Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING E-COMMERCE
ACCESS TO AN INTERNET WEBSITE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the I:~vention
The present invention relates generally to a system and method for accessing a
.
website, and more particularly to a novel system and method for paying for
access,
information, services and/or goods from the website.
Discussion of the Related Art
During the last several years, the Internet has revolutionalized the American
way of
life. In addition to providing virtually instant access to information, the
Internet has
dramatically changed the way in which business is conducted. Business as it is
conducted on
the Internet is referred to as electronic commerce, or e-commerce.
With e-commerce, businesses can bring their goods and service offerings
directly into
the homes and offices of consumers through an Internet portal. Businesses
maintain
electronic "storefronts" as websites. One form of website includes a series of
web pages
which include various information about the business, and its products and/or
services, akin to
an electronic catalog. Consumers may browse through the website to gain
information about
the business and its products or services in which the consumer may be
interested.
Another form of website includes a series of web pages which include the
business's
product itself, in the form of information or entertainment. For example, the
business may be
providing access to an electronic newspaper or magazine, may be providing
access to search a
particular database, or may be providing access to games, video, electronic
greeting cards,
screen savers, animations, photographs, recordings, advice, or other similar
forms of media or
entertainment.
The operation and management of websites is generally well known. However,
commerce conducted over the Internet is in a state of flux, particularly with
respect to
payment for goods, services, and/or information.
Typically, payment for goods and services is made in a traditional form
including
checks, money orders, etc. In this form, the consumer would mail his payment
to the business
and upon receiving payment, the business would ship or deliver the goods or
provide the
services to the consumer. A drawback to this form of payment is that the
consumer must wait
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several days until the business receives and clears the payment before the
business will ship
the goods or provide the services to the consumer.
Another form of payment includes an account form of payment. In this form, the
business would ship the goods or provide the services to the consumer and then
bill the
consumer on some periodic basis (e.g., weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly, per
order, etc.). In
this form, the business might bill the consumer in advance of service, or
after services have
been provided. A drawback to this form of payment is that the business must
maintain a
billing department for processing the bills and payments, and handle issues of
collection.
Yet another form of payment, and arguably one of the most popular, includes a
credit
card (VISATM, MASTERCARDTM, AMERICAN EXPRESSTM, etc.). In this form, the
consumer provides his credit card number to the business at the same time he
orders the
goods, services, and/or information. The business interacts with the issuer of
the credit card
to obtain payment and provides the goods, services, and/or information
virtually immediately
to the consumer. One major drawback to this form of payment is that while
consumers will
use their credit cards in retail stores and often times over the telephone for
mail order, at the
present, consumers are extremely reluctant to use their credit cards for
purchases over the
Internet for various reasons. These reasons include issues of security,
confidentiality, privacy,
and general novelty associated with the Internet. Furthermore, the use of
credit cards may be
cost prohibitive for small purchases {e.g., $1.00) or the issuer may require a
minimum
purchase amount (e.g. $10.00}. Debit cards (e.g., checking cards, ATM cards,
etc.) have
similar problems associated with their use over the Internet.
Still other forms of payment such as electronic cash, electronic checks, or
other such
forms of "Internet currency" are too cumbersome, have limited distribution,
and arouse the
same concerns among consumers as using their credit cards.
2S Other problems exists with paying for goods, services, and/or information
over the
Internet, some of which are discussed in further detail below: A need exists
for an improved
system and method for providing e-commerce access to an Internet website.
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Accordingly, the present invention is directed toward an improved system and
method
for providing e-commerce access to an Internet website. In particular, the
present invention
provides a novel form of payment for gaining e-commerce access to an Internet
website in the
form of a webcard.
A webcard represents a prepaid account associated with a particular website or
group
of websites accessible over the Internet. The webcard may be purchased from a
department
store, specialty store, convenience store, a kiosk, vending machine, a catalog
or other similar
retail point-of sale location including a website, or offered as a promotional
item. In this way,
a consumer purchases the webcard in a traditional manner from a retail point-
of sale location
by means with which he is comfortable using cash, check, money order, credit
card, or any
other form of payment. With the webcard, paying for e-commerce access to a
website
assumes the form of a more traditional, functional transaction.
