Serial Number and Payment Data Based Payment Card Processing

Abstract

A server is operable to receive a media device identifying number (ID) and establish an association between a media device and a payment account and, in one embodiment, supports at least one of payment authorization and payment clearing based at least in part on the media device ID and the payment account. A network and system includes a payment card processor server that is operable to receive a payment authorization request and to determine if an authorized media device generated a purchase selection message and to determine to approve a received payment authorization request based, in part, if the media device was authorized for the purchase selection based upon a received media device ID.

1 .- 25 . (canceled) 
     
     
         26 . A payment card subscriber management server, comprising:
 one or more processors;   memory coupled to the one or more processors; and   a communication module coupled to the one or more processors and configured to communicate with one or more external server computers, wherein the one or more processors in conjunction with the communication module is configured to:
 receive a first message from a user media device, the first message including (a) a tag number identifying an item, (b) a media device ID of the user media device, and (c) user payment account information for a user associated with the user media device; 
 translate the tag number to a SKU number, the SKU number having an associated price; 
 determine a merchant serve based at least in part on the SKU number, and 
 send a second message to the merchant server, the second message including (a) the media device ID, (b) the SKU number, and (c) the associated price. 
   
     
     
         27 . The server of  claim 26  wherein the SKU number includes an indication of the merchant server. 
     
     
         28 . The server of  claim 26  wherein information about the item is included in media content and the media content is generated by the server and sent to the user media device prior to receiving the first message. 
     
     
         29 . The server of  claim 28  wherein the media content includes the tag number for the item. 
     
     
         30 . The server of  claim 26  wherein the tag number is generated by the server. 
     
     
         31 . The server of  claim 26  wherein the user payment account information includes a delivery address associated with the user. 
     
     
         32 . The server of  claim 26  wherein the one or more processors in conjunction with the communication module is further configured to:
 verify (a) user details in the user payment account information and (b) a standing of the user upon receipt of the first message. 
 
     
     
         33 . The server of  claim 32  wherein to verify the standing of the user, the one or more processors are configured to verify whether the user payment account information is in good standing. 
     
     
         34 . The server of  claim 26  wherein the item is of a type that can be shipped to a user delivery address included in the user payment account information. 
     
     
         35 . The server of  claim 26  wherein the one or more processors in conjunction with the communication module is configured to:
 generate a message to a payment card company server including transaction identifying information to enable the payment card company server to determine whether a transaction authorization request received by the payment card company server was generated by an authorized media device, the transaction identifying information including the media device ID of the user media device. 
 
     
     
         36 . A method comprising:
 receiving, by a server computer, a first message from a user media device, the first message including (a) a tag number identifying an item, (b) a media device ID of the user media device, and (c) user payment account information for a user associated with the user media device;   translating, by the server computer, the tag number to a SKU number, the SKU number having an associated price;   determining, by the server computer, a merchant server based at least in part on the SKU number; and   sending, by the server computer, a second message to the merchant server, the second message including (a) the media device ID, (b) the SKU number, and (c) the associated price.   
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36  wherein the SKU number includes an indication of the merchant server. 
     
     
         38 . The server of  claim 36  wherein information about the item is included in media content and the media content is generated by the server and sent to the user media device prior to receiving the first message. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 36  wherein the item comprises media content. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 39  wherein the media content is generated by the server computer. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 36  wherein the tag number is generated by the server computer and provided to the user media device before being included in the first message by the user media device. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 36  wherein the user payment account information includes a delivery address associated with the user. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 36  further comprising:
 upon receipt of the first message, verifying, by the server computer, user details in the user payment account information and (b) a standing of the user. 
 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 43  wherein verifying the standing of the user comprises verifying whether the user payment account information is in good standing. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 36  further comprising:
 generating a message to a payment card company server including transaction identifying information to enable the payment card company server to determine whether a transaction authorization request received by the payment card company server was generated by an authorized media device, the transaction identifying information including the media device ID of the user media device.