Point card, point card processing apparatus, and point card system

• US 7,063,251 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2001
• Issued: 06/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (Government of the United States of America), Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kimura, Masayuki, Naruse, Tetsuya, Namekawa, Nobuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Stcyr, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hess, Daniel A.
• Application Number:
  US09/906,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20020011517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,800 Days
• Field of Search: 235/487, 235/375, 235/492, 235/378, 705/7, 705/26, 705/10
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/343 Cards including a counter
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures

Abstract

A point card system according to the present invention includes a customer ID recording area 20, a service point recording area 24, an information recording area 22, and a browse flag recording area 23. The customer ID recording area 20 records unrewritable customer identification information. The service point recording area 24 records the number of service points. The information recording area 22 records provider information supplied from a provider without physical contacts. The browse flag recording area 23 records a history of provider information browsing. A provider 1 issues a wireless point card 3 to a customer 2. The provider 1 is provided with a wireless transceiver 8 and a card reader/writer 5. The system supplies provider information to the customer by radio and detects browse history information for providing an additional profit returning service.

Claims

1. A point card which is issued from a provider to a specific customer, that records service points, said point card comprising:

wireless transmission/reception means for transmitting and receiving signals;

a power generating means for generating power, from a communication wave, for said point card;

a memory;

a customer identification information recording section in said memory for recording customer identification information;

a service point recording section for recording said service points;

a provider information recording section for recording provider information, provided by a provider, said provider information indicating available merchandise, a time period for the available merchandise and the provider information being responsive to customer selection data, the customer selection data indicative of desired merchandise and the customer selection data being transmitted, from the specific customer, to one or more providers; and

a browse history recording section for recording browse history information when provider information recorded in said provider information recording section is browsed by a display which is connected with a wireless card reader/writer via said wireless transmission/reception means,

wherein when the point card is presented to a provider upon purchase of commodities, said service points recorded in said service point recording section are read out, said browse history information recorded in said browse history recording section is detected and a specified profit returning service based on the recorded service points and browse history information is presented.

2. The point card according to claim 1 further comprising:

a wireless reception section for receiving said provider information transmitted via a wireless communication network and for supplying said provider information to said provider information recording section.

3. The point card according to claim 1 further comprising:

a record control section for determining whether to record all or part of said provider information in said provider information recording section.

4. The point card according to claim 1 further comprising:

a wireless transmission and reception means and a display device for displaying at least one of received information and provider information recorded in said provider information recording section.

5. The point card according to claim 1, wherein expiration processing is performed when valid period information attached to said provider information is detected in browsing provider information or recording new provider information.

6. A point card processing apparatus for use with a point card which is issued from a provider to a specific customer, said point card processing apparatus comprising:

a card reader/writer for reading customer identification information from a customer identification information recording section in a memory of said point card, reading recorded service points, and recording a newly provided service point; and

provider information transmission means for providing said point card with provider information via a communication network,

wherein the provider information is indicative of available merchandise and a time period for the available merchandise, the provider information written onto the card in response to customer selection, the customer selection data indicative of merchandise desired by said customer and the customer selection data transmitted, from the specific customer, to one or more providers,

wherein said reader/writer reads said recorded service points from said point card presented by the specific customer and detects browse history information recorded when the specific customer browses said provider information,

wherein when the specific customer presents said point card to a provider upon purchase of commodities, said recorded service points are read out, said browse history information is detected, and a specified profit returning service based on the recorded service points and browse history information is presented,

whereby said point card is operable to receive a communication wave for generating power for said point card.

7. The point card processing apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising:

a customer management information storage section for recording management information about a customer, which sequentially records information about customer'"'"'s purchase, and sequentially records information about provider information based on said browse history information read by said reader/writer.

8. The point card processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said customer management information storage section based on recording information provides a specific customer with specific provider information by means of said provider information transmission means.

9. The point card processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said point card processing apparatus includes a wireless transmission means and provides a wireless point card having a wireless reception section with said provider information from said provider information transmission means.

10. A point card system comprising:

a point card issued from a provider to a specific customer having a power generating means for receiving a communication wave and for generating power for said point card, a memory, a customer identification information recording section in said memory for recording unrewritable customer identification information, a service point recording section for recording service points, a browse history recording section for recording browse history information and a provider information recording section for recording provider information provided from a provider;

an information provision apparatus for providing said provider with said provider information via a communication network; and

a card reader/writer for reading said service points recorded in said service point recording section and recording a service point newly-added according to a consideration with respect to said point card presented by a customer upon purchase of commodities,

wherein said information recording section of said point card records said provider information provided from said provider to a customer responsive to customer selection data, the information provided by the provider indicating available merchandise and a time period for the available merchandise, the customer selection data indicative of product information desired by said customer and the customer selection data being transmitted, from the specific customer, to one or more providers,

wherein when said point card is presented to a provider upon purchase of commodities, said service points recorded in said service point recording section are read out, said browse history information recorded in said browse history information recording section is detected and a specified profit returning service based on the recorded service points and browse history information is presented.

11. The point card system according to claim 10,

wherein said point card is provided with browse history information recording section for recording browse history information when said provider information recorded in said provider information recording section is browsed;

and

wherein said provider provides a customer with an additional service when said card reader/writer detects said browse history information.

12. The point card system according to claim 10,

wherein said point card system uses a wireless point card having a wireless reception section for receiving said provider information transmitted via a wireless communication network and supplying said provider information to said information recording section;

and

wherein a provider is provided with a wireless transmission apparatus for providing said provider information from said information provision apparatus via a wireless communication network.

13. The point card system according to claim 12,

wherein said provider information comprises header information and text information;

at least said header information is supplied to said wireless point card from said information provision apparatus via said wireless transmission apparatus and said text information is supplied to a terminal apparatus accessing said information provision apparatus based on this header information via a communication network; and

said browse history information is recorded in said browse history recording section according to provision of said text information.

14. The point card system according to claim 12, wherein said point card system uses a point card having a wireless transmission means, reception means, and a display device for displaying received information and provider information recorded in said provider information recording section.

15. The point card system according to claim 10 ,wherein a terminal apparatus at the customer side enables an access to said information provision apparatus at the provider side via a communication network.

16. The point card system according to claim 10, wherein said point card system uses a point card having a record control section for determining whether to record all or part of said provider information in said provider information recording section.

17. The point card system according to claim 10,

wherein said point card system uses a point card which checks a valid period during a browse operation for said provider information and prevents reproduction of said provider information when the valid period expires;

and

wherein said additional service processing is performed only when provider information is browsed during a valid period.

18. The point card system according to claim 10,

wherein a provider is provided with a customer management information storage apparatus for recording management information about a customer;

and

wherein said customer management information storage apparatus sequentially records information about customer'"'"'s purchase and the like, and sequentially records information about provider information based on said browse history information read by said reader/writer.

19. The point card system according to claim 18, wherein said provider information transmission apparatus creates specific provider information based on information about a specific customer recorded in said customer management information storage apparatus, and a provider provides said specific customer with said specific provider information.