Payment card terminal for mobile phones

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for payment card terminals for mobile phones. In general, data characterizing a payment card and a settlement amount for a transaction may be received, where the data is user-generated input and is received at a mobile phone associated with a mobile phone number. Wireless transmission of data characterizing a request to provide a payment card settlement service of a merchant account of a merchant account provider for the transaction may be initiated, where the wireless transmission is to be from the mobile phone over a carrier data network to an application server. Data characterizing authorization of settlement of the transaction with the payment card may be wirelessly received by the mobile phone from the application server.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 - 26 . (canceled) 
     
     
         27 . A method comprising:
 receiving, by an application server, a payment request initiated by a mobile communications device of one of a plurality of merchants, the payment request specifying a transaction amount, a payment media identifier, and a mobile device identifier for a customer associated with the payment request;   associating the payment request with a merchant account server associated with the one of the plurality of merchants;   converting a first format of the payment request to a second format of the merchant account server;   transmitting the converted payment request to the merchant account provider server;   receiving an authorization result for the payment requests from the merchant account provider server;   associating the authorization result with a mobile device of the customer based on the mobile device identifier specified in the payment request; and   initiating wireless transmission of a notification confirming the authorization result to the mobile communications device.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein:
 the notification causes a client application of the mobile communications device to display the notification on a screen of the mobile communications device.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein:
 associating the payment request with the merchant account is based at least in part on information received from the one of the plurality of merchants.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising:
 communicating a message to the mobile device that comprises a description of a transaction associated with the payment request, the message prompting the mobile device for a confirmation of payment; and   receiving the confirmation of payment from the mobile device.   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein:
 the confirmation of payment comprises an authentication code associated with the payment media identifier.   
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein:
 one or both of the message or the configuration of payment comprises one or both of a short message service (SMS) or multimedia messaging service (MMS) format.   
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising:
 generating an electronic receipt of a settlement associated with the authorization result to one or both of the mobile device identifier or an electronic mail address.   
     
     
         34 . An application server, comprising:
 a communications interface that is in communication with a plurality of mobile communications devices over at least one network, wherein each of the plurality of mobile communications devices is associated with one of a plurality of merchants;   at least one processor; and   a memory configured to store instructions that when executed by the at least one processor cause the application server to:
 receive a payment request initiated by one of the plurality of mobile communications devices, the payment request specifying a transaction amount, a payment media identifier, and a mobile device identifier for a customer associated with the payment request; 
 associate the payment request with a particular merchant account server of a plurality of merchant account servers, wherein the particular merchant account server is corresponds with a particular one of the plurality of merchants associated with the one of the plurality of mobile communications devices; 
 convert a first format of the payment request to a second format of the particular merchant account server; 
 transmit the converted payment request to the particular merchant account provider server; 
 receive an authorization result for the payment requests from the particular merchant account provider server; 
 associate the authorization result with a mobile device of the customer based on the mobile device identifier specified in the payment request; and 
 initiate wireless transmission of a notification confirming the authorization result to the one of the plurality of mobile communications devices. 
   
     
     
         35 . The application server of  claim 34 , wherein:
 at least some of the plurality of merchant account servers utilize different payment request formats.   
     
     
         36 . The application server of  claim 34 , wherein the instructions further cause the application server to:
 update techniques for accessing at least one of the plurality of merchant account servers.   
     
     
         37 . The application server of  claim 34 , wherein:
 the application server acts as an intermediary between the particular merchant account server and a client application of the one of the plurality of mobile communications devices.   
     
     
         38 . The application server of  claim 34 , wherein the instructions further cause the application server to:
 store transaction information associated with the payment request.   
     
     
         39 . The application server of  claim 34 , wherein the instructions further cause the application server to:
 communicate a message to the mobile device that comprises a description of a transaction associated with the payment request, the message prompting the mobile device for a confirmation of payment; and   receive the confirmation of payment from the mobile device.   
     
     
         40 . The application server of  claim 39 , wherein:
 the confirmation of payment comprises an authentication code associated with the payment media identifier.   
     
     
         41 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a series of instructions which, when executed by a processor of an application server, cause the application server to:
 receive, by an application server, a payment request initiated by a mobile communications device of one of a plurality of merchants, the payment request specifying a transaction amount, a payment media identifier, and a mobile device identifier for a customer associated with the payment request;   associate the payment request with a merchant account server associated with the one of the plurality of merchants;   convert a first format of the payment request to a second format of the merchant account server;   transmit the converted payment request to the merchant account provider server;   receive an authorization result for the payment requests from the merchant account provider server;   associate the authorization result with a mobile device of the customer based on the mobile device identifier specified in the payment request; and   initiate wireless transmission of a notification confirming the authorization result to the mobile communications device.   
     
     
         42 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 41 , wherein:
 the application server communicates over a connection in accordance with the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Secure Sockets Layer protocol.   
     
     
         43 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 41 , wherein the instructions further cause the application server to:
 communicate a message to the mobile device that comprises a description of a transaction associated with the payment request, the message prompting the mobile device for a confirmation of payment; and   receive the confirmation of payment from the mobile device.   
     
     
         44 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 43 , wherein:
 the confirmation of payment comprises an authentication code associated with the payment media identifier.   
     
     
         45 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 41 , wherein the instructions further cause the application server to:
 verify that the mobile device identifier matches an identifier associated with the customer in a cardholder profile.   
     
     
         46 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 41 , wherein the instructions further cause the application server to:
 update techniques for accessing the merchant account provider server.