System and method of using the public switched telephone network in providing authentication or authorization for online transaction
View Patent ↗An authentication or authorization system to facilitate electronic transactions uses simultaneous or substantially simultaneous communications on two different networks to verify a user's identity. When a user logs onto a site, via the internet, a telephone number, either pre-stored or obtained in real time from the visitor, where the visitor can be called essentially immediately is used to set up, via the switched telephone network another communication link. Where the user has multiple communication links available, the telephone call is automatically placed via the authentication or authorization software simultaneously while the user is on-line. In the event that the user has only a single communication link, that individual will have to log off temporarily for purposes of receiving the telephone call. Confirmatory information is provided via the internet to the user. The automatically placed telephone call requests that the user feed back this confirmatory information for verification purposes. The telephone number which is being called is adjacent to the user's internet terminal. The user's response, via the telephone network, can be compared to the originally transmitted confirmatory information to determine whether the authentication or authorization process should go forward.
1. An authorization system comprising:
first and second electronic networks which are, at least in part, different;
first and second terminals, with each terminal associated with a respective network;
instructions for receiving an inquiry from the first terminal, via the first network;
instructions for establishing a communications link, on the second network, with the second terminal;
instructions for transmitting confirmatory information, via one of the networks, to the respective terminal with a request that the information be returned via the other network;
instructions for receiving the information, via the other network from a respective terminal; and
instructions, responsive to the received information for conducting an authorization process and for generating an authorization related indicium.
2. A system as in claim 1 wherein the one network comprises a switched telephone system with a wireless portion.
3. A system as in claim 2 wherein the terminal associated with the one network comprises one of a land line telephone or a wireless phone.
4. A system as in claim 2 wherein the communications link of the one network is established simultaneously with another communications link using the other network.
5. A system as in claim 2 which includes instructions for displaying the confirmatory information on the first terminal.
6. A system as in claim 1 including instructions for authorizing a charge to a financial account wherein the inquiry from the first terminal includes a financial account designator.
7. A system as in claim 6 wherein the instructions for conducting an authorization process comprise instructions for evaluating if a proposed charge to the designated account will be accepted.
8. A system as in claim 7 for authorizing a charge to a credit-type account wherein the instructions for evaluating comprise instructions for determining if a proposed charge to a designated credit-type account will be accepted as an increase to an amount due on the respective account.
9. A system as in claim 1 which includes additional instructions to transmit different information via the other network.
10. A system as in claim 9 where the response is at least in part verbal.