AUTOMATIC PAYMENT SYSTEM TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to computerized billing and payment systems. In particular, the invention relates to an automated credit card payment system that compares customer information, fingerprints, retinal scan expression, and other biometric measurements and / or unique personal identifier ("UPI") with information of consolidated financial account from multiple financial institutions and selects, or allows customers to select, a financial account to be used in the payment of accounts, bills and other obligations.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Most companies that provide services can automatically bill their customers on a regular basis. To increase customer retention, as well as the reliability of payments, and also to avoid the need for repeated accounts of overdue accounts, companies increasingly offer their customers the option of making payments through customers' credit card. . However, the need for customers to recover the credit card they want to use, coupled with the perception of the customer who writes the credit card account number in an account or mail it is not secure, prevents many customers Take advantage of this convenient payment method. Second, when a customer wants to buy goods or services on the Internet, they usually give the merchant the information on their credit card as a form of payment. Since there are millions of merchants on the Internet, it is becoming very difficult for the customer and for credit card organizations to control fraud. From the moment the customer presses "send" on the merchant's website, his credit card is exposed. Your card number can be intercepted by perpetrators on the merchant's route, or it can be accessed legally from the merchant database once it is received. In addition, the fact that there are millions of merchants and that that number is growing exponentially, makes it virtually impossible to ensure that the merchant is a legitimate company and not merely in existence to perpetrate a credit card fraud. Third, when a customer buys goods and services with a brick and mortar merchant, they must have their credit card with them, and they must give it to the merchant so that the credit card can be processed. Given this conventional scenario, the consumer is vulnerable when the credit card is lost or stolen. They are also vulnerable if the merchant or any employee decides to use the credit card number in a fraudulent manner. Thus, there is a need for a system that provides customers the ability to efficiently compare their financial account information with their UPI, allowing them to purchase goods and services with their credit cards and another financial account, without presenting the current card. The objective of this system is to optimize customer safety and privacy interests.
COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system and related method for payment of accounts, purchases, or other payments, which compares a UPI or a database of the merchant / biller of subscribers, customers, potential customers, prospectuses or accounts receivable, sometimes referred to herein as "clients", either with a plurality of unconsolidated databases of financial account information, or with a combination of the two types. Many types of financial account information can be used to make payments, including, but not limited to, credit cards, debit cards, debit cards, smart cards, bank cards, sight deposit accounts such as checking accounts. , virtual payment accounts, numbers of virtual cash accounts such as those provided for commercial transactions through the Internet, wire transfer networks, electronic financial data exchange (FEDI), electronic check (E-check), Automated Compensation Chamber (ACH), third-party payment products, financial institutions other than banks such as CyberCash and TransPoint (MSFDC ), stored value tools such as VisaCash and Mondex, and the like. The system compares the client's UPI or customer identification data contained in a merchant processing, billing or payment database with the financial account information contained in one or more financial account databases and selects which or more Financial accounts to present when the customer is an owner of more than one financial account. The selected financial account or accounts are provided to the merchant or the merchant for inclusion in commercial information, such as payment receipt, renewal form, invoice, and other marketing material requesting payment or subscription. Optionally, the merchant / biller does not need to know the particular financial account or number that is being used. For example, a commercial information may indicate the issuer of the financial account, such as a credit card, and a particular financial account, such as a particular credit card account, for the customer to charge the purchase, but only include the account number in coded form, in this way it offers security and privacy to the client. Many ways of securing information are known and can be used, including but not limited to the use of coding techniques and record localization techniques. For example, in a transaction where the financial account used is a credit card account, the customer can indicate their approval to use the credit card number provided in coded form and thus will not have to provide the information the same when paying by credit card. The merchant / biller collects the invoice and other offers with the customer's indication or authorization for payment from the credit card account and, optionally, commits it to a service agency how it decodes the credit card account number. credit and process billing to the selected credit card account. This helps keep the customer's privacy on their credit card and related information. As shown in Figure 2, the system of the present invention serves as an intermediary between a large number of issuers and a large number of merchants. As shown in Figure 2, the issuers provide their account information lists to the central account administration and consolidation system of the present invention, which in turn receive the customer identification data from the merchants, and compare and select financial account information to provide it to merchants, as described above. In some embodiments, the system includes a memory device which stores multiple financial account information, such as a master financial account list, which includes, for example, credit card account information