HK1025445A - Process for remote paying, by means of a mobile radio telephone, the acquisition of a good and/or a service, and corresponding system and mobile radio telephone - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for paying at a distance, by means of a mobile radiotelephone, for the purchase of goods and/or services.

It applies to all types of mobile radiotelephones, i.e. both those with only one terminal and those with a terminal cooperating with a subscriber identification module.

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Various electronic payment methods and systems have already been proposed.

The patent EP 451 057 B1, published on 9 October 1991, describes a process and system implementing a payment server.The solution proposed in this patent involves the use of a card that emits a voice identification signal.This signal is received by the microphone of the telephone and then transmitted to the payment server.

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For the purposes of the present invention, it is assumed that payment for goods or services at a distance by means of a mobile radio telephone is made over a closed-type radio communication network.

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However, since a closed radio network does not belong to the category of open computer telecommunications networks, the solution advocated in application WO 96/32701 cannot be applied to the problem raised by the invention (namely payment for goods or services at a distance by means of a mobile radiotelephone).

The present invention is specifically intended to provide a method for remote payment, in a secure manner, by means of a mobile radio telephone, for a good and/or service purchased by a buyer from a supplier.

The invention also aims to provide such a payment method that minimizes the buyer's intervention while providing optimum security.

These various purposes, and others which will appear later, are achieved according to the invention by means of a method for making secure distance payments by means of a mobile radio telephone used by a purchaser, a good and/or service purchased by that purchaser from a supplier, that mobile radio telephone allowing access to a radio network managed by a management centre, a payment server being connected to that radio network, that method consisting of the following step: identification of that purchaser by that management centre and/or by that payment server and/or control centre, that identification of the purchaser consisting in making sure that the purchaser is a regular subscriber on a list of subscribers to that radio network.---

Thus, at the end of this step of identification of the purchaser, the payment server manager is assured that the purchaser is lawfully part of the radio network to which the payment server is connected.

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Preferably, this stage of buyer identification itself comprises the following successive steps: subscriber identification, enabling that management centre and/or that payment server and/or that control centre to be provided with a subscriber identifier specific to that purchaser, as a user of that radiocommunication network;subscriber authentication, enabling that management centre and/or that payment server and/or that control centre to control that subscriber identifier, which was provided to them during that subscriber identification step.

Thus, during the first step of identifying the buyer, the advantage is taken that in a closed radio network (e.g. GSM type), the subscriber must be identified and authenticated by the charging operator to avoid fraud and ensure that the billing is correct.

Preferably, the subscriber authentication step itself shall include the following steps: the provision of a random number to that mobile radiotelephone by that management centre and/or that payment server and/or that control centre;generation of an electronic subscriber signature by that mobile radiotelephone: * with an individual authentication algorithm and/or an individual authentication key contained in protected areas of the mobile radiotelephone, and* from that random number;transmission of said subscriber electronic signature to that management centre and/or said payment server and/or said control centre, via the mobile radiotelephone;control of said subscriber electronic signature by said management centre and/or said payment server and/or said control centre.

Thus, the subscriber authentication procedure provided for in the GSM standard is used at the buyer identification stage. It is important to note that the subscriber authentication procedure should not be confused with the buyer authentication procedure.

Preferably, that process shall also include a step of authentication of that purchaser, and possibly of a decision to purchase the goods and/or services acquired by the purchaser, by that purchaser and/or a management centre and/or by that payment server and/or by that control centre.

Thus, at the end of this buyer authentication step, the payment server manager is assured that the buyer is entitled to pay for the purchased goods and/or services and can therefore authorise or have clearing between the buyer's account and the supplier's account.

In a preferential embodiment of the invention, the buyer authentication step, and possibly the purchase decision, itself comprises the following steps:generation of a buyer electronic signature by mobile radiotelephone;transmission of the buyer electronic signature to the management centre and/or the payment server and/or the control centre by mobile radio;control of the buyer electronic signature by the management centre and/or the payment server and/or the control centre, the buyer electronic signature being kept at the disposal of the buyer and the supplier.

