Deposits and savings display apparatus

• US 20040039701A1
• Filed: 06/19/2003
• Published: 02/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hitosugi, Taro, Totoki, Hiroki, Ide, Hiroko, Nakamura, Yoshiyuki, Anno, Tetsuya
• Application Number:
  US10/332,442
• Publication Number:
  US 20040039701A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/42
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

A user can easily manage an asset in accordance with planned use. A user sets virtual bags (sub-accounts) for virtually putting money therein such that the status of an ordinary deposit of the user is reflected in the amount of money put in the bags. Each virtual bag may be assigned a purpose such as “club activity expenses” or “for studying abroad” and a target amount. On a terminal device, money is displayed in the form of one or more icons. If an icon is dragged and dropped onto a virtual bag, an amount of money indicated by the dragged and dropped icon is moved into the virtual bag. The concepts of virtual bags can be extended to virtual moneyboxes. A parent moneybox and specific-purpose moneyboxes are prepared, and an ordinary deposit, a time deposit, a foreign-currency ordinary deposit, a foreign-currency time deposit, and/or investment trust are managed using the parent moneybox and the specific-purpose moneyboxes such that money put into or withdrawn from an account of a user is put into or withdrawn from the parent moneybox, while saving money for specific purposes is performed using the specific-purpose moneyboxes.

Claims

1. A deposit/saving display apparatus for managing and displaying deposit/saving information, comprising:

setting means for setting sub-accounts into which the current amount of money deposited in an account is divided;

current amount indicating means for indicating current amounts of the respective sub-accounts set by the setting means;

amount indicating means for indicating an amount of money which can be transferred into or from one or more of the sub-accounts, if there is such money;

transfer means for transferring the amount of money indicated by the amount indicating means into or from one or more of the sub-accounts; and

update means for updating the current amount of the one or more sub-accounts in accordance with the amounts transferred into or from the one or more sub-accounts by the transfer means.

2. A deposit/saving display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising division means for dividing the amount of money indicated by the amount indicating means into plural amounts of money, wherein transfer means transfers each of the plural amounts of money, into which the money has been divided by the division means, into one or more sub-accounts.

3. A deposit/saving display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display means displays a icon indicating the amount of money.

4. A deposit/saving display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display means displays an icon indicating the amount of money, and the division means displays, in response to a specific operation performed by a user on the icon, a plurality of icons indicating amounts whose sum is equal to the amount indicated by the original icon.

5. A deposit/saving display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein in response to a specific operation performed by a user on a plurality of icons indicating amounts of money, the plurality of icons are combined into a single icon indicating the sum of the amounts of money indicated by the plurality of icons.

6. A deposit/saving display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising name setting means for assigning a name to a sub-account indicated by display means and displaying the resultant name.

7. A deposit/saving display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the amount of money, which can be put into one or more sub-accounts, is the amount of money which has been put into the account.

8. A deposit/saving display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the amount of money, which can withdrawn from one or more sub-accounts, is the amount of money which has been withdrawn from the account.

9. A deposit/saving display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more sub-accounts, to or from which the amount of money is to be transferred by the transfer means, can be specified by a user.

10. A deposit/saving display apparatus for managing and displaying deposit/saving information, comprising:

sub-account setting means for setting virtual sub-accounts in one account;

current amount acquisition means for acquiring the current amount of money deposited in the one account;

assigning means for assigning the current amount acquired by the current amount acquisition means to one or more sub-accounts set by the sub-account setting means;

determination means for, when money has been put into or withdrawn from the one account, determining one or more sub-accounts to which the amount of said money is to be assigned; and

update means for updating the current amount of the one or more sub-accounts determined by the determination means.

11. A deposit/saving display method for managing and displaying deposit/saving information, comprising:

a first step of setting sub-accounts into which the current amount of money deposited in an account is divided;

a second step of displaying current amounts of the respective sub-accounts set in the first step; and

steps performed when there is money which can be put into or withdrawn from one or more sub-accounts, said steps including;

a third step of indicating the amount of money which can be put into or withdrawn from one or more of the sub-accounts;

a fourth step of transferring the amount of money indicated in the third step into or from one or more of the sub-accounts; and

a fifth step of updating the current amount of the one or more sub-accounts in accordance with the amounts transferred in the third step into or from the one ore more sub-accounts.

