Portable payment terminals and network for such terminals

• US 5,387,784 A
• Filed: 12/07/1993
• Issued: 02/07/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Societe D'Applications Generales D'Electricite et de Mecanique Sagem
• Original Assignee: Societe D'Applications Generales D'Electricite et de Mecanique Sagem
• Inventors: Sarradin, Jean-Louis
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelms, David C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, John R.
• Application Number:
  US08/163,587
• Time in Patent Office: 427 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/379, 235/380, 235/381, 235/382, 235/382.5, 235/383, 235/385, 235/432, 235/462, 235/470, 235/472
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/326 Payment applications installed on the mobile devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/343 Cards including a counter
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4093 Monitoring of device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0886 the card reader being portable for interacting with a POS or ECR in realizing a payment transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

A point-of-transaction system for processing electronic payments of transions includes portable payment terminals, each having a keyboard for entering transaction data and an interface for communicating without wires with a distant central station and, in turn, to a processing center in telephone communication with the central station.

Claims

1. A point-of-transaction system for processing electronic payment of a transaction, comprising:

(a) a plurality of electronic payment media, each unique to an individual customer;

(b) at least one portable payment terminal, each including

means for identifying a payment medium presented by a customer to a respective terminal,

means for manually entering data relating to the transaction, and

means for generating and for broadcasting by wireless communication a payment authorization request signal during the transaction;

(c) a central station remote from, and in wireless communication with, each terminal; and

(d) a processing center remote from, and in communication with, the central station, said center including

means for validating during the transaction the authorization request signal transmitted by the respective terminal via the central station to the center, and

means for communicating during the transaction the validated request signal via the central station to the respective terminal to complete the transaction.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the payment media are credit cards, each bearing a stripe having magnetically encoded data;

and wherein the identifying means is a magnetic stripe reader on the terminal.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the entering means is a keyboard having keys.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein each terminal has an on-board power supply, and a display powered by the power supply for displaying information relating to the transaction.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the request signal generating means includes a microprocessor and a program memory for running a program, said program including means for storing data relating to previous transactions.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein each terminal includes means for printing a receipt of the transaction.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said terminals is provided, and said central station is in wireless communication with all the terminals.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said processing center is in telephonic communication with said central station.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein said processing center is in telephonic communication with said central station.