Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ORDERING GOODS, SERVICES AND
CONTENT OVER AN INTERNETWORK
Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a method and apparatus for allowing a
S consumer to order goods, services and content from one or more other
computers
connected via common communication links and, more specifically, a method and
apparatus for allowing a consumer to order goods, services and content from
computers connected to the Internet, wherein the consumer is automatically
billed for
the ordered goods, services or content by its telephone service provider.
Background of the Invention
Communication networks are well known in the computer communications
field. By definition, a network is a group of computers and associated devices
that
are connected by communications facilities or links. Network communications
can
be of a permanent nature, such as via cables, or can be of a temporary nature,
such as
connections made through telephone or radio links. Networks may vary in size,
from
a Iocal area network (LAN) consisting of a few computers or workstations and
related devices; to a wide area network (WAN) which interconnects computers
and
LANs that are geographically dispersed; to a remote access service (RAS) which
interconnects remote computers via temporary communication links. An
internetwork, in turn, is the joining of multiple computer networks, both
similar and
dissimilar, by means of gateways or routers that facilitate data transfer and
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conversion from various networks. A well-known abbreviation for the term
internetwork is "internet." As currently understood, the capitalized term
"Internet"
refers to the collection of networks and routers that use the Transmission
Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) to communicate with one another.
A representative section of the Internet 20 is shown in FIGURE 1 (Prior Art)
in which a plurality of local area networks (LANs) 24 and a wide area network
(WAN) 26 are interconnected by routers 22. The routers 22 are generally
special
purpose computers used to interface one LAN or WAN to another. Communication
links within the LANs may be twisted wire pair, or coaxial cable, while
communication links between networks may utilize 56 Kbps analog telephone
lines,
or 1 Mbps digital T-1 lines and/or 45 Mbps T-3 lines. Further. computers and
other
related electronic devices can be remotely connected to either the LANs 24 or
the
WAN 26 via a modem and temporary telephone link. Such computers and electronic
devices 28 are shown in FIGURE 1 as connected to one of the LANs 24 via a
dotted
line. It will be appreciated that the Internet comprises a vast number of such
interconnected networks, computers, and routers and that only a small,
representative
section of the Internet 20 is shown in FIGURE 1.
The Internet has recently seen explosive growth by virtue of its ability to
link
computers located throughout the world. As the Internet has grown, so has the
World
Wide Web (WWW). The WWW is a vast collection of interconnected or "hypertext"
documents written in HyperText Markup Language (HTML) that are electronically
stored at "Web sites" throughout the Internet. A Web site is a server
connected to the
Internet that has mass storage facilities for storing hypertext documents and
that runs
administrative software for handling requests for those stored hypertext
documents.
A hypertext document normally includes a number of hyperlinks, i.e.,
highlighted
portions of text which link the document to another hypertext document
possibly
stored at a Web site elsewhere on the Internet. Each hyperlink is associated
with a
Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that provides the exact location of the linked
document on a server connected to the Internet and describes the document.
Thus,
whenever a hypertext document is retrieved from any Web server, the document
is
considered to be retrieved from the WWW.
A consumer is allowed to retrieve hypertext documents from the WWW, i.e.,
a consumer is allowed to "surf the Web," via a Web browser. A Web browser,
such
as Netscape's Navigator or Microsoft's Internet Explorer, is a software
program
implemented by a Web client, i.e., the consumer's computer, to provide a
graphical
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user interface to the VWVW. Upon request from the consumer via the Web
browser,
the Web client accesses and retrieves the desired hypertext document from the
appropriate Web server using the URL for the document and a protocol known as
HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP). HTTP is a higher-level protocol then
TCP/IP
and is designed specifically for the requirements of the WWW. It is used on
top of
TCP/IP to transfer hypertext documents between servers and clients.
At the advent of the WWW, the information stored on the Internet was freely
transferred back and forth between those parties interested in the
information.
However, the WWW is quickly becoming a channel of commerce whereby a vast
number and array of companies have developed their own Web sites for
advertising
and selling their goods and services. Consumers may "visit the Web site" of a
company, i.e., retrieve the hypertext documents located on the Web server of a
particular company, and order any good or service the company has to offer. If
that
good or service is in the form of electronically stored information, such as a
book, a
video, a music CD, a computer game, etc., the consumer may simply download the
good or service from the company's Web site to his or her computer for
immediate
consumption and use. If the good or service is of a more tangible nature, such
as an
appliance or article of clothing ordered from an on-line catalog, a more
conventional
method of delivery, e.g., the postal service, is used. The traditional method
of
payment for such goods and services has been by major credit card, wherein the
consumer is required to transmit his or her credit information over the
Internet to the
company's Web site. However, many question the security and confidentiality of
such electronic transmissions. Furthermore, many consumers do not have a major
credit card with which to make such purchases. Alternative billing systems,
such as
providing credit information by facsimile or postal service, are much less
convenient
and often prove enough of a barrier to prohibit the sale altogether. Finally,
the
traditional methods of billing and payment do not adequately protect the
seller or
consumer from fraudulent purchases.
In addition to goods and services, many companies also wish to provide
consumers with "premium content," i.e., hypertext documents and other
electronically stored and transferable information considered to have a
monetary
value to the company. Examples of such premium content may include magazine
articles, proprietary databases, movies, stock information, radio broadcasts,
etc. The
traditional method of payment for accessing such content has also been by
major
credit card, wherein the consumer pays for a subscription to the content and
is
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required to transmit his or her credit information over the Internet to the
company's
Web site. Again, this method billing and payment does not adequately protect
the
seller or consumer from fraudulent purchases and does not provide the consumer
with
adequate security.
S Accordingly, a more effective method and apparatus for ordering and billing
for goods, services and content over a network, and ultimately the Internet,
is needed.
The method and apparatus should provide for automatic billing to the consumer
without the need of a credit card or transferring any sensitive credit
information via
the Internet. In addition, the consumer should be allowed to use the purchased
good
or service, if downloaded, only after billing is completed. Finally, the
method and
apparatus should prevent consumers with histories of nonpayment from
purchasing
additional goods, services and/or content.
Summary of the Invention
The present invention provides a computer program for ordering products,
including goods, services and content, from computers connected to the
Internet,
wherein the consumer is automatically billed for the ordered good, service or
content
by its telephone service provider. In one actual embodiment of the invention,
the
billing system comprises a plug-in component and a billing server component.
When
a consumer orders a product over the Internet, the plug-in component
establishes an
Internet connection to a billing server located elsewhere on the Internet. In
response,
the billing server component transfers a transaction LD. identifiring the
order to the
plug-in component. The plug-in component then disconnects from the Internet
and
establishes a point-to-point (PPP) connection with the billing server. Once
the PPP
connection is established, the plug in component transfers the transaction LD.
back to
the billing server component. The billing server component then transfers the
access
key assigned to the order identified by the transaction LD. to the plug-in
component.
The consumer uses the access key to claim the ordered product. The consumer is
charged for the product automatically by the telephone service provider when
the
PPP connection is established using a telephone number assigned and
administered
by the telephone service provider.
In accordance with yet other aspects of the present invention, the billing
server component also transfers an encrypted version of the ordered product to
the
plug-in component before the plug-in components disconnects from the Internet.
The
plug-in component then uses the access key to decrypt the encrypted version of
the
product.
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In another embodiment of the present invention, the billing system comprises
a plug-in component, a billing server component and a merchant server
component
for ordering products, such as premium content, over the Internet for which
the
consumer will be billed at a per minute rate for accessing the content. When
the
consumer orders the product over the Internet, the plug-in component
establishes a
premium telephone communication link to a billing server located elsewhere on
the
Internet and transfers the order for the product to the billing server. The
billing
server component then establishes an Internet connection with a merchant
server
capable of providing the ordered product and forwards the order for the
product to the
merchant server. In response, the merchant server component supplies the
billing
server component and the plug-in component with the information necessary for
the
plug-in component to locate and access the ordered product. The consumer is
then
charged for the ordered product by the telephone service provider as the
consumer
accesses the ordered product during the premium telephone communication link
with
the billing server. More specifically, the consumer is charged for the
duration of the
premium telephone link at a predetermined rate associated with the ordered
product
and the premium telephone communication link.
In accordance, with yet other aspect of the present invention, the billing
server
component provides the plug-in component with a premium telephone number and
the predetermined rate at which the consumer will be billed for the ordered
product
via an Internet connection established with the billing server prior to the
establishing
of the premium telephone communication link with the billing server.
A method and an apparatus capable of performing actions generally consistent
with the plug-in component, billing server component and merchant component
described above represent further aspects of the present invention.
