Abstract:
A method of allowing a customer to purchase a product having a purchase price from a merchant through an electronic transaction. The method comprising the step of establishing a deposit account on behalf of the customer with an escrow account provider. Next, funds are transferred into the deposit account. The customer will then place an order with the merchant. The balance of the deposit account will be verified to confirm that the balance is at least equal to the purchase price of the product. Next, the merchant will be notified that the balance in the deposit account is at least equal to the purchase price such that the merchant will deliver the product to the customer. Finally, the purchase price of the product will be transferred from the deposit account to the merchant by the escrow account provider upon confirmation of delivery of the product to the customer.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     (Not Applicable)  
       STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT  
       [0002]     (Not Applicable)  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     The present invention generally relates to online purchases and more particularly to a method of verifying adequate funds for the purchase of products and services online.  
         [0004]     Currently, online purchasing of goods and services has become popular. The Internet is being used as a commercial pathway for the purchase of products, content and electronic wagering. Many user&#39;s of the Internet are purchasing products that are delivered directly to the them.  
         [0005]     Typically, in order to purchase an item over the Internet, the purchaser must give the Internet merchant his or her credit card information as the form of payment. In turn, the Internet merchant will charge the purchaser&#39;s credit card the amount of the purchase. Many purchasers do not desire to give out credit card information to online merchants due to the risk of fraudulent charges being placed on their card. Additionally, many purchasers are fearful of their credit card number being stolen while it is being transmitted over the Internet.  
         [0006]     Additionally, purchaser&#39;s of goods or services are worried that their purchase will be charged to their credit card without any goods being received. This can be especially true wherein online content is to be downloaded to the purchaser. Specifically, the purchaser will supply the Internet merchant his or her credit card number to download the desired content. Often times, downloading of the content will be unexpectedly interrupted such that the purchaser will not receive the completed download. However, because the purchaser has already paid the full amount for the online content, there is a risk of an unscrupulous content provider of not refunding the amount of the download or providing a new download. Similarly, for the purchase of a product, there is the chance that a merchant may not send the product to the customer even though the customer has already paid the merchant.  
         [0007]     Online gaming and wagering permits Internet user&#39;s to place bets from anywhere in the world. The user can place bets in sporting events and/or play online casino games. The user typically pays for these activities by providing his or her credit card number to the online casino or wagering service. However, as previously mentioned, Internet users are hesitant to provide credit card information to online merchants. Additionally, with online casinos and wagering, there is the added risk that the user will not be paid his winnings. There is no guarantee that the online casino or wagering service will have adequate funds to cover the user&#39;s bets. Therefore, the users of online casinos and wagering services must assume the risk of wagering.  
         [0008]     In addition to the foregoing, online merchants must verify that the credit card information provided to them is correct and that the purchaser has enough credit to purchase the goods and/or services. Accordingly, the online merchant must verify the credit card information with the credit card provider. If the credit card has been recently stolen, the credit card provider may not have up-to-date information thereby approving the transaction with the stolen credit card. Additionally, there is the added risk that the purchaser may have exhausted all his available credit, but the credit card provider does not know this information yet such that the transaction may be approved. Accordingly, there is a need for a quick and simple system for verifying adequate funds for an online purchase.  
         [0009]     The present invention addresses the above-mentioned deficiencies with online purchasing by providing a method whereby funds are verified before purchase of goods and services online. In this respect, the method of the present invention provides a system whereby online merchants can be assured that the purchaser has adequate funds for the online purchase. Additionally, the present invention provides for a system and method whereby the online merchant will not receive the funds for an online purchase until the purchaser has received delivery. Furthermore, the present invention provides for a system and method whereby it is first verified that the online casino can cover the wager before being placed with an online casino.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     A method of allowing a customer to purchase a product having a purchase price from a merchant through an electronic transaction. The method comprising the step of establishing a deposit account on behalf of the customer with an escrow account provider. Next, funds are transferred into the deposit account. The customer will then place an order with the merchant. The balance of the deposit account will be verified to confirm that the balance is at least equal to the purchase price of the product. Next, the merchant will be notified that the balance in the deposit account is at least equal to the purchase price such that the merchant will deliver the product to the customer. Finally, the purchase price of the product will be transferred from the deposit account to the merchant by the escrow account provider upon confirmation of delivery of the product to the customer.  
