Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080201238 | Premium SMS billing method - A method of billing for products and services wherein a user makes a voice call to a telephone number from a mobile telephone, interacts with a human or computer operator to learn about audio-text products and services offered by a vendor, and then agrees verbally or by pressing one or more DTMF keys on the user's mobile telephone's keypad to have the charge for the purchase placed on the user's mobile telephone bill. The service is then provided while the call still is connected, and after the call is terminated, an MT-PSMS message is sent to the user to place the charge on the user's mobile telephone bill. | 08-21-2008 |
20100228645 | INTERNET BILLING METHOD - A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, establishing a billing arrangement with a purchasing customer to permit a third party to charge a billing account associated with the purchasing customer for a purchase transaction between the purchasing customer and a selling vendor, establishing a remitting arrangement with the selling vendor to permit the third party to remit to an account associated with the selling vendor a portion of the purchase transaction, establishing communications between equipment of the third party and equipment of the purchasing customer, wherein the equipment of the third party enables the equipment of the purchasing customer to communicate over the Internet with equipment of the selling vendor concerning the purchase transaction, obtaining transactional information relating to the purchase transaction, receiving authorization over the Internet to charge the purchasing customer the first amount, charging the first amount to the billing account associated with the purchasing customer in accordance with the billing arrangement, and remitting the second amount to the account associated with the selling vendor in accordance with the remitting arrangement. Additional embodiments are disclosed. | 09-09-2010 |
20100235255 | INTERNET BILLING METHOD - A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, equipment operable to establish a communication session over the Internet between equipment of a vendor and equipment of a customer enabled by a communications link of equipment of a third party, receive during the communication session a communication indicating that the customer initiated an order for a product or service from the vendor, submit to the equipment of the third party transactional information relating to the purchase transaction without submitting a billing request to the equipment of the third party, and receive a portion of the transaction amount in accordance with a remitting arrangement without submitting the billing request to the equipment of the third party. Additional embodiments are disclosed. | 09-16-2010 |
20110145143 | INTERNET BILLING METHOD - A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, identifying a consumer account managed by a service provider to which purchases are chargeable, the identification of the account based on transactional information, enabling customer equipment to request a purchase of an electronically-purchasable item of a vendor via network equipment of the service provider, wherein the vendor is a party other than the service provider, charging the consumer account a fee for a purchase initiated by the customer equipment, and remitting a portion of the fee to an account of the vendor. Other embodiments are disclosed. | 06-16-2011 |
20110208651 | INTERNET BILLING METHOD - Equipment of a provider may be operable to establish a billing arrangement with a purchasing customer to charge a billing account associated with the purchasing customer a first amount, establish a remitting arrangement with a selling vendor to remit between the selling vendor and the provider a second amount by way of an account associated with the selling vendor, establish communications with equipment of the purchasing customer, enable the equipment of the purchasing customer to communicate with equipment of the selling vendor, obtain transactional information relating to a purchase transaction initiated by the purchasing customer, which results in the billing account of the purchasing customer being charged the first amount, and initiate between the selling vendor and the provider a remittance of the second amount by way of the account associated with the selling vendor. Additional embodiments are disclosed. | 08-25-2011 |
20110218881 | INTERNET BILLING METHOD - The present disclosure may include, for example, a method for establishing a remitting arrangement between a provider and a vendor to create between the provider and the vendor an electronic process for remitting a portion of a transaction amount billed to at least one billing account of at least one customer associated with the provider for products or services purchased by the at least one customer from the vendor. The method can further include enabling, by way of equipment of the provider, equipment of the at least one customer to communicate with equipment of the vendor, and receiving at the equipment of the provider transactional information indicating that the at least one customer initiated an order for a product or service from the vendor for a transactional amount. The method can also include initiating with equipment of the provider the remittance of the portion of the transaction amount by way of the account of the vendor according to the remitting arrangement. Additional embodiments are disclosed. | 09-08-2011 |
20120072308 | INTERNET BILLING METHOD - A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, identifying a consumer account managed by a service provider to which purchases are chargeable, the identification of the account based on transactional information, enabling customer equipment to request a purchase of an electronically-purchasable item of a vendor via network equipment of the service provider, wherein the vendor is a party other than the service provider, charging the consumer account a fee for a purchase initiated by the customer equipment, and remitting a portion of the fee to an account of the vendor. Other embodiments are disclosed. | 03-22-2012 |
20120215666 | INTERNET BILLING METHOD - Equipment of a provider performs operations including facilitating establishment of first communications between the equipment of the provider and equipment of a purchasing customer to establish a billing arrangement, facilitating establishment of second communications with equipment of a selling vendor to establish a remitting arrangement, enabling the equipment of the purchasing customer to communicate with the equipment of the selling vendor by way of the equipment of the provider, obtaining transactional information relating to a purchase transaction initiated by the equipment purchasing customer, where the purchase transaction results in a billing account of the purchasing customer being charged a first fee, and initiating a remittance of a second fee with the equipment of the selling vendor Additional embodiments are disclosed. | 08-23-2012 |
20130024321 | INTERNET BILLING METHOD - The present disclosure may include, for example, a method for facilitating establishment of a remitting agreement between equipment used by a vendor and equipment used by a provider, enabling, by way of the equipment used by the provider, the equipment used by the vendor to communicate with equipment used by a customer permitting the customer to purchase a product or service of the vendor, and initiating between the equipment used by the provider and the equipment used by the vendor a remittance from an account associated with the vendor of a portion of a transaction amount associated with a purchase transaction made by the equipment used by the customer. Additional embodiments are disclosed. | 01-24-2013 |
20140156453 | INTERNET BILLING METHOD - The present disclosure may include, for example, a method for facilitating establishment of a remitting agreement between equipment used by a vendor and equipment used by a provider, enabling, by way of the equipment used by the provider, the equipment used by the vendor to communicate with equipment used by a customer permitting the customer to purchase a product or service of the vendor, and initiating between the equipment used by the provider and the equipment used by the vendor a remittance from an account associated with the vendor of a portion of a transaction amount associated with a purchase transaction made by the equipment used by the customer. Additional embodiments are disclosed. | 06-05-2014 |
20150058212 | INTERNET BILLING METHOD - The present disclosure may include, for example, a method for facilitating establishment of a remitting agreement between equipment used by a vendor and equipment used by a provider, enabling, by way of the equipment used by the provider, the equipment used by the vendor to communicate with equipment used by a customer permitting the customer to purchase a product or service of the vendor, and initiating between the equipment used by the provider and the equipment used by the vendor a remittance from an account associated with the vendor of a portion of a transaction amount associated with a purchase transaction made by the equipment used by the customer. Additional embodiments are disclosed. | 02-26-2015 |