Abstract:
As individuals increasingly engage in different types of transactions they face a growing threat from, possibly among other things, identity theft, financial fraud, information misuse, etc. and the serious consequences or repercussions of same. Leveraging the ubiquitous nature of wireless devices and the popularity of (SMS, MMS, etc.) messaging, an infrastructure that enhances the security of the different types of transactions within which a wireless device user may participate. The infrastructure may optionally leverage the capabilities of a centrally-located Messaging Inter-Carrier Vendor.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/990,652, filed on Nov. 28, 2007, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates generally to telecommunications services. More particularly, the present invention relates to capabilities that enhance substantially the value and usefulness of various messaging paradigms including, inter alia, Short Message Service (SMS), Multimedia Message Service (MMS), etc. 
         [0004]    2. Background of the Invention 
         [0005]    As the ‘wireless revolution’ continues to march forward the importance to a Mobile Subscriber (MS)—for example a user of a Wireless Device (WD) such as a mobile telephone, a BlackBerry, etc. that is serviced by a Wireless Carrier (WC)—of their WD grows substantially. 
         [0006]    One consequence of such a growing importance is the resulting ubiquitous nature of WDs—i.e., MSs carry them at almost all times and use them for an ever-increasing range of activities. 
         [0007]    Coincident with the expanding presence of WDs has been the explosive growth of messaging—a steady annual increase, year over year, in the number of (SMS, MMS, etc.) messages that have been exchanged by and between WDs. That steady increase shows no sign of abating. For example, as reported by the industry group CTIA (see ctia.org on the World Wide Web [WWW]) in the U.S. there were over 158 billion SMS messages sent during 2006 (representing a 95% increase over 2005) and there were over 2.7 billion MMS messages sent during 2006 (representing a 100% increase over 2005). 
         [0008]    Concurrent with the positive progress that the ‘wireless revolution’ has enjoyed society has, sadly, suffered significant negative progress. Among other things as individuals increasingly engage in different types of transactions (such as, possibly inter alia, the facilitation, completion, etc. of a payment element of, for example, an on-line purchase; an account status [e.g., balance, available credit, etc.] inquiry; a funds or money transfer operation; etc.) over different channels or mediums (such as, for example, the WWW, etc.) with different organizations (such as, possibly inter alia, utility companies, financial institutions, on-line retailers, etc.) they face a growing threat from, possibly inter alia, identity theft, financial fraud, information misuse, etc. and the serious consequences or repercussions of same. For example, a study by Utica College&#39;s Center for Identity Management and Information Protection (CIMIP) that included among other things an extensive review of U.S. Secret Service case files found that the median actual dollar loss for identity theft victims was $31,356. 
         [0009]    The specific examples that were described above are illustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other examples are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0010]    Given (1) the ubiquitous nature of WDs, (2) the popularity of (SMS, MMS, etc.) messaging, and (3) an expanding universe of threats it would be desirable to leverage WD-based messaging to enhance the security of the different types of transactions within which a MS may participate through the innovatory addition of an artifact that the ATM Industry Association (ATMIA) has described as “an inexpensive and tried-and-tested method of authenticating a . . . customer&#39;s identity for . . . transactions”—i.e., a Personal Identification Numbers (PIN). 
         [0011]    The present invention facilitates such enhanced transaction security in new, creative, and unconventional ways and addresses various of the not insubstantial challenges that are associated with same. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    In one embodiment of the present invention there is provided a method for enhanced transaction security, including receiving from a WD of a MS a request message, the request message indicative of a transaction involving a third-party; performing one or more processing steps on aspects of the request message, using at least in part (a) information from the request message, (b) registration information previously supplied by the mobile subscriber, and (c) information previously obtained about the third-party, yielding one or more security policies; generating, based at least on aspects of the one or more security policies, a PIN; preserving at least the PIN in a repository; and generating a response message to the mobile subscriber, the response message containing at least the PIN. 
         [0013]    In accordance with the embodiment the MS may use the PIN in the transaction—through for example (a) manual entry, (b) Near Field Communication, (c) infrared communication, or (d) BlueTooth communication—and the third-party may interact with the repository to at least confirm the PIN. 
         [0014]    Still in accordance with the embodiment the request message and the response message may each be (a) a Short Message Service message, (b) a Multimedia Message Service message, (c) an IP Multimedia Subsystem message, or (d) an E-Mail message. 
         [0015]    Still in accordance with the embodiment, the PIN may be (a) generated randomly, (b) generated through a predefined algorithm or formula, or (c) generated sequentially. 
         [0016]    Still in accordance with the embodiment, the method may employ information previously supplied by a MS. 
         [0017]    In another embodiment of the present invention there is provided a method for enhanced transaction security, including receiving from a third-party an indication of a transaction, the indication at least identifying a participant in the transaction; performing one or more processing steps on aspects of the indication, using at least in part (a) information from the indication, (b) registration information previously supplied by the participant, and (c) information previously obtained about the third-party, yielding one or more security policies; generating, based at least on aspects of the one or more security policies, a PIN; preserving at least the PIN in a repository; and generating a response message to a wireless device of the participant, the response message containing at least the PIN. 
         [0018]    These and other features of the embodiments of the present invention, along with their attendant advantages, will be more fully appreciated upon a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the associated drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]    The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form part of the specification, depict embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description that may be found below, further serve to illustrate among other things the principles, structure, and operation of such embodiments. Variations of these embodiments will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the relevant art based on the teachings contained herein. 
           [0020]      FIG. 1  is a diagrammatic presentation of an exemplary Messaging Inter-Carrier Vendor (MICV). 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  illustrates one particular arrangement that is possible through aspects of the present invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  illustrates various of the exchanges or interactions that are possible during an optional registration portion of the present invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  illustrates various of the exchanges or interactions that are supported by aspects of the present invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  illustrates additional exchanges or interactions that are supported by aspects of the present invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 6  is a diagrammatic presentation of aspects of an exemplary Service Provider (SP) Application Server (AS). 
       