         [0011]     In the preferred embodiment, the purchase price for the product will be transferred from the deposit account to a set aside account subsequent to verification that the balance is at least equal to the purchase price. Accordingly, the purchase price of the product will be transferred from the set aside account to the merchant upon confirmation of delivery of the product to the customer. The step of verifying that the deposit account balance is at least equal to the purchase price may be accomplished by the escrow account provider or by a financial institution if the customer does not have a deposit account established with the escrow account provider. If the customer does not have a deposit account with the escrow account provider then the purchase price of the product will be transferred from the financial institution to a temporary deposit account upon verification of sufficient funds.  
         [0012]     Typically, in order to ensure receipt of the product by the customer, the escrow account provider will require a signature. Upon receipt of the signature, the escrow account provider will transfer the purchase price of the product to a settlement account which is then transferred to the merchant on a daily basis. The escrow account provider may withdraw a small fee from the purchase price of the product as a service charge.  
         [0013]     In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method of allowing a customer to purchase online content having a purchase price from a merchant through an electronic transaction. The method comprises the step of establishing a deposit account on behalf of the customer with an escrow account provider. Next, funds are transferred by the customer into the deposit account. The customer will then place an order with the merchant for the desired online content. The escrow account provider will then verify that the deposit account has a balance which is at least equal to the purchase price. The escrow account provider will notify the merchant that the balance in the deposit account is at least equal to the purchase price such that the merchant will download the online content to the customer. Finally, the escrow account provider will transfer the purchase price of the online content from the deposit account to the merchant upon confirmation of successful download.  
         [0014]     In order to ensure the online content has been successfully downloaded, the merchant must agree to notify the escrow account provider upon confirmation of a successful transmittal of the online content. Accordingly, the escrow account provider will notify the customer of the successful download after notification by the escrow account provider. After the escrow account provider has notified the customer of the successful download, the purchase price of the online content will be transferred to the merchant.  
         [0015]     In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method of allowing a customer to place a wager on gaming action with a merchant through an electronic transaction. The method comprises establishing a deposit account for the customer with an escrow account provider. Next, the customer will place a wager for gaming action with the merchant. Funds for the wager will be transferred from the deposit account to a set aside account. The merchant will be notified that the finds have been transferred to the set aside account. The escrow account provider will verify that the merchant can cover the wager. During the pendency of the gaming action, the funds for the wager will be transferred from the set aside account to an action account. Finally, the funds for the wager will be transferred to either the merchant or the customer depending upon whether the customer has won or lost the wager.  
         [0016]     If the customer wins the gaming action, then the funds will be transferred to the customer. However, if the customer loses the wager, then the funds will be transferred to the merchant. As mentioned above, the escrow account provider must verify that the merchant can cover the wager. If the merchant does not have sufficient funds to cover the wager, the escrow account provider will suspend play. Once the merchant has enough funds to cover the wager, play will be resumed. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]     These as well as other features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reference to the drawings wherein:  
         [0018]      FIG. 1  is a diagram depicting an escrow management structure of the present invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 2  is a diagram depicting an account structure for the escrow management structure shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0020]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart depicting the method of purchasing a product with the escrow management structure shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0021]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart depicting the method of purchasing online content with the escrow management structure shown in  FIG. 1 ; and  
         [0022]      FIG. 5  is a flowchart depicting the method of purchasing gaming action with the escrow management structure shown in  FIG. 1 .  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0023]     Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present invention only, and not for purposes of limiting the same,  FIG. 1  graphically illustrate an escrow management structure  10  used for the purchase of products, online content and gaming action over the Internet. The escrow management structure  10  is implemented by an escrow account provider on a network of computers that are capable of communicating with each other in order to transfer funds therebetween.  
       System Overview  
       [0024]     A customer  12  contacts a merchant  14  for an online purchase. As used in this application, an online purchase refers to the purchase of goods, services, online content, or wagering via electronic means such as the Internet. A merchant  14  is the seller of the goods, services, online content or provider of online wagering. The customer  12  typically contacts the merchant  14  via the merchant&#39;s web site. The web site of the merchant is typically hosted through a series of merchant computers  16 . The merchant computers  16  access the Internet  18  to contact an escrow account server  20  of the escrow management structure  10 . Specifically, the merchant computers  16  first contact the Server POS/Firewall  22  over the Internet  18  which in turn contacts the escrow account server  20  through a dedicated, secure connection. Once the escrow account server  20  has been contacted, a secure dedicated connection  24  is established between the merchant computers  16  and the escrow account server  20 . In addition to the foregoing, the server POS/Firewall  22  is in communication with a gateway  26  that transmits accept/decline information to and from financial institutions such as banks.  
