Abstract:
An apparatus ( 30 ) and method for electronic authentication of electronic transactions conducted on the WWW/Internet. Users ( 11 ) can create and manage an individual account specifically for the purpose of proving ones identity and authority to access or engage in a wide variety of electronic activities such as purchasing, accessing confidential information, authorizing transactions, etc. User devices ( 14,15,16,17,18 ) are connected to a security application service provider system ( 31 ) and security system ( 32 ) that maintain the individual accounts and communicate with participating vendors ( 33 ). The service provider system ( 31 ) generates standard command buttons ( 40,43,44 ) and text boxes ( 41,42 ) for the users ( 11 ).

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to a system and a method for providing a user with a universally accepted identification and authentication account for engaging in electronic transactions over the World Wide Web (WWW) and Internet.  
           [0002]    The current method of “authentication” on the WWW/Internet involves a user who initiates an account on the provider&#39;s system/database. For each account the user must provide confidential information such as credit card information, age, address, etc. Once this is completed, the user then chooses a user name (user-ID) and password (pass code) to “authorize” merchant/institution use or access to the account. If the user wants to initiate a transaction with a second merchant/institution, the user must repeat the process with the new merchant/institution. Before long, the user has several accounts with several different merchants/institutions that have access to the user&#39;s confidential information. This represents a security risk problem and the user must remember the user name and password or each account which can be inconvenient for the user.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    The system and method according to the present invention solve the problems and inconveniences of the prior art method of authentication by eliminating individual accounts in favor of a central, universally accepted account. By way of example, and not of limitation, the system and method according to the present invention concern an electronic authentication system designed specifically for the WWW/Internet whereby users can create and manage an individual personal use or business use account specifically for the purpose of proving one&#39;s identity and authority to access or engage in a wide variety of electronic (WWW/Internet) activities such as purchasing, accessing confidential information, authorizing transactions, etc. It is intended that the system and method according to the present invention become universally accepted as a standard amongst a variety of merchants, government agencies, banking agencies, educational institutions, business-to-business transactions, etc., as a method to securely validate an electronic WWW/Internet transaction while maintaining the confidentiality of user information. It is also the intent that the system and method according to the present invention replace the several individual “user-ID&#39;s” and “passwords” a person may have with individual merchants/institutions, with one central account.  
           [0004]    Accordingly, the system and method according to the present invention are identified herein as the “Inter-Net-ID” which provides the following benefits:  
           [0005]    A. User  
           [0006]    1. One user account to engage in a variety of “authentication necessary” transactions.  
           [0007]    2. Increased security: only one entity knows confidential information.  
           [0008]    3. Centralized administration: User can easily get reports on activity.  
           [0009]    4. Centralized security: User need only be concerned with the security credentials of the “Inter-Net-ID” service provider.  
           [0010]    5. If desired, and made a condition of the transaction, the “Inter-Net-ID” service provider can act as an “escrow” agent to provide mutual satisfaction for both merchant and user in the transaction.  
           [0011]    B. Merchant/Administrations/Institutions  
           [0012]    1. Reduced administration costs: Databases need only be managed/maintained for transaction information; i.e. invoices, receipts, etc. Electronic funds transfer handled, and associated security risks are the responsibility of the “Inter-Net-ID” service provider.  
           [0013]    2. Increased sales/transactions: Ease of use and convenience realized by the user will cause them to “seek out”” merchants and institutions that accept the “Inter-Net-ID” standard. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]    The above, as well as other advantages of the present invention, will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when considered in the light of the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the prior art system for electronic transactions between customers and vendors; and  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a system for electronic transactions in accordance with the present invention.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0017]    There is shown in FIG. 1 the present approach to secured transactions on the Internet. An electronic system  10  links a plurality of customers or users  11  via the Internet  12  to a plurality of vendors  13 . The customers  11  can use any of a number of interface devices such as a personal computer (PC)  14 , an X-box cable unit  15 , a personal digital assistant (PDA)  16 , a regular telephone  17  or a wireless telephone  18 . Each of the devices  14  through  18  has a connection to the Internet  12  typically through an Internet Service Provider (ISP). Each of the customers  11  desires to conclude electronic transactions with two or more of the vendors  13  each having a web based sales site. For example, well known retailers maintain web sites such as a Sears, Roebuck &amp; Co. web site  19  at “sears.com”, a Kohls Department Store web site  20  at “kohls.com”, a JCPenny (JCP) web site  21  at “jcpenny.com” and a Wal-Mart web site  22  at “walmart.com” are shown. Each of the web sales sites  19  through  22  has associated therewith a separate security system to protect both the customer and the vendor. Thus, the web sales sites  19  through  22  are connected to the Internet  12  by security systems  23  through  26  respectively.  
         [0018]    At present, the end customer/consumer  11 , using the Internet  12 , connects to a security system of one of the vendors for a “shopping trip”. This site need not be a sales site as it could be any web site where the end customer/consumer  11  is requesting entrance into for acquiring a product, a service and/or information. The point is that the end customer/consumer  11  is out to “acquire something” from the web site in question whether or not payment is required in exchange. The use of the term “sales site” in FIG. 1 is an all encompassing term used to define a web site that will “supply something” to the end customer/consumer  11 . In regards to this, sometime during the period that the end customer/consumer is “at” the site, especially if an actual purchase of “something” is carried out from the web site in question, the end customer/consumer will be required to supply to the web site in question a security identification. This security identification will be in the form of a “user I.D.” and a “password” that will identify the specific end customer/consumer to the web site in question.  