of multiple credit card issuers . A computer system or other processing unit compares the customer information data from the consolidated financial account information to a UPI or to a database of merchant / biller identification data in order to associate the number of a financial account with a selected member of the customer's database. The computer system or processing unit selects one or more financial account numbers associated with more than one financial account number matches the selected member of the merchant / biller customer database. But it was previously encoded, the associated financial account number is coded and provided to the merchant / biller for inclusion in the customer's business information, such as an account, payment receipt, renewal form or invoice, which is then sent to the customer. After selection and authorization through the customer, the system can also encode or decode the financial account number for processing the payment to the merchant / biller from the customer's financial account. Alternatively, instead of including a consolidated master database of financial account information, the system may comprise a plurality of financial account information databases either internal or remote, and a mechanism for searching the various databases to locate the customer's financial account information. The various financial account information databases may include databases of individual issuers and / or partially consolidated databases containing information from a number of financial account issuers. A method according to one embodiment of the invention includes the steps to consolidate multiple financial account information lists of multiple financial account issuers in a master financial account lists, receiving a UPI or customer database from the merchant / biller, and comparing the information from the master financial account list with the client's UPI or the master / biller database to associate at least one financial account number for each client. In accordance with the desired selection rules, one or more of the financial account numbers compared is selected, if more than one financial account number is found for a particular customer. The selected financial account number is coded, or can be provided already encoded in the financial account databases. The coded financial account number or number is provided to the merchant / biller for inclusion in the commercial information of the merchant / biller to the customer, thus providing the customer with means to authorize payment for the purchase at the associated financial account number, such as a particular credit card. The payment for the purchase is processed and made for the merchant / biller from the financial account of the authorization number. Of course, a financial account number can be any unique coded identifier, even those including letters as well as numbers. Alternatively, instead of consolidating the multiple financial account information for a number of financial account issuers in a master financial account database or list, the method may include consolidating some subgroups of financial account lists and searching for a plurality of such lists as well as lists of individual financial account issuers in order to associate at least one financial account number for each customer in the customer database of the merchant / biller, or by looking for a plurality of lists of individual financial accounts made available through different issuers. In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a system and method for providing automated payments over a computer network, for example, through the Internet. The system includes an automated payment server which is connected to several financial institutions and which receives and compiles data from those institutions to create account information files for several clients. When a customer wants to buy goods from a merchant website, or pay bills, the client is dissected to the payment server, and is presented with the account information as compared through the payment server. The customer selects one or more financial accounts, and the payment server transmits the appropriate financial information to the merchant's payment processor to complete the transaction. In this way, the credit card numbers are not transmitted through the Internet or stored on the merchant's site, but are only transmitted between the payment server and the payment processor, preferably through a secure line.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating the problems encountered in comparing a large number of emitters of financial accounts with a large number of merchants / billers in an automated payment system; Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating the use of the present invention in an efficient comparison of a large number of financial account issuers with a large number of merchants / billers in an automated payment system; Figure 3 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of an apparatus for carrying out the automated credit card payment method and system of the present invention; Figure 4 is a flow chart illustrating the use of the apparatus of Figure 3;
Figure 5 is a block diagram of an alternative embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 is a block diagram of an automated payment system used by billers according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; Figure 7 is a flow chart illustrating the use of the system of Figure 6; Figure 8 is a block diagram of an alternative embodiment of the present invention; Figure 9 is a flow chart illustrating the use of the system of Figure 8; Figures 10 and 11 are representations of an interface presented to a client once it accesses the payment server in accordance with an aspect of the invention; and Figure 12 is a block diagram of one embodiment of an apparatus for carrying out the automated credit card payment method and system of the present invention using a brick and mortar terminal and a biometric identifier and / or PIN.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES
