Abstract:
A method includes receiving, at a processor, an e-mail including a description of an offer and a selectable indicia configured to indicate acceptance of the offer in response to actuation of the selectable indicia. A browser is launched on a display coupled to the processor in response to actuation of the selectable indicia. An indication of acceptance of the offer to a transaction server in response to actuation of the selectable indicia is transmitted.

Description:
[0001]     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/190,658, filed on Jul. 9, 2002, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/059,348, filed on Jan. 31, 2002, the entirety of each of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The invention generally relates to electronic transactions, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for initiating a transaction from an electronic mail message.  
         [0003]     In today&#39;s economy, electronic commerce is becoming a larger percentage of sales revenues for both traditional “bricks and mortar” merchants and electronic retailers (i.e., “e-tailers”). Such revenue is derived from the sales of good and services directly to consumers over the public, global Internet (and World Wide Web).  
         [0004]     It is well known among traditional merchants attempting to boost sales by doing business over the Internet and e-tailers (collectively, “Internet merchants”) that the amount of time, mouse “clicks” and Web pages required for a consumer to complete a purchase over the Internet has a direct and dramatic effect on sales. Therefore, much effort has been expended in minimizing the amount of time and number of actions required for a consumer to make an Internet purchase. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,411 (“the &#39;411 patent”), is directed to a method and system that allows an Internet purchase to be made with a single click of a user&#39;s mouse. While the &#39;411 patent somewhat streamlines the purchasing process, it still suffers from the drawback that a user must first locate the desired item in order to place an order for it and thus does not streamline the purchase process to the fullest extent possible.  
         [0005]     It is also well known among Internet merchants that sending electronic mail (e-mail) messages to customers that include links to specific merchant Web sites can be effective. While such e-mails direct traffic and provide a shortcut to a merchant&#39;s Web site, the user must click on the link to visit the merchant&#39;s Web site and then must still perform further actions in order to initiate and complete the transaction.  
         [0006]     It is common for many merchant sites to employ an electronic shopping basket where visitors to the site (i.e., consumers) may view items and place those they wish to purchase before they “checkout.” The checkout process generally involves the consumer entering billing information, shipping information and certain preferences in order to complete the transaction and receive the good(s) and/or service(s) purchased.  
         [0007]     What is needed is an e-mail launched Web transaction process that streamlines and further minimizes the amount of time and effort required to initiate and complete electronic commerce transactions.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     A method includes receiving, at a processor, an e-mail including a description of an offer and a selectable indicium, the actuation of which is configured to indicate acceptance of the offer in response to actuation of the selectable indicium. A browser is launched on a display coupled to the processor in response to actuation of the selectable indicia. An indication of acceptance of the offer to a transaction server in response to actuation of the selectable indicia is transmitted. In other embodiments of the invention, a method includes receiving at a transaction server customer information to create a customer account. A customer identification is transferred to a billing entity, the customer identification code being associated with the customer account. Billing information associated with the customer account is received from the billing entity. The billing information is encrypted and transmitted to a customer. An indication to make a payment to the billing entity is received from the customer. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  is a sequence diagram illustrating and e-mail creation and transfer process according to an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0010]      FIG. 2A  is a window or screen shot illustrating an example of an e-mail created during the e-mail creation and transfer process of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0011]      FIG. 2B  is a window or screen shot illustrating an example of an alternative e-mail created during the e-mail creation and transfer process of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0012]      FIG. 2C  is a window or screen shot illustrating an example of a further alternative e-mail created during the e-mail creation and transfer process of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a sequence diagram illustrating an e-mail launched web transaction process, utilizing the e-mail of  FIG. 2A, 2B  or  2 C, according to an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is a window or screen shot, according to an embodiment of the invention, of a confirmation of the transaction initiated from the e-mail of  FIG. 2A  or  2 B.  
         [0015]      FIG. 5  is a sequence diagram illustrating an e-mail launched web transaction process according to an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0016]      FIG. 6  is a block diagram of an example of a computer system useful for implementing the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0017]     In an embodiment of the invention, an Internet merchant (or a marketing entity or service provider hired by an Internet merchant) selling particular good(s) and/or service(s) will initiate electronic commerce transactions from electronic mail (“e-mail”) messages. The merchant (or marketing entity) would, for example, provide the hardware (e.g., Web servers and electronic mail severs) and software (e.g., databases) infrastructure, application software, customer support, and billing mechanism to allow it to send such e-mail messages to consumers and complete the contemplated commercial transactions.  
