Computerized system for making payments and authenticating transactions over the internet

A computer system for processing a payment of money on a network that is a quasi-public network having a large number of users, the system comprising:

• programming code means on said computer system for accepting a request via the quasi-public network from a second user to process the payment of money from a first user to the second user said request including information provided by the first user to the second user:
• programming code means on said computer system for using said information in is said request for preparing a message to said first user to be sent over the quasi-public network;
• programming code means on said computer system for sending said message inquiring of said first user via the quasi-public network whether the first user approves of the payment of money to said second user;
• and
• programming code means on said computer system for processing the payment of money from the first user by means of an off-network payment method associated with the first user if the first user responds positively via the quasi-public network to the inquiry message sent to the first user.

A computer system for processing a payment on a network that is a quasi-public network having a large number of users, the computer system comprising:

• means for inquiring via the network of a first user whether the first user approves of a payment to a second user;
• means for informing the second user via the quasi-public network whether the first user has approved of the payment to the second user;
• and
• means for processing the payment of money from the first user to the second user by means of off-network payment methods associated with the first user and the second user if the first user responds positively via the quasi-public network to the inquiry.

A method of enabling users of a quasi-public network to engage in the payment of money to other users of the quasi-public network, comprising:

• maintaining accounts for users of the quasi-public network, said accounts including:
• payment processing information for said users, said payment processing information maintained isolated from access via said quasi-public network;
• and
• payment histories of users;
• receiving requests from some users to process payments from other users;
• inquiring of the other users whether said other users wish to approve the payments requested to be processed by said some users;
• receiving responses from at least a portion of said other users;
• and
• processing payments from those users of said portion of other users that reply positively to said inquires using said payment processing information.

A method performed with a computer server for enabling commerce on the Internet between a first participant acting as a merchant and a second participant acting as a buyer said computer server installed on the Internet and having electronic mail capability, the method comprising the steps of:

• sending a transfer request message over the Internet from the merchant to the computer server;
• looking up in a database on the computer server an electronic mail address associated with an identification code included in the transfer request message;
• sending a transfer query message from the computer server to the buyer;
• sending a transfer response message from the buyer to the server;
• sending a transfer result message from the server to the merchant;
• sending a pay-in notification from the server to the buyer;
• transferring a first amount of funds from the buyer to the server;
• sending a funds transfer notification message from the server to the merchant;
• transferring a second amount of funds from the server to the merchant;
• and
• sending a payout notification from the server to the merchant.

An information commerce process performed by a computer program on a server on a computer network to enable a transaction between a seller and a buyer, the process comprising the steps of:

• a seller offering an information product for sale;
• a buyer expressing an interest in the information product for sale;
• the buyer sending a message to the seller including an identification number associated with the buyer;
• the seller requesting the server to verify the identification number;
• the seller sending the information product to the buyer;
• the buyer being allowed time to evaluate the information product before payment;
• the computer program using a database of identification numbers and user's network addresses to identify a user's network address associated with the identification number received from the seller:
• the server sending a transfer query message to the buyer so that the buyer can decide whether to pay for the information product;
• the buyer sending a response related to a decision by the buyer to purchase the information product to the server;
• the server sending a message to the seller to inform the seller of said decision by the buyer;
• and
• the server recording details of completed sale transaction.

A information commerce system using a computer network including electronic mail communication, the system comprising:

• means for enrolling a plurality of cardholders by issuing a proprietary card account to computer network users having an electronic mail address;
• a cardholder account associated with each cardholder including a computer network electronic. mail address, a proprietary card account number, a personal identification number used for authentication, a statement duration cycle time, a method of payment for credit balances;
• and
• means for conducting commerce transactions between two cardholders over the computer network using at least one of the cardholders' proprietary card account number
• wherein said commerce conducting means comprises
• means for accepting requests over the computer network to authenticate a representation of a first cardholder's personal identification number to a second cardholder:
• means for communicating with said first cardholder's electronic mail address to inquire whether the representation was valid;
• and means for receiving a response from said first cardholder's electronic mail address in response to said communicating means.

