DE19913096A1 - Method and device for the electronic handling of purchase and sales transactions - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for the electronic processing of buying and selling transactions using public communication networks. An order data transfer is carried out by means of a personal computer (1) via a switching center (3). A menu-based billing access to the exchange, similar to the creation of a telephone bill, is used to pay for the goods or services provided, without the need to transfer security-relevant data over the Internet (5).

Description

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for electronic handling of purchase and sales transactions, the so-called electronic commerce, using public public communication networks, especially the Internet, 8 according to the preamble of patent claims 1 and 8.

It is known as the Internet accessible worldwide a comprehensive information network including products or services to order services that are offered there or to claim something.

The processing of the actual payment is problematic traffic according to order, d. H. after triggering the order gangs.

From Singleton, Cash on the Wirehead, BYTE, page 71, volume 20, No. 6 of June 1995, are several payment processing contracts drive known, all towards a credit card system decline, and in which different methods to encrypt data transmission is rarely used.

A payment has also already been proposed to secure approval by providing a supplementary confirmation required by phone.

US 5,794,221 shows an accounting process below Use of the internet. There, on the one hand, a Ver agreement between an internet provider and the customer and on the other hand, a corresponding regulation between the Provi and provided the seller or service provider. The Provider declares in this agreement that he is the customer against the invoice and for the payment settlement  responsible for the seller or service provider net. The provider himself creates network access for the customer the. The transaction information between seller and customer it goes to the provider at the same time, which then corresponds to the provider activities such as accounting and forwarding the received payment amount. For the claim the provider takes the services a commission.

The advantage of the known solution is that that it is not necessary for the customer to have an account number or the seller must disclose such personal data, causing an undesirable temporary presence of this Da excluded from the hardly controllable internet is.

However, it has been shown that in a method according to US 5,794,221 disadvantages arise in that the provider active in the process of accounting and payment compensation must intervene. Beyond that is an iden tification of the customer towards the provider is necessary, whereby it cannot be ruled out that third parties may use the Provi who reads and misuses this sensitive data can.

From the above, it is an object of the invention, a Ver drive and a device for electronic processing of Buying and selling, the so-called Electronic Com merce, using public communication networks, especially the Internet, specifying security when accessing the network and using services via the network should be increased without network providers with si security-related tasks.

The object of the invention is achieved with a Ver drive according to its definition according to claim 1 and  with a device for performing the method the features of claim 8.

Accordingly, the basic idea of the invention consists of based on a communication-capable device with a display or monitor, especially a personal computer, via egg Access node goods and / or services using In order ternet and these goods and / or services to settle electronically on the payment side, whereby the communication-capable end device via an exchange handle the order data transfer.

After confirmation of the order, that of the mediator provide outgoing access to the internet at least for a short time interrupted and there is a menu-based billing access to the switching center of the telecommunications network operator adjusted and / or set up. With the menu-based Ab The calculation process can then be carried out in the usual way Services for the use of telecommunications network the order within the respective terminal-related Telephony account file recorded on the invoice side and later be compared.

The design is done before the order and invoice a PIN (personnel Identification Number) entry and verification, d. H. a Authenticity check carried out.

By at least temporarily blocking access between the Internet and the operator can be an unauthorized access by a third party who monitors the order process has to be excluded. Of course there is also the possibility to keep the connection online and only as part of a so-called firewall function block external access.  

The order and invoice data are, for example, in one separate storage area of the telephony account file stored, where additional data such as information on the date and / or the specific type of goods or services can be.

The order and invoice data storage can be coded It is also conceivable to output the data on a encrypted usual telephony bill, z. B. based on To provide product or service codes.

From the recorded and saved order and invoice data Confirmation protocols are automatically generated to the service in a manner known per se via the Internet providers are transmitted. The confirmation logs contain However, no security-relevant information such as B. the PIN, a credit card account number or the like behavior.

In the respective exchange, after calling and Au Confirmation of the identity of a menu item by the staff Computer a data connection for telephony data acquisition computer, which is usually in the exchange Lich, is produced, the menu also during the On Line state of the personal computer and access to the In ternet can be activated, so that the user is already at Zu accessed a homepage of a service provider in a position is to activate a menu bar or the corresponding me to open the payment processing if desired to be taken care of automatically taking care that at the relevant moment the internet access is interrupted or the firewall security measure is activated.

To increase security, first the order data via the Internet to the end device, namely the Personal Com the computer is loaded and the order at the service provider is re registered. Then the is in a separate connection  Order-related amount of invoice data from the end device of the Memory transferred to the exchange and there to Au Identity check recorded in a debit file. The debito Renewal registration is then together with an identification license plate sent to the service provider as confirmation.

On the device side is a to perform the procedure communication-capable end device with display (Personal Compu ter) provided that over the telephone network with an operator communication center. The exchange is building Access to an inter net access computer (provider).

The exchange contains an internode module, whereby this when transferring data between the Internet access computer ner and the terminal incoming telephony data in a Display on or storage in the personal computer or terminal device suitable format, but also equally records derived from the Internet data transfer into a ver center format transformed. The internode module creates a kind of symbiosis between telephony traffic and di gital data transfer.

The invention is based on an embodiment as well a figure to be explained in more detail.

The figure shows a basic representation with regard to access to the Internet from a staff Computer.

