Method and apparatus for network transactions

1. A method of authorizing an online transaction between a purchaser and a merchant over a network interconnecting a purchaser computer and a merchant computer, respectively, the method comprising acts of:

transmitting an order from the purchaser computer to the merchant computer indicating one or more goods and/or services the purchaser intends to purchase;

receiving a first request at the purchaser computer from the merchant computer to provide verification of an identity of the purchaser;

requesting by the purchaser computer an identity token from an identity provider computer connected to the network, the identity token providing verification of the identity of the purchaser, wherein the identity token includes a predetermined interval of time during which the identity token can be processed, and wherein the identity token is considered invalid when the predetermined interval of time expires;

receiving at the purchaser computer the identity token from the identity provider;

receiving a second request at the purchaser computer from the merchant computer to provide verification of an ability of the purchaser to pay for the transaction; and requesting by the purchaser computer a payment token from a payment provider computer connected to the network, the payment token indicating the ability of the purchaser to pay for the transaction, wherein the payment token includes a predetermined interval of time during which the payment token can be processed, wherein the payment token is considered invalid when the predetermined interval of time expires, wherein requesting the payment token includes providing the identity token to the payment provider computer;

wherein the identity provider computer and the payment provider computer are different network entities;

wherein the method further comprising an act of providing, via the purchaser computer, identification information to facilitate the identity provider computer in verifying the identity of the purchaser; and

wherein the act of providing identification information includes an act of providing a subscriber identity module (SIM) number, a network address, or a unique hardware identification (ID).

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the act of providing identification information includes providing identification information programmatically, via the purchaser computer, the identification information provided upon an indication by at least one application operating on the purchaser computer that the purchaser intends to make a purchase.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the identity provider computer is associated with a bank or a government agency.

4. A computer system having a plurality of nodes interconnected via a network, the computer system programmed to conduct an online transaction between a purchaser and a merchant, the computer system comprising:

a purchaser node programmed to providing an order indicating a desire for a purchaser associated with the purchaser node to make a purchase;

a merchant node programmed to receiving the order;

an identity provider node programmed to provide an identity token verifying an identity of the purchaser, wherein the identity token includes a predetermined interval of time during which the identity token can be processed, and wherein the identity token is considered invalid when the predetermined interval of time expires; and

a payment provider node programmed to provide a payment token verifying an ability of the purchaser to pay for the transaction, wherein the payment token includes a predetermined interval of time during which the payment token can be processed, wherein the payment token is considered invalid when the predetermined interval of time expires, wherein the identity provider node and the payment provider node are associated with different network entities;

wherein, during an online transaction, the merchant node requests that the purchaser node provide identity verification and the purchaser node requests that the identity provider node provide the identity token, and wherein, during the online transaction, the merchant node requests that the purchaser node provide payment verification and the purchaser node requests that the payment provider node provide the payment token at least in part by providing the payment provider node with the identity token, and wherein the merchant node begins processing the transaction upon receipt of the payment token;

wherein the purchaser node is programmed to provide identification information to facilitate the identity provider node in verifying the identity of the purchaser; and

wherein the purchaser node provides a subscriber identity module (SIM) number, a network address, or a unique hardware identification as the identification information.

5. The computer system of claim 4 , wherein the purchaser node includes an end-user computer that provides the identification information programmatically when a signal to initiate the transaction is issued by at least one application operating on the end-user computer.

6. The computer system of claim 4 , wherein the payment provider node provides verification of the ability of the purchaser to pay only after the identity provider node verifies the identity of the purchaser.

7. The computer system of claim 6 , wherein the payment provider node employs the identity token to perform the payment verification.

8. The computer system of claim 4 , wherein the identity provider node is associated with a network entity that is a bank or a government agency.