    
    
       [0026]    It should be understood that these figures depict embodiments of the invention. Variations of these embodiments will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0027]    The present invention may leverage the capabilities of a centrally-located, full-featured MICV facility. Reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 7,154,901 entitled “INTERMEDIARY NETWORK SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FACILITATING MESSAGE EXCHANGE BETWEEN WIRELESS NETWORKS,” and its associated continuations, for a description of a MICV, a summary of various of the services/functions/etc. that are performed by a MICV, and a discussion of the numerous advantages that arise from same. 
         [0028]    As illustrated in  FIG. 1  and reference numeral  100  a MICV  120  is disposed between, possibly inter alia, multiple WCs (WC 1    114 →WC x    118 ) on one side and multiple SPs (SP 1    122 →SP y    124 ) on the other side and thus ‘bridges’ all of the connected entities. A MICV  120  thus, as one simple example, may offer various routing, formatting, delivery, value-add, etc. capabilities that provide, possibly inter alia: 
         [0029]    1) A WC  114 → 118  (and, by extension, all of the MSs  102 → 104 ,  106 → 108 ,  110 → 112  that are serviced by the WC  114 → 118 ) with ubiquitous access to a broad universe of SPs  122 → 124 , and 
         [0030]    2) A SP  122 → 124  with ubiquitous access to a broad universe of WCs  114 → 118  (and, by extension, to all of the MSs  102 → 104 ,  106 → 108 ,  110 → 112  that are serviced by the WCs  114 → 118 ). 
         [0031]    Generally speaking a MICV may have varying degrees of visibility (e.g., access, etc.) to the (MS←→MS, MS←→SP, etc.) messaging traffic: 
         [0032]    1) A WC may elect to route just their out-of-network messaging traffic to a MICV. Under this approach the MICV would have visibility (e.g., access, etc.) to just the portion of the WC&#39;s messaging traffic that was directed to the MICV by the WC. 
         [0033]    2) A WC may elect to route all of their messaging traffic to a MICV. The MICV may, possibly among other things, subsequently return to the WC that portion of the messaging traffic that belongs to (i.e., that is destined for a MS of) the WC. Under this approach the MICV would have visibility (e.g., access, etc.) to all of the WC&#39;s messaging traffic. 
         [0034]    While the discussion below will include a MICV, it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that other arrangements are equally applicable and indeed are fully within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0035]    In the discussion below the present invention is described and illustrated as being offered by a SP. A SP may, for example, be realized as a third-party service bureau, an element of a WC or a landline carrier, an element of a MICV, multiple third-party entities working together, etc. 
         [0036]    In the discussion below reference is made to messages that are sent, for example, between a MS and a SP. As set forth below, a given ‘message’ sent between a MS and a SP may actually comprise a series of steps in which the message is received, forwarded and routed between different entities, including possibly inter alia a MS, a WC, a MICV, and a SP. Thus, unless otherwise indicated, it will be understood that reference to a particular message generally includes that particular message as conveyed at any stage between an origination source, such as for example a MS, and an end receiver, such as for example a SP. As such, reference to a particular message generally includes a series of related communications between, for example, a MS and a WC; a WC and a MICV; a MICV and a SP; etc. The series of related communications may, in general, contain substantially the same information, or information may be added or subtracted in different communications that nevertheless may be generally referred to as a same message. To aid in clarity, a particular message, whether undergoing changes or not, is referred to by different reference numbers at different stages between a source and an endpoint of the message. 
         [0037]    To better understand the particulars of the present invention consider for a moment a simple hypothetical example—SP SP x  offers a service that has been enhanced or augmented as provided through aspects of the instant invention and Mary, a MS, uses SP x &#39;s service. 
         [0038]      FIG. 2  and reference numeral  200  depict one particular arrangement that may be possible under our hypothetical example. As indicated, all of the messaging traffic of numerous MSs (MS 1    202 →MS a    204  and MS 1    206 →MS z    208 , including Mary), serviced by various WCs (W 1    210 →WC n    212 ), is exchanged with a MICV  214  and the MICV  214  is connected with SP x    216  (a SP that offers, possibly inter alia, aspects of the present invention). 
         [0039]      FIG. 3  and reference numeral  300  illustrate various of the exchanges or interactions that might occur under an optional registration portion of our hypothetical example. A registration process may be tailored (e.g., the range of information gathered, the scope of services subsequently offered, etc.) to the class of user—e.g., possibly inter alia different types, categories, etc. of users may complete different registration processes. Of interest and note in the diagram are the following entities: 
         [0040]    MS  302  WD  306 . For example, Mary&#39;s WD such as mobile telephone, BlackBerry, PalmPilot, etc. 
         [0041]    MS  302  Personal Computer (PC)  308 . For example, a home, work, etc. PC of Mary  302 . 
         [0042]    WC  310 . The provider of service for a WD  306  of Mary  302 . 
         [0043]    MICV  312 . As noted above the use of a MICV, although not required, provides significant advantages. 
         [0044]    SP  304  Web Server (WS)  314 . A publicly-available WWW site that is optionally provided by SP x    304 . 
         [0045]    SP  304  Billing Interface (BI)  316 . A single, consolidated interface that SP x    304  may use to easily reach, possibly inter alia, one or more internal and/or external entities such as a credit card or debit card clearinghouse, a carrier billing system, a service bureau that provides access to multiple carrier billing systems, invoicing or billing facilities, etc. 
         [0046]    SP  304  AS  318 . Facilities that provide key elements of the instant invention (which will be described below). 
         [0047]    It is important to note that while in  FIG. 3  the MS  302  WD  306  and MS  302  PC  308  entities are illustrated as being adjacent or otherwise near each other, in actual practice the entities may, for example, be physically located anywhere. 
         [0048]    In  FIG. 3  the exchanges that are collected under the designation Set  1  represent the activities that might take place as Mary  302  completes a registration process with SP x    304 : 
         [0049]    A) Mary  302  uses one of her PCs  308  to visit a WS  314  of SP x    304  to, possibly among other things, complete a service registration process ( 320 → 322 ). 