The terminal, in particular a PC 1 , is connected to the public telephone network via a suitable modem or an interface. In the relevant service area, at least one switching center 3 is provided, which both sets up call-selected connections and records call times for subsequent billing.

A connection to an Internet access computer 4 , which is operated by a so-called provider, is established via the switching center 3 .

The Internet access computer 4 now enables access to the Internet symbolically represented by the reference symbol 5 .

In the exchange there is an internode module 6 which enables the performance of conventional telephone systems to be combined with the possibilities of Internet-capable personal computers. The internode enables network operators and users to use their existing infrastructure such as lines or switching systems for the World Wide Web systematically.

In particular, in the embodiment, the mediator Order data transfer center when used handled by internet services. Such an Inan For example, ordering goods or Services.

After confirmation of the order, the existing access from the switching center 3 via the access computer 4 or the access to the Internet is briefly interrupted or blocked for incoming data in order to optimize security. In the personal computer 1 , a menu-based billing access to the switching center 3 is then established or set up, in order to then use the customary processing of the services for the use of the telecommunications networks, eg. B. the call data acquisition solution, the order within a corresponding end-device-related telephony account file on the invoice side or to process the payment.

Of course, it is also expedient here for security reasons to carry out an authenticity check of the user or of the personal computer 1 , for example by B. a PIN entry and query is carried out. Furthermore, for verification purposes, the order and invoice data should be stored in a separate memory area of the telephony account file in the exchange or in a computer located there.

The user, who has used the Internet service via the personal computer 1 , then receives with the z. B. monthly telephone bill a request for payment for the ordered goods or services used.

In the described method it is excluded that personal Liche data such as B. credit card numbers, account details or the like are conducted over the Internet. The special one The problem with the Internet is that data and information mations on various node computers, but also on the Providers received for a long time and cached lead ben and that by channeling a variety of information There is always a risk that third parties will be targeted Query data and misuse it.

The order and invoice data, which are stored in the switching center 3 or a computer located there, are then used for the automatic creation of a confirmation protocol which is communicated to the service provider via the Internet. This notification can be made immediately after the order, but also at times with little traffic, so that the operator of the public telephone network 2 only incurs little additional costs.

In a further embodiment, the personal computer 1 activates a menu item or a menu after the call and confirmation of authenticity, and a connection to the switching center, ie a data connection to the telephony data acquisition computer, is established. Of course, the menu can also be activated during the online status of the personal computer and current access to the Internet, although the transfer of order data with the result of the creation of invoice data is only carried out after the Internet connection has been disconnected.

For this purpose, the order data can first be loaded onto the personal computer 1 via the Internet and the order can be registered with the service provider. Subsequently, a transfer of the invoice data belonging to the order from the personal computer 1 to the switching center 3 is then carried out with a separate connection and, after further authenticity checking, is recorded in a debit file. The customer entry is again confirmed separately by means of an identification mark towards the service provider.

The operator-side operator, e.g. B. the phone society, takes care of the invoice settlement to the ser vice provider or supplier after receipt of payment ver was drawn.

The solution presented has the advantage that security relevant personal data no longer via public Internet must be transmitted, which is essential Advantages in terms of security in payment transactions and the trust of users and customers in the payment system to adjust.

Claims (8)

1. A method for the electronic processing of purchase and sales transactions using public communication networks, in particular the Internet ( 5 ), using at least one communication-capable terminal ( 1 ) with a display, in particular a personal computer, via an access node ( 4 ) Goods and / or services ordered and these goods and / or services calculated electronically and settled on the payment side, characterized in that the at least one communication-capable terminal with display handles the order data transfer via a switching center ( 3 ), whereby after Confirmation of the order that access to the Internet from the switching office is interrupted or blocked for at least a short time and that a large number of account-based billing access to the switching center of the telephone network operator is established and / or set up so that the usual processing of the services for using the telephone can be established onnetzes to record the order on the invoice side in the respective terminal-related telephony account file. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized, that before entering the order and invoice data in the tele phone account file a PIN entry and verification mode running. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized, that the order and invoice data in a separate memory area of the telephony account file. 4. The method according to claim 3, characterized, that the order and invoice data storage is coded.   5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, since characterized by that automated from the recorded order and invoice data a confirmation protocol is created, which is sent via the In ternet is transmitted to the service provider. 6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized, that in the respective exchange after calling and Au Confirmation of the identity of a menu item using the commun cation-capable end devices, in particular personal computers, a data connection to the telephony data acquisition computer is produced, whereby the menu can also be State of the personal computer and access to the Internet can be activated. 7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized, that first the order data via the Internet to the end device loaded and the order registered with the service provider and then in a separate connection to the order associated invoice data from the terminal memory for Ver Transfer agency and there after authenticity check tion recorded in a debit file as well as the customer entry with an identifier as the service provider Confirmation is sent. 8. Device for performing the method according to one of claims 1 to 7 with a communication-capable terminal with display, in particular personal computer, which is connected via the telephone network to a switching center, the switching center building up access to an Internet access computer via a data line , characterized in that the switching center ( 3 ) has an internode module ( 6 ), which advises incoming telephony data during data transfer between the Internet access computer ( 4 ) and the terminal ( 1 ) for display purposes or storage in the terminal ( 1 ) suitable format and data records derived from Internet data transfer are transformed into a switching center format.