Utilizing phrase tokens in transactions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10607223-B2
Application number	US-201313829435-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2013
Priority date	Aug 25, 2006
Publication date	Mar 31, 2020
Grant date	Mar 31, 2020

Abstract

A system and method for facilitating transactions utilizing phrase tokens are provided. Individual entities can be associated with unambiguous transaction phrase tokens, such as multiple word phrases. The transaction phrase tokens are associated with transaction accounts by a service provider such that the entities can complete a transaction without having to exchange transaction account information. In a transaction, a transaction phrase token is offered to an accepting party, which tenders the offered transaction phrase token to the service provider. The service provider processes the offered transaction phrase token according to configuration information specified for the transaction phrase token. The service provider can automatically process the transaction request or request additional information.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for processing transactions comprising:
a token issuer server comprising one or more physical processors for assigning transaction phrase tokens to transaction phrase token holders, wherein individual transaction phrase tokens consist of a set of characters that in their entirety have a secondary meaning to a transaction phrase token holder, wherein the secondary meaning is indicative of a type of transaction for which the transaction phrase token is used, wherein the transaction phrase token is associated with a transaction account, and wherein the token issuer server is further configured to:
verify one or more words in the transaction phrase token based on presence of the one or more words in a verification source;
determine whether a pronunciation of the set of characters, when transmitted verbally, is unambiguous within a vocabulary of a language to at least a class of transaction phrase token holders;
if the pronunciation of the set of characters is determined to be unambiguous, assign the transaction phrase token to the transaction phrase token holder based at least in part on the verification of the one or more words and on the determination that the pronunciation of the set of characters is unambiguous; and
if the pronunciation of the set of characters is determined not to be unambiguous, suggest an alternative transaction phrase token for assignment to the transaction phrase token holder based at least in part on the determination that the pronunciation of the set of characters is not unambiguous; and

a token processing server comprising one or more physical processors for processing a request from a party other than the transaction phrase token holder, wherein the request corresponds to a request to complete a transaction including a verbal representation of a transaction phrase token from the transaction phrase token holder and wherein the token processing server processes the transaction request in accordance with the type of transaction for which the transaction phrase token is used and based at least partly on a configuration of the transaction phrase token;
wherein the token processing server facilitates a reconciliation of the transaction account associated with the transaction phrase token in response to a successful processing of the transaction request.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the transaction account is controlled by the transaction phrase token holder.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the transaction includes a transfer of control of an agreed upon element from a party other than the transaction phrase token holder to the transaction phrase token holder.

4. The system as recited in claim 3 , wherein the token processing server further facilitates the transfer of control of the agreed upon element from a seller to the transaction phrase token holder.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the verification source comprises at least one of a dictionary, a black list, and a list of excluded terms.

6. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the secondary meaning corresponds to a secondary meaning associated with an audible representation of the set of characters.

7. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the secondary meaning corresponds to a secondary meaning associated with a publication of the set of characters.

8. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the reconciliation of the transaction account includes a debiting of the transaction account.

9. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the reconciliation of the transaction account includes a crediting of the transaction account.

10. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the configuration of the transaction phrase token includes a rule associated with the type of transaction for which the transaction phrase token is used, and wherein the rule causes an approval request to be sent to the transaction phrase token holder regarding the request.

11. The system as recited in claim 10 , wherein the token processing server is further operative to obtain input from the transaction phrase token holder in response to the approval request, update the rule based at least in part on the input obtained from the transaction phrase token holder, and automatically process a subsequent request to complete a transaction based at least in part on the update of the rule.

12. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the transaction phrase token is transmitted to the token processing server via communication network software equipment.

13. A method for processing transactions comprising: as implemented by one or more computing devices configured with specific executable instructions:
obtaining, by a token processing server, a request from a party other than a transaction phrase token holder, wherein the request corresponds to a request to complete a transaction including a verbal representation of a transaction phrase token from the transaction phrase token holder, wherein the transaction phrase token is assigned to the transaction phrase token holder by a token issuer server and consists of a set of alphanumeric characters that in their entirety have a secondary meaning to the transaction phrase token holder, wherein the secondary meaning is indicative of a type of transaction for which the transaction phrase token is used, wherein the transaction phrase token is associated with a transaction account, and wherein the token issuer server is further configured to:
verify one or more words in the transaction phrase token based on presence of the one or more words in a verification source;
determine whether a pronunciation of the set of characters, when transmitted verbally, is unambiguous within a vocabulary of a language to at least a class of transaction phrase token holders;
if the pronunciation of the set of characters is determined to be unambiguous, assign the transaction phrase token to the transaction phrase token holder based at least in part on the verification of the one or more words and on the determination that the pronunciation of the set of characters is unambiguous; and
if the pronunciation of the set of characters is determined not to be unambiguous, suggest an alternative transaction phrase token for assignment to the transaction phrase token holder based at least in part on the determination that the pronunciation of the set of characters is not unambiguous;

processing, by the token processing server, the transaction request in accordance with the type of transaction for which the transaction phrase token is used and based at least partly on a configuration of the transaction phrase token; and
causing a reconciliation of the transaction account associated with the transaction phrase token based on a successful processing of the transaction request.

14. The method as recited in claim 13 , wherein the transaction account is controlled by the transaction phrase token holder.

15. The method as recited in claim 13 , wherein the transaction includes a transfer of control of an agreed upon element from a party other than the transaction phrase token holder to the transaction phrase token holder.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein the transaction phrase token processing component further facilitates the transfer of control of the agreed upon element from a seller to the transaction phrase token holder.

17. The method as recited in claim 13 , wherein the secondary meaning corresponds to a secondary meaning associated with a representation of the set of characters in accordance with dual tone multi-frequency.

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Agarwal Amit D
• George Michael M
• Freed Ian W
• Bezos Jeffrey P
• Vosshall Peter S

Classifications

• G06F40/284 Primary

  Lexical analysis, e.g. tokenisation or collocates · CPC title

• G06Q30/0603

  Catalogue creation or management · CPC title

• G06F40/154

  Tree transformation for tree-structured or markup documents, e.g. XSLT, XSL-FO or stylesheets · CPC title

• G06Q20/40

  Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists · CPC title

• G06Q30/00

  Commerce · CPC title