초록 ▼

A payment system for enabling a first Internet user to make a payment to a second Internet user, typically for the purchase of an information product deliverable over the Internet. The payment system provides cardholder accounts for the first and second Internet users. When the second user sends the

A payment system for enabling a first Internet user to make a payment to a second Internet user, typically for the purchase of an information product deliverable over the Internet. The payment system provides cardholder accounts for the first and second Internet users. When the second user sends the information product to the first user over the Internet, the second user also makes a request over the Internet to a front end portion of the payment system requesting payment from the first user. The front end portion of the payment system queries the first user over the Internet whether to proceed with payment to the second user. If the first user replies affirmatively, a charge to the first user is processed off the Internet; however if the first user replies negatively, the first user is not charged for the information product. The payment system informs the second user regarding whether the first user's decision and pays the second user upon collection of the charge from the first user. Security is maintained by isolating financial and credit information of users' cardholder accounts from the front end portion of the payment system and by isolating the account identifying information from the associated e-mail address.

대표청구항 ▼

[ We claim:] [1.] A system for enabling Internet users to make payments to other Internet users using the Internet comprising;a computer system having stored thereon cardholder accounts for Internet users, said cardholder accounts including Internet address information and financial information;and

[ We claim:] [1.] A system for enabling Internet users to make payments to other Internet users using the Internet comprising;a computer system having stored thereon cardholder accounts for Internet users, said cardholder accounts including Internet address information and financial information;and wherein said financial information is maintained isolated from said Internet address information so that said financial information is not accessible to Internet users via the Internet;programming code on said computer system for accepting a transaction request from a second Internet user to make a charge to a first Internet user;programming code on said computer system for inquiring of the first Internet user whether the first Internet user accepts the charge identified in said transaction request; andprogramming code on said computer system for processing the charge to the first Internet user using said financial information upon notification by the first Internet user of acceptance of the charge.