         [0018]     The invention is described in terms of the above example for convenient reference and is not intended to limit the application of the invention. In fact, after reading the following description, it will be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art(s) how to implement the following invention in alternative embodiments. For ease of understanding, certain method steps are delineated as separate steps; however, these steps should not be construed as necessarily distinct, nor order dependent in their performance. Specific details, such as types of transactions, types of data required for transactions, etc., are provided to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. The embodiments discussed herein should not be understood to limit the invention.  
         [0019]     The terms “user,” “end user,” “consumer,” “shopper,” “customer,” and the plural form of these terms are used interchangeably throughout herein to refer to those who would access, use, and/or benefit from the tool that the invention provides.  
         [0020]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , an e-mail creation and transfer process  100 , according to an embodiment of the invention, is shown. Process  100  (i.e., sequence of steps  150 - 158 ) begins at step  150 , where an electronic mail message object is composed at a processor  110 . (An example of electronic mail message  200  is shown in  FIG. 2  and is described in more detail below.) In an embodiment of the invention, e-mail  200  is composed using the Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) in a manner that is well known in the relevant art(s). In an alternate embodiment, Base  64  encoding is used in order to transmit any underlying (binary) encoding that forms e-mail  200  through certain text-only electronic mail systems.  
         [0021]     After e-mail  200  has been composed, processor  110  transmits e-mail  200  to a mail transfer agent (i.e., an e-mail server)  120  along with the delivery destination(s) (i.e., e-mail addresses) at step  152 . The mail transfer agent (MTA)  120  then sends e-mail  200  to the specified destination(s), including at least one end user mail transfer agent  130  at step  154 . In an embodiment of the invention, step  154  is accomplished using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). The text of e-mail  200  can be prepared in HTML format and transmitted as an attachment to a secure e-mail. E-mail  200  is then stored at end user mail transfer agent  130  until the end user&#39;s mail user agent  140  (e.g., Microsoft® Outlook® Express or the like) checks for new messages at step  156 . Then, e-mail  200  is sent from end user mail transfer agent  130  to end user mail user agent (MUA)  140 , where it is viewed by the customer at step  158 .  
         [0022]     Referring to  FIG. 2A , an electronic mail message object (or simply, “e-mail”)  200 , according to an embodiment of the invention, is shown. E-mail  200 , which in this example, flowers are offered for sale, includes a field  210  that displays the name of the merchant. A plurality of fields  220  display the good(s) and/or service(s) being offered for sale. E-mail  200 , in this example, includes four different flower arrangements (i.e., fields  220   a - d ) being offered for sale. In some embodiments of the invention, the number of different good(s) and/or service(s) is kept small (e.g., 1 to 5), although the inclusion of a larger numbers of good(s) and/or service(s) is also within the scope of the invention.  
         [0023]     E-mail  200  also includes a billing information area  230  into which a consumer receiving the e-mail may enter billing information such as name, address, and credit card information. E-mail  200  further includes a recipient information area  240 , which may be used to enter shipping information in the event that it is different from the billing information. Finally, e-mail  200  includes a Purchase “button” or indicia  250 , which the consumer may press to accept the offer and complete the transaction contemplated by e-mail  200 . As used herein, the term “button” is used in a generic sense and should be understood to refer to any input mechanism, now known or later developed, by which a customer can indicate a desire to accept a proposed offer and thus, complete a commercial transaction.  
         [0024]     Referring to  FIG. 2B , in an alternative embodiment of the invention, an e-mail  255  is transmitted to a consumer instead of e-mail  250 . The e-mail  255  includes a first field  270   a  and a second field  270   b  into which a consumer receiving the e-mail  255  may enter a username and a password. E-mail  255  further includes a recipient information area  240 , which may be used to enter shipping information. Finally, e-mail  255  includes a Purchase “button” or indicia  250  as described above, which the consumer may press to accept the offer and complete the transaction contemplated by e-mail  255 .  
         [0025]     The username and password are uniquely associated with a particular user or a particular customer identification code. The username and password are securely transmitted as discussed herein, and are mapped to a database of information that includes information about the user. For example, the information about a particular user can be included in a user account that includes the user&#39;s name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, credit card number, bank account number, etc. When a user provides their username and password, the information in the database can be used to complete a transaction as described herein. In other words, to complete a given transaction, the user need only enter their username and password rather than all of the information typically required for such a transaction (i.e., address, credit card number).  