12. A deposit/saving display program for causing a computer to have functions for managing and displaying deposit/saving information, said functions comprising:

a setting function of setting sub-accounts into which the current amount of money deposited in an account is divided;

a current amount indicating function of indicating current amounts of the respective sub-accounts set by the setting function;

an amount indicating function of indicating an amount of money which can be transferred into or from one or more of the sub-accounts, if there is such money;

a transfer function of transferring the amount of money indicated by the amount indicating function into or from one or more of the sub-accounts; and

an update function of updating the current amount of the one or more sub-accounts in accordance with the amounts transferred into or from the one or more sub-accounts by the transfer function.

13. A computer-readable storage medium including a deposit/saving display program stored therein for causing a computer to have functions for managing and displaying deposit/saving information, said functions comprising:

a setting function of setting sub-accounts into which the current amount of money deposited in an account is divided;

a current amount indicating function of indicating current amounts of the respective sub-accounts set by the setting function;

an amount indicating function of indicating an amount of money which can be transferred into or from one or more of the sub-accounts, if there is such money;

a transfer function of transferring the amount of money indicated by the amount indicating function into or from one or more of the sub-accounts; and

an update function of updating the current amount of the one or more sub-accounts in accordance with the amounts transferred into or from the one or more sub-accounts by the transfer function.

14. A deposit/saving information providing server for providing deposit/saving information to a client terminal, comprising:

sub-account setting means for setting virtual sub-accounts in one account;

current amount acquisition means for acquiring the current amount of money deposited in the one account;

assigning means for assigning the current amount acquired by the current amount acquisition means to one or more sub-accounts set by the sub-account setting means;

display data providing means for providing, to the client terminal, display data to be used by the client terminal to display current amounts assigned by the assigning means to respective virtual sub-accounts;

identification information acquisition means for, when money has been put into or withdrawn from the one account, providing, to the client terminal, amount-of-money information indicating the amount of money which has been put into or withdrawn from the one account and acquiring, from the client terminal, identification information indicating one or more sub-accounts to which the amount of money indicated by the amount-of-money information is to be assigned; and

update means for updating the current amount assigned by the assigning means to the one or more sub-accounts in accordance with the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition means.

15. A deposit/saving information providing method for providing deposit/saving information to a client terminal, comprising:

a first step of setting virtual sub-accounts in one account;

a second step of acquiring the current amount of money deposited in the one account;

a third step of assigning the current amount acquired in the second step to one or more sub-accounts set in the first step;

a fourth step of providing, to the client terminal, display data to be used by the client terminal to display current amounts assigned in the third steps to respective virtual sub-accounts;

a fifth step of, when money has been put into or withdrawn from the one account, providing, to the client terminal, amount-of-money information indicating the amount of money which has been put into or withdrawn from the one account and acquiring, from the client terminal, identification information indicating one or more sub-accounts to which the amount of money indicated by the amount-of-money information is to be assigned; and

a sixth step of updating the current amount assigned in the third step to the one or more sub-accounts in accordance with the identification information acquired in the fifth step.

16. A deposit/saving information providing program for causing a computer to have functions for providing deposit/saving information to a client terminal, said functions comprising:

a sub-account setting function of setting virtual sub-accounts in one account;

a current amount acquisition function of acquiring the current amount of money deposited in the one account;

an assigning function of assigning the current amount acquired by the current amount acquisition function to one or more sub-accounts set by the sub-account setting function;

a display data providing function of providing, to the client terminal, display data to be used by the client terminal to display current amounts assigned by the assigning function to respective virtual sub-accounts;

an identification information acquisition function of, when money has been put into or withdrawn from the one account, providing, to the client terminal, amount-of-money information indicating the amount of money which has been put into or withdrawn from the one account and acquiring, from the client terminal, identification information indicating one or more sub-accounts to which the amount of money indicated by the amount-of-money information is to be assigned; and

an update function of updating the current amount assigned by the assigning function to the one or more sub-accounts in accordance with the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition function.

17. A computer-readable storage medium including a deposit/saving information providing program stored therein for causing a computer to have functions for providing deposit/saving information to a client terminal, said functions comprising:

a sub-account setting function of setting virtual sub-accounts in one account;

a current amount acquisition function of acquiring the current amount of money deposited in the one account;

an assigning function of assigning the current amount acquired by the current amount acquisition function to one or more sub-accounts set by the sub-account setting function;

a display data providing function of providing, to the client terminal, display data to be used by the client terminal to display current amounts assigned by the assigning function to respective virtual sub-accounts;

an identification information acquisition function of, when money has been put into or withdrawn from the one account, providing, to the client terminal, amount-of-money information indicating the amount of money which has been put into or withdrawn from the one account and acquiring, from the client terminal, identification information indicating one or more sub-accounts to which the amount of money indicated by the amount-of-money information is to be assigned; and

an update function of updating the current amount assigned by the assigning function to the one or more sub-accounts in accordance with the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition function.

