Mobile commerce authentication and authorization system

Abstract

The mobile commerce authentication and authorization system disclosed, illustrated, and claimed allows a user of a currently existing mobile wireless communications instrument to conduct financial transactions, including purchases, across a wireless communications system using location data to authorize and authenticate the user and the transaction. The location of the mobile wireless communications instrument and the location of a vendor point-of-sale device are matched with a payment sum. Authentication of the user of the mobile wireless communications instrument is achieved at least by application of the position and/or location determinable features of the mobile wireless communications instrument, the position and/or location of a point-of-sale device of a vendor or merchant where the instrument user seeks to purchase goods or services, and the payment sum entered on the point-of-sale device. A transaction matching subsystem located in a wireless customer server hub may assist in processing the location data and the payment sum amount across the wireless communications network.

1 . An apparatus for authenticating and authorizing a payment transaction, comprising:
 a transaction matching subsystem configured to:   receive and process transaction parameters provided by a first mobile wireless communications instrument;   receive and process transaction parameters provided by a first point-of-sale device; and   send a message to the first mobile wireless communications instrument and to the first point-of-sale device confirming or not confirming a match of the transaction parameters to authenticate and authorize the payment transaction.   
     
     
         2 . An apparatus for authenticating and authorizing a payment transaction as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the transaction parameters include at least location information and a transaction amount. 
     
     
         3 . An apparatus for authenticating and authorizing a payment transaction as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the second device is a near-field communication (NFC) point-of-sale device. 
     
     
         4 . An apparatus for authenticating and authorizing a payment transaction as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the location parameters includes the geographical location of at least the first point-of-sale device. 
     
     
         5 . An apparatus for authenticating and authorizing a payment transaction as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the location parameters includes the geographical location of at least the first mobile wireless communications instrument second device. 
     
     
         6 . An apparatus for authenticating and authorizing a payment transaction as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the transaction matching occurs automatically. 
     
     
         7 . A mobile commerce authentication and authorization system, comprising:
 a mobile wireless communications instrument;   a data processing system having logic operatively connected to the mobile wireless communications instrument adapted to receive, store, process, execute and transmit at least a first set of location data and a payment sum across a wireless communications network;   a vendor point-of-sale device operatively connectable to the mobile wireless communications instrument adapted to receive, store, process, execute and transmit a second set of location data across the wireless communications network,
 wherein the vendor point-of-sale device is further adapted to transmit, store and receive the payment sum data across the wireless communications network; and 
   a transaction matching subsystem located in a wireless customer server hub adapted to process at least the first set of location data, the second set of location data, and to automatically initiate a payment sum across the wireless communications network.   
     
     
         8 . A mobile commerce authentication and authorization system as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the first set of location data includes the geographical location of the mobile wireless communications instrument. 
     
     
         9 . A mobile commerce authentication and authorization system as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the second set of location data includes the geographical location of at least one point-of-sale device. 
     
     
         10 . A mobile commerce authentication and authorization system as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the second set of location data includes the geographical location of a geographical area in which one or more vendor locations is located. 
     
     
         11 . A mobile commerce authentication and authorization system as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the logic of the data processing system is programmable to include at least the geographical location of vendors. 
     
     
         12 . A mobile commerce authentication and authorization system as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the logic of the data processing system is programmable to automatically initiate a payment application as the user enters the geographical area in which one or more vendor locations is located. 
     
     
         13 . A mobile commerce authentication and authorization system as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the logic of the data processing system is programmable to automatically initiate a payment application as the mobile wireless communications instrument enters one or more vendor locations described by the name of vendor. 
     
     
         14 . A mobile commerce authentication and authorization system as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the logic of the data processing system is programmable to manually initiate a payment application. 
     
     
         15 . A mobile commerce authentication and authorization system as recited in  claim 7 ,
 wherein the logic of the data processing system is programmable to match and compare at least the first set of location data, the second set of location data, and the payment sum data authorized.   
     
