Patent ID: 7908216

Claim:
An on-line purchase and load (OPAL) server computer for performing a purchase transaction over a network using a virtual smart card, said OPAL server computer comprising: a virtual smart card database having a plurality of records, each record including a virtual smart card identifier and a monetary balance corresponding to a single virtual smart card; a hardware security module arranged to decrypt said monetary balance, to decrease said monetary balance, and to encrypt said decreased monetary balance; a smart card emulator that receives smart card commands from a pseudo card reader module and processes said commands in conjunction with said virtual smart card database and said hardware security module, said smart card emulator arranged to retrieve one of said records from said virtual smart card database, and to deliver said monetary balance to said hardware security module and to store said encrypted decreased monetary balance received from said hardware security module in said retrieved record; and said pseudo card reader module that receives said smart card commands related to said purchase transaction over said network and relays said commands to said smart card emulator, whereby said OPAL server computer performs said purchase transaction over said network using one of said records in said virtual smart card database.