According to the present invention, the webcard includes a diminishing debit
value
having various units depending upon the website to which it provides e-
commerce access.
These units include: a cash value (e.g., $100 worth, of goods); a unit value
associated with the
website (e.g., 1 Q searches in a particular database); a subscription value
(e.g., 8 weeks of a
daily newspaper); a time value (e.g., 100 minutes of video or game time); and
other units
whereby goods, services, and/or information can be sold. As the website is
accessed, the
diminishing debit value is decremented until its value is depleted. Once the
value of the
webcard is depleted, the consumer merely purchases another webcard at the
retail point-of
sale location for additional e-commerce access to the website or adds
additional e-commerce
value to an existing webcard.
The webcard solves the problems of traditional methods of payment for e-
commerce
access in several ways. First, as discussed, the consumer is able to purchase
e-commerce
access in a traditional manner from a retail point-of sale location. Second,
businesses are able
to provide e-commerce access to consumers through prepaid accounts without
worrying about
billing or collection issues. Third, losses associated with security issues
such as fraud or
electronic theft are limited to the diminishing debit value associated with
each card. In other
words, neither the consumer or the business is exposed to a loss ofmore than
the diminishing
debit value. Fourth, the webcard provides a practical way of paying for small
purchases of
goods andlor services over the Internet. In other words, the webcard provides
increased
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granularity for e-commerce transactions than was previously available. Fifth,
because the
webcard is purchased at retail point-of sale locations, the webcard is
available to that portion
of the market not able to obtain credit cards or establish accounts, such as
teenagers or those
with poor or unestablished credit.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention will be set forth
in the
description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description,
or may be
learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages
ofthe invention
will be realized and attained by the process particularly pointed out in the
written description
and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the
following
detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide
further
explanation of the invention as claimed.
B~,~[]~ F.. DESC_IEtIPT,~ON ~F THE ATTACHES DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further
understanding of
the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this
specification, illustrate
embodiments of the invention that together with the description serve to
explain the principles
of the invention.
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 illustrates an Internet environment in which the present invention
operates;
FIG. 2 illustrates a webcard according to one embodiment of the present
invention;
FIG. 3 illustrates various retail point-of sale locations where webcards can
be
purchased according to various embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 4 illustrates a website according to one embodiment of the present
invention in
further detail;
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the operations performed by a client
according to one
embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a website according to one
embodiment of the present invention.
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DETALii.ED DESCRIPTION OF TIIE PIZ-F.F.FERR~D EMBODIMENT
Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the
present
invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 illustrates an Internet environment 100 in which the present
invention is
S utilized. Internet environment 100 includes a consumer 110 (more typically
referred to as
client 110), a remote terminal I20 with which client 110 interfaces with
Internet environment,
the Internet 130 which operatively couples remote terniinal 120 to a server
1~0 on which a
website 150 is operated. The operation of the Internet 130 in terms of clients
110, servers
140, and websites 150 is generally well known and hence is not discussed in
detail herein.
I O According to the present invention, client 1 I O obtains e-commerce access
to website
150 or group of websites 1 SO using a webcard 160. E-commerce access to
website 150 as
described herein refers to purchasing anything through Internet environment
100 including,
but is not limited to, physical goods, services, information, electronic
media, or any other
tangible or intangible item that may have value and that may be purchased
through Internet
15 environment 100. E-commerce access may be required in order to simply enter
the website or
may be required when delivery of goods, services, or information is requested.
Several
examples may illustrate this aspect of the present invention. With respect to
a website 150
that offers clothing for sale, e-commerce access to website i50 represents the
ability to
purchase one or more items of clothing. With respect to a website i50 that
offers a daily
20 electronic newspaper, e-commerce access to website 150 represents the
ability to read the
newspaper on a paper-by-paper basis or as a subscription over a period of
weeks. With
respect to a website 150 that offers video games, e-commerce access to website
150 represents
the ability to play one or more video games for a given amount of time, for a
given number of
plays, or unlimited number of plays within a particular subscription period.