The preferred embodiments of the invention described with reference to the drawings are now described. Although many of the drawings and descriptions illustrate the use of the invention with credit card accounts for convenience of simplicity, the invention is in no way limited to credit card accounts. Referring to Figure 3, an automatic payment system 50 according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown. The system 50 can use any combination of many types of financial accounts and is described with reference to credit card accounts for simplicity. The system 50 can be operated by a company, such as a service agency, and include consolidation of databases and storage subsystem 55, a master credit card database 57, an identifier comparison and a data subsystem. selection 59, and a credit card account number coding subsystem 53. The automatic payment system 50 is used in conjunction with n numbers of credit card issuers 600 to 60n. Each of the n credit card issuers 60 maintains in a computer system its own list of credit card information 660 through 66n according to one of a number of conventional format types known to those skilled in the art. These credit card information lists 66 typically contain identification data of the owner of the account, such as the name and address of each account owner, as well as the associated credit card number, name of the financial institution, credit information. account and demographic information pertaining to each cardholder. One skilled in the art will recognize that although preferred embodiments are described with reference to the use of credit cards, other financial account information or devices, including but not limited to smart cards, bank cards, checking accounts, and payment accounts used by the Internet and other online business transactions, they can be used instead of or in any combination with credit card accounts. The automated payment system 50 receives the credit card information lists 66 through a transmission means 68 of the n credit card issuers 60. This information transfer through means 68 can be achieved through several communication methods, including but not limited to modem connections, high-speed data lines, the Internet, or physical transfer of storage media, such as tapes or disks. This transfer is authorized by contractual relationships and may include financial incentives. In order to increase the probability of locating customer credit card information, it is preferable to include the credit card information of as many credit card issuers as possible. The consolidation of databases and storage subsystem 55, which may be in the form of a programmed computer system, classifies and consolidates the credit card information 660 through 66n provided by credit card issuers 600 through 60n, and the stored and consolidated data are then stored in the master credit card database 57. This database may reside in a mass storage unit of a computer system. Of course, the processing elements and information storage elements may reside in multiple computing devices to provide for contingencies such as fault tolerance and load balancing. The automated payment system 50 is used to provide credit card account information to one or more of the m merchant / biller numbers 700 to 70n. Each of the merchants / bureaus can keep their own list of customer identification data on a computer. These lists 760 to 76m include customer identification data such as customer names and addresses or additional information, such as social security numbers and demographic information. The automatic payment system 500 receives the customer identification data from the given merchant / biller 70x, and the comparison and selection subsystem 59 compares the customer identification data supplied by the 70x merchants / bureaus, with the records in the base of Master credit card information data 57 for locating matching credit card owner identification data. The comparison and selection subsystem 59 may be in the form of a preprogrammed computer system which is either the same as that used for the consolidation of the database and subsystem of classification 55, or separated therefrom. The process for comparing customers from a merchant / biller database for credit card owners in the comparison and selection subsystem 59 can be carried out using conventional comparison algorithms known to those skilled in the art. If more than one credit card owner identifier matches a customer data (that is, the customer has more than one credit card), one or more of the compared credit card identifiers is selected or presented by the subsystem comparison and selection 59. This selection proceeds according to the selection criteria and presentation rules. As an illustrative example, a simple selection rule is used when the selected credit card is the one presented by the issuer, having most of the credit cards in the database, ie the credit card more " popular "or predominant. Alternatively, in one mode, the selection is made on a proportional basis or another algorithm based on the total number of credit card accounts for each issuer in relation to the number of credit card accounts for the other issuers and the total number of credit card accounts in the master credit card database 57. In this way, for example, a credit card issuer where your accounts, for example, for 25% of the total number of credit card accounts in the consolidated database, will have your associated credit card account selected 25% of time for customers who have multiple credit card accounts including that issuer. Another method of selecting an associated credit card account number from more than one associated credit card account is to compare the selected associated credit card numbers with the credit card usage information to determine the credit card's primary credit card information. client, based on the amount of use, and selecting the most used credit card of the client. Yet another method of selecting an account can take into account the fees associated with financial transactions and select the financial institution that charges the lowest fees. Alternatively, the selection process can take into account the historical data of the account and select the financial institution that produces the best results or success for a particular merchant / biller. Finally, the selection can be made as a result of the fees paid by the issuer of the credit card to receive priority in the selection process. In alternative modalities, more than one credit card, or all credit cards, can be selected by inclusion, and the client is given the option to select which of the cards will be used to make the payment. In this mode, the comparison of all credit card account numbers can be selected and presented to the customer. The selected credit card accounts can be presented to the client in a list with a check box, as in the following form:
Select the card (s) with which you wish to pay: CITIBANK VISA DISCOVER AMERICAN EXPRESS In a more preferred embodiment of the present invention, the selected credit card accounts can also be ordered and presented to the user, based on a criterion similar to that used by the system to determine the selection of credit cards, for example, the most popular card in the database, the credit card most used by the customer, the card that charges lower fees, or the card whose The issuer has paid the highest fees, it can be presented above or in front of the other credit cards. The credit card account number or numbers that will be included in a business information are encoded by a 53 credit card account number encryption subsystem. The particular coding method may include a discoverer number, record locator, some form of high level coding, or any other coding technique. While the coding is an element of the preferred embodiment, the coding method can be any method that achieves adequate security and the specific encoding method does not constitute an element of the material of the system and method set forth herein. In addition, the credit card information may be encoded and provided in encrypted form by the issuers of the credit card 60 before being stored in the master credit card information database. Figure 4 illustrates the use of coded account information of the present invention, and specifically, coded credit card information for the sake of simplicity. In one embodiment, for each customer in a merchant / billing customer identification database 76, the encrypted credit card number associated with the customer is provided by the merchant / biller 70x to the customer (step 80) as part of the customer commercial information from the 70x merchant / biller. Alternatively, in a brick-and-mortar embodiment of the present invention where the brick and mortar merchant does not have a "customer information database", the customer communicates directly to the central database 57 through a database. payment process interface, for example, a terminal or computer. In step 90, the customer decides whether to authorize payment by credit card. This authorization step may also include selecting which credit card (s) to use if the customer is presented with more than one. If the customer authorizes such payment and returns the commercial information to the merchant / biller or other payment processing entity, the encrypted credit card account number is decoded in step 100. The encoded number can be sent through the system 50 to the issuer of the credit card, a payment processor or merchant for decoding and / or payment processing. After decoding the credit card account number is used to process the payment to the merchant / biller (step 110) and the step is made to the particular merchant / biller, together with any payments required for use by the system in the handling of the transaction. If the customer 90 does not authorize the payment, steps 100 and 110 are simply not carried out. It should be understood that the elements of the system and method of the present invention described herein, such as in Figures 3 and 4, can be modified while remaining within the scope of the invention. For example, the database of the consolidated credit card account has been described as containing information from the account of multiple credit card account issuers. However, merchant / biller identification data may alternatively be serially compared against multiple databases, including individual credit card issuers, credit card account databases and / or one or more consolidated databases. Each consolidated database represents some numbers of credit card issuers which are a subgroup of all issuers. Figure 5 shows an alternative mode of an automated payment system 50 'according to the present invention. The system 50 'of this alternative embodiment includes a serial comparison subsystem 59' and a selection / presentation subsystem 59. The serial comparison subsystem compares the customer identification data received via the merchant's transmission means 69 or one or more data bases 76 of a data merchant / invoice 70, to a number of credit card data bases 66 of a number of issuers 60. The serial comparison subsystem can also compare the customer identification data with a consolidated database 58 containing consolidated information from a limited number of issuers 60, in this case, issuers 3 and 4. The serial comparison subsystem localizes merchant identification data matches of the merchant / biller with owner identification data of the account contained in the individual and partially consolidated databases 66 and 58, as discussed above Once a set of comparative credit card account numbers is located, the selection subsystem 59"selects one or more of the account numbers, according to the selection rules discussed above. Referring now to Figure 6, there is shown a block diagram of an embodiment of an automated credit card payment system of the present invention as applied to merchants / billers. In this configuration, multiple merchants / billers 150 use a compliance assembly 152 and a service agency 154 employing the system of the present invention to deal with multiple credit card account databases 156, one or more of which may be databases - partially consolidated as explained above. More than one compliance meeting 152 may be used to serve several merchants / billers and / or merchant / biller groups, or a compliance meeting 152 may be used for each 150 merchant. Merchants / billers 150 provide the compliance meeting 152 with each of your client's files 158 and 160 external lists (for example, lists of client prospects). The service agency 154 uses the system of the present invention to compare the names in the merchant / biller files 158 with associated financial account information. This information, including credit card information, is consolidated by the service agency 154 of multiple credit card issuers 156 and is stored in the master credit card file. Alternatively, this credit card information can be serially accessed from the databases of multiple credit card issuers. After comparing the customer files of the merchant / biller 158 and the external lists 160 with associated financial account information, the service agency codes the credit card account numbers compared (block 162) and provides them to the compliance meeting 152. The use of localized credit card information is shown in the flow chart of Figure 7, where the compliance assembly 