Electronic money holding device utilizing an automatic payment method

• US 6,058,382 A
• Filed: 09/10/1997
• Issued: 05/02/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kawashima, Kazuhiro, Kasai, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): MacDonald, Allen R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEINECKE DIAZ, SUSANNA M
• Application Number:
  US08/927,671
• Time in Patent Office: 965 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380, 380/24, 705/39, 705/45, 705/40, 705/41, 705/42, 364/408
• US Class Current: 705/41
• 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 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• 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 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4093 Monitoring of device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

An electronic money holding device has a first storage unit for storing a uniquely assigned identification number and an amount of held electronic money, a processor for controlling the reference to and the updating of the amount of held electronic money and the transfer of electronic money between the electronic money holding device and another electronic money holding device, and a second storage unit for storing information of service providers concluding sales contracts with a possessor of the electronic money holding device and payment information of each sales contract.

Claims

1. An electronic money holding device comprising:

first storage means for storing a uniquely assigned identification number and an amount of held electronic money;

a processor for controlling the reference to and the updating of said amount of held electronic money and the transfer of electronic money between said electronic money holding device and another electronic money holding device; and

second storage means for storing information of a service provider concluding a sales contract with a possessor of said electronic money holding device and payment information of each sales contract.

2. An electronic money holding device according to claim 1, wherein said service provider information includes an identification number of an electronic money holding device possessed by the service provider and a telephone number for making access to an electronic money transaction management system possessed by said service provider.

3. An electronic money holding device according to claim 1, wherein said payment information of each sales contract includes an amount payable and a due date.

4. An electronic money holding device according to claim 1, further comprising third storage means for storing information of a bank entrusted with electronic money on deposit.

5. An electronic money holding device according to claim 4, wherein said bank information includes an identification number of an electronic money holding device possessed by the bank, a telephone number for making access to an electronic money transaction management system possessed by said bank, and a password for the drawing of the electronic money on deposit.

6. An electronic money holding device according to claim 4, wherein the contents of said second and third storage means are enciphered.

7. An electronic money automatic payment method using the electronic money holding device according to claim 1, comprising the steps of:

acquiring the date of this day;

reading the service provider information and the payment information of each sales contract from the second storage means of the electronic money holding device;

determining an amount payable on this day from the read payment information and the acquired date of this day; and

transmitting, in the case where the amount payable is greater than 0, electronic money from said electronic money holding device to the service provider in accordance with the read service provider information.

8. An electronic money automatic payment method using the electronic money holding device according to claim 4, comprising the steps of:

acquiring the date of this day;

reading the service provider information and the payment information of each sales contract from the second storage means of the electronic money holding device;

determining an amount payable on this day from the read payment information and the acquired date of this day;

transmitting, in the case where the amount payable is greater than 0 and the amount of money held in the electronic money holding device is not smaller than the amount payable, electronic money corresponding to the amount payable from said electronic money holding device to the service provider in accordance with the read service provider information; and

reading, in the case where the amount payable is greater than 0 and the amount of money held in the electronic money holding device is smaller than the amount payable, the bank information from the third storage means of the electronic money holding device, drawing electronic money corresponding to insufficiency from the bank into said electronic money holding device in accordance with the read bank information, and thereafter transmitting electronic money corresponding to the amount payable from said electronic money holding device to the service provider in accordance with the read service provider information.

9. A computer program product embodied on a computer readable medium and storing code which, when executed, instructs a computer to perform an electronic money automatic payment method, comprising the following steps:

acquiring the date of this day;

reading service provider information and payment information of each sales contract from a storage means of an electronic money holding device;

determining an amount payable on this day from the read payment information and the acquired date of this day; and

transmitting, in the case where the amount payable is greater than 0, electronic money from said electronic money holding device to a service provider in accordance with the read service provider information.

10. A computer program product embodied on a computer readable medium and storing code which, when executed, instructs a computer to perform an electronic money automatic payment method, comprising the following steps:

acquiring the date of this day;

reading service provider information and payment information of each sales contract from a first storage means of an electronic money holding device;

determining an amount payable on this day from the read payment information and the acquired date of this day;

transmitting, in the case where the amount payable is greater than 0 and the amount of money held in the electronic money holding device is not smaller than the amount payable, electronic money corresponding to the amount payable from said electronic money holding device to a service provider in accordance with the read service provider information; and

reading, in the case where the amount payable is greater than 0 and the amount of money held in the electronic money holding device is smaller than the amount payable, bank information from a second storage means of the electronic money holding device, drawing electronic money corresponding to insufficiency from a bank into said electronic money holding device in accordance with the read bank information, and thereafter transmitting electronic money corresponding to the amount payable from said electronic money holding device to the service provider in accordance with the read service provider information.

11. An electronic money automatic payment system comprising:

electronic money holding devices;

electronic money payment means for carrying out electronic money automatic payment;

payment information storing means for storing payment information of each sales contract; and

payment information writing means for writing the payment information of each sales contract into the payment information storing means,

wherein the electronic money payment means reads the payment information, and transmits electronic money between the electronic money holding devices of a payer and a payee in accordance with the read payment information.

12. An electronic money automatic payment system according to claim 11, wherein the electronic money holding device of the payer stores service provider information including an identification number of an electronic money holding device possessed by a service provider and a telephone number for making access to the service provider.

13. An electronic money automatic payment system according to claim 11, wherein said payment information of each sales contact includes an amount payable and a due date.

14. An electronic money automatic payment system according to claim 11, wherein said electronic money holding device of the payer further stores information of a bank entrusted with electronic money on deposit.

15. An electronic money automatic payment system according to claim 14, wherein said bank information includes an identification number of an electronic money holding device possessed by the bank, a telephone number for making access to the bank, and a password for the drawing of the electronic money on deposit.

16. An electronic money automatic payment system according to claim 15, wherein the information stored in the electronic money holding device of the payer is enciphered.

17. An electronic money automatic payment system according to claim 15, wherein in the case where the amount payable in the payment information is greater than the amount of money held in the electronic money holding device of the payer, the electronic money payment means draws electronic money corresponding to insufficiency from the bank into the electronic money holding device of the payer in accordance with the bank information stored in the electronic money holding device and performs automatic payment between the electronic money holding devices of the payer and the payee.

18. An electronic money automatic payment system according to claim 11, wherein said electronic money payment means is for carrying out electronic money automatic payment on a timed basis according to due dates and amounts due.