With respect to a
25 website that offers an interface to a database, e-commerce access to
website 150 represents the
ability to submit a search to the database. In each of these examples, e-
commerce access to
website I 50 refers to a particular level of access to the website for which
payment can be
expressed and extracted. The above examples are intended to be illustrative of
the present
invention as opposed to limiting it in any manner.
30 Figure 2 illustrates webcard 160 for obtaining e-commerce access to website
150
according to one embodiment of the present invention. Webcard 160 includes a
substrate 2I0
on which is affixed the following elements: a webcard identifier 220, an
account and/or
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security number 230, and optionally, an expiration date 240 and a company
graphic or logo
250. These elements may be affixed in any manner on substrate 210 including
embossing,
printing, screening, adhering, or other equivalent forms of attaching the
elements onto or
forming the elements into substrate 210. In an alternate embodiment, webcard
160 may
include an electronic device (not shown) in addition to or in lieu of the
elements affixed to
substrate 210. The electronic device may include a magnetic strip, a
transponder, a microchip
or other similar device for recording and storing electronic information that
includes similar
information to that described as being affixed onto substrate 210.
Each of the elements on substrate 210 is now described. Webcard identifier 110
identifies a website 150 with which webcard I60 is associated. In a preferred
embodiment of
the present invention, webcard identifier 110 corresponds to a URL address at
which website
150 (or a home page associated with website I50) is located on the Internet.
Other identifiers
can be used that suitably associates webcard 160 with website 150.
Account or security number 230 ("account number 230' represents an account
with
which webcard 160 is associated for purposes of monitoring payment for e-
commerce access.
In one aspect of the present invention, account number 230 identifies a
particular entry in a
database used to track a diminishing debit value associated with webcard 160.
Account
number 230 is used with website 150 to provide payment to website 150 for e-
commerce
access as appropriate. As e-commerce access is provided to client I Z 0, the
diminishing debit
value associated with webcard 160 is decremented accordingly. In an additional
aspect of the
invention, account number 230 is a security code that uniquely identifies
webcard 160 with a
particular amount of e-commerce access to website 150. In effect, this aspect
of the invention
operates as a password for e-commerce access to website 150.
In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, account number 230 may
comprise an account number as described above as well as a separate security
code or
personal-identification-number ("PIN"). This security code or PIN may be
predetermined and
affixed to substrate 210, may be assigned by website 150 and communicated
securely to client
110 after an initial login procedure, may be assigned to client 110 at the
retail point-of sale
location, or selected by client 110 and communicated to website 150 in any
suitably secure
manner.
In one embodiment of the present invention, account number 230 is masked firm
public view prior to being sold at the retail point-of sale location. Suitable
means for masking
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account number 230 (or portion thereof) includes an opaque, sealed wrapper, a
scratch-off
field, an opaque removable adhesive strip, or other such means for preventing
viewing of
account number 230 while webcard 160 is displayed for sale.
Optional element company graphic or logo 250 may be included on webcard 160.
In
one aspect, company graphic or Togo 2S0 may simply identify webcard 160 with a
company
and its associated website 150. ~n another aspect, company graphic or logo 250
may comprise
a collectible graphic such as that used with various trading cards (e.g.,
sports cards, gaming
cards, specialty cards, etc.), or a collectible artwork, autograph or other
collectible item.
Some webcards I60, for example an electronic "smart" webcard 160, may include
audio,
video, or animation as part of company graphic or logo 250.
Optional expiration date 240 may be included on webcard 160. In one embodiment
of
the present invention, expiration date 240 may represent a date at which
webcard 160
becomes useless regardless of the diminishing debit value. This avoids a
pmblem associated
with payment mechanisms where accounts become stale or inactive. In another
embodiment
of the present invention, expiration date 240 corresponds to the diminishing
debit value and
represents a date at which, for example, a subscription to website 150
expires. Expiration date
240 may also be used as a security code in a manner similar to fiurther
authenticate typical
credit cards.
An optional production control number 260 may be included on webcard 160. In
addition to providing manufacturing aspects associated with quality control,
production
control number 260 may also be used to authenticate webcard 160 in a manner
similar to that
discussed above with respect to the security code.