         [0026]     The user account can be established by the user prior to entering into the transaction. For example, in the context of a bill payment service, the user provides the billing entity with, for example, their bank account information, address, phone number, etc. prior to completing the e-mail transaction. Once the username and password are transmitted to the billing entity, the username and password are mapped to the user account to obtain the necessary payment information.  
         [0027]     Referring to  FIG. 2C , an electronic mail message object (or simply, “e-mail”)  205 , according to a further embodiment of the invention, is shown. E-mail  205 , which in this example is a bill from a utility company, includes a field  207  that displays the name of the billing entity. A plurality of fields  222  display the service(s) rendered by the billing entity or other charges for which the customer is being billed. E-mail  205 , in this example, a bill from a power company that notes the electricity used and the cost of the usage. In some embodiments of the invention, the services and/or charges are not listed in detail, but rather are simply summarized in the e-mail  205 .  
         [0028]     E-mail  205  also includes a first field  209   a  and a second field  209   b  into which a consumer receiving the e-mail  205  may enter a username and a password. E-mail  205  further includes payment amount field  209   c , which may be used to indicate the amount to be paid to the billing entity. Finally, e-mail  205  includes a “Pay Now” button or indicia  211  as described above, which the consumer may press to complete the transaction contemplated by e-mail  205 .  
         [0029]     As discussed above, the username and password are uniquely associated with a particular user or a particular customer identification code. The username and password are securely transmitted as discussed herein, and are mapped to a database of information that includes information about the user. As discussed above, the text of e-mail  200  can be prepared in HTML format and transmitted as an attachment to a secure e-mail.  
         [0030]     Referring to  FIG. 3 , an e-mail launched web transaction process  300 , according to an embodiment of the invention, is shown. Process  300  (i.e., sequence of steps  350 - 362 ) begins when a consumer/e-mail recipient views e-mail  200  or  255  and decides to purchase any of the offered good(s) and/or service(s).  
         [0031]     In step  350 , the consumer enters any required information depending on the type of e-mail received (e.g. for e-mail  250 , name, address and credit card number and for e-mail  255  username and password), any required shipping information in shipping information area  240 , and any other required/desired information (e.g., quantity of items ordered, etc.).  
         [0032]     In step  352 , when the consumer clicks or otherwise actuates Purchase button  250 , mail user agent  140  spawns a new browser window  310  (which in some embodiments, is visible to the consumer). The spawning of new browser window  310  includes a HyperText Transmission Protocol, Secure (HTTPS) Uniform Resource Locator (URL) request for a secure transaction server  320 .  
         [0033]     As a result of step  352 , browser window  310  initiates SSL handshaking and certificate exchange with transaction server  320  at steps  354  and  356 . A secure communications channel is thereby established. In step  358 , once the secure communications channel has been established, the information previously entered by the customer in step  350  is sent from browser window  310  to transaction server  320 . In some embodiments, when the user transmits only a username and password, the username and password are mapped to the database of information described above that contains other information (e.g., billing information) in a step  355 .  
         [0034]     In step  360 , transaction server  320  then stores the transaction in a database located on, or accessible to, server  320 . Next, a confirmation  400  (shown in  FIG. 4 ) of the transaction is downloaded to browser window  310 . Finally, at step  362 , merchant server  330  is notified of the transaction and takes the appropriate action to execute the transaction for the purchased good(s) and/or service(s) based on the (billing and shipping) information previously provided by the customer in step  350  and/or step  355 .  
         [0035]     It should be understood that the screens shown herein for e-mail  200 , e-mail  255  and confirmation  400 , which highlight the functionality of the invention, are presented for example purposes only. The invention is sufficiently flexible and configurable such that consumers may receive e-mails or see displayed windows other than the ones shown in  FIG. 2A, 2B  and  FIG. 4 .  
         [0036]     In the embodiment of  FIG. 3  discussed above, transaction server  320  and merchant server  330  are illustrated as separate physical components. Such an arrangement allows for a marketing entity (or service provider) to act as a “middle man” between consumers and merchants selling good(s) and/or service(s). In such an embodiment, the need for any modification to the merchant&#39;s Web site to implement the invention is eliminated. Further, this provides the opportunity for a fee to be collected by the service provider for all transactions forwarded to merchant server  330 . Such a fee might be collected as a result of the service provider having prepared and/or sent e-mail  200 . In other embodiments, where the merchant directly implements the invention, browser window  310  communicates directly with the merchant server  330 , thereby “cutting out the middle man” (i.e., server  320 ).  
