Electronic commerce system and recording medium

• US 6,963,843 B1
• Filed: 04/09/1998
• Issued: 11/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: WebMoney Corp. (KDDI Corporation)
• Original Assignee: WebMoney Corp. (KDDI Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Hitoshi, Takatsu, Yuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Reagan, James A.
• Application Number:
  US09/057,781
• Time in Patent Office: 2,770 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/26, 705/65, 705/68, 705/69, 705/67, 705/43, 705/38, 705/39, 705/40, 235/379, 235/380
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

An exchange value unit identification code is sent to an electronic note generation site from an electronic note user site. When recognizing presence of an exchange value indicated by the exchange value unit identification code, the electronic note generation site generates an electronic note within a limit which does not exceed the exchange value and an authentication code to the electronic note user site. Then, the electronic note user site sends the authentication code to a transaction site. When a commodity is selected at the electronic note user site after each electronic note has been checked valid, the transaction site sends an acknowledgement of acceptance of the selection to the electronic note user site. After erasure of an electronic note at the electronic note user site is confirmed, an electronic note corresponding to changes is sent to the electronic note user site.

Claims

1. An electronic monetary system including a network, electronic note generation means connected to said network, contract means connected to said network, and one or more electronic note using means,

at least one of said electronic note using means including electronic note request means for receiving authorization information representing a generation request for an electronic note or an electronic representation of money and presenting said authorization information to said electronic note generation means via said network to request generation of an electronic note of a predetermined amount,

said electronic note generation means including means for accepting presentation of said authorization information and a request for generation of said electronic note from said electronic note using means, determining if said authorization information represents a generation request for said electronic note of said predetermined amount, and, when determining that such representation is true, generating and supplying said electronic note of said predetermined amount to said electronic note using means,

at least one of said electronic note using means including contract applying means for receiving and saving said electronic note of said predetermined amount, presenting said electronic note to said contract means to apply for closing of a contract for supply of a commodity,

said contract means including:

contract accepting means for detecting presentation of said electronic note and an application for closing of said contract from said electronic note using means and receiving an electronic note which belongs to said presented electronic note and has an amount equivalent to a price of said commodity;

means for calculating an excess amount which is a total amount of said electronic note received from said electronic note using means that exceeds said price of said commodity, and

means for supplying information indicative of said excess amount and said electronic note of an amount exceeding said excess amount to said electronic note generation means,

said electronic note generation means including means for invalidating said electronic note of an amount exceeding said excess amount, generating a first electronic note of an amount substantially equal to said excess amount and a second electronic note of an amount substantially equal to a difference between said amount of said invalidated electronic note and said excess amount, and supplying said first electronic note and said second electronic note to said contract means, and

said contract means further including means for receiving said first and second electronic notes and supplying said second electronic note to said electronic note using means.

2. The electronic monetary system according to claim 1, wherein said contract means includes:

means for calculating an excess amount which is a total amount of said electronic note received from said electronic note using means that exceeds said price of said commodity; and

means for determining if said contract means has itself already retained said electronic note whose total amount is equivalent to said excess amount, and, when determining that such an electronic note is held, supplying said second electronic note whose total is equivalent to said excess amount to said electronic note using means.

3. The electronic monetary system according to claim 1, wherein said electronic note generation means determines if said authorization information received from said electronic note using means represents a generation request for said electronic note whose amount exceeds said predetermined amount, and, after determining that said amount of said electronic note is greater than said predetermined amount, handles said authorization information as representing a generation request for an electronic note of an amount which is said predetermined amount subtracted from an amount represented before determination.

4. The electronic monetary system according to claim 1, wherein said contract means includes means for supplying said commodity to said electronic note using means.

5. The electronic monetary system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said electronic note using means, said contract means and said electronic note generation means has means for appending additional information to said electronic note;

and

at least one of said electronic note using means, said contract means and said electronic note generation means has means for acquiring said additional information appended to said electronic note.

6. The electronic monetary system according to claim 5, wherein said contract means includes means for acquiring said additional information appended to said electronic note and determining whether or not to receive said electronic note based on said additional information.

7. The electronic monetary system according to claim 1, wherein said electronic note generation means includes means for appending date information indicating a date on which said electronic note has been generated, to said electronic note;

said electronic note using means includes means for appending date information indicating a date on which said electronic note has been transferred, to said electronic note; and

said contract means includes means for determining whether or not to receive said electronic note based on said date information appended to said electronic note.

8. The electronic monetary system according to claim 1, wherein said electronic note using means includes means for appending corroboration information indicating said electronic note having been transferred, to said electronic note;

and

said contract means includes means for determining whether or not to receive said electronic note based on said corroboration information appended to said electronic note.

9. The electronic monetary system according to claim 8, wherein said corroboration information includes transferor information for specifying a transferor of said electronic note and transferee information for specifying a transferee of said electronic note, said transferor information including signature information corroborating that said transferor information has been prepared by said transferor.

10. The electronic monetary system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said electronic note using means has transfer means for transferring said electronic note it stores itself to a recording medium readable by a computer;

and

at least one of said electronic note using means has transferee means for acquiring said electronic note transferred to said recording medium.

