Email-based e-commerce

Abstract

An email payment gateway having electronic commerce (e-commerce) system may send advertisement emails to customers that are registered with the e-commerce system. The advertisement emails may include mailto hyperlinks. Each mailto hyperlink may be associated with a product that is being offered for sale, and each mailto hyperlink describes an email message that may be generated when that hyperlink is selected. When a mailto hyperlink is selected, the generated email message may include one or more parameters related to the product associated with the hyperlink, such as an identifier of the product. The generated email message may then be transmitted to the e-commerce system. The e-commerce system may receive the message and, based on the parameters in the received message, execute a transaction to purchase the identified product on behalf of the customer.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for improving security of an e-commerce transaction using Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), the method comprising:
 storing, by a processor of an e-commerce system, information in a database, wherein the information includes an identifier of a customer, and an email address of the customer;   transmitting, by the processor, an advertising email message to the email address of the customer via SMTP, wherein the advertising email message includes a mailto hyperlink that when activated generates an order email message;   receiving, by the processor, the order email message via SMTP, wherein the order email message indicates an order by the customer for a product identified in the advertising email message, wherein the order email message is addressed to an email address of the e-commerce system, and includes the identifier of the customer;   authenticating, by the processor, a sender of the order email message as the customer based on the information stored in the database; and   on a condition that the sender is authenticated as the customer, performing, by the processor, an order execution procedure based on the order email message, wherein the order execution procedure includes purchasing the product for the customer.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the order execution procedure includes:
 transmitting, by the processor, one or more messages to a payment processing system.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 storing, by the processor, credit card information of the customer in the database;   wherein the one or more messages include the credit card information of the customer, and   wherein the payment processing system is a payment gateway that is operated by an acquiring financial institution.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the order execution procedure includes:
 transmitting, by the processor, one or more messages to an order fulfillment system.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 on a condition that the sender is not authenticated as the customer, performing an order confirmation procedure.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the order confirmation procedure includes:
 transmitting, by the processor, a confirmation email message via SMTP that solicits the customer to confirm the order email message, wherein the confirmation email message is addressed to the email address of the customer, and includes a second mailto hyperlink, wherein the second mailto hyperlink includes: a second destination address field that indicates the email address of the e-commerce system; and
 a second body field that indicates a second email body that includes an order identifier associated with the order email message; 
   receiving, by the processor, a confirmation response email message in response to the confirmation email message via SMTP, wherein the confirmation response email message is addressed to the email address of the e-commerce system, and a body of the confirmation response email message includes the order identifier and response information that indicates whether the order is confirmed or canceled; and   performing, by the processor, the order execution procedure when the response information that indicates that the order is confirmed.   
     
     
         7 . An e-commerce system that improves security of an e-commerce transaction using Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), the e-commerce system comprising:
 a memory that stores a database of information, wherein the database includes an identifier of a customer and an email address of the customer;   a network interface; and   a processor that is communicatively coupled to the memory and the network interface,   wherein the processor configured to:   transmit, using the network interface, an advertising email message, to the email address of the customer via SMTP, wherein the advertising email message includes a mailto hyperlink that when activated generates an order email message, receive, using the network interface, the order email message via SMTP, wherein the order email message indicates an order by the customer for a product identified in the advertising email message, wherein the order email message is addressed to an email address of the e-commerce system, and includes the identifier of the customer;   authenticate, using the memory a sender of the order email message as the customer based on the database, and   on a condition that the sender is authenticated as the customer, perform an order execution procedure based on the order email message, wherein the order execution procedure includes purchasing the product for the customer.   
     
     
         8 . The e-commerce system of  claim 7 , wherein the order execution procedure includes:
 transmitting, by the processor, one or more messages to a payment processing system using the network interface.   
     
     
         9 . The e-commerce system of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the database stores credit card information of the customer;   the one or more messages include the credit card information of the customer; and   the payment processing system is a payment gateway that is operated by an acquiring financial institution.   
     
     
         10 . The e-commerce system of  claim 7 , wherein the order execution procedure includes:
 transmitting, by the processor, one or more messages to an order fulfillment system using the network interface.   
     
     
         11 . The e-commerce system of  claim 7 , wherein on a condition that the sender is not authenticated as the customer, the processor is further configured to perform an order confirmation procedure. 
     
     
         12 . The e-commerce system of  claim 11 , wherein the order confirmation procedure includes:
 transmitting, by the processor using the network interface via SMTP, a confirmation email message that solicits the customer to confirm the order email message, wherein the confirmation email message is addressed to the email address of the customer, and includes a second mailto hyperlink, wherein the second mailto hyperlink includes:
 a second destination address field that indicates the email address of the e-commerce system; and 
 a second body field that indicates a second email body that includes an order identifier associated with the order email message; 
   receiving, by the processor using the network interface, a confirmation response email message in response to the confirmation email message via SMTP, wherein the confirmation response email message is addressed to the email address of the e-commerce system, and a body of the confirmation response email message includes the order identifier and response information that indicates whether the order is confirmed or canceled; and performing, by the processor, the order execution procedure when the response information indicates that the order is confirmed.   
     
     
         13 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having processor-executable instructions stored thereon which, that when executed by a processor of an e-commerce system, cause the processor to perform a method that improves security of an e-commerce transaction by using Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), the method comprising:
 storing, by the processor, information in a database, wherein the information includes an identifier of a customer and an email address of the customer;   transmitting, by the processor, an advertising email message to the email address of the customer via SMTP, wherein the advertising email message includes a mailto hyperlink that when activated generates an order email message;   receiving, by the processor, the order email message via SMTP, wherein the order email message indicates an order by the customer for a product identified in the advertising email message, wherein the order email message is addressed to an email address of the e-commerce system, and the identifier of the customer;   authenticating, by the processor, a sender of the order email message as the customer based on the information stored in the database; and   on a condition that the sender is authenticated as the customer, performing, by the processor, an order execution procedure based on the order email message, wherein the order execution procedure includes purchasing the product for the customer.   
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein the order execution procedure includes:
 transmitting, by the processor, one or more messages to a payment processing system.   
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein
 the database further stores credit card information of the customer;   the one or more messages include the credit card information of the customer, and   the payment processing system is a payment gateway that is operated by an acquiring financial institution.   
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein the order execution procedure includes:
 transmitting, by the processor, one or more messages to an order fulfillment system.   
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises:
 on a condition that the sender is not authenticated as the customer, performing an order confirmation procedure.   
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 17 , wherein the order confirmation procedure includes:
 transmitting, by the processor, a confirmation email message via SMTP that solicits the customer to confirm the order email message, wherein the confirmation email message is addressed to the email address of the customer, and includes a second mailto hyperlink, wherein the second mailto hyperlink includes:   a second destination address field that indicates the email address of the e-commerce system; and
 a second body field that indicates a second email body that includes an order identifier associated with the order email message; 
   receiving, by the processor, a confirmation response email message to the confirmation email message via SMTP, wherein the confirmation response email message is addressed to the email address of the e-commerce system, and a body of the confirmation response email message includes the order identifier and response information that indicates whether the order is confirmed or canceled; and   performing, by the processor, the order execution procedure when the response information indicates that the order is confirmed.