18. A computer-readable storage medium including a deposit/saving information display program stored therein for causing a computer to have functions for displaying deposit/saving information on a client terminal, said functions comprising:

a current amount acquisition function of acquiring the current amount of money deposited in one account from a server;

a current amount division function of dividing the current amount of money deposited in the one account acquired by the current amount acquisition function into virtual sub-accounts;

an assigning function of, if money has been put into or withdrawn from the one account, assigning the amount of money put into or withdrawn from the one account to one or more of the sub-accounts; and

a current amount update function of updating the current amounts of the virtual sub-accounts into which the money has been divided by the current amount division function, in accordance with the amounts of money assigned by the assigning function.

19. A computer-readable storage medium including a deposit/saving information display program stored therein for causing a computer to perform a process of displaying deposit/saving information on a client terminal, said program comprising:

a current amount acquisition function of acquiring the current amount of money deposited in one account from a server;

a current amount division function of dividing the current amount of money deposited in the one account acquired by the current amount acquisition function into virtual sub-accounts;

an assigning function of, if money has been put into or withdrawn from the one account, assigning the amount of money put into or withdrawn from the one account to one or more of the sub-accounts; and

a current amount update function of updating the current amounts of the virtual sub-accounts into which the money has been divided by the current amount division function, in accordance with the amounts of money assigned by the assigning function;

a display function of displaying the respective sub-accounts into which the money in the one account has been divided by the current amount division function.

20. An asset management apparatus comprising:

supplementary account creation means for creating a supplementary account related to an amount of an asset of a customer;

credit/debit means for crediting or debiting the created supplementary account; and

display means for displaying the amount of money stored in the supplementary account;

wherein the total amount of money stored in the supplementary account is equal to or less than the amount of the asset of the customer.

21. An asset management apparatus according to claim 20, wherein in a case in which there are plural supplementary accounts, the credit/debit means is capable of transferring at least part of the amount stored in one supplementary account into another supplementary account.

22. An asset management apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the supplementary accounts include a first supplementary account the amount stored in which varies in accordance with a change in the amount of the asset of the customer and a second supplementary account the amount stored in which is not influenced by the change in the amount of the asset of the customer.

23. An asset management apparatus according to claim 20, wherein funds associated with plural types of financial products can be credited or debited to the supplementary account.

24. An asset management apparatus according to claim 20, wherein in a case in which the amount stored in the supplementary account includes an amount indicated in monetary units different from predetermined monetary units, the display means calculates the amount in predetermined units equivalent to the amount in said different monetary units and displays the calculated equivalent amount.

25. An asset management apparatus according to claim 20, wherein in a case in which the amount stored in the supplementary account includes an amount indicated in monetary units different from predetermined monetary units, the display means calculates the amount in predetermined units equivalent to the amount in said different monetary units and further calculates the total equivalent amount stored in the supplementary account and displays the total equivalent amount.

26. An asset management apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the display means displays the amount stored in the supplementary account in the form of one or more icons together with the supplementary account in a visually recognizable fashion.

27. An asset management apparatus according to claim 26, wherein an asset belonging to one supplementary account is transferred into another supplementary account in response to moving, by means of a predetermined operation, a displayed icon from said one supplementary account to said another supplementary account.

28. An asset management apparatus according to claim 26, wherein in response to a predetermined operation, an icon indicating an amount of money is divided into a plurality of icons such that the sum of amounts indicated by the plurality of icons becomes equal to the amount indicated by the original icon.

29. An asset management apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising name setting means for setting a name of the supplementary account, wherein the display means displays the named supplementary account together with the name in a visually recognizable fashion.

30. An asset management apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising target setting means for setting a target amount for the amount stored in the supplementary account.

31. An asset management apparatus according to claim 30, further comprising calculation means for calculating the degree achievement relative to the target value on the basis of the amount stored in the supplementary account and the target amount, wherein the display means displays the calculated degree of achievement relative to the target amount.

