Apparatus, and associated method, for remotely effectuating a transaction service

• US 6,816,724 B1
• Filed: 12/28/1999
• Issued: 11/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Asikainen, Jussi
• Primary Examiner(s): Vuong, Quochien B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TU X
• Application Number:
  US09/473,291
• Time in Patent Office: 1,778 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/557, 455/558, 455/41, 455/414, 455/406, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/566, 455/414.1, 705/34, 705/40
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• 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 20/32 using wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65

Abstract

A set-top box is equipped with a television and a mobile terminal as well as a bank server connection all connected to each other via Internet, GSM networks, BlueTooth networks or the like. Users can request bank services via mobile phones. After security checks are completed, the user is granted permission to perform a selected banking service. The user can fill out a form or follow menu selection instructions to effectuate the desired service.

Claims

1. In a communication system having a mobile terminal operable to communicate by way of a first radio link and a mobile network with a transaction service provider, and further operable to communicate with a communication station by way of a second radio link, wherein the transaction service provider and the communication station are coupled together by way of a communication network, an improvement of apparatus for the mobile terminal for facilitating effectuation of a selected transaction service, said apparatus comprising:

first transceiver circuitry operable to transmit and receive communication signals over the first radio link;

second transceiver circuitry operable to transmit and receive communication signals over the second radio link using a short-range communication protocol;

a transaction service initiation requestor coupled to the first transceiver circuitry and operable responsive to user actuation thereof to generate a service-initiation request;

for communication to the transaction service provider by way of the first radio link, the service-initiation request requesting performance of a selected transaction service;

a transaction service template completer coupled to the second transceiver circuitry and operable responsive to user actuation thereof to provide transaction values from the mobile terminal to the communication station for completing by way of the second radio link, a transaction service template that has been downloaded from the transaction service provider to the communication station; and

a transaction data provider coupled to the first transceiver circuitry and operable, for providing indications of the completed transaction values from the mobile terminal to the transaction service provider by way of the first radio link and the mobile network.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the service-initiation request generated by said transaction service initiation requestor further comprises an authentication message for authenticating the mobile terminal of which said transaction service initiation requester forms a portion.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the mobile network comprises a GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) network, wherein the mobile terminal comprises a GSM-compatible mobile terminal containing a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module)-card, and wherein the authentication message comprises data stored in, and retrieved from the SIM-card.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mobile network comprises a GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) network that provides for SMS (short message service) messaging and wherein the service-initiation request generated by said transaction service initiation requestor comprises an SMS message.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the transaction service template downloaded from the transaction service provider to the communication station is downloaded by way of the communication network, wherein the communication station comprises a video display element and a first BlueTooth-compatible transceiver, wherein the mobile terminal further comprises a second BlueTooth-compatible transceiver, and wherein the transaction values communicated between said transaction service template completer and the communication station to complete the transaction service template comprise BlueTooth signals communicated between the first and second BlueTooth-compatible transceivers, respectively.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mobile network comprises a GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) network capable of SMS (Short Message Service) messaging, wherein the mobile terminal comprises a GSM-compatible mobile terminal, and wherein the indications of the completed transaction values provided by the mobile terminal to the transaction service provider comprise an SMS message.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the communication network by which the communication station and the transaction service provider are coupled comprises a packet-data network and wherein the indications of the completed transaction values provided by said transaction data provider to the transaction service provider are sent by way of the second radio link, the communication station, and the packet data network.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an acknowledgment detector coupled to receive acknowledgments generated by the transaction service provider acknowledging performance of the selected transaction service.

9. In the communication system of claim 1, a further improvement of apparatus for the communication station for facilitating effectuation of the selected transaction service, said apparatus comprising:

a transaction service template detector and displayer for detecting downloading of the transaction service template to the communication station from the transaction service provider and for displaying the transaction service template once downloaded thereto.

10. The apparatus for the communication station of claim 9 further comprising a transaction service template value inserter coupled to receive the service template values provided by said transaction service template completer, said transaction service template value inserter for inserting the service template values into the displayed transaction service template.

