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

A method for registering for an online commerce card, comprising the following steps:

• initiating, at the customer, a request for an online commerce card application;
• downloading software code from a card issuing authority to the customer to assist in completing the card application;
• submitting the application for the commerce card from the customer to the issuing authority;
• creating at the issuing institution a customer account for the customer, the customer account being associated with a customer identification number and a customer-related secret;
• and
• providing to the customer the customer-related secret, a customer account number that includes the customer identification number, and proxy number generating code, the proxy generating code being capable of creating a code number using the customer-related secret and embedding the code number into the customer account number to form a proxy number for use in place of the customer account number in an online commerce transaction.

At an authority responsible for authorizing an online commerce transaction involving payment by an electronically transmitted account number, a computer-implemented method for handling an authorization request to honor the account number and accept payment, the authorization request involving a transaction number and containing transaction-specific data, the method comprising the following steps:

• locating a customer account that is associated with the transaction number, the customer account having a customer-related secret associated therewith;
• computing a test code number from the customer-related secret and the transaction-specific data;
• and
• comparing the test code number with a code number embedded in the transaction number to verify whether the transaction number was generated by a customer associated with the customer account.

A method for facilitating online commerce, comprising the following steps:

• (A) conducting a registration phase between a customer and an issuing authority comprising the following steps:
• (1) initiating, at the customer, a request for an online commerce card application;
• (2) downloading software code from a card issuing authority to the customer to assist in completing the card application;
• (3) submitting the application for the commerce card from the customer to the issuing authority;
• (4) creating at the issuing institution a customer account for the customer, the customer account being associated with a customer identification number and a customer-related secret;
• (5) providing to the customer the customer-related secret, a customer account number that includes the customer identification number, and proxy number generating code to create a code lumber based on the customer-related secret;
• and
• (6) providing to the customer software code that supports a user interface button to invoke a user interface for facilitating online commerce transactions;
• (B) utilizing the online commerce card to conduct an online commerce transaction phase between the customer and a merchant comprising the following steps:
• (1) generating the code number at the customer using the proxy number generating code and the customer-related secret;
• (2) embedding the code number in the customer account number;
• and
• (3) sending the customer account number with embedded code number to the merchant to commence the online commerce transaction;
• (C) conducting a payment authorization phase at the issuing authority in response to receiving an authorization request from the merchant to honor the transaction number and accept payment, the authorization request containing transaction-specific data, comprising the following steps:
• (1) locating a customer account that is associated with the transaction number, the customer account containing the customer-related secret associated therewith;
• (2) computing a test code number from the customer-related secret and the transaction-specific data;
• and
• (3) comparing the test code number with the code number embedded in the transaction number to verify whether the transaction number was generated by a customer associated with the customer account.

A system for facilitating online commerce, comprising:

• a customer computing unit resident at a customer site, the customer computing unit being configured with an online commerce card for use in an online commerce transaction, the online commerce card being associated with a customer account number and a customer-related secret;
• the customer computing unit being configured to generate a proxy number that resembles the customer account number but has embedded therein a code number derived at least in part on the customer-related secret, the customer computing unit submitting the proxy number to a merchant during the online commerce transaction;
• and
• an authority computing system resident at an authority site, the authority computing system having a database to hold the customer account number and the customer-related secret, the authority computing system being configured to receive from the merchant an authorization request for approval of the transaction number, the authority computing system verifying the transaction number based on the code number and the customer-related secret.

In an online commerce system, a customer system for engaging in an online commerce transaction with a merchant, comprising:

• a data storage for holding a private key and a customer account number;
• a coding unit to create a code number as a function of the private key and transaction-specific data related to the online commerce transaction;
• and
• wherein the code number is embedded into the customer account number to form a transaction number for sending to the merchant to commence the online commerce transaction.

In an online commerce system, a system for handling an authorization request to approve an electronically transmittable number, the request containing transaction-specific data, comprising:

• a customer account manager to cross-reference a customer account using the transaction number and to look-up a customer-related secret associated with the customer account;
• a coding unit to generate a test code number as a function of the customer-related secret and the transaction-specific data;
• and
• a comparator to compare the test code number to a code number embedded in the transaction number to verify the transaction number.