Purchasing on the internet using verified order information and bank payment assurance
Methods for purchasing of goods or services over the internet. A customer has a customer account set up at a bank with associated account information. The account information includes verification information for verification parameters, such as authorized computer identification, authorized delivery addresses, authorized user identification, authorized telephone caller identification, and/or other account information. An order is placed by a user via an ordering computer which provides order information. Such order information includes verification variables used by the bank. Verification and/or authentication using one or more variables of the customer account information is used by the bank to validate the order before assuring payment to the merchant.
1. A method for purchasing of goods or services and assuring payment over the internet, the purchase being made by a customer using a merchant, said merchant having an internet site at which the merchant offers goods or services; and wherein a bank authorizes the purchase and assures payment to the merchant, comprising:
setting up a customer account with the bank that includes plural customer verification parameters in addition to a customer account number or other customer account identification, said plural verification parameters including parameters that are not provided to the bank by internet communication and which include plural verification parameters which are not enabling to an intercepting party to charge against the customer account;
establishing a first internet communications linkage having an associated first internet communications route for providing customer-merchant communications concerning an order associated with said purchase;
communicating over the internet between the customer and merchant using said first internet communications linkage concerning said order without providing a customer account number or other customer account information which enables an intercepting party to use the customer account information to make a charge against the customer account;
establishing a second internet communications linkage having an associated second internet communications route for providing customer-bank communications concerning said order;
communicating over the internet between said customer and said bank using said second internet communications link concerning said order to provide at least part of an order file concerning said order without providing a customer number or other customer account information which enables an intercepting party to use the customer account information to make a charge against the customer account;
presenting a customer identification inquiry by the bank to the customer during said communicating over the internet between said customer and said bank;
determining that the customer contacting the bank in the communicating over the internet between said customer and said bank is an authorized customer and authorized user using said plural verification parameters and without communicating information that would enable an intercepting party to such communicating over the internet between said customer and said bank to charge against the customer account;
establishing a third internet communications linkage having an associated third internet communications route for providing bank-merchant communications concerning said order;
communicating over the internet between said bank and said merchant using said third internet communications linkage concerning said order without providing a customer account number or other customer account information which enables an intercepting party to use the customer account information to make a charge against the customer account;
wherein said first, second and third internet communications routes are independent upon the internet;
accessing customer verification information by the bank;
verifying that information contained in the bank customer order file provided in connection with said order is associated with said customer using said customer verification parameters;
communicating from the bank to the merchant assurance of payment information upon successful verification in said verifying step.