Apparatus and methods for collecting value
First Claim
1. A system for safe collection of payment in return for goods, values or services, the system comprising:
- a multiplicity of electronic system elements wherein each individual one of the elements has a purse storing an amount of credit for value receivable granted to the individual system element, each purse including;
a purse monitor operative to sign and authenticate a transaction record of each transaction in which the purse uses some of the credit for value receivable which it has been granted; and
a purse control unit operative to prevent said purse, off-line, from exceeding the credit for value receivable which it has been granted.
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Accused Products
Abstract
This invention discloses a system for safe collection of payment in return for goods, values or services, the system including a multiplicity of electronic system elements wherein each individual one of the elements has a purse storing an amount of credit for value receivable granted to the individual system element, each purse including a purse monitor operative to sign and authenticate a transaction record of each transaction in which the purse uses some of the credit for value receivable which it has been granted, and a purse control unit operative to prevent the purse, off-line, from exceeding the credit for value receivable which it has been granted.
A method for safe collection of payment in return for goods, values or services, is also disclosed.
154 Citations
35 Claims
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1. A system for safe collection of payment in return for goods, values or services, the system comprising:
a multiplicity of electronic system elements wherein each individual one of the elements has a purse storing an amount of credit for value receivable granted to the individual system element, each purse including;
a purse monitor operative to sign and authenticate a transaction record of each transaction in which the purse uses some of the credit for value receivable which it has been granted; and
a purse control unit operative to prevent said purse, off-line, from exceeding the credit for value receivable which it has been granted. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 20, 25)
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5. A system for safe collection of payment in return for goods, values or services, the system comprising:
a multiplicity of electronic system elements wherein each individual one of the elements has a purse storing an amount of credit for value receivable granted to the individual system element, each purse including;
a purse monitor operative to sign and authenticate a time-stamped transaction record of each transaction in which the purse uses some of the credit for value receivable which it has been granted; and
a purse control unit operative to prevent said purse, off-line, from extending a credit for value receivable which it has been granted over more than a predetermined period of time. - View Dependent Claims (6, 21, 26)
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7. A public-key protected system for safe collection of payment in return for goods, values or services, the system comprising:
a multiplicity of electronic system elements wherein each individual one of the elements has a purse storing, in public key protected form, an amount of credit for value receivable granted to the individual system element, each purse including;
a public-key protected purse monitor operative to sign and authenticate a transaction record of each transaction in which the purse uses some of the credit for value receivable which it has been granted; and
a public-key protected purse control unit operative to prevent said purse, off-line, from exceeding the credit for value receivable which it has been granted. - View Dependent Claims (22, 27)
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8. A system for safe collection of payment in return for goods, values or services, the system comprising:
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a multiplicity of electronic system elements wherein each individual one of the elements has a purse storing an amount of credit for value receivable granted to the individual system element, each purse including;
a purse monitor operative to sign and authenticate a transaction record of each transaction in which the purse uses some of the credit for value receivable which it has been granted; and
a purse control unit operative to prevent said purse from exceeding the credit for value receivable which it has been granted, wherein at least one first purse from among said multiplicity of purses includes a credit granting unit operative to grant an amount of credit for value receivable granted to at least one second purse from among said multiplicity of purses only in response to activation by a predetermined plurality of system directors. - View Dependent Claims (23, 28)
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9. A system for safe collection of payment in return for at least one of goods, values and services, the system comprising:
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a multiplicity of electronic system elements wherein each individual one of the elements has a purse storing an amount of credit for value receivable granted to the individual system element, each purse including;
a purse monitor operative to sign and authenticate a transaction record of each transaction in which the purse uses some of the credit for value receivable which it has been granted; and
a purse control unit operative to prevent said purse from exceeding the credit for value receivable which it has been granted, wherein at least one first purse from among said multiplicity of purses includes a credit granting unit operative to grant an amount of credit for value receivable granted to at least one second purse from among said multiplicity of purses only in response to activation by at least one system director and operative to record information regarding the activation including the identity of said at least one system director. - View Dependent Claims (24, 29)
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10. Apparatus for transmitting electronic cheques over open channels, each cheque having an intended beneficiary, the apparatus comprising:
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a cheque-sending security access module including a first monolithic public key protected cryptocomputer having a first secured externally immutable non-volatile memory which is operative to generate a cheque having an intended beneficiary;
a cheque-receiving security access module including a second monolithic public key protected cryptocomputer having a second secured externally immutable non-volatile memory which is operative to use a cheque; and
a set of rules frozen within said first and second memories which allows a cheque issued by the cheque sending security access module to be used by the cheque receiving securing access module only if said cheque has not been used previously and only if the intended beneficiary of said cheque is said cheque-receiving security access module. - View Dependent Claims (11, 13)
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12. A method for safe collection of payment in return for goods, values or services, the method comprising:
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providing a multiplicity of electronic system elements wherein each individual one of the elements has a purse storing an amount of credit for value receivable granted to the individual system element; and
, for at least one pursesigning and authenticating a transaction record of each transaction in which the purse uses some of the credit for value receivable which it has been granted; and
preventing said purse, off-line, from exceeding the credit for value receivable which it has been granted.
