Patent ID: 8249982
Filing Date: 2012-08-21
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: providing at least one electronic payment system that, with at least one electronic processor, enables—storing in a memory information indicative of a plurality of payment accounts; receiving, in conjunction with a purchase by a buyer using a personal computing device in the purchase from a first merchant of content displayed on a display of the personal computing device, a mobile telephone number that corresponds to the buyer, wherein the buyer is an accountholder associated with a payment account of said plurality of payment accounts; receiving, in conjunction with said purchase by the buyer from the first merchant, information identifying a monetary amount corresponding to the price to be paid for the content being purchased by the buyer from the first merchant; electronically transmitting, to a mobile communications device of the buyer, information to which the buyer must respond to authorize the purchase by the buyer from the first merchant, wherein the personal computing device is a first device and the mobile communications device is a second device, wherein said mobile communications device of the buyer is associated with said mobile telephone number corresponding to the buyer; receiving, from the mobile communications device of the buyer, an electronic reply, to said information sent to the mobile communications device of the buyer, that indicates the buyer's authorization of said purchase by the buyer from the first merchant; causing, following receipt of said electronic reply to said information sent to the mobile communications device of the buyer, said monetary amount corresponding to the price to be paid for the content being purchased by the buyer from the first merchant to be charged to a mobile subscriber account, of the buyer, that corresponds with said mobile telephone number of the buyer and that enables a wireless communications service to be used with the mobile communications device of the buyer; receiving, in conjunction with a purchase by the accountholder at a point of sale terminal located at a physical retail location of a second merchant, information for identifying said payment account of the accountholder based upon entry of a mobile telephone number corresponding to the accountholder into said point of sale terminal at a physical retail location of said second merchant; receiving, in conjunction with said purchase by the accountholder from the second merchant, information identifying a monetary amount to be paid by the accountholder for the purchase by the accountholder from the second merchant; using said information for identifying said payment account of the accountholder, received in conjunction with said purchase by the accountholder from the second merchant, to identify said payment account of the second accountholder; using said payment account of the accountholder to process a payment from the accountholder to the second merchant for said purchase by the accountholder from said second merchant; storing information indicative of said payment from the accountholder to the second merchant; receiving, from the mobile communications device of the accountholder, information indicative of the current location of the mobile communications device of the accountholder; transmitting, in response to receiving said information indicative of the location of the mobile communications device of the accountholder and to the mobile communications device of the accountholder, information corresponding to a third merchant having a physical retail location that corresponds to said current location of the mobile communications device; receiving information indicative of a purchase by the accountholder from said third merchant, wherein said purchase by the accountholder from said third merchant is initiated by the accountholder using the mobile communications device of the accountholder and comprises a selection, by the accountholder using the mobile communications device, of said information corresponding to the third merchant that was transmitted to the mobile communications device; transmitting to, and for display at, a point of sale terminal at the physical retail location of said third merchant information for identifying the accountholder by a human operator of the point of sale terminal of the third merchant; and processing said purchase by the accountholder from said third merchant using said payment account corresponding to the accountholder.