11. The electronic monetary system according to claim 10, wherein each of said electronic note using means has means for encrypting said electronic note with an encryption key specific to each electronic note using means;

said electronic note using means having said transfer means has means for supplying first transfer data indicative of said electronic note to be transferred to said recording medium, to said electronic note generation means;

said electronic note using means having said transferee means has means for supplying second transfer data indicative of said electronic note acquired from said recording medium, to said electronic note generation means; and

said electronic note generation means has means for determining if said first and second transfer data represent substantially the same electronic note, and, when determining that such representation is true, generating and supplying an electronic note of an amount substantially equal to the amount of said electronic note indicated by said second transfer data, to said electronic note using means to which said second transfer data has been supplied.

12. The electronic monetary system according to claim 1, wherein said electronic note generation means includes means for transferring said generation request form data representing a form to fill in predetermined items including said authorization information and said predetermined amount, to said electronic note using means;

and

said electronic note request means includes;

means for displaying said form represented by said generation request form data on a display screen;

means for acquiring said authorization information and filling said predetermined items in said form displayed on said display screen; and

means for transmitting said predetermined items filled in said form to said electronic note generation means to thereby request generation of said electronic note.

13. The electronic monetary system according to claim 12, further comprising a server connected to said electronic note request means;

and wherein

a specific resource locator is affixed to said generation request form data;

said electronic note request means has means for transmitting said resource locator to said server; and

said server has means for acquiring said generation request form data affixed with said resource locator, received from said electronic note request means, from said electronic note generation means and transmitting said generation request form data to said electronic note request means.

14. The electronic monetary system according to claim 13, wherein said server has said electronic note generation means.

15. The electronic monetary system according to claim 1, wherein said contract means includes means for transferring application form data representing an application form to fill in application items including said electronic note, to said electronic note using means;

and

said contract applying means includes;

means for displaying said application form represented by said application form data on a display screen;

means for acquiring said electronic note and filling said application items in said application form displayed on said display screen; and

means for transmitting said application items filled in said application form, to said electronic note generation means to thereby apply closing of a contract for supply of a commodity.

16. The electronic monetary system according to claim 15, further comprising a server connected to said contract applying means;

and wherein

a specific resource locator is affixed to said application form data;

said contract applying means has means for transmitting said resource locator to said server; and

said server has means for acquiring said application form data affixed with said resource locator, received from said contract applying means, from said contract means and transmitting said application form data to said contract applying means.

17. The electronic monetary system according to claim 16, wherein said server has said contract means.

18. The electronic monetary system according to claim 1, wherein said contract means includes means for informing said electronic note generation means of information indicating said electronic note presented by said electronic note using means;

and

said electronic note generation means includes;

means for storing a list of information showing said generated electronic note; and

means for determining if said list contains said information indicating of said electronic note informed by said contract means and informing said contract means of a determination result.

19. An electronic monetary system comprising an electronic note generation section, a plurality of electronic notes exchange sections and a network, the former two connected to one another via said network,

each of said electronic note exchange sections sending an identification code requesting generation of an electronic note comprised of information representing a predetermined amount, to said electronic note generation section to request said electronic note generation section to generate said electronic note representing said amount,

said electronic note generation section determining whether or not to generate said electronic note representing said amount based on said identification code received, and generating and supplying said electronic note representing said amount to said electronic note storage section that has sent said identification code, when determining to generate said electronic note,

each of said electronic note exchange sections further receiving and saving said electronic note representing said amount from said electronic note generation section, sending information on said saved electronic note to the other electronic note exchange sections, receiving information indicative of said electronic note from the other electronic note exchange sections, determining whether or not to accept said electronic note based on said received information indicative of said electronic note, and, when determining to receive said electronic note, receiving said electronic note,

at least one of said electronic note exchange sections further supplying information indicative of predetermined amount and said electronic note of an amount exceeding said predetermined amount to said electronic note generation section,

said electronic note generation section further invalidating said electronic note of an amount exceeding said predetermined amount, generating a first electronic note of an amount equal to said predetermined amount and a second electronic note of an amount equal to a difference between said amount of said invalidated electronic note and said predetermined amount, and supplying said first and second electronic note to said electronic note exchange section which supplied said information indicative of said predetermined amount, and

said electronic note exchange section which supplied said information indicative of said predetermined amount further receiving said first and second electronic notes and supplying said second electronic note to another one of said electronic note exchange sections.

20. An electronic monetary system comprising an electronic note generation server connected to an outside network, a contract server connected to said network, and one or more electronic note using terminals connected to said network, wherein:

at least one of said electronic note using terminals receives authorization information representing a generation request for an electronic note or electronic representation of money and presents said authorization information to said electronic note generation server via said network to request generation of said electronic note of a predetermined amount;

said electronic note generation server accepts presentation of said authorization information and a request for generation of said electronic note from said electronic note using terminal, determines whether or not said authorization information represents a generation request for said electronic note of said predetermined amount and generates and supplies said electronic note of said predetermined amount to said electronic note using terminal when determining that such representation is true;

at least one of said electronic note using terminals presents said electronic note to said contract server;

said contract server detects presentation of said electronic note from said electronic note using terminal, receives said electronic note having an amount equivalent to a predetermined price out of said presented electronic note, counts an excess amount which is caused by the total amount of said electronic note received from said electronic note using terminal exceeding said predetermined price, and supplies information indicative of said excess amount and said electronic note having an amount exceeding said excess amount to said electronic note generation server;

said electronic note generation server invalidates said electronic note of an amount exceeding said excess amount and generates and supplies a first electronic note of an amount substantially equal to said excess amount and a second electronic note of an amount substantially equal to a difference between an amount of said invalidated electronic note and said excess amount to said contract server; and

said contract server receives said first and second electronic notes and supplies said second electronic note to said electronic note using terminal.