32. An asset management apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising:

character setting means for selecting a character from a plurality of prepared characters and assigning to the selected character to the supplementary account; and

electronic mail transmission means for transmitting an electronic mail related to the character assigned to the supplementary account to a particular electronic mail address.

33. An asset management apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the particular electronic mail address is an electronic mail address specified by the customer.

34. An asset management apparatus according to claim 32, further comprising parameter acquisition means for acquiring a parameter related to a content of an electronic mail to be transmitted, wherein the electronic mail transmission means selects a content of the electronic mail to be transmitted, in accordance with the acquired parameter.

35. An asset management apparatus according to claim 34, wherein the parameter is determined in accordance with an operation performed on the supplementary account by the customer.

36. An asset management method for a computer including supplementary account creation means and credit/debit means to manage an asset, comprising the steps of:

creating a supplementary account related to the amount of an asset of a customer, using the supplementary account creation means;

crediting or debiting the supplementary account such that the total amount stored in the supplementary account is equal to or less than the amount of the asset of the customer; and

displaying the amount stored in the supplementary account, using the display means.

37. An asset management program for causing a computer to have functions including:

a function of creating an supplementary account related to an amount of an asset of a customer;

a function of crediting or debiting the supplementary account such that the total amount stored in the supplementary account is equal to or less than the amount of the asset of the customer; and

a function of displaying the amount stored in the supplementary account.

38. A computer-readable storage medium having an asset management program stored therein for causing a computer to have functions including:

a function of creating an supplementary account related to an amount of an asset of a customer;

a function of crediting or debiting the supplementary account such that the total amount stored in the supplementary account is equal to or less than the amount of the asset of the customer; and

a function of displaying the amount stored in the supplementary account.

39. An asset management server comprising:

information acquisition means for acquiring information necessary to create a supplementary account from a client terminal;

supplementary account creation means for creating the supplementary account related to the amount of an asset of a customer in accordance with the acquired information;

crediting/debiting means for crediting or debiting the supplementary account such that the total amount stored in the supplementary account is equal to or less than the amount of the asset of the customer; and

providing means for providing information indicating the amount stored in the supplementary account to the client terminal.

40. An asset management method for a server including information acquisition means, supplementary account creation means, crediting/debiting means, and providing means to manage an asset, said method comprising the steps of:

acquiring information necessary to create a supplementary account from a client terminal, using the information acquisition means;

creating the supplementary account related to the amount of an asset of a customer in accordance with the acquired information, using the supplementary account creation means;

crediting or debiting the supplementary account using the crediting/debiting means such that the total amount stored in the supplementary account is equal to or less than the amount of the asset of the customer; and

providing information indicating the amount stored in the supplementary account to the client terminal, using the providing means.

41. An asset management program for causing a computer to have functions including:

a function of acquiring information necessary to create a supplementary account from a client terminal;

a function of creating the supplementary account related to the amount of an asset of a customer in accordance with the acquired information;

a function of crediting or debiting the supplementary account such that the total amount stored in the supplementary account is equal to or less than the amount of the asset of the customer; and

a function of providing information indicating the amount stored in the supplementary account to the client terminal.

42. A computer-readable storage medium having an asset management program stored therein for causing a computer to have functions including:

a function of acquiring information necessary to create a supplementary account from a client terminal;

a function of creating the supplementary account related to the amount of an asset of a customer in accordance with the acquired information;

a function of crediting or debiting the supplementary account such that the total amount stored in the supplementary account is equal to or less than the amount of the asset of the customer; and

a function of providing information indicating the amount stored in the supplementary account to the client terminal.

43. A depositing/saving server comprising:

means for setting an account in accordance with a request issued by a client terminal online-connected to the depositing/saving server;

means for allowing a user of the client terminal to input a purpose of said account; and

means for providing on-line customer information to a service provider capable of providing a service relating to the purpose of the account input by the user.

44. A depositing/saving server according to claim 43, further comprising means for providing on-line information relating to the purpose of the account to the client terminal, said information being provided by the service provider in accordance with the customer information.

45. A depositing/saving server according to claim 43 or 44, wherein said account is a sub-account created by a user of the client terminal by virtually dividing one account.

46. An online depositing/saving system comprising a depositing/saving server and an intermediary server connected to each other on-line, wherein

the depositing/saving server includes means for setting an account in accordance with a request issued by an online-connected client terminal, and

the intermediary server includes:

means for mediating transmission of information between the client terminal and the depositing/saving server;

means for allowing a user of the client terminal to input a purpose of the account set by the depositing/saving server; and

means for providing on-line customer information to a service provider capable of providing a service relating to the purpose of the account input by the user.

