Methods and Systems for Performing Horological Functions in Commercial Transactions Using Time Cells

• US 20090144076A1
• Filed: 02/06/2009
• Published: 06/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Berstis, Viktors
• Granted Patent: US 10,056,392 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.100
• CPC Class Codes: G04F 1/005 using electronic timing, e.g. counting means pulse time delay arrangements H03K5/13; modifications of electronic switches for introducing a time delay before switching H03K17/28
• CPC Class Codes: G04F 10/10 by measuring electric or magnetic quantities changing in proportion to time
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 69/00 Erasable-and-programmable ROM [EPROM] devices not provided for in groups H10B41/00 - H10B63/00, e.g. ultraviolet erasable-and-programmable ROM [UVEPROM] devices

Abstract

A method and system for controlling a commercial transaction is presented. An article of manufacture has a time cell that is read by an electronic apparatus. In response to a determination of a state of the time cell by the electronic apparatus, usage of the article of manufacture in a commercial transaction is enabled or denied based on the determined state of the time cell. The expiration period of a time cell controls the time period during which the commercial transaction is enabled or is denied to be performed; an unexpired time cell may both enable or deny performance of a commercial transaction, and an expired time cell may also both enable or deny performance of a commercial transaction. The time cell may be used to restrict the usage period of a coupon, a promotional offer, a pre-paid service, or some other commercial transaction that involves an article of manufacture.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A method for processing a commercial transaction using data processing devices, the method comprising:

determining a state of a time cell that is associated with a commercial transaction that has been at least partially performed on a first data processing device;

generating, at a second data processing device, a first time value that represents when the time cell was programmed based on the determined state of the time cell; and

processing information about the commercial transaction using the first time value to represent when the commercial transaction occurred.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

retrieving a second time value from information about the commercial transaction;

comparing the first time value with the second time value; and

conditionally performing an operation to process information about the commercial transaction using the first time value or the second time value to represent when the commercial transaction occurred after comparing the first time value with the second time value.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

reading, at the second data processing device, a transaction record for the commercial transaction from non-volatile data storage, wherein the transaction record includes the second time value that represents when the commercial transaction occurred or was recorded.

31. The method of claim 16, wherein the time cell is part of an article of manufacture, and wherein the article of manufacture is coupled to the second data processing device in order to perform the generating and processing operations.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the article of manufacture stores a transaction record having transaction data for the commercial transaction.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the transaction data comprises a timestamp representing a time at which the commercial transaction occurred.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the article of manufacture is dispensed by the first data processing device in response to at least partially performing the commercial transaction.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein the article of manufacture is inserted into the first data processing device by a user either before, during, or after the at least partial performance of the commercial transaction.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein the first data processing device programs the time cell of the article of manufacture in response to the at least partial performance of the commercial transaction.

37. The method of claim 32, wherein the time cell is associated with a memory location storing the transaction record for the commercial transaction.

38. The method of claim 32, wherein the transaction record further comprises an identifier of the time cell to thereby associate the transaction record with the time cell.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the identifier of the time cell is a location of the time cell within a time cell array.

19-21. -21. (canceled)

22. A computer program product on a computer-readable medium for use in a data processing device for processing a commercial transaction using data processing devices, the computer program product comprising:

means for determining a state of a time cell that is associated with a commercial transaction that has been at least partially performed on a first data processing device;

means for generating, at a second data processing device, a first time value that represents when the time cell was programmed based on the determined state of the time cell; and

means for processing information about the commercial transaction using the first time value to represent when the commercial transaction occurred.

23. The computer program product of claim 22 further comprising:

means for retrieving a second time value from information about the commercial transaction;

means for comparing the first time value is substantially equal to with the second time value; and

means for conditionally performing an operation to process information about the commercial transaction using the first time value or the second time value to represent when the commercial transaction occurred after verifying the first time value is substantially equal to the second time value.

24. The computer program product of claim 23 further comprising:

means for reading, at the second data processing device, a transaction record for the commercial transaction from non-volatile data storage, wherein the transaction record includes the second time value that represents when the commercial transaction occurred or was recorded.

25-27. -27. (canceled)

28. An apparatus for supporting a commercial transaction that is processed using data processing devices, the apparatus comprising:

means for determining a state of a time cell that is associated with a commercial transaction that has been at least partially performed on a data processing device different from the apparatus;

means for generating a first time value that represents when the time cell was programmed based on the determined state of the time cell; and

means for processing information about the commercial transaction using the first time value to represent when the commercial transaction occurred.

29. The apparatus of claim 28 further comprising:

means for retrieving a second time value from information about the commercial transaction;

means for verifying comparing the first time value with the second time value; and

means for conditionally performing an operation to process information about the commercial transaction using the first time value or the second time value to represent when the commercial transaction occurred after verifying the first time value is substantially equal to the second time value.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 further comprising:

means for reading, at the second data processing device, a transaction record for the commercial transaction from non-volatile data storage, wherein the transaction record includes the second time value that represents when the commercial transaction occurred or was recorded.