         [0050]    B) A WS  314  of SP x    304  interacts with an AS  318  of SP x    304  to, possibly among other things, commit some or all of the information that Mary  302  provided to a data repository (e.g., a database), optionally complete a billing transaction, etc. ( 324 ). 
         [0051]    C) As appropriate and as required a BI  316  completes a billing transaction ( 326 → 328 ). 
         [0052]    D) After receiving a response from an AS  318  of SP x    304  ( 330 ) a WS  314  of SP x    304  responds appropriately (e.g., with the presentation of a confirmation message, etc.) ( 332 → 334 ). 
         [0053]    The specific exchanges that were described above (as residing under the designation Set  1 ) are illustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other exchanges are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the present invention. For example, the collected information may be reviewed, confirmed, etc. through one or more manual and/or automatic mechanisms. For example, the registration process may be completed through any combination of one or more channels including, inter alia, the WWW (via, for example, a Web site that is operated by SP x ), wireless messaging (SMS, MMS, etc.), Electronic Mail (E-Mail) messages, Instant Messaging (IM), conventional mail, telephone, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) facility, etc. 
         [0054]    During the registration process described above a range of information may be captured from a MS including, possibly inter alia: 
         [0055]    A) Identifying Information. For example, possibly among other things, name, address, age, landline and wireless Telephone Numbers (TNs), E-Mail addresses, IM names/identifiers, a unique identifier and a password, etc. 
         [0056]    B) Account Information. For example, possibly among other things, various of the particulars for one or more of a MS&#39; accounts (with organizations such as, possibly inter alia, utility companies, financial institutions, on-line retailers, etc.). The particulars may include, possibly inter alia, organization name and contact details, account number, account access credentials, etc. 
         [0057]    C) Security Service Information. For example, possibly among other things, the selection of one or more of the different security plans, programs, etc. that a SP may optionally offer (each of which may carry, possibly inter alia, some type of fee or charge). Such plans, programs, etc. may provide, possibly inter alia, alerts to a MS (via, for example, SMS, MMS, E-Mail, IM, etc.) based on various events, criteria, thresholds, etc.; additional levels of notification, confirmation, etc. during a transaction; etc. 
         [0058]    D) Billing Information. For example, the particulars (such as, possibly inter alia, name, number, etc.) for financial institution (bank, brokerage, etc.) accounts, credit cards, debit cards, etc. As well, possibly the selection of one or more of the different service billing models may be offered by a SP (including, inter alia, a fixed one-time charge, a recurring [monthly, etc.] fixed charge, a recurring [monthly, etc.] variable charge, a per-transaction charge, etc.) and possibly the selection of one or more of the different payment mechanisms that may be offered by a SP (including, possibly among other things, credit or debit card information, authorization to place a charge on a MS&#39;s phone bill, authorization to deduct funds from a MS&#39; [bank, brokerage, etc.] account, etc.). 
         [0059]    The specific pieces of information that were described above are illustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other pieces of information (e.g., additional Identifying Information, scheduled daily/weekly/etc. reporting desired and/or on-demand reporting desired, etc.) are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0060]    As noted above the information that Mary provided during the registration process may be preserved in a data repository (e.g., a database) and may optionally be organized as a MS Profile. 
         [0061]    The content of Mary&#39;s profile may be augmented by SP x  to include, as just a few examples of the many possibilities, internal and/or external demographic, psychographic, sociological, etc. data. 
         [0062]    As noted above, a SP&#39;s BI may optionally complete a billing transaction. The billing transaction may take any number of forms and may involve different external entities (e.g., a WC&#39;s billing system, a carrier billing system service bureau, a credit or debit card clearinghouse, a financial institution, etc.). The billing transaction may include, inter alia: 
         [0063]      1 ) The appearance of a line item charge on the bill or statement that a MS receives from her WC. Exemplary mechanics and logistics associated with this approach are described in pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/837,695 entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR BILLING AUGMENTATION.” Other ways of completing or performing line item billing are easily implemented by those skilled in the art. 
         [0064]    2) The charging of a credit card or the debiting of a debit card. 
         [0065]    3) The (electronic, etc.) transfer of funds. 
         [0066]    4) The generation of an invoice, statement, etc. 
         [0067]    In  FIG. 3  the exchanges that are collected under the designation Set  2  represent the activities that might take place as SP x    304  optionally coordinates, etc. with one or more external entities to, possibly among other things, secure access, confirm collected information, arrange to receive updates, etc. (see  336 → 338 ). 
         [0068]    The specific exchanges that were described above (as residing under the designation Set  2 ) are illustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other exchanges (including, inter alia, updates to various of the information in a MS Profile in a SP&#39;s repository, etc.) are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0069]    In  FIG. 3  the exchanges that are collected under the designation Set  3  represent the activities that might take place as an AS  318  of SP x    304  dispatches to Mary  302  one or more confirmation E-Mail messages ( 340 → 342 ). 
         [0070]    The specific exchanges that were described above (as residing under the designation Set  3 ) are illustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other exchanges are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0071]    In  FIG. 3  the exchanges that are collected under the designation Set  4  represent the activities that might take place as an AS  318  of SP x    304  dispatches one or more confirmation SMS, MMS, etc. messages to a WD  306  of Mary  302  ( 344 → 348 ) and Mary  302  optionally replies or responds to the message(s) ( 350 → 354 ). Of interest and note are: 
         [0072]    1) In the instant example the messages are shown traversing a MICV  312 . 
