Patent ID: 7805376

Claim:
A transaction authorization method, comprising: receiving, by a payment processor computer for authorizing transactions and from a transaction facilitator, a request for a limited use identifier, wherein said request is based upon a transaction between a buyer and a merchant, wherein said transaction facilitator acts as an intermediary between said buyer and said merchant for said transaction; selecting, by said payment processor computer, a limited use account identifier from a pool of limited use account identifiers associated with said transaction facilitator associating, by said payment processor computer, said limited use account identifier with said transaction by creating a pre-authorization record associated with said limited use account identifier, said pre-authorization record including a use restriction based on transaction information which defines said transaction and includes a transaction amount and at least one of a merchant identifier, a merchant type, an industry code, a product identifier, a product type, a service identifier or an expiration date; providing, by said payment processor computer, said limited use account identifier to said transaction facilitator, wherein said transaction facilitator provides said limited use account identifier to said merchant; and in response to receiving, at said payment processor computer, an authorization request for said transaction, determining whether to approve said authorization request by comparing terms of said pre-authorization record with said authorization request.