         [0025]     As seen in  FIG. 1 , the escrow account server  20  is configured with electronic accounts  27  used for purchasing goods and services. In this respect, the escrow account server  20  maintains data regarding a temporary account  28 , a direct deposit account (DDA)  30 , a gaming post-up account (GPA)  32 , an action account (AA)  34 , a casino cage (CC)  36 , a set aside account (SAA)  38 , a merchant gaming post-up account (MGPA)  40 , and a disbursement account (DA)  42 . The electronic accounts  27  are used for transferring funds between the customer  12  and the merchant  14 , as will be explained below.  
         [0026]     In addition to the electronic accounts  27 , the escrow account server  22  further includes a settlement account (SA)  44  for disbursement of funds to the accounts of the merchant  14  through merchant international business companies (IBC) accounts  48 . Furthermore, the escrow account server  22  maintains a world net global commerce system (WNGCS) account  46  for distribution of funds to non-IBC merchant accounts.  
       Accounts Overview  
       [0027]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the accounts  27  are sub-escrow accounts which monitor and maintain funds. The direct deposit account  30  is the location whereat a customer&#39;s money is held until a purchase or gaming request is made. Funds are placed within the direct deposit account  30  by the customer  12  through direct withdrawal from the customer&#39;s bank account or through a credit card transfer. The temporary account  28  is similar to the direct deposit account  30 , however it is used for depositing funds by a non-account holder customer  12 .  
         [0028]     The gaming post-up account  32  is the location whereby a customer  12  engaged in online gambling can temporarily place funds for future betting with member casinos and sports books. The action account  34  is the account where funds are placed while a wager for online gaming is in progress. In this respect, during a wager that was purchased through an online transaction, the funds for the wager are placed within the action account  34  during the pendency of gaming action. The casino cage  36  is an account that the customer  12  can deposit funds into such that the funds will be disbursed to various casinos (i.e., merchants  14 ) at the request of the customer  12 .  
         [0029]     The set aside account  38  is an account that funds from the direct deposit account  30  are transferred into during the purchase of a product or online content. Specifically, customer&#39;s funds are escrowed within the set aside account  38  until verification of delivery of the product or online content has been received by the escrow management structure  10 .  
         [0030]     The merchant gaming post-up account  40  is the account whereby the online casino or sports book maintains adequate funds to cover wagers by the customers  12 . In this respect, the merchant gaming post-up account  40  must maintain adequate funds to cover the wagers made by customers  12 . Winnings to the customers  12  are disbursed from the merchant gaming post-up account  40 , while losses of the customers  12  may be transferred thereinto also.  
         [0031]     The disbursement account  42  is the account that all escrowed funds are transferred into for final disbursement to merchants  14 . Funds from the disbursement account  42  are transferred regularly (i.e., daily at  2 : 00  am) in a lump sum to the settlement account  44 . The settlement account  44  performs electronic accounting such that respective merchant accounts are reconciled and credited to merchant IBC accounts  48  and WNGCS account  46 . Additionally, fees for using the escrow management structure  10  are withdrawn from the settlement account  44  prior to disbursement to the merchant&#39;s accounts.  
       Product Purchase  
       [0032]     In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method of verifying funds for the purchase of a product over the Internet. Referring to  FIG. 3 , a customer  12  makes a request for a product to the merchant&#39;s POS computers  16 . The request is directed to the escrow account server  20  for processing by the escrow management structure  10 . A reseller interface  50 , programmable on the server POS/firewall  22 , functions as a liaison between the merchant computers  16  and the escrow account server  20 . The server POS/firewall  22  is operative to determine the customer and relay such information the reseller interface  50 . The reseller interface  50  determines whether the customer is an account holder of the escrow management structure  10 . An account holder is a customer  12  who has already registered with the escrow management structure  10  such that account information has already been configured. Additionally, an account holder will have funded his or her direct deposit account  30 .  