152 uses the credit card information encoded in the marketing, billing and / or renewal efforts ( step 164), such as placing the credit card account numbers encoded in the commercial information. In step 165, customers authorize the use of their credit cards, and optionally select which credit card to use if more than one is presented to the customer. When the customer places orders using the credit card information encoded in the commercial information, the orders are collected and the coded number captured and consolidated in a consolidated order file (step 166). The account numbers encoded in the consolidated order file are then decoded (step 170) and the payments are processed (step 172). Referring now to Figures 8 and 9, another embodiment of the present invention is shown. In this mode, the 2100 system is designed for use through a computer network, for example, through the Internet, a LAN, WAN or similar. The system 200 includes an automated payment server 202 that includes a processing unit 204 and a database 206 maintained by the processing unit, and is similar in several aspects to the automated payment system 50 described above. The database combines the account information of several financial institutions, as well as the billing information of several billers. The automated payment server 202 connects to a plurality of clients at the respective terminals 208, and interacts with those clients through a suitable client interface 210 (only one terminal is shown schematically in Figure 8). The customer interface can be a basic application used to select payment options, a method to view accounts of several billers, and / or a complete service interface that combines those functions and allows the customer to reconfigure the account. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various forms of interface can be employed. The automated payment server 202 also connects to one or more merchant sites 212 through one or more communication lines 214. Preferably, at least one of the lines 214 is a secure line for transmitting the payment information, such as it is described in more detail later. The automated payment server 202 connects to several financial institutions and several billers 222. The automated payment system 202 receives updated account information, through a means of transmission from financial institutions, and receives billing information from several billers, as described above in connection with the automated payment server 50. For example, several utilities can transmit accounts electronically to their customers through the payment server 202. A merged / purged automated account information sub-system 224 and a subsystem of merger / purge of automated account information 226, which will be in the form of programmed computer systems, classify and consolidate the account and invoice information provided by the financial institutions and billing agencies, and the classified and consolidated data are then stored in the customer database 206 for subsequent access as described in more detail below. The client terminals 208 can take different forms, and can access the automated payment server 202 in many different ways. For example, the customer can transmit purchase requests through a brick and mortar terminal, email, or through the Internet by clicking on a banner on a website, through interactive television, WebTV®, through the telephone , by direct mail, or in any other appropriate way. In one embodiment, the merchant site 212 may post a flag indicating that that payment for a transaction may be conducted through the automated payment server 202. The customer may then click on the flag and go to the automated payment server 202, as described in more detail later. The user interface 210 is preferably a suitable interface that allows the automated payment server 202 to simultaneously communicate with multiple clients over the Internet and another computer network. Referring now to Figure 9, the operation of the automated payment server 202 is described in greater detail. The operation begins in step 300, with a client initiating the transaction through communication with the merchant 212 and either placing an order or request for payment of an account for goods or services. In one embodiment, the merchant site presents the customer with a banner that has an embedded URL of the automated payment server 202, or alternatively the merchant's site can automatically direct the customer to the automated payment server when the customer places an order. In step 302, the client is linked to the automated payment server 202 and in step 303, the server determines whether the client is registered with the server. If the client is not registered, the operation proceeds to step 304, and the client registers with the payment server. The registration can be conducted through the computer network, through the telephone, through mail, or in any suitable form, and involves the reception of the customer's identification information to verify the client's identity for all subsequent ones. transactions. For example, the client can provide your name, address, etc., along with your mother's maiden name, a social security number, or similar. The client can also provide biometric information, for example, fingerprint sample, handwriting sample, retinal scan, or pattern / voice recording. Once the identity of the client has been verified, a password is selected for the client (either selected by the client or randomly assigned by the payment server), as is well known in the art. If the customer is already registered with the payment server 202, the customer enters his username and password in step 303, and after authentication or verification, the customer is allowed to continue with the payment transaction. The merchant 212 transmits the order and / or payment data to the payment server 202, either automatically or after being prompted by the payment server, in step 305. The data preferably identifies the customer, for example including the data ID of the order and / or a UPI of the client, which is also transmitted to the payment server when the client accesses the payment server. Alternatively, the merchant's site may transmit the customer's name or any other identifying information to allow the payment server to associate the customer with the particular order or request for payment. The customer's UPI or other identification information is associated with the customer's financial account (s). The UPI can be in the form of a name, password, PIN, ID number, or other unique identifier. Alternatively, the UPI may take the form of a fingerprint, retinal scan, speech pattern, handwriting sample, or other unique "biometric" identifier. These biometric identifiers, in some cases, can be used in conjunction with a password or PIN. The recording, capture, and storage of unique biometric identifiers such as retinal scans, iris scans, speech patterns, digital handwriting samples, or digitally scanned fingerprints are described in US Patents. Nos. 6,047,281; 6,038,334 and 5,991,408, the descriptions of which are incorporated herein by reference. In a possible embodiment of the invention, the client's UPI is recorded and / or authenticated using prior art devices, such as digital scanners, cameras or recorders, attached to the consumer's computer or located in brick and mortar terminals and other merchant terminals as exemplified in Figure 12. Once the payment server has associated the customer with the order or payment request, the operation proceeds to step 306, and the payment server accesses the customer's database for recover customer account information, bank cards, sight deposit accounts such as checking accounts, virtual payment accounts, wire transfer networks, electronic financial data exchange (FEDI), electronic check (E-check ), Automated Compensation Chamber (ACH), third-party payment products, financial institutions other than banks such as CyberCash and TransPoint (MSFDC), tools of stored value such as VisaCash and Mondex, and the like. Then, in step 308, the payment server 202 presents the customer account information to the customer (Figure 10). The account information identifies the various financials to the customer, without transmitting the full account numbers to the customer. For example, some identification information is transmitted, such as the name of the credit card, the last several digits of the credit card, or the like (for example, "AmEx 206543"). The account information may include, in addition to the identification, the various credit cards and the like, available balance information, date of the last update of that account, date of the last payment, credit limit, transaction detail, and the like . In step 310, the customer selects one or more payment options, and that selection (s) is transmitted to the payment server through the interface 210. In this way, the numbers of the current account are not transmitted between the server of payment and the client. The customer can select to divide a payment between two or more financial accounts, for example, two or more credit cards.
In addition, the payment server can present the accounts to the client in a specific order, defined by the client, the financial institutions, the particular merchant, the use of the account, available balances, interest rates, and the like. In one embodiment, the payment server 202 presents the customer with only the appropriate payment options. For example, if the purchase amount is $ 100, and the customer's checking account has a balance less than $ 100, the payment server preferably does not provide that as an option for the customer. Alternatively, the checking account may be presented to the customer, but in a different color or font indicating to the customer that said account is not suitable for the particular transaction, but may be used in connection with another payment option to complete the transaction . In step 312, the payment server 202 transmits a request for authorization from the payment processor of the merchant site 212, which includes the payment option selected by the customer. In step 314, the customer interface determines whether the payment option is acceptable. For example, the customer may have selected a credit card that is not accepted by the particular merchant. If this is the case, the operation proceeds to step 316, and the client is informed that the authorization failed. The operation then flows back to step 308, to allow the customer to select another payment option. If the payment option is accepted in step 314, the operation proceeds to step 318, and the customer is notified that the transaction has been approved. Then in step 320, the payment server 202 transmits the approved order or Approval to the merchant's site or the merchant payment processor 212, preferably through a secure line, and the merchant fills the order interacting with the customer 208. For example, the merchant's site may request shipping information if it does not already have it or other information required to complete the transaction. Then in step 322, the payment processor accesses the appropriate financial institution and transmits the payment information, such that the customer's account is charged and the merchant's account is credited. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above steps can also be carried out through a telephone network that allows for interactivity, such as those systems that offer voice recognition and / or dual tone multi-frequency tones (DTMF). ). As is well known in the art, the customer can enter a user ID and password by pressing the appropriate keys on the telephone, with the payment server including the appropriate hardware, well known for interpreting the DTMF tones to determine the corresponding numbers entered by the user. the client. In this way, the customer can dial a phone number, listen to a list of goods, services and / or available accounts, and select one or more goods, services and / or accounts by pressing the appropriate keys on the phone. The payment server, through a well-known interactive system such as interactive voice response (IVR) or similar, then instructs the customer to enter the identification data, such as user name and PIN number, or the like. Once the customer's identity is verified, the payment server can then present the customer with a list of credit cards that can be used to complete a transaction. For example, the IVR software can read "Press 1 to select your Visa account, press 2 to select American Express" or similar. The customer can simply press the corresponding key on the phone to indicate the payment server chosen by the customer. The remnant of the process is the same as the computer network version described above. Thus, in this way the payment server 202 is available to the customers through a telephone network. Alternatively, the present invention can be implemented through mail, by returning the customer of an order form sent through the