         [0073]    2) The SP  304  may employ a Short Code (SC) or a regular TN as its source address (and to which it would ask users of its service to direct any reply messages). While the abbreviated length of a SC (e.g., five digits for a SC administered by Neustar uder the Common Short Code [CSC] program) incrementally enhances the experience of a MS  302  (e.g., the MS  302  need remember and enter only a few digits as the destination address of a reply message) it also, by definition, constrains the universe of available SCs thereby causing each individual SC to be a limited or scarce resource and raising a number of SC/CSC management, etc. issues. A description of a common (i.e., universal) short code environment may be found in pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/742,764 entitled “UNIVERSAL SHORT CODE ADMINISTRATION FACILITY.” 
         [0074]    The specific exchanges that were described above (as residing under the designation Set  4 ) are illustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other exchanges are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0075]    The Set  1 , Set  2 , Set  3 , and Set  4  exchanges that were described above are illustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other exchanges are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the present invention. For example, possibly inter alia, the registration information that was described above may subsequently be managed (e.g., existing information may be edited or removed, new information may be added, etc.) through any combination of one or more channels including, inter alia, a SP&#39;s WWW facility, wireless messaging (SMS, MMS, etc.), E-Mail messages, IM exchanges, conventional mail, telephone, IVR facilities, etc. 
         [0076]    To continue with our hypothetical example . . . as Mary goes about her daily activities there may arise numerous instances where she engages in transactions and would like to enhance the security of those transactions. For example: 
         [0077]    1) Mary may wish to determine the balance of one of her (bank, brokerage, credit card, etc.) accounts. 
         [0078]    2) Mary may wish to complete the payment portion of a purchase (from, for example, an on-line retailer, etc.). 
         [0079]    3) Mary may wish to transfer money between various of her (bank, brokerage, credit card, etc.) accounts, transfer money from one of her (bank, brokerage, credit card, etc.) accounts to someone else, transfer money to someone else (perhaps another MS) with the amount of the transfer (along with, for example, charges, fees, etc.) appearing on her WC statement, etc. 
         [0080]    The specific examples that were cataloged above are illustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other examples are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0081]      FIG. 4  and reference numeral  400  provide a framework within which examples, such those cataloged above and others that would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art, may be examined vis-à-vis aspects of the present invention. The entities that are depicted in  FIG. 4  are the same as were depicted in, and described for,  FIG. 3  with one exception: 
         [0082]    MS  402  WD  406 . For example, Mary&#39;s WD such as mobile telephone, BlackBerry, PalmPilot, etc. 
         [0083]    MS  402  PC  408 . For example, a home, work, etc. PC of Mary  402 . 
         [0084]    WC  410 . The provider of service for a WD  406  of Mary  402 . 
         [0085]    MICV  412 . As noted above the use of a MICV, although not required, provides significant advantages. 
         [0086]    SP  404  WS  414 . A publicly-available WWW site that is optionally provided by SP x    404 . 
         [0087]    SP  404  BI  416 . A single, consolidated interface that SP x    404  may use to easily reach, possibly inter alia, one or more internal and/or external entities such as a credit card or debit card clearinghouse, a carrier billing system, a service bureau that provides access to multiple carrier billing systems, invoicing or billing facilities, etc. 
         [0088]    SP  404  AS  418 . Facilities that provide key elements of the instant invention (which will be described below). 
         [0089]    Third Party (3P)  420 . An organization such as, possibly inter alia, a utility company, a financial institution, an on-line retailer, an employer, etc. 
         [0090]    In  FIG. 4  the exchanges that are collected under the designation Set  1  represent the activities that might take place as Mary  402 , perhaps in connection with or in anticipation of some type of transaction, composes on her WD  406  a (SMS, MMS, etc.) request message. In the instant example the request message is shown traveling through a MICV  412  and arriving at an AS  418  of SP x    404  (see  422 → 426 ). Mary&#39;s  402  request message  422  may be directed to any number of addresses (including, possibly inter alia, a SC, a TN, etc.). 
         [0091]    A request message may, possibly inter alia, indicate a MS&#39; desire for enhanced security within a transaction; contain various identification (e.g., account name, account number, etc.), authorization (e.g., access credentials, etc.), etc. artifacts; identify a specific 3P  420 ; etc. 
         [0092]    The specific exchanges that were described above (as residing under the designation Set  1 ) are illustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other exchanges are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0093]    In  FIG. 4  the exchanges that are collected under the designation Set  2  represent the activities that might take place as an AS  418  of SP  404 , possibly inter alia, (a) completes a series of processing steps and (b) dispatches one or more response (SMS, MMS, etc.) messages to Mary  402 . 
         [0094]    During its processing steps an AS  418  may employ any combination of a number of automated (e.g., through software solutions) and/or manual (e.g., through human intervention) actions, techniques, capabilities, etc., to possibly inter alia: 
         [0095]    A) Extract one or more data elements from a received request and optionally perform various edit, validation, etc. operations on the extracted data element(s). 
         [0096]    B) Leverage information that may have been previously collected from a MS during an optional registration process (such as, possibly inter alia, Identifying Information, Account Information, Security Service Information, Billing Information, etc.). 
         [0097]    C) Leverage information that a SP may optionally maintain about a 3P (such as, possibly inter alia, definitional information, details concerning the 3P&#39;s security policies and procedures, etc.). 
         [0098]    D) Apply one or more rules, bodies of logic, etc. (from for example a flexible, extensible, and dynamically configurable pool of same) to, possibly among other things, identify a MS, identify a 3P, identify all of the different security policies and procedures that might be applicable in the instant circumstance, etc. 