Brief Description of the Drawings
The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention
will become more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by
reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction
with the
accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIGURE 1 (Prior Art) is a block diagram of a representative portion of the
Internet;
FIGURE 2 is a pictorial diagram of a local area network (LAN) connected to
the Internet which supplies goods, services and content ordered by a consumer
using
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a computer located elsewhere on the Internet in accordance with the present
invention;
FIGURE 3 is a block diagram of the several components of the consumer's
computer shown in FIGURE 2 that is used to order goods, services and content
from
the Internet in accordance with the present invention;
FIGURE 4 is a block diagram of the several components of a billing server
shown in FIGURE 2 that is used to supply the ordered good, service and/or
location
of the content and confirm the order in accordance with the present invention;
FIGURE ~ is a block diagram of the several components of a merchant server
shown in FIGURE 2 that provides the ordered goods, sen~ices or content in
accordance with the present invention;
FIGURES 6A and 6B are windows produced by a Web browser installed on"'
the consumer's computer from which the consumer orders a good and/or service;
FIGURE 7 is a flow chart illustrating the logic used by the consumer's
1 ~ computer to initiate an order of a good and/or service from the Internet;
FIGURES 8A-8C are a flow chart illustrating the logic used by the
consumer's computer to complete the order of a good and/or service over the
Internet; ,
FIGURES 9A-9F are various windows produced by the consumer's computer
for displaying messages associated with the order of a good and/or service;
FIGURE 10 is a flow chart illustrating the logic used by the billing server
connected to the LAN shown in FIGURE 2 to supply the ordered good and/or
service
to the consumer's computer;
FIGURE 11 is a flow chart illustrating the logic used by the billing server
connected to the LAN shown in FIGURE 2 to confirm the order of the good and/or
service;
FIGURE 12 is a flow chart illustrating the actions taken by a telephone
service provider to automatically bill the consumer for the ordered good
and/or
service;
FIGURE 13 is a diagram illustrating the actions taken in parallel by the
consumer's computer and the billing server to order and supply the good and/or
service;
FIGURE 14 illustrates a window produced by a Web browser installed on the
consumer's computer from which the consumer orders premium content in
accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention;
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FIGURES 15A-15C are a flow chart illustrating the logic used by the
consumer's computer to order premium content over the Internet;
FIGURES 16A-16D are various windows produced by the consumer's
computer for displaying messages associated with the order of premium content;
FIGURE 17 is a flow chart illustrating the logic used by the consumer's
computer to order previously bookmarked premium content;
FIGURE 18 is a window produced by the consumer's computer for displaying
a message associated with the order of previously bookmarked premium content;
FIGURE 19 is a flow chart illustrating the logic used by the billing server
connected to the LAN shown in FIGURE 13 to initially process the order for
premium content made by the consumer's computer;
FIGURES 20A-20B are a flow chart and access to illustrating the logic used
by the billing server to obtain and provide access information for the premium
content to the consumer's computer;
FIGURE 21 is a flowchart illustrating the logic used by a merchant server to
provide the billing server with the access information for the premium
content; and
FIGURES 22A-22B are a diagram illustrating the actions taken in parallel by
the consumer's computer, the billing server and the merchant server to order
and
provide premium content.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment
As previously described and shown in FIGURE l, the Internet 20 is a
collection of local area networks and (LANs) 24, wide area networks (WANs) 26,
remote computers 28 and routers 22 that use the Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) to communicate with each other. The World
Wide Web (WWW), on the other hand, is vast collection of interconnected,
electronically stored information located on servers connected throughout the
Internet 20. Many companies are now selling goods, services and access to
their
premium content over the Internet using the WWW. In accordance with the
present
invention, a consumer orders goods, services and/or content (referred to
interchangeably herein as "products") over the Internet 20 via a Web browser
and is
automatically billed for the purchase on his or her monthly telephone bill.
More
specifically, the consumer places an order for goods, services, or premium
content
from a computer 42 connected to the Internet 20. The order is processed and
confirmed by a billing server 34 connected to a LAN 24 located elsewhere in
the
Internet 20, which obtains the product from a merchant server 39, i.e., a
server owned
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by the merchant which sponsors or sells the product, also located elsewhere in
the
Internet 20.
The LAN 24 to which the billing server 34 is connected and to which the
consumer's computer 42 has established an Internet connection for ordering a
product is shown in more detail in FIGURE 2. In addition to the billing server
34,
the LAN 24 includes an administrative computer 32 used to administer product,
vendor, and purchaser information and services provided by the billing server
34.
The LAN 24 also includes an access server 38 equipped with a plurality of high-
speed digital modems used to accept temporary telephone links from other
computers
located in the Internet 20, such as the consumer's computer =12. Finally, LAN
24
includes a personal computer 36 installed with a computer supported telephony
application (CSTA). which is a standard protocol used in North America to
interface
the computer 36 with a telephone switch 40. However, those of ordinary skill
in the
art will appreciate that in other embodiments of the present invention, the
access
server 38 is itself equipped with computer telephony/caller identification
software
that is appropriate for the particular telephone system in which the telephone
switch 40 is operative. Consequently, it will be appreciated that in these
embodiments, the CSTA monitor 36 is unnecessary.
As will be described in more detail below, after the consumer places an order
using the computer 42 via the Internet 20, the consumer's computer disconnects
from
the Internet 20 and establishes a point-to-point (PPP) connection with the
billing
server 34 to confirm the purchase. More specifically, the consumer's computer
places a telephone call to a premium telephone number assigned to the
telephone
switch 40. The telephone switch routes the premium telephone call to the
access
server 38, whose modems answer the telephone call and notify the billing
server 34
that a TCP/IP connection to the consumer's computer 42 has been established.
Meanwhile, the CSTA monitor 36 which monitors the telephone switch 40 also
notifies the billing server 34 that the telephone call has been made, thus
completing
the PPP connection between the billing server 34 and the consumer's computer
42.
In those embodiments of the present invention which do not include a CSTA
monitor 36, it will be appreciated that the computer telephony software
resident on
the access server 38 provides this function.
In the actual embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGURE 2, the
LAN 24 is insulated from the Internet 20 by a firewall server 30 which tracks
and
controls the flow of all data passing through it using the TCP/IP protocol.
The
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firewall 30 protects the LAN 24 from malicious in-bound data traffic. The LAN
24
is a bus network interconnecting the various computers and servers. The LAN 24
shown in FIGURE 2 can be formed of various coupling media such as glass or
plastic
fiberoptic cables, coaxial cables, twisted wire pair cables, ribbon cables,
etc. In
S addition, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the coupling
medium can
also include a radio frequency coupling media or other intangible coupling
media.
Any computer system or number of computer systems, including but not limited
to
workstations, personal computers, laptop computers, servers, remote computers,
etc.,
that is equipped with the necessary interface hardware may be connected
temporarily
or permanently to the LAN 24, and thus, the Internet 20. However, if
temporarily
connected via a telephone link to another device connected to the LAN 24, the
interface hardware of both the remote computer 28 and the device to which it
is
connected must contain a modem. Finally, those of ordinary skill in the art
will
recognize that while only one consumer computer 42, one billing server 34 and
one
merchant server 39 are depicted in FIGURE 2, numerous consumer computers,
billing servers and merchant servers equipped with the hardware and software
components described below may be connected to the Internet 20.
Relevant Consumer Computer Billins Server and Merchant Server Components
FIGURE 3 depicts several of the key components of the consumer's
computer 42. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the
consumer's
computer 42 includes many more components then those shown in FIGURE 3.
However, it is not necessary that all of these generally conventional
components be
shown in order to disclose an illustrative embodiment for practicing the
present
invention. As shown in FIGURE 3, the consumer's computer includes a network
interface 44 for connecting to a LAN 24 or WAN 26, or for connecting remotely
to a
LAN or WAN. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the
network
interface 44 includes the necessary circuitry for such a connection, and is
also
constructed for use with the TCP/IP protocol, the particular net<vork
configuration of
the LAN or WAN it is connecting to, and a particular type of coupling medium.
The consumer's computer 42 also includes a processing unit 46, a display 48,
a modem 49 and a memory 50. The memory 50 generally comprises a random access
memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM) and a permanent mass storage device,
such as a disk drive. The memory 50 stores the program code and data necessary
for
ordering a product over the Internet 20 in accordance with the present
invention.
More specifically. the memory 50 stares a plug-in component 52, 52' and/or 52"
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formed in accordance with the present invention for ordering products. It will
be
appreciated that this component may be stored on a computer-readable medium
and
loaded into memory 50 of the consumer computer 42 using a drive mechanism
associated with the computer-readable medium, such as a floppy or CD-ROM
drive.
The memory 50 also includes a Web browser 51, such as Netscape's Navigator or
Microsoft's Internet Explorer browsers.
