Electronic rights information processing system, method and apparatus for carrying out same and recorded medium for program carrying out the method

• US 7,062,471 B1
• Filed: 06/07/2000
• Issued: 06/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Inventors: Fujimura, Ko, Matsuyama, Kazuo, Oshima, Yoshihito
• Primary Examiner(s): ELISCA, PIERRE E
• Application Number:
  US09/588,350
• Time in Patent Office: 2,197 Days
• Field of Search: 705/13, 705/26, 705/27, 705/37, 705/65, 705/64, 705/67, 713/200, 713/201, 713/156, 713/173, 713/175, 713/157
• US Class Current: 705/65
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/38215 Use of certificates or encrypted proofs of transaction rights

Abstract

A transferer terminal accesses its account (of the transferer) to receive a list of electronic tickets contained in his account, selects a ticket which is to be transferred, transmits that electronic ticket, an account address of a transferee and a demand for transfer to the account, which in turn accesses an account of a transferee to receive an account addreess certificate, which is then verified by a terminal. A result of verification is transmitted to the account of transferer, whereby the electronic ticket is transmitted from the account of the transferer to the account the transferee. The account of the transferee verifies the received electronic ticket, and upon successful verification, it transmits such result to the account of the transferer, which then demands a certificate of transfer with signature from the transferer terminal. The transferer terminal demands a signature to be attached to the certificate of transfer from a portable processor. The certificate of transfer with signature which is thus obtained is then transmitted to the account of the transferer, which then transmits it to the account of the transferee. The account of the transferee retains the received certificate of transfer with signature together with the electronic ticket.

Claims

1. A method of processing consumption of an electronic ticket in an information processing system in which user terminal units, account units each having an account address assigned to each user and storing electronic tickets owned by the assigned user, and ticket examiner units are interconnected by a communication network through which electronic tickets can be circulated, comprising the steps of:

(a) causing a user portable processor owned by a user who wants one of electronic tickets stored in the account unit assigned to said user to be consumed to transmit a demand consumption of said one electronic ticket together with the account address assigned to said user which is derived from the user portable processor to a ticket examiner unit;

b) causing the ticket examiner unit to access the account unit corresponding to the account address derived from the user portable processor by transmitting a certificate of inscription for said ticket examiner unit to demand consumption of the electronic ticket;

(c) causing the account unit to verify the certificate of inscription for the ticket examiner unit;

(d) causing the account unit to derive the demanded electronic ticket and prepare a certificate of consumption and to transmit the electronic ticket and the certificate of consumption to the ticket examiner unit upon successful verification of the certificate of ticket examiner inspection of said ticket examiner unit;

e) causing the ticket examiner unit to request the user portable processor to generate an electronic signature to the certificate of consumption; and

f) causing the portable processor to generate the signature to the certificate of consumption and to transmit the certificate of consumption with signature to the ticket examiner unit for verification prior to completion of ticket examination.

2. A method according to claim 1, in which the step d) further comprises the steps of:

causing the account unit to verify a circulation condition required on a ticket examining side with which the ticket examiner unit is required to satisfy and which is described on the derived electronic ticket; and

to transmit the electronic ticket to the ticket examiner unit upon successful verification of the circulation condition.

3. A method according to claim 1, in which step d) further comprises the steps of:

causing the ticket examiner unit to verify a circulation condition required on a user side with which the user is required to satisfy and which is described on the received electronic ticket, and using a result of such verification as a condition for deciding whether the electronic ticket should pass ticket examination or not.