Electronic gathering of product information and purchasing of products

• US 20030061173A1
• Filed: 09/27/2001
• Published: 03/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ogino, Hiroshi
• Application Number:
  US09/966,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20030061173A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/74
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• 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 20/383 Anonymous user system
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00

Abstract

A transaction device includes a sensor module configured to receive a product identification for a product through a product tag. The transaction device also includes a communication module configured to transmit the product identification and a device identifier associated with the transaction device to a product server through a privacy server to obtain product information from the product server without providing an identification of a user of the transaction device.

Claims

1. A transaction device comprising:

a sensor module configured to receive a product identification for a product through a product tag; and

a communication module configured to transmit the product identification and a device identifier associated with the transaction device to a product server through a privacy server to obtain product information from the product server without providing an identification of a user of the transaction device.

2. The transaction device of claim 1, wherein the product server is to communicate product information back to the transaction device based on the product identification

3. The transaction device of claim 1, wherein the communication module is to transmit a request to purchase the product to the product server through the privacy server without providing the identification of the user of the transaction device.

4. The transaction device of claim 1, wherein the product tag includes product information for the product.

5. The transaction device of claim 1, wherein the transaction device is selected from the group consisting of a privacy card, digital wallet, and a privacy card configured to be coupled to a digital wallet.

6. The transaction device of claim 1, further comprising a product storage area configured to store the product information for a number of products.

7. An electronic transaction device comprising:

a sensor module configured to receive a product identification for a product through a product tag associated with the product;

a wireless module configured to communicate with a privacy system, the privacy system comprising a secure mechanism for correlating an identifier of the electronic transaction device with a user authorized to use the electronic transaction device; and

a communication module configured to communicate the transaction device identifier and the product identification through the wireless module to the privacy system to perform a transaction for the product.

8. The electronic transaction device of claim 7, further comprising:

a display module configured to display the product information for the product received from the privacy system.

9. The electronic transaction device of claim 7, wherein the product tag for the product includes product information.

10. The electronic transaction device of claim 7, wherein the user of the electronic transaction device can purchase the product from a vendor through the secure mechanism using the wireless module based on the product identification and the transaction device identifier.

11. The electronic transaction device of claim 7, wherein the communication module is to transmit a request to purchase the product to the privacy system without providing the identification of the user of the transaction device.

12. The electronic transaction device of claim 7, wherein the electronic transaction device is selected from the group consisting of a privacy card, digital wallet, and a privacy card configured to be coupled to a digital wallet.

13. The electronic transaction device of claim 7, further comprising a product storage area configured to store product information for a number of products.

14. A method comprising:

receiving, at a transaction device, a signal based on a product tag associated with a product;

transmitting the product tag to a product server through a privacy server indicating a request of product information based on the product tag without providing an identity of a user of the transaction device; and

receiving the product information from the product server.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising performing a product transaction for the product with the product server through the transaction privacy clearinghouse using a device identifier for the transaction device, wherein the identity of the user is not known to the product server.

16. The method as set forth in claim 15, wherein performing the electronic commerce transaction for the product includes receiving eCoupons related to the product from the vendor through the transaction privacy clearinghouse.

17. The method as set forth in claim 15, wherein performing the electronic commerce transaction for the product includes purchasing the product from the vendor through the transaction privacy clearinghouse.

18. An electronic system comprising:

a personal transaction device configured to communicate with a product tag associated with a product to receive a product identification for the product, the personal transaction device having an identifier;

a privacy server coupled selectively to the personal transaction device when a transaction related to the product is to be performed based on the product identification, said privacy server authorizing the transaction based upon the identifier and account information of a user that is authorized to use the transaction device, wherein the transaction is with a vendor of the product and wherein an identity of the user is not provided to the vendor.

19. The electronic system as set forth in claim 18, wherein the transaction includes transmitting eCoupons from the vendor to the transaction device through the privacy server without providing the identity of the user to the vendor.

20. The electronic system as set forth in claim 18, wherein the transaction includes purchasing the product from the vendor through the privacy server without providing the identity of the user to the vendor.

21. The electronic system as set forth in claim 18, wherein the personal transaction device is selected from the group consisting of a privacy card, digital wallet, and a privacy card configured to be coupled to a digital wallet.

22. The electronic system as set forth in claim 18, wherein the privacy server is further configured to selectively couple to a financial institution.

23. The electronic system as set forth in claim 18, wherein the privacy server further comprises a financial institution.

24. The electronic system as set forth in claim 18, wherein the privacy server comprises a secure database of transaction device information and user information, said database accessed for authorizing the transaction.

25. The electronic system as set forth in claim 18, wherein the privacy server is configured to interface to a financial processing system configured to perform financial transactions associated with the transaction.

26. A machine-readable medium that provides instructions, which when executed by a machine, cause said machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at a transaction device, a signal based on a product tag associated with a product;

transmitting the product tag to a product server through a transaction privacy clearinghouse indicating a request of product information based on the product tag; and

receiving the product information from the product server without providing an identity of a user of the transaction device.

27. The machine-readable medium of claim 26, further comprising performing an electronic commerce transaction for the product with the product server through the transaction privacy clearinghouse using a device identifier for the transaction device, wherein the identity of the user is not known to the product server.

28. The machine-readable medium of claim 27, wherein performing the electronic commerce transaction for the product includes receiving eCoupons related to the product from the vendor through the transaction privacy clearinghouse.

29. The machine-readable medium of claim 27, wherein performing the electronic commerce transaction for the product includes purchasing the product from the vendor through the transaction privacy clearinghouse.