         [0099]    E) Based on flexible, extensible, and dynamically configurable rules (that may govern, possibly inter alia, format, length, content, strength, etc.) generate, preserve, etc. an appropriate PIN. A PIN may be generated randomly, be derived from a predefined algorithm or formula, be generated sequentially from an internal base value, etc. 
         [0100]    F) Interact with one or more external entities (such as, possible inter alia, a 3P, etc.) to for example exchange information with an entity&#39;s token, password, access, etc. service; update an entity; etc. 
         [0101]    The catalog of processing steps that was described above is illustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other processing steps are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0102]    Various of the techniques, strategies, capabilities, etc. that were described above may leverage one or more internal and/or external repositories such as, possibly inter alia, geographic data, demographic data, etc. 
         [0103]    Each of the techniques, strategies, capabilities, etc. that were described above may have associated with it, possibly inter alia, an optional set of weighting, scoring, confidence, etc. factors that may be used, either individually or together, to develop results. 
         [0104]    After completing its processing steps SP x    404  may, possibly inter alia, dispatch one or more response (SMS, MMS, etc.) messages to Mary&#39;s  402  WD  406  ( 428 → 432 ). In the instant example response messages are shown traversing a MICV  412 . 
         [0105]    A response message may contain, possibly inter alia, a PIN, descriptive or explanatory text, confirmation information, contact information, a request to call (e.g., a help center) at a particular TN, etc. 
         [0106]    Mary  402  may optionally reply to a response message. Based on any received replies SP x    404  may optionally complete one or more additional processing steps. 
         [0107]    During the activities that were described above an SP may offer any number of other optional services, capabilities, etc. including, possibly inter alia: 
         [0108]    1) An SP may complete any number of billing transactions (of the type, nature, etc. described previously). 
         [0109]    2) An SP may track a MS&#39; usage, aggregate same, optionally offer (to the MS, to external entities such as a 3P, etc.) discounts, rebates, surcharges, etc. based on the tracked usage, etc. 
         [0110]    The specific exchanges that were described above (as residing under the designation Set  2 ) are illustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other exchanges are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0111]    In  FIG. 4  the exchanges that are collected under the designation Set  3  represent the activities that might take place as Mary  402 , after for example receiving a PIN via a response message  432 , employs the PIN (via  434 ) to initiate, continue, etc. a transaction (via  436 → 438 ). 
         [0112]    Mary  402  may use any combination of a range of mechanisms (including, possibly inter alia, manual entry, Near Field Communication [NFC], InfraRed [IR], Bluetooth, data transfer, etc.) to employ  434  the PIN. 
         [0113]    The specific exchanges that were described above (as residing under the designation Set  3 ) are illustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other exchanges are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the present invention. For example, Mary may optionally provide other information (including, for example, identification information, access credentials, etc.) during her initiation, continuance, etc. of a transaction (via  436 → 438 ). 
         [0114]    In  FIG. 4  the exchanges that are collected under the designation Set  4  represent the activities that might take place as 3P  420 , possibly inter alia, interacts with AS  418  of SP x    404  to, possibly among other things, confirm, authenticate, etc. a received PIN (see  440 → 442 ). 
         [0115]    The specific exchanges that were described above (as residing under the designation Set  4 ) are illustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other exchanges are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0116]    In  FIG. 4  the exchanges that are collected under the designation Set  5  represent the activities that might take place as 3P  420  continues, completes, etc. a transaction with Mary  402 , provides confirmation to Mary  402 , etc. (via  444 → 446 , optionally incorporating possibly inter alia additional instances of the  436 → 438  and  444 → 446  exchanges). 
         [0117]    The specific exchanges that were described above (as residing under the designation Set  5 ) are illustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other exchanges are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0118]    The Set  1 , Set  2 , Set  3 , Set  4 , and Set  5  exchanges that were described above are illustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other exchanges are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0119]      FIG. 5  and reference numeral  500  provide a framework within which other exemplary uses of aspects of the present invention may be examined. The entities that are depicted in  FIG. 5  are the same as were depicted in, and described for,  FIG. 4 : 
         [0120]    MS  502  WD  506 . For example, Mary&#39;s WD such as mobile telephone, BlackBerry, PalmPilot, etc. 
         [0121]    MS  502  PC  508 . For example, a home, work, etc. PC of Mary  502 . 
         [0122]    WC  510 . The provider of service for a WD  506  of Mary  502 . 
         [0123]    MICV  512 . As noted above the use of a MICV, although not required, provides significant advantages. 
         [0124]    SP  504  WS  514 . A publicly-available WWW site that is optionally provided by SP x    504 . 
         [0125]    SP  504  BI  516 . A single, consolidated interface that SP x    504  may use to easily reach, possibly inter alia, one or more internal and/or external entities such as a credit card or debit card clearinghouse, a carrier billing system, a service bureau that provides access to multiple carrier billing systems, invoicing or billing facilities, etc. 
         [0126]    SP  504  AS  518 . Facilities that provide key elements of the instant invention (which will be described below). 
         [0127]    3P  520 . An organization such as, possibly inter alia, a utility company, a financial institution, an on-line retailer, an employer, etc. 
         [0128]    In  FIG. 5  the exchanges that are collected under the designation Set  1  represent the activities that might take place as Mary  502  initiates, continues, etc. a transaction with a 3P  520  (via  522 → 524 ). Within this context Mary  502  may supply a range of information (including, for example, identification information, access credentials, an explicit request for enhanced transaction security, etc.). 
