Electronic online commerce card with customer generated transaction proxy number for online transactions

US6000832A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Microsoft Corporation · US

Inventors

• D. Chase Franklin · Seattle, US
• Daniel Rosen · Bellevue, US
• Josh Benaloh · Redmond, US
• Daniel R. Simon · Redmond, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 24, 1997
• Grant date: Dec 14, 1999
• Expiry date: Sep 24, 2017

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G07F7/1008
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

An online commerce system facilitates online commerce over a public network using an online commerce card. The "card" does not exist in physical form, but instead exists in digital form. It is assigned a customer account number that includes digits for a prefix number for bank-handling information, digits for a customer identification number, digits reserved for an embedded code number, and a digit for check sum. The bank also gives the customer a private key. During an online transaction, the customer computer retrieves the private key and customer account number from storage. The customer computer generates a code number as a function of the private key, customer-specific data (e.g, card-holder's name, account number, etc.) and transaction-specific data (e.g., transaction amount, merchant ID, goods ID, time, transaction date, etc.). The customer computer embeds the code number in the reserved digits of the customer account number to create a transaction number specific to the transaction. The customer submits that transaction number to the merchant as a proxy for a regular card number. When the merchant submits the number for approval, the issuing institution recognizes it as a p…