The information commerce system of claim 28 wherein each cardholder account further comprises:

• a pay-in method for each cardholder account;
• a payout method for each cardholder account;
• and
• a currency type for the pay-in method and the payout method for each cardholder account;
• a current state of the cardholder account;
• and
• wherein neither the pay-in method nor the payout method may be determined by inspection of the personal identification number.

A method for processing a payment of money on a network having a large number of users, the method implemented by a program running on a server connected to the network, said method comprising:

• maintaining a database on the server, said database associating personal identification numbers of users with users' network addresses wherein a user's network address is not readily derivable from the user's personal identification number;
• receiving a first message over the network from a first user, said first message identifying a transaction between said first user and a second user and including a personal identification number of said second user, said transaction involving a payment from said second user to said first user;
• operating the database to identify a network address of said second user;
• sending a second message over the network to said second user, said second message inquiring of said second user whether said second user approves of said transaction with said first user;
• and
• receiving a third message over the network from said second user, said third message indicating whether said second user approves said transaction.

A computer system for permitting authentication of transactions on a computer network having a large number of users, the system comprising:

• means for receiving a first message over the network from a first user wherein said first message identifies a transaction between said first user and a second user;
• means for sending a second message over the network to said second user, said second message inquiring of said second user whether said second user approves of said identified transaction with said first user;
• and
• means for receiving a third message over the network from said second user, said third message indicating whether said second user approves said identified transaction.

A process for authenticating a transaction between users on a computer network having a large number of users, the process comprising:

• receiving a first message over the network from a first user, said first message identifying a transaction between said first user and a second user and including an identification code;
• associating said identification code received with said first message with an address of said second user on the computer network:
• sending a second message over the network to said second user's address, said second message inquiring of said second user whether said second user approves of said transaction with said first user;
• and
• upon receipt of a third message over the network from said second user indicating approval of said transaction, sending an indication of such approval to a system off the network for processing of a payment for said transaction.

A method for providing authentication between parties on a quasi-public network, the method comprising:

• providing a first party who has an address on the quasi-public network with an identification code;
• receiving a first message over the quasi-public network from a second party to whom the first party has provided said identification code, said first message including said identification code;
• associating said identification code with said first party's address on the quasi-public network;
• sending a second message over the quasi-public network to the first party's address on the quasi-public network to confirm that authentication should be provided to the second party;
• and
• providing an indication to the second party regarding the authentication of the first party based upon a response from the first party to said second message.

A system for providing authentication between users of a quasi-public network wherein said each of said users has an address on the quasi-public network, the system comprising:

• a server connected to the quasi-public network;
• a database on the server that associates users' identification numbers with respective users' network addresses;
• and
• a program operating on the server that receives messages over the quasi-public network, said program comprising:
• a means for looking up in said database a first user's network address associated with a first user's identification number upon receiving a first message over the quasi-public network from a second user that includes said first user's identification number;
• a means for sending a second message over the quasi-public network to the first user's network address, said sending means being responsive to said looking up means;
• and
• a means for sending a third message to said second user, said third message providing an indication regarding whether authentication has been received from the first user's network address to said second message.

A computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for use on a quasi-public computer network to provide authentication between parties who communicate electronically with each other and have addresses on said network, the computer readable program code means adapted to run on a server connected to the quasi-public network, the computer program readable program code means comprising:

• computer readable program code for receiving a first message over the quasi-public network from one of said parties to whom another of said parties has provided an identification code, said identification code having been provided to said another of said parties, said first message including said identification code;
• computer readable program code means for associating said identification code with the another of parties' address on the network;
• computer readable program code means for sending a second message over the quasi-public network to the another of said parties' address on the network to confirm that authentication should be provided to the one of said parties;
• and
• computer readable program code means for providing an indication to the one of said parties regarding the authentication of the another of said parties based upon a response from the another of said parties to said second message.