         [0033]     If the customer  12  is not an account holder, then the escrow management structure will inquire whether the customer wishes to join. If the customer  12  wishes to join, then the customer  12  will fill out a membership application and be notified that for security reasons none of the information entered will be viewed by the merchant  14  or by the manager of the escrow management structure  10 . The customer  12  will then be able to access the escrow management structure  10  as an account holder, as will be explained below.  
         [0034]     If the customer  12  does not wish to join, then the escrow management structure  10  will provide the customer  12  with an HTML form for entry of information. The HTML form will allow the customer  12  to enter credit card information or bank information that will be used to verify and transfer funds for the purchase of the product. The credit card or bank transfer information will be sent via the server POS/firewall  22  and gateway  26  to financial institutions for approval of the purchase. The purchase will be handled through the real pay-application programming interface (RP-API)  52 , real pay server POS  54 , and advanced transaction processor (ATP)  56  in order to either approve or deny the product purchase transaction with the appropriate financial institution. If the purchase is approved, the funds for the purchase will be transferred to the escrow management structure  10  and placed in the set aside account  38 . The approval for the purchase will not be through the escrow account server  20  but by the financial institution. The approval or denial process may not be instantaneous because the financial institution must be contacted.  
         [0035]     If the customer  12  is an account holder, then the customer  12  will be directed to a login page  58  and asked to enter a valid password and user name. If the user name or password is not valid, then the login page  58  will be displayed again. The customer will be give three opportunities to enter a valid password before the transaction is terminated and the customer with the entered user name is notified.  
         [0036]     After a valid login, the customer  12 , who is an account holder, will receive an immediate notification of approval or denial of the purchase because the customer  12  will have funds in their direct deposit account  30 . Specifically, the customer  12  will have previously funded his or her direct deposit account  30  prior to making a purchase online. As previously mentioned, the direct deposit account  30  may be funded through credit card transfers or direct withdrawals from the customer&#39;s bank account. The approval or denial of the purchase will be immediate because the funds will be in the customer&#39;s direct deposit account  30  such that verification will be easily accomplished by accessing the balance of the customer&#39;s direct deposit account  30 . Additionally, the approval or denial will be secure because it is being processed directly by the escrow account server  20 .  
         [0037]     If the transaction is not approved because the customer  12  does not have adequate funds in his or her direct deposit account  30 , or is not approved by the customer&#39;s financial institution (i.e., non-account holders), the transaction will be terminated. The customer  12  will be prompted to exit, or given the option of choosing another method of payment or funding his/her deposit account  30 .  
         [0038]     If the transaction is approved, both the customer  12  and the merchant  14  will be notified. The merchant  14  will ship the product to the customer  12  and notify the escrow account server  20  of the shipping method. Simultaneously, the funds used to purchase the product will be transferred from the customer&#39;s direct deposit account  30  to the set aside account  38 . The funds for purchase of the product will not be released to the merchant  14  until notification of the delivery of the product has been received. Accordingly, a courier database  60  downloads tracking information to the escrow account server  20 . The courier database  60  includes delivery information for the shipping method of the product and whether the product has been received by the customer  12 .  
         [0039]     If a signature for delivery of the product has not been received, the funds for the product will not be released to the merchant  14 . On the other hand, if a signature has been received, the purchase funds will be immediately transferred to the disbursement account  42  and then to the settlement account  44  in a lump sum transfer. The settlement account  44  will be disbursed on a daily basis to the merchant&#39;s IBC account  48  or WNGCS account  46  as payment for the product. Furthermore, a small fee will be deducted from the settlement account  44  by the escrow account provider as a service charge.  
         [0040]     As mentioned above, the merchant  14  will only receive payment if the product is successfully delivered to the customer  12 . Accordingly, the customer  12  is protected by ensuring that delivery of the product occurs before the merchant  14  is paid. Similarly, because the funds for purchase are obtained prior to delivery of the product, but set aside until delivery, the merchant  14  is protected from fraudulent credit card transactions. Accordingly, the escrow management structure  10  of the present invention provides for product purchases that are both secure for the customer  12  and the merchant  14 .  
