Staged transaction system for mobile commerce

Abstract

Systems and methods for accepting payments for goods and services provided by a merchant. In one embodiment a method can be implemented by obtaining digital content; offering said digital content to a wireless telephone user; receiving payment information from said user for purchase of said digital content; processing said payment information so as to confirm payment for said digital content; and then downloading said digital content to said wireless telephone of said wireless telephone user. Optionally, the transaction may be staged by the consumer, or others.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A method of downloading digital content to a handheld wireless device, the method comprising:
 obtaining digital content at a digital content distributer computing system from a content provider;   generating an offer for the digital content with the digital content distributer computing system to advertise the digital content for the content provider;   transmitting over a wireless communication network, by the digital content distributer computing system, the offer for the digital content from the digital content distributer computing system to a handheld wireless device user by downloading code to the handheld wireless device that causes the offer to display on the handheld wireless device during operation of the code on the handheld wireless device;   receiving a transaction request from the user;   accessing, at the digital content distributer computing system, payment information associated with the user for purchase of the digital content;   electronically transmitting the payment information over a payment processing network to a payment processer;   sending at least a portion of a payment to the content provider; and   downloading the digital content directly from the digital content distributer computing system to the handheld wireless device of the handheld wireless device user via the wireless communication network.   
     
     
         3 . The method as claimed in  claim 2 , further comprising:
 electronically verifying an identify of the user prior to accessing the payment information.   
     
     
         4 . The method as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein:
 accessing the payment data comprises receiving the payment information from the handheld wireless device of the user.   
     
     
         5 . The method as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein:
 accessing the payment data comprises receiving the payment information from a computing device of the user that is distinct from the handheld wireless device.   
     
     
         6 . The method as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein:
 accessing the payment data comprises retrieving stored payment data and causing a payment account of the user to be credited.   
     
     
         7 . The method as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein:
 sending at least a portion of the payment to the content provider comprises transferring funds across an ATM network to an account of the content provider of the digital content.   
     
     
         8 . The method as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein:
 the wireless communication network comprises at least one of a local area network, a wide area network, a TCP/IP compliant virtual private network (VPN), a cellular telephone network.   
     
     
         9 . The method as claimed in  claim 2 , further comprising:
 receiving a transaction identifier from the user that corresponds to the transaction request;   storing the transaction requests in the consumer database;   associating the payment with the transaction request and transaction identifier and to establish a payment account with the digital content distributer computing system; and storing the payment account.   
     
     
         10 . The method as claimed in  claim 2  wherein:
 the digital content comprises at least one of a ring tone, a digital photograph, or software for a game that is executable on the handheld wireless device. 
 
     
     
         11 . A method of downloading digital content to a handheld wireless device of a user, the method comprising:
 obtaining digital content at a digital content distributer computing system from a content provider;   providing software from the digital content distributer computing system that provides communication between the content distributor system and the handheld wireless device over a wireless communication network so as to offer the digital content for the content provider;   generating an offer for the digital content with the digital content distributer computing system to advertise the digital content for the content provider;   transmitting, by the digital content distributer computing system over the wireless communication network via the software, the offer for the digital content from the digital content distributer computing system to the handheld wireless device of the user by downloading code to the handheld wireless device that causes the offer to display on the handheld wireless device during operation of the code on the handheld wireless device;   receiving a transaction request from the user, the transaction request comprising a transaction identifier;   storing the transaction request in a database;   accessing at the digital content distributer computing system payment information associated with the user for purchase of the digital content, including receiving the transaction identifier from the user that corresponds to the transaction request;   electronically transmitting the payment information over a payment processing network to a payment processer;   associating the payment with the transaction request and transaction identifier and to establish a payment account with the digital content distributer computing system;   storing the payment account; and   sending at least a portion of the payment to the content provider; and   downloading via the software, the digital content directly from the content provider to the handheld wireless device of the user, wherein the digital content is downloaded via the wireless communication network.   
     
     
         12 . The method of downloading digital content as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the obtaining digital content comprises:
 contracting with a plurality of digital content providers. 
 
     
     
         13 . The method of downloading digital content as claimed in  claim 11  further comprising:
 electronically verifying an identify of the user prior to accessing the payment information. 
 
     
     
         14 . The method of downloading digital content as claimed in  claim 11  wherein:
 electronically transmitting the payment information over a payment processing network to a payment processer comprises submitting a primary account number and card verification value of a credit card to a financial institution associated with the credit card. 
 
     
     
         15 . The method of downloading digital content as claimed in  claim 11  wherein:
 the transaction request is received from the handheld wireless device of the user. 
 
     
     
         16 . The method of downloading digital content as claimed in  claim 11  wherein:
 electronically transmitting the payment information over a payment processing network to a payment processer comprises submitting a primary account number associated with a debit card or a bank account of the user to a financial institution associated with the debit card or bank account. 
 
     
     
         17 . A system for downloading digital content onto a handheld wireless device, the system comprising:
 a digital content distributer computing system;   a digital content provider computing system configured to communicate with the digital content distributer computing system, wherein the digital content distributer computing system is distinct from the digital content provider computing system;   wherein the digital content distributer computing system is configured to:
 obtain digital content from the digital content provider computing system; 
 provide software to the handheld wireless device, the software providing communication between the digital content distributer computing system and the handheld wireless device over a wireless communication network so as to offer the digital content for the digital content provider computing system; 
 generate an offer for the digital content with the digital content distributer computing system to advertise the digital content for the digital content provider computing system; 
 transmit over the wireless communication network via the software, the offer for the digital content to the handheld wireless device by downloading code to the handheld wireless device that causes the offer to display on the handheld wireless device during operation of the code on the handheld wireless device; 
 receive a transaction request from the digital content provider computing system; 
 access payment information associated with the user for purchase of the digital content; 
 electronically transmit the payment information over a payment processing network to a payment processer; 
 send at least a portion of the payment to the first digital content provider computing system; and 
 cause the digital content to download via the software, directly from the digital content distributer computing system to the handheld wireless device via the wireless communication network. 
   
     
     
         18 . The system as claimed in  claim 17  wherein the digital content distributer computing system is further configured to:
 electronically verifying an identify of the user prior to accessing the payment information. 
 
     
     
         19 . The system as claimed in  claim 17  wherein:
 accessing the payment data comprises receiving the payment information from the handheld wireless device of the user. 
 
     
     
         20 . The system as claimed in  claim 17  wherein:
 accessing the payment data comprises receiving the payment information from a computing device of the user that is distinct from the handheld wireless device. 
 
     
     
         21 . The system as claimed in  claim 17  wherein:
 the payment information is associated with a credit card, debit card, or bank account associated with the user.