In a beneficial variant, this stage of authentication of the buyer, and possibly of the purchase decision, itself includes the following steps: the buyer enters a confidential payment code into the mobile radiotelephone by means of a keyboard associated with the mobile radiotelephone;the secure transmission of that confidential payment code to the management centre and/or the payment server and/or the control centre by means of the mobile radiotelephone;the control of that confidential payment code by the management centre and/or the payment server and/or the control centre.

In this case, it is not necessary to compute a signature, but for example, a transmission in encrypted form.

It is advantageous that this step of authentication of the buyer, and possibly of the purchase decision, also includes a step of entering a confidential payment code into the mobile radio by the buyer using a keyboard associated with the mobile radio; this electronic buyer signature is generated in particular by means of that confidential payment code.

This step, which is optional, increases the security of the buyer's authentication.

Two advantageous ways of implementing this step of introducing the confidential payment code can be envisaged.

In the first variant, this step is carried out by means of an input algorithm stored in the mobile radiotelephone. Thus, in the first variant, the radiotelephone provides the permanent storage (in the terminal and/or the subscriber identification module) of the input algorithm. It therefore requires some adaptations within the radiotelephone (in the terminal and/or the subscriber identification module).

In the second variant, this step is carried out using at least one downloaded page, in HDML or equivalent format, and provided for this purpose.

Preferably, this step of generating a buyer electronic signature shall be carried out with a payment security algorithm and/or a payment security key contained in protected areas of the mobile radiotelephone, and from transaction data and/or buyer data.

It should be noted that the electronic buyer signature can authenticate either only the buyer or the buyer and the purchase decision, depending on whether or not it takes into account transaction data. It can arbitrate any disputes between the buyer and/or the supplier and/or the payment server. It is essential in the event of a dispute.

The data for the transaction are available in the following format:

The advantage is that the payment security algorithm and/or the payment security key are stored in protected areas of the terminal, or in a more advantageous variant, in protected areas of the subscriber identification module.

It is advantageous that this procedure also includes the following step: unlocking the mobile radio telephone, in the event of a positive comparison of a confidential identification code, contained in protected areas of the mobile radio, with a secret code, known to the buyer and entered by the latter into the mobile radio telephone by means of a keyboard.

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Preferably, at least some of these protected areas of mobile radio are included in a subscriber identification module.

For security reasons and in order to make the terminal as independent as possible from the user, it is preferable to confine as much personal and confidential information as possible (algorithm and individual authentication key, payment security algorithm and key, etc.) to the subscriber identification module.

The advantage of this method is that it also includes the following step: encryption of data relating to the settlement of the purchase of goods and/or services, exchanged between the mobile radio and the management centre and/or the payment server and/or control centre, so that the confidentiality of the purchase is ensured.

The advantage of this method is that it also includes the following step: checking the integrity of the data relating to the settlement of the purchase of goods and/or services exchanged between the mobile radio and the management centre and/or the payment server and/or control centre, so that a fraudster has no possibility of altering the data.

In a preferential embodiment of the invention, the purchaser is associated with an electronic portfolio comprising: a wallet identifier, associated with a subscriber identifier unique to that purchaser as a user of that radiocommunication network;of means of payment;of information relating to that purchaser and/or to that purchaser's account; the use of such means of payment, in particular when purchasing goods and/or services, is only authorised after the buyer has been successfully identified and, where appropriate, authenticated.

The identification and eventual authentication of the buyer can thus be seen as identification and eventual authentication of the buyer's e-wallet. Several cases can be envisaged, such as: a subscriber (and a corresponding subscriber identification module) is associated with a single e-wallet; several subscribers (and thus the different corresponding subscriber identification modules) share the same e-wallet (as for example a company holding the portfolio); a subscriber (and a corresponding subscriber identification module) is associated with several e-wallets.

It should be noted that, due to the correlation between the wallet ID and the subscriber ID (the subscriber being the buyer), the identification of the buyer (as a subscriber) provides an implicit identification of the e-wallet of the buyer.