As will be described in more detail below, the products ordered by the
consumer are supplied by a remote server, i.e., the billing server 34 located
elsewhere
on the Internet, e.g., in LAN 24 illustrated in FIGURE 2. FIGURE 4 depicts
several
of the key components of the billing server 34. Those of ordinary skill in the
art will
appreciate that the billing server 34 includes many more components then those
shown in FIGURE 4. However, it is not necessary that all of these generally
conventional components be shown in order to disclose an illustrative
embodiment
for practicing the present invention. As shown in FIGURE 4, the billing server
34 is
connected to the LAN 24 via a network interface 54. Those of ordinary skill in
the
art will appreciate that the network interface 54 includes the necessary
circuitry for
connecting the billing server 34 to the LAN 24 and the firewall 30, and is
constructed
for use with the TCP/IP protocol, the bus network configuration of the LAN 24,
and
the particular type of coupling medium.
The billing server 34 also includes a processing unit 56. a display ~ 8, and a
mass memory 60. The mass memory 60 generally comprises a random access
memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), and a permanent mass storage device,
such as a hard disk drive, tape drive, optical drive, floppy disk drive, or
combination
thereof. The mass memory 60 stores the program code and data necessary for
supplying products to consumers in accordance with the present invention. More
specifically, the mass memory 60 stores a billing server component 62 andlor
62'
formed in accordance with the present invention for supplying the ordered
products
and confirming the order of products. In addition, mass memory 60 stores a
database 64 of product information continuously logged by the billing server
34
reearding vendors, consumers and products. It will be appreciated by those of
ordinary skill in the art that the database 64 of product and logged
information may
also be stored on other servers or storage devices connected to the LAN 24. it
will be
appreciated that the billing server component 62, 62' and database 64 of
product
information may be stored on a computer-readable medium and loaded into mass
memory 60 of the billing server 34 using a drive mechanism associated with the
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computer-readable medium, such as floppy or CD-ROM drive. Finally, mass
memory 60 stores Web server software 66 for handling requests for stored
information received via the Internet 20 and the WWW.
As will also be described in more detail below, the products ordered by the
consumer, and supplied by the billing server 34 may, in turn, be provided to
the
billing server by a merchant server 39 located elsewhere on the Internet 20.
FIGURE 5 depicts several of the key components of the merchant server 39.
Those
of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the merchant server 39
includes many
more components than those shown in FIGURE 5. However, it is not necessary
that
all of these generally conventional components be shown in order to disclose
an
illustrative embodiment of practicing the present invention. As shown in
FIGURE S,
the merchant server 39 includes a network interface 55 for connecting to a LAN
24 or
WAN 26, or for connecting remotely to a LAN or WAN. Those of ordinary skill in
the art will appreciate that the network interface 55 includes the necessary
circuitry
for such a connection, and is also constructed for use with the TCP/IP
protocol, the
particular network configuration of the LAN or WAN it is connecting to, and a
particular type of coupling medium.
The merchant server 39 also includes a processing unit 57, a display 59, and a
mass memory 61. The mass memory 61 generally comprises a random access
memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), and a permanent mass storage device,
such as a hard disk drive, tape drive, optical drive, floppy disk drive, or
combination
thereof. In one actual embodiment of the present invention. the mass memory
contains a product database 67 which includes the electronically stored good
or
service ordered by the consumer. In other embodiments of the present
invention, the
product database 67 stores the premium content ordered by the consumer, i.e.,
the
hypertext documents or other electronically stored information considered of
monetary value by the merchant. In such embodiments, the mass memory 61 also
stores the program code and data necessary for supplying the billing server
with the
URL for the premium content, as well as other access information for the
premium
content. More specifically, the mass memory 61 stores a merchant session
gateway
component 65 formed in accordance with the present invention for providing the
billing server 34 with the access information that will be necessary for the
computer 42 to access the desired premium content. It will be appreciated that
the
merchant session gateway component 65 and product database 67 may be stored on
a
computer-readable medium and loaded into mass memory 61 of the merchant
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server 39 using a drive mechanism associated with the computer-readable
medium,
such as a floppy or CD-ROM drive. Finally, mass memory 61 stores Web server
software 66 for handling requests for stored information, including the
premium
content, received via the Internet and the WWW.
Ordering Goods and Services
Consumer computers, such as computer 42, are normally provided with a
Web browser 51 such as Netscape's Navigator to provide the consumers with a
graphical user interface to the Internet and the WWW. FIGURE 6A illustrates
the
consumer's computer 42 that implements such a Web browser ~ 1. The consumer's
computer comprises a display or monitor 72, a keyboard 74, a mouse 76, and a
main
unit 78 that includes the components discussed above in connection with FIGURE
3.
Monitor 72 includes a screen 73 on which elements of the Web browser S 1 are
displayed. Such elements include a main window 80 for displaying hypertext
documents requested by the consumer and a graphics cursor 82.
In accordance with a first embodiment for practicing the present invention, a
consumer may visit a merchant's Web site using the Web browser 51 and retrieve
a
hypertext document from which the consumer may order goods and services. For
example, a consumer using computer 42 and Web browser ~ 1 may retrieve the
hypertext document shown in the main window 80 of FIGURE GA from a book store
Web site known hypothetically as "Albert's Book Emporium." The consumer makes
a selection of a particular book by manipulating the graphics cursor 82 with
the
mouse 76 above the selection and "single-clicking." In response, an ordering
window 70 is displayed on the screen 73 of the client's computer 42 as shown
in
FIGURE 6B. The ordering window 70 displays to the consumer yet another
hypertext
document which includes various payment options, i.e., major credit cards with
electronic transmission of credit information or facsimile transmission of
credit
information. However, in accordance with the present invention, an automatic
billing
icon 68 is also displayed as a payment option. As will be described in more
detail
below, if the consumer selects the automatic billing icon 68, the consumer
will
automatically be billed a one-time or "drop" charge for the ordered product on
his or
her next monthly telephone bill.
FIGURE 7 illustrates the logic implemented by the Web browser 51 installed
on the client's computer 42 when the automatic billing icon 68 is selected.
The logic
begins in a block 100 and proceeds to a block 102 where the Web browser 51
determines if the plug-in component 52 of the first embodiment of the present
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invention has been installed on the client's computer 42. If not. the client's
computer
downloads the plug-in 52 from the billing server 34 via the Internet 20 and
installs
the plug-in 52 in memory 50 in a block 104. If the plug-in 52 is already
installed on
the client's computer 42 or if it was not installed, but then loaded, the
logic proceeds
to a block 106 where the plug-in component 52 is initialized by the client's
computer 42. The logic then ends in a block 108. Those of ordinary skill in
the art
will appreciate that the plug-in 52 of the present invention is downloaded,
installed
and initialized on the client's computer using methods well-known in the
computer
network arts.
Once the plug-in 52 is initialized, the plug-in 52 of the tirst embodiment of
the present invention performs the logic depicted in FIGURES 8A-8C to place
the
consumer's order writh the billing server 34. The Logic begins in FIGURE 8A in
a
block 120 and proceeds to a block 122 in which the client's computer 42
establishes
an Internet connection to the billing server 34 using well-know methods in the
art.
Next, in a block 124, the plug-in 52 displays a purchase confirmation window
84 as
shown in FIGURE 9A on the screen 73 of the client's computer :I2. The
confirmation
window 84 confirms the consumer's purchase and provides the consumer with the
opportunity to cancel the purchase. If the consumer enters "OK" the logic will
continue to a block 126 where the plug-in transfers to the billing server 34
via the
Internet 20 a product LD. uniquely identifying the product ordered to the
billing
server 34 and a purchaser LD. assigned to the consumer. As will be described
in
more detail below. the consumer is assigned a purchaser LD. the first time it
places
an order with the billing server 34. Hence, if this is the first time that the
consumer
has placed an order. the consumer will not have been assigned a purchaser LD.
and
no such LD. will be transferred in block 126.
After transferring the purchaser LD. and product LD. to the billing server 34,
the plug-in 52 waits for the billing server 34 to transfer to the consumer's
computer 42 a transaction LD. which identifies the consumer, the product
ordered by
the consumer (by product LD.), and the billing server 34 supplying the order
(as
noted above, there may be more than one billing server located elsewhere on
the
Internet 20). As will be described in more detail below, the transaction LD.
will be
used later to veriy the consumer's order. If the transaction LD. has not yet
been
received by the consumer's computer 42, the plug-in 52 merely repeats decision
block 128 {i.e., essentially waits) until the transaction LD. is received from
the billing
server 34. Once received, the plug-in 52 displays a directory prompt window 86
as
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shown in FIGURE 9B which prompts the consumer for a network or local directory
on the consumer's computer 42 in which to store the product that the consumer
has
purchased. After entering the directory in which the consumer wishes to save
the
product that it has purchased, the logic proceeds to a block I32 where the
consumer's
computer 42 begins receiving an encrypted version of the product transferred
by the
billing server 34. However, as will be discussed in more detail below, the
consumer
is not allowed to decrypt the product until the consumer has actually been
billed for
the product. In this regard, the billing server 34 also transfers. and the
consumer's
computer 42 also receives, a premium telephone number that the consumer's
computer 42 uses to establish a PPP connection to the billing server 34 and
obtain an
access key for decrypting the product.
