of payments. Hence, there is a need to unify these different modes of payment and increase the applicability of payment systems.

[0006] Great Britain patent application GB2449223A9 discloses a method for payment using mobile short message service (SMS). The user sends an SMS message to a predefined number provided by vendor and receives a request SMS message to input an authentication code. The user replies with five(5)-digit verification code and again receives an SMS indicating the amount deducted from a user account. Another message is received at the point of sale screen confirming payment, but this SMS payment method is not hassle free as there is a need to input a verification key for every payment, because many SMS messages are exchanged during the process and because the telecom service provider must access a user bank account.

[0007] US Patent Publication US 2005/0144020 Al provides an alternative method of SMS payment for interactive TV services. In this method, the Premium TV service transmits an SMS that bills the service purchase price to a mobile phone bill or debits the amount from the mobile phone balance. In this invention, the vendor and the telecom service of the user have to communicate for transaction. There is a need to provide bank account details to the mobile service provider. Further, this method does not offer payment directly at point of sale unlike other SMS payment methods.

[0008] Thus, there is a need for a payment system that interacts between different types of the communication networks. Further, a need exists for a payment system that can be used with a mobile phone as well as with a browsing device, providing myriad payment options and enhanced security without any undue hassles.

SUMMARY

[0009] The present invention describes a payment method and a payment system for making payments and/or buying online content from a merchant website. In one embodiment, the merchant website is maintained by an online merchant and registered with the payment system. One or more communication devices of the user also are registered with the payment system. A first communication device may communicate with the payment system over a first communication network via a first communication service provider. A second user device may communicate to the payment system and the merchant website over a second communication network via a second communication service provider. The communication devices are subscribed to their respective communication service providers and are registered with the payment system automatically after making the first payment.

[0010] In one embodiment, the present invention facilitates an inter-device payment method in which content delivered to a first communication device is purchased using a second communication device. The user information along with device details are maintained by the payment system which acts as a central repository for all communications and payments between the user and the online merchant. The relevant stored payment information is presented to the online merchant to allow access to the online content for the second communication device. For example, for making an online payment on a browsing device such as a laptop, a user can send an SMS (or Short Service Message) from a mobile phone containing a code for the desired content or service. The SMS request reaches the payment system over the mobile the communication network via a mobile service provider, for example, AT&T™, Verizon™, etc. The payment system parses the SMS received, and retrieves the details or an identifier of the laptop or other device registered in the payment system for receiving purchased content. The payment system debits the value of the online content requested from the user account registered with the payment system. A payment confirmation message is sent to the merchant website which then returns an access confirmation to the payment system and a second access confirmation to the user's laptop along with an invitation to retrieve the online content. All

communication between the laptop, the merchant website and the payment system takes place over the Internet via an Internet service provider such as EarthLink™, Juno™, Comcast™, etc.

[0011] The present invention utilizes different communication networks for enhancing methods and modes of payment. As discussed in the above example, a mobile phone can be used as a mode of payment for an Internet service required on laptop. In one embodiment, the mobile phone only makes use of the first communication network which is the mobile communication network in the given example. The user information also may be obtained from the mobile service provider if the mobile phone is not yet registered with the payment system, and the second communication device (e.g. the laptop) may be identified automatically.

[0012] The present invention provides different modes of payment. In the preceding example. The payment amount debited from the payment system account of the user may instead be added to the mobile service bill of the user because the payment system is subscribed to the mobile service provider. For example, in instances of an excess payment or insufficient account balance, reimbursements and charges may be applied to the mobile service bill of the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0013] FIG.1 illustrates an environment where the invention may be practiced, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0014] FIG. 2 illustrates the system elements of payment system, according to an

embodiment of the invention.

[0015] FIG. 3 A illustrates a flowchart depicting the method steps of practicing the

invention according to an embodiment of the invention

[0016] FIG. 3B illustrates a flowchart depicting the method steps of practicing the

invention according to an embodiment of the invention

[0017] FIG. 3C illustrates a flowchart depicting the method steps of practicing the

invention according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0018] FIG. 4A illustrates an example of a GUI depicting the interaction of the user with a merchant website for purchasing an online content

[0019] FIG. 4B illustrates an example of a GUI depicting the interaction of the user with a merchant website for purchasing an online content.

DESCRIPTION

[0020] The exemplary embodiments, described in this section with details, are provided merely to illustrate the principles of the invention. Various details are set forth for the purpose of explanation rather than limitation. However it will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the invention can be practiced without these details and the given exemplary embodiments should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the invention by referring to the figures.

