IP Library Granted Patent US 12,596,995
Granted Patent B2
US 12,596,995 · App. 17/884,084 · Granted Apr 7, 2026

Myriad of payment methods with alternate payment controls

Inventors: John P. Killoran, Jr. (Albuquerque, NM); Patrick Killoran (Jackson Heights, NY); Corey Englebrake (Albuquerque, NM)
Assignee: SWOOP IP HOLDINGS LLC
G06Q10/1097G06Q20/12G06Q20/227G06Q20/3255G06Q20/367G06Q20/40G06Q30/04H04L51/046H04L51/18H04W4/14H04L51/52H04L67/02
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,596,995
App. No.
17/884,084
Granted
Apr 7, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system and method for providing an email as a command is disclosed. The system and method include formatting an action in an e-commerce system based on an assigned address, wherein communication with the assigned address initiates the action, and authenticating a message addressed to the assigned address, wherein for a positively authenticated message the action is performed. The system and method may also include receiving the message sent to the assigned address. For negatively authenticated messages, the system and method include providing a sender of the message a sign-up to enable positive authentication. The system and method may include requesting details of the action based on the message. The system and method may include sending an invoice for the action to the address that sent the authenticated message and processing a payment based on a response to the sent invoice.

Claims (34)

1 . A method for providing an email as a command that improves security of a transaction using Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), the method comprising:

assigning a transaction-specific email address for the transaction, the transaction-specific email address being associated with a token that encodes a transaction identifier and an expiration time;

receiving, via SMTP, a message that is addressed to the transaction-specific email address;

authenticating the message, the authenticating comprising (i) evaluating a Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) policy for a domain of the message and confirming identifier alignment between a From: header domain and at least one of a DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) signing domain or a Sender Policy Framework (SPF) authenticated domain, and (ii) decoding the token and verifying the token using a public/private key pair of a system and determining that the expiration time has not elapsed; and

performing an action for the transaction only when (i) and (ii) succeed.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the authenticating of the message is based on an address where the message originated.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the address where the message originated is associated with a sender of the message.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the message is received in response to activation of a link contained in a QR code.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the message is received in response to activation of a link contained in a Short Message Service (SMS) message.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the message is received in response to activation of a link embedded in an image.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a sender of the message is a customer using a customer device.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the assigning is initiated based on a request from a vendor.

9 . The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising: providing a sender of the message a sign-up when the message is not authenticated.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the sign-up is a provided Universal Resource Locator (URL) link.

11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising requesting details of the action based on the message.

12 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

assigning a transaction-specific email address for a transaction, the transaction-specific email address being associated with a token that encodes at least a transaction identifier and an expiration time;

receiving, via SMTP, a message addressed to the transaction-specific email address;

authenticating the message, the authenticating comprising: (i) evaluating a Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) policy for a domain indicated in a From header of the message and confirming identifier alignment between the From header domain and at least one of a DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) signing domain or a Sender Policy Framework (SPF) authenticated domain, and (ii) decoding the token and verifying the token using a public key corresponding to a private key of a system and determining that the expiration time has not elapsed; and

performing an action for the transaction only when the authenticating in (i) and (ii) succeeds.

13 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the message is received in response to activation of a link contained in a QR code.

14 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the message is received in response to activation of a link contained in a Short Message Service (SMS) message.

15 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the message is received in response to activation of a link embedded in an image.

16 . A system for providing an email as a command that improves security of a transaction using Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), the system comprising:

a communication interface;

a memory; and

one or more processors communicatively coupled to the communication interface and the memory, the one or more processors configured to:

assign a transaction-specific email address for the transaction, the transaction-specific email address being associated with a token that encodes at least a transaction identifier and an expiration time;

receive, via SMTP, a message addressed to the transaction-specific email address;

authenticate the message by (1) evaluating a Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) policy for a domain indicated in a From header of the message and confirming identifier alignment between the From header domain and at least one of a DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) signing domain or a Sender Policy Framework (SPF) authenticated domain, and (ii) decoding the token and verifying the token using a public key corresponding to a private key of the system and determining that the expiration time has not elapsed; and

perform an action for the transaction only when the authenticating in (i) and (ii) succeeds.

17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the message is received in response to activation of a link contained in a QR code.

18 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the message is received in response to activation of a link contained in a Short Message Service (SMS) message.

19 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the message is received in response to activation of a link embedded in an image.

Continuity (4)
Continuation 15209338 · Jul 13, 2016
Provisional Application 62205511 · Aug 14, 2015
Provisional Application 62191841 · Jul 13, 2015
Related Publication 20220383310A1 · Dec 1, 2022
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