After identification and, where appropriate, authentication, the purchaser can effectively use the means of payment included in his electronic wallet.

It is advantageous that the electronic wallet also includes a confidential payment code, known to the purchaser, which, when entered by the purchaser on the radiotelephone keyboard, can be used to calculate the electronic signature of the purchaser, which allows the purchaser to be authenticated and, where necessary, the purchase decision.

Preferably, that electronic wallet shall be stored in one of the elements of the group comprising that terminal, that subscriber identification module, that payment server, that management centre and that control centre.

In other words, various locations of the electronic wallet can be considered without going beyond the scope of the present invention.

The invention also relates to a system for remote payment, in a secure manner, by means of a mobile radio telephone used by a buyer, of a good and/or service purchased by the buyer from a supplier.

The invention also relates to a mobile radio telephone used by a buyer to pay remotely, in a secure manner, for a good and/or service purchased by the buyer from a supplier.

This system and the radiotelephone of the invention include means of implementing the above process.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the various embodiments of the invention, given as an indicative and non-limiting example, and the attached drawings, in which: Figure 1 gives a schematic overview of a particular implementation of a system according to the invention; Figure 2 gives a diagrammatic view, in the form of a block diagram, of a particular implementation of a mobile radio telephone according to the invention; Figure 3 gives a diagrammatic view, in the form of a block diagram, of a particular implementation of a management centre according to the invention; Figure 4 gives a diagrammatic view, in the form of a block diagram, of a particular implementation of a payment server according to the invention; Figure 5 gives a diagrammatic view of the phases of the acquisition of a particular good and/or service; Figure 6 gives a simplified organisational diagram of a particular implementation of a process; Figure 7 gives an electronic view, in the form of a portfolio diagram, of the invention.

The invention therefore concerns a process, and a system and a corresponding mobile radiotelephone, which enable a buyer to pay remotely, by means of a mobile radiotelephone, for the purchase of a good and/or service.

In the particular embodiment shown in Figure 1, the system consists of a mobile radiotelephone 1 which provides access via a frequency link 3 to a radio network 5 (e.g. a GSM network) operated by a management centre 6.

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The system enables a purchaser 2 with mobile radio 1 and therefore assumed here to be also a subscriber registered with the operator of the radio network 5 to pay at a distance in a secure manner for a good and/or service purchased from a supplier 7 with the remote sales server 8.

In the particular embodiment shown in Figure 2, mobile radio 1 includes a terminal 20 cooperating with a SIM card 23. However, it is clear that the present invention also applies to a radio telephone consisting of a single terminal (i.e. not including a subscriber identification module).

As is well known, terminal 20 includes, for example, a communication management module 21 and an information processing module 29, around which a keyboard 24, a display screen 26, a speaker 27, a microphone 28 and radio transmitting/receiving means 29a (including an antenna) are interconnected.

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Step 62 of buyer identification 2 is, according to the present invention, to identify and authenticate the subscriber who is the buyer when using the radiotelephone. Subscriber ID 23a, or IMSI in GSM terminology, is typically stored in the SIM card 23;subscriber authentication (62b), allowing the management centre to control the subscriber ID provided to it in step 62a of subscriber identification.

It should be noted that the buyer identification step (consisting of identification and authentication of the subscriber) is carried out automatically, i.e. does not require any intervention by the buyer.

It is also important to note that step 62b of subscriber authentication should not be confused with step 63 of buyer authentication, which is described in detail below, because the authentication of the subscriber (i.e. the buyer) is only involved in the identification of the buyer.

Err1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 142 (char 141)Err1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 109 (char 108)In addition, GSM technology allows for independent authentication of communication based on network topology (at the establishment, during a handover, etc.).

In summary, after completing step 62 of buyer identification, the operator 4a of the payment server 4 is assured that the holder 2 of mobile radio 1 (i.e. the buyer in this case) is regularly registered on the subscriber list and is therefore lawfully part of the radio network to which the payment server 4 is connected.

