Patent ID: 8027918

Claim:
A broker computer system having a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer program logic embodied therein for facilitating transactions between buyers and sellers in a micro-payment system, the computer program logic comprising: a seller access module for establishing accounts for a plurality of sellers in the micro-payment system, the sellers selling electronic content that can be purchased by buyers in micro-payment transactions wherein each seller includes a content database storing electronic content offered by the seller for purchase; a buyer access module for establishing accounts for a plurality of buyers in the micro-payment system, wherein the buyers can purchase electronic content offered by the sellers; a content indexing module for indexing the electronic content in the content databases of the sellers and storing an index of the electronic content at the broker computer system; a searching interface module for receiving search queries from the buyers, searching the index for electronic content responsive to the search queries and presenting the buyers with descriptions of the electronic content offered by the sellers that are responsive to the search queries; an accounting module for enabling the buyers to engage in micro-payment transactions to purchase electronic content identified responsive to the search queries, for aggregating each buyer's purchases from one or more sellers and invoicing each buyer for its respective aggregate purchases from the one or more sellers, and for aggregating each seller's sales and crediting each seller for its respective aggregate sales; a storage system, separate from the content databases of the sellers, for storing at the broker computer system copies of the electronic content of the sellers that has been indexed by the content indexing module; and a content proxy module for retrieving electronic content from the storage system responsive to a buyer purchasing the electronic content and providing the purchased electronic content from the broker computer system to the buyer.