Systems and methods to approve electronic payments

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided to facilitate online transactions via mobile communications. In one aspect, a system includes a data storage facility to store an account identifier of a user and a phone number of the user and an interchange coupled with the data storage facility. The interchange includes a common format processor and a plurality of converters to interface with a plurality of different controllers of mobile communications. The converters are configured to communicate with the common format processor in a common format and to communicate with the controllers in different formats. The interchange uses the converters to communicate with the mobile phone of a user to confirm the identity of the user using a user terminal separate from the mobile phone for subsequent payment requests from the user terminal to be fulfilled using the account identifier.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:
 communicating by a server computer with a user terminal over a data communications network;   confirming an identity of the user of the user terminal prior to the user submitting a payment request to the server computer from the user terminal over the data communications network;   receiving the payment request from the user terminal, the payment request including a telephone number of the user;   approving the payment request based on the confirming of the identity of the user; and   processing the payment request using funds associated with the telephone number.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the confirming the identity of the user comprises:
 transmitting a first code to a device at the telephone number of the user;   receiving a second code from the user terminal; and   matching the first code and the second code to confirm the identity of the user.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the first code is transmitted to the device at the telephone number of the user via short message service (SMS). 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the confirming the identity of the user comprises:
 providing a first code to the user terminal;   receiving a second code from an apparatus at the telephone number of the user; and   matching the first code and the second code to confirm the identity of the user.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the apparatus comprises a mobile phone, and the second code is received from the mobile phone via short message service (SMS). 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the confirming the identity of the user comprises:
 receiving the telephone number of the user from the user terminal;   transmitting a first code to a mobile device at the telephone number of the user;   receiving a second code from the mobile device at the telephone number; and   matching the first code and the second code to confirm the identity of the user.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the confirming of the identity of the user is performed in connection with a separate payment request received from the user terminal. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the confirming of the identity of the user is performed in connection with a plurality of separate payment requests received from the user terminal. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the approving is further based on matching the payment request with a pattern of the separate payment requests. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the pattern is based at least in part on time instance of the payment request. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the pattern is based at least in part on payee of the payment request. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the pattern is based at least in part on payment amount. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the confirming the identity of the user includes:
 obtaining an advance approval from a telephone at the telephone number of the user, wherein the approving the request is based at least in part on the advance approval.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the advance approval includes at least one of: a time limit for expiration of the advance approval, a budget limit for the advance approval, and a limit on payees for the advance approval. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the advance approval is associated with the user terminal. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the processing the payment request using the funds associated with the telephone number comprises transmitting premium messages to a mobile phone at the telephone number to collect the funds 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the processing the payment request using the funds associated with the telephone number comprises receiving premium messages from a mobile phone at the telephone number to collect the funds. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the processing the payment request using the funds associated with the telephone number comprises determining an account identifier stored and associated with the telephone number on the server to charge the user using the account identifier, wherein the account identifier includes at least one of: a credit card number, a bank account number, and a charge card number. 
     
     
         19 . A computer-readable storage media storing instructions, the instructions causing a computer to perform a method, the method comprising:
 communicating by a server computer with a user terminal over a data communications network;   confirming an identity of the user of the user terminal prior to the user submitting a payment request to the server computer from the user terminal over the data communications network;   receiving the payment request from the user terminal, the payment request including a telephone number of the user;   approving the payment request based on the confirming of the identity of the user; and   processing the payment request using funds associated with the telephone number.   
     
     
         20 . A system, comprising:
 a data storage facility to store and associate an account identifier of a user with a telephone number of the user; and   an interchange coupled with the data storage facility, the interchange including a common format processor and a plurality of converters to interface with a plurality of controllers, the converters configured to communicate with the controllers in different formats, the converters to communicate with the common format processor in a common format, the common format processor to instruct a first controller of the controllers, via a first converter of the converters, to communicate with a telephone at the telephone number of the user to confirm an identity of the user of a user terminal separate from the telephone, subsequent to confirming the identity of the user, the interchange to receive a payment request including the phone number of the user from the user terminal, the interchange to approve the payment request based at least in part on the confirming of the identity of the user and to process the payment request using the account identifier stored and associated with the telephone number on the data storage facility.