While the encrypted product is being downloaded via the Internet 20, the
plug-in 52 displays a download transaction status window 88 as shown in
FIGURE 9C on the screen 73 of the consumer's computer 42 which indicates the
changing status of the download to the consumer. Next, in a decision block
13b, the
plug-in 52 determines if the entire encrypted product has finally been
received. If
not, the logic repeats blocks 134 and 136 until the encrypted product has been
completely downloaded to the consumer's computer 42.
Once downloading of the encrypted product is complete, the plug-in 52
displays in a block 137, an authorization transaction window 89 as shown in
FIGURE 9D. Once the consumer depresses the OK button indicating authorization
of the order, the plug-in 52 disconnects the consumer's computer 42 from the
Internet 20 in a block 138 in FIGURE 9B. Next, in a block 140, the plug-in 52
supplies the premium telephone number provided by the billing server 34 to the
modem 49 of the computer 42 and the modem dials the number in order to
establish a
PPP connection to the billing server 34. In the actual embodiment of the
present
invention described herein, the premium telephone number provided by the
billing
server 34 and dialed by the modem 49 of the consumer's computer 42 is a
''900 number," i.e., a ten digit number having with a 900 area code, assigned
by the
billing server's telephone service provider. As those of ordinary skill in the
telephone switching arts will appreciate, the 900 area code has been generally
reserved for commercial purposes, wherein the consumer is generally charged a
flat
rate, or a particular rate per minute for a telephone call, and a portion of
that charge is
paid by the telephone service provider to the vendor or merchant to whom
the 900 number is assigned. It will be recognized, however, that other types
of
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telephone numbers may be used and, in fact, mandated by the telephone service
provider without departing from the scope of the present invention.
The telephone call placed by the modem 49 is answered by the telephone
switch 40 connected to the CSTA monitor 36 of the LAN 24. The telephone
switch 40 routes the telephone call to the access server 38, which notifies
the billing
server 34. Accordingly, the consumer's computer 42 establishes a PPP
connection
via the telephone switch 40 and access server 38 with the billing server 34.
While
this connection is being established, the plug-in 52 displays an authorization
window 90 as shown in FIGURE 9E on the screen 73 of the consumer's computer 42
which indicates the changing status of the connection to the billing server 34
in a
block 142. .
Once the PPP connection between the consumer's computer 42 and the billing
server 34 is fully established, the plug-in 52 transfers the previously
assigned
transaction LD. to the billing server 34 so that the billing server 34 may
verify the
order in a block 144. It will be recognized that many consumers may be placing
orders simultaneously, and hence, many computers located elsewhere on the
Internet 20 may be establishing PPP connections with the billing server 34 at
any
given time. Therefore, the transaction LD. is necessary so that the billing
server 34
may identify the consumer and the order placed by the consumer, and supply the
plug-in 52 installed on the consumer's computer 42 with the appropriate access
key
for decrypting the previously sent product. In other words, the transaction
LD. serves
a type of claim ticket used by the consumer to claim the correct access key
once
billing is complete.
Next, in a block 146, the plug-in 52 begins downloading the appropriate
access key for the decrypting the product. As will be described in more detail
below,
as long as the billing server 34 receives the transaction LD. from the plug-in
52
within a certain time period (i.e., the free period at the beginning of a 900
telephone
call during which the caller can hang-up without being charged), the billing
server 34
will transfer the appropriate access key for decrypting the encrypted product.
Otherwise, the PPP connection between the consumer's computer 42 and the
billing
server 34 is terminated and the consumer is not billed for the telephone call
or the
product.
While waiting for the access key, the plug-in 52 displays another
authorization window 90 in a block 148 which notifies the consumer of the
status of
the download of the access key. In a decision block 150, the logic determines
if the
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consumer's computer 42 has finally received the access key. If not, blocks 148
and
I50 are merely repeated until the access key is received. Once received, the
plug-
in 52 ends the telephone call, and hence, terminates its PPP connection with
the
billing server 34 in a block 152.
S After terminating the PPP connection with the billing server 34, the plug-
in 52 begins decryption of the encrypted product using the access key in a
block 154.
In a block 156, the plug-in 52 displays another authorization window 90
notifying the
consumer that decryption of the product is in progress in a block 156.
Accordingly,
in a decision block 158 the plug-in determines if the product has been fully
decrypted. If not. blocks 156 and 158 are merely repeated until the product
has been
fully decrypted. Once fully decrypted, the logic proceeds to a block 160 shown
in
FIGURE 8C where the plug-in 52 deletes the encrypted product from memory 50 of
the client's computer in an effort to save space. Next, in a block 162, the
plug-in 52
depicts a transaction completed window 91 on the screen 73 of the consumer's
I S computer 42 as shown in FIGURE 9F. The consumer is then provided the
option in
the transaction completed window 91 to reconnect to the Internet via its
normal
Internet service provider. The logic for the plug-in 52 then ends in a block
164.
Now that the logic implemented by the plug-in component 52 has been
discussed, it is necessary to describe the billing server component 62
implemented by
the billing server 34 in a first embodiment of the present im°ention to
supply the
encrypted product and access key to the consumer's computer 42. As shown in
FIGURE 10, the logic implemented by the billing server component 62 to supply
the
encrypted product begins in a block 170 and proceeds to a decision block 172
where
it determines whether the connection between the consumer's computer 42 and
the
billing server 34 has been established via the Internet 20. If not, decision
block 172
is merely repeated until such a connection has been established. Next, in a
decision
block 173, the billing server component determines if the product LD. has been
received from the consumer's computer 42. If not, decision block 173 is
repeated
until the product LD. has been received.
Once the product LD. has been received, the billing server component 62
determines if the consumer is new in a decision block 174, i.e., if this is
the first time
this consumer has placed an order. If this is the first time the consumer has
placed an
order, then the plug-in 52 will be unable to provide the billing server 34
with a
purchaser LD. for the consumer. Accordingly, the billing server component 62
assigns the consumer a purchaser LD. in a block 176 and transfers the
purchaser LD.
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to the consumer's computer 42 in a block 178. As noted abo~~e. the plug-in 52
will
return this purchaser LD. each subsequent time the consumer places an order.
The
purchaser LD. is logged in the product and information database 64 of the
billing
server and is used for accounting and recordkeeping purposes, such as payment
histories, customer demographics, etc.
If the consumer is not a first-time buyer or, is a first-time buyer and thus,
has
been assigned a purchaser LD., the logic proceeds to a decision block 180
where the
billing server component 62 determines whether an order by this particular
consumer
should be denied. More specifically, the billing server 34 determines whether
the
purchaser LD. is blocked. It will be appreciated that over the course of time,
certain
consumers may fail to pay their telephone bills, which include the charges for
the
orders placed using the present invention. A log of such purchaser LD.s will
be
maintained in the database of product and logged information 6-1 in mass
memory 60
of the billing server 34. If the purchaser LD. of the consumer placing the
order
matches one of the logged purchaser LD.s, the consumer will be prevented from
placing its order and notified appropriately in a block 182. Such notification
may
include a message displayed on the screen 73 of the consumer's computer 42
followed by termination of the PPP connection between the billing server 34
and the
consumer's computer 42 in a block 183. The logic then ends in a block 184. On
the
other hand, if the consumer is not blocked by purchaser LD. in decision block
180,
the logic proceeds to a block 186 where the billing server 34 assigns a
transaction
LD. to the order and transfers the transaction LD. to the consumer's computer
42.
The transaction LD. identifies the consumer, the product ordered (by product
LD.)
and the billing server 34. As noted above, the plug-in 52 installed on the
consumer's
computer 42 waits for this transaction LD. before prompting the consumer for a
directory in which to store the product it has ordered.
After transfernng the transaction LD. to the consumers computer 42, the
billing server component 62 locates the product ordered by the consumer and
encrypts it in a block 188. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill
in the art
that the product may be stored in the database 64 of product information
located in
mass memory 60 of the billing server 34 or it may be located on a merchant
server 39
located elsewhere in the Internet. If the product is located elsewhere, the
billing
server 34 will establish an Internet connection with the corresponding
merchant
server 39 and download the ordered product. It will also be appreciated that
the
product, whether located in mass memory 60 of the billing ser~~er 34 or
elsewhere on
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the Internet 20, may be pre-encrypted. Therefore, it may not be necessary for
the
billing server component 62 to encrypt the product itself.
