Patent ID: 8244636

Claim:
An electronic transaction payment system comprising: a vendor terminal associated with a vendor who provides goods or services to a purchaser; a vendor smart-card; a vendor smart-card reader for transmitting data to and receiving data from said vendor smart-card; a purchaser smart-card; a purchaser smart-card reader for transmitting data to and receiving data from said purchaser smart card; a registry terminal; a registry smart-card; and a registry smart-card reader for transmitting data to and receiving data from said purchaser smart card; wherein said registry terminal is operable to interface with said registry smart-card reader and to interface with said vendor terminal; wherein said vendor terminal is operable: (i) to process requests for vendor goods or services from said purchaser; and (ii) to transmit cost data identifying the cost of requested goods or services to the purchaser smart-card; wherein said purchaser smart-card is operable: (i) to receive said cost data from said vendor terminal; and (ii) to output instructions to pay the vendor for transmission to said registry smart-card; wherein said registry smart-card is operable: (i) to receive said instructions to pay the vendor from said purchaser smart-card; (ii) to encrypt payment data to be transmitted to said vendor smart-card; and (iii) to output the encrypted payment data for transmission to said vendor smart-card; and wherein said vendor smart-card is operable: (i) to receive said encrypted payment data from said registry smart-card; and (ii) to decrypt said encrypted payment data received from said registry smartcard to obtain payment for the requested goods or services.