Patent ID: 7725404

Claim:
A method of performing electronic commerce using symmetric-key mutating identifiers for a digital content delivery system that includes a buyer device, a vendor device, an authenticator device, and a payment authenticator device, the method comprising: initiating, by the buyer device, a commercial transaction between the buyer device and the vendor device; encrypting, in a processor of the buyer device, buyer transaction data with a first symmetric-key mutating identifier, and buyer credentials with a first transaction key; transmitting, by a buyer device communication interface, the encrypted buyer transaction data to an authenticator device, and the encrypted buyer credentials to a payment authenticator device; encrypting, in a processor of the vendor device, vendor transaction data with a second symmetric-key mutating identifier, and vendor credentials with a second transaction key; transmitting, by a vendor device communication interface, the encrypted vendor transaction data to the authenticator device, and the encrypted vendor credentials to the payment authenticator device; receiving, by an authenticator device communication interface, the encrypted buyer transaction data and the encrypted vendor transaction data at the authenticator device; decrypting, in a processor of the authenticator device, the encrypted buyer transaction data and the encrypted vendor transaction data; generating, by the authenticator device, a payment request based on the decrypted transaction data for the payment authenticator device; encrypting, in the processor of the authenticator device, the payment request with a third symmetric-key mutating identifier; transmitting, by the authenticator device communication interface, the encrypted payment request to the payment authenticator device; receiving, by a payment authenticator device communication interface, the encrypted payment request, the encrypted buyer credentials, and the encrypted vendor credentials at the payment authenticator device; decrypting, in a processor of the payment authenticator device, the encrypted payment request, the encrypted buyer credentials, and the encrypted vendor credentials; generating, by the payment authenticator device, a first response based on the decrypted buyer credentials, the decrypted vendor credentials, and the decrypted payment request; generating, by the payment authenticator device, a second response based on the decrypted buyer credentials, the decrypted vendor credentials, and the decrypted payment request; transmitting, by the payment authenticator device communication interface, the first response to the buyer device and the second response to the vendor device.