         [0019]    Each of the web sites  19  through  22  carries with it its own security identification for these purposes. The end customer/consumer must keep track of each and every security I.D. and associated password that he/she has accessed and wish to continue to access. Each web site must keep and store this security I.D. and password for identification purposes later and each web site must construct and maintain its own security software system  23  through  26  for identification and verification purposes. This software is designed in FIG. 1 as the “SIGNON” security systems  23  through  26  required for access to the web sales sites  19  through  22  respectively. This is an extremely inefficient process and not cost effective at all, especially for the web sales sites in question. Duplication of cost expenditure and effort by each and every web sales site to carry out this security process is extremely large. On the end customer/consumer side, the confusion that results from having to keep and maintain separate security I.D.&#39;s and passwords for each and every web sales site is quite large. This confusion also adds much complexity to what should be an easy and straightforward electronic transaction process to carry out from the end customer/consumer&#39;s perspective.  
         [0020]    There is shown in FIG. 2, a single account electronic transaction system  30  that provides a solution to the Internet security issue as posed and outlined above with reference to FIG. 1. This solution is to have a “central repository” or controlling software system located on the Internet where all security identifications for all users can be added, maintained, verified, and updated. In the FIG. 2, there is shown a Security Application Service Provider (ASP) system  31  and associated security system  32  connected between the customers  11  and a plurality of vendors  33  such as the vendor web sites  19  through  22 . The systems  31  and  32  could be any known concept or approach that allows for the security I.D.&#39;s to be added, maintained, verified and updated in one location only. With this approach, the end customer/consumer  11  enters the ASP location once through his/her device  14  through  18  and identifies himself/herself by use of the associated security I.D. Once identified, the customers  11  then “pass through” to any and all of the web sales sites  19  through  22  to pursue their attainment of products, services and/or information as they require. The security I.D. is passed to the particular web site in question by the common security system  32  when the site calls for it or on first entry into the site by the end customer/consumer  11 . This security I.D. is supplied to each and every Internet web site that the end customer/consumer  11  enters and utilizes for his/her own purposes.  
         [0021]    This approach and method is efficient and extremely cost effective. It is efficient for the end customer/consumer in that he/she has only one sign on (i.e. user I.D. and password) to remember and maintain instead of the myriad of user I.D.&#39;s and passwords under the “old” concept of security. This approach is extremely efficient and very cost effective for the Internet web sales sites in that they no longer each have to construct and maintain extremely complex security software programs and systems to be utilized to examine and verify the security of each and every person that accesses their Internet web sales site. This is an extremely large cost saving to each and every Internet web sales site and vendor. In addition, efficiencies of scale can be achieved as the end customer/consumer  11  can be passed directly into the Internet web sales site after his/her security has been passed from the central security repository  31 ,  32  to the particular Internet web sales site of the vendor  33  in question. This allows the Internet web sales site computer hardware equipment and software programs to be strictly devoted to the act of servicing the end customer/consumer&#39;s needs and requirements, and not in trying to satisfy heavy security verification and operating procedures as implemented by the Internet web sales site.  
         [0022]    The system and method according to the present invention are referred to as the “Inter-Net-ID” and comprise the following:  
         [0023]    1. Both users  11  and merchants/administrations/institutions must first set up an account with the Inter-Net-ID provider. During this process, the account holder provides the necessary authentication information as well as banking and identity information. The information provided is kept confidential and can vary depending on the type of account (i.e. user, merchant, institution, etc.).  
         [0024]    2. Merchant/administration/institution accounts are then provided with account specific “software code” that they integrate into their web site. The result of the code is a push button that appears on the account web page. Each push button looks the same and is consistent on all “Inter-Net-ID” enabled account web pages. However, when the user “pushes” the button, the software executed is specific to the merchant/administration/institution account. For example, there is shown in FIG. 3 a command button  40  labeled “Authorize this Transaction with Your Inter-Net-ID”.  
         [0025]    3. When the push button  40  is pushed, the user is transferred to the Inter-Net-ID “log-in” web page where he/she is asked to provide authentication information. For example, there is shown in FIG. 4 a text box  41  labeled “User ID” and a text box  42  labeled “Password” for entering such information. Once entered, the information can be submitted via a command button  43  labeled “Submit” or erased via a command button  44  labeled “Reset”.  
         [0026]    4. The software code that executes when the push button is pushed also transfers transaction data to the Inter-Net-ID provider&#39;s database. This process takes place using state-of-the-art data encryption and security so the data is protected. When the user provides the proper credentials (User ID and Password, again encrypted), the transaction is completed, funds (if a financial transaction) are transferred between vendor and user accounts. Financial account numbers, etc. were previously provided when the account(s) were set up, so the transaction happens instantaneously. Note that neither party is aware of the other party&#39;s confidential information.  
         [0027]    5. Upon completion, the user is transferred back to the merchant/administration/institution web site/page. At the same time the user&#39;s ship-to address, name etc. are recorded in the vendor&#39;s database for transaction processing. If the transaction was non-financial (i.e. purely “authentication”) he/she is returned to “privates areas of the merchant/administration/institution web site.  
         [0028]    6. An added feature of this system is the possibility that the “Inter-Net-ID” provider can act as an escrow agent in the transaction. In this case, funds are not transferred until the user approves (or delivery is verified) the transaction. The vendor can specify this “customization” when the account is initially setup.  
         [0029]    7. Merchandise returns: If funds have been transferred and the purchaser (user) has been approved to return merchandise, the process is reversed. In this case it is “like” an escrow transaction in that the merchant must “approve” the refund when the merchandise is received. The “Inter-Net-ID” service provider then transfers the reverse transaction funds. Again, a custom push button (i.e. software code) can be supplied to the merchant for this purpose.  
         [0030]    In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the present invention has been described in what is considered to represent its preferred embodiment. However, it should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope.