Abstract: Equipments and methods are disclosed for facilitating service provisioning in a system that comprises a payment processor, a number of service providers and a mediator that mediates information exchange between the payment processor and service providers, and a mobile terminal operated by payment card holder. In some implementations, service provisioning can be facilitated in cases wherein the payment processor must reside in a strictly regulated Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant environment and the service providers operate servers that are not PCI-compliant.

Abstract: A method and system authenticate a transaction between a user and a payment system. The information of the transaction is transmitted through a secure communications from the user to the payment system, and the authentication message is sent from a payment system to the user via an authentication system. The authentication message is sent from the authentication system from one of multiplicity of addresses to the user, and the response to the message is received in that address. Additional security is achieved when the reply addresses are selected randomly.

Abstract: A method and system capable of authenticating transactions involving at least one service provider and one or more users who are each in electronic communication. This electronic communication can be, for example, SMS, MMS, e-mail or online account messaging. Certain embodiments provide for the transaction to be an authentication and/or verification of an entity. Examples of such entities are products, actions and users.

Abstract: Equipments and methods are disclosed for facilitating service provisioning in a system that comprises a payment processor, a number of service providers and a mediator that mediates information exchange between the payment processor and service providers, and a mobile terminal operated by payment card holder. In some implementations, service provisioning can be facilitated in cases wherein the payment processor must reside in a strictly regulated Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant environment and the service providers operate servers that are not PCI-compliant.

Abstract: According to an embodiment of the present invention a method for detecting fraudulent use of credit cards is herein described. In the case when possible fraudulent use is detected the issuer or other responsible party, such as a third-party mediator, temporarily blocks the credit card account. This can be accomplished, for example, by making an artificial excess of credit limit of the credit card or otherwise temporarily closing a credit card account. In some embodiments an issuer or responsible party may send a warning message and/or alert to a client's mobile phone informing of an upcoming temporary block of client's credit card.

Abstract: Provide herein is a method and system capable of authenticating transactions involving at least one service provider and one or more users who are each in electronic communication. This electronic communication can be, for example, SMS, MMS, e-mail, or online account messaging. It is an aspect of certain embodiments where the transaction is an authentication and/or verification of an entity. Examples of such entities are products, actions and users.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and system for booking reservations in a booking system and synchronizing bookings among several booking systems. The system comprises at least one booking system; at least one service provider; a mediator service; a client, and at least one client terminal device that can be a mobile device and that includes a dialog. The client uses the dialog to enter information into the system and the mediator receives inquiries and answers from the at least one booking system, the at least one service provider, and the at least one client. The mediator transfers and adapts information between them. The method and system are particularly suited for use with mobile phone users by Small Message Service messages.

Abstract: A method and system for booking reservations for a car service and delivery of such services, wherein at least one booking system and/or at least one car service provider interact with a mediator/facilitator to arrange for and provide a car for a client using at least one client terminal device that can be a mobile device. In the method, information entered into the system via the client's mobile device is transferred and adapted by the mediator/facilitator to communicate with the at least one booking system, the at least one car service provider.

Abstract: Equipments and methods for a mediator server controlling communication between clients and service provider(s). Clients are associated with a client identifier address. The mediator uses multiple addresses for receiving communications from the clients regarding the provider(s). The mediator sends to the clients a set of inquiry messages pertaining to the service provider, in a first communication format and associated with a particular reply address. The mediator receives reply message(s) from the clients at the particular reply address, the reply message including the client identifier address and a reply generated at the client terminal device. The mediator sends the client terminal device(s) service continuation information by which the client(s) can continue service provisioning in a second communication format which is different from the first communication format.

Abstract: An authentication technique with a teaching phase and authentication phase. In the teaching phase, authentication information is collected for a user in at least two categories, wherein one category relates to measurable physical characteristics of the user, another category relates to communication resources available to the user; and a third category relates to knowledge possessed by the user. In the authentication phase, some of the collected authentication information is used to formulate challenge(s) for presentation to the user. Response(s) to the formulated challenge(s) is/are received from the user and correctness of the received response is determined based at least partially on comparison with at least a portion of the collected authentication information. A correctness metric is calculated for the response(s). The user is authenticated if the correctness metric meets or exceeds a first threshold value.

Abstract: There is disclosed herein a method and system for communicating over a telecommunications network between a service provider and one or more users, wherein the service provider can have access to multiple distinct addresses in the telecommunications network and each user is identified by an address, more specifically where a first message can be sent over at least a portion of the telecommunications network to a user's address and based on a response from the user determining the message to which the response is a reply to.