       Content Purchase  
       [0041]     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a method of purchasing online content with the escrow management structure  10  is shown. Often times, the customer  12  may wish to purchase content such as online entertainment over the Internet. The content is downloaded or subscribed to the computer of the customer  12  for viewing thereby. As previously mentioned, a problem arises when the customer  12  has paid for the content, but has not received it due to an error during download. The escrow management structure  10  provides for a method of ensuring delivery of online content to the customer  12 .  
         [0042]     The method of ensuring payment for online content is similar to the method of payment for a product, as previously discussed. The customer  12  contacts the merchant  14  who contacts the server POS/firewall  22 . The server POS/firewall  22  determines whether the customer  12  is an account holder. If the customer  12  is not an account holder, the customer  12  may purchase the online content using his or her credit card and the RP-API  52 , as previously discussed.  
         [0043]     If the customer  12  is an account holder, then the customer  12  will be prompted to enter a valid username and password in order to purchase the online content. Once the customer  12  is logged into the escrow management structure  10 , the customer  12  and the merchant  14  will receive immediate approval or denial for the purchase based upon the balance of funds in the direct deposit account  30  of the customer  12 . If the customer  12  does not have sufficient funds in his or her direct deposit account  30 , then the transaction will be terminated and the customer  12  will be given the option of paying with another method.  
         [0044]     If the purchase is approved, then the merchant  14  and the customer  12  will be notified. The merchant  14  will be required to notify the escrow account server  20  of a successful download or subscription. The merchant  14  will begin downloading the content to the customer  12  while funds are transferred from the direct deposit account  30  of the customer  12  to the set aside account  38 . The purchase funds for the content will be maintained within the set aside account  38  until the escrow account server  20  receives verification of a successful download of content. The merchant  14  will provide the escrow account server  20  information regarding the username of the customer  12 , as well as the type of content chosen for download. The merchant  14  will inform the escrow account server  20  of a successful download. Accordingly, the escrow account server  20  will notify the customer  12  of the successful download and transfer the purchase funds for the content or subscription to the merchant  14  via the dispersment account  42  and settlement account  44 , as previously described above.  
         [0045]     If the content was not successfully downloaded, then the purchase funds in the set aside account  38  will not be released until notification of a proper download. The content may not be successfully downloaded due to the cancellation by the customer  12 , error of the merchant computers  14 , and/or system failure. As such, if the content is not successfully delivered to the customer  12 , the merchant  14  will not be payed for the content.  
       Gaming Action Purchase  
       [0046]     Referring to  FIG. 5 , a method of paying for online electronic wagering is shown. As mentioned above, a customer  12  may wish to place a wager with an online sports book/casino, but is fearful that the sports book/casino (i.e., merchant  14 ) will not have the adequate funds to cover the wager. The escrow account structure  10  provides a system whereby a merchant  14  must have sufficient funds to cover liabilities before gaming will commence. Additionally, the escrow account structure  10  provides a system whereby the customer  12  must post funds for the wager before gaming will commence. Accordingly, the escrow account structure  10  provides a system whereby both the merchant  14  (i.e., online sports book/casino) and customer  12  must post up funds to cover liabilities prior to gaming action.  
         [0047]     The method of purchasing gaming actions commences with the customer  12  contacting the merchant  14  who operates an online sports book/casino. The merchant  14  will contact the server POS/firewall  22  for approval of the customer&#39;s transaction. At this point, the escrow account server  20  will determine if the customer  12  is an account holder. If the customer  12  is not an account holder, the escrow account server  20  will query the customer  12  whether they want to be come an account holder and will approve the gaming purchase using the RP-API  52  method, as previously mentioned above. If the customer  12  is not an account holder and does not wish to become an account holder, then temporary account  28  will be used for gaming action by the non-account holder customer  12 . Specifically, the funds for the non-account holder customer  12  will be deposited within temporary account  28  through server POS/firewall  22  and escrow account server  20 . The temporary account  28  functions as direct deposit account  30  for the non-account holder customer  12 .  
         [0048]     If the customer  12  is an account holder, the customer  12  will receive immediate approval/denial based upon the balance of funds in his/her direct deposit account  30 . If the customer  12  is not approved either through the RP-API  52  system or the direct deposit account  30 , the transaction will be terminated and the customer  12  will be given the option to choose another method of payment or funding his/her direct deposit account  30 . In this respect, the gaming transaction will not occur if the customer  12  does not have sufficient funds to cover a loss.  