Next, in a block i 90, the billing server component 62 stores the encrypted
product in a working directory in mass memory 60 of the billing server 34 as a
precursor to transferring it to the client's computer 42. In a block 192, the
billing
server component 62 selects an access key, i.e., password. for decrypting the
encrypted product stored in the working directory. It will be appreciated that
the
billing server component 62 may select the access key from a predefined list
stored in
the database 64 of product and logged information, or the billing server
component 62 may generate an access key at random or using various other
selection
algorithms. Once the access key has been selected by the billing server
component 62, the billing server 34 transfers the encrypted product to the
consumer's
computer 42 as well as the telephone number that the plug-in 52 will use to
establish
a PPP connection with the billing server 34 so that billing can be performed
and the
access key may be provided to the plug-in 52. The logic then ends in a block
196.
The logic employed in the first embodiment of the present invention by the
billing server component 62 to confirm completion of billing for a placed
order, and
thus, supply the plug-in 52 with the access key is depicted in FIGURE 11. The
logic
begins in FIGURE 11 in a block 200 and proceeds to a decision block 202 where
the
billing server component 62 determines if a PPP connection has been
established to
the billing server 34 by any consumer computer 42 installed with a plug-in 52.
As
noted above, many consumers may be placing orders at any given time, and
hence,
many computers may be attempting to establish a PPP connection to the billing
server 34 so that they may obtain the appropriate access key for decrypting
their
ordered product. Hence, decision block 202 is repeated until such a connection
has
been established.
Once a PPP connection has been established, the logic proceeds to a decision
block 204 where the billing server component 62 determines whether or not the
order
placed by the consturter should be denied by determining whether the purchaser
LD.
assigned to the consumer and transferred to the billing server 34 by the plug-
in 52 is
blocked. If so, the consumer is appropriately notified, e.g., by a message
displayed
on the screen 73 of the consumer's computer 42, in a block 206. Accordingly,
the
billing server component 62 ends the premium telephone call and terminates the
PPP
connection with the consumer's computer 42. It will be appreciated from the
discussion below, if the premium telephone call is ended at this time, i.e.,
before the
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expiration of the free period, the consumer will not be billed for the order
placed.
The logic then ends in a block 210.
If the order is not denied based on purchaser LD., the logic proceeds to a
decision block 212 where it determines if the order should be denied based on
the
consumer's telephone number (i.e., the telephone number from which the modem
49
of the consumer's computer is making the premium telephone call to the billing
setl~er 34) in a decision block 212. In one actual embodiment of the present
invention, a list of telephone numbers is maintained by the CSTA monitor 36 of
all
consumers who have not paid their monthly telephone bills for ordered products
or
who have indicated that all purchases attempted from their telephone number
should
be denied. If the order is to be denied based on the consumer's telephone
number,
the CSTA monitor 36 automatically provides a busy signal to the modem 49 of
the
consumer's computer 42 in a block 206. Next, in a block 208, the telephone
call
made by the modem 49 of the consumer's computer, and hence the PPP connection
to
the billing server 34 is terminated. The logic then ends in a block 210.
Returning to decision block 212, if the order is permitted, the logic proceeds
to a decision block 214 in which the billing server component 62 determines if
it has
received the transaction LD. from the plug-in 52. If not, the logic proceeds
to another
decision block 216 in which the billing server component 62 determines if the
free
period has almost expired. As noted above and described in more detail below,
this
free period is the time interval at the beginning of a 900 telephone call
during which
the consumer can hang up and not be charged for the telephone service by the
telephone service provider. By default, the free period is normally 18.9
seconds.
However, the free period is dictated by the telephone service provider, and
hence,
may vary accordingly. During the free period, the plug-in 52 may display a
message,
which informs the consumer that they may hang up and not be charged for the
telephone call or the product. If the transaction LD. is not received from the
plug-
in ~2 during the free period, the billing server component 62 will
automatically
terminate the premium telephone call in a block 208, so that the consumer is
not
erroneously charged for the premium telephone call. Consequently, the logic
ends in
a block 210.
If the transaction LD. is received, with time to spare, the logic proceeds
from
decision block 214 to a decision block 217 where the billing server component
62
determines if the free period has expired. In other words, once the billing
server 34
has received the transaction LD. from the plug-in 52, the billing server
component 62
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merely waits for the free period to expire. Once expired, the telephone
service
provider bills the consumer for the ordered product as will be discussed in
more
detail below and the billing server component 62 transfers the access key
assigned to
the order identified by the transaction LD. to the consumer's computer 42 so
that the
plug-in 52 can decrypt the product previously provided by the billing server
component 62. The logic then ends in a block 219.
Now that the plug-in and billing server components of the present invention
have been described, the actions provided by the telephone sen~ice provider in
order
to automatically bill the consumer for the ordered product are discussed in
more
detail in connection with FIGURE 12. The flow diagram begins in a block 220
and
proceeds to a block 222 where the telephone service provider routes the
premium
telephone call made by the modem 49 of the consumer's computer 42 to the
telephone switch 40 connected to the CSTA monitor 36 of the LAN 24. Once the
telephone switch 40 answers the call, the telephone service provider waits for
the free
period described above to expire in a block 224 before it bills the consumer
for the
order in a block 226. In the meantime, either the consumer's computer 42 or
the
billing server 34 may terminate the telephone call and prevent billing for the
order.
Once the free period has expired, however, the telephone service provider
bills the
consumer for the ordered product as a unit charge or "drop charge" using its
own
internal accounting and billing procedures. Consequently, the charge for the
product
and the premium telephone call will appear on the consumer's next monthly
telephone bill for the telephone number from which the modem 49 of the
consumer's
computer 42 made the telephone call to the billing server 34. In a block 228,
the
telephone service provider collects payment for the premium telephone call and
the
ordered product from the consumer via its normal collection processes. Once
the
telephone service provider has collected payment for the call, the telephone
service
provider pays a service charge to the provider of the billing server 34 in a
block 230.
This service charge can be a flat rate or can be a percentage of each order
placed.
FIGURE 13 is an overall diagram depicting the actions of the plug
in 52/consumer's computer 42 and the billing server component 62/billing
server 34
in parallel. Consequently, FIGURE 13 depicts the consumer's computer 42
establishing an Internet connection to the billing server 34. The consumer's
computer 42 then transfers the product LD. of the ordered product to the
billing
server 34. In response, the billing server 34 transfers a transaction LD. for
the order
to the consumer's computer 42. The billing server 34 also transfers the
encrypted
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product and a telephone number for establishing a PPP connection to the
billing
server 34 to the consumer's computer 42. Once the consumer's computer 42 has
received the transaction LD. and the encrypted product, the consumer's
computer 42
disconnects from the Internet 20 and dials the telephone number transferred by
the
billing server 34 in order to obtain the access key for decrypting the
product. Once
the PPP connection with the billing server 34 is established, the consumer's
computer 42 transfers the transaction LD. back to the billing server 34 so
that the
billing server component 64 may identify the order and match the transaction
LD. to
the access key assigned to that transaction. Accordingly, the billing server
transfers
the appropriate access key to the consumer's computer so that the plug-in 52
may
decrypt the product. It is readily apparent from FIGURE 13 that the plug-in 52
is
only able to decr<~pt the ordered product and thus, the consumer is only able
to use
the product, once the access key has been provided, which necessarily requires
that
the consumer's computer make a premium telephone call that is billed by the
telephone service provider to the consumer's telephone service account.
Orderine Premium Content
In a second embodiment of the present invention, a consumer may order
premium content provided by a merchant over the Internet 20 and be
automatically
billed for the amount of time the consumer spends accessing the content,
rather than
billed a unit rate or drop-charge for the premium content.
As shown in FIGURE 14, a consumer may use a computer 42 installed with a
Web browser 51 to visit a merchant's Web site and retrieve a hypertext
document
which may contain or be linked to content considered to have a monetary value
to the
merchant. For example, a consumer using computer 42 and Web browser 51 may
retrieve the hypertext document shown in a main window 70 of FIGURE 14 from a
merchant server 39. The consumer may order the premium content stored at that
merchant's Web site, i.e., at merchant server 39, by selecting the automatic
billing
icon 68. As will be described in more detail below, if the consumer selects
the
automatic billing icon 68, the consumer will be billed automatically by its
telephone
service provider on his or her next monthly telephone bill for the time spent
on a
premium telephone line accessing the premium content retrieved from the
merchant
server 39.