Step 62 of buyer identification may be followed by step 63 of buyer authentication. The task of the payment server 4 manager 4a is to ensure that buyer 2 with mobile radio 1 at the time of settlement is eligible to pay for the purchased goods and/or services. If this is the case, the payment server manager may then authorise or have clearing between buyer 2 and supplier 7 accounts.

In a particular mode of production, this step 63 of buyer authentication comprises the following steps: (optional) the buyer enters a confidential payment code into mobile radio 1 by means of keyboard 24. This entry is carried out, for example, by means of an input algorithm stored in the mobile radio (in the SIM card 23 or in terminal 20) or, depending on the variant, by means of one or more downloaded pages, in HDML or equivalent format, and provided for this purpose; generation of an electronic signature of the buyer by the mobile radio: * with a 23d algorithm and a 23rd payment security key contained in protected areas 23 of mobile radiotelephony (i.e. in terminal 20,In addition, the transaction data may include elements providing variability on the signature (such as the time of the transaction, a random number, a serial number of the transaction, etc.);transmission of the buyer's electronic signature to the payment server 4 by mobile radiotelephone 1;control, in a 42 control module included in the payment server 4,The electronic signature of the buyer is kept at the disposal of the buyer 2 and the supplier 7. This check can also be carried out by the subscriber management centre 6 or by the control centre (not represented). In the former case, the subscriber management centre 6 includes an authentication module 33 of the radiophone holders subscribing to the remote payment service.

The process of this particular implementation (as an example) of the buyer authentication step is now summarised in relation to the lower part of Figure 5. Buyer 2 sends a purchase request 53 to the vendor's sales server 8. It receives in return the data on the price of the good and/or service 54. The buyer then makes a purchase decision 55. At the same time, the computing means (typically a microprocessor) of the mobile radio calculates a buyer's electronic signature. Mobile radio 1 transmits, by means of transmission 29a, the purchase decision and the buyer's electronic signature from one server (reference arrow 55) to the other server (reference arrow 85) and from the vendor to the payment server (reference arrow 75) 4.Err1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 452 (char 451)The buyer's electronic signatures shall be stored by a storage module 44 of the payment server 4 and shall be kept at the disposal of the buyer and the supplier.

It is clear that if the control (or certification) of the buyer's electronic signature is carried out by the subscriber management centre 6 or by the control centre (not represented), then this (these) includes control, acknowledgement and storage modules of the type of those 42, 43 and 44 described above for the payment server 4.

In a simpler variant, step 63 of the buyer authentication and possibly of the purchase decision itself includes the following steps: the buyer enters a confidential payment code into the mobile radiotelephone 1 by means of a keyboard 24 connected to the mobile radiotelephone; this entry step is carried out, for example, by means of an input algorithm stored in the mobile radiotelephone (in the SIM card 23 or in terminal 20) or, depending on the variant, by means of one or more downloaded pages, in HDML or equivalent format, provided for this purpose; secure transmission of the confidential payment code to the payment server 4 by means of the mobile radiotelephone; control of the confidential payment code by the payment server 4 (consisting, for example, of checking that the confidential payment code actually belongs to a pre-determined list of validated payment codes).

Regardless of the method of execution chosen, at the end of step 63 of the buyer authentication, the payment server 4 operator 4a is assured that the buyer 2 with the mobile radio 1 at the time of settlement is entitled to pay for the purchased goods and/or services.

According to the present invention, the radiotelephone 1 includes, for example, in the communication management module 21, various means necessary for the implementation of the various steps of the process as described above (through several embodiments and variants).

The means of communication management and/or the means of information processing 29 of mobile radiotelephone 1 may also contain means 291 which allow the data relating to the settlement of the purchase of goods and/or services exchanged between mobile radiotelephone 1 and/or the management centre 6 and/or the payment server 4 and/or the control centre to be encrypted in a way that is known to itself.

The information processing facilities 29 of mobile radio 1 may also contain facilities 292 which allow, in a self-evident way, the control of the integrity of data relating to the settlement of the purchase of goods and/or services exchanged between mobile radio 1 and/or the management centre 6 and/or the payment server 4 and/or the control centre.

