ARCHIVING SYSTEM AND PROCESS FOR TRANSACTION RECORDS

• US 20120215650A1
• Filed: 02/22/2011
• Published: 08/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: OBA, Kazutaka, HATTORI, Tomoki
• Granted Patent: US 8,521,607 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/389 Keeping log of transactions for guaranteeing non-repudiation of a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

Systems and algorithmic processes directed to a user system, a provider system and a storage system. The provider system receives, from the user system, a request for a transaction to be performed by the provider system. The requested transaction includes a purchase of goods or a conduction of services between a user of the user system and a provider of the provider system. Upon completion of the request, the provider system transmits a record of the transaction to the storage system. The storage system is independent of the user system and the provider system. The record includes details of the transaction including the goods purchased or services conducted between the user and the provider.

Claims

1. A method of a provider system, comprising:

receiving, from a user system, a request for a transaction to be performed by a provider system, the transaction including a purchase of goods or a conduction of services between a user of the user system and a provider of the provider system; and

transmitting, in response to the provider system completing the transaction request, a record from the provider system to a storage system independent of the user system and the provider system, the record including details of the transaction including the goods purchased or services conducted between the user and the provider.

2. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

verifying the details of the transaction between the provider system and the storage system.

3. The method recited in claim 2, wherein the verifying includes receiving, at the provider system, metadata extracted or read from the record by the storage system, where the provider system compares the received metadata with an internal record of the transaction.

4. The method recited in claim 3, further comprising:

transmitting, in response to determining the metadata matches the internal record of the transaction, an indication the record is verified to the storage system, causing the storage system to store the record.

5. The method recited in claim 4, further comprising:

receiving, from the storage system, a confirmation the record has been stored by the storage system in response to the storage system storing the record.

6. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a request for the record to the storage system;

receiving the record in response to the request thereof; and

comparing the received record with an internal record of the transaction.

7. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the provider system completing the transaction request includes the provider system receiving a payment from the user system.

8. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the transmitting request is performed directly between the user and the provider by way of the user system and the provider system, respectively, without using the storage system as a broker.

9. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the details include an electronic mail address of the user so that the record can be accessed by or delivered to the provider or the user.

10. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

generating the record as a file in the portable document format (PDF) including metadata identifying the details of the transaction.

11. A computer-readable medium including instructions, that when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method according to claim 1.

12. An apparatus of a provider system, comprising hardware components, including at least a processor, memory and a network controller, comprising:

means for receiving a request for a transaction to be performed by the provider system from a user system, the transaction request including a request for a transaction to be performed by the provider system, the transaction identifying a purchase of goods or a conduction of services between a user of the user system and a provider of the provider system; and

means for transmitting, in response to the provider system completing the transaction request, a record from the provider system to a storage system independent of the user system and the provider system, the record including details of the transaction including the goods purchased or services conducted between the user and the provider.

13. A method of a storage system, comprising:

receiving, from a provider system, a record of a completed request for a transaction between a user of a user system and a provider of the provider system, the transaction including a purchase of goods or a conduction of services between the user and the provider, and the record including details of the transaction including the goods purchased or services conducted between the user and the provider; and

storing the record in a database independent of the user system and the provider system.

14. The method recited in claim 13, further comprising:

verifying the details of the transaction between the storage system and one of the provider system and the user system.

15. The method recited in claim 14, further comprising:

extracting or reading metadata from the record, wherein the verifying includes transmitting the extracted/read metadata to the provider system or the user system.

16. The method recited in claim 13, further comprising:

transmitting, from the storage system to at least one of the provider system and the user system, a confirmation the record has been stored by the storage system.

17. The method recited in claim 13, wherein the requested transaction is completed based on the provider system receiving a payment from the user system without the payment being brokered by the storage system.

18. The method recited in claim 13, wherein the storing includes storing the record as a file in the portable document format (PDF) including metadata identifying the details of the transaction.

19. The method recited in claim 13, wherein the record includes an electronic mail address of the user of the user system, and the method further comprises:

transmitting the record to the user system in response to the user system (1) accessing the storage system via the electronic mail address and (2) requesting the record from the storage system.

20. A computer-readable medium including instructions, that when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method according to claim 13.