Payment system

• US 20050144020A1
• Filed: 04/30/2003
• Published: 06/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Jonathan Peachey, Saj Muzaffar
• Original Assignee: Jonathan Peachey, Saj Muzaffar
• Inventors: Peachey, Jonathan, Muzaffar, Saj
• Application Number:
  US10/510,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20050144020A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/16 Payments settled via telecommunication systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/32 using wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament

Abstract

Home purchase of goods or services, including media services delivered via the home user'"'"'s interactive digital tv or DAB radio (for example the availability of a pay film or participation in a game or competition) may involve use of the purchaser'"'"'s credit card or the use of a telephone modem installed in the users tv or tv set top box and connected via land line to the public service telephone network, the modem then initiating a call to a premium rate telephone number in order to pay for items purchased. Some people do not have credit cards or may dislike using them for home purchase because of certain security related factors. Meanwhile, not all tv'"'"'s and set top boxes have telephone modems installed or, if they are installed, they may not be connected. At present, it is rare for modems to be installed in DAB radios. In the payment system disclosed herein a digital broadcast transmitter (6) and local receiver (1,2,3 and 5) make available to the customer a coded text message denoting said goods or services and identifying the said receiver. A mobile telephone (4) is then used to send the coded message to a text message receiving center (7) where it is automatically decoded. The message may be sent via an Internet web site using a WAP telephone. The cost of the goods or services is then debited to the mobile telephone account. For preference, the combined cost of the goods or services and the cost of sending the text message to the message center are debited to the mobile telephone account through use of a premium rate text message destination. The system is particularly suitable for delivering a service through the receiver, for example delivering participation in a game or competition.

Claims

1. a payment system for use in conjunction with the supply of goods and services, the system comprising:

i) supplier apparatus including a transmitter for broadcasting digital signals and a mobile telephone text message receiving center coupled to the transmitter; and

ii) customer apparatus including a digital signal receiver for receiving said broadcast digital signals from said transmitter and a mobile telephone for sending text messages to said text message receiving center;

iii) said transmitter and said receiver being operable for making available through said receiver a coded message denoting goods or services to be supplied and identifying said receiver, and said mobile telephone text message receiving center being operable for responding automatically to the receipt of said coded text message;

for decoding the message, and for initiating the supply of said goods or services and for debiting the cost of the goods or services to the mobile telephone account;

2. An interactive digital signal broadcasting system for enabling the supply of goods or services and exacting payment therefor, the system comprising:

i) a transmitter for broadcasting digital signals and being operable for causing a broadcast digital signal receiver to make available at the receiver a coded text message denoting goods or services to be supplied to the customer and identifying said receiver; and

ii) a mobile telephone text message receiving center coupled to the transmitter;

the message receiving center being operable for responding automatically to the receipt of said coded text message sent by a customer via a mobile telephone for initiating supply of said goods or services and for debiting the cost thereof to the mobile telephone account.

3. A system for enabling the supply of goods or services and exacting payment therefor, the system comprising a mobile telephone text message receiving station including receiving and decoding means for receiving and automatically decoding text messages sent to the station by mobile telephone users, said system being operable for receiving a coded text message forwarded via a mobile telephone after that coded message has been made available to the mobile telephone user by a broadcast digital signal receiver and broadcast digital signal transmitter, said coded message denoting goods or services to be supplied and identifying said receiver, and automatically decoding said message and enabling supply of said goods and services and debiting the cost thereof to the mobile telephone account.

4. A system for enabling the supply of goods or services and exacting payment therefor, the system comprising a digital broadcast transmitting station operable for broadcasting information denoting goods or services to be supplied and operable for causing a broadcast digital signal receiver to make available to a user a coded text message denoting said goods and services and identifying said receiver, and further for inviting said user to send said coded text message to a text message receiving center that includes receiving and decoding means for receiving and automatically decoding the message, and automatically enabling supply of said goods or services and debiting the cost thereof to the mobile telephone account.

5. In a method in which goods or services are offered to a customer through a digital signal broadcast transmitting station and a digital signal receiver, a system for exacting the cost of goods or services to be taken by the customer, the system comprising the following steps:

i) causing the transmitter and receiver to make available to the customer a coded text message denoting said goods or services and identifying the said receiver;

ii) at a text message receiving center operable for receiving text messages sent to it by mobile telephone, automatically decoding said coded text message to identify said goods or services and said receiver; and

iii) debiting the cost of said goods or services to the mobile telephone account.

6. A system according to claim 5, including between steps (ii) and (iii):

automatically sending a confirmation message back to the mobile telephone, step (iii) being carried out as an automatic cosequence of sending the confirmation message.

7. A system for enabling the supply of goods or services and exacting payment therefor, the system including the step of using a mobile telephone text message receiving station that comprises receiving and decoding means for receiving and automatically decoding text messages sent to the station by mobile telephone users, receiving a coded text message forwarded via a mobile telephone after that coded message has been made available to the mobile telephone user by a broadcast digital signal receiver and broadcast digital signal transmitter, said coded message denoting goods or services to be supplied and identifying said receiver, and automatically decoding said message and enabling supply of said goods and services and debiting the cost thereof to the mobile telephone account.

8. A system for enabling the supply of goods or services and exacting payment therefor, the system including the step of using a digital broadcast transmitting station, broadcasting information that denotes goods or services to be supplied and that causes a digital signal receiver to make available to a user a coded text message, which message denotes said goods and services and identifies said receiver, and invites said user to send said coded text message by mobile telephone to a text message receiving center operable for automatically decoding the message, automatically enabling supply of said goods or services and debiting the cost thereof to the mobile telephone account.

9. A system according to claim 8, operable to deliver a service through said broadcast digital signal receiver, for example to deliver participation in a game or competition played on said receiver.

10. A system according to claim 8, operable for said coded text message to be sent by mobile telephone to an Internet web site coupled to said message center.

11. A system according to claim 8, wherein the combined cost of the goods or services and the cost of sending the text message to the message center are debited to the mobile telephone account through use of a premium rate text message destination.

12. A system according to claim 8, operable for said cost to be debited to an account for subsequent payment by the mobile telephone account holder or to be debited to a pre-paid credit assigned to a pay-as-you-go (pre-payment) mobile telephone user.