Transactional security over a network

Abstract

A system and method facilitates purchase transactions over a computer network, including the purchase of electronically storable items. The embodiments herein encrypt “customer information” in an encryption stream and cause the encryption stream to be transferred from the customer to a merchant in the purchase transaction. A verification entity receives the encryption stream which is sent by the merchant for identity verification and payment authorization. Then, the verification entity verifies the identifiers contained in the encryption stream and transfers an identity verification and payment authorization from the verification entity to the merchant. The encryption stream or unique transaction identifier can be added, by the merchant, to a purchased electronic item to create a personalized electronic item.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of presently pending U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 970,051, entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS TO PROVIDE SECURE PURCHASE TRANSACTION OVER A COMPUTER NETWORK, filed on Oct. 21, 2004, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 726,304 filed on Dec. 1, 2000, which has issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,839,692, which are both fully incorporated herein. [0002] This application also claims the priority of presently pending provisional application 60 / 890,230 entitled “ENCRYPTED INDIVIDUAL AGREEMENT IDENTIFIERS TO ACQUIRED MEDIA OR MEDIA CONTENT, filed on Feb. 16, 2007, which is fully incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY Field of the Invention [0003] The embodiments of the invention generally relate to securing eCommerce and similar transactional relationships, including the sales of goods and services, between parties over computer networks such as the Internet and to tracki...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0028] The method includes the use of any or all user encrypted agreement identifiers, which are created before or during storage to the user's hard drive or otherwise similar purpose computer storage system. The method and system includes allowing encrypted agreement identifiers to be used without revealing certain of the encrypted information, such as name, address, or credit / debit / prepaid card numbers, to the vendor with whom a transaction, for instance the purchase of media, is being conducted. In other words, the need to consistently register and expose a consumer's identity and information with vendors and their databases is eliminated with embodiments herein.

[0029] The method and system allows the encrypted agreement identifiers to be used as a means of verifying user acceptance of qualified terms of use and purchase, in a way that can also be embedded in downloadable media. The method and system creates and controls sub-accounts with unique user reporting and corresponding password identifiers. The method and system places the control responsibility for an account and any sub-accounts with the primary authorized / registered user. The encrypted identifiers enable a method and system for securing and limiting the access and use of the media acquired to the use, terms, and privilege for which it was acquired, thus allowing for the agreed enforcement of copyrights and other protections.

[0030] More specifically, this disclosure presents a system and method of facilitating computerized purchase transactions of electronically storable items (which are sometimes referred to herein as electronic items) such as literary works, musical works (recordings), and video works (movies, shows, videos, etc.) wherein the consumer agrees to enforcement of adhering rights, such as copyrights.

Problems solved by technology

As the Internet continues to evolve, more and more of this media content is being downloaded and shared, creating another layer of complexity and another area of concern.

Similarly, content sensitive websites, such as those related to the adult industry and, until recently, the gaming industry, both gained in popularity and have become a bane to regulation because of the nature of the Internet and its lack of a single jurisdiction and enforceable standards.

Efforts have been launched—expensive and complex efforts—to impose self-regulation and prosecution; however, protecting minors and regulating commerce over what is arguably an international jurisdiction has proven difficult at best.

The compound problem is how to regulate a structure that does not have a conventional “place of business” without violating the rights of the individuals and of the groups who, depending upon the jurisdictions in which they reside, may have varying degrees of privacy rights and legal protections that must be balanced against any effort to regulate virtual-jurisdiction and commerce over the Internet.

All of these things represent a real problem for the eCommerce merchant who seeks compensation for what they offer because that merchant assumes the risk for a transaction, not the issuing bank, where there is no signed receipt—“no signature present.” The result from this is millions of dollars of fraud, repudiation, and chargebacks of transactions, which raise the costs and risks for all.

Further, the personalized electronic item could be made non-functional (so that the personalized electronic item cannot be opened, or cannot be played, etc.) if the encryption stream or transaction identifier, in part or in whole, is ever removed.

Thus, if an unscrupulous person were able to obtain an improper copy of the encryption stream, and was using the improper copy of the encryption stream on a computer (other than one of the customer's computers that are registered with the verification entity) possibly together with the necessary credit issuer supplied encryption stream creation and transfer software, the second hardware identifiers that are readjust prior to the transfer of the encryption stream would not match the hardware identifiers in the encryption stream and the transaction would not be approved by the verification entity.

Thus, if that identifier does not match the identifier in a hypothecated encryption stream, the transaction will not be approved.

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