11. The apparatus for the communication station of claim 10 wherein said transaction service template value inserter further provides the transaction service template, once completed pursuant to operation of said transaction service template completer and said transaction service template value inserter, to said transaction data provider.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said transaction service template value inserter is further selectably operable, responsive to said transaction data provider, to provide the indications of the transaction service template to the transaction service provider by way of the communication network.

13. In the communication system of claim 1, a further improvement of apparatus for the transaction service provider for facilitating effectuation of the selected transaction service, said apparatus comprising:

a service-initiation request detector coupled to receive indications of a service-initiation request generated by said service-initiation requester, said service-initiation detector for detecting reception of the service-initiation request at the transaction service provider and for generating the transaction service template responsive thereto.

14. The apparatus for the transaction service provider of claim 13 wherein the transaction service provider further comprises a memory device at which the transaction service template is stored and wherein said service-initiation detector generates the transaction service template by retrieving the transaction service template from the memory device.

15. The apparatus for the transaction service provider of claim 13 further comprising a transaction service template downloader for downloading the transaction service template generated by said service-initiation request detector to the communication station.

16. The apparatus for the transaction service provider of claim 13 further comprising a transaction service performer for performing the selected transaction service responsive to providing of the transaction data, once completed, to the transaction service provider.

17. The apparatus for the transaction service provider of claim 16 further comprising an acknowledgment generator coupled to said transaction service performer, said acknowledgment generator for generating an acknowledgment for transmission to the mobile terminal acknowledging performance of the selected transaction service by said transaction service performer.

18. In a method for communicating in a communication system having a mobile terminal operable to communicate by way of a first radio link and a mobile network with a transaction service provider, and further operable to communicate with a communication station by way of a second radio link using a short-range communication protocol, wherein the transaction service provider and the communication station coupled together by way of a communication network, and improvement of a method for facilitating effectuation of a selected transaction service, said method comprising:

generating a service-initiation request at the mobile terminal to request performance of a selected transaction service by a transaction service provider;

transmitting the service-initiation request to the transaction service provider by way of the first radio link and the mobile network;

detecting at the transaction service provider the service-initiation request generated during said operation of generating;

downloading a transaction service template to the communication station by way of the communication network responsive to detecting the service-initiation request;

receiving user-entered transaction values in the mobile terminal;

communicating the transaction values from the mobile terminal to the communication station by way of the second radio link to complete the downloaded transaction service template;

returning, by the mobile station, the completed transaction values to the transaction service provider by way of the first radio link and the mobile network; and

performing the selected transaction service by making use of transaction values returned to the transaction service provider during said operation of returning.

19. In a communication system having a mobile terminal operable to communicate by way of a first radio link and a mobile network with a transaction service provider, and operable to communicate with a communication station by way of a second radio link, wherein the transaction service provider and the communication station are coupled together by way of a communication network, an improvement of apparatus for the communication station for facilitating effectuation of a selected transaction service, said apparatus comprising:

a transaction service template detector and displayer for detecting downloading of a transaction service template to the communication station by the transaction service provider in response to a service initiation request transmitted from the mobile terminal to the transaction service provider by way of the first radio link, for displaying the downloaded transaction service template, and for displaying transaction values provided by the mobile station by way of the second radio link prior to facilitate entry of the transaction values for subsequent transmission from the mobile station to the transaction service provider via the first radio link.

20. In a communication system having a mobile terminal operable to communicate by way of a first radio link and a mobile network with a transaction service provider, and further operable to communicate with a communication station by way of a second radio link using a short-range communication protocol, wherein the transaction service provider and the communication station are coupled together by way of a communication network, an improvement of apparatus for the transaction service provider for facilitating effectuation of a selected transaction service, said apparatus comprising:

a service-initiation request detector coupled to receive indications of a service-initiation request communicated from the mobile terminal by way of the first radio link, said service-initiation detector for detecting reception of the service-initiation request at the transaction service provider and for generating a transaction service template responsive thereto;

wherein the transaction service template is for transmission to the communication station for display thereat for facilitating the entering of the transaction values at the mobile terminal prior to transmitting them; and

a transaction values detector for detecting transaction values corresponding to the transaction service template and transmitted by the mobile terminal via the first radio link.