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14. Apparatus for transmitting electronic receipts over open channels, each receipt having an intended beneficiary, the apparatus comprising:
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a receipt-sending security access module including a first monolithic public key protected cryptocomputer having a first secured externally immutable non-volatile memory which is operative to generate a receipt;
a receipt-receiving security access module including a second monolithic public key protected cryptocomputer having a second secured externally immutable non-volatile memory which is operative to use a receipt to generate credit; and
a set of rules frozen within said first and second memories which allows a receipt issued by the receipt sending security access module to be used by the receipt receiving securing access module only if said receipt has not been used previously to generate credit and only if the intended beneficiary of said receipt is said receipt-receiving security access module. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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30. A method for safe collection of payment in return for goods, values or services, the method comprising:
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providing a multiplicity of electronic system elements wherein each individual one of the elements has a purse storing an amount of credit for value receivable granted to the individual system element; and
, for at least one of the purses,signing and authenticating a time-stamped transaction record of each transaction in which the purse uses some of the credit for value receivable which it has been granted; and
preventing said purse, off-line, from extending a credit for value receivable which it has been granted over more than a predetermined period of time.
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31. A public-key protected method for safe collection of payment in return for goods, values or services, the method comprising:
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providing a multiplicity of electronic system elements wherein each individual one of the elements has a purse storing, in public key protected form, an amount of credit for value receivable granted to the individual system element; and
, for at least one of the pursessigning and authenticating a transaction record of each transaction in which the purse uses some of the credit for value receivable which it has been granted; and
preventing said purse, off-line, from exceeding the credit for value receivable which it has been granted.
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32. A method for safe collection of payment in return for goods, values or services, the method comprising:
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providing a multiplicity of electronic system elements wherein each individual one of the elements has a purse storing an amount of credit for value receivable granted to the individual system element; and
, for at least one of the purses,signing and authenticating a transaction record of each transaction in which the purse uses some of the credit for value receivable which it has been granted; and
preventing said purse from exceeding the credit for value receivable which it has been granted, wherein at least one first purse from among said multiplicity of purses grants an amount of credit for value receivable granted to at least one second purse from among said multiplicity of purses only in response to activation by a predetermined plurality of system directors.
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33. A method for safe collection of payment in return for at least one of goods, values and services, the method comprising:
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providing a multiplicity of electronic system elements wherein each individual one of the elements has a purse storing an amount of credit for value receivable granted to the individual system element; and
, for at least one of the purses,signing and authenticating a transaction record of each transaction in which the purse uses some of the credit for value receivable which it has been granted; and
preventing said purse from exceeding the credit for value receivable which it has been granted, wherein at least one first purse from among said multiplicity of purses grants an amount of credit for value receivable granted to at least one second purse from among said multiplicity of purses only in response to activation by at least one system director and operative to record information regarding the activation including the identity of said at least one system director.
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34. A method for transmitting electronic cheques over open channels, each cheque having an intended beneficiary, the method comprising:
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providing a cheque-sending security access module including a first monolithic public key protected cryptocomputer having a first secured externally immutable non-volatile memory which is operative to generate a cheque having an intended beneficiary;
providing a cheque-receiving security access module including a second monolithic public key protected cryptocomputer having a second secured externally immutable non-volatile memory which is operative to use a cheque; and
following a set of rules frozen within said first and second memories which allows a cheque issued by the cheque sending security access module to be used by the cheque receiving securing access module only if said cheque has not been used previously and only if the intended beneficiary of said cheque is said cheque-receiving security access module.
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35. A method for transmitting electronic receipts over open channels, each receipt having an intended beneficiary, the method comprising:
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providing a receipt-sending security access module including a first monolithic public key protected cryptocomputer having a first secured externally immutable non-volatile memory which is operative to generate a receipt;
providing a receipt-receiving security access module including a second monolithic public key protected cryptocomputer having a second secured externally immutable non-volatile memory which is operative to use a receipt to generate credit; and
following a set of rules frozen within said first and second memories which allows a receipt issued by the receipt sending security access module to be used by the receipt receiving securing access module only if said receipt has not been used previously to generate credit and only if the intended beneficiary of said receipt is said receipt-receiving security access module.
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Specification