As discussed above, the diminishing debit value associated with webcard 160
represents the amount of e-commerce access client 110 to which client 110 is
entitled fram
website 150. At the time of purchase, webcard I60 has a predetermined
diminishing debit
value or face value as it is referred to herein. The face value of webcard I60
may be fixed or
variable. For example, in some embodiments of the present invention, webcard
160 may have
a fixed initial face value of, for example, $100, 10 hours, or 25 searches,
depending on the e-
commerce access provided by website 150. In other embodiments of the present
invention,
webcard 160 may have a variable initial face value permitting client I I O to
select an amount
of e-commerce access to website 150. In these embodiments, retail point-of
sale locations
300 would be required to communicate the face value of webcard 160 to website
150 as
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would be apparent. in still other embodiments of the present invention,
webcard 160 may be
purchased in various "denominations," e.g. $10, $20, $50, $100, etc., for
varying amounts of
e-commerce access to website 150.
Although not illustrated in Figure 2, in some embodiments of the present
invention,
the face value may be affixed onto substrate 210. In other embodiments of the
present
invention, the face value may be associated with a particular color of
substrate 210 in a
manner similar to poker chips. For example, blue webcards 160 may have a face
value of
$100 dollars while red webcards may have a face value of $50, and white
webcards may have
a face value of $10. rn still other embodiments, no indicia of face value is
affixed onto
substrate 210.
Figure 3 illustrates various retail point-of sale locations 300 from which
client 110
may purchase webcard 160. As shown in Figure 3, retail point-of sale locations
include, but
are not limited to, a convenience store 310, a kiosk 320, a retail store 330,
a newsstand 340, a
catalog 360, direct mail 370, and direct TV 380. These retail point-of sale
locations 300 thus
mentioned are not intended to be exclusive but rather illustrative of the
various locations at
which webcards may be sold to client 110 in a traditional transactional manner
using cash,
check, credit card, debit card, money order, etc., to obtain webcard 160. Each
of these retail
point-of sale locations 300 represents a location where client 110 is familiar
and comfortable
with making purchases. These retail point-of sale locations 300 are now
discussed.
~ Convenience store 310 and retail store 330 represent point-of sale locations
where
clients 110 purchase other physical goods (e.g., milk, bread, toilet paper,
gas, clothing,
electronics, etc.) in addition to webcard 160. In a preferred embodiment of
the present
invention, convenience store 310 and retail store 330 would sell webcards 160
associated with
websites offering similar, identical, or related goods and services to those
offered in the point-
of sale location. In fact, retail store 330 might offer webcards 160 for sale
for e-commerce
access to its own website 150.
Newsstand 340 represents a point-of sale location where clients 110 purchase
information in the forms of newspapers, magazines, books, etc. In a preferred
embodiment of
the present invention, newsstand 340 would sell webcards 160 associated with
websites
offering electronic versions of newspapers, magazines and/or books.
Kiosk 320 represents a point-of sale location where clients 110 might purchase
webcards 160 for various entertainment websites 150 (e.g., video games,
movies, etc.), or
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webcards 160 for various informational websites I50 (e.g., maps or directions,
stock quotes,
etc.). According to one embodiment of the present invention, kiosk 320 itself
represents a
point-of sale location for webcard 160 as well as a remote terminal 120 where
client 1 I O can,
if he so desired, obtain e-commerce access to website 150, or a group of
websites 1 S0. In
S another embodiment of the present invention, kiosk 320 may present a survey
to a client 110
requesting various information associated with client 110. After the client 1
IO completes the
survey, kiosk 320 may provide client 110 with a complimentary webcard 160
based on the
client's responses to the survey or based on the website 150 sponsoring the
survey.
Catalog 360, direct mail 370 and direct TV 380 represent various point-of sale
locations 300 where clients 110 might purchase webcards 160 for various
specialty websites
150 selling goods targeted for specific audiences.
Another retail point-of sale location 300 might include webcards 160 as a
promotion
350 associated with website I S0. While client 110 may not have technically
purchased
webcard 160 from a point-of sale location 300, client 110 may have received
promotion 350
as a distribution through a point-of sale location (e.g., inside a cereal box,
inside a pack of
trading cards, etc.) or as a result of client's presence at a point-of sale
location {e.g., a trade
show, a collectors show, etc.).
