Patent ID: 6188994
Filing Date: 2001-02-13
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
An Internet billing method for a plurality of customers, and a plurality of vendors of products or services, for transactions over the Internet between purchasing customers of the plurality of customers and selling vendors of the plurality of vendors, wherein, for each transaction, a transaction amount is charged to a purchasing customer, comprising the steps of:establishing an agreement between each of the plurality of vendors and a third party to the transactions, to share, for each transaction, the transaction amount;for each transaction, the third party being advised over the Internet by a selling vendor that a purchasing customer has authorized the purchase of at least one product or service from the selling vendor;for each transaction, the third party obtaining approval from an Internet access provider to charge the transaction amount to a billing account of the purchasing customer; andfor each transaction, the third party sharing the transaction amount with the selling vendor.