An Atomic Micropayment System for a Mobile Computing Environment

Sangjin KIM  Heekuck OH 

Publication
IEICE TRANSACTIONS on Information and Systems  Vol.E84-D  No.6  pp.709-716
Publication Date: 2001/06/01
Online ISSN: 
Print ISSN: 0916-8532
Type of Manuscript: PAPER
Category: Applications of Information Security Techniques
Keyword: 
electronic commerce (EC),  mobile computing,  electronic payment system, 

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Summary: 
In a mobile computing environment, the characteristics of wireless communication and host mobility are important considerations in providing an efficient payment service. Currently, most payment systems were not intended for use in a mobile environment, and as such they inherently possess some inefficient properties. In this paper, we propose a new micropayment system (AMPS), designed for use in a mobile computing environment. AMPS reduces the computational load of mobile hosts by directing operations normally performed by the client to the static portion of the network. With AMPS, a client's request for goods goes to a TTP server, called the AMPS server, using only one message. The client can also be disconnected while the AMPS server deals with the merchant, reducing communication costs and power consumption. User privacy is protected by hiding the details of the payment to the AMPS server. The AMPS server can also provide client anonymity to merchants. Another advantage of AMPS is the provision of transaction atomicity by checking goods and money before forwarding to clients or merchants, and preserving all necessary information for any possible future disputes.