Mobile radio apparatus

• US 20020161703A1
• Filed: 08/27/2001
• Published: 10/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Uehara, Keiji, Ito, Koichi, Okamoto, Seiichi
• Application Number:
  US09/926,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20020161703A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0655 e-cash managed centrally
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0658 e-cash managed locally
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/32 using wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3226 Use of secure elements separate from M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0196 Payment of value-added services, mainly when their charges are added on the telephone bill, e.g. payment of non-telecom services, e-commerce, on-line banking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems

Abstract

In a control unit (100), a W-CDMA radio unit(102) is controlled and information on electronic money is loaded from an electronic money server managed and run by a bank or the like into an UIM card (114) via a W-CDMA communication network. Then, in the control unit (100), a BT radio unit (105) is controlled and an identification number of a commodity and electronic money information equivalent to the price of the commodity are transmitted to a vending machine with a BT communication function capable of conducting electronic commerce When mobile radio apparatus receives information on the acceptance of sale of the commodity from the vending machine, information on electronic money equivalent to the amount of user'"'"'s dues may be subtracted from the UIM card (114). Therefore, it is possible to provide mobile radio apparatus that assures the user a great convenience in conducting electronic commerce.

Claims

1. A mobile radio apparatus for communicating over a radio channel with a base station connectable to a network for communication, comprising:

first communication means for communicating indirectly over a radio channel with a communication apparatus to be communicated through a base station;

second communication means for communicating directly over a radio channel with a communication apparatus using radio waves of lower radio transmission power than said first communication means; and

electronic money payment means for transmitting information on electronic money to the communication apparatus, and for making payments in electronic money, said electronic money payment means communicating with the communication apparatus capable of conducting electronic commerce by said second communication means.

2. The mobile radio apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first communication means acquires information on electronic money from the communication apparatus.

3. The mobile radio apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising electronic money information storage means for storing the information on electronic money.

4. The mobile radio apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the information on electronic money acquired from the communication apparatus is stored in said electronic money information storage means.

5. The mobile radio apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said electronic money payment means pays the information on electronic money stored in said electronic money information storage means to the communication apparatus by said second communication means.

6. The mobile radio apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second communication means communicates by means of Bluetooth radio communication.

7. The mobile radio apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising menu information acquisition means for acquiring menu information which indicates contents of service supplied over radio channels by the communication apparatus, said menu information acquisition means communicating with the communication apparatus capable of conducting electronic commerce through said second communication means.

8. The mobile radio apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

number-of-transactions storage means for storing, for each of the communication apparatus, the number of transactions conducted with the communication apparatus capable of conducting electronic commerce through said second communication means; and

menu information storage means for storing menu information for the communication apparatus with the number of the transactions stored in said number-of-transactions storage means equal to or larger than a preset value.

9. The mobile radio apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

number-of-transactions deciding means for deciding whether the number of transactions with the communication apparatus communicated by means of radio is equal to or larger than a preset value, owing to reference to information stored in said number-of-transactions storage means, when said second communication means communicates by means of radio with said communication apparatus capable of conducting electronic commerce; and

display means for displaying the menu information for the communication apparatus stored in said menu information storage means, when said number-of-transactions deciding means decides that the number of transactions is equal to or larger than the preset value.

10. The mobile radio apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising electronic money information storage means for storing information on electronic money.

11. The mobile radio apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said electronic money information storage means stores subscriber'"'"'s information with which communication by said first communication means can be established.

12. The mobile radio apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said electronic money information storage means is removable.

13. The mobile radio apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, in a case where electronic money is paid to the communication apparatus,

when an amount of the electronic money is equal to or larger than a preset amount of electronic money and larger than a remaining amount of electronic money, a corresponding amount of the electronic money is withdrawn from a bank account by use of said first communication means, and

when an amount of the electronic money is less than the preset amount of electronic money and equal to or less than a remaining amount of electronic money, a corresponding amount of the electronic money is withdrawn from said electronic money information storage means.

15. The mobile radio apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said first communication means acquires information on electronic money from the communication apparatus, and stores the information on electronic money in said first and second electronic money storage means.

16. The mobile radio apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said second electronic money storage means is removable.

17. The mobile radio apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising electronic money transfer means for transferring information on electronic money between said first electronic money storage means and said second electronic money storage means.

18. The mobile radio apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising electronic money withdrawal means for withdrawing information on electronic money through at least one of said first communication means and said second communication means, and for storing the information in said second storage means.

19. The mobile radio apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said electronic money payment means pays the information on electronic money stored in at least one of said first electronic money storage means and second electronic money storage means to the communication apparatus by said second communication means.

20. The mobile radio apparatus according to claim 14, wherein, in a case where electronic money is paid to the communication apparatus,

when an amount of the electronic money is equal to or less than an amount of the electronic money in said first electronic money storage means, information on electronic money is withdrawn from said first electronic money storage means, and

when an amount of the electronic money is greater than an amount of the electronic money in said first electronic money storage means and is equal to or less than a total amount of the electronic money in said first electronic money storage means and the electronic money in said second electronic money storage means, information on electronic money is transferred from said second electronic money storage means to said first electronic money storage means, and information on electronic money is withdrawn from said first electronic money storage means.

14. A mobile radio apparatus for communicating over a radio channel with a base station connectable to a network for communication, comprising:

first communication means for communicating indirectly over a radio channel with a communication apparatus to be communicated through a base station, said first communication means communicating with the base station;

second communication means for communicating directly over a radio channel with a communication apparatus using lower radio transmission power than said first communication means;

first electronic money storage means for storing information on electronic money, and for storing subscriber'"'"'s information with which communication by said first communication means can be established;

second electronic money storage means for storing information on electronic money, said second electronic money storage means storing the information with a different standard from a standard of said first electronic money storage means; and

electronic money payment means for transmitting the information on electronic money stored in at least one of said first electronic money storage means and second electronic money storage means to the communication apparatus, and for making payments in electronic money, said electronic money payment means communicating with the communication apparatus capable of conducting electronic commerce by said second communication means.