Method and system for electronic purchases using an intelligent data carrier medium, electronic coupon system, and interactive TV infrastructure

• US 20030236756A1
• Filed: 06/21/2002
• Published: 12/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing SAS (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Metabyte Networks Incorporated (Metabyte, Inc.)
• Inventors: Humpleman, Richard, Mehta, Manu, Watson, Dan
• Granted Patent: US 8,818,871 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/76
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4181 for conditional access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4184 providing storage capabilities, e.g. memory stick
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 receiving rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method and a system for electronically transacting a purchase between a purchaser and a merchant are disclosed. The method includes storing accrued incentives on an intelligent data carrier medium via interactive television (DTV/STB) equipment and redeeming a discount or a value corresponding to the accrued incentives present on the data carrier medium when a purchase is made. The electronic purchase system using an electronic network contains a purchaser interactive television (DTV/STB) equipment connected to the electronic network, a fixed intelligent data carrier medium connected to the interactive television (DTV/STB) equipment for service authentication and decryption and a detachable intelligent data carrier medium connected to the interactive television (DTV/STB) equipment.

Claims

1. A method for electronically transacting a purchase between a purchaser and a merchant, the method comprising:

storing accrued incentives on an intelligent data carrier medium via interactive television (DTV/STB) equipment; and

redeeming a discount or a value corresponding to the accrued incentives present on the data carrier medium when a purchase is made.

2. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises taking the intelligent data carrier medium to the merchant to make the purchase.

3. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises the purchaser making the purchase on-line.

4. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises utilizing the standardized Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) including a generation of a first digital signature and a certificate.

5. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises generating a second digital signature and a double digital signature.

6. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises targeting the purchaser according to a demographic inferred from a program viewing history.

7. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises targeting the purchaser by manually inputting demographic information.

8. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises offering incentives in order to attract the purchaser to view an advertisement, to interact with the advertisement, to seek related information and to make purchases.

9. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises targeting by including geographic parameters thereby offering incentives for the purchaser to go to local retail outlets.

10. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises:

accruing incentives or other value amounts; and

saving the accrued incentives or other value amounts as account data on the data carrier medium by an appropriate application.

11. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises:

the purchaser accessing information stored on the data carrier medium; and

detecting a significant value stored making it worthwhile taking the data carrier medium to the merchant to redeem the stored value.

12. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises:

the purchaser supplying an appropriate authorization code; and

reading account data from the data carrier medium with a check out terminal.

13. The method according to claim 12, which further comprises the check out terminal alerting the data carrier medium to debit used incentives or discounts and to send confirmation of the debit to the check out terminal.

14. The method according to claim 12, which further comprises sending confirmation of the debit from the data carrier medium to the check out terminal.

15. The method according to claim 12, which further comprises downloading complete purchased products information of a check out list to an appropriate data area of the data carrier medium.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the complete purchased products information includes retail store name/ universal product codes (UPC), manufacturer name/UPC and product name/UPC.

17. The method according to claim 12, which further comprises:

carrying the data carrier medium back home; and

inserting the data carrier medium into the DTV/STB equipment.

18. The method according to claim 12, which further comprises:

reading the purchased products information/UPC by an appropriate interactive television equipment agent; and

deleting the purchased products information/UPC from the data carrier medium.

19. The method according to claim 12, which further comprises:

reading the purchased products information/UPC by an appropriate interactive television equipment agent; and

updating a user profile database with the purchased product information/UPC.

20. The method according to claim 12, which further comprises:

reading the purchased products information/UPC by an appropriate interactive television equipment agent;

updating a user profile database with the purchased product information/UPC; and

targeting the user by targeting content, ads and incentives to the updated user profile.

21. The method according to claim 12, which further comprises verifying the digital signature with the check out terminal.

22. The method according to claim 12, which further comprises verifying the double digital signature with the check out terminal.

23. The method according to claim 12, which further comprises verifying a plurality of electronic coupons each having a double digital signature with the check out terminal.

24. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises:

issuing the data carrier medium cryptographically to the purchaser; and

allowing the purchaser to gather incentives/discounts and to redeem/use anonymously.

25. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises:

lapsing the data carrier medium periodically;

checking purchaser qualifications; and

renewing the data carrier medium.

26. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises using a coupon application medium for carrying the incentives to a retail establishment.

27. An electronic purchase system using an electronic network, comprising:

an interactive television (DTV/STB) equipment connected to the electronic network;

a fixed intelligent data carrier medium connected to said purchaser DTV/STB equipment for service authentication and decryption; and

a detachable intelligent data carrier medium connected to said purchaser DTV/STB equipment.

28. The electronic purchase system according to claim 27, which further comprises:

a merchant terminal having a data carrier medium reader connected to the electronic network.

29. A computer-readable medium having programming instructions for performing a method of electronically transacting a purchase between a purchaser and a merchant, comprising:

storing accrued incentives on an intelligent data carrier medium via interactive television (DTV/STB) equipment; and

redeeming a discount or a value corresponding to the accrued incentives present on the data carrier medium when a purchase is made.

30. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure for an electronic coupon, comprising:

a first field containing data representing a value;

a second field containing data representing details;

a third field containing data representing a purchaser'"'"'s/first digital signature verifying the veracity of the first and second fields;

a fourth field containing data representing a user'"'"'s/second digital signature rendering the coupon unique, and validating the use and redemption of the coupon.

31. The computer-readable medium according to claim 31, wherein the first digital signature includes an encrypted hash of the coupon and the coupon originator'"'"'s public key thereby enabling a party to validate the coupon contents by decrypting the hash and comparing it against a re-hash of the coupon.

32. The computer-readable medium according to claim 31, wherein the user'"'"'s/second digital signature is generated by an intelligent data carrier by combining a private key of the intelligent data carrier with a unique public key of the coupon.