Method and system for ordering, loading and using access tickets

• US 7,114,179 B1
• Filed: 04/07/1999
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ICEPAT Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Swisscom Mobile AG (Government of Switzerland)
• Inventors: Ritter, Rudolf, Lauper, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Wright, Norman M.
• Application Number:
  US09/926,266
• Time in Patent Office: 2,729 Days
• Field of Search: 713/172, 713/176, 705/80, 705/37, 726/9, 726 5- 7, 726 20- 21, 726 28- 30
• US Class Current: 726/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/045 using payment protocols involving tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3226 Use of secure elements separate from M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3255 using mobile network messaging services for payment, e.g. SMS
• 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: G07B 15/00 Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence

Abstract

A method and system for ordering, loading, and using admission tickets for access to access-controlled service devices, in which admission tickets are ordered from a reservation center through transmission of order data by an order channel. The order data includes the call number of a mobile communications terminal to which the ordered admission tickets are transmitted by a mobile network and are stored there in a memory module. The data exchange between this memory module and a reading device of the service device takes place over a contactless interface. Decisions about the access authorization of the user of the communications terminal are made, for example, in the reading device or in the communications terminal, taking into account the ticket information contained in the admission ticket, for example, limited to a digitally signed ticket number or with indications about the respective service device. And, in accordance with the decision, access to the service device is given or denied to the user through an access device connected to the reading device.

Claims

1. A method for ordering, loading, and using admission tickets for access to access-controlled service devices, in which method admission tickets are stored in a memory module of a mobile communications terminal, in which method data are exchanged between the memory module and a reading device of a respective service device by a contactless interface, in which method a decision about access authorization of the user of the mobile communications terminal is made taking into account ticket information included in the admission ticket, and in which method, in accordance with the decision made, access of the user to the respective service device is granted or denied by an access device connected to the reading device, comprising:

ordering at least one admission ticket from a reservation center through transmission of order data by an order channel, of various possible order channels, to the reservation center, the order data including a call number of the mobile communications terminal; and

transmitting the ordered admission ticket by a mobile network to that mobile communications terminal, to which the call number included in the order data is assigned.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the admission tickets each include a ticket number which is provided with a digital signature, the admission ticket stored in the memory module is transmitted to the reading device, access data are transmitted from the reservation center to the reading device, and the decision about access authorization is made taking into account the access data and by checking the signature.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the admission tickets include ticket information about at least one access-controlled service device, the decision about access authorization is made taking into account the ticket information and with a positive decision the admission ticket stored in the memory module is marked as used.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the ticket information is transmitted to the reading device and the decision is made in the reading device.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the reading device transmits a device identification to the mobile communications terminal, the decision is made in the mobile communications terminal additionally taking into account the device identification, and the result of the decision is transmitted to the reading device.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least certain admission tickets are assigned to a particular user, and with the decision about access authorization it is checked whether the respective certain admission ticket is assigned to the user, who is identified through a user identification stored in the memory module.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reading device transmits a digitally signed device identification to the mobile communications terminal, and the reading device is authenticated in the mobile communications terminal based on the device identification before data stored in the memory module is transmitted to the reading device.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, following a positive authentication of the reading device, a user identification, with a digital signature, stored in the memory module, is transmitted to the reading device, and the reading device authenticates the user of the mobile communications terminal based on the user identification.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein, after a positive decision has been made, an access confirmation is transmitted by the reading device to the memory module.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the contactless interface is supplied with energy by the reading device.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the ordering the order data is indicated by the user.

12. A system for ordering, loading, and using admission tickets, which system includes a mobile network in which a multiplicity of users are able to communicate by mobile communications terminals, and to which mobile network at least one reservation center is connected, which system includes access-controlled service devices, for the access to which service devices the admission tickets are used, the service devices being provided with reading devices which include transceivers for exchanging of data by a contactless interface, the mobile communications terminals each including a loading module, which loading module stores received admission tickets in a memory module of the respective mobile communications terminal, the mobile communications terminals each including a communications module that exchanges data between the memory module and one of the reading devices by a transceiver by the contactless interface, which system includes decision-making modules, which decision-making modules make decisions about the access authorization of the user of one of the mobile communications terminals taking into account ticket information included in the admission tickets, and the reading devices being connected to access devices, which, in accordance with the decision made, grant or deny the user access to one of the service devices, wherein

the reservation center includes an ordering module which receives orders, by various order channels, with order data, for admission tickets, the order data comprising the call number of one of the mobile communications terminals, and

the reservation center includes a transmission module which transmits ordered admission tickets, by a mobile network, to that mobile communications terminal to which the call number included in the order data is assigned.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the admission tickets each include a ticket number provided with a digital signature, the reservation center includes a table with stored access data, the reservation center is connected to the reading devices by a telecommunications network, the reservation center includes an updating module which transmits the access data by the telecommunications network to one of the reading devices, and the decision-making modules are located in the reading devices and make decisions about access authorization taking into account the access data and by checking the signature.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the admission tickets include ticket information about at least one of the access-controlled service devices, the decision-making modules make decisions about the access authorization taking into account the ticket information, and the mobile communications terminals each include a cancellation module, which, with a positive decision, marks as used the admission ticket stored in the respective memory module.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein said decision-making modules are located in the reading devices.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein the reading devices each include an identification module which transmits a device identification to one of the mobile communications terminals, the decision-making modules are located in the mobile communications terminals, and the decision-making modules make decisions about the access authorization taking into account in addition the device identification and transmit results of the decisions in each case to one of the reading devices.

17. The system according to claim 12, wherein at least certain admission tickets include a user identification, the memory modules each include a user identification, and the decision-making modules, in deciding about the access authorization, check whether the user identification of the respective admission ticket coincides with the user identification in the respective memory module.

18. The system according to claim 12, wherein the reading devices each include an identification module, which transmits a digitally signed device identification to one of the mobile communications terminals, and the mobile communications terminals each include a first authentication module, which authenticates a respective reading device based on the device identification.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the memory modules each include a user identification, the first authentication module transmits the stored user identification with a digital signature to the respective reading device, after a positive authentication of the reading device, and the reading devices each include a second authentication module, which authenticates the user of the respective mobile communications terminal based on the user identification.

20. The system according to claim 12, wherein the reading devices each include a confirmation module, which, after a positive decision has been made, transmits an access confirmation to the respective memory module.

21. The system according to claim 12, wherein the contactless interface is supplied in each case with energy by the reading devices.