         [0129]    The specific exchanges that were described above (as residing under the designation Set  1 ) are illustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other exchanges are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0130]    In  FIG. 5  the exchanges that are collected under the designation Set  2  represent the activities that might take place as 3P  520 , possibly inter alia, interacts with AS  518  of SP x    504  to, possibly among other things, request enhanced transaction security (see  526 ). 
         [0131]    The specific exchanges that were described above (as residing under the designation Set  2 ) are illustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other exchanges are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0132]    In  FIG. 5  the exchanges that are collected under the designation Set  3  represent the activities that might take place as SP x    504 , possibly inter alia, (a) completes a series of processing steps, (b) dispatches one or more response (SMS, MMS, etc.) messages to Mary  502 , and (c) optionally replies to 3P  520 . 
         [0133]    An illustrative catalog of processing steps was described above in connection with the discussion of Set  2  of  FIG. 4 . 
         [0134]    After completing its processing steps SP x    504  may, possibly inter alia, dispatch one or more response (SMS, MMS, etc.) messages to Mary&#39;s  502  WD  506  ( 528 → 532 ). In the instant example response messages are shown traversing a MICV  512 . 
         [0135]    A response message may contain, possibly inter alia, a PIN, descriptive or explanatory text, confirmation information, contact information, a request to call (e.g., a help center) at a particular TN, etc. 
         [0136]    Mary  502  may optionally reply to a response message. Based on any received replies SP x    504  may optionally complete one or more additional processing steps. 
         [0137]    During the activities that were described above an SP may offer any number of other optional services, capabilities, etc. including, possibly inter alia: 
         [0138]      1 ) An SP may complete any number of billing transactions (of the type, nature, etc. described previously). 
         [0139]    2) An SP may track a MS&#39; usage, aggregate same, optionally offer (to the MS, to external entities such as a 3P, etc.) discounts, rebates, surcharges, etc. based on the tracked usage, etc. 
         [0140]    After dispatching any response messages SP x    504  may, possibly inter alia, optionally reply to 3P  520  (via  534 ). 
         [0141]    The specific exchanges that were described above (as residing under the designation Set  3 ) are illustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other exchanges are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0142]    In  FIG. 5  the exchanges that are collected under the designation Set  4  represent the activities that might take place as Mary  502 , after for example receiving a PIN via a response message  532 , employs the PIN (via  536 ) to initiate, continue, etc. a transaction (via  538 → 540 ). 
         [0143]    Mary  502  may use any combination of a range of mechanisms (including, possibly inter alia, manual entry, NFC, IR, Bluetooth, data transfer, etc.) to employ  536  the PIN. 
         [0144]    The specific exchanges that were described above (as residing under the designation Set  4 ) are illustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other exchanges are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0145]    In  FIG. 5  the exchanges that are collected under the designation Set  5  represent the activities that might take place as 3P  520 , possibly inter alia, interacts with AS  518  of SP x    504  to, possibly among other things, confirm, authenticate, etc. a received PIN (see  542 → 544 ). 
         [0146]    The specific exchanges that were described above (as residing under the designation Set  5 ) are illustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other exchanges are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0147]    In  FIG. 5  the exchanges that are collected under the designation Set  6  represent the activities that might take place as 3P  520  continues, completes, etc. a transaction with Mary  502 , provides confirmation to Mary  502 , etc. (via  546 → 548 , optionally incorporating possibly inter alia additional instances of the  538 → 540  and  546 → 548  exchanges). 
         [0148]    The specific exchanges that were described above (as residing under the designation Set  5 ) are illustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other exchanges are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0149]    The Set  1 , Set  2 , Set  3 , Set  4 , Set  5 , and Set  6  exchanges that were described above are illustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other exchanges are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0150]    Under the illustrative frameworks that were presented through  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5  numerous alternative exchanges, arrangements, etc. are easily possible, including possibly inter alia: 
         [0151]    1) A MS may optionally need to acknowledge a response message (by, for example, replying to same) to activate or otherwise confirm a PIN. Such an acknowledgement may optionally need to occur within a defined period of time (after which an unacknowledged PIN may, possibly inter alia, go ‘stale’ and not be usable). 
         [0152]    2) A PIN may optionally be designated as being single-use, multi-use, etc. 
         [0153]    3) A PIN may optionally carry a lifetime indicator. Such a value may identify a specific period of time (e.g., from a beginning date and time to an ending date and time) during which a PIN may be usable; identify a specific number of uses or invocations after which a PIN may go ‘stale’ and not be usable; identify a cumulative transaction amount (e.g., in a currency such as dollars) beyond which a PIN may go ‘stale’ and not be usable; etc. 
         [0154]    4) A SP may incorporate additional factors, criteria, tests, etc. during various of its processing activities (e.g., the confirmation, authentication, etc. of a PIN; etc.) including possibly inter alia MS Location-Based Service (LBS) and/or Global Positioning System (GPS) information, biometric information, etc. 
         [0155]    The confirmation, response, etc. message(s) that were described above may optionally contain an informational element—e.g., a relevant or applicable factoid, etc. The informational element may be selected statically (e.g., all generated messages are injected with the same informational text), randomly (e.g., a generated message is injected with informational text that is randomly selected from a pool of available informational text), or location-based (i.e., a generated message is injected with informational text that is selected from a pool of available informational text based on the current physical location of the recipient of the message as derived from, as one example, a LBS, GPS, etc. facility). 