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The use of payment methods 73 , in particular when buying a good and/or a service, is only allowed after the buyer has been successfully identified and, if necessary, authenticated 2.

Various storage locations for this e-wallet can be envisaged, namely in terminal 20, in SIM card 23, in payment server 4, in management centre 6 or in the control centre (not represented).

Claims (22)

1. A process for making secure distance payments by means of a mobile radiotelephone (1) used by a purchaser (2), for goods and/or services purchased by the purchaser from a supplier (7), where the mobile radiotelephone (5) is operated by a management centre (6), and a payment server (4) is connected to the radio network (5), characterised by the following step: - What?

   - identification (62) of the purchaser (2) by the management centre (6) and/or the payment server (4) and/or control centre, the identification of the purchaser being to ensure that the purchaser is a regular subscriber on a list of subscribers to the radio network (5).
2. Procedure according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that the said step (62) of buyer identification itself comprises the following successive steps: - What?

   - subscriber identification (62a), enabling the management centre (6) and/or the payment server (4) and/or the control centre to be provided with a subscriber identifier (IMSI; 23a; 50) specific to the purchaser as a user of the radiocommunication network;

   - subscriber authentication (62b), enabling the management centre (6) and/or the payment server (4) and/or the control centre to check the subscriber identifier provided to them at the subscriber identification step (62a).
3. Procedure according to claim 2, characterised by the fact that the said step (63) of subscriber authentication itself comprises the following steps: - What?

   - provision of a random number (51a) to the mobile radiotelephone by the said management centre and/or said payment server and/or said control centre;

   - the generation of an electronic subscriber signature (51b) by the said mobile radiotelephone: - What?

   * with an individual authentication algorithm (23b) and/or an individual authentication key (23c) contained in protected areas (23) of the mobile radio (1), and

   * from that random number;

   - transmission of the electronic signature of the subscriber to the management centre and/or the payment server and/or the control centre by mobile radiotelephone;

   - the control of the electronic signature of the subscriber by the management centre and/or the payment server and/or the control centre.
4. Processed according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterised by the fact that the process also includes the following step: - What?

   - authentication (63) of the purchaser (2), and possibly of a decision to purchase the goods and/or services acquired by the purchaser (2), by the purchaser and/or a management centre (6) and/or by the payment server (4) and/or control centre.
5. Procedure according to claim 4, characterised by the fact that the said step of authentication of the buyer, and possibly of the purchase decision, itself comprises the following steps: - What?

   - the generation of an electronic buyer signature by mobile radiotelephone;

   - transmission (29a) of the electronic signature of the purchaser to the management centre and/or the payment server and/or the control centre by mobile radio;

   - control (42) of the buyer's electronic signature by the management centre and/or the payment server (4) and/or the control centre, the buyer's electronic signature being kept (43, 44) at the disposal of the buyer and the supplier.
6. Procedure according to claim 4, characterised by the fact that the said step of authentication of the buyer, and possibly of the purchase decision, itself comprises the following steps: - What?

   - the buyer enters a confidential payment code into the mobile radiotelephone (1) by means of a keyboard (24) connected to the mobile radiotelephone (1),

   - the transmission of that confidential payment code to the management centre and/or the payment server and/or the control centre by mobile radiotelephone in a secure manner;

   - control of the confidential payment code by the said management centre and/or said payment server (4) and/or said control centre.
7. Proceeded according to claim 5, characterised by the fact that the said step of authentication of the buyer, and possibly of the purchase decision, also includes the following preliminary step: - What?

   - the buyer enters a confidential payment code into the mobile radiotelephone (1) by means of a keyboard (24) connected to the mobile radiotelephone (1), and the buyer's electronic signature is generated in particular by means of that confidential payment code.
8. Proceeded according to any of claims 6 and 7, characterised by the fact that the step of entering the confidential payment code is carried out by means of an input algorithm stored in the mobile radio.
9. Proceeded according to any of claims 6 and 7, characterised by the fact that the said step of introducing the confidential payment code is performed using at least one downloaded page, in HDML or equivalent format, and provided for that purpose.
10. Proceeded according to any of claims 5 and 7 to 9, characterised by the fact that the said step of generating a buyer's electronic signature is carried out: - What?

