Electronic payment system

• US 20040267663A1
• Filed: 04/07/2004
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GTECH Rhode Island Corporation (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: GTECH Rhode Island Corporation (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Kula, Miroslaw, Mathieu, M. John, Beaney, Nigel, Karns, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,370,012 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3274 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being displayed on the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3276 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being read by the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

An electronic payment system and method facilitates electronic commerce through controlled transfer of identification and value representations to wireless devices. The system includes a payment collection apparatus and a transaction apparatus, and provides for representation of user and transaction information via machine-readable indicia. In one embodiment, the machine-readable indicia is a barcode. The present invention is useful in such example applications as credit transactions, lottery system operations, and mobile top up applications.

Claims

1. A method for increasing credit in an account, comprising the steps of:

receiving, via a fulfillment component, a deposit payment and account identification information, said account identification information received by scanning identification indicia from a wireless communications device;

creating a message comprising said account identification information and value information corresponding to said payment;

delivering said message to a transaction processing component; and

crediting said account in accordance with said value information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said indicia is a barcode.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said barcode is recalled from a memory of said wireless device.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said barcode is requested from an account maintaining entity.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein said barcode is displayed on a display of said wireless device.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein said barcode is physically integrated into said wireless device.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein said message is created by said fulfillment component.

8. A method for processing credit transactions in connection with received payment, comprising the steps of:

receiving a deposit payment and transaction information, said transaction information including account identification information, transaction type, and transaction value information;

delivering said transaction information to a transaction processing component;

upon said transaction type being a credit request, crediting said account according to said transaction value information; and

upon said transaction type being a voucher request, issuing a voucher to a user in the amount determined by said transaction value information.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said voucher request is a barcode and the step of issuing said voucher includes issuing said barcode to a wireless device.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein at least a portion of said transaction information is received by scanning a barcode from a wireless device.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said barcode is recalled from a memory of said wireless device.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said barcode is requested from an account maintaining entity.

13. A method for processing transactions in connection with received payment, comprising the steps of:

receiving, via a fulfillment component, a deposit payment and account identification information;

creating a message comprising said account identification information and value information corresponding to said payment;

delivering said message to a transaction processing component; and

issuing a credit voucher in the form of a barcode.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said barcode is issued to and capable of display on a wireless device.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein said barcode is embedded within a wireless device.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein said credit voucher is delivered to a first user, and including the steps of receiving instructions to transfer said voucher to a second user and transferring said barcode to the display of a wireless device of a second user.

17. The method of claim 16 including the further step of scanning, by a fulfillment component, said barcode from said wireless device of said second user and crediting an account of said second user.

48. The method of claim 13 wherein said deposit payment is an electronic representation of an account from which to draw funds.

49. The method of claim 13 wherein said credit voucher barcode is capable of being displayed on and optically scanned from a visual display of a wireless device, and wherein said barcode represents a lottery ticket.

50. The method of claim 49 including the further step of scanning said barcode so as to activate said lottery ticket.

51. The method of claim 49 including the further step of scanning said barcode so as to play said lottery ticket.

52. The method of claim 49 including the further step of scanning said barcode so as to redeem said lottery ticket.

18. A method for facilitating credit transactions, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for a credit voucher from a user via said user'"'"'s wireless device;

delivering a transaction code to said user'"'"'s wireless device;

upon payment by said user and reading of said transaction code, delivering a second code to said user'"'"'s wireless device; and

upon scanning the second code and identifying an account in connection with said second code, crediting said account.

19. A method for facilitating credit transactions, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for a credit voucher from a user via wireless device;

delivering a credit voucher for display on said user'"'"'s wireless device;

receiving a deposit payment from said user and information pertaining to said voucher; and

crediting an account of said user according to said payment.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said credit voucher is in the form of a 1-D barcode.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein said credit voucher is in the form of a 2-D barcode.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein said voucher includes account identification information.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said account identification information is a telephone number.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein said account identification information is in the form of a barcode presented on the display of a wireless device.

25. The method of claim 19 including the steps of, prior to delivering said credit voucher, determining an account associated with said user based on said received request, and incorporating account identification information into said credit voucher.

26. A system for facilitating credit transactions, comprising:

an optical scanning component capable of optically scanning code information, said code information being representative of at least one of;

deposit payment information, account identification information and transaction type information;

a transaction apparatus capable of receiving a deposit payment; and

a transaction processor for processing said code information, delivering a transaction code to a wireless communications device, and crediting an account corresponding to said account identification information and said deposit payment.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein said transaction processor is adapted to deliver a first transaction code representing account identification information and a second transaction code representing transaction type and amount to said wireless device.