         [0156]    The confirmation, response, etc. message(s) that were identified above may optionally contain advertising—e.g., textual material if an SMS model is being utilized, or multimedia (images of brand logos, sound, video snippets, etc.) material if an MMS model is being utilized. The advertising material may be selected statically (e.g., all generated messages are injected with the same advertising material), randomly (e.g., a generated message is injected with advertising material that is randomly selected from a pool of available material), or location-based (i.e., a generated message is injected with advertising material that is selected from a pool of available material based on the current physical location of the recipient of the message as derived from, as one example, a LBS, GPS, etc. facility). 
         [0157]    The confirmation, response, etc. message(s) that were identified above may optionally contain promotional materials (e.g., still images, video clips, etc.). 
         [0158]      FIG. 6  and reference numeral  600  provides a diagrammatic presentation of aspects of an exemplary SP AS  602 . The illustrated AS  602  contains several key components—Gateways (GW 1    608 →GW a    610  in the diagram), Incoming Queues (IQ 1    612 →IQ b    614  in the diagram), WorkFlows (WorkFlow 1    618 →WorkFlow d    620  in the diagram), Database  622 , Outgoing Queues (OQ 1    624 →OQ c    626  in the diagram), and an Administrator  628 . It will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other components are possible within an AS  602 . 
         [0159]    A dynamically updateable set of one or more Gateways (GW 1    608 →GW a    610  in the diagram) handle incoming (SMS/MMS/etc. messaging, etc.) traffic  604 → 606  and outgoing (SMS/MMS/etc. messaging, etc.) traffic  604 → 606 . Incoming traffic  604 → 606  is accepted and deposited on an intermediate or temporary Incoming Queue (IQ 1    612 →IQ b    614  in the diagram) for subsequent processing. Processed artifacts are removed from an intermediate or temporary Outgoing Queue (OQ 1    624 →OQ c    626  in the diagram) and then dispatched  604 → 606 . 
         [0160]    A dynamically updateable set of one or more Incoming Queues (IQ 1    612 →IQ b    614  in the diagram) and a dynamically updateable set of one or more Outgoing Queues (OQ 1    624 →OQ c    626  in the diagram) operate as intermediate or temporary buffers for incoming  604 → 606  and outgoing traffic  604 → 606 . 
         [0161]    A dynamically updateable set of one or more WorkFlows (WorkFlow 1    618 →WorkFlow d    620  in the diagram) remove incoming traffic  604 → 606  from an intermediate or temporary Incoming Queue (IQ 1    612 →IQ b    614  in the diagram), perform all of the required processing operations, and deposit processed artifacts on an intermediate or temporary Outgoing Queue (OQ 1    624 →OQ c    626  in the diagram). The WorkFlow component will be described more fully below. 
         [0162]    The Database  622  that is depicted in  FIG. 6  is a logical representation of the possibly multiple physical repositories that may be implemented to support, inter alia, configuration, profile, monitoring, alerting, etc. information. The physical repositories may be implemented through any combination of conventional Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMSs) such as Oracle, through Object Database Management Systems (ODBMSs), through in-memory Database Management Systems (DBMSs), or through any other equivalent facilities. 
         [0163]    An Administrator  628  that is depicted in  FIG. 6  provides management or administrative control over all of the different components of an AS  602  through, as one example, a WWW-based interface  630 . It will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other interfaces (e.g., a data feed, an Application Programming Interface [API], etc.) are easily possible. 
         [0164]    Through flexible, extensible, and dynamically updatable configuration information a WorkFlow component may be quickly and easily realized to support any number of activities. For example, WorkFlows might be configured to support a registration process; to support interactions with external entities; to support various internal processing steps (as described above) including, possibly inter alia, (1) the evaluation of received request messages, (2) the generation of PIN values, and (3) the generation and dispatch of response messages; to support the generation and dispatch of confirmation, etc. messages; to support various billing transactions; to support the generation of scheduled and/or on-demand reports; etc. The specific WorkFlows that were just described are exemplary only; it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous other WorkFlow arrangements, alternatives, etc. are easily possible. 
         [0165]    A SP may maintain a repository (e.g., a database) into which selected details of all administrative, messaging, etc. activities may be recorded. Among other things, such a repository may be used to support: 
         [0166]    1) Scheduled (e.g., daily, weekly, etc.) and/or on-demand reporting with report results delivered through SMS, MMS, etc. messages; through E-Mail; through a WWW-based facility; etc. 
         [0167]    2) Scheduled and/or on-demand data mining initiatives (possibly leveraging or otherwise incorporating one or more external data sources) with the results of same presented through Geographic Information Systems (GISs), visualization, etc. facilities and delivered through SMS, MMS, etc. messages; through E-Mail; through a WWW-based facility; etc. 
         [0168]    It is important to note that while aspects of the discussion that was presented above referenced the use of SCs and TNs it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that other message address identifiers are equally applicable and, indeed, are fully within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0169]    The discussion that was just presented referenced two specific wireless messaging paradigms—SMS and MMS. These paradigms potentially offer an incremental advantage over other paradigms in that native support for SMS and/or MMS is commonly found on a WD that a potential MS would be carrying. However, it is to be understood that it would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that other paradigms (such as, for example, Internet Protocol [IP] Multimedia Subsystem [IMS], IM, E-Mail, Wireless Application Protocol [WAP], etc.) are fully within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0170]    It is important to note that the hypothetical example that was presented above, which was described in the narrative and which was illustrated in the accompanying figures, is exemplary only. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the specific forms disclosed. It will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous alternatives to the presented example are easily possible and, indeed, are fully within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0171]    The following list defines acronyms as used in this disclosure. 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 Acronym 
                 Meaning 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 API 
                 Application Programming Interface 
               