The logic implemented by the Web browser 51 installed on the client's
computer 42 when the automatic billing icon 68 is selected is the same in the
second
embodiment of the present invention as the first, which was described above in
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connection with FIGURE 6. Briefly, in response to selection of the automatic
billing
icon 68, the Web browser 51 downloads a plug-in component 52' from the billing
server 34 via the Internet 20 and installs the plug-in component 52' in memory
50 of
the consumer's computer 42, if the plug-in component 52' has not already been
installed on the consumer's computer 42. It will be appreciated, however, that
the
logic implemented by the plug-in component 52' in the second embodiment of the
present invention is slightly different than that described above in
connection with
the first embodiment. Hence, the reference number (52) for the plug-in
component in
the second embodiment is denoted with a prime ""'.
Once the plug-in 52' is initialized, the plug-in 52' performs the logic
depicted
in FIGURES 15A-15C to place the consumer's order for premium content
information with the billing server 34 using methods well-known in the art.
The
logic begins in FIGURE 15A in a block 240 and proceeds to a block 242 in which
the
consumer's computer 42 establishes an Internet connection to the billing
server 34.
Next, in a block 244, the plug-in 52' displays a premium content access window
280
as shown in FIGURE 16A on the screen 73 of the consumer's computer 42. The
premium content access window 280 confirms the consumer's order for premium
content and provides the consumer with the opportunity to cancel the request.
If the
consumer enters "OK," the logic in FIGURE 15A will proceed to a block 246
where
the plug-in 52' transfers to the billing server 34 a product LD. uniquely
identifying
the premium content desired by the consumer and a purchaser LD. assigned to
the
consumer. As will be described in more detail below, the consumer is assigned
a
purchaser LD. the first time it places an order with the billing server 34.
Hence, if
this is the first time that the consumer has placed an order, the consumer
will not
have been assigned a purchaser LD. and no such LD. will be transferred in
block 246.
However, in yet other embodiments of the present invention, the consumer may
be
assigned the purchaser LD. when the plug-in 52' is downloaded, thus
eliminating the
need for the billing server 34 to supply it later. In addition to the product
LD. and the
purchaser LD., the plug-in transfers to the billing server 34 a merchant LD.
uniquely
identifying the merchant providing the premium content and the advertised rate
at
which the consumer will be billed for accessing the content. It will be
appreciated
that the merchant LD. and advertised rate are obtained directly from the
merchant
Web site used by the consumer to order the premium content.
After transferring the purchaser LD., product LD., merchant LD., and
advertised rate to the billing server 34, the plug-in 52' waits for the
billing server 34
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to transfer to the consumer's computer 42 a transaction LD. which identifies
the
consumer, the premium content ordered by the consumer (by product LD.), and
the
billing server 34 processing the order (as noted above, there may be more than
one
billing server located elsewhere on the Internet 20). The consumer's computer
42
also waits for the billing server 34 to transfer a premium access telephone
number
and the actual premium access rate at which the consumer will be billed (since
it may
differ from the advertised rate). It will be appreciated that the premium
access
telephone number is the premium rate telephone number that the consumer's
computer uses to establish a point-to-point (PPP) connection to the billing
server 34
and the number by which the consumer is billed per minute (or other time
interval)
for accessing the premium content. As will be described in more detail below,
once
the PPP connection is established, the consumer is allowed to download the
desired
premium content from the merchant server 39 and billing at the actual premium
rate
begins.
Once the uansaction LD., premium telephone number and actual premium
rate are received by the plug-in 52', the plug-in 52' displays the premium
content
access window 280 as completed with the premium telephone number and actual
premium rate received from the billing server 34 in a premium telephone number
field 282 and a rate field 284, respectively, as shown in FIGURE 16B. Once the
consumer depresses the OK button indicating his or her desire to continue with
the
order for premium content, the plug-in 52' disconnects the consumer's computer
42
from the Internet 20 in a block 252 in FIGURE ISB. Next, in a block 254, the
plug-
in 52' supplies the premium telephone number provided by the billing server 34
to the
modem 49 of the computer 42 and the modem dials the number in order to
establish
the PPP connection to the billing server 34. As described above, the premium
telephone number provided by the billing server 34 and dialed by the modem 49
of
the consumer's computer 42 in the present invention is a "900 number, " i.e.,
a
ten-digit number with a 900 area code, assigned by the billing server's
telephone
service provider. As those of ordinary skill in the telephone switching arts
will
appreciate, the 900 area code has been generally reserved for commercial
purposes,
wherein the consumer is generally charged a flat rate, or a particular rate
per minute
for a telephone call. and a portion of that charge is paid by the telephone
service
provider to the merchant to whom the 900 number is assigned. It will be
recognized,
however, that other types of telephone numbers may be used and, in fact,
mandated
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by the telephone service provider without departing from the scope of the
present
invention.
Returning to block 254, the CSTA monitor 36 is not necessary in the present
embodiment of the invention to establish a PPP connection to the billing
server 34.
S Instead, the premium telephone call placed by the modem 49 of the consumer's
computer 42 is answered by the telephone switch 40 connected to the access
server 38, which notifies the billing server 34 directly of the incoming call.
Accordingly, the consumer's computer establishes a PPP connection with the
billing
server 34 via the telephone switch 40 and access server 38. It will be
appreciated that
I O once the PPP connection is established and the free period normally
associated with
the premium telephone number expires, billing begins by the telephone service
provider using its own internal accounting and billing procedures.
Accordingly, the
plug-in 52' starts a premium access timer in block 256 for keeping track of
the
amount of time the consumer spends accessing the premium content and displays
a
I S timer window 290, as shown in FIGURE 16C on the screen 73 of the
consumer's
computer 42 which includes the amount of time spent by the consumer accessing
the
premium content, the premium rate at which the consumer is billed for viewing
or
accessing the premium content, and the total cost to the consumer calculated
therefrom for accessing the premium content. Next, in a block 258, the plug-in
52'
20 places the order for the premium content with billing server by
transferring the
previously assigned transaction LD. to the billing server 34. It will be
recognized
that many consumers may be ordering premium content simultaneously, and hence,
many computers located elsewhere on the Internet 20 may be establishing PPP
connections to the billing server 34 at any given time. Therefore, the
transaction LD.
25 is necessary so that the billing server 34 may identify consumer and the
order placed
by the consumer, and supply the plug-in 52' installed on the consumer's
computer 42
with the appropriate information for obtaining access to the premium content.
After the transaction LD. has been transferred to the billing server 34, the
logic proceeds to a decision block 260 in which it determines if the
consumer's
30 computer 42 has received in return an access LD., password and URL from the
billing server 34. As will be described in more detail below, when the billing
server 34 receives an order for premium content from the consumer's computer
42, it
forwards the order to the merchant server 39 of the merchant providing the
premium
content ordered. In response, the merchant server 39 supplies the billing
server 34
3 5 with: (a) the URL for the premium content ordered; (b) a password allowing
the
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consumer's computer to claim the ordered premium content and enter the
merchant's
premium Web site; and (c) an access LD. that provides the consumer's computer
42
with access to an Internet Protocol (IP) session with the merchant server 39.
If this
information has not yet been received from the billing server 34, the decision
block 260 is merely repeated, i.e., the plug-in 52' merely waits. until the
information
is received. Once received, the plug-in 52' launches the Web browser 51 with
the
URL for the premium content already loaded in a block 262 and the consumer's
computer establishes an Internet connection to the merchant server 39
identified by
the loaded URL. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art
that the
Internet connection between the consumer's computer 42 and merchant server 39
is
established via the billing server 34 and the access server 38 to which the
billing
server is connected. In other words, the LAN 24 serves as the consumer
computer's
gateway to the Internet 20. Once this connection is established, the
consumer's
computer 42 transfers to the merchant server 39 in a block 263 the password
and
access LD. it has previously been given so that the merchant server 39 may
allow the
consumer's computer 42 access to the IP session the merchant server has
designated
for it. The consumer's computer 42 downloads the premium content located at
the
merchant's Web site, i.e., the merchant server 39, identified by the URL in a
block 264 in FIGURE 15C.
Billing continues at the premium rate as the consumer continues accessing the
premium content and only terminates when the consumer chooses to disconnect
from
the merchant server 39 and billing server 34 by selecting a disconnect button
294 in
the timer window 290 shown in FIGURE 16C. In this regard, the logic determines
in
a block 266 if the consumer has chosen the disconnect button 294. If so, the
logic
proceeds to a block 271 where the PPP connection to the billing server 34 via
the
premium telephone line is terminated, thus also ending the consumer computer's
Internet connection with the merchant server 39. It will be appreciated that
once the
PPP connection is terminated, billing for the use of the premium telephone
number
ends as well. Accordingly, in a block 272 the premium access timer is
terminated,
and in a block 274, the plug-in 52' calculates the total cost to the consumer
for
accessing the premium content by multiplying the time spent by the consumer on
the
premium telephone line by the actual rate. The total cost is then displayed in
the
timer window 290 as shown in FIGURE 16C. Next, in a block 276 a termination
window 296 as shown in FIGURE 16D is displayed to the consumer on the
display 73 of the consumer's computer in a block 276. From the termination
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window 296, the consumer may choose to reconnect to the Internet 20 via its
normal
Internet service provider. The logic of the plug-in component 52' then ends in
a
block 278.