Figure 4 illustrates website 150 according to one embodiment of the present
invention
in further detail. Website 150 includes a series of webpages 410 that include
ar illustrate
goods, services and/or information to which client 110 desires e-commerce
access. This
aspect of the present invention is well known and further description is not
included. In
addition to webpages 410, website 150 includes a webcard database 420 to
monitoring access
to website 150. This aspect of the present invention is now described.
Webcard database 420 includes one or more webcard entries 430 each
corresponding
to a unique webcard 160. Each webcard entry 430 includes an account field 440
and a
diminishing debit value {"DDV") field 460. Each webcard entry 430 may also
include a
separate security field 450 as well. Other fields such as expiration date,
webcard issuer,
webcard holder, etc., may also be included in webcard entry 430. According to
a preferred
embodiment of the present invention, a webcard entry 430 is created in webcard
database 420
for each webcard 160 issued for particular website 150.
The elements of webcard entry 430 are now described in further detail. Account
field
440 in webcard entry 430 corresponds to account number 230 on webcard I60. DDV
field
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460 corresponds to the diminishing debit value associated with webcard 160.
Security field
4S0 corresponds to a security code or PIN provided to or selected by client
110 as discussed
above. Other fields may be used as would be appropriate to manage and monitor
use of
webcard 160 with website 1S0 including a field associated with production
control number
S 260.
in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, account field 440 is used
to
identify valid account numbers 230 associated with issued webcards I60. When a
client 110
requests e-commerce access to website ISO, website 1S0 checks in webcard
database 420 for
webcard entry 430 corresponding to account number 230 provided by client 110
for his
webcard 160. In particular, website 1S0 locates webcard entry 430 that
includes account field
440 that corresponds to account number 230. In doing so, website ISO attempts
to
authenticate webcard 160 and the right of client 110 to obtain e-commerce
access to website
150.
In one embodiment of the present invention, in an attempt to fiuther
authenticate
1 S webcard 160, website I SO might prompt client 110 for a security code or
PIN provided to
client or for an expiration date 240 or production control number 260 included
on webcard
160. if client 110 provides a code that corresponds to security field 450,
website 1S0 may be
assured that webcard 160 is authentic. Various well known authentication
schemes and
protocols are available and could be used as would be apparent. Such schemes
may include
graphic variances.
After authenticating webcard 160, in one embodiment of the present invention,
website 1S0 checks DDV field 460 to determine whether an associated webcard
160 has any
remaining e-commerce value. For example, website 1 S0 may check DDV field 460
for a non-
zero value thereby indicating that webcard 160 still has value remaining.
Alternately, website
2S 1S0 may check DDV field 460 for a date associated with a subscription
period. A
subscription period may be fixed, or variable as in the case of a subscription
starting from a
date of first use. If the present date is within the tolling subscription
period, webcard 160 has
value remaining. Other mechanisms for determining whether webcard 160 has
value
remaining are available depending upon the units of value measured as would be
apparent.
After determining whether webcard 160 has remaining e-commerce value (i.e., a
non-
zem diminishing debit value in a preferred embodiment of the present
invention), in one
embodiment of the present invention, website 1 SO may check to determine
whether webcard
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160 has sufficient e-commerce value to perform the transaction requested by
client 110. For
example, if client 110 attempts to purchase $50 worth of clothing, website 150
must
determine whether client's webcard 160 has $50 worth of e-commerce access. If
so, website
1SO provides e-commerce access to website 150 by accepting the transaction. If
not, website
S 150 refuses e-commerce access to website ISO by denying the transaction.
After providing e-commerce access to client 110, website 150 decrements the
diminishing debit value associated with webcard 160 and updates this in
webcard database
420 as corresponding DDV field 460. In some embodiments of the present
invention, website
150 explicitly decrements the diminishing debit value associated with webcard
160. For
example, in one embodiment of the present invention, website 1 SO deducts the
cost of the e-
commerce access for a particular transaction from the diminishing debit value
as in the case of
a clothing purchase. In some embodiments of the present invention, website 1
SO decrements
the diminishing debit value associated with webcard 160 periodically as units
of time pass as
would be appropriate depending on the particular type of e-commerce access
associated with
webcard 160 (e.g., e-commerce access measured as units of time). In other
embodiments of
the present invention, website 150 decrements the diminishing debit value
associated with
webcard I60 as pages or bytes of information are transferred to client 110.