         [0037]     In alternative embodiments, the functions of other components shown as separate, may be performed by the same physical device. For example, the functions performed by mail transfer agent  120  and transaction server  320  may be performed by a single server. Those of skill in the art will recognize that other combinations of functions are similarly possible.  
         [0038]     As mentioned above, new browser window  310  is visible to the consumer when it is spawned in step  352 . One of the reasons new browser window  310  is opened is to take advantage of the built-in support for SSL/TLS secure channels provided by most current browsers such as Microsoft® Internet Explorer, Netscape® Navigator and the like. This is done because most current mail user agents  140  (e.g., Microsoft® Outlook®, Eudora® and the like) do not support such secure channels although they support the display of HTML documents.  
         [0039]     In an alternative embodiment of the invention, new browser window  310  is hidden from the recipient. In such an embodiment, confirmation of the transaction could be provided by way of a separate e-mail from transaction server  320  (or merchant server  330 ) to mail user agent  140 , rather than through the download of a confirmation Web page  400  to new browser window  310 . The need for new browser window  310 , however, may be eliminated entirely if mail user agent  140  is equipped to support secure channel communications.  
         [0040]     From the point of view of the consumer, with the exception of entering the information discussed above in connection with step  350 , which is done “in the e-mail” (i.e., the consumer enters the information in the same window in which e-mail  200  or e-mail  255  is displayed by mail user agent  140 ), the entire transaction is completed with a single click or activation of Purchase button  250 . There is no need for the consumer to actually visit a merchant&#39;s Web site. Further, prior to viewing e-mail  200  and activating Purchase button  250 , there is no need for the consumer to even open a browser window. Thus, the process of the invention facilitates the online ordering of a desired good or service in comparison to known methods.  
         [0041]     Consumers can be required to enter identification information such as username and password or name and address as discussed above. In alternative embodiments, where individualized e-mails are sent to targeted consumers (e.g., from an e-mail list purchased by the merchant from a third-party, or a database of the merchant&#39;s existing customers), the information in areas  230 ,  240 ,  270   a ,  270   b  may be pre-populated (i.e., inserted into the e-mail in advance). Such an alternative embodiment is described below.  
         [0042]     In other embodiments of the invention, e-mails sent to a merchant&#39;s existing customers may include a customer identification (ID) code which is transmitted to transaction server  320  when a “Purchase Using Default Options” button is activated within e-mail  200 . In such embodiments, only the customer ID code is sent to the merchant because they already possess the billing and shipping information needed to complete the transaction. If the default information is correct, the entire transaction may be completed with one simple click. The e-mails in such an embodiment may also provide the customer with the opportunity to modify the default (e.g., shipping) information.  
         [0043]     Referring to  FIG. 5 , a flow diagram illustrating a further embodiment of the invention is provided. In the illustrated embodiment, a customer signs up in a step  705  for a bill payment service via an e-mail, a website, telephone, etc. The customer provides relevant information to a transaction server  790  to create a customer account. The customer account includes, for example, bank information, name, address, telephone number, credit card number, etc.  
         [0044]     In a step  710 , a third party billing entity (e.g., a utility company, a merchant, a credit card company, a subscription provider, a cable or satellite television provider) receives a list of customers from the transaction server  790 . The information can be received according to the customer&#39;s account number, name, or other unique identifier. In a step  720 , the third party billing entity sends billing information (e.g., bill amount due, due date, late fees) associated with the particular customer to the transaction server  790 . In a step  725 , the transaction server  790  receives the billing information from the billing entity for a particular customer. The billing information received from the billing entity can be encrypted or unencrypted.  
         [0045]     Once the transaction server receives the billing information from the billing entity, the transaction server matches the billing information for the particular customer with a unique encryption key for that customer. The billing information and the encryption key are processed to produce an encrypted bill to be sent to the customer. The encrypted bill is forwarded to a customer as an attachment to an e-mail  735 . The e-mail  735  is created in step  730  in a manner similar to that described above with respect to  FIG. 1 . In step  740 , the e-mail  735  is forwarded to the appropriate customer.  
         [0046]     In step  745 , the customer receives and opens the encrypted e-mail attachment. The encryption key is supplied by the customer and the bill is decrypted and displayed to the customer for review. The encryption and decryption of the attachment to e-mail  735  is accomplished using known methods.  
