Electronic transaction method and system

• US 6,520,409 B1
• Filed: 05/01/2000
• Issued: 02/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Hamada, Nariyasu, Kayashima, Makoto, Mori, Masakatsu
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US09/561,966
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380, 235/379, 235/382, 235/375, 235/462.1, 235/382.5, 235/492, 235/494, 902/28-30, 705/1, 705/35, 705/9, 705/36, 705/10, 705/39, 705/14, 705/27, 705/26, 705/40, 705/23, 705/37
• US Class Current: 235/380
• 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 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A server system has stored therein a plurality of electronic transaction procedures corresponding to elements or combinations thereof including means of payment settlement of a purchased commodity, amount of deal, contents of the purchased commodity, financial institutions for making the settlement and so on. The server system selects one of the electronic transaction procedures corresponding to elements or a combination thereof, including means of payment settlement of a commodity to be purchased when a purchase-side client system requests a seller to sell the commodity. The electronic transaction procedure is distributed to the offer-side client, the purchase-side client and the settlement-side client through a communication network. Each of the offer-side client, the purchase-side client and the settlement-side client executes electronic transaction processes according to the distributed electronic transaction procedure. Either all of the selected electronic transaction procedure is distributed from the server system to the client systems at a time or parts of the electronic transaction procedure are successively distributed to the client systems from the server system.

Claims

1. A server computer for conducting an electronic deal with client terminals via a communication network, comprising:

receiving means for receiving first information as to a settlement method, desired by a purchaser, from a purchaser side client terminal on a purchaser side of said electronic deal;

a storage device for storing second information to be used for a process to be executed by said purchaser side client terminal, said second information being stored for each of a plurality of settlement methods for said electronic deal;

retrieving means for retrieving, from said storage device, second information corresponding to the first information thus received; and

transmitting means for transmitting the second information thus retrieved to said purchaserside client terminal.

2. The server computer according to claim 1, wherein said second information is information to be used as part of a series of processes which are necessary for completing said electronic deal.

3. The server computer according to claim 2, wherein the information to be used for the part of the processes is information for a settlement process to be executed by said purchaser side client terminal.

4. The server computer according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of settlement methods include a settlement by credit and a settlement by direct payment to a bank.

5. The server computer according to claim 1, wherein said receiving means receives said first information from said purchaser side client terminal prior to start of said electronic deal,

wherein said retrieving means retrieves, from said storage means, said second information corresponding to the first information thus received prior to start of said electronic deal, and

wherein said transmitting means transmits the second information thus retrieved to said purchaser side client terminal prior to the start of said electronic mail.

6. The server computer according to claim 1, further comprising:

updating means for updating second information stored in said storage device, and

wherein said transmitting means transmits the second information thus updated to said purchaser side client terminal.

7. A method for conducting an electronic deal with client terminals via a communication network, comprising the steps of:

receiving first information as to a settlement method, desired by a purchaser, from a purchaser side client terminal on a purchaser side of said electronic deal;

retrieving second information corresponding to the first information thus received from a storage device for storing second information to be used for a process to be executed by said purchaser side client terminal, said second information being stored for each of a plurality of settlement methods for said electronic deal; and

transmitting the second information thus retrieved to said purchaser side client terminal.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said second information is information to be used for a part of a series of processes which are necessary for completing said electronic deal.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the information to be used for the part of the processes is information for a settlement process to be executed by said purchaser side client terminal.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein said plurality of settlement methods include a settlement by credit and a settlement by direct payment to a bank.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein in said receiving step, said first information is received from said purchaser side client terminal prior to start of said electronic deal,

wherein in said retrieving step, said second information corresponding to the first information thus received is retrieved from said storage device prior to start of said electronic deal, and

wherein in said transmitting step, the second information thus retrieved is transmitted to the said purchaser side client terminal prior to the start of said electronic deal.

12. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of:

updating second information stored in said storage device,

wherein in said transmitting step, the second information thus updated is transmitted to said purchaser side client terminal.