Patent ID: 7289970

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of tracking online credit card usage by a user of a general purpose personal computing device operating as an Internet communication device, comprising: monitoring entries made on personal computing device using a computer program that operates as a background process running on the personal computing device while a foreground process is also carried out on the personal computing device; wherein the foreground process comprises an Internet communication process in which an online credit card transaction is being carried out by entry of information into a web page; the computer program recognizing instances of the credit card transaction in the entries made on the personal computing device by recognition of a credit card number in the entries made into the web page; and upon recognizing an instance of a credit card transaction and receiving verification of the instance of the credit card transaction, the background process automatically populating the web page with data stored in a user profile, and storing information describing the credit card transaction in a database accessible and controlled by the personal computing device.