Returning to decision block 266, if the consumer doss not choose to
disconnect from the billing server 34, the consumer may instead choose to
create a
bookmark to the premium Web site in case the consumer wishes to access the
premium content again. If the consumer does choose to create a bookmark, a
bookmark icon containing the URL for the merchant's premium Web site, the
premium number associated with the premium content and the actual rate for the
premium content is generated on the display of the consumer's computer for
future
use. If the consumer does not wish to create a bookmark or has already created
a
bookmark, the logic returns to block 264 so that the consumer may continue to
access
the premium content.
It will be appreciated that the operation of the plug-in component 52' is
slightly different if the consumer chooses to access the merchant's premium
Web site
via the created bookmark because the plug-in component will already have in
its
possession the premium phone number associated with the desired premium
content
and the actual rate for accessing the premium content. Consequently, it is
unnecessary for the plug-in component to obtain that information from the
billing
server 34. The logic implemented by the plug-in component when a premium
content bookmark is selected by the consumer is shown in more detail FIGURE 17
and denoted hereafter as plug-in component 52". The logic begins in a block
300 and
proceeds to a block 302 in which the consumer's computer 42 establishes an
Internet
connection to the billing server 34. Next, in a block 304, the plug-in 52"
displays a
premium content access window 310 as shown in FIGURE 18 on the screen 73 of
the
consumer's computer 42. The premium content access window 310 confirms the
consumer's order for premium content, and displays the previously obtained
premium
telephone number and actual premium rate at which the consumer will be billed
in
fields 312 and 314, respectively. If the consumer enters "OK," the logic in
FIGURE 17 will proceed to a block 306 where the plug-in 52" transfers to the
billing
server 34, the purchaser LD., product LD., merchant LD. and actual rate. The
consumer's computer then waits for the billing server 34 to return the
transaction LD.
for the order in a decision block 308. Once received, the logic then proceeds
to
block 252 on FIGURE 15B such that the remaining logic shown in FIGURES 15B
and 15C as described above in connection with plug-in component 52' is
performed.
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Now that the logic implemented by the plug-in components 52' and 52" have
been discussed, it is necessary to describe the billing server component 62'
implemented by the billing server 34 to supply the consumer's computer with
the
information it will require to gain access to the premitun content. It will be
appreciated, however, that the logic implemented by the billing server
component 62'
in the second embodiment of the present invention is slightly different than
that
described above in connection with the first embodiment. Hence, the reference
number (62) for the billing server component in the second embodiment is
denoted
with a prime ""'. As shown in FIGURE 19, the logic implemented by the billing
server component 62' to provide the premium telephone number begins in a
block 320 and proceeds to a decision block 322 where it determines whether the
connection between the consumer's computer 42 and the billing server 34 has
been
established via the Internet 20. If not, decision block 322 is merely repeated
until
such a connection has been established. Next, in a block 324, the billing
server
component 62' determines if the product LD., merchant LD., rate and purchaser
LD.
have been received from the consumer's computer 42, if not, decision block 324
is
repeated until such information has been received.
Once the product LD., merchant LD., purchaser LD. and rate have been
received, the billing server component 62' determines if the consumer is new
in a
decision block 326, i.e., if this is the first time the consumer has placed an
order for
premium content. If this is the first time, the plug-in 52' will be unable to
provide the
billing server 34 with the purchaser LD. for the consumer. Accordingly, the
billing
server component 62' assigns the consumer a purchaser LD. in a block 328. As
noted
above, the plug-in ~2' will return this purchaser LD. each subsequent time the
consumer places an order. The purchaser LD. and merchant LD. are logged in the
product and information database 64 of the billing server 34 and used for
accounting,
reporting and recordkeeping purposes, such as payment histories, customer
demographics, account reconciliation, etc.
If the consumer is not a first-time buyer or, is a first-time buyer and thus,
has
been assigned a purchaser LD., the logic proceeds to a decision block 332,
where the
billing server component 62' determines whether an order by this particular
consumer
should be denied. More specifically, the billing server 34 determines whether
the
purchaser LD. is valid. If not, the consumer placing the order is notified in
a
block 334 and the PPP connection between the billing server 34 and the
consumer's
computer 42 is disconnected in a block 336. The logic then ends in a block
338. On
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the other hand, if the purchaser LD. is valid, the logic proceeds from
decision
block 332 to a block 340 where the billing server 34 assigns a transaction LD.
to the
order and transfers the transaction LD. to the consumer's computer 42. The
transaction LD. identifies the consumer, the product ordered (by product LD.)
and the
billing server 34. As noted above, the plug-in 52' installed on the consumer's
computer 42 waits for this transaction LD. before disconnecting from the
Internet 20
and establishing a PPP cotmection with the billing server 34. The logic of
FIGURE 19 then ends in a block 342.
The logic employed by the billing server component 62' to obtain the
information necessary for the consumer computer 42 to access the premium
content
from the merchant server 39 and provide the same to the consumer's computer 42
is
depicted in FIGURES 20A-20B. The logic begins in FIGURE 20A in a block 350
and proceeds to a decision block 352 where the billing server component 62
determines if a PPP connection has been established to the billing server 34
by any
consumer computer 42 installed with the plug-in 52'. As noted above, many
consumers may be placing orders at any given time, and hence, many computers
may
be attempting to establish a PPP connection to the billing server 34 so that
they may
obtain access to the premium content they desire. Hence, decision block 352 is
repeated until such a connection has been established.
Once a PPP connection has been established, the logic proceeds to a decision
block 354 where it determines if the billing server 34 has received the
transaction LD.
from the consumer computer signaling that the consumer's computer is
requesting
access to premium content. If not, decision block 354 is merely repeated until
such
time as the transaction LD. is received. Once received, the logic proceeds to
a
block 356 where the billing server obtains the Automated Number Identification
(ANI) of the PPP connection between the billing server and the consumer's
computer 42 from the access server 38. The ANI is logged by the billing server
34 in
the product and information database 64 and is also used for accounting,
reporting
and recordkeeping procedures. In addition, the billing server obtains an
Internet
Protocol (IP) address that was assigned to the consumer's computer 42 by the
access
server 38 when the PPP connection was established. As will be described in
more
detail below, the billing server 34 will transfer the transaction LD, and
consumer
computer IP address to the merchant server 39 in order to retrieve the access
information desired by the consumer.
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Next, in a block 358, the billing server component 62' confirms that the
consumer's computer 42 has dialed the correct premium telephone number for the
desired premium content. It will be appreciated, that the premium content is
identified by the product LD. and that each product LD. is associated with a
particular
premium telephone number in the database of product and logged information 64
stored in mass memory 64 of the billing server 34. Consequently, the billing
server
component 62" determines if the premium telephone number dialed by the
consumer's computer to establish the current PPP connection matches the
premium
telephone number associated with the premium content (i.e., productLD.)
received
from the consumer's computer in decision block 354. If the correct premitun
telephone number has been dialed, the logic will proceed from a decision block
360
to a block 366 in which the merchant providing the ordered premium content is
identified by the billing server 34. More specifically, each product LD.
identifying
premium content is associated with a particular merchant, and this association
is
stored in the product and logged information database 67 of the billing server
34.
Once the merchant has been identified in block 366, the billing server
component 62'
obtains the location of the merchant server 39 for the particular merchant
server 39,
i.e., the Internet Protocol (IP) address, which stores the premium content
from the
product and logged information database 67 in a block 368.
Next, in a block 370 shown in FIGURE 20B, the billing server 34 establishes
an Internet connection with the located merchant server 39 using the IP
address
obtained in block 368. Once the connection has been established, the billing
server
transfers the transaction LD. and the IP address for the consumer's computer
42 to the
merchant server 39 in a block 372. As will be described in more detail below,
the
merchant server 39 will send the billing server 34 the information necessary
for the
consumer computer 42 to access the premium content in response to the
transaction
LD. received from the billing server 34. Accordingly, in a decision block 374
the
logic determines if the billing server 34 has received an access LD., password
and
URL for the premium content from the merchant server 39. If not, decision
block 374 is merely repeated until such time as the billing server 34 receives
this
information. Once.received, the billing server 34 forwards the access LD.,
password
and URL to the consumer's computer 42 in a block 376 so that the consumer's
computer 42 may launch its Web browser 51 with the appropriate URL, establish
an
Internet connection to the merchant server 39 and provide the merchant server
36
with the access LD. necessary for accessing the IP session the merchant server
39 has
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designated for it, and the password necessary for gaining entry to the premium
content. The logic then proceeds to decision block 378 where it determines if
the
consumer's computer 42 has terminated its PPP connection with the billing
server 34.