    - with a payment security algorithm (23d) and/or a payment security key (23e) contained in protected areas (23) of the mobile radio (1), and

    - from transaction data and/or data relating to the buyer.
11. Proceeded according to claim 10, characterised by at least some of the transaction data including variability.
12. Proceeded according to any of claims 10 and 11, said mobile radiotelephone (1) comprising a terminal (20) cooperating with a subscriber identification module (23) characterised by the said payment security algorithm and/or said payment security key being stored in protected areas of said terminal.
13. Proceeded according to any of claims 10 and 11, said mobile radiotelephone (1) comprising a terminal (20) cooperating with a subscriber identification module (23), characterised by the said payment security algorithm (23d) and/or said payment security key (23e) being stored in protected areas of said subscriber identification module.
14. Processed according to any of claims 1 to 13, characterized by the fact that it includes in addition the following step: - What?

    - unlocking (61) the mobile radio (1) in the event of a positive comparison of a confidential identification code (PIN) contained in protected areas (23) of the mobile radio (1) with a secret code known to the purchaser and entered by the latter into the mobile radio by means of a keyboard (24).
15. Proceeded according to any of claims 3, 10 and 12, said mobile radio (1) comprising a terminal (20) cooperating with a subscriber identification module (23), characterised by at least some of the said protected areas of the mobile radio (1) being included in said subscriber identification module.
16. Processed according to any of claims 1 to 15, characterised by the fact that it also includes the following step: - What?

    - encryption (291) of data relating to the settlement of the purchase of goods and/or services exchanged between the mobile radiotelephone and the management centre and/or the payment server and/or control centre, so that the confidentiality of the purchase is ensured.
17. Processed according to any of claims 1 to 16, characterised by the fact that it also includes the following step: - What?

    - control (292) of the integrity of data relating to the settlement of the purchase of goods and/or services exchanged between the mobile radio and the management centre and/or the payment server and/or control centre, so that a fraudster has no possibility of altering such data.
18. Proceeded according to any of claims 1 to 17, characterised by the fact that the purchaser is associated with an electronic wallet (70) comprising: - What?

    - a portfolio identifier (71) associated with a subscriber identifier (IMSI ; 23a ; 50) unique to that purchaser as a user of that radio network;

    - means of payment (73, 73a, 73b, 73c);

    - information (74) on the buyer and/or the buyer's account; the use of such means of payment (73), particularly when purchasing goods and/or services, is only permitted after identification (62) and, if necessary, successful authentication (63) of the buyer.
19. Proceeded according to claim 18, characterised by the fact that the said e-wallet (70) also includes: - What?

    - a confidential payment code (72) known to the purchaser.
20. Proceeded according to any of claims 18 and 19, said mobile radio telephone (1) comprising a terminal (20) cooperating with a subscriber identification module (23), characterised by the said electronic wallet (70) being stored in one of the elements belonging to the group comprising: - What?

    - the said terminal (20);

    - the subscriber identification module (23);

    - the payment server (4);

    - the management centre (6);

    - said control center.
21. A system for making secure distance payments by means of a mobile radiotelephone (1) used by a purchaser (2), for goods and/or services purchased by that purchaser from a supplier (7), for a mobile radiotelephone allowing access to a radio communications network (5) managed by a management centre (6), for a payment server (4) being connected to that radio communications network, characterised by the fact that the system includes means for implementing the process in any of claims 1 to 20.
22. Mobile radiotelephone (1) used by a buyer to pay at a distance, in a secure manner, for a good and/or service purchased by that buyer (2) from a supplier (7), mobile radiotelephone (5) managed by a management centre (6) with a payment server (4) connected to that radio network, The Commission has not yet decided whether to initiate proceedings in respect of the application of Article 3 (1) of Regulation No 40/94 in respect of the use of the radiotelephone.