               
                 AS 
                 Application Server 
               
               
                 ATMIA 
                 ATM Industry Association 
               
               
                 BI 
                 Billing Interface 
               
               
                 CIMIP 
                 Center for Identity Management and Information Protection 
               
               
                 CSC 
                 Common Short Code 
               
               
                 DBMS 
                 Database Management System 
               
               
                 E-Mail 
                 Electronic Mail 
               
               
                 GIS 
                 Geographic Information System 
               
               
                 GPS 
                 Global Positioning System 
               
               
                 GW 
                 Gateway 
               
               
                 IM 
                 Instant Messaging 
               
               
                 IMS 
                 IP Multimedia Subsystem 
               
               
                 IP 
                 Internet Protocol 
               
               
                 IQ 
                 Incoming Queue 
               
               
                 IR 
                 Infrared 
               
               
                 IVR 
                 Interactive Voice Response 
               
               
                 LBS 
                 Location-Based Service 
               
               
                 MICV 
                 Messaging Inter-Carrier Vendor 
               
               
                 MMS 
                 Multimedia Message Service 
               
               
                 MS 
                 Mobile Subscriber 
               
               
                 NFC 
                 Near Field Communication 
               
               
                 ODBMS 
                 Object Database Management System 
               
               
                 OQ 
                 Outgoing Queue 
               
               
                 PC 
                 Personal Computer 
               
               
                 PIN 
                 Personal Identification Number 
               
               
                 RDBMS 
                 Relational Database Management System 
               
               
                 SC 
                 Short Code 
               
               
                 SMS 
                 Short Message Service 
               
               
                 SP 
                 Service Provider 
               
               
                 3P 
                 Third Party 
               
               
                 TN 
                 Telephone Number 
               
               
                 WAP 
                 Wireless Application Protocol 
               
               
                 WC 
                 Wireless Carrier 
               
               
                 WD 
                 Wireless Device 
               
               
                 WF 
                 WorkFlow 
               
               
                 WS 
                 Web Server 
               
               
                 WWW 
                 World-Wide Web