Patent ID: 6983255

Claim:
A method for enabling television (“TV”) commerce to generate revenue streams for TV originators in an interactive television environment, said environment having a connection to a computer network and said method comprising steps of: initiating a TV commerce transaction by a consumer using said interactive television environment, wherein said transaction pertains to an offering of a merchant; gathering TV context information related to a TV context in which said offering is presented to said consumer, wherein said TV context information enables identifying one or more TV originators, each of which is distinct from said merchant; digitally signing said gathered TV context information, by a device used by said consumer, on behalf of said consumer; including said digitally-signed TV context information in a message sent from said device to said merchant, wherein receipt of said message by said merchant triggers payment processing for said transaction; forwarding said digitally-signed TV context information from said merchant to an acquirer that is distinct from, and processes payments for, said merchant; and upon verifying, by said acquirer, that payment for said transaction is authorized and that said device created said digital signature on said TV context information, automatically allocating a portion of said authorized payment to one or more of said TV originators, according to said TV context information, and reducing an amount of said payment to be paid to said merchant by said automatically allocated portion.