47. An online depositing/saving system according to claim 46, wherein the intermediary server includes means for providing on-line information relating to the purpose of the account to the client terminal, said information being provided by the service provider in accordance with the customer information.

48. An online depositing/saving system according to claim 46 or 47, wherein said account is a sub-account created by a user of the client terminal by virtually dividing one account.

49. A method for, in a system including a client terminal, a depositing/saving server, and a service provider server, which are connected to each other on-line, providing deposit/saving information, said method including the steps of:

in the depositing/saving server, setting an account in accordance with a request issued by a client terminal;

getting a user of the client terminal to input a purpose of said account; and

in the depositing/saving server, determining a service provider capable-of providing a service relating to the purpose of the account input by the user of the client terminal and providing on-line customer information to said service provider.

51. A deposit/saving information providing method according to claim 49 or 50, further comprising the step of providing on-line information relating to the purpose of the account to the client terminal, said information being provided by the service provider in accordance with the customer information.

50. A method for, in a system including a client terminal, a depositing/saving server, an intermediary server and a service provider server, which are connected to each other on-line, providing deposit/saving information, said method including the steps of:

in the depositing/saving server, receiving a request issued by the client terminal via the intermediary server and setting an account in accordance with the request;

getting a user of the client terminal to input a purpose of said account; and

in the intermediary server, determining a service provider capable of providing a service relating to the purpose of the account input by the user of the client terminal and providing on-line customer information to said service provider.

52. A program for causing a computer to have functions including:

a function of setting an account in accordance with a request issued by an online-connected client terminal;

a function which allows a user of the client terminal to input a purpose of said account; and

a function of providing on-line customer information to a service provider capable of providing a service relating to the purpose of the account input by the user.

53. A program for causing a computer to have functions including:

a function of setting an account in accordance with a request issued by an online-connected client terminal;

a function which allows a user of the client terminal to input a purpose of said account;

a function of providing on-line customer information to a service provider capable of providing a service relating to the purpose of the account input by the user; and

a function of providing on-line information relating to the purpose of the account to the client terminal, said information being provided by the service provider in accordance with the customer information.

54. A program for causing a computer to have functions for operating an intermediary server online-connected to a depositing/saving server having a capability of setting an account in accordance with a request issued by an online-connected client terminal, said functions comprising:

a function of mediating transmission of information between the client terminal and the depositing/saving server;

a function of allowing a user of the client terminal to input a purpose of the account set by the depositing/saving server; and

a function of providing on-line customer information to a service provider capable of providing a service relating to the purpose of the account input by the user.

55. A program for causing a computer to have functions for operating an intermediary server online-connected to a depositing/saving server having a capability of setting an account in accordance with a request issued by an online-connected client terminal, said functions comprising:

a function of mediating transmission of information between the client terminal and the depositing/saving server;

a function of allowing a user of the client terminal to input a purpose of the account set by the depositing/saving server;

a function of providing on-line customer information to a service provider capable of providing a service relating to the purpose of the account input by the user; and

a function of providing on-line information relating to the purpose of the account to the client terminal, said information being provided by the service provider in accordance with the customer information.

56. A computer-readable storage medium having a program stored therein for causing a computer to have functions including:

a function of setting an account in accordance with a request issued by an online-connected client terminal;

a function which allows a user of the client terminal to input a purpose of said account; and

a function of providing on-line customer information to a service provider capable of providing a service relating to the purpose of the account input by the user.

57. A computer-readable storage medium having a program stored therein for causing a computer to have functions including:

a function of setting an account in accordance with a request issued by an online-connected client terminal;

a function which allows a user of the client terminal to input a purpose of said account;

a function of providing on-line customer information to a service provider capable of providing a service relating to the purpose of the account input by the user; and

a function of providing on-line information relating to the purpose of the account to the client terminal, said information being provided by the service provider in accordance with the customer information.

58. A computer-readable storage medium having a program stored therein for causing a computer to have functions for operating an intermediary server online-connected to a depositing/saving server having a capability of setting an account in accordance with a request issued by an online-connected client terminal, said functions comprising:

a function of mediating transmission of information between the client terminal and the depositing/saving server;

a function of allowing a user of the client terminal to input a purpose of the account set by the depositing/saving server; and

a function of providing on-line customer information to a service provider capable of providing a service relating to the purpose of the account input by the user.