If not, decision block 378 is merely repeated until the PPP connection has
been
terminated. In other words, as long as the consumer computer 42 continues to
download the premium content from the merchant server 39 and as long as the
PPP
connection between the computer 42 and the billing server 34 is maintained,
the
consumer will be billed at the actual rate supplied by the billing server 34
until the
PPP connection established using the premium telephone number is terminated,
i.e.,
until the consumer "hangs up."
Once the PPP connection between the consumer's computer 42 and the billing
server 34 is terminated, the billing server 34 transfers to the merchant
server 39 a
request to deny the consumer computer 42 further access to the premium
content,
which includes the transaction LD., the consumer computer's IP address and the
access LD. in a block 380. As will be described in more detail below, in
response to
this request, the merchant server 39 will deny further access to the consumer
computer 42 until the consumer computer 42 re-orders the premium content and
establishes a new PPP connection to the billing server 34 via a premium
telephone
line by which the consumer will be billed. Once the deny request is sent, the
billing
server 34 disconnects from the merchant server 39 in a block 381. The logic
for the
billing server component 62' then ends in a block 382.
The logic implemented by the merchant session gateway component 65 to
provide the billing server 34 with access information to the ordered premium
content,
is shown in more detail in FIGURE 21. The logic begins in a block 390 and
proceeds
to a block 392 where it determines if the direct Internet connection between
the
merchant server 39 and the billing server 34 has been established. If not,
decision
block 392 is merely repeated until such connection has been established. Once
established, the logic proceeds to another decision block 394 in which the
merchant
session gateway component 65 determines if the merchant server 39 has received
from the billing server 34 a transaction LD. identifying the ordered premium
content
and the IP address assigned to the consumer computer 42. The consumer
computer's
IP address is logged in the product database 67 of the merchant server 39 and
is used
later by the merchant server 39 to verify that the merchant server 39 is
transfernng
the ordered premium content to a valid IP address, i.e., to the appropriate
consumer's
computer.
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Returning to decision block 394, if the result is negative. decision block 394
is repeated until such information is received from the billing server 34. In
other
words, once an Internet connection is made between the billing server 34 and
merchant server 39, the merchant server 39 waits to receive a transaction LD.
for
premium content from a billing server 34. Once received, the merchant session
gateway component 65 transfers the URL for the ordered premium content, as
well as
an access LD. and a password, to the billing server 34. It will be appreciated
that in
the second embodiment of the present invention described herein, each product
LD.
is associated with a URL in the product database 6? of the merchant server 39.
As
noted above, the URL provides the location on the Internet of the premium
content.
It will be appreciated that the premium content may be located on the merchant
server 39 implementing the present logic or on another merchant server located
elsewhere on the Internet. As also noted above, the access LD. identifies the
IP
session assigned by the merchant server 39 to which the consumer's computer 42
may
have access so as to download the ordered premium content from the merchant
server. Finally, the password is a unique string of characters that the
consumer's
computer 42 will eventually return to the merchant server 39 for approval to
enter the
premium content site.
After the merchant server 39 transfers the URL, access LD. and password to
the billing server 34, the merchant session gateway component 65 waits for an
indication from the billing server 34 that the consumer has ended the premium
telephone call. Accordingly, in a decision block 398, the logic determines if
the
merchant server 39 has received a request from the billing server 34 to deny
access to
the consumer's computer 42. As noted above, when the billing server 34 detects
that
the consumer's computer has terminated the PPP connection with the billing
server
and disconnected from the premium telephone line, the billing server 34
transfers the
transaction LD., consumer computer's IP address and the access LD. originally
assigned by the merchant server, to the merchant server 39 in a request to
deny
further access to that consumer. Therefore, until such a request is received,
the
decision block 398 is merely repeated. It will be appreciated from the
description
above, that while the merchant session gateway component 65 waits for the
consumer's computer 42 to terminate the premium telephone call, the merchant
server 39 will transfer the premium content to the consumer's computer 42 (and
such
transfers will be governed by the Web server component 63 of the merchant
server 39) and the consumer will continue to access the premium content while
being
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billed. Further, as noted above, as the merchant server 39 transfers, and the
consumer's computer 42 downloads, the ordered premium content, the merchant
server 39 uses the consumer IP address stored in mass memory 61 and previously
transferred by the billing server 34 to verify that it is transferring each
page of the
ordered premium content to the correct destination, i.e., that the IP address
of the
consumer's computer 42 downloading the premium content matches the consumer IP
address the merchant server 39 has stored in its memory.
Once the request to deny access is received, the merchant session gateway
component 65 invalidates the access LD. and consumer IP address previously
given
to the consumer's computer 42 so that the consumer's computer 42 can no longer
gain
access from the assigned IP session with the merchant server 39. Consequently,
the
consumer's computer 42 can no longer communicate with the merchant server and
can no longer access the premium content. The logic of the merchant session
gateway component 65 then ends in a block 402.
It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that once the PPP
connection between the consumer's computer 42 and the billing server 34 using
a
premium telephone line has been established, the telephone service provider
begins
billing the consumer for the duration of the premium telephone call using
methods
well known in the art. Once the consumer's computer terminates the PPP
connection
using the premium telephone number, i.e., "hangs-up," billing ceases, just as
it would
with any other premium telephone call. The telephone service provider then
pays a
service charge to the provider of the billing server 34, and pays the merchant
its
portion for providing the premium content.
FIGURES 22A-22B are an overall diagram depicting the actions of the plug
in component 52'/consumer's computer 42, the billing server component
62'/billing
server 34, and merchant session gateway component 65/merchant server 39 in
parallel. Consequently, FIGURE 22A depicts the consumer's computer 42
establishing an Internet connection to the billing server 34. The consumer's
computer 42 then transfers the product LD. identifying the ordered premium
content
to the billing sever 34 as well as a merchant LD., advertised billing rate and
purchaser LD. In response, the billing server 34 transfers a transaction LD.
identifying the order back to the consumer's computer 42. The billing server
34 also
transfers the premium telephone number associated with the ordered premium
content and the actual premium rate at which the consumer will be billed for
accessing the premium content. Once the consumer's computer 42 has received
the
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transaction LD. and premium telephone number, the consumer's computer 42
disconnects from the Internet 20 and dials the premium telephone number
transferred
by the billing server 34 in order to establish a PPP connection with the
billing
server 34. Once established, billing for the consumer's time spent accessing
the
premium content begins and a consumer's computer 42 transfers the transaction
LD.
back to the billing server 34 so that the billing server component 62' may
identify the
order and forward it to the appropriate merchant server 39.
Accordingly, the billing server 34 establishes an Internet connection to the
merchant server 39 and transfers the transaction LD. and consumer computer's
IP
address to the merchant server 39. In response, the merchant server 39
transfers to
the billing server 34 the access information, i.e., an access LD., password,
and URL,
which will be used by the consumer's computer 42 to locate and access the
desired
premium content. In turn, the billing server 34 transfers the access
information to the
consumer's computer 42. Once the consumer computer 42 receives the access
information, the consumer's computer 42 is provided an Internet connection and
locates the merchant server 39 and the premium content stored there using the
URL.
The consumer computer 42 then transfers the password and access LD. it has
been
given to the merchant server 39. In response, the merchant server 39 transfers
the
ordered premium content to the consumer's computer 42. It will be appreciated
that
during such time, the consumer will continue to be billed for its time
accessing the
premium content because the PPP connection between the consumer's computer 42
and billing server 34 on a premium telephone line is maintained. However, once
the
consumer's computer terminates the PPP connection, the billing ends and the
billing
server 39 transfers a request to deny access to the premium content to the
merchant
server 19 so that the merchant server 19 may deny future access to the premium
content to the consumer's computer 42 (unless, of course, the consumer re-
orders the
premium content using the plug-in component 52' or 52", as described above).
The
billing sever 34 then terminates it Internet connection with the merchant
server 39.
While the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated
and described, it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the
billing
system of the present invention may be used to order products that are not
electronically stored and delivered. Rather, the products are delivered by
some other
method, e.g., postal service, express package service, etc. In such cases,
instead of
providing the plug-in 52 with an encrypted product and an access key for
decrypting
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the encrypted product, the consumer is provided with an access key or claim
number
that must be presented upon delivery of the product so that the consumer may
claim
the product. The billing system of the present invention may also be used to
order
products that may be used by the consumer ~ only for a predetermined time
period.
For example, the consumer may purchase an hour of computer game time. In such
cases, the consumer is not allowed to begin play of the game until provided an
access
kev. which is then returned to the computer game provider.