In other embodiments of the present invention, website 150 implicitly
decrements the
diminishing debit value associated with webcard 160. For example, in one
embodiment of the
present invention, e-commerce access is provided as a subscription for a
particular period of
time: The diminishing debit value represents the expiration date of the
subscription. Thus,
technically, website 1 SO does not decrement the diminishing debit value
explicitly; rather the
decrernenting is performed implicitly because as each day passes the days
remaining in the
subscription are reduced.
2S In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, the functions of
website 150 thus
described with respect to webcard database 420 are performed by a third party
(not shown)
rather than website 150. In this embodiment, website 150 would pass
information including
account number 230, value of the desired e-commerce access, and/or any other
additional
information to the third party for the third party to authenticate webcard
160, determine
whether an associated diminishing debit value is sufficient for the desired e-
commerce access,
and/or perform the various accounting and record keeping tasks associated with
the present
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invention. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a
manufacturer/issuer of
webcards 160 would perform or provide access to the functions of this third
party.
The operations performed by client 110 (i.e., a consumer) according to the
present
invention are now described with reference to Figure S. In a step S I0, client
I 10 purchases a
S webcard 160 from a familiar, traditional retail point-of sale location 300.
As discussed above,
client 110 may purchase webcard from convenience store 310, kiosk 320, retail
store 330,
newsstand 340, catalog 360, direct mail 370, direct TV 380, or other similar
retail location
where client I i 0 can purchase goods and services in a traditional manner. In
one embodiment
of the present invention, this step contemplates client 110 receiving webcard
160 as a
promotion 350. In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, this step
involves client
I 10 purchasing webcard 160 from a website I S0.
In a step 520, client i IO requests e-commerce access to website 1S0
associated with
webcard 160 via remote terminal i20 and the Internet 130, where website ISO
resides on
server (or server cluster) 140. In particular, client 110 makes a request to
website 1S0 that
1S requires payment by client 110 before access is granted (e.g., before goods
will be sold, before
a search to a database is performed, before entry beyond the homepage of the
website is
granted, etc.).
In a step 530, client 110 sends an account number associated with webcard i60
to
website 1S0 via the Internet 130 to obtain the requested e-commerce access to
website 150.
This step may be performed prior to, after, or in conjunction with step 520.
The present
invention requires that client 110 demonstrate to website I SO that he has a
valid webcard 160
prior to being granted e-commerce access to website 150.
Step S30 may also include steps associated with sending a security code, PIN,
expiration date 240, or other information as discussed above in order for
website 1 SO to
authenticate and verify webcard 160 as valid.
If client 1 I O derrionstrates that he holds a valid webcard 160 with
sufficient
diminishing debit value for the desired e-commerce access, in a step 540,
client 110 receives
e-commerce access from website ISO.
The operation of website 1 SO according to the present invention is now
described with
reference to Figure 6. As described below, these operations are performed by
website 150.
However, in an alternate embodiment of the present invention, many of these
operations may
be performed by a third party as discussed above.
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In a step 6I0, website 150 provides a web page to client 110 via the Internet
130. In a
preferred embodiment of the present invention, this web page, sometimes
referred to as a
home page for the website 150, is the web page addressed by the URL provided
on webcard
160. As would be apparent, website 150 may have several home pages targeting
several
different clients 110. For example, website 150 may have a unique home page
exclusively for
clients 110 with webcards I60 and other home pages for clients 110 using other
forms of
payment. In any case, the operation and implementation of web pages is well
lrnown and not
discussed in further detail herein.
Tn a step 620, website I50 receives a request from client 110 for e-commerce
access to
website 150. Using the examples discussed above, this request for e-commerce
access may be
a request from client 110 to purchase goods, perform a search, enter a
website, etc.
