System for digital bonus point management

• US 10,387,907 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2014
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Zimmermann, Klaus, Bordewieck, Aurel
• Primary Examiner(s): Sigmond, Bennett M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson, Scott C
• Application Number:
  US14/173,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20140257961A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,022 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0231 Awarding of a frequent usage incentive independent of the monetary value of a good or service purchased, or distance travelled

Abstract

A system for managing an account includes a tag element representing a value, a mobile device adapted to determine the value when being located in proximity of the tag element, and adapted to access a network, and a server adapted to communicate with the mobile device via the network and adapted to access to a database, the database being adapted to store the account, the account being related to the mobile device (102) and to the tag element; wherein the mobile device is further adapted to communicate the determined value to the server, and wherein the server is further adapted to add the communicated value to the account.

Claims

1. A system for managing an account, the system comprising:

a merchant device;

a tag element representing a value and including tag identification data identifying a merchant that is associated with the tag element, the tag element including a near field communication chip indicating the value, an optical human-readable representation of the value, and an optical machine-readable representation of the value, wherein the value is set by the merchant device associated with the merchant;

a mobile device that is different from the merchant device and configured to determine the value and the tag identification data identifying the merchant that is associated with the tag element when being located in proximity of the tag element, and configured to access a network; and

a server configured to communicate with the mobile device via the network and configured to access a database, the database being configured to store the account, the account being related to the mobile device and to the tag element, wherein

the mobile device is further configured to communicate, to the server, the determined value together with the tag identification data identifying the merchant that is associated with the tag element and a device identifier associated with the mobile device, without the determined value and the tag identification data identifying the merchant that is associated with the tag element being communicated from the merchant device, which is configured not to communicate directly with the server, wherein the device identifier was previously created during registration of the mobile device with the server, and

the server is further configured to determine the account based on the tag identification data and the device identifier, received from the mobile device, identifying the merchant that is associated with the tag element, and to add the communicated value to the account.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the value of the tag element is determinable by the mobile device through radio frequency communication within a range of 4 cm or less around the tag element.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the tag element is configured to represent the value in a passive communication mode by modifying a radio frequency field depending on the value and/or in an active communication mode by providing a further radio frequency field depending on the value.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the database is configured to store a plurality of accounts related to the mobile device, wherein each of the plurality of accounts is related to a predetermined group of account providers, the predetermined group including at least one account provider.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the database is configured to store rules for

transferring a value from the account to a further account,

exchanging values between the account and the further account,

buying and/or selling values with respect to the account, and/or

joining the account and the further account, and

the server is configured to modify the account and/or the further account in accordance with the rules upon a request communicated by the mobile device.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a further mobile device;

wherein

the mobile device and the further mobile device are configured to communicate with each other when being located in mutual proximity,

the mobile device is configured to transmit first information to the further mobile device, the first information being related to the account and/or to an account provider of the account, and

the mobile device and/or the further mobile device is configured to send, upon transmission of the information, second information to the account provider and/or to the server, the second information being related to at least one of

the mobile device,

the first information and

a request for storing a further account related to the further mobile device and to the account provider in the database.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the mobile device and/or the server is configured to determine, based on at least one of

a random or pseudo-random determination process,

a total value of the account,

the value determined by the mobile device,

a setting specifying a preference of an account user, and

a request issued by the mobile device,

whether a rewarding action is to be performed, the rewarding action including displaying, at the mobile device, a message relating to a reward and/or modifying the account in accordance with the reward.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the mobile device is configured to send, to the server, feedback data relating to an interaction with an account provider of the account, and

the server is configured to perform, based on the feedback data, a rewarding action.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the merchant device is a checkout device.

10. A method for managing an account, the method comprising:

setting a value of tag element by a merchant device of a merchant, the merchant device;

determining, using a tag reader of a mobile device that is different from the merchant device, the value set by the merchant device represented by a tag element that is located in proximity of the tag reader and tag identification data identifying the merchant that is associated with the tag element, the tag element including a near field communication chip indicating the value, an optical human-readable representation of the value, and an optical machine-readable representation of the value; and

transmitting the determined value together with the tag identification data identifying the merchant that is associated with the tag element and a device identifier associated with the mobile device, from the mobile device to a server to add, in a database, the determined value to the account that is related to the mobile device and to the tag element, without the determined value and the tag identification data identifying the merchant that is associated with the tag element being transmitted from the merchant device, wherein the device identifier was previously created during registration of the mobile device with the server.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein:

the merchant device is a checkout device.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer-program instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

setting a value of tag element by a merchant device of a merchant, the merchant device;

determining, using a tag reader of a mobile device that is different from a merchant device, a value set by the merchant device of a merchant and represented by a tag element that is located in proximity of the tag reader and tag identification data identifying the merchant that is associated with the tag element, the tag element including a near field communication chip indicating the value, an optical human-readable representation of the value, and an optical machine-readable representation of the value; and

transmitting the determined value together with the tag identification data identifying the merchant that is associated with the tag element and a device identifier associated with the mobile device, from the mobile device to a server to add, in a database, the determined value to the account that is related to the mobile device and to the tag element, without the determined value and the tag identification data identifying the merchant that is associated with the tag element being transmitted from the merchant device, wherein the device identifier was previously created during registration of the mobile device with the server.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 12, wherein:

the merchant device is a checkout device.