Secured purchase transaction

In a secured purchase transaction system having a plurality of customer ordering terminals and a plurality of merchant stations wherein each of said customer ordering terminals has a purchaser account identification data reader and a purchaser personal identification data entering capacity with an encryption module at each of the terminals to encrypt said identification data to provide encrypted purchaser identification information that is transmitted over the Internet, the sub-system comprising:

• a processing center,
• receipt means at said processing center to receive customer ordering information from each of said customer ordering terminals together with the encrypted purchaser identification information, each customer ordering information including a designated merchant identification,
• a decryption module at said processing center, said decryption module providing said purchaser account information data and said purchaser personal information data,
• communication means at said processing center to confirm customer payment capability,
• said processing center, in response to customer payment capability confirmation, generating a statement to the designated merchant providing said customer ordering information and confirming payment capability, and
• transmitting means at said processing center to transmit said statement to the designated merchant,
• said processing center maintaining said purchaser account information data and said purchase personal information data secure from the designated merchant.

A secured purchase transaction system comprising:

• a plurality of customer ordering terminals, each of said terminals having a purchaser account identification data reader,
• a first encryption module at each of said customer ordering terminals to encrypt purchaser account identification data to thereby provide encrypted personal identification information,
• a processing center,
• means to transmit customer ordering information from each of said ordering terminals, together with said encrypted personal identification information over the Internet, the customer ordering information including a designated merchant identification,
• a decryption module at said processing center, said decryption module providing the purchaser account identification data,
• whereby said processing center can confirm payment capability,
• said processing center, in response to payment capability confirmation, generating a first statement to the designated merchant providing said customer ordering information and to confirm purchaser payment capability,
• a plurality of merchant stations, each of said merchant stations corresponding to a separate designated merchant, each of said stations adapted to receive said first statement addressed to the designated merchant, and
• means at said processing center to transmit said first statement to the designated merchant over the Internet,
• said processing center maintaining said purchaser account identification data private from said designated merchant.

The method of providing a secured purchase transaction comprising the steps of:

• entering purchaser personal identification information including purchaser account identification data and purchaser personal identification data at a data entry station located at a customer ordering terminal,
• encrypting said purchaser account identification data and said purchaser personal identification data to provide encrypted purchaser personal identification information,
• entering said encrypted purchaser personal identification information into a microprocessor,
• transmitting said encrypted information together with designated merchant identification and customer ordering information to a processing center,
• decrypting said encrypted information at said processing center to provide said purchaser account identification data and said purchaser personal identification data at said processing center,
• confirming payment capability by using said decrypted information at said processing center to provide affirmative or negative payment capability information,
• in response to affirmative payment capability information, transmitting a statement from said processing center providing customer ordering information to a terminal of said designated merchant, and
• maintaining said purchaser personal identification information confidential at said processing center.