[0021] In one embodiment, communication over the network is enabled through any of the communication protocols, such as, for example, HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) for Internet, and GSM for mobile communication. HTTP and GSM are well known in the art and details of HTTP and GSM are omitted here for the sake of clarity. Moreover general terms that are well known and do not bear much effect on the invention such as processors and related computer components have not been described for sake of clarity.

[0022] FIG.1 illustrates an environment in which the invention may be practiced,

according to one embodiment of the invention. Illustratively, in the environment there exists a user 102 possessing two communication devices, a first communication device 104 and a second communication device 106. The first communication device 104 and the second communication device 106 may be any communication devices enabled to communicate with a payment system 108 over a first communication network 1 10 and a second communication network 112 respectively. The first communication device 104 sends a communication signal over the first

communication network 110 provided by a first communication service provider 114,while the second communication device 106 receives a communication signal over second communication network 112 provided by a second communication service provider 116.

[0023] A communication device 104, 106 may be a browsing device. A browsing device may be any device that enables access to a Website over Internet, local area network, telecommunication network or any other the communication network. Examples of the browsing devices include but are not limited to laptops, personal desktop computers, mobile phones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and Internet kiosks.

[0024] A Website is a collection of related Web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that are addressed with a common domain name or Internet Protocol (IP) address in an Internet Protocol-based network. A Website is hosted on at least one Web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet (World Wide Web) or a private local area network. [0025] A Webpage is a text file that contains not only text, but also a set of HTML tags that describe how the text should be formatted when a browser displays the text on a screen of a browsing device. The tags are simple instructions that tell the Web browser how the Webpage should look when displayed. The tags tell the browser to do things like change the font size or color, or arrange text and/or visual elements in columns. The Web browser interprets these tags to decide how to format the text onto the screen. The Webpages are accessed and transported with the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), which optionally may employ encryption (HTTP Secure, aka HTTPS) to provide security and privacy for the user of the Webpage online content. The user's application, often a Web browser, renders the page online content according to its HTML markup instructions onto a display terminal of a browsing device. HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language. A "markup language" is a computer language that describes how a page should be formatted.

[0026] A Web browser, like Netscape Navigator™ or Microsoft™ Internet Explorer™, is a computer program (also known as a software application, or simply an application) that is enabled to go to a Web server on the Internet and request a page, so that the browser can pull the Webpage through the network and into the user's machine. Also, a Web browser can interpret the set of HTML tags within the Webpage in order to display the Webpage on a user screen as the page is intended to be displayed.

[0027] A graphical the user interface is an interface for the interaction of a user with the software program or application without the need to enter programming commands. Graphical display of buttons, windows, menus and icons enables task completion via a pointing device such as a mouse cursor. GUI examples can be operating systems running on a browsing device, operating systems such as Microsoft Windows98™, Microsoft Windows Vista™, the Web browsers like Netscape Navigator™ or Microsoft Internet Explorer™ and applications like Windows Media Player™.

[0028] Returning to the description of FIG. 1, the payment system 108 is an integrated processing and storage system enabling the user 102 to use the first communication device 104 to make online payments to buy online content from an online merchant 118 subsequently delivered to the second communication device 106. The payment system 108 is subscribed to both the first communication service provider 114 and the second communication service provider 116. The user 102 registers both the first communication device 104 and the second communication device 106 with the payment system 108. If the first communication device 104 and second

communication device 106 are not registered with the payment system 108 at the time of payment, the payment system 108 automatically carries out the registration process with minimal intervention by the user 102. (The registration process will be discussed in detail in conjunction with the description of FIG. 3.) An online merchant 1 18 selling the online content through a merchant website 120 is registered with the payment system 108 over the second communication network 112. Payment for the online content provided by the online merchant 1 18 is credited to the account of the online merchant 118 by the payment system 108 at a time predefined in an agreement between online the merchant 118 and the payment system 108. The online content information or the content itself may be displayed on the merchant website 120 implemented on a merchant web server 122. The merchant web server 122 is a Web server managed by the online merchant 118.