28. The system of claim 26 wherein said transaction code represents account identification information and a credit voucher in the amount of the deposit payment.

29. The system of claim 26 wherein said transaction code represents account identification information and a deposit request in the amount of the deposit payment.

30. The system of claim 26 wherein said transaction code represents a credit voucher in the amount of the deposit payment.

31. The system of claim 26 wherein said code information includes account identification information in the form of a barcode capable of being displayed on a display of said wireless device.

32. The system of claim 26 wherein said transaction apparatus can identify previously scanned codes.

33. The system of claim 26 wherein said transaction processor can invalidate codes prior to their being scanned.

34. The system of claim 26 wherein the transaction apparatus is capable of decoding the code information scanned by said optical scanning component.

35. A system for facilitating credit transactions, comprising:

a transaction database for storing information about transaction types in connection with electronic transactions for at least one service provider type;

a plurality of service provider account databases for respectively storing account information including at least account identification and account balance information for a plurality of users associated with each of said service providers;

a transaction apparatus for receiving a deposit payment and scanning code information displayed on a wireless communications device, said code information corresponding to a stored transaction type and at least one of said accounts associated with at least one of said service provider databases; and

a transaction processor in two-way communication with said transaction database, account databases and said transaction apparatus for receiving information from said transaction apparatus, said received information representing account identification information, transaction type information and transaction amount information corresponding to said deposit payment, said transaction processor adapted to process said received information and perform at least one of;

crediting said account identified by said account identification information according to said transaction amount,

delivering a credit or voucher corresponding to said payment to a wireless device.

36. A method for facilitating credit transactions, comprising the steps of:

providing a user with at least one transaction code representing an account to which funds can be deposited, and at least one transaction code representing a transaction type request, each of said codes being provided in the form of a barcode capable of being presented on and read from the display a wireless device;

receiving a payment and at least one of said transaction codes from said user.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein said transaction type request is a credit voucher request.

38. The method of claim 36 wherein said transaction type request is an account deposit request.

39. A method for transferring credit among multiple accounts, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request to transfer credit from a first credit account to a second account;

receiving identification information sufficient to identify said first and second accounts; and

receiving transaction information indicative of transaction type and transaction amount, wherein at least one of said identification information and said transaction information is received by scanning a barcode displayed on a wireless device.

40. A mobile device, comprising:

a display portion;

a memory for storing a plurality of barcodes indicative of at least one account identifier, at least one transaction type and a plurality of value representations;

means for displaying a first barcode on said display portion, said first barcode corresponding to said at least one account identifier;

means for displaying a second barcode on said display portion, said second barcode corresponding to said at least one transaction type and a value representation.

41. A system for facilitating wireless transactions, comprising:

a cellular network;

a database of user accounts and transaction types;

an electronic infrastructure whereby messages can be sent to mobile devices, said messages capable of including transaction and account codes which can be displayed on and read from a visual display of said mobile devices, said transaction codes including information corresponding to a transaction type and a value representation;

means for receiving information about at least one transaction code and at least one account code as said codes are read from a mobile device display;

means for processing said received transaction and account code information;

means for attributing said received account code information to an individual user.

42. The method of claim 41 including means for transferring transaction codes among a plurality of users.

43. The system of claim 41 further including means for invalidating codes once they have been read by said payment collection apparatus.

44. A method for facilitating wireless transactions for a lottery account, comprising the steps of:

receiving a payment and lottery account identifying information; and

receiving a request to credit said lottery account in the amount of said payment,

wherein at least one of said account identifying information and said request is received by scanning a barcode displayed on a wireless device.

45. The method of claim 44 wherein said payment is an electronic representation of lottery winnings.

46. The method of claim 45 wherein said representation is a barcode representation on the display of said wireless device.

47. The method of claim 46 wherein said account identifying information, said request and said payment are represented by a single barcode capable of being displayed on and scanned from a display of said wireless device.

53. A method for facilitating credit transactions, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request from a user for a credit transfer;

attributing said request to said account for said user;

delivering a transaction code to said user'"'"'s mobile device; and

upon receiving payment and decoding said transaction code, automatically crediting said user'"'"'s account.

54. The method of claim 53 wherein the step of attributing the request is based upon identification information provided by said user.

55. The method of claim 53 wherein the step of receiving the request includes receiving a telephone call from said user and wherein the step of attributing the request is based upon identification of the user'"'"'s telephone number when receiving the request.