     
         16 . An apparatus for authenticating and authorizing a financial transaction across a mobile wireless communications system, comprising:
 a mobile wireless communications instrument adapted to receive, store, process, execute and transmit the location of the mobile wireless communications instrument;   at least one vendor point-of-sale device operatively connectable to the mobile wireless communications instrument adapted to provide the location of the at least one vendor point-of-sale device; and   an executable program operatively connected to the mobile wireless communications instrument and to the at least one vendor point-of-sale device for automatically initiating a payment application and for authorizing and authenticating the financial transaction resulting from a matching of the location of the mobile wireless communications instrument, the location of the at least one vendor, and the amount of the payment application.   
     
     
         17 . An apparatus for authenticating and authorizing a financial transaction across a mobile wireless communications system as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the executable program is capable of manual initiation of a payment application resulting from a matching of the location of the mobile wireless communications instrument, the location of the at least one vendor point-of-sale device, and the amount of the payment application. 
     
     
         18 . An apparatus for authenticating and authorizing a financial transaction across a mobile wireless communications system as recited in  claim 17 , wherein the executable program is stored in a data processing system. 
     
     
         19 . An apparatus for authenticating and authorizing a financial transaction across a mobile wireless communications system as recited in  claim 18 , wherein the data processing system is located in the mobile wireless communications instrument. 
     
     
         20 . An apparatus for authenticating and authorizing a financial transaction across a mobile wireless communications system as recited in  claim 19 , wherein the data processing system is located in a transaction matching subsystem located in a wireless customer server hub. 
     
     
         21 . An apparatus for authenticating and authorizing a financial transaction across a mobile wireless communications system as recited in  claim 20 , wherein the vendor point-of-sale device is further adapted to transmit, store and receive a payment application across the wireless communications network. 
     
     
         22 . A payment system, comprising:
 means for authenticating a mobile wireless communications instrument;   means for authorizing a financial transaction using a mobile wireless communications instrument; and   means for initiating a payment application from a point-of-sale device across the mobile wireless communications system.   
     
     
         23 . A payment system as recited in  claim 22 , wherein the means for authenticating is a point-of-sale device. 
     
     
         24 . A payment system as recited in  claim 22 , wherein the means for authenticating further comprises a location determination system for identifying the location of the point-of-sale device. 
     
     
         25 . A payment system as recited in  claim 22 , wherein the means for authenticating further comprises the amount of the payment application. 
     
     
         26 . A method of authenticating and authorizing a payment, comprising:
 selecting at least one mobile wireless communications instrument;   selecting at least one point-of-sale device;   operatively connecting the at least one mobile wireless communications instrument and the at least one point-of-sale device to a transaction matching subsystem,
 wherein the transaction matching subsystem confirms the location of the at least one mobile wireless communications instrument and the location of the at least one point-of-sale device. 
   
     
     
         27 . A method of authenticating and authorizing a payment as recited in  claim 26 , further comprising:
 automatically determining the location of the mobile wireless communications instrument; and   automatically determining the location of the point-of-sale device.   
     
     
         28 . A method of authenticating and authorizing a payment as recited in  claim 26 , further comprising automatically determining the location of a geographical boundary associated with one or more vendor locations. 
     
     
         29 . A method of authenticating and authorizing a payment as recited in  claim 26 , further comprising:
 automatically initiating a payment application as the mobile wireless communications instrument enters the geographical boundary around one or more vendor locations; or   automatically initiating a payment application as the mobile wireless communications instrument enters one or more vendor locations described by the name of vendor.   
     
     
         30 . A method of authenticating and authorizing a payment as recited in  claim 26 , further comprising manually initiating a payment application. 
     
     
         31 . A method of authenticating and authorizing a payment as recited in  claim 26 , further comprising matching the location data. 
     
     
         32 . A method of authenticating and authorizing a financial transaction across mobile wireless communications system, the method comprising:
 installing one or more data processing systems in a mobile wireless communications instrument;   connecting the mobile wireless communications instrument to a point-of-sale device and to the mobile wireless communications system;   determining the location of the mobile wireless communications instrument;   determining the location of the point-of-sale device;   initiating a payment application;   matching the location of the mobile wireless communications instrument and of the point-of-sale device with the payment application; and   approving the payment application.   
     