Abstract: A method comprising performing following acts on a network server: receiving a communication from a client terminal operated by a client; performing a first authentication of the client terminal or client; in response to the first authentication, delivering a first service to the client; after delivering the first service, sending an offer for a second service to the client terminal; receiving an acceptance message for the second service from the client terminal; performing a second authentication of the client terminal and/or the client; in response to receiving the acceptance message for the second service from the client terminal and to the second authentication being successful, delivering a second service to the client; wherein the first authentication and the second authentication use different authentication techniques. Other aspects include a programmed data processing apparatus for carrying out the method and a tangible program carrier instructing the apparatus to perform the acts.

Abstract: This publication discloses a method and system for delivering messages in a telecommunications network (1, 2, 6, 11, 12). In the method a voice-message call attempt is received (43), or a connection is formed to a potential user of a service, on the basis of a voice-message call attempt. According to the invention, as a response to the voice-message connection formed or to the call attempt, to the second part (41) of the connection is sent a text-form message, which initiates a long, logically continuous, temporally discontinuous session N, in such a way that the sender address (e.g., the A number) is converted to correspond to the session number N and the session stage J at the time, and in the message there is at least one selection query.

Abstract: The present publication discloses a method and system for sending messages in a telecommunications network (1, 2, 6, 11, 12), in which method digital messages (40) which contain information on the desired reply address (32) are mass sent (3), and messages, which are sent on the basis of the reply-address information (32) are received (10). According to the invention, the reply-address information of each mass-sent message (40) is converted (3) to correspond to a predefined dialog, in which the stage of the dialog defines unequivocally the reply-address information (32), so that the transmission and reception of the messages are implemented in different parts of the telecommunications system (1, 2, 6, 11, 12).

Abstract: This publication discloses a method and system for delivering messages in a telecommunications network (1, 2, 6, 11, 12). In the method a voice-message call attempt is received (43), or a connection is formed to a potential user of a service, on the basis of a voice-message call attempt. According to the invention, as a response to the voice-message connection formed or to the call attempt, to the second part (41) of the connection is sent a text-form message, which initiates a long, logically continuous, temporally discontinuous session N, in such a way that the sender address (e.g., the A number) is converted to correspond to the session number N and the session stage J at the time, and in the message there is at least one selection query.

Abstract: A method and system for communicating over a telecommunications network between a service provider and one or more users, wherein the service provider can have access to multiple distinct addresses in the telecommunications network and each user is identified by an address, more specifically, where a first message can be sent over at least a portion of the telecommunications network to a user's address and based on a response from the user determining the message to which the response is a reply.

Abstract: The invention is an SMS distribution method for inquiries, invitations and proposals in which inquiries are sent to mobile telephone numbers included in a distribution list and their replies are collected as text messages via the SMS service (7) provided by the telecommunications network by means of a software program (1) installed on a server (2). The problem in distributing inquiries with existing SMS services has been the limited possibility of replying to the sending telecommunications operator and separating replies to several inquiries from one another. In the method embodied by this invention, universally reachable mobile network numbers (11) are used as reply addresses for the inquiries, invitations and proposals, and replies are separated from one another by means of reply addresses consisting of public mobile communication network numbers and SMS service numbers and automatically generated reply symbols.

Abstract: An authentication technique with a teaching phase and authentication phase. In the teaching phase, authentication information is collected for a user in at least two categories, wherein one category relates to measurable physical characteristics of the user, another category relates to communication resources available to the user; and a third category relates to knowledge possessed by the user. In the authentication phase, some of the collected authentication information is used to formulate challenge(s) for presentation to the user. Response(s) to the formulated challenge(s) is/are received from the user and correctness of the received response is determined based at least partially on comparison with at least a portion of the collected authentication information. A correctness metric is calculated for the response(s). The user is authenticated if the correctness metric meets or exceeds a first threshold value.

Abstract: A method for delivering messages in a telecommunications network where the first text-form message of the session N is delivered to the user of the service such that the sender address (the A number) is converted to correspond to the session number N and the session stage J, in stages 2-n of the session N, a text-form message is received from the user of the message service at the sender address defined in the message in the previous stage, and the session proceeds according to the contents of the message such that the sender address (the A number) is converted to correspond to the session number N and the new session stage J, and the next text-form message of session N is sent to the user of the message service.

Abstract: The present publication discloses a method and system for sending messages in a telecommunications network. In the method, a first text-form message is sent to a user of the service, a reply to the first text-form message is received from the user of the service to an address defined in the previous message, if the reply is of the correct form and content, the desired service is sent to the user of the service. According to the invention, the user of the message service is offered a second service by a message, the information (such as the sending number is text-message traffic) defining the reply address of which differs from that of the first message, and the second offer message is sent with a sending delay, which depends of the content or type of the first service.