         [0047]     In a step  750 , the customer actuates a “button” similar to that described above with respect to  FIGS. 2A and 2B  to authorize the transaction server  790  to make a payment. In step  760 , the authorization is sent to the transaction server  790 . In step  770 , the transaction server transfers funds to the billing entity&#39;s bank as payment for the bill. In step  780 , the transaction server provides payment information to the billing entity.  
         [0048]     The invention may be implemented using hardware, software or a combination thereof and may be implemented in one or more computer systems or other processing systems. In some embodiments, the invention is directed toward one or more computer systems capable of carrying out the functionality described herein. An example of a computer system  600  is illustrated in  FIG. 6 . The computer system  600  includes one or more processors, such as processor  604 . The processor  604  is connected to a communication infrastructure  606  (e.g., a communications bus, cross-over bar, or network). Various software embodiments are described in terms of this example of a computer system. It will become apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art(s) how to implement the invention using other computer systems and/or architectures.  
         [0049]     Computer system  600  can include a display interface  602  that forwards graphics, text, and other data from the communication infrastructure  606  (or from a frame buffer not shown) for display on the display unit  630 .  
         [0050]     Computer system  600  also includes a main memory  608 , preferably random access memory (RAM), and may also include a secondary memory  610 . The secondary memory  610  may include, for example, a hard disk drive  612  and/or a removable storage drive  614 , representing a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, etc. The removable storage drive  614  reads from and/or writes to a removable storage unit  618  in a well known manner. Removable storage unit  618 , represents a floppy disk, magnetic tape, optical disk, etc. which is read by and written to by removable storage drive  614 . As will be appreciated, the removable storage unit  618  includes a computer usable storage medium having stored therein computer software and/or data.  
         [0051]     In alternative embodiments, secondary memory  610  may include other similar devices for allowing computer programs or other instructions to be loaded into computer system  600 . Such devices may include, for example, a removable storage unit  622  and an interface  620 . Examples of such may include a program cartridge and cartridge interface (such as that found in video game devices), a removable memory chip (such as an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), or programmable read only memory (PROM)) and associated socket, and other removable storage units  622  and interfaces  620 , which allow software and data to be transferred from the removable storage unit  622  to computer system  600 .  
         [0052]     Computer system  600  may also include a communications interface  624 . Communications interface  624  allows software and data to be transferred between computer system  600  and external devices. Examples of communications interface  624  may include a modem, a network interface (such as an Ethernet card), a communications port, a Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) slot and card, etc. Software and data transferred via communications interface  624  are in the form of signals  628  which may be electronic, electromagnetic, optical or other signals capable of being received by communications interface  624 . These signals  628  are provided to communications interface  624  via a communications path (e.g., channel)  626 . This channel  626  carries signals  628  and may be implemented using wire or cable, fiber optics, a telephone line, a cellular link, an radio frequency (RF) link and other communications channels.  
         [0053]     In this document, the terms “computer program medium” and “computer usable medium” are used to generally refer to media such as removable storage drive  614 , a hard disk installed in hard disk drive  612 , and signals  628 . These computer program products provide software to computer system  600 . The invention is directed to such computer program products.  
         [0054]     Computer programs (also referred to as computer control logic or code) are stored in main memory  608  and/or secondary memory  610 . Computer programs may also be received via communications interface  624 . Such computer programs, when executed, enable the computer system  600  to perform the features of the invention, as discussed herein. In particular, the computer programs, when executed, enable the processor  604  to perform the features of the invention. Accordingly, such computer programs represent controllers of the computer system  600 .  
         [0055]     In an embodiment where the invention is implemented using software, the software may be stored in a computer program product and loaded into computer system  600  using removable storage drive  614 , hard drive  612  or communications interface  624 . The control logic or code (software), when executed by the processor  604 , causes the processor  604  to perform the functions of the invention as described herein.  
         [0056]     In another embodiment, the invention is implemented primarily in hardware using, for example, hardware components such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Implementation of the hardware state machine so as to perform the functions described herein will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s).  
         [0057]     In yet another embodiment, the invention is implemented using a combination of both hardware and software.  
       CONCLUSION  
       [0058]     While various embodiments of the invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of the invention should not be limited by any of the above-described embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.  
         [0059]     The previous description of the embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the invention. While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.