Patent ID: 6029150
Filing Date: 2000-02-22
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
A method of payment in an electronic payment system wherein a plurality of customers have accounts with an agent, the method comprising:each customer sharing a respective secret between that customer and the agent;obtaining, by a customer of the plurality of customers, electronic signals representing an authenticated quote from a specific merchant of a plurality of merchants, the quote including a specification of goods and a payment amount for those goods, wherein the quote is verifiable only by the customer;sending from the customer to the agent in a single authenticated one-pass communication, a payment request message as electronic signals representing a request for payment of the payment amount to the specific merchant and a unique identification of the customer;the agent issuing and sending to the customer, in a single one-pass communication electronic signals representing an authenticated verifiable payment advice message, the issuing being based only on (a) the single communication from the customer to the agent, (b) the secret shared between the customer and the agent, and (c) status information which the agent has;the customer forwarding electronic signals representing a portion of the payment advice message to the specific merchant; andthe specific merchant providing the goods to the customer in response to receiving the electronic signals representing the portion of the payment advice message.