Online Commercial Transaction System and Method of Operation Thereof

Abstract

A system for conducting commercial transactions comprises an application server that hosts a software application that can be accessed by users to conduct commercial transactions thereon, an application user database of authorised users capable of accessing the application server, each authorised user in the application user database being uniquely identifiable by means of corresponding login name and password, and a proxy server communicable with the application server and accessible by a plurality of registered users from respective mobile phones The proxy server provides each one of the plurality of registered users with access to the application server from that user's respective mobile phone. A proxy database is associated with the proxy server, the proxy database containing details of authorised users in the application user database who are also registered to access the application server through the proxy server from their respective mobile phones. Each registered user in the proxy database is uniquely identifiable by means of a corresponding user identification code, the proxy database also providing, for each registered user, a mapping of that user's user identification code and the user's corresponding user information contained in the application user database. The proxy database stores each registered user's corresponding user information in encrypted format, and the system includes a encryption engine capable of encrypting any data passed between the proxy server and the mobile phone of each registered user. The proxy database also stores an active encryption key for each registered user, the active encryption key being used by the encryption engine to encrypt and decrypt data passed between the proxy server and the user's mobile access terminal. The encryption engine is dynamic, using a different encryption key during each session in which the user accesses the application server from his respective mobile phone, the encryption engine generating, during each session, a further encryption key for the user and transferring the further encryption key to the user's mobile phone for storage therein.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.