9] The following example presents one embodiment of the environment described with respect to a practical application, but many other such applications are possible. In one embodiment, the first communication device 104 is a mobile phone acting as a mobile device and the second communication device 106 is a laptop acting as a browsing device. The present embodiment comprises a user 102 browsing online content on the second communication device 106 and desiring to access paid online content provided by an online merchant 118. The user 102 uses a mobile device as the first communication device 104 to make payment for the online content. The mobile device 104 interfaces with the payment system 108 over the first communication network 1 10 via a first communication service provider 1 14. In one embodiment, the first communication network 110 is a mobile the communication network and the first communication service provider 1 14 is a mobile service provider. Communication between first communication device 104 and the payment system 108 is established by the first communication service provider 114. The second communication device 106 interfaces with the payment system 108 over a second communication network 112 via second communication service provider 116. In one embodiment, the second communication network 112 is an Internet network and the second communication service provider 1 16 is an Internet service provider. Communication between the second communication device 106 and the payment system 108 is set up by the second communication service provider 116. An online merchant 118 is linked to the payment system 108 through the second communication network 1 12.

[0030] In order to purchase the online content from the merchant website 120, the user 102 sends a content code to the payment system 108. According to the present embodiment, the content code is displayed on the merchant website 120 browsed on the second communication device 106. The user 102 uses a first communication device 104, which is a mobile communication device, to communicate with the payment system 108 via a first communication service provider 114 that is a mobile service provider. The user 102 may send a short text message, make a call or use any other communication feature of the first communication device 104 to communicate with the payment system 108 in order to provide the payment system 108 with the content code. This action of establishing communication with the payment system 108 via first communication service provider 1 14 generates a payment code comprising the content code and an encrypted code sent from the first communication device 104 to the payment system 108. The payment system 108 parses the encrypted code and retrieves information related to the first communication device 104. The information related to the first communication device 104 identifies an associated account attributed to the user 102 and stored on the payment system 108. The account details then enable retrieval of information related to the second communication device 106.

[0031] The payment system 108 debits from the account of the user 102 the payment amount which equals the cost of the online content. A payment confirmation containing the confirmation code and the details of second communication device 106 transmit to the merchant website 120 over the second communication network 1 12. (One embodiment of a detailed method of debiting the payment amount will be discussed with regard to FIG. 2.) Upon receipt of the payment confirmation message, the merchant website 120 generates a first access confirmation message and transmits that first access confirmation message to the payment system 108. The first access confirmation message confirms the completion of a successful payment for the online content. A second access confirmation message is transmitted over the second communication network 112 by the merchant website 120 to the second

communication device 106, here a browsing device, thus providing the user 102 with access to the online content. [0032] In one embodiment, the online merchant 118 may have a commercial agreement established with the payment system 108. The payment amount of the online content may be credited and thus the account may be settled between the payment system 108 and online merchant 118in accordance with the terms of a commercial arrangement between the online merchant 118 and the payment system 108. Further, the amount of payment may be credited to the account of an online merchant 118 at a later predetermined time. For example, the payment system 108 and the online merchant 118 may have a commercial agreement according to which collective payment could be made on daily basis for all payments. (A detailed description of the method of payment, technical details of the system elements and the process of communication between the system elements will be described later in conjunction with FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.)

[0033] FIG. 2 illustrates the system elements of the payment system 108, according to one embodiment of the present invention. The payment system 108 comprises a first communication means 202, a payment system database 204, a payment system processor 206 and a second communication means 208. Various system elements have been included herein to describe one embodiment of the payment system 108 of the present invention and by no means does this combination of elements present a limitation to the system.

[0034] In one embodiment, the first communication means 202 is a gateway enabling the payment system 108 to communicate with the first communication device 104 over the first communication network 1 10 via a first communication service provider 1 14. The payment system 108 receives a payment code from the first communication device 104 over the first communication network 110 via the first communication service provider 1 14. A gateway in a communications network is a

network node equipped for interfacing with another network that uses different protocols. The network could be implemented in software, hardware or both. Also, a protocol translation/mapping gateway interconnects networks with different network protocol technologies by performing the required protocol conversions. The protocols followed for transmission of any communication message from first communication device 104 via a first communication service provider 114 are dependent on the first communication network 1 10. The first communication network 110 could be any communication network for example, mobile communication network, Internet network, local area network, cable TV network and the like. According to an embodiment of the invention the first communication network 110 is a mobile communication channel assumed to be a GSM network. The communication between the first communication device 104 and the first communication service provider 1 14 will follow GSM protocols and will pass through GSM architecture. The first communication network 110 could be any other form of the communication network as mentioned above..