         [0049]     If the customer  12  is approved, the customer  12  and merchant  14  will be notified. Simultaneously, the gaming funds of the customer  12  for the wager will be placed in the set aside account  38 . The merchant  14  will be notified of that gaming funds of the customer  12  have been transferred into the set aside account  38  so that gaming may take place. Additionally, the escrow account server  20  will verify the funds in the merchant gaming postup account  40  of merchant  14  to determine whether the balance of funds can cover the wager in the event of a win by the customer  12 . Specifically, the escrow account server  20  will query the merchant gaming postup account  40  to determine whether a sufficient balance exists to cover the liabilities of the sports book/casino. For example, the sports book/casino must maintain a prescribed ratio of funds that can be distributed to winners. Specifically, in the preferred embodiment, the ratio is 3.5:1 such that the sports book/casino must maintain 3.5 times the amount being wagered by the customers  12 .  
         [0050]     If the merchant  14  does not maintain the prescribed amount of funds in the gaming post up account  40 , then the gaming action will not be approved. Specifically, the gaming action will be suspended and no more wagers will be placed with the sports book/casino (i.e., merchant  14 ) using the escrow management structure  10  until sufficient funds are placed in the gaming post up account  40  of the merchant  14 . Once sufficient funds are transferred to the gaming post up account  40 , then wagering with the online sports book/casino may continue.  
         [0051]     During play, the gaming funds of the customer  12  are transferred from the set aside account  38  to the action account  34 . The gaming funds are maintained within the action account  34  during the pendency of the gaming action. For example, if the customer  12  has wagered on an athletic event, the gaming funds of the customer  12  will be maintained within the action account  34  during the athletic event.  
         [0052]     After the gaming action has concluded, the customer  12  has either won or lost on his or her wager. If the customer  12  has lost, then the funds for the wager will be moved from the action account  34  to the disbursement account  42  for final settling and then transferred to the settlement account  44  for final accounting. The funds will then be transferred to the merchant  14 , as previously discussed above. Additionally, the escrow account provider will withdraw a small fee from the settlement account  44  as a service charge.  
         [0053]     If the customer  12  has won and the customer  12  is an account holder, then the customer  12  will be given the option to continue playing with his or her winnings, such that the winnings are credited to the set aside account  38  of the customer  12 . Otherwise, the customer  12  will be given the option where to transfer his or her winnings. After gaming, the customer  12  can transfer the winnings to his or her direct deposit account  30  for future wagering or withdrawal at a later time.  
         [0054]     If the customer  12  wins, but is not an account holder, then the customer  12  will be given the option to continue gaming by opening an account. If the customer  12  decides to open an account, then the winnings of the customer  12  will be transferred to the newly opened direct deposit account  30  of the customer  12 . Accordingly, the. customer  12  can access the funds for future wagering and/or withdrawal.  
         [0055]     On the other hand, if the customer  12  does not open an account with the escrow management structure  10 , then the customer  12  must request delivery of the funds. The customer  12  can have his or her winnings transferred via a wire transfer or ACH for a nominal fee. In the preferred embodiment, any wire transfers, ACH or activation of new accounts cannot occur until after the settling of all accounts has passed and all transactions are final in order to avoid any disputes with customers  12 . Accordingly, if the customer  12  is not an account holder, he or she will not have access to the winnings until the next settlement cycle has passed (i.e., the next day).  
         [0056]     As seen above, the escrow management structure  10  provides a system whereby both the merchant  14  and the customer  12  are protected during transactions. Specifically, the customer  12  is protected because the merchant  14  will not be paid until delivery to the customer is achieved. Accordingly, the merchant  14  will ensure that delivery is completed to the customer. Similarly, the merchant  14  is protected because funds for the purchase will be held in the escrow management structure  10  prior to delivery. Accordingly, the merchant  14  will be guaranteed payment. Therefore, the escrow management structure  10  provides a system and method for providing safe and secure online transactions for both the merchant  14  and the customer  12 .  
         [0057]     Additional modifications and improvements of the present invention may also be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, the particular combination of parts described and illustrated herein is intended to represent only certain embodiments of the present invention, and is not intended to serve as limitations of alternative devices within the spirit and scope of the invention.