In a step 630, website 150 determines whether e-commerce access is to be
granted to
client I 10 based on webcard I60. This step may involve providing client 110
with one or
more payments selections from which to chose. For example, website 150 may
accept several
forms of payment including a credit card, a debit card, an account, an
electronic transfer of
funds, check, money order, etc., with appropriate procedures in place to
handle each form of
payment as would be apparent. According to the present invention, website 150
also accepts
payment in the form of webcard 160. In one embodiment of the present
invention, website
150 only accepts payment in the form of webcard 160. In this embodiment of the
present
invention, step 630 may be performed implicitly.
In one embodiment of the present invention, step 630 may provide separate web
pages
and/or URL addresses for clients using webcards 160. In one embodiment of the
present
invention, website I50 operates on preferred servers 140 (i.e., faster
processors, higher
bandwith connections, additional features and/or products, "red carpet"
services, special
discounts, etc.) for clients 110 that use webcards 160.
After website 150 determines that client 110 is using webcard 160, in a step
640,
website 150 receives account number 230 associated with webcard 160 from
client 110.
Website 150 may receive account number 230 in response to a prompt for client
110 to enter
account number 230 or in conjunction with step 630 as client 110 selecting
webcard 160 as
his form of payment. Other forms of receiving account number 230 from client
110 are
contemplated according to various well known Internet protocols including a
third party
receiving account number 230.
I3
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In a step 650, once website 1 SO has received account number 230 associated
with
webcard I60, website ISO authenticates webcard I60. Generally, website ISO
searches
webcard database 420 for webcard entry 430 corresponding to account number
230. If
account number 230 corresponds to webcard entry 430, website 150, in one
embodiment of
S the present invention, may prompt client 110 for a security code; PIN,
expiration data,
production control number, etc., in an attempt to further authenticate webcard
160 as a valid
webcard.
In a step 660, website 1 SO determines whether a diminishing debit value
associated
with webcard160 is sufficient for the e-commerce access requested by client
110. In one
1 O embodiment of the present invention, website ISO performs this step by
comparing DDV 460
in webcard entry 430 corresponding to account number 230 to the value of the
requested e-
commerce access. If DDV 460 exceeds or,is equal to the value of the requested
e-commerce
access, website 1 SO determines that the diminishing debit value associated
with webcard 160
is sufficient. Otherwise, the diminishing debit value is insufficient for the
requested e-
1S commerce access. In one embodiment of the present invention, step 660 is
performed in
conjunction with step 650. In other words, in this embodiment of the present
invention,
authentication includes determining whether the diminishing debit value is
sufficient for the
requested e-commerce access:
In a step 670, website 150 decrements the diminishing debit value associated
with
20 webcard I60 based on the requested e-commerce access. In effect, website
1S0 deducts the
costs of the e-commerce access from the value of the webcard account. As
discussed above,
this step may be performed explicitly, as in the case of purchasing goods, or
implicitly, as in
the case of a subscription. In one embodiment of the present invention,
website 1 SO updates
DDV 460 in webcard entry 430 associated with webcard 160 to reflect the change
in the
2S diminishing debit value as a result of the requested e-commerce access. As
would be
apparent, decrementing the diminishing debit value to zero or incrementing an
amount of e-
commerce used to the face value are equivalent mechanisms for performing a
similar function
of accounting albeit from opposite ends.
In various embodiments of the present invention, step 670 may be performed
30 iteratively as units of time pass, as searches are provided, as bytes are
downloaded, or by any
other means by which payment is assessed to client 110 for the e-commerce
access provided.
In a step 680, website 1 SO provides the requested e-commerce access to client
i 10.
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As discussed above, in one embodiment of the present invention, many of the
steps
thus described as being performed by website 1 SO may be performed by a third
party. These
steps include those associated with the various webcard authentication and/or
accounting
aspects of the present invention. In particular, any of steps 640, 650, 660,
and 670, as well as
S others, may be performed by the third party with appropriate communication
occurring
between website 1 SO and the third party as would be apparent.
While the invention has been described in detail and with reference to
specific
embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that
various changes and
modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope
thereof. Thus,
it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and
variations of this
invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their
equivalents.
ZS