[0035] The payment code is generated by the first communication device 104 when the user 102 communicates with the payment system 108 to purchase the online content from an online merchant 118. The payment code is sent to the payment system 108 via first communication service provider 1 14. The payment code comprises the content code of the online content and an encrypted code. The encrypted code further comprises details pertaining to and identifying a mobile device 104 and the online content. Content code is a code for purchasing the specific online content. In order to specify which online content is to be bought, the user 102 needs to send the content code to the payment system 108. Information for all registered online merchants 1 18 and all registered users 102 is stored in the payment system database 204. Information pertaining to the user 102 further comprises details pertaining to all registered communication devices and details pertaining to the online merchant 1 18 further comprises information identifying all online content available for purchase.

[0036] In one embodiment, content code is sent in the form of an SMS from the first communication device 104 (e.g. a mobile telephone) over the first communication network 110 (e.g. a mobile telecommunication network). The user 102 enters the code specified by the online merchant 118 for a particular online content and sends that code as an SMS from the first communication device 104 to a fixed number also specified by the online merchant 1 18. The fixed number may be universal for buying any online content, thus avoiding the inconvenience of having to remember too many numbers. The first communication service provider 1 14 (e.g. a mobile service provider) identifies the SMS as a purchase oriented SMS and forwards the payment code received to the payment system 108. The payment system processor 206 parses the payment code received and identifies the content code and encrypted code present in the payment code. The payment system processor 206 could be any commercially available processor capable of processing and operating data and calculations. The payment system database 204 is accessed by the payment system processor 206 to match details identifying the user 102 with the identified online content, and in doing so, the system processor identifies the second communication device 106 (e.g. a browsing device registered to the user) that will be receiving the online content based on a unique identifier. The unique identifier could be any identification criteria adopted to identify any communication device over a communication network for example MAC address, IP address and the like. Information identifying the online merchant 1 18 is also retrieved from the payment system database 204 using the content code.

[0037] Completion of parsing the payment code is followed by debiting a payment

system account registered to the user 102. The account is debited in the payment amount for the online content associated with the content code that has been received and parsed by the payment system processor 206. According to another embodiment, the payment amount may be added to an account as a debt amount. The user 102 may clear the debt amount within a predefined clearance time defined by the payment system 108. If same is not done, the debt amount is added to the mobile phone bill of the user 102 because the payment system 108 and the first communication device 104 both are subscribed to the first communication service provider 114, here a mobile service provider. The online merchant 1 18 is credited with the payment amount by the payment system processor 206 at a later predefined time as explained in description of FIG. 1.

[0038] Once the process of debiting is complete, the second communication means 208 sends the payment confirmation message to the merchant website 120 over the second communication network 112 via the second communication service provider 116. The second communication means 208, similar to the first communication means 202, is also a gateway enabling communication between a merchant website 120, the payment system 108 and the second communication device 106 (e.g. a browsing device) over second communication network 1 12. In the embodiment being illustrated, the second communication network 112 is the Internet and the second communication service provider 116 is an Internet service provider. The payment confirmation message notifies successful completion of payment for the online content and further transmits identifying details for the second communication device 106 and the online content purchased for transmission thereto. This comprises transmission of the first access confirmation message to the payment system 108 and transmission of the second confirmation message from the merchant website 120 to the second communication device 106 (e.g. a browsing device) over the Internet 112. The confirmation message delivered to the second communication device 106 may be displayed on the second communication device 106. The second communication message authorizes the second communication device 106 to access the purchased online content.

[0039] In one embodiment, the merchant website 120 sends the first access confirmation message to the first communication device 104. The second communicating means 208 receives this first access confirmation message and transfers the same to the first communication device 104 (e.g. a mobile telephone) using the first communication means 202 via first communication service provider 114 (e.g. a mobile service provider). For the user 102, this act serves as a reconfirmation of payment because the user 102 receives confirmation on both the second communication device 104 and the first communication device 106.

[0040] FIGS. 3 A, 3B and 3C illustrate a flowchart depicting the method steps of

practicing the invention according to one embodiment of the invention. According to an embodiment of the invention, the user 102 browses the merchant website 120. The merchant website 120 displays a list of the online content available for purchase to the user 102. Each item of online content has a specifically assigned content code identifier as described earlier in reference to FIG. 1. In step 302, the user 102 views the content code and a payment address displayed on the merchant website 120 loaded on the second communication device 106. A payment address can be any URL address on Internet, a number for sending an SMS, or any other receiving address located on any communication network. According to the illustrated embodiment, in step 304 the user 102 sends the content code through an SMS to a payment number from the first communication device 104, here a mobile device. The payment number here uniquely identifies that the request needs to be sent to the payment system 108.

