Value holding system, value holding method, value holding program, and transaction system

• US 7,051,924 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2004
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakano, Toshihisa, Ohmori, Motoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAIL, ALLYSON NEEL
• Application Number:
  US10/842,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20040238624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235380-383, 235/449, 235/381, 705 13- 35, 705/41, 340 52- 521, 340/5.8, 340/52, 455/558
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• 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 20/40975 using encryption therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/02 taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24; car rental systems per se G07B15/00
• 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 value holding system includes a receiving unit that receives an instruction to add or remove a value relating to a payment, a judging unit that judges whether the instruction is identical to a previously received instruction, and a rejecting unit that rejects the instruction when the judging unit judges that the instruction is identical to the previous instruction. According to the value holding system so constructed, it is possible to reject an invalid payment request in order to prevent an incorrect collection of payment.

Claims

1. A value holding apparatus operable to process a payment for use of a transport facility requested from a request apparatus, said value holding apparatus comprising:

a zone recording unit operable to record information indicating a first zone in which a fare adjustment is unnecessary;

a location information receiving unit operable to receive, from the request apparatus, first location information that indicates a first location where the use of the transport facility ends;

a receiving unit operable to receive request information indicating a request for payment from the request apparatus;

a storage unit operable to store second location information that indicates a second location where the use of the transport facility starts;

an obtaining unit operable to obtain a second zone in which the transport facility is used, by using the first location information and the second location information;

a judging unit operable to judge whether the second zone is included in the first zone, and to judge that the request information is invalid when the second zone is included in the first zone; and

a rejecting unit operable to reject the request information when the request information is judged to be invalid by said judging unit.

2. A value holding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the payment is processed by using a point; and

said receiving unit is operable to receive, as the request information, information that indicates removal of the point.

3. A value holding system according to claim 1, wherein:

the payment is processed by using a value equivalent to money; and

said receiving unit is operable to receive, as the request information, information that indicates removal of the value.

4. A value holding apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said judging unit is further operable to store a piece of request information last received by said receiving unit, and to judge whether the request information is invalid by using the stored piece of request information and a currently received piece of request information when the second zone is not included in the first zone.

5. A value holding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said judging unit is operable to judge that the request information is invalid when the stored piece of request information matches the currently received piece of request information.

6. A value holding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

each request information contains an apparatus ID identifying a request apparatus; and

said judging unit is operable to judge that the request information is invalid when an apparatus ID contained in the stored piece request information matches an apparatus ID contained in the currently received piece of request information.

7. A value holding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

each request information contains a location ID identifying a location of a request apparatus, and

said judging unit is operable to judge that the request information is invalid when a location ID contained in the stored piece of request information matches a location ID contained in the currently received piece of request information.

8. A value holding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

each request information contains a request ID identifying the request information; and

said judging unit is operable to judge that the request information is invalid when a request ID contained in the stored piece of request information matches a request ID contained in the currently received piece of request information.

9. A value holding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said judging unit is operable to judge that the request information is invalid when a difference between the stored piece of request information and the currently received piece of request information is within a predetermined range.

10. A value holding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

each request information contains time information indicating a time relating to the request; and

said judging unit is operable to judge that the request information is invalid when a difference between a time indicated by the time information in the stored piece of request information and a time indicated by the time information in the currently received piece of request information is within a predetermined range.

11. A value holding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said value holding apparatus is structured by a handheld device and a memory card, and wherein:

said handheld device includes said receiving unit; and

said memory card includes said judging unit and said rejecting unit.

12. A value holding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said value holding apparatus is a memory card.

13. A value holding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said value holding apparatus is a handheld device.

14. A value holding method performed by a value holding apparatus that processes a payment for use of a transport facility requested from a request apparatus, said value holding method comprising:

recording information in the value holding apparatus that indicates a first zone in which a fare adjustment is unnecessary;

receiving, from the request apparatus, first location information that indicates where the use of the transport facility ends;

receiving request information indicating a request for payment from the request apparatus;

storing second location information in the value holding apparatus that indicates a second location where the use of the transport facility starts;

obtaining a second zone in which the transport facility is used, by using the first location information and the second location information;

judging whether the second zone is included in the first zone, and judging that the request information is invalid when the second zone is included in the first zone; and

rejecting the received request information when the request information is judged to be invalid in said judging.

15. A computer program recorded on a computer-readable medium for causing a computer to execute procedures which are performed by a value holding apparatus that processes a payment for use of a transport facility requested from a request apparatus, said procedures comprising:

recording information in the value holding apparatus that indicates a first zone in which a fare adjustment is unnecessary;

receiving, from the request apparatus, first location information that indicates where the use of the transport facility ends;

receiving request information indicating a request for payment from the request apparatus;

storing second location information in the value holding apparatus that indicates a second location where the use of the transport facility starts;

obtaining a second zone in which the transport facility is used, by using the first location information and the second location information;

judging whether the second zone is included in first zone, and judging that the request information is invalid when the second zone is included in the first zone; and

rejecting the received request information when the request information is judged to be invalid in said judging.

16. A transaction system structured by a request apparatus and a value holding apparatus, wherein:

said request apparatus is operable to transmit request information indicating a request for payment to said value holding apparatus; and

said value holding apparatus comprises;

a zone recording unit operable to record information indicating a first zone in which a fare adjustment is unnecessary;

a location information receiving unit operable to receive, from the request apparatus, first location information that indicates a first location where the use of the transport facility ends;

a receiving unit operable to receive request information indicating a request for payment from said request apparatus;

a storage unit operable to store second location information that indicates a second location where the use of the transport facility starts;

an obtaining unit operable to obtain a second zone in which the transport facility is used, by using the first location information and the second location information;

a judging unit operable to judge whether the second zone is included in the first zone, and to judge that the request information is invalid when the second zone is included in the first zone; and

a rejecting unit operable to reject the request information when the request information is judged to be invalid by said judging unit.

17. A transaction system according to claim 16, wherein said value holding apparatus is a memory card.

18. A transaction system according to claim 16, wherein said value holding apparatus is a handheld device.

19. A transaction system according to claim 16, wherein said value holding apparatus is structured by a handheld device and a memory card, and

wherein said handheld device includes said receiving unit, and said memory card includes said judging unit and said rejecting unit.