Short message service (SMS) e-commerce

[0001] The invention relates to methods and devices for carrying out and billing for a purchase, initiated via the Internet, of a customer from a vendor of products or services.

[0002] It is the object of the present invention to provide as efficiently and reliably as possible for carrying out and billing for purchases of a customer by means of a mobile radio terminal via the Internet.

[0003] The object is achieved by combining identification processes at the mobile radio network end (particularly Clip transmission of the MSISDN) with transaction-related transaction numbers, the method according to the invention is very convenient for the customer, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, very secure both for the customer and for the vendor.

[0004] The invention is particularly suitable for a purchase request initiated by a customer via mobile radio terminal via the Internet (for example via a WAP homepage of the vendor); however, it can also be used for authentication, credit check and transaction for accounting for purchases which were initiated by a customer with a computer via the fixed network (e.g. via the homepage of the vendor), in which case it is only the identity check by means of transaction number and mobile subscriber identification number (particularly the Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number (MSISDN)) which takes place via a mobile radio terminal of this customer. The financial accounting can be done very efficiently via the telephone bill (mobile radio bill) of the customer. As an alternative, it can also be done by debiting a bank account of the customer with an amount and crediting this amount to a bank account of the vendor.

[0007] FIG. 1 shows a customer 1 (with a mobile radio terminal with a subscriber identity module SIM), a mobile radio network operator 2 of a mobile radio network, a vendor 3 of products or services, a security device 4 which can be accessed by the mobile radio network operator or belongs to him, and a bank 5.

[0008] In particular, customer 1, vendor 3, security device 4 and bank 5 in this case mean their terminals (communication devices, computers, databases).

[0009] The customer 1 is surfing the Internet. In principle, this can be done by a computer via fixed network. In this case, it takes place by means of a mobile radio terminal, not shown, with a SIM card, for example according to GSM or UMTS. In this case, the customer 1 is surfing with a mobile radio terminal by WAP 36 on the Internet via the mobile radio network 2. The customer 1 selects a product, offered on a homepage of the vendor 3, for example by clicking on a corresponding button on the homepage of the vendor by means of a mouse. To be able to account for the purchase, the vendor 3 asks for the mobile radio telephone number 6 of the customer 1 (for example interactively through his host for the homepage). It is possible that this can also be transmitted to him by Clip during the surfing. With his purchase request 24, the customer 1 performs a transmission step 7 in which he transmits (via his mobile radio terminal) his mobile subscriber identification number in the form of his mobile radio telephone number 6 (+491721234567), for example by WAP by mobile radio or by mobile radio short message to the vendor 3. The vendor 3 transmits at least this mobile radio telephone number 6 (and in this case other data in the form of the amount of 70.00 DM of the purchase price 12) and the product name (“Jeans”) 8 to the security device 8 in transmission step 9 or, for example, encrypted via a fixed network and/or VPN. Following this, the security device 4 transmits at least the mobile radio telephone number 6 in transmission step 10 to the mobile radio network operator 2. Using the mobile radio telephone number 6, the mobile radio network operator 2 then checks whether an accounting of purchases via the Internet, according to the invention, is unblocked for the mobile radio number 6. This check can be done, for example, by a WAP server 36 or by accessing a corresponding file (for example in the Home Location Register (HLR) or in the Accounting System (KIAS) or in the Network Management Center (NMC)). During this process, the credit of the mobile radio user having the telephone number 6 can also be checked. If the check of the unblocking for this telephone number 6 is positive and a possible check of the credit by the mobile radio operator 2 (and/or a bank) is positive, the mobile radio network operator 2 provides for the purchase to be carried out and billed via the Internet. For this purpose, the data indicating name, account, sort code 14, positive credit check 16, unblocked status check 33, and transaction number 13b are transmitted by the mobile radio network operator 2 to the security device 4 in transmission step 11. If the billing is to take place later on the mobile radio bill of the customer 1 (for example by specifying the price and/or the vendor and/or the product), only the transaction number 13b, i.e., TAN 4711, may be transmitted for this purpose (which can also implicitly represent the unblocking and credit for the mobile radio number 6 due to its transmission). If the billing is to be done via an account at a bank 5, the account number, sort code and name 14 are additionally transmitted by the mobile radio network operator 2 to the security device 4 in transmission step 11. The transaction number 13a generated and/or stored in a device (computer with database) in the mobile radio network is also transmitted from there to the customer 1 in transmission step 37 for example by short message by the SMSC 34 of the mobile radio operator to a mobile radio terminal of the customer 1. In this case, the transaction number 13a for the customer 1 is identical with that transaction number 13b for the security device 4 and/or the vendor 3. This transaction number TAN 4711 is transmitted in transmission step 35 by the customer 1 to the vendor 3 by mobile radio. This can be done, e.g. either by short message 34 or via the WAP protocol 36. During this process or after it, the customer 1 can again confirm, if necessary, that he wishes to buy 32. In step 15 (independently, that is to say before, simultaneously with or after step 7), the security device 4 transmits to the vendor 3 information 16, 33 on the unblocking and/or credit rating of the mobile radio number 6 (by a fixed network etc.).

[0010] The transaction numbers 13a, 13b can be checked, in particular, at the vendor 3 or the security device 4.

[0011] As soon as the transaction number 13a was transmitted in transmission step 35 to the vendor 3 (if necessary, with a confirmation 32 that the customer 1 wants to or wishes to buy) and, on the other hand, he has received the explicit or implicit message 16 that the user is unblocked and, if necessary, credit is available, he can transmit (possibly after checking his stock) the telephone number 6 of the customer and the amount 12 and the product name 8 to the security device 4 in transmission step 17. If the TAN 13a is to be checked in the security device 4, the TAN 13a is also transmitted in transmission step 35 to the vendor 3 by the customer 1 and is transmitted via transmission step 17 during this process and the transaction number is checked in the security device 4 by comparing the transaction number 13b transmitted to the security device 4 by the mobile radio network operator 2 with the transaction number 13a transmitted by the vendor 3 (first transmitted to the latter by the customer 1) to the security device 4, whereupon an acknowledgement can be made to the vendor 3 and an accounting is initiated.

[0012] As an alternative, the transaction number 13b transmitted to the security device 4 by the mobile radio network operator 2 is transmitted to the vendor 3 with the message 16 and this transaction number 13b is compared with the transaction number 13a transmitted to the vendor 3 by the customer 1, at the vendor 3 (=in the computer of the vendor), whereupon, in the case of a positive check (equality) of the transaction numbers 13a, 13b, a purchase confirmation including the mobile radio telephone number 6, the amount 12, and the product 8 is transmitted to the security device 4 which initiates accounting transmission steps 19, 20 and 21, respectively (the vendor's account can be credited via transmission step 20 in this case, e.g. via the bank 5).

[0013] The purchase can be billed by the security device 4 transmitting to a bank (by a fixed network etc.) information relating to the account number, sort code, name 14, purchase price 7 and product name 8 in transmission step 19 with the instruction to debit an account of the customer 1, identified by the data 14, at the bank 5 with the purchase price and to credit an account, specified during this process or after the transmission step 20, of the vendor 3 with this price. It is even simpler if, as an alternative, instead of the transmission steps 19, 20 to a bank, an information item 22 is transmitted to the KIAS 23 etc. of the mobile radio network operator 2 by a fixed network or mobile radio etc. in transmission step 21, the information transmitted containing a debiting request 22, the product information 8 and the price 7 and the vendor 3, whereupon the customer 1 is also billed with the price 12 with the next telephone bill. In this case, the vendor's account can be credited, e.g. via the bank 5.