Billing system, mobile terminal, and billing method

• US 20060116959A1
• Filed: 01/19/2006
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Uchida, Motoyuki, Takami, Tadao
• Granted Patent: US 7,827,105 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• 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 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3227 using secure elements embedded in M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G

Abstract

To provide a billing system capable of simplifying user'"'"'s operation and quickly performing a billing process even in the case where there exist a plurality of terminals for billing. A billing system 1 according to the present invention is a billing system for implementing billing by transmitting billing information transmitted from a billing information transmitting terminal 30 to a cellular phone 10, to a billing server 60 on a mobile communication network, in which a service code of a service for which a billing process is allowed is preliminarily stored in the cellular phone 10 and in which, when the billing information is transmitted from the billing information transmitting terminal 30, whether a service code included in the billing information is a service code for which the cellular phone 10 is allowed to perform the process is determined on the basis of whether it agrees with any service code preliminarily stored. When it is then determined that the cellular phone 10 is allowed to perform the billing process, the cellular phone transmits the billing information to the billing server 60 and performs the billing process.

Claims

1-8. -8. (canceled)

9. A billing system applied to a billing scheme of determining a bill on the basis of an entry into and exit from a billing zone, and comprising a billing server provided on a mobile communication network, a mobile terminal for transmitting billing information through the mobile communication network to the billing server, an entry point terminal located at an entry point into the billing zone and configured to communicate with the mobile terminal by short-range wireless, and an exit point terminal located at an exit point out of the billing zone and configured to communicate with the mobile terminal by short-range wireless,

wherein said entry point terminal comprises:

service code transmitting means for transmitting a service code specifying a service of a billing object, to the mobile terminal; and

bill information transmitting means for, when receiving from the mobile terminal a result of determination that the service code transmitted by the service code transmitting means is one for which the mobile terminal is allowed to perform a billing process, transmitting bill information for determining a bill on the basis of the exit point,

wherein said exit point terminal comprises;

exit point information transmitting means for transmitting exit point information along with a service code specifying a service of a billing object, to the mobile terminal, and

wherein said mobile terminal comprises;

service code storing means storing a service code of a service for which the mobile terminal is allowed to perform the billing process;

service code determining means for determining whether the service specified by the service code transmitted from the entry point terminal or from the exit point terminal is a service for which the mobile terminal is allowed to perform the billing process, on the basis of the service code stored in the service code storing means;

determination result transmitting means for transmitting a result of the determination by the service code determining means on whether the service code is one for which the mobile terminal is allowed to perform the billing process, to the entry point terminal or to the exit point terminal;

bill information receiving means for receiving the bill information transmitted from the entry point terminal;

bill information storing means for storing the bill information received by the bill information receiving means;

exit point information receiving means for receiving the exit point information and the service code transmitted from the exit point terminal;

bill calculating means for, when the service code determining means determines that the service code received by the exit point information receiving means is a service code for which the mobile terminal is allowed to perform the billing process, calculating a bill on the basis of the bill information stored in the bill information storing means and the exit point information received by the exit point information receiving means; and

billing information transmitting means for transmitting billing information including the bill calculated by the bill calculating means, through the mobile communication network to the billing server.

10. The billing system according to claim 9, wherein the entry point terminal and the exit point terminal further comprise a gate controlled to open and close on the basis of the result of the determination on the service code transmitted by the determination result transmitting means from the mobile terminal.

11-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A billing method applied to a billing scheme of determining a bill on the basis of entry into and exit from a billing zone, and adapted to perform billing by a billing server provided on a mobile communication network, a mobile terminal for transmitting billing information through the mobile communication network to the billing server, an entry point terminal located at an entry point into the billing zone and configured to communicate with the mobile terminal by short-range wireless, and an exit point terminal located at an exit point out of the billing zone and configured to communicate with the mobile terminal by short-range wireless, said billing method comprising:

a service code transmitting step of transmitting s service code specifying a service of a billing object, from the entry point terminal to the mobile terminal;

a first service code determining step of determining whether the service specified by the service code transmitted in the service code transmitting step is a service for which the mobile terminal is allowed to perform a billing process, with reference to service code storing means preliminarily storing a service code for which the mobile terminal is allowed to perform the billing process;

a first determination result transmitting step of transmitting a result of the determination on the service code made in the first service code determining step, from the mobile terminal to the entry point terminal;

a bill information transmitting step of, when a result of the determination that the mobile terminal is allowed to perform the billing process is transmitted in the first determination result transmitting step, transmitting bill information for determining a bill on the basis of the exit point, from the entry point terminal to the mobile terminal;

a bill information storing step of storing the bill information transmitted from the entry point terminal in the bill information transmitting step, in bill information storing means;

an exit point information transmitting step of transmitting exit point information along with a service code specifying a service of a billing object, from the exit point terminal to the mobile terminal;

a second service code determining step of determining whether the service specified by the service code transmitted in the exit point information transmitting step is a service code for which the mobile terminal is allowed to perform the billing process, with reference to the service code storing means preliminarily storing the service code for which the mobile terminal is allowed to perform the billing process;

a bill calculating step of, when it is determined in the second service code determining step that the service code transmitted in the exit point information transmitting step is a service code for which the mobile terminal is allowed to perform the process, calculating a bill on the basis of the bill information stored in the bill information storing means and the exit point information transmitted in the exit point information transmitting step; and

a billing information transmitting step of transmitting billing information including the bill calculated in the bill calculating step, through the mobile communication network to the billing server.

19. The billing method according to claim 18, further comprising:

an entry gate opening and closing step of opening and closing a gate provided at the entry point terminal, on the basis of the result of the determination transmitted in the first determination result transmitting step;

a second determination result transmitting step of transmitting a result of the determination in the second service code determining step from the mobile terminal to the exit point terminal; and

an exit gate opening and closing step of opening and closing a gate provided at the exit point terminal, on the basis of the result of the determination transmitted in the second determination result transmitting step.