초록 ▼

Existing software proposals for electronic payments can be divided into "on-line" schemes which require participation of a trusted party (the bank) in every transaction and are secure against overspending, and "off-line" schemes which do not require a third party and guarantee only that overspending

Existing software proposals for electronic payments can be divided into "on-line" schemes which require participation of a trusted party (the bank) in every transaction and are secure against overspending, and "off-line" schemes which do not require a third party and guarantee only that overspending is detected when vendors submit their transaction records to the bank (usually at the end of the day). A new "hybrid" scheme is proposed which combines the advantages of both "on-line" and "off-line" electronic payment schemes. It allows for control of overspending at a cost of only a modest increase in communication compared to the off-line schemes. The protocol is based on probabilistic polling. During each transaction, with some small probability, the vendor forwards information about this transaction to the bank. This enables the bank to maintain an accurate approximation of a customer's spending. The frequency of polling messages is related to the monetary value of transactions and the amount of overspending the bank is willing to risk. For transactions of high monetary value, the cost of polling approaches that of the on-line schemes, but for micropayments, the cost of polling is a small increase over the traffic incurred by the off-line schemes.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A network-based method for monitoring electronic transactions between a customer and vendors comprising steps performed at a trusted party:receiving messages on said network from each of one or more vendors, a first message from each vendor registering said customer as a

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A network-based method for monitoring electronic transactions between a customer and vendors comprising steps performed at a trusted party:receiving messages on said network from each of one or more vendors, a first message from each vendor registering said customer as a customer of the respective vendor,adding each vendor from whom a first message has been received to a list of vendors,receiving additional messages from one or more of said vendors on said list, each said additional message reflecting a transaction between said customer and an originating vendor originating said additional message, said additional message being originated with a probability based on transaction conditions determined at said originating vendor, andselectively sending messages on said network to said vendors on said list regarding at least one transaction involving said customer.