     
         33 . A method of authenticating and authorizing a financial transaction across mobile wireless communications system as recited in  claim 32 , further comprising connecting the mobile wireless communications instrument and the point-of-sale device to a transaction matching subsystem to receive, process and transmit information. 
     
     
         34 . A method of authenticating and authorizing a financial transaction across mobile wireless communications system as recited in  claim 33 , wherein installing one or more data processing systems in a mobile wireless communications instrument includes installing the one or more data processing systems in a cellular telephone. 
     
     
         35 . A method of authenticating and authorizing a financial transaction across mobile wireless communications system as recited in  claim 32 , wherein determining the location of the mobile wireless communications instrument includes:
 equipping the mobile wireless communications instrument to be operatively connectable to at least one SPS system; and   using the at least one SPS system to provide geographical coordinates of the cellular telephone.   
     
     
         36 . A method of authenticating and authorizing a financial transaction across mobile wireless communications system as recited in  claim 35 , wherein determining the location of the point-of-sale device includes one of:
 operatively connecting the point-of-sale device across the mobile wireless communications system to the at least one SPS system;   using the at least one SPS system to provide geographical coordinates of the point-of-sale device; or   using the at least one SPS system to provide geographical coordinates of a geographical area in which the point-of-sale device is located;   using the at least one SPS system to provide geographical coordinates of a vendor facility in which the point-of-sale device is located; or   using the at least one SPS system to provide the location of the point-of-sale device by relation to the name of a vendor wherever located.   
     
     
         37 . A method of authenticating and authorizing a financial transaction across mobile wireless communications system as recited in  claim 36 , wherein initiating a payment application includes one of:
 entering into the one or more data processing systems the identity of a plurality of vendors with which the user intends to conduct financial transactions;   entering into the one or more data processing systems user-selected security information;   automatically initiating a payment application when the mobile wireless communications instrument enters a vendor facility;   automatically initiating a payment application when the mobile wireless communications instrument enters the geographical area in which the point-of-sale device is located;   automatically initiating a payment application when the mobile wireless communications instrument is within a vendor facility in which the point-of-sale device is located;   automatically initiating a payment application when the mobile wireless communications instrument is within a vendor facility associated with the name of a vendor.   
     
     
         38 . A method of authenticating and authorizing a financial transaction across mobile wireless communications system as recited in  claim 37 , wherein matching the location of the mobile wireless communications instrument and of the point-of-sale device with the payment application includes:
 confirming the location data; and   confirming the payment sum.   
     
     
         39 . A method of authenticating and authorizing a financial transaction across mobile wireless communications system as recited in  claim 38 , wherein the approving the payment application includes:
 transmitting an instruction from the mobile wireless communications instrument to the point-of-sale device; and   the vendor accepting the combination of the location data and the payment sum to authenticate and authorize the financial transaction.   
     
     
         40 . A storage medium containing computer software encoded in machine-readable format for authenticating and authorizing a financial transaction, the computer software comprising:
 at least one instruction for automatically authenticating a payment application based on location data;   at least one instruction for automatically authorizing a payment application based on location data;   at least one instruction for automatically matching the location data and a payment sum;   at least one instruction for establishing a communications link between a mobile wireless communications instrument and a point-of-sale device; and   at least one instruction for repeating computer instructions.   
     
     
         41 . A storage medium containing computer software encoded in machine-readable format for authenticating and authorizing a financial transaction as recited in  claim 40 , wherein the location data includes the location of mobile wireless communications instrument. 
     
     
         42 . A storage medium containing computer software encoded in machine-readable format for authenticating and authorizing a financial transaction as recited in  claim 40 , wherein the location data includes the location of a vendor. 
     
     
         43 . A storage medium containing computer software encoded in machine-readable format for authenticating and authorizing a financial transaction as recited in  claim 40 , wherein the location data includes the location of a vendor's point-of-sale device.