APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR STORING ELECTRONIC RECEIPTS ON A UNIFIED CARD OR SMARTPHONE

• US 20130211936A1
• Filed: 11/09/2011
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Retailgreen, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Retailgren Incorporated
• Inventors: Sulaiman, Ayman, Al Quaqezeh, Riyadh A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,489,662 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/17
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/047 using payment protocols involving electronic receipts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/012 Providing warranty services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3234 involving additional secure or trusted devices, e.g. TPM, smartcard, USB or software token network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using an additional device in a packet data network H04L63/0853

Abstract

A receipt system allows customers to store receipts on a Unified Card or smartphone when making purchases from different retailer merchants. The customer purchases goods or services and the receipt is recorded electronically onto a single Unified Card or smartphone. This eliminates the need for paper receipts. The user can then use the Unified Card or smartphone to make returns or exchanges or as proof of purchase. Unified Card readers can be located at Kiosks as part of a home based system that works with the user'"'"'s home computer.

Claims

1. A system for storing receipts comprising:

a cloud server coupled to a network;

a first merchant register coupled to a reader for reading identification information for the user from a smartphone, the first merchant register having a first encryption scheme for encrypting the purchase data and the first merchant register transmitting the purchase data in the first encryption scheme through the network to the cloud server; and

a second merchant purchasing register coupled to a reader for reading the identification information from the smartphone, the second merchant register having a second encryption scheme for encrypting the purchase data and the second merchant register transmitting the purchase data in the second encryption scheme through the network to the cloud server;

wherein the cloud server stores the purchase data encrypted in the first encryption scheme and the purchase data encrypted in the second encryption scheme that is different than the first encryption scheme, the cloud server transmits the purchase data encrypted in the first encryption scheme and the purchase data encrypted in the second encryption scheme to the smartphone and the first merchant register and the first reader cannot read the purchasing data encrypted in the second encryption scheme and the second merchant register and the second card reader cannot read the purchasing data encrypted in the first encryption scheme.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the smartphone displays the purchasing data encrypted in the first encryption scheme and the second encryption scheme.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the smartphone includes a memory device for storing the purchasing data encrypted in the first encryption scheme and the second encryption scheme.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a first kiosk located in the proximity of the first merchant for reading the purchasing data having the first encryption scheme, the first kiosk cannot write the purchasing data to the memory device in the first encryption scheme or the second encryption scheme.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the identification code is a barcode displayed on the smartphone.

6. The system of claim 4 further comprising:

a second kiosk located in the proximity of the second merchant for reading the purchasing data having the second encryption scheme, the second kiosk cannot write the purchasing data to the memory device in the first encryption scheme or the second encryption scheme.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the second kiosk cannot read the purchasing data having the first encryption scheme.

8. A system for storing receipts comprising:

a cloud server coupled to a network; and

a first merchant register coupled to a reader for reading identification information from the smartphone, the first merchant register having a first encryption scheme for encrypting the purchasing data and the first merchant register transmitting the purchase data in the first encryption scheme through the network to the cloud server;

wherein the cloud server stores the purchase data encrypted in the first encryption scheme and the purchase data encrypted in other encryption schemes that are different than the first encryption scheme, the cloud server transmits the purchase data encrypted in the first encryption scheme and the first merchant register and the first reader cannot read the purchasing data having an encryption scheme other than the first encryption scheme.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the smartphone displays the purchase data encrypted in the first encryption scheme and the purchasing data having the other encryption schemes that are different than the first encryption scheme.

10. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

a kiosk located in the proximity of the first merchant for reading the purchasing data having the first encryption scheme, the kiosk cannot write the purchasing data to the memory device.

11. A method for storing receipts comprising:

inputting by a first merchant register, an identification code from a smartphone;

generating first receipt data from the first merchant register based upon a first purchase of goods;

encrypting the first receipt data by the first merchant register in a first encryption scheme;

transmitting the first receipt data that has been encrypted to a cloud server;

storing the first receipt data that has been encrypted in the first encryption scheme with other receipt data that has been encrypted in other encryption schemes that are different than the first encryption scheme on the cloud server;

transmitting by the cloud server, the purchase data encrypted in the first encryption scheme and the other receipt data that has been encrypted in the other encryption schemes to the smartphone; and

storing the first receipt data encrypted in the first encrypted scheme and the other receipt data that has been encrypted in the other encryption schemes in a memory device in the smartphone.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the identification code is a barcode displayed on the smartphone.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

wherein the identification code is an identification signal transmitted by the smartphone.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

downloading an e-receipt application to the smartphone; and

running the e-receipt application on the smartphone.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

displaying the first receipt data on a kiosk display.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

inputting identification information into a home computer after the first receipt data has been written; and

displaying the first receipt data on a home computer display.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

generating second receipt data from a second merchant register based upon a second purchase of goods;

encrypting the second receipt data by the second merchant register in a second encryption scheme;

transmitting the second receipt data that has been encrypted in the second encryption scheme to the cloud server; and

storing the second receipt data that has been encrypted in the second encryption scheme with other receipt data that has been encrypted in other encryption schemes that are different than the second encryption scheme on the cloud server;

transmitting by the cloud server, the purchase data encrypted in the second encryption scheme to the smartphone; and

storing the second receipt data in the second encrypted scheme in the memory device of the smartphone;

wherein the first merchant register cannot read the second receipt data having the second encryption scheme and the second merchant register cannot read the first receipt data having the first encryption scheme.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

inputting identification information into the second merchant register before the second receipt data has been transmitted.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

displaying the second receipt data on the smartphone.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

inputting by the second merchant register, the identification code from the smartphone.

21. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

inputting identification information into the kiosk=after the second receipt data has been written;

displaying the second receipt data on a kiosk display; and

preventing the display of the first receipt data on the kiosk display.

22. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

inputting identification information into a home computer after the first receipt data has been written; and

displaying the first receipt data on a home computer display.

23. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

reading the first receipt data by the first merchant register to confirm a purchase of a first purchase of goods;

returning the first item to the first merchant register;

generating first return data from the first merchant register based upon the return of the first purchase of goods;

encrypting the first return data by the first merchant register;

transmitting the first return data that has been encrypted in the first encryption scheme to the cloud server;

storing the first return data that has been encrypted in the first encryption scheme on the cloud server;

transmitting by the cloud server, the first return data encrypted in the first encryption scheme to the smartphone; and

storing the first return data in the first encrypted scheme on the memory device in the smartphone.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

inputting by the first merchant register, the identification code from the smartphone with the memory device storing the first receipt data.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the identification code is an identification signal transmitted by the smartphone.

26. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

downloading an e-receipt application to the smartphone; and

running the e-receipt application on the smartphone.