regulatory mail and / or email. In this way, the payment server sends a pre-printed order to potential customers, listing various goods, services and / or available accounts, and also listing those financial accounts of the particular customer as compiled by the customer database 206. The customer select one or more goods, services and / or accounts, select a financial account for payment from the client's specific list printed on the form, and return the order from the payment server 202. An operator on the server 202 then enters the data , or in the case of electronic transfer such as email, the data is uploaded. The payment server sends the data to the appropriate merchant. If the payment option selected by the customer is not appropriate (for example, the merchant does not accept that type of payment or the available balance is too low), the customer is notified, either through mail (electronic or regular) or through telephone, and you can select another payment option. Once the appropriate payment option is selected, the remainder of the transaction is completed throughout the version of the computer network lines described above. In an alternative mode, the customer who receives the order or account form can call a telephone number provided on the form and complete the transaction through the telephone, in the same manner as described above. In another embodiment, the client at terminal 208 may access payment server 202 directly without initially accessing the merchant's site. The client can then be presented with important accounts, as compiled by the automated account information merge / purge subsystem 226 (Figure 11). The customer can select one or more accounts to pay, and then it is presented with the account information, similar to the process described above with respect to Figure 9. It will be apparent that the system and method of the present invention allows payment transactions to be performed through a computer network without requiring any credit card number or the like to be transmitted directly between the client 208 and the merchant 212, or between the client 208 and the payment server 202. In this way, no information of account passes through a public network such as the Internet. The account information transmitted through secure lines between the financial institutions and the payment server 202, and between the payment server and the merchant payment processor or the merchant site. In addition, multiple merchants do not need to maintain a database of account numbers, such information maintained on payment server 202. Maintaining the database instead of each individual merchant also reduces the likelihood of fraud. Referring to Figure 12, an automatic payment system 50 is shown according to a modality that implements the use of biometric identifiers and / or PINs. A biometric identifier and / or PIN is collected in a brick and mortar finish. A brick and mortar terminal can include a computer, digital camera, scanner, recorder and other device capable of capturing that information. The automatic payment system 50 receives the biometric identifier and / or PIN of the brick and mortar terminals 84x and the comparison and selection subsystem 59 compares the biometric identifier and / or PIN 88, with the records in the card database 57 credit card to locate matching credit card owner identification data. The comparison and selection subsystem 59 may be in the form of a preprogrammed computer system that is either the same as that used for the database consolidation and classification subsystem., or separated from it. The process of comparing customers of a merchant / biller database with owners of credit card accounts in the comparison and selection subsystem 59 can be performed using conventional comparison algorithms as known to those skilled in the art. If the comparison is found in the master credit card database 57, then the PIN is validated. As can be understood from the above description of the present invention, the present invention provides a number of benefits of customers (such as credit card users), financial institutions, merchants and billers. Benefits for financial institutions include fraud reduction, more credit card utilization, higher withholding rates, and increased fee income. The benefits for the client include convenience, privacy and efficiency. Benefits for the merchant / biller are fraud and reduced theft, higher withholding rates, less bad debts, savings in mail-in expenses, and better customer relationships. The system and method of the present invention can also be used in conjunction with an objective marketing or coupon plan in which the purchasing behavior can be identified and registered through the payment server. In a possible mode, customers with financial accounts (including credit card accounts) in the payment server can agree to have their purchase behavior tracked and provided to a wide variety of businesses and industries. These businesses and industries can then preferentially target several customers for discounts, coupons or other marketing deals based on their past purchases. Another benefit provided by the present invention is security and privacy for customers. Therefore, in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a centralized organization or company is the only party, outside the banking institutions with customer relationships, as well as the consumers themselves, who have access to the information. of a specific financial account. It should be understood that the functions performed by the central organization may currently be divided between separate entities. For example, an entity can perform processing, while another entity can perform coding / decoding. As described above, only coded account information is provided to the merchant / biller; however, it is within the scope of the present invention to provide a system in which the accounts are provided to the merchant / biller directly, and the merchant / biller or other company codes that account information for use in their billing materials. In such case, once the merchant / biller receives the client's approval to load a particular account, he can proceed to decode and process the payment from the financial institution directly. Many other user functions known in the art can be implemented, such as the ability to allow the user to modify their user registration information. While various forms of the invention have been described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.