[0041] In step 306, the first communication service provider 1 14 (e.g. a mobile service provider) receives the payment SMS and a payment number in that SMS uniquely identifies that the request needs to be sent to the payment system 108. The payment code is sent to the payment system 108 in step 308 by the first communication service provider 114. The payment code comprises details identifying the first communication device 104, details of the requested online content and details identifying the online merchant 118. The payment system 108 parses the payment code and accesses the payment system database 204 in step 310. In step 312, the payment system 108 checks the registration of the first communication device 104 with the payment system database 204. According to one embodiment, if no registration entry exists in the payment system database 204, the payment system 108 automatically registers the first communication device, and in step 314, a registration message is sent to the first communication device 104 via first communication service provider 114. The registration message may comprise an alphanumeric code, a URL address or any other information that could be an input in the browsing device, such as the second communication device 106, to register the first communication device with payment system 108. Further, the registration message also comprises directions transmitted to the user which convey the process of registering the second communication device 106 (e.g. a browsing device). By following the directions and using the registration code from the registration message, the user 102 registers the second communication device 106 with the payment system 108 in step 316. In step 318, the payment system 108 receives the registration confirmation from the second communication device 106, and the second communication device 106 is

automatically registered without the need for the user 102 to input any additional details.

2] In another embodiment if the first communication device 106 is already registered with the payment system 108, in step 320, the payment system 108 checks whether the user 102 has sufficient funds in his payment system account. In case of sufficient funds, the payment system 108 debits the payment amount from the payment system account in step 322. If sufficient funds are not available, in step 324 the payment amount is added to the payment system account as a debt amount. For the scenario in which the user 102 is not registered already, after step 318, step 324 is carried out directly because the user 102 has no balance in a payment system account. The user 102 may transfer funds to his payment system account later. In a similar way, a debt amount may be cleared by the user 102 by transferring funds to his payment system account at a later time. If funds are not transferred within a predefined clearance time, the payment system 108 automatically may add the payment amount to the bill (e.g. mobile service bill) for the first communication device 104 of the user 102. [0043] Following payment completion, the payment system 108 sends details identifying the second communication device 106 and identifying the online content to the merchant website 120 in step 326. The details identifying the second communication device 106 comprise a unique identifier in the form of a MAC address, IP address or any other unique identifier. In step 328, the merchant website 120 identifies the second communication device 106 and the online content using the payment confirmation message received from the payment system 108. The merchant website 120 sends the first access confirmation message to the payment system 108 in step 330 and a second access confirmation message is sent to the second communication device 106 in step 332 via second communication network 1 12 (e.g. the Internet). The access confirmation message grants access to the online content by the second communication device 106. In step 334, the payment system 108 transmits a third access confirmation message to the first communication device 104 via first communication service provider 1 14 for confirmation of accessibility of the online content. In step 336, the user 102 accesses the online content on the second communication device 106. The payment system 108 credits the account of the online the merchant 118 at a time predefined in a commercial agreement between the payment system 108 and the online merchant 1 18. With this step the payment method process is complete.

[0044] FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate one embodiment of a graphical the user interface (GUI) enabling interaction of the user 102 and the merchant website 120 for purchasing online content from merchant website 120 using the first communication device 104 and the second communication device 106. As illustrated, the online content is a DVD movie 402, displayed on the merchant website 120 along with other available online content. The user 102 views the content code of DVD movie 402 and sends the content code termed as movie 3 code 404 through an SMS message from the first communication device 104 to payment number 406. If the user 102 has more than two first communication devices 104 registered with payment system 108, the transmitted movie 3 code 404 would additionally contain a device-specific identification number. The identification number could be a number assigned by the payment system 108 to the first communication devices 104 of the user 102. For example, if the user 102 has four(4) first communication 104 devices registered with the payment system 108, each first communication device 104 may be associated with a number ranging from one(l) to four(4) depending on the order of registration of the first communication devices 104. In FIG. 4B, upon completion of the payment process, a first access confirmation message 408 is received on the second

communication device 106 (e.g. a browsing device) and a second access confirmation message 410 is received on the first communication device 104 (e.g. a mobile device).5] It is noted that the foregoing examples have been provided merely for the purpose of explanation and are in no way to be construed as limiting of the present invention. While the present invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment, it is understood that the words, which have been used herein, are words of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation. Changes may be made, within the purview of the appended claims, as presently stated and as amended, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention in its aspects. Although the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular means, materials and embodiments, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the particulars disclosed herein; rather, the present invention extends to all functionally equivalent structures, methods and uses, such as are within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1) A method for using a first communication device to purchase specific online content from a merchant website for use on a second communication device, the payment method comprising:

(a) receiving a payment code from a first communication device, wherein the payment code is sent via a first communication service provider over a first communication network and wherein the payment code identifies specific online content;

(b) parsing the payment code;

(c) debiting the payment amount for the specific online content from a payment system account associated with the first communication device;

(d) sending a payment confirmation message over a second communication network to a merchant website offering the specific online content; and

(e) receiving a first access confirmation message transmitted over the second communication network by the merchant website, wherein the merchant website sends an access confirmation message to a second communication device over the second communication network via a second communication service provider thereby enabling the second communication device to access the specific online content.

2) The payment method as recited in claim 1, wherein the payment code comprises the content code of the specific online content and an encrypted code, wherein the encrypted code further comprises the first communication device details and the online content details.

3) The payment method as recited in claim 1, wherein in the step of parsing the payment code, the first communication device details, the second communication device details and the online content details are accessed from a payment system database based on the payment code received. 4) The payment method as recited in claim 1 , wherein in the step of sending the payment confirmation message, the payment confirmation message comprises the second communication device details and the online content details.

5) The payment method as recited in claim 1, wherein in the step of sending the access confirmation message, the access confirmation message notifies the completion of a successful payment for the online content.

6) The payment method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the step of sending the first access confirmation message to the payment system further comprises the step of transmitting a third confirmation message to the first communication device over the first communication network via the first communication service provider.

7) A method for enabling an user to use a mobile device to buy online content from a merchant website for use on a second communication device, wherein the mobile device is subscribed to a mobile service provider in a mobile communication network, and wherein the second communication device is subscribed to a Internet service provider in a second communication network, the payment method comprising:

(a) receiving a payment code from the mobile device via the mobile service provider in communication with the mobile communication network and wherein the payment code identifies specific online content;

(b) parsing the payment code;

(c) debiting the payment amount for the specific online content from a payment system account associated with the mobile device;

(d) sending a payment confirmation message over a second communication network to a merchant Website selling the specific online content; and

(e) receiving a first access confirmation message transmitted over the second communication network by the merchant website, wherein the merchant website sends an access confirmation message to a second communication device over the second communication network via the Internet service provider service provider thereby enabling the second communication device to access the specific online content.

8) The payment method as recited in claim 7, wherein the payment code comprises the content code of the online content and an encrypted code, wherein the encrypted code further comprises the mobile device details and the online content details. 9) The payment method as recited in claim 7, wherein in the step of parsing the payment code, the mobile device details, the browsing device details and the online content details are accessed from a payment system database based on the payment code received.

10) The payment method as recited in claim 7, wherein in the step of sending the payment confirmation message, the payment confirmation message comprises the browsing device details and the online content details.

1 1) The payment method as recited in claim 7, wherein in the step of receiving the access confirmation message, the access confirmation message notifies the completion of a successful payment for the online content.

12) The payment method as recited in claim 7, wherein the step of receiving the access confirmation message further comprises the step of transmitting a third confirmation message to the mobile device over the mobile communication network via the mobile service provider.

13) A payment system for enabling an user to use a first communication device to purchase an item of online content from a merchant Website for use on a second communication device, the payment system comprising:

(a) a first communication device operating over a first communication network provided by a first communication service provider to which the first communication device is subscribed;

(b) a second communication device operating over a second communication network provided by a second communication service provider to which the second communication device is subscribed;

(c) a payment processor in communication with the first communication network and the second communication network, wherein:

i. the payment processor debits a payment account associated with the user and credits an earnings account associated with a merchant providing the online content;

ii. the payment processor comprises a first communication means that receives a payment code from the first communication device and sends an access confirmation message to the second communication device; and iii. the payment processor comprises a second communication means that sends a payment confirmation message to the merchant Website in response to receiving the payment code; and

(d) a payment system database in communication with the payment system processor, wherein the payment system database stores details associated with the user and the merchant, including the user payment account details and merchant earnings account details.

14) The payment system as recited in claim 13, wherein the payment code comprises the content code of the online content and an encrypted code, wherein the encrypted code further comprises details of the first communication device and the online content details.

15) The payment system as recited in claim 13, wherein the payment confirmation message comprises the second communication device details and the online content details.

16) The payment system as recited in claim 13, wherein the access confirmation message notifies the completion of a successful payment for the online content.