Accounting and reconciliation system

• US 7,136,836 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2000
• Issued: 11/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Nakagawa, Katsuya, Washizuka, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, JAGDISH
• Application Number:
  US09/675,252
• Time in Patent Office: 2,237 Days
• Field of Search: 705/30, 705/37, 705/35, 705/38, 705/44
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• 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 20/3227 using secure elements embedded in M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• 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 20/425 using two different networks, one for transaction and one for security confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

An accounting and reconciliation system includes a seller terminal that receives credit data guaranteeing payment, and payment data. A buyer terminal for a buyer sends purchase request data containing transaction information which specifies purchase transaction conditions. A reconciliation unit mediates a purchase transaction between the buyer and the seller in response to receiving the purchase request data communicated from the buyer terminal to the reconciliation unit. The reconciliation unit includes communication circuitry for communicating with the buyer terminal and the seller terminal and a processing system responsive to the purchase request data for sending the credit data to the seller terminal, and for sending the payment data to the seller terminal after receiving acknowledgment data indicative of the buyer'"'"'s acknowledgment of receipt.

Claims

1. An accounting and reconciliation system comprising:

a seller terminal for a seller;

a buyer terminal for a buyer, the buyer terminal sending purchase request data including purchase transaction information which specifies purchase transaction conditions for a product or service;

an account reconciliation server which guarantees account reconciliation in purchase transactions between the buyer and the seller of the product or service, the reconciliation unit comprising;

communication circuitry for establishing communications with each of the buyer terminal and the seller terminal;

credit data creating means for (a) creating, based on the purchase request data received from the buyer terminal, credit data including information which specifies purchase transaction conditions for the product or service, and (b) sending the credit data created to the seller terminal, the credit data guaranteeing payment to the seller by the account reconciliation server for the product or service;

credit data storing means for storing the credit data;

data comparing means for comparing the stored credit data with acknowledgment data received from the buyer terminal, the acknowledgment data (a) being issued by the buyer terminal when the buyer receives from the seller the product or service, and (b) indicating a product or service delivered from the seller to the buyer; and

paying means for making payment for the product or service to the seller terminal when the content of the acknowledgment data satisfies the purchase transaction conditions described in the stored credit data.

2. The accounting and reconciliation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said seller terminal includes an input device usable by the seller to input an estimate in response to an estimate request from the buyer for a product or service to be supplied,

said seller terminal creates estimate data based on the estimate, and sends the estimate data to said buyer terminal, and

said buyer terminal receives the estimate data, and creates the purchase request data based on the received estimate data.

3. The accounting and reconciliation system as set forth in claim 2, wherein:

said buyer terminal includes a display for displaying content of the received estimate data, and an input device usable by the buyer to accept the content of the displayed estimate data, and

said buyer terminal creates the purchase request data upon acceptance of the content of the estimate data.

4. The accounting and reconciliation system as set forth in claim 3, wherein:

the estimate data contains information which specifies first and second payment methods, and

said buyer terminal prompts the buyer via said display to confirm that the second payment method may be used if the first payment method fails.

5. The accounting and reconciliation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said buyer terminal includes an input device usable by the buyer to input information which relates to one or more of an effective period of the purchase request data, delivery date of the product or service, delivery method of the product or service, possibility of separate delivery, and due date of payment from a bank, and

said buyer terminal incorporates the input information in the purchase request data.

6. The accounting and reconciliation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the purchase transaction conditions comprise information which relates to delivery date of the product or service, delivery method, and possibility of separate delivery.

7. The accounting and reconciliation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the purchase transaction conditions comprise information of a purchase price of the product or service.

8. The accounting and reconciliation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said seller terminal includes a processing system, and an input device usable by the seller to confirm content of the credit data received from said reconciliation unit, and

the processing system of said seller terminal destroys the credit data, terminates supply of the product or service, and changes the purchase transaction conditions when there is no confirmation by the seller with regard to the content of the credit data.

9. The accounting and reconciliation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said seller terminal includes a processing system that creates delivery list data based on content of the credit data, and communication circuitry that sends the delivery list data to said buyer terminal.

10. The accounting and reconciliation system as set forth in claim 9, wherein the acknowledgement data contains information which relates to whether the product or service listed in the delivery list data has been supplied to the buyer.

11. The accounting and reconciliation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said seller terminal includes communication circuitry that sends receipt data to said reconciliation unit when the payment data is received, and

the processing system of said reconciliation unit bills the buyer for the product or service after receiving the receipt data.

12. The accounting and reconciliation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the processing system of said reconciliation unit uses the same credit data if the buyer and the seller remain unchanged and if the same purchase transaction is repeated.

13. The accounting and reconciliation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said buyer terminal comprises a cellular phone.

14. An accounting and reconciliation method which guarantees account reconciliation in purchase transactions between a buyer and a seller of a product or service, the method comprising:

(1) creating in an account reconciliation server, based on purchase request data sent from a buyer terminal for the buyer, credit data including information which specifies purchase transaction conditions for the product or service and sending the electronic credit data to a seller terminal for the seller, the credit data guaranteeing payment to the seller by the account reconciliation server for the product or service;

(2) storing the credit data;

(3) comparing the stored credit data with acknowledgment data received from the buyer terminal, the acknowledgment data being issued by the buyer terminal when the buyer receives from the seller the product or service, and the acknowledgment data indicating a product or service delivered from the seller to the buyer; and

(4) making payment for the product or service to the seller terminal when the content of the acknowledgment data satisfies the purchase transaction conditions described in the stored credit data.

15. An account reconciliation server which guarantees account reconciliation in purchase transactions between a buyer and a seller of a product or service,

the account reconciliation server comprising:

a communicating circuit for establishing communications with each of a buyer terminal of the buyer and a seller terminal of the seller;

credit data creating means for (a) creating based on purchase request data received from the buyer terminal, credit data including information which specifies purchase transaction conditions for the product or service, and (b) sending the credit data created to the seller terminal, the credit data guaranteeing payment to the seller by the account reconciliation server for the product or service;

credit data storing means for storing the credit data;

data comparing means for comparing the stored credit data with acknowledgment data received from the buyer terminal, the acknowledgment data (a) being issued by the buyer terminal when the buyer receives from the seller the product or service, and (b) indicating a product or service delivered from the seller to the buyer; and

paying means for making payment for the product or service to the seller terminal when the